UKC

So the description of Tower Ridge in Gary Latter's Scottish Rock includes the words 'or jump the gap if you're mad enough!'

Has anyone here actually jumped Tower Gap or heard of someone who has, is it really possible (no, I'm not thinking of trying it!) or is this just Gary being funny? :-/

In reply to petestack:
I think loads of people have done it. I've only stepped across, but a mate has jumped it.

In reply to Scomuir:

Got long legs, then? Or is that not quite what you meant?

In reply to petestack: I'm fairly short and have stepped across it, is a bit of a leap of faith move though.

In reply to Mr Lopez: everyone must step across it if they are to conquer the mighty TOWER RIDGE!!

In reply to petestack:
I'm pretty sure Norrie claimed to have done it.

In reply to Mr Lopez:

Just been checking some more photos and sure you guys (and Gary?) must be talking about descending to the first block (the one that's getting a bit rickety and likely to go sometime) before stepping/jumping across? Because there's no way you've got long enough legs to do it strictly *top-to-top* unless you're about 20 feet tall...

PS Dunno who took this pic, but think it shows what I'm talking about:
http://image42.webshots.com/42/3/34/66/2457334660044787259IDNROc_fs.jpg

(NB re-posting because I hit delete instead of reply to add the link to my previous post!)

In reply to petestack:

Image seems to give a 403 Forbidden when clicking the link, but works if you copy & paste the URL?

In reply to petestack: Lots have done it. More interesting, has anyone tried to jump it and failed, and if so, what happened?

In reply to petestack:


Yep, stepped down to the first block and then gone straight across. From the top would certainly be way too long.
I suppose the jumping only goes on in summer conditions?

In reply to Mr Lopez:

I've heard it's been done in winter. Met a guide on the great tower once. Said he'd seen it done. Mental!

In reply to douglas:

Always had a hankering to do Horseman's leap. This may be an example of natural selection in action though, but looking at it I reckon if you were belayed from the far side and the belayer ran back as you jumped, and you had a couple of axes to bury in the mud at the far side, its perfectly do-able...

In reply to petestack:

where abouts is this area... google isnt being helpful

In reply to jelly_georgifer: Ben Nevis, near fort william, scotland.

In reply to fishy1:

My mate failed (we think) - He died.

In reply to jelly_georgifer:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=tower+ridge
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=tower+ridge+gap

?

In reply to petestack:

My mate's done it; I was belaying him from the plateau side but he'd still have clattered horribly if he'd fluffed it. It's completely do-able (from the top) but you need to be totally committed and nail the landing perfectly.

About 20 years ago, (because it was easy scrambling) I went slightly ahead, ropeless, of my two Edinburgh Mountaineering Club companions who had all the gear, and got past the point of no return. I then came across Tower Gap, and thought I had better wait for my companions to catch up. And I waited, and waited, and waited and they never appeared (I think they skirted around the main tower for some reason I never discovered). So I had the choice of jumping the gap, or waiting (?overnight) for rescue. After steeling myself for about half an hour, I had to go for it. I survived! My children are very impressed when I tell them the story..!

In reply to Richard Newmark:

Sounds exciting, but surely you also had the choice of climbing down into it and out again?

I'm sure I took what I thought was the least risky option at the time! By jumping, at least I knew what I was aiming at. Dangling myself ropeless into the void in the hope of finding footholds didn't appeal to me - I'm not a serious climber!

I've just watched
youtube.com/watch?v=cCptGDbL6aM&
and he made it look remarkably easy.
Perhaps it was harder 20 years ago, or maybe I'm just a wimp!

In reply to petestack: theres a guy (whos now mid eightys) jumped it in my mountaineerig club, also went up curved ridge for his eightyith bday