UKC

Crypt Route

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 Jamie B 11 Jun 2003
Has anyone climbed this as a winter route? Finally got around to doing it the other day and had a battle royal; must be desperate for IV in winter. Probably worth pointing out that the Tunnel Variation doesn't appear to exist any more.

JAMIE B>
gourd 11 Jun 2003
In reply to Jamie B.: My mate and I backed off it one summer cos' it was so wet. That after a 4 week drought as well.

V.Diff my a***
EB 11 Jun 2003
In reply to Jamie B.: ask Stac P, he's climbed it in winter
 Glen 11 Jun 2003
In reply to Jamie B.: Well, it is given IV,6 so it's probably quite hard for a IV. I was looking forward to that tunnel variation.
GFoz 11 Jun 2003
In reply to Jamie B.:

Probably worth pointing out that the Tunnel Variation doesn't appear to exist any more.

>>and that the Gallery variation seems to be for the bulimic only and even the Through Route is not exactly designed for blokes of above average size

james e 11 Jun 2003
In reply to GFoz:
aparently there is a small colectionof headtorches just out of reach in the tunnel variation that have come of peoples heads whilst they vainly struggleto escape the womb. sounds like an expensive struggle to me!
james e
OP Jamie B 11 Jun 2003
In reply to GFoz:
>
> even the Through Route is not exactly designed for blokes of above average size

You're telling me; still black and blue today. Great route though. Anyone done Flake Route? Definately more of a winter cliff IMHO.

JAMIE B>
Fort Person 11 Jun 2003
In reply to james e:

Aye, I once took an avalanche probe into the gallery to get those torches out but it was about 30cm too short.

To Jamie B: I've climbed under snow but not winter conditions if you now what I mean.
OP Jamie B 11 Jun 2003
In reply to gourd:

> My mate and I backed off it one summer cos' it was so wet. That after a 4 week drought as well.

You soft shite; it stopped raining for half a day and we went for it big boots and all (didn't fancy climbing it with sacks or the rock-shoe clad descent. Hard graft but that's what mountaineering's all about.

> V.Diff my a***

Utterly ungradable. Plenty of honed wall-rats would run away from it, yet a couple of severe-leading unfit porkers with a sense of adventure and appetite for struggle were able to tame it (just!).

JAMIE B>
GFoz 11 Jun 2003
In reply to Jamie B.:

>>a couple of severe-leading unfit porkers with a sense of adventure and appetite for struggle were able to tame it (just!)


Speak for yourself - I'm more of a VS leading unfit porker with a sense of compulsive list-ticking and an appetite for fruit malt loaf. I'm black & blue too espec shins & knees.

Fort Person - does the Tunnel Variation still exist - if so where the hell is it (guidebook could be far more illuminating than it is....)???


Foz
Li'l Zé 11 Jun 2003
In reply to GFoz:
> (guidebook could be far more illuminating than it is....)???


That's cause all the headtorches fell off.

Sometimes I crack me up......
EB 11 Jun 2003
In reply to Jamie B.: RE Flakeroute, could never understand why Flakeroute was given a lower grade than West Chimney as they both share the same crux pitch, Raeburns Chimney. A mate did west chimney this season and the tunnel pitch is blocked, so you now have to climb the outside (7). bla bla bla

talking about winter climbing, thats mare like it
GFoz 11 Jun 2003
In reply to EB:

>>Raeburns Chimney

not a bad wee effort for 105 years ago - plenty exposed

I couln't get to sleep that night cos I kept having wierd wee dreams about Jamie's caravan being perched on top of The Arch. Seriously
EB 11 Jun 2003
In reply to GFoz: aye, its feckin nippy Raeburns chimney in winter, wouldnt like to to take a winger over the arch

weird dreams? jamie b's caravan? are these dreams trying to tell you something?!
gourd 11 Jun 2003
In reply to Jamie B.: I'm cut to the chase.....

I was young and scared..blah blah blah

Would love to go back and give it a go now I'm older and wiser but if the reports of the Tunnel not being there anymore are true then maybe I'll just go back to my knitting!
 TobyA 12 Jun 2003
In reply to EB:
> (In reply to Jamie B.) RE Flakeroute, could never understand why Flakeroute was given a lower grade than West Chimney as they both share the same crux pitch, Raeburns Chimney. A mate did west chimney this season and the tunnel pitch is blocked, so you now have to climb the outside (7). bla bla bla

Is West Chimney Route the V,6 with **** in the guide? It sounds excellent - I was going to try and find someone to do it with when we had the picnic this winter - but your description makes me glad I didn't!

pete 12 Jun 2003
In reply to Jamie B.: Did it a few years ago by the tunnel variation. For one of the party it was his first ever route. Thought it was reasonable at V.Diff perhaps severe. My brother did it last year and the tunnel variation was still there but it took them ages to find it- they went too high initially.
Mark P hillips 14 Jun 2003
In reply to TobyA: On 15th Feb 1987 I did West Chimney Route with Bill Stevenson.It was Grade 4 in those days.Remember crawling through a horizontal tunnel about 20ft.long, can't imagine what it's like now if the tunnels not there? Raeburns Chimney was a trouser filler, remember it being more of a protectionless steep/slabby corner.Ah yes...,those were the days,when the grading system was simple and there was no dreaded number 6 to scare the sh*t of you...
Davie 18 Jun 2003
In reply to Jamie B.:
> Has anyone climbed this as a winter route? must be desperate for IV in winter. >
Jamie, as a rockclimb I can imagine it being harder than in winter!
I did it with some pals in Dec 1984 via thro' route. Found the first bits entertaining. By the final 20 ft, the thaw had set in so badly,it had turned to a rock climb. So it was back down. The descent was technically more challenging than the climb.
Please why the debate about GradeIV? Is it not good enough/ accurate enough?

Davie

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