UKC

What day of the week did you do it on Rory? We did it on Wednesday, the first day when snow had really hit Sheffield/the Peak although the Downfall had been climbed from the Sunday. We walked in the same way you did, on 'Beast from East Wednesday' (the first snow day at the school where I work), that was without a doubt the crux. I reckoned it was about the worst conditions I've been out in, in about 30 years of hill walking and mountaineering. Worse than I've seen in the Norwegian arctic in late winter and perhaps only equalled by a crawl off Aonoch Beag in the mid 90s, in a storm. The climbing was a piece of piss compared to the walk in!  

Coincidentally the next blue moon is just tomorrow, 31/03/2018, the one before that 31/01/2018, only 2 months ago. But then the next is 2020.

Those are calendar blue moons, seasonal blue moons are every 2.5 years or so, next is May 2019.

Just saying.

The hype was justified? I know as much now about Kinder downfall as I did before I read those few paragraphs. 

Yeah would have been nice to have a bit more than 50/60 words dedicated to the actual climbing? 

Ok. Climb up the right corner, decently steep but it's a corner so you can bridge. Maybe tech 4 but probably only 10 mtrs or so. Block belay. Traverse across the ledge (mainly walking), and climb some steep stuff on the left on to the top. This is only a few metres but when we did it I reckon means as a whole the route couldn't be only II/III.

Once in a blue moon? It forms most winters doesn't it?

No.. first time in about four years, I think!

Downfall Climb (II/III)

Exactly, so this winter, only just in during 2015 and then not until 2013 again for another decent build up. 17/18 winter has seen exceptional conditions, December thru March.. so quite the rarity, regardless.

Or in other words, it's formed in 6 out of the last 10 winters ;-p

Like I said, first time in about four years.. aside the fleeting conditions in 2015. Agreed though, hardly 'blue moon' stuff

Much better but really only in a blue moon Priestcliff icicle and Waterfall s wallet

And swallet was very good, particularly the right wall this year!

Pictures?

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/13dtcicj2kh77n7/AACrycIQGqmPvJYDj49jbhvma?dl=0

I suspect this was the last day it was possible to climb, I remember doing it in 2002 and also looking at the photos on the swallet page on ukc it looks like this year was perhaps the only time in recent years that the icicles have touched down, I guess a few days earlier it would have been better as well

Did any other 'rare' icefalls form this year? Cantonteign falls?

Cautly spout did

Goredale Scar

various in the Lakes, eg Whorneyside Force (we wimped out due to the amount of water behind it, but others were braver!), Isaac Gill, Browney Gill, etc

You should have seen it in '79 when it lasted for weeks!

Do you have any photos of it?