UKC

Wintour's Leap

Has anyone done Captain Beaky since the rockfall a few winters ago?

Did it yesterday but obviously the start is completely different. I have submitted a brief description to the mods and the CC website. Went at about E4 6a utilising a peg to the left (not on Power Games). Pretty goes and a little suspect once you get near what remains of the pillar but cool moves on powerful undercuts and a long reach.

Any info please let me know.

Cheers,

Ollie

In reply to Ollie B:

I haven't done anything hereabouts since the right side of The Perfumed Garden's corner fell off, but from your mention of the peg it sounds as if you either climbed One Cockatoo, which leads straight up to the end of Captain Beaky's traverse, or started up the short blind groove of The Real Macaw just to the right as far as the start of the traverse. The former has a grade of E3 6a, although it was close to the top of the E3s in the graded list in the 1987 edition of the guidebook. I would say that TRM's short groove is about 5c - it's certainly easier than that route's crux, which is just above Captain Beaky's traverse - so probably wouldn't justify an upgrade. Although whichever way you do it the crux is that long move up past the left end of the overhang, it seems to be harder when approached from below via One Cockatoo - hence the respective 6a and 5c grades; I suppose when coming from the right on the CB traverse you're already that bit higher. Caveat: I'm assuming that nothing else has changed, and that the rockfall over on the right didn't manage to affect the bit I'm talking about in a way that I haven't twigged.

Have a look at the last database comment under The Perfumed Garden.

A further scenario might be that you started up Blow the House Down, which appears to differ from the latter of the two possibilities offered above in that one traverses left below the roof rather than draped around it; this would then be followed by the One Cockatoo version - ie the 6a one - of the crux move. It's not impossible, too, that the "hard bold moves leftwards under the roof" (which I've never done) might elevate the whole procedure to E4, particularly as you presumably wouldn't be high enough to make use of protection possibilities available at the original Captain Beaky traverse level. It would seem unnecessary, though, to incorporate into the route a lower, harder traverse if the original one is still available.

In reply to Ollie B:

Its E1 5b. Did it last week with my broken foot and a cast on - train harder Ol

In reality - good effort. I've stood under that route (twice I think) and turned away due to difficulties figuring out where it goes

In reply to Billg:

Haha cheers Bill, I do need to train....harder.

I still have no idea what route I did (if it exists at all) I shall try and get a picture topo in the next week or so and send it around to try and work out what it may well be.

Cheers, for the info.

Ollie

In reply to Ian Parsons:
This is what the last entry of The Perfumed Garden reads

"Might want to regrade for the first pitch at around E2, bottom half of first pitch is gone. The new way up is as for "One Cockatoo E3 6a" until the remaining corner reappears at the "Captain Beaky" traverse, which is what i attempted to do before realising it had been made far harder by the missing corner, managed to traverse but swung back after encountering too much dirt so wimped out up the rest of this. I guess this means captain beaky and cockatoo are the same climb now? Also next person up could do with taking secateurs for the brambles at the top of the pillar... unless you like pain.
Tom Brierley Gore - AltLd O/S - 02/Aug/15 with Nick Eaton"

If they reckon the Cockatoo and Beaky are the same and that having the corner missing makes it harder surely an upgrade is in order? Or just tell no one to do it as the pillar is still pretty scary to be near. Although it does mean the really good upper wall on Beaky gets left behind, which seems a shame as it's good.


Rereading the descriptions the peg I'm on about is the one from the Real McCaw (it's not in a calcite crack and can't be backed up). It may well be i climbed this route and am just a bit of a wimp and want an upgrade.

In reply to Ollie B:


Remember that he was talking about The Perfumed Garden, not Captain Beaky, hence the suggestion of an upgrade (from E1 to E2) in the absence of the corner; that sounds like speculation, though, as he didn't actually manage to continue up TPG. Assuming that what's left of the original start of Captain Beaky and TPG is impractical (for the moment, at least), CB still needn't become the same as One Cockatoo; my earlier "second option" - ie initial groove of The Real Macaw leading to the original traverse of Captain Beaky - should still be the line of least resistance, thus justifying its continued separate status.


If you didn't actually do the traverse left - either just below the roof or with it at about chest level - you must have done The Real Macaw; straight on up above the right end of the roof? That's hard for E3, albeit short-lived; I can certainly think of easier E4s .

In reply to Ian Parsons:

That sounds right to me. If that's the Real Macaw route. And yer definitely hard for E3, and pretty run out with deck potential after the crux (especially with the very overgrown and dirty nature of the route now).

Cheers for your help Ian.

Ollie