UKC

Any good open face climbing in the sub-VS category? If you exclude slate, I haven't come across much. Any recommendations for the minimum of
thrutch?

No GRIT allowed croutons

In reply to zimpara:

Ardverikie

In reply to zimpara:

Most climbing walls have some good easy routes.

In reply to zimpara:

Outside Edge Route (VD) might do it.

In reply to zimpara:

North Pembroke has lots of excellent steep sandstone slabs (with edges, bit like slate but with friction) in the lower grades - a lovely place to climb. You won't really find wall climbing at that grade, as you tend to need cracks to make vertical terrain amenable.

In reply to zimpara:

The Slabs Route 1 (S 4a)

Probably more of a slab than a face but quality route

In reply to John Kelly:

Mullenium Direct (S 4a)

In reply to zimpara:


Not sure if there's anything worthwhile on the slate either, certainly not sub VS...

In reply to zimpara:

Squareface.

In reply to Tom Valentine:

several routes on Rannoch Wall

In reply to zimpara:

Original Route, Raven Crag (S).
Main Wall, Cryn Las (HS)

If you'll accept slabs as well, then pretty much anything at Baggy.

In reply to Ramblin dave:

I was about to suggest Main Wall myself - that third pitch (I think), moving out from the corner to access the slab, is something else at the grade.

In reply to zimpara:

Doorpost,Bosigran

In reply to zimpara:

Jeffrey's Dyke on Sgurr Mhic Coinnich on Skye. One of the best multipitches I've done. 300m Diff according to the guide but it seemed at least VDiff and closer to 400m to me. No thrutching, obvious line, finishes just below the summit.

In reply to zimpara:

Chair ladder
Sennet
Bosigran
Dewerstone
Lizard Point
Avon Gorge
Wintours Leap
Shorncliff
Symonds Yat
All of Gower
All of Pembroke limestone
Tremadoc
The Three Cliffs
Tryfan
Caring Yr Ysfa
Cwm Sylin
Lots of Peak limestone
Lots of Yorkshire limestone
Dow crag
Glimmer crag
Most other Lakes crags
Most of the major crags in Glencoe
Virtually any crag made of gneiss

You have to search around a bit...

In reply to zimpara:

Tophet Wall plus quite a few others off the best 50 HS ticklist should fit the bill

In reply to Andrew Barker:

Sounds wonderful! Thank you

In reply to zimpara:

Direct Route (VS 4b) at Castle Rock of Triermain is pretty out there for the grade, not quiet sub VS but only gets 4b.

In reply to zimpara:

Just a few more suggestions to add to the mix:

Everything below VS on Bochclwyd Buttress
The brilliant Terrace Wall Variant on Tryfan isn't a wall because it's all in balance, but it feels like a wall – especially if you do it in big boots ...
The top pitch of Little Chamonix (V Diff) on Shepherd's is certainly a wall - vertical, if not slightly overhanging - but covered in the most absurdly big jugs you'll find anywhere.
Appian Way on Pillar.
I haven't done it, but January Jigsaw on the Buachaille must surely fit the bill. Monstrously exposed.
If you get to Skye, Naismith’s Route ""v diff"" on the Basteir Tooth is very steep and outrageously exposed.
But the king, below VS, is probably still Tophet Wall - which has to be one of the best routes just below VS in Britain. V exposed at the top.
... Actually, about on a par with Main Wall on Cyrn Las, which I wouldn't quite describe as a wall. A v clever wandering route up an extremely steep and exposed buttress.

In reply to Lord_ash2000:


Actually, I don't really agree with that '4b'. It's pretty technical - not exactly a jug-fest, more a finger-jug-fest. Full whack VS imho.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Start is quite bold

In reply to zimpara:

Some sections on Christmas Curry at Tremadog. Either the Severe or HS version (you can skip the thrutchy corner if you wish).

As said, Tophet Wall, Main Wall etc are classics at HS.

In reply to DerwentDiluted:


Careful, bit close to HVD and we know what that means - French 6a

In reply to Michael Hood:

Wisdom Buttress.

