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

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Pete Whillance 77In 1963 Austin in the company of Eric Metcalf and Dave Miller made twofine additions to Gimmer Crag with Poacher and Gimmer String. The former isa surprisingly bold and exposed lead, and the latter was so named because all thepitches had been previously climbed by separate parties and it only remained tostring it all together. Also that year Austin and Jack Soper regained someLakeland pride by making the third ascent of Dovedale Groove and adding anew direct finish of comparable difficulty to the lower pitches. ('DovedaleGroove' by A. Austin. F.R.C.C. Journal 1964)During the next 3 years only eleven new climbs were recorded in Langdaleand Austin was on the first ascent of all of them. The best of these were BowfellButtress Eliminate, (Bowfell), Man of Straw and Chimney Variant (WhiteGhyll) and Gandalf s Groove & Razor Crack (Neckband). Austin returned toNeckband Crag in 1968 to add Gillette, thus completing a trilogy of superbshort routes.Elsewhere, Austin and Jack Soper opened up new crags with Cam SpoutButtress in Eskdale and Paper Tiger on Green Crag, Buttermere. Also inButtermere the same pair along with Ian Roper added the fine and difficultCarnival to Eagle Crag.In 1967, Austin's Langdale guidebook finally appeared, the first in a longoverdue New Series of F.R.C.C. guides. The colour-coded plastic covers andthe introduction of the H.V.S. and Extreme gradings were innovations. (PaulRoss had first used the Extreme grade in his pirate guide to Borrowdale in 1965and the idea had been incorporated by Austin and Miller in the second of theF.R.C.C. New Climbs booklets in 1966.) In a review of the Langdale guide(Mountain 4, July 1969) Chris Bonington wrote; 'In Langdale, Allan Austindisplays his contempt for artificial climbing by dismissing Trilogy in threesentences. He altogether ignores Paul Ross's spectacular, though artificial, lineover the big overhangs on White Ghyll.' Reviewers of Austin's next Langdaleguide in 1973 would have far harsher comments to make!The West — 'All To Ourselves'One of the more notable events of the mid-sixties was the renaissance of PillarRock by local West Cumbrians. In 1963, the new partnership of Geoff Cramand Bill Young ascended the impressive crack of Scylla and initiated an intenseperiod of activity on the Rock which was to continue until 1972. More thanthirty new routes were produced, almost exclusively at the hands of just fiveclimbers — Cram, Young, Schipper, Eilbeck and Lounds. Many of these climbswere long and difficult and required a good deal of cleaning but here the use ofpegs was generally kept to a minimum. The remoteness of Pillar had been animportant factor in its total neglect for almost two decades prior to 1959, and itsrelative inaccessibility from the popular centres of Keswick and Ambleside inthe sixties meant that the local climbers virtually had the place all to themselves.247
78 A SHORT HISTORY OF LAKELAND CLIMBING - PART IIIIn 1964, Cram and Young took time off from Pillar to make a visit to CastleRock in Thirlmere to climb The Ghost. It was the hardest route in the area, andmaintained a fierce reputation for many years to come.Geoff Cram was the principal leader in the assault on Pillar Rock for severalyears and took most of the obvious prizes on the North and West Faces.Charybdis, Sheol, Puppet, Gondor and Ximenes, together with Electron andNecromancer on the Shamrock, provided him with an excellent string oftrophies. The striking and awkward crack of Sheol, Puppet, Gondor and theexposed, bulging arete of Gondor presented challenges comparable with thehardest routes in the Lakes. Young, Eilbeck and Schipper also produced goodroutes during 1966 and 1967, particularly on the Shamrock.In 1968, Bill Lounds appeared on the scene and in the company of ChrisEilbeck established six routes in as many weeks, the best of which were Eros,Thanatos and Vishnu. Another local team of Martin, Wilson and Cowanclimbed The Black Widow, with four pegs for aid that were quickly eliminatedby Lounds the following year to produce a very hard route. Lounds went on toeliminate aid from a good many Lakeland routes during the 60s and early 70s.The long neglected Gable Crag had a visit from Cram and Young in 1966resulting in the superb wall climb of The Tomb. Here again, though to a lesserextent, they began a revival of interest in the crag that was to extend into theearly seventies. Interceptor in 1967 by Pat Fearnehough and The Slant thefollowing year by the strong team of Burbage, Griffin, Fearnehough and Oliverprovided the best routes.The East — 'White Elephants'Developments in the Eastern Fells during the mid-sixties were far lesssignificant than elsewhere in the Lakes. Many small crags around Ullswater andin the Thirlmere area were discovered and climbed, principally by Neil Allinsonand Jack Soper, but few have ever gained any popularity.On Dove Crag, Mordor was started in 1965, by yet another top Welshactivist, Martin Boysen. It was not continued through the overhangs until 1968(by Cram and Jones). Although the climb was very hard and serious, the rockwas loose and dirty, and it did not compare with its illustrious neighbours.Rainsborrow Crag received a great deal of time and attention in 1966 and1967 by Roper, Allinson, Soper and others but here again it turned out to besomething of a white elephant. The best route taking a fierce crack in the centralProw was left for Joe Brown, making a rare visit in 1969. The Groan used apoint of aid that was soon dispensed with by Bill Lounds.The MaraudersNot all the pioneers of the sixties were content to funnel their efforts into aparticular valley or area. Some moved freely around the crags of the Lakes,Geoff Cram and Bill Young on the first ascent of The Tomb, Gable Crag. 248A.G.Cram Collection
