Another somewhat delayed posts about autumn/winter/spring escapades....
When you're forced to COMPLY and OBEY and stick to local exercise for local people....well it turns out you can unearth (sometimes literally) all sorts of stuff. Sometimes that stuff involves rock and sometimes ascending that rock is quite pleasurable too and might even be so for other people....
BLOCS:
Maeshafn Quarry
Sailing The Seven Chodes 6C-ish *
At the right end of the Main Wall is a rainproof alcove with a shrub cornice and a semi-eliminate line with good moves up the steep left wall. Start sitting on a crimp and undercling and power upwards to finish at obvious good sloping shelf. The crack itself is out. (Fiend 28.04.21)
Cracken Edge (Over The Moors BMC guide).
Tentacles V4/5-ish *
The nice highball wall in a hollow just left of the main routes section. Sit start on an good diagonal hold, climb directly via small crimps and a long move to a jug rail, escape easily right. The jug rail can get some dirt from above, easily flicked off with a brush stick from the right. Well cleaned via abseil so no idea about the grade, the star is conservative.
Edit: Confirmed as "the best V4 slab at Cracken Edge" by Mark20....
Small Prow V3-ish
100m right of the main routes bit, the obvious small prow. Sit start on an good diagonal hold and clamp up to the break, carefully avoiding the block to the right.
(Fiend ??.04.21)
ROUTES:
John Henry Quarry:
Pirate Error E3 5c *
The cleaned line right of Cragster (actually where the topo shows Cragster finishing). Start at a weakness several metres right of Cragster. Climb the lower wall to a sloping break and traverse left to gain the "staircase". From the top of this continue up the thin crack past an obtuse crux to gain blocky holds, and keep motoring up to finish. Lots of medium cams.
Cracken Edge:
Summon The Cracken E3 5c *
The obvious steep line right of Cratos, via a thin crack through the bulge. Climb directly into the hanging corner and make powerful moves out past crimps, a sloping jam, and a crucial cam. Keep cranking up the photogenic headwall to finish.
Broadbottom Quarry:
Broadside E3 5c *
The steep sidewall adjacent to Elder Wall. Climb Elderberry Crack for 5m to some gear slots. Swing right and up to gain a high handledge, then make excellent moves up the thin crack via a sharp jam and small cams to gain the break. Keep pushing past the hourglass cracks to pop out onto the ledge out right. Either lower off the sapling, continue up the slab to an excavated mantel and scramble to trees, or escape on a pre-placed ab rope. Lots of small cams.
(All: Fiend, Coel Hellier, April 2021. All abseil cleaned / inspected)
Perfect places to escape the summer heat and still get your quarried crimping fix.
Resurgence 7A+ (7A?)
One of my favourite problems! The moment when I fully weight the right hand jug at the crux and everything else comes off....I loved it. Good climbing all the way, and whilst the standing start adds some nice moves, it doesn't tire you out enough to add to the difficulty of the crux section (unless your skin was really pureed for the crimps). The natural sitter tho....I can believe that adds two grades.
Brian Jacques 7A
A very red bit of crag! Not easy to find in condition but worth it, and it's a nice stroll. This cool problem didn't take long, but then I completely failed to do Hawkeye 6C (maybe skin and/or conditions were deteriorating...).
Cordless Power 7A
Somehow, counter-intuitively squeezed in on a day when the whole of Northern England was raked with gales and storms, even nearby Longridge was freezing and seeping. Well Cardwell was just freezing and I managed to do this eventually, only after discovering the unauthorised beta. A good problem in a lonely setting but the outgoing view is nice.
The Pursuit Of Slappiness 7A
Almost a king line if it wasn't for that pesky crack at the start, but the rules make sense and it climbs really well. Plus with the extended finish it has plenty of excitement at the top - it got my cold black heart racing a bit.
Mirth Of Ducks 7A (6C)
Reunion Wilderness's perfect shadier twin - similar difficulty, just as good a line, more balanced climbing, and less scary overall. And again the top is a good spot to sit and take it all in...
Troy A Little Tenderness SS 7A (6C+?)
