UKC

A few months ago I read that a huge crack had appeared along the top, and it looked like a block the size of a small bungalow could be falling off....any update on this? Is it getting any worse? I want to do NCE, not if that is about to part company with the crag though!! Anybody been up to take a look recently? Cheers...

In reply to HappyTrundler:
With a name like yours I suspect an ulterior motive

In reply to HappyTrundler: Give Needlesports in Keswick a call, those chaps are usually good for info like that.

In reply to HappyTrundler:
It's recommended that the North side of the crag isn't climbed upon due to the block but routes have been logged.
I'm unsure what the plan is, even if there is one, to deal with said block.
Maybe someone more knowledgeable than me will have an idea

In reply to goose299:
Do you think if I go up with a standard car tyre jack clipped to my harness, that will be enough to shift it?...

In reply to HappyTrundler:

Yes. 1500 tonnes is on the move. The warning signs below the crag are still in place.

In reply to Dave Cumberland:

Ok, ta, I will cross that off my remaining 'Hard Rock' routes list...pity...

In reply to HappyTrundler:

abit off topic but what route could serve as a possible replacement for NCE on the 'hard rock' ticklist.
Any ideas?

In reply to HappyTrundler:

Im pretty sure it's well over a year now since the crack appeared, and since then there have been no new developments. It's also just a section of the buttress that's affected, with plenty of routes there (like Thirlmere Eliminate) that would be totally separate to the rockfall if it occurred. To give you an idea of how 'un-worried' some people are by it; I actually know a guy that lead the crack a few months after it formed, and suggested the grade of severe .

In reply to MarkRoe:

The word 'nutter' springs to mind !!!...

In reply to HappyTrundler:

There's nothing to stop anyone doing NCE, Side of the Hill, Matheson Avenue, Barbican/Barbican direct finish or Watchtower except the warning notices.

In reply to HappyTrundler:


Why? How is that more or less dangerous than doing any of the other routes in the vicinity?

In reply to MarkRoe:

I can't find what I have in mind just now, but I'm fairly sure I've seen it claimed that the crack has widened in the meantime, i.e. the block is not 100% stable. I could be wrong though.

In reply to Jamie B:

Why? Have you not read this thread from the start??!!...

In reply to HappyTrundler:

Yes, I am fully aware of the history. The crack appeared over a year ago, I'm pretty sure that it would take more than a fist or boot stuffed into it to dislodge the ground around it. In essence, being on the crack is no more or less safe than being stood below it.

In reply to Jamie B:

At least if you were standing below it, and heard it rumble, you could run for it and maybe save yourself...

In reply to Jamie B:

"In essence, being on the crack is no more or less safe than being stood below it."

yeep -- standing underneath a caravan sized unstable loose block with the full knowledge that it is coming down sometime soon seems reckless to me so 'nutter' doesn't seem that inappropriate a label for someone who climbed the crack.

In reply to duchessofmalfi:

I do agree, there is a major question about the long-term integrity of the whole crag, with buildings and road below being as much at risk as climbers. Has there been any sort of geological assessment? I imagine that if collapse was felt to be imminent some sort of remedial action would be imperative.

In reply to HappyTrundler:
Just did a search on this hoping to climb there this weekend and this came up.

Does anyone know if it's just the routes as far as NCE that are affected, i.e. is the area around Zigzag/Overhanging Bastion 'safe'?

In reply to maria85:

The bottom of Zig Zag is possibly in the firing line if the block came down, most of the route is clear. OB is OK apart from the finish, it's not possible to avoid the block as far as I am aware. The Yew Tree at the top of OB has a Raven chick in situ at the moment which is more of an issue which to me , should be flying soon I think. The glass slide in the crack is a sliding scale type, I guess someone is logging it's movement?