In reply to John Kelly:


I thought it was quite well protected, but steep and strenuous so I wore myself out placing the gear and had to rest on the rope at the end of the section Definitely felt like solid VS.

In reply to Simon Caldwell:
Just to be clear, I wasn't implying it's not VS, I simply meant that as a VS it doesn't quite fit the bracket of "sub VS".

Good route through, once you get through the start the airy wall above is fun and run out, the HVS to the right even more so.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Another vote for Naismith's on the Basteir tooth. `Wildest V diff pitch I can remember doing.

In reply to Shapeshifter:

I was going to suggest Tophet Wall too. Probably the best route I've ever done at that sort of grade.

In reply to zimpara:

Kennel Wall (S 4a), at Gouther, has to be up there amongst quality low-grade open walls.

Trowbarrow also has some classic wall climbs, of course: particularly the VS trilogy Coral Sea (VS 4c), Jean Jeanie (VS 4c) and Harijan (VS 4c) - though, the latter might stretch the definition of 'wall climb', as it feels a bit like a narrow chimney and I'm not sure whether crack climbing fits your definition.

Red Slab (S 4a) at Kettle Crag is a fantastic wall climb - it's a slab only in that it's not quite vertical. But, it's steep, exposed and delicate for the grade - probably equivalent in difficulty to Coral Sea in my eyes. The other slab routes at Kettle all feel very nice and open, not thrutchy or relying on "slab-specific" techniques - i.e. they have holds. They feel similar to the Brown Slabs at Shepherds', but less-travelled, with rough rock , good gear and the occasional surprise.

Just a few ideas!

In reply to C Witter:

Cracking route though it is, I'd say Jean Jeanie is more of a crack climb than a wall climb

Hadn't heard of Kettle Crag but it looks an interesting little, crag. Plenty of good wall routes on Gimmer, or how about Slip Knot (VS 4b) on White Ghyll

In reply to zimpara:

As well as the obvious Rannoch Wall candidates (Agag's Groove, January Jigsaw), the Glen Coe area gives you the East Face of Aonach Dubh (really good lower-grade routes including Quiver Rib at a steeply improbable-looking Diff) and, over the water in Ardgour, the South Wall of Garbh Bheinn, where the Butterknife corner has to be one of the great HS pitches (unless you think it's VS, which I don't).

Ardverikie Wall on Binnein Shuas was also a good call.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Yes, I guess so. I was thinking about the great, flat, almost vertical face of Main Wall - and it seemed so obvious. It's crack systems all the way, but on a very uniformly "wall-y" wall... if that's not too abstract?

I've never gone up to White Ghyll but it's on my list for this new year - particularly the slab routes, Slip Knot and White Ghyll Wall. Looks forbidding from down in the valley - a great, scarred cleft in the hillside, protected from the idly curious by steep slopes of scree. I'm still working out how to sell it to my climbing partners, as VS multipitch is, for us, stepping it up a notch...

In reply to Skyfall:

Christmas Curry was one of my first routes and I can still remember the excitement of climbing through the trees at the bottom and reaching the sunlit slabs 2 pitches above.

It felt pretty much like big wall climbing when I was 15 ... and it still does!

In reply to zimpara:

Gambit Climb (S)
Crackstone Rib (S 4a)#photos
Zelda (HS 4b)#overview

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Is there a precise meaning of "wall climb" that you're using? I'd taken it to mean basically anything on an open face that doesn't involve getting your hands stuck in a crack...

In reply to CurlyStevo:

Zelda is a great call - although I suspect anyone getting freaked by gear on Flying Buttress will fing it 'interesting'. There are a couple of other HS on Wintours which might also fit the bill.

In reply to GrahamD:

I found Zelda fun.

Wobbly pegs to protect the top pitch what could go wrong

In reply to zimpara:
I do tend to think you are going about this all wrong though.

If you are crap on grit then do your grit apprenticeship, if you are terrible at thrutching climb lots of chimneys. If you can't climb cracks learn to hand, fist, finger, toe and foot jam. This is your bread and butter of trad climbing.

Otherwise just go to Portland, plenty of clip up 'wall' climbs there.