More semi-eliminates with good moves (and different potential sequences). I thoroughly scrubbed the lower bit of this and smoothed out the landing so it would go from a natural sitter, although it doesn't add any difficulty. Although the climbing is fun, the quality of the goose honking is better.
Two For One 7A
More hidden gems. I got psyched seeing pictures of the Lancs Rock Revival crew on this and it lived up to the promise, not too hard but the teetering around took a bit of working out.
Grinshill - Bouldering Gems
A selection of bouldering (not soloing!) gems from around the Grinshill woodland. Somewhere pretty different to explore and while some of the rock needs a gentle touch the variety and lines are really good.
Utopia 6C+
...Or 7A if you don't tape around your finger joint for the "awesome" (i.e. brutal!) crux pinch. Very cool board style problem, steeper than it looks but with a leaf pile bouncy castle beneath you.
Third Brother 7A
And now for something completely different... Unusual and very cool climbing with a cheeky head-smear during the crux, couldn't quite believe it worked. (The arete to the right is Terminator / L'Angle Shropfait, just a bit too hard for me)
Eliminator 6C
The slightly easier version using the footledge out left, 6C+ without this. A tricky and burly bugger that took me quite a few goes. Ticking the trio of up lines on this block (go in a dry spell with a breeze) in a day would be delightful.
Ice Cream SS 6C
A "prince line" with great climbing despite the lack of top-out (which could be excavated if you need to add on a MVS mantel). Enough holds to be steady but enough trickiness to be nicely knacky.
A Shropshire Mon 7A+
Climbed with The Nesscliffe Monster heckling and providing good chat and local knowledge! A serious single session siege that boiled down to a crucial kneebar that only just stayed in on the successful go. Burly but just the right amount of features to be pleasingly positional too.
Doug's Face 6C+ (6C)
A minor problem but a fun battle to stay attached first go.
Lancashire - Suntraps
Sunny places to get your quarried grit fix if it's a bit cold.
Rusty Wall 6C+ (7A strict?)
One of the highlights of my recent-ish bouldering! A really satisfying and technically intense highball with a top-out that was unfeasible until I spent two hours in the pissing sleet re-excavating it (which also works for the classic Colt 7C). It still took a couple of sessions, and I think is purer this way rather than using the edge of the left crack at the top.
Lifeline 6C
Another technical delight albeit a much more amenable one, a little gem. Done after an aborted visit to a bitterly cold wind-swept Wilton, whilst this had enough winter sun to feel gentle.
Boopers 6B
Talking about sun I tried this in late spring after the first 2020 lockdown, and it felt hard. So I went back in a snowstorm and it still felt hard! Definitely a good problem.
Crimping Cows 6C?
Not listed in the book, this is what I made of r-man's Leaping Cows dyno except using the holds instead ;). Seemed to work pretty well.
Alison's Route SS 7A
Climbed just after Haydn's deluded "Calling Of The Lime" in 2021 (and whilst it was snowing in the Peak). Despite Ousel's being a suntrap and lacking breeze that day, it was really crisp and nippy and these problems felt good despite being tough on the fingers. Classic base-of-crag quarried grit.
Zendik 7A
As above but I needed to put a beanie on! This was quite cool for a "diagonal line in the middle of nowhere" and took a bit of working out for the finish.
Phat Haendel 6B
Scenic and lovely to be out in the snow!
Reunion Wilderness RH Eliminate 6C (6C(!))
Quite exciting and committing - the crux feels like you could spin off and end up somewhere in that lovely background scenery. Okay, yeah, it's an eliminate, but it's only one rule and everything else is cool about it. And you thought Lancashire was all grotty lowballs in dingy quarries....
Cheshire Life - Exploratory sandstone bouldering
A tour around some diverse and exciting areas. Time to stray away from the chalk and queues at Pisa Wall!
Cheshire Life V5 (V6?)
I didn't know Cheshire life was actually that burly, I thought it was all daintily desperate like Pex and Harmer's, but apparently thugging through roofs is a valid lifestyle choice. I found this pretty tough and comparable to Colton's Crack.
Knit One V5 (V3/4?)
A bit of light relief but worth it as it's a nice line. I cleaned and trimmed the top but it was still a bit goey on my own, it would be fine with a spotter.
