UKC

Hi,

Staying in East Leeds next weekend. Looking to head out as a group (3 or 4) who can TR upto VS, mainly trying to build up our Leading at VD/S.

Trawling the databases suggests Almscliffe is probably the place to head? Any thoughts?

In terms of guides should I go for Rockfax Northern England (covering larger area as my frequency of visits to Yorkshire specifically will be low). Or are the more specific YMC guides worth collecting, even if it will rarely get used? I assume the 2012 Volume 1 is optimal for North of Leeds, or is the older full area guide good too?

Bit of a rambling bundle of Q's, sorry.

In reply to rideti.me:
Almcliff feels tough for the grade and can be quite off-putting, especially if you're not used to grit. But dries quickly, which can be handy at this time of year. I prefer Brimham at the easy grades, but many disagree.

re guidebooks - the new YMC guide is officially the best guidebook in the world. But for an infrequent visitor might be a bit much, so unless like me you're mildly obsessive about guidebooks, Rockfax could be a better bet. The older YMC guide is also very good, but showing its age in terms of layout and usability.

In reply to rideti.me:

Rylstone is pretty good at those grades, 2 stone cold classics at least. One of which, Presidents Slab, is an ideal first lead.

In reply to Kid Spatula:
Crookrise and Embsay too. But not that local to East Leeds.

In reply to rideti.me:
Definately Brimham for me. It's got a something for everyone and its own icecream stand. The Cubic Block is a great place to play with good routes at a nice angle.

In reply to roperat:
Just don't mention the descent...

In reply to Toreador:
I'd forgotton about that. It seems to be getting very polished, the only place I have ever thought a chain might be handy, several times I have belayed people down the descent.

In reply to Kid Spatula: I'd say President's Slab is far from ideal as a first lead unless the OP is seeking proper adventure. High, north facing, slightly bold classic with a longish approach, Its probably best saved for a good day so you can enjoy it properly. Paid instructors should be avoiding classics for training and I can't think of many who wouldn't be very careful about allowing a client to lead on their first day.

In reply to rideti.me:

Ilkley is probably the best spot for beginners with some of the quarry routes being ideal for learning to place gear. It's where I learned to climb and I'm still at it 49 years later so it must have some of the right ingredients. Its close to the road and easy to set up top ropes and got a good cafe! What more could you want!

In reply to rideti.me:

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into it a bit further.

Sorry if I am confused by some of the comments.

I am not a paid instructor. I am a climber relatively new to Leading myself. We are a group of pretty much equal climbing friends, I just tend to be the organiser!

We've all climbed routes upto and including HVS when top-roped.

As Lead we have all done an outdoor course (aimed at setting up anchors) and self-progressed that to leading. Generally we are leading most VD and some Severe and 1 of the guys managed a HS.

Yorkshire isn't familiar to me, but I am up there for work so we decided to organise a weekend around it. Hence the Q's.

Cheers.

In reply to rideti.me: add a grade or maybe two to everything you do if its your first trip as grading is tough and the rock can take some getting used to. Dave Musgrove is right that Ilkley might be the best place to start.

In reply to Dave Musgrove: The downside of the quarry is the polish.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Walewska is a fine climb!

In reply to Bulls Crack:

groan

In reply to Bulls Crack: I agree and it's not particularly polished. The start of S Crack is a bit shiny, and anything that goes up the start of Josephine (or Josephine direct) is worse. Can't think of any good VDiffs or Severes. Rocky Valley might be better at that grade.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS: Sorry, just remembered A Climb, but I haven't done it. The start looks a bit bold if you're just trying to get into leading.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS: And Walewska isn't the best top-rope option, with the traverse.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:
Sinister Crack, Nailbite, Fairy Steps, Chiseller, Cow Crack are some reasonable VD/S routes. But you're right, there's more to go at in Rocky Valley.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS: Its the end that is bold!