UKC

In reply to Chris Harris:
Friend of mine was saying that "Empire of the Sun" at Anstey's Cove was pretty serious (as well as being nails 'ard - far too hard for me, so all this is only what I've heard)...Apparently there have been a few broken ankles from falls before the first clip, and if you mess up the second you could deck from 30'

Sounds pretty grim, glad I don't climb that hard!

Also climbed a route in Spain with a second pitch of 20m and 2 bolts...

In reply to Chris Harris: The first clip on Dominatrix 7c, Kilnsey, is about 20ft off the deck. You can get some trad gear in before it, or just use a very long clip stick.

Andy F

In reply to andy farnell: how high up is the first clip on the polished 6c warmup?


Cheers
Tim

In reply to tbertenshaw: Quite high.

Andy F

In reply to traditionalJax:


Aye, but that's not claiming to be a sport route. Things are less polarised on the continent and minimal or partial bolting is much more common. Was it an easy pitch or was there trad gear available?

In reply to andy farnell: I remember wall of Voodoo at LPT being pretty grim nto the first clip

In reply to traditionalJax:


Yes you are supposed to put a friend 3 before the 1st bolt in so does this count if you don't do this? Also I belive Dominatrix is supposed to be trad before the 1st bolt (as is the Directissima) so what can we come up with for routes that do not have trad start to them? Sardine 1st bolt is fairly high...

In reply to teddy:

Tequila Mockinbird has a high first bolt and no other gear (unless you count another bolt which has been there on occassion!).

In reply to Tyler:

Nice one but I think this also has a hybrid trad history/ ethos. It is certainly not your regular clip up. There was some sort of wierd highball ethic going on at the time.

In reply to Chris Harris:

One of the routes on Sector Swallows Nest at Giggleswick has a rather high first bolt. For a 5+ it's scarily high. Well it is for me. I'm a jessy.

Falling off would be interesting before clipping it as you would probably fall down the bramble infested slope at the bottom as well.

In reply to Kid Spatula:

some of the first bolts, and the second for that matter, at Harpur Hill seemed a bit daunting to me.

In reply to Tall Clare:

yes the one one Ratline at Harpur is a bit of an anklesnapper considering the landing!

In reply to Tall Clare:

I took a nasty fall off Differant Seasons at HH - it's not so much the height of the first bolt as the steepness of the ground below. Was actually climbing back down to get some wires, slipped, tumbled down the hill side and could have been badly hurt had I not been wearing a helmet

I also remember a route at Toix Este which my mate couldn't reach the first bolt with his clip stick - we even considered moving the car and standing on the roof. In the end I was just about able to reach it - and then the route turned out to be a complete sandbag anyway!

In reply to teddy:


Maybe but if you're going to discount routes with a first bolt above a certain hight the whole question becomes pointless, like a tallest dwarf competition!

In reply to Chris Harris: If you think there are some "sporting" ones in the UK, you should try Germany - a clipstick taped to a broom handle taped to a fishing rod should just about get you to the first bolt.

In reply to Tyler:

Aye I can think of more pertinant discussions to spend your life thinking about!

In reply to Chris Harris:

There's some pretty high ones in the Blue Mountains, you get a little batman symbol for them in the guide cause you don't actually climb to them you clip stick them and go up the rope. Maybe these don't count but some of them do have climbing up to the first bolt (up bits of wood with chunks knocked out for steps).

In reply to teddy:

Don't think you are right about Empire of the Sun - there's no friend 3 before the first bolt as far as I remember and I've never seen anyone take trad gear on it.

You might be thinking about the old days when the first gear was a friend 3 in the break where the first bolt is now...

In reply to Chris Harris:

Good thread.

There was something along near Piranha wheer it looked like you'd not want to be falling off at the first clip. Too hard for me and can't remeber the name unfortunately.

Conversely, what's the *lowest* first bolt? There's a couple at head-level on Portland.

J

In reply to Moacs:


I was going to ask the same question! I suspect one or two of those might be mine...hanging off an ab rope you can lose your sense of perspective - the ground looks a long way away so you think, "ah, I'll put another one in here" - then lower down to touch the ground in a few metres!

There again, they could be belay bolts for those gnarly mudslides (I usually put them in sideways as a sign that, no, I haven't put a protection bolt in 1m above the ground!)

In reply to Chris Harris:

The Ashes at Kilnsey has a first bolt at about 20 foot (might not actually be that high but felt it to me as I wobbled up to it).

In reply to midgets of the world unite:

You may be right. All I remember is that a local told me years ago there was a friend 3 before the 1st bolt to save the dodgy runout. Maybe nobody takes trad gear on it now cos everybody stick clips it? Its been 6 years since I last went there so things may have changed!

In reply to Chris Harris:

the bloods, mayfair wall

that has a high 1st bolt, but easyish climbing, 6-8m's

In reply to traditionalJax:

First bolt on EOTS is indeed ridiculously high above a nice rock landing. I'd be surprised if you could deck from the second clip though unless your belayer was asleep? You get a nice jug to clip from anyway (not that I've ever made it through the hard bit just below). Per the other comments I don't recall there being any trad gear other than a cam in the break by the first bolt which is no real advantage.

In reply to Jamie B.:

Nope, it was definately claimed as a sport route and there was very little option for trad gear - easy/hard is subjective, was probably 5/5+ so make of that as you will.

I think the 2nd pitch was very rarely climbed, the first was bolted much more sensibly - I was just mentioning it as a long runout on bolts experience.

In reference to all EOTS posts...

As I said to start with I'm only quoting a friend - He lead it with pegs before it was bolted and reckons it was safer the way he did it then than it is now with the bolts where they are...

Personally: Never climbed it, probably never will...!

In reply to midgets of the world unite:



Oh yes sorry I misread your post, yes that is exactly it. No trad gear before this break, friend by 1st bolt in break. Man-up for the runout or stick clip?? Thats a tough one....

In reply to Chris Harris:
Doesn't Sharmas jumbo love involve taking 100ft falls? I assume there's no chance of a ground fall though!!

In reply to Chris Harris: i remember a 15 pitch route in Switzerland that had about 5 pitches in a row with just one bolt in 50m. And of course, since we were told its a sport route we didnt take any trad gear.