UKC

Has anyone here done this? It sounds like just my cup of tea but I wanted to know people's experience, particularly whether it's advisable (or even recommended) to bring a rack & rope. If it's a tight 45m crawl I would probably like to 'streamline' as much as possible.... (:

Also, is there an actual climb on either side or can you just scramble to/from? I can't really tell from Over the Moors.

The Ravenstones Stomach Traverse (none)

I've just found that Rich Heap's charming little film of Shane's and my Esoterica day is available online here: https://www.epictv.com/media/series-home/hardxs-from-slackjaw-film/260329?e...

Was very slow to load for me, but once loaded it seemed to replay smoothly.

The Stomach Traverse footage starts at around 2:08.

Edit: It was a long time ago, but I don't remember scrambling up to the start of it being hard, and I think hopping over the top at the end was quite trivial.

Soloed it a few years back, however I might have done it wrong though as I remember hand traversing wildly with very little for feet above Over the Moors (E5 6b) then flinging myself feet first into the wide break with much relief!! It certainly didn't feel like HS! After that it was mainly* fairly easy belly shuffling, all a bit mad but a classic of its type.

*seem to remember some exposed moves passing the blocks on Undun Crack

I approached by soloing Nil Desperandum (S 4a) which is no push over. I think where I went wrong was to take the main break line out of that rather than the upper one then dropping down into the main traverse line? You could start from the ledge above Green wall/Boy's own but I think starting from the ground would make more sense 

Watching the video above I think Shane & John do it the same way. Think I would have preferred a rope for that bit!

I love that film. Always wanted to do a version of it when I was at uni, never got round to it! 

Thanks for the replies! Very cool video above, do love a bit of esoterica.

Sounds like it is a route that needs a bit of forward planning, especially for me as I don't think I'm capable of on-sight soloing S/HS...!

The stomach traverse bit looks alright. It's the hand traverse, the hip traverse and the elbow traverse that look a bit daunting

Just wanted to say always loved this film and have been trying (unsuccessfully) to rope various people into midsummer madness days ever since. 

Glad you liked it. I think Rich did a brilliant job with very little footage and zero planning. I remember he called the evening before and said: I've heard you have a challenge day tomorrow; mind if I tag along? And that was that!

A great little film, which inspired me - for some reason - to have my own mini epic some years ago in the rain on Mam Tor Gully. Great route, great film. Cheers!

I did it a few years ago. Great fun. Mostly flat out crawling, with a couple of downward hand jamming moves at one point between breaks if I remember rightly. Sev/HS about right,

But I am a caver....

I enjoyed watching that again - good effort and big day out. When we did Private Targets (I'm guessing early '80s) we walked into the quarry and it was just on the left above a clean flat base - amazing it had survived all the quarrying in the meantime,

Chris

I hadn't seen that before, but that was wonderful! I've now lived in or near Sheffield for nearly 8 years and I've still not been to Stannington Ruffs. It looks worryingly good and normalish in the video! 

It's worth going once. A repeat visit may be pushing it 🙂

I have two problems with this expedition, 1: running all the way up to Ravenstones is not normal behaviour,  especially at such an earthly early hour of the day, and ...

2: a route later on in the day, yer man definitely appears to stray off route onto solid rock. A repeat is required.

Those are the best kinds of adventures!

I thought Stannington Ruffs wouldn't be as bad as people made out having been to a fair few dire quarries. I had wanted to do the "classic" 1847 (HS 4b) for some time and with a quick hour of daylight left one evening this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Turns out it was much worse than expect, even walking along the bottom of the crag was a wretched experience. The climbing was loose and overgrown with the normal finish to 1847 being a sea of ivy (where it looks quite good in the video above) so I had to finish direct. It was with some relief I finally reached a solid tree and abseiled off just as it got dark my second having decided not to bother. A classic experience I will not forget and fully recommend if you want some quality adventure within the city boundary.