UKC

I need some help identify a route I did last weekend, mistakenly thinking it was Heart of Darkness.

We abbed off the stake at the far end of Mowing Word, walked left (looking in) for about 20m and climbed a blocky corner for about 8m. This looks to be approx 20m right of The Beak. We then stepped left round the arête and traversed round an overhung bay for 20m to large ledges. Last section had minimal footholds. It really looks like HoD and uses the same horizontal break, but seemed a touch harder than 4c with difficult footwork at times. The finishing ledges, and obvious belay point are definitely at the half way point on The Curver, which we then finished up.

It seemed to be about HVS 5a. I can't find what we did in the selected or definitive guidebooks or on here but cannot believe it is not an existing route'. But what is the traverse we did ??

In reply to Jules Lane:

I have to say, I reckon you did a new route. I can see the line you describe in the topo in the definitive guide - it looks great.

In reply to John2:

Seems too good to be true - someone must have done it before. It was pretty good !

In reply to Jules Lane:

As promised, I just checked the CC website to get the email of the editor, when I found this http://www.climbers-club.co.uk/submit-new-route/

Go on, you know you want to! I'd agree with HVS 5a it wouldn't have been too difficult to continue on to HoD. Can I suggest "Start of Darkness" for the name?

In reply to Andy Hardy:

Exactly. Submit it via that link. There's no trace of your route on the new routes pages.

In reply to Andy Hardy:

Love the suggested route name.

In reply to Jules Lane:

Sorry to p*ss on your parade, but I remember an article by Jim Perrin many, many years ago which described making the same "mistake" and ending up on a higher traverse thinking it was HoD. Can't remember if he named the route, but definitely "done before".

In reply to Missile:

We were not above HoD but to the right of it by at least 50m. I'm sure it has been done before but if its not recorded anywhere...

how about Nothod as a name (i.e. not HoD) ?

In reply to Andy Hardy:


Excellent... or Dusk, I suppose

In reply to Jules Lane:


please no!

In reply to jon:

Darkness Beckons

(Plug for VP: https://www.v-publishing.co.uk/books/categories/wildlife-photography-and-ou... )

In reply to flaneur:

Ah yes!

In reply to Andy Hardy:

Can I suggest "Start of Darkness" for the name?

Or 'Starkness' for short.

In reply to Missile:
<an article by Jim Perrin many, many years ago which described making the same "mistake" and ending up on a higher traverse thinking it was HoD.>

Sounds entertaining! Did he mean he intended to do Heart of Darkness again, but forgot where it went? Or was this an earlier attempt - prior to the FA, but having spotted the line - that went awry? Or have I completely misunderstood [again!]?

In reply to Ian Parsons:

He's got a bloody good memory, that's for sure - so unlikely he forgot where it went. However I seem to remember starting up a traverse line, peering around the corner, deciding that it didn't look good enough to be Heart of Darkness (though not saying it's not good) and then... < memory lapse! > somehow ending up on Heart of Darkness.

'Mistah Kurtz - he dead.' At least we can all agree on that.

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward:

That's one difference between you and me, Mick: you read lots of books, I only read ones about The Eiger [and guidebooks]. You can probably guess what my first thought was - spelling notwithstanding!

In reply to Ian Parsons:

Ah - that connection had wholly escaped me. But then again, whole continents of thought have escaped me.

Mick

In reply to Ian Parsons:

There is actually a new four pitch route which takes the crack 3 metres below Heart of Darkness - The Crossing, E2.

In reply to John2:

John2 - does this also start much further right (looking in), at the arete beyond The Beak ? If so it is possible that we did one pitch of this, although; a/ we were at a higher level than HoD and b/ it was certainly not E2 (although another pitch could have been of course)...

In reply to Jules Lane:


No - nowhere near your route. It starts as for HoD but traverses a lower break to a belay on The Flax of Dream, then continues for a further three pitches across Diedre Sud, Chimes, etc to finish left of Seaside Salamanda. Description in here [12/8/13]:

http://www.climbers-club.co.uk/information-summary-list/new-routes-archive/...

In reply to Jules Lane:

Funnily enough we were looking at Mowing Word from Gun Cliff on Tuesday trying to pick out lines, and I thought then that the HoD traverse looked like it could be extended from far right to far left of the crag giving a much longer version of the same thing. I'll never be able to climb it but if I did I'd have called it The Directors Cut.

In reply to Jules Lane:

OK, based on all this I'm going to add it as a new route. Given that we thought we were on HoD, the name will be either Darkness Beckons or Aiming for the Heart. I also like Mistaken Identity but there is already a route of that name on Stennis Head. Any strong preferences ?

In reply to Jules Lane:

Darkness Beckons.

In reply to Jules Lane:

The Darkness Beckons - ie with a "The" - would continue the book title theme.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

As indeed Flaneur suggested on Tuesday...

In reply to Jules Lane:

Sorry Jules, we've definitely done it, all the way into HOD, I've no doubt other have too... around vdiff for a couple of pitches then a little harder into HOD, not a dissimilar grade to the route itself.

Plenty more new routes to do kicking around though!

In reply to Stu McInnes:

So you climbed it but you never wrote it up? On that basis do you hope to bring about a worthwhile route never being written up?

In reply to John2:

Nope, very much doubt we were the first to climb it, so couldn't record it as a new route. I'll only document the climbs I know are definitely first ascents.

In reply to Jules Lane:

Not sure HoD would suit many V Diff leaders !!