UKC

There's a full on ice fall on a sandstone cliff in Kidderminster, behind Blink Vision (next to Matalan).

It's touched down and is approx 8m high. It would probably go around IV, although it's definitely vertical and overhanging in some places, but its fat and will almost certainly take 22's. There's plenty of trees and fence posts at the top to belay from, though topping out may be a bit... sketchy!

Sadly I have no willing partner and will be away as of tomorrow, so no FA for me...! (Unless anyone wants a go tonight!)

It would be nice to hear its been done by the time I get back, although you probably only have until uhmm, tomorrow? before it starts to melt.

I have never heard of, or seen anything like this locally! So now's your chance!

ps. pm me for a picture if you're interested.

In reply to Hvit ut: id love to but am minus axes and partner at the moment!

In reply to Hvit ut: Anyone who wants a partner to give this a go I can get the train. Just drop me an email.

In reply to Hvit ut: Dudes - I'm in and even have a spare pair of axes and (blunt) crampons. If it is really IV, I'm perfectly happy to lead it. I've been stumbling around other bits of Worcestershire looking for ice but no luck. Anyone want to try in the morning?

also probably worth mentioning something to the business if its open as the cliff is very close. No doubt they wont have a problem.

In reply to Hvit ut: Link doesn't work but if it's behind Matalan I know where it must be.

In reply to TobyA: Have seen a couple of pictures of it. It looks very fragile. I'm not sure that it'll be climbable with the warm front that's moved in over night.

In reply to Gob_Stopper: Oh, shame. Just have to do some shopping instead then...

In reply to TobyA: Went to have a look, actually pretty impressive but not 8m high. I started up one line but possibly as a result or possibly just by coincidence a load of ice at the other end came crashing down. I ran away at this point. There will be a photo in my gallery as soon as one of the photo moderators approves it!

In reply to Hvit ut:

Until it melts its is probably the best thing about the town centre.

In reply to TobyA:

Nice one Toby! It was very warm that morning, how was the ice? It certainly is much smaller with you next to it. Hopefully it will come back soon! I don't suppose you eyed up the topout did you? I only ever saw it at night, how does it look?

In reply to Hvit ut: The ice was very drippy and not too well bonded at the top. There is a sturdy tree a couple of metres to the right of the right hand end of the ice, but nothing directly above - there is probably stuff further back though. I think preplacing a top anchor would probably be sensible. The ice comes out of rock and then there is about a foot of steep earth to where the angle drops back. If it was frozen I'm sure topping out would be no problem, but having a krab on rope pre placed to tree further back would probably be wise!

I've been checking out various quarries west of Stourport for possible ice but to no avail. The rock in them is atrocious so there is no summer potential there either, but I was surprised how dry they were of ice. At home if granite is quarried - road cut etc. - it invariably gets ice falls from seepage. The rock must be so much more porous around Abberley that it just doesn't come out. But now having seen the Kiddy ice, if I'm around in a similar freeze, I might need to go and check some of the Sandstone escarpments along the Severn and Habberley/Kinver etc to see if there is ice there!

BTW - of interest to Worcestershire climbers of the summer persuasion. There has been a load of tree clearance around Southstone Rock making it a lot more open. Particularly at the left end some of the small over hanging buttresses look to offer some pretty decent bouldering potential. It will need some brushing and secateurs to cut back some brambles etc. but I think it could be quite good. The back canyon of the crag also looks clean and dry - I wonder if folk have been climbing there? If anyone is feeling public spirited they could probably find enough threads on that wall to create an (easily clean-up-able) series of sport routes there using just threads.

In reply to Hvit ut: BTW, it took me ages to work out, but you are the artist formerly known as Gaz aren't you? It gets bloody complicated when people change their longtime UKC names! Took me months to realise this "Tall Clare" character was CJD for example...

In reply to TobyA: yep that be me I also went for a mooch around the malvern quarries looking for seepage lines but they were dry as a bone. Maybe if the snow melts and it gets cold again there may be a chance. I also had my eye on the cliffs in habberly valley but to no avail. At least the one found is pretty decent, well for here it is. And it only took 3 days to form to the extent it did.

In reply to Neil Anderson: But no obvious ice forming which seems to be what Gaz reports from this freeze. It seems to be just the wrong type of rock for seepage, the water movement seems to just go internally.

In reply to TobyA: The crags in Malvern are an oddity, I dont know if it may be due to their relative altitude, but crags such as ivy scar and westminster arms are always just damp or dry as a bone. Its a similar story with places like broomhill, which is always green juicy but with no obvious seepage cracks (though thats probably more due to its south facing aspect).

I guess for any of the crags to come in, for winter climbing, they need lots of snow and freeze/ thaw cycles to allow for some ice build up, otherwise it just remains as useless powder... and the hills aren't exactly great for skiing either!