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100 YEARS OFROCK CLIMBINGIN THELAKE
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EDITOR'S NOTESGeoff CramIn June 188
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4 THE FIRST ASCENT OF NAPES NEEDLET
Page 11 and 12: 6 THE FIRST ASCENT OF NAPES NEEDLEb
Page 13 and 14: 10 A SHORT HISTORY OF LAKELAND CLIM
Page 29 and 30: H.M.Kelly and J.H.Doughty 33for the
Page 31 and 32: H.M.Kelly and J.H.Doughty1892 Moss
Page 33 and 34: H.M.Kelly and J.H. Doughty1923 Toph
Page 35: 40 A SHORT HISTORY OF LAKELAND CLIM
Page 40 and 41: John Wilkinson 47men: Birkett, Peas
Page 44 and 45: John Wilkinson 53are now Hard Very
Page 46 and 47: John Wilkinson 57have radically tra
Page 51 and 52: John Wilkinson 6 5being made by the
Page 53 and 54: John Wilkinson6SWith the opening up
Page 59 and 60: Pete Whillance 73good routes on Low
Page 61: 76 A SHORT HISTORY OF LAKELAND CLIM
Page 67 and 68: A SHORT HISTORY OF LAKELAND CLIMBIN
Page 69 and 70: A SHORT HISTORYOF LAKELAND CLIMBING
Page 71 and 72: Ron Kenyon and AlMurray 89climbed b
Page 73 and 74: Ron Kenyon and Al Murray 91spotligh
Page 77 and 78: Ron Kenyon and Al Murray 97In the E
Page 79 and 80: 102 A SHORT HISTORY OF LAKELAND CLI
Page 81 and 82: 106 A SHORT HISTORY OF LAKELAND CLI
Page 83 and 84: 110 THE NORTH-EAST SPUR OF THE DROI
Page 85 and 86: 112 THE NORTH-EAST SPUR OF THE DROI
Page 87 and 88: ROCK CLIMBING IN NORTHERN ITALYAl C
Page 89 and 90: AI Churcher 119Sergent and Caporal,
Page 91 and 92: 13 MILES FROM THE EQUATORRay Cassid
Page 93 and 94: Ray Cassidy 123and I suddenly found
Page 95 and 96: W. Heaton Cooper 127One element see
Page 97 and 98: June Parker 131show a new route bei
Page 99 and 100: 136 THE ABRAHAM COLLECTIONwas a for
Page 101 and 102: 140 THE WASDALE CLIMBING BOOKClimbi
Page 103 and 104: SCAFELL CENTRAL BUTTRESSG.S.SansomR
Page 105 and 106: G.S.Sansom 145bulge, above-mentione
Page 107 and 108: MORE OF C.B.Bill BirkettWhen the ed
Page 109 and 110: 150 MOREOFC.B.ground, rather overha
Page 111 and 112: 152 CLIMBING IN THE MIDDLE AGEStemp
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THE MAN WHO BROKE THE NEEDLEGraham
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G. Sutton 157tooth....'Ron's voice
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G. Sutton 159view; they must have b
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Ed Grindley 161A couple of hours la
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164 THE MODERN ICARUS!This was now
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166 THE MODERN ICARUS!Aware that I'
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Angela Soper 169whispered happily,
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172 THE WELL-OILED MACHINE - TWELVE
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174 THE WELL-OILED MACHINE - TWELVE
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A. Harry Griffin 111the same mould
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A. Harry Griffin 179merged together
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182 WAY OUT WESTone of them picked
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184 WAY OUT WESTseverity it was of
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186 WAY OUT WESTwho made me a pair
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SCOTLANDThe Fell and Rock members c
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Jim Sutcliffe 193June Parker report
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NEW CLIMBS AND NOTESAlan Murray & P
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198 NEW CLIMBS AND NOTESIvor the Bo
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200 NEW CLIMBS AND NOTESBLEAK HOW C
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202 NEW CLIMBS AND NOTESJoker Man.
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204 NEW CLIMBS AND NOTESPrivate Eye
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206 NEW CLIMBS AND NOTES6a. Climb t
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208 NEW CLIMBS AND NOTESBURNT CRAG
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210 NEW CLIMBS AND NOTESYEW CRAGAut
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212 NEW CLIMBS AND NOTESSilverstone
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214 IN MEMORIAMGladys died peaceful
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CLUB OFFICