UKC

In the news:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/

Plus check out more splashdown piccies on Dave Henderson's javu.co.uk website:
http://www.javu.co.uk/Climbing/News/#Christine

In reply to Tom, UKC News Editor:

Bet it turns out to be harder than 8c!

In reply to Tom, UKC News Editor:

Yer, but the big question is: what V grade does it get ???

In reply to Adam Lincoln: Is this the route Ken had his quick-draws nicked out of? Does anyone know if he got them back?

Rob Sutton or Stu Littlefair for the second ascent?

In reply to ally smith:

Yup, same route... So now people may understand why they where nicked rather than found. The faff needed to get them back would have been a right pain in the arse

In reply to Adam Lincoln: full repect for him it looks amazing and really ballsy ( rather than just hard moves )
pictures are excellent too. ( not splashing one! although thats cool in its own right )

In reply to Adders:

Go Ken! The Barnet is back!, etc

His DWS of this route is quite ballsy - as you can see from the photos if you blow the crux you (just) miss a big ole rock. I'm not sure if you'd hit this or not if you fell of the bottom section (which is pretty hard). The 8c is ridiculously sustained, and yes, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be a tad harder, after all it does link almost all of an 8b+, into reversing the crux of an 8a+, after which you do most of another (hard) 8a+ to gain the (hard) 7c finishing headwall. Phew!

I'm certain it will take a long while to get repeated, as the line is perhaps a bit convoluted to tempt luminaries like Steve Mac down again, and both Rob and I have our eyes on other things for the time being...having said that, someone like Liam Halsey or Rich Simpson might pop over and sneak it in!

On a further note - is "E10 Ken" the coolest hard climber in Britain? The guy's a legend. He's so timid he was headpointing the 7c+s at Ceuse, yet he's soloed 8a, climbed E10 and repeated nearly all of the hardest trad routes in the SW! bizarre!

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

But who could be arsed to nick them? It must have taken about seven abseils, or the ability to climb French 8a to get them out in the first place.

Bunch of savages in this town.....

In reply to midgets of the world unite:

Yes, met him at the weekend, and was a true gent!

Which E10 is this Stu?

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

actually, strike that. He's only climbed E9, hasn't he?

Punter.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:


Jeez Adam...I thought you were the mother of all climbing trainspotters.

Don't let me down again.

Mick

In reply to midgets of the world unite:
Aye, thought so

In reply to Mick - Rockfax USA:

woops spoke too soon......you are back in my good books Adam..

In reply to Mick - Rockfax USA:

Oh goody

In reply to Tom, UKC News Editor:
Almost certain to be 8c+ judging by Ken's previous gradings.

In reply to midgets of the world unite:

Can’t see this rock, midgets?

This sports line sounds completely bizarre to me. I know the wall leans a bit in the sense that the ground slopes downhill L to R, and I also know it’s only a sport climb, but is this really any sort of line at all or just a Tom’s-Roof-style link-up?

Totally agree that the man's a minor god, though.

The photos are stills from a video of the first ascent which looks great, but won't going on the internet (you'll have to wait... sorry). However the footage from 'Brian' his new 8c is on the site www.bigpebbles.co.uk so have a look.

The photos are stills from a video of the first ascent which looks great, but won't going on the internet (you'll have to wait... sorry). However the footage from 'Brian' his new 8c is on the site http://www.bigpebbles.co.uk so have a look.

In reply to Caedmon - www.BigPebbles.co.uk:

Is it just my link or is there some weird shit going down at that site....my browser screen is vibrating.

M

Works fine for me. Great video too!

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:


watch the video John (nice work bigpebbles), it does seem to pick and weave its way all over the wall - maybe it looks more obvious when you actually look head on at the wall, who knows, its a BIG addition that looks damn hard

In reply to StuartM:

Ken's route DOES follow a natural line - a rising break which runs from the start of the cider soak leftwards across the crag. The only deviation from this line is the descent into tuppence, which could in principle be straightened out by some very hard moves indeed.

In reply to midgets of the world unite:

what are you waiting for Stu - get to it!

In reply to Sarah: The video is great but it does take an age to download. The climbing looks amazing, very very hard and sustained. 8c? Deffo looks at least that, if not harder.

Andy F

In reply to StuartM:
I love that one-hand-plus-heel-hook 'rest' near the end

In reply to midgets of the world unite:

Since you hard Devon boys are here, what’s the story with the other projects on that wall? They’ve been bolted for ages – are people (read KP, I guess) still trying them? They don’t look very easy.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

no, they don't, do they. Since Rob Sutton ran out of routes on the wall we've not spent much time at ansteys, but there are folk who are keen to try these in the coming winter...

The wall between the lynch and the cider soak is a dead project. There are no holds, so i don't see it being done.

Ferocity (the original aid route) is a bit of a squeeze job since tuppence was climbed, but there are interested parties (who haven't been trying VERY hard, after all this is devon). Those in the know suggest 8c

Left again is a short, bouldery line with a desperate crux, which like ferocity would share the finish of Ken's new route. 8b+/8c for this one, and probably the best/most independant/most feasible project remaining.

Left again is a truly unfeasible project which would take the striking brown streak right of La Creme. Easily the best line left. Unclimbable?

In reply to midgets of the world unite:

>Unclimbable?

?

So how do these holdless lines get bolted, then? I wouldn't have thought anyone'd bother unless they look like they'd go on an ab rope.

I think ‘holdless’ is a relative term… I’ve seen Ken get very close to doing the crux of the project right of La Crème.

In reply to Caedmon:

Well according to midgets that one is merely 'unclimbable'. I would agree that's a relative term, but 'dead project' suggests worse than 'unclimbable to me.

In reply to midgets of the world unite:
I thought that Ken had been working the line right of 'La Creme' with some success but for one move. Looked utterly desperate to me.