UKC

Has anyone done this? What I want to know specifically is, has there always been a loose block half-way up the first pitch? It's really dangerous! Looks like it may have come loose in recent years.
If anyone is contemplating this route, do yourself a favour and start by climbing a few metres up the chimney of Crypt Route. This means getting up early to beat the queue that forms on that route! It does make the first pitch safer, and probably no easier (might even be harder, who knows).

In reply to Tom Chamberlain:
Were you the guys on this last sat, I was doing crypt route? I have not done the route but out of interest I looked at the SMC guide book which says Un Poco Loco takes the first pitch of crypt route.

In reply to Tom Chamberlain:

I requested a short note be put on the route to the moderator of churchdoor onlyahill.
The loose block sounded horrific.

In reply to Tom Chamberlain:
Hi Tom,
the direct start you have done is only 2 seasons old. My pal stuart put it up with Andy Clark(with no -E). He posts here as Stuart the Postie so you can email him.
Cheers
Erick
PS: it's been 5 years already, we need to catch-up mate

In reply to Tom Chamberlain:

Thanks for your kind words, Erick.

I started at the base of chimney, climbed wall on left and gained twin cracks above. I have no recollection of a loose block (Feb 2006), I do think this route sees numerous ascents these days, perhaps as a result, the loose block??

Currious, how did you rate this pitch, I thought VI,7?

Stuart

In reply to jazzyjackson:
Note added.

In reply to sebrider: Aye, we were the ones that tried it on Saturday. Sam wisely turned back at the loose block. We then came back the next day and climbed the start that uses the beginning of Crypt Route.

Totally brilliant route. Quite hard though (maybe that's just because I'm not usually operating at this grade!?). Would be interested to see how others think it compares to other VII, 7s.
Tom

In reply to French Erick: 5 years already??? OMG, that's making me feel old. Yes you're right, I was still doing my PGCE when we had our graupel-avalanche fest on Point 5... I'll be in touch next time I head north.

So Erick, are you referring to the start up the beginning of Crypt Route as the direct start? I'm slightly confused.

In reply to Stuart the postie:
Hi Stu, I've not been clear: we backed off at the point where we met the loose block. We came back the next day and climbed up Crypt Route a few metres before breaking left.
Interestingly, I know for a fact that two friends encountered the loose block way back in c.2003 (before the route had been repeated, and they weren't aware of the first ascent either so they thought they were new routing)... Did your route involve the first few metres of the chimney? It's quite an obvious death-block, you see. Unless you're so hard and cavalier you didn't notice it!!!

In reply to Tom Chamberlain: I have posted a photo of you at your high point next to the loose block. It will be in my photos as soon as the photos moderator approves it.

In reply to Tom Chamberlain:
A friend of mine and I climbed this first pitch 3 weeks ago. We both climbed over the hanging flake thing. My mate who led it thought that it was keystoned in there. We both climbed over and mantled onto the block. No problems at all, thought it made classic climbing. It looked like it must have been there for some time. I would be interested to hear whether or not it is new as neither of us thought it to be, though there was a lot of rime out that day and it wasnt easy to see previous scratch marks on anything.

That direct pitch to the first belay was spectacularly good we thought. I'd definately do it again. We bailed off halfway up the second pitch. I left a big blue hex and a couple of slings high on that diagonal ramp. I'm curious to know (on the second pitch) where (how high) you went up that first ramp before moving left into the steep groove?

Has the direct second pitch been repeated? It looks spectacular.

In reply to stevebarratt:
I should add that I'm no lightweight and i was not delicate in my yarding on that flake whilst seconding

In reply to Tom Chamberlain: Did you get to grips with the 'loose block'? It was solid last year when I climbed it(not my lead), or did you get put off?

In reply to stevebarratt:
You're a brave man to yard on it. I wasn't actually leading that pitch, so I never got that far on Saturday, but it sounded really bad.
The second pitch direct must surely have been repeated.
The original second pitch: I unfortunately went all the way up to your slings and hex at the top of the right hand groove (seeing them tempted me up there!) but I did manage to make a very tricky move left to the other groove, and I did it free (I have a pretty long reach though...)
It is quite clear that I should have moved left into the other groove a bit earlier. However, my go-go-gadget step left proves that all is not lost at this point if you miss the step left earlier on.

In reply to Martin Haworth:

Cheers Martin. It was my mate Sam climbing at that point, not me. Look forward to seeing it

In reply to Tom Chamberlain:
I had a prod around the corner before bringing my mate up. I could stretch to a high horizontal rail with my left tool a was considering just swinging around on that, but i couldn't tell whether it was positive. I'm no shorty myself (6'6" with +5" span) but i didn't see anything else to swing round on. It was rimed as fook that day though and there could have been some more holds (feet?) under it all. How was the gear when you swung left into that groove?

In reply to stevebarratt:
The rime probably hid it, but there was a really good hook on a crimp just next to the arete, which allowed a step down and left to be made.
Gear in groove appeared after about 4 metres, and was good. Stonking turf finish. It is somewhere up this groove, however, that my friend Andy Benson snapped his axe while torquing and broke his jaw just over a year ago. This thought was somewhat sobering as I went up the groove!

In reply to Tom Chamberlain:

Hi,

from the picture, i think you are too far left. From memory we climbed up twin cracks in the wall(crack route?) and joined the previous un poco loco belay, the huge fin/ spike. Stuart will be able to give a more definative answer as he led this pitch. I also climbed the ramp section too far (right to the top infact as i put some gear up at the top) then traversed left - it was a tricky manouvre.

Cheers Andy