Number in series 70; Year of publication 1986 - Fell and Rock ...

John Wilkinson 57have radically transformed the climbing scene in the District. The death of agreat innovator had a profound effect on many of his contemporaries, and thepace of exploration slowed, as indeed it had during an earlier decade afterLinnell's death.Rock climbing in Britain as a whole was, for the rest of the decade, dominatedto a considerable degree by the members of the Rock and Ice Club, though theirimpact on Wales was immensely greater than on the Lakes. Nevertheless, thecontributions made by Joe Brown, Don Whillans, and Ron Moseley inparticular were formidable. In 1953 Moseley prepared his first route byabseiling down the steep wall left of Dunmail Cracks on Deer Bield Crag andplanting a piton, which was subsequently lassooed to create Pendulum, firstclimbed free in 1977 at E2: and on Gimmer, he led the steep wall from theBower on Gimmer Crack to produce Dight, El. Whillans made a hard Girdle ofDeer Bield, E2, and in White Ghyll, Brown led the magnificent corner-crack ofLaugh Not, HVS, which involved a tension traverse under the overhang, andlater, in 1957, returned to force a direct passage up to, and through the roof ofPerhaps Not, giving Eliminot, E2, using one point of aid.On Scafell, the East Buttress was once more under attack, and in 1955Whillans discovered the excellent crack line of Trinity, HVS, whilst Moseley,two years later, put up Phoenix, El, an exposed and strenuous route climbedwith one point of aid and one of the hardest climbs in the whole District at thattime.The potential of the Eastern Fells did not pass unnoticed either, once HaroldDrasdo had pointed the way with his superb routes on the North Crag of CastleRock of Triermain; Barbican, MVS, in 1951, and the very hard North CragEliminate, El, in 1952. Whillans and Brown followed swiftly with the verystrenuous Triermain Eliminate, El, in 1953. The following year, having gothimself into the right frame of mind by emerging triumphant from a punch-upin Keswick, Whillans made a brilliant lead up the great expanse of steepunclimbed rock to the left of Hangover on Dove Crag to produce the strenuousDovedale Groove, El, climbed with one point of aid, the first route on the cragfor fourteen years. The Eastern Fells were well endowed with new crags ripe forexploitation, and the early 1950's saw the opening up of Hutaple Crag, a biggrassy cliff, and the steep and compact Scrubby Crag, both in the remoteDeepdale, and the steep and impressive Raven Crag, Thirlmere, where Drasdo,Greenwood and Dolphin had all made excellent contributions. Drasdo'sGrendel, MVS, on Scrubby and Dolphin's Communist Convert, VS, on Raven,both made in 1953, subsequently achieved well-deserved popularity. In 1954Birkett climbed his last new route, Kestrel Wall on Eagle Crag, Grisedale, apleasant Severe, to end a brilliant climbing career.As the familiar faces faded away, new ones were appearing on the crags. Onein particular, the diminutive, boyish Paul Ross from Keswick, was justbeginning to make his mark. The Thirlmere area and Borrowdale were his:27 Al Beatty and Phil Rigby on Eliminot, White Ghyll. Ron Kenyan