Self Harmer V6
Bloody brilliant. While waiting for ATDI to come into the shade, I thoroughly cleaned this unjustly neglected problem off, and did it soon after, and it was my favourite experience at Harmer's - the mega-rockover from a 1½ finger 1/3 pad edge to a thumbsprag, teetering around in the middle, and then I couldn't find any smear in the right place for the final move, so......
At The Drive In V6
I was seduced by the prospect of two actual good holds (!), and this became quite an obsession for me (after cleaning it and waiting ages for the seepage to stop), although a fair amount of that obsession was giving up on the RH-slot, LF-pocket rockover and fixating on a desperately reachy way around it on smears that was a sub-5% move for me. Then I found a different method for the authorised rockover beta and it was okay on the 4th session....
Queen Of Hearts V4 (V5?)
More Harmer's magic. I've often gone here hoping to rattle off a few vertical testpieces, then 2+ hours later when finally I've teetered up one, scarcely believing what I'm hanging on to, I'm more than satisfied with a lone problem. QOH is much harder than Yate's Layway and has a tiny diagonal pinch at the crux and a lovely juggy mono to signify it's all going to be okay.
Colton's Crack V6
Frodsham fun! This has got all the monkeying around you'd expect from the crag, except you do have to pull on a minging small crimp mid-way through it. When I topped out a lady's dog was standing right on the edge sniffing at me bemusedly :).
Suffering Slab 6C+
No tears please, it's a waste of good suffering. Another neglected climb I brushed up well, in fact the whole wall is neglected and and deserves more attention. Apparently this problem has Rules, I didn't really know what Rules I should be obeying and TBH have had quite enough of fucking Rules over 2020/21, so I just climbed what felt right at this standard and it felt natural and was an ace problem too.
Heath Ledger Direct V5?
Another one where I wasn't sure about sides of the arete and chips and stuff, but hell it's a good line and good fun so there you go.
Lancashire - Wiltons
World class routes....but I'd never properly sampled the bouldering until recent years. And there's some really good stuff, especially if you explore around...
Ell's Arete 6C
Definitely world class, as good as anything on grit (Technical Master?? Pffft, what's that??). 3 hours cleaning and top-out excavation in the minging weather, 3 minutes light brushing the now-pristine rock in a cold dry spell, it should hopefully stay clean for a while especially if people actually go and do it instead of fucking around on chalk-caked shite like The Move or whatever.
Children Of Arachne 7A (6C/+?)
A cool "tight line" problem. It felt easy in perfect conditions but given it's all positive crimps I doubt it's that conditions-reliant. I really liked the crossed-double-gaston move to hold my balance!
Flywalk Slab 7A (6C?)
A nice steady problem on nice crimps. TBH the much harder and higher Jim's Slab 7A+ rocking up left from the slot is the true inspiring line here, but too hard and high for me!
Snakey B 6C+ (6B+/C)
Another nice steady problem, the sitter adds no difficulty but is a nice start. I slipped off the final jug on a flash go, oh well.
Purple Haze 7A (6C/+?)
A lovely attractive one move wonder. I first did this on a sunny, if breezy, June day when I was out of practise post-lockdown1, and found it no harder than Gameplay (which I tried and didn't manage on the same day), but it might be a bit knacky...
Camille Claudel 6B (6A?)
Brilliant! Lovely slab climbing with a committing feel, it's all in the feet. Would be 4+ in Font.
Gameplay 6A (6B+/C?)
A bit of a hidden gem I think?? Doesn't get much attention and I never saw chalk on it. But it's great, committing, varied, slopey and thoughtful - totally understarred and undergraded (much better and harder than Snakey B for example).
Common Knowledge 6C
Another problem that doesn't see as much attention as it should maybe?? Just proper quality climbing.
JR's Soft Shoe Shuffle 7A
After an autumn of injury and an early winter struggling to get back into things, this was the problem that roused me from a stupor of easy mileage (and it's quite good for golfer's elbow as there's nothing you can pull hard on!). I got really psyched by the pure thin slabness of it all, and it took a couple of visits including this bitterly cold one - satisfying!
....I think that's it for now, for dedicated bouldering videos at least. Next time I might include more moaning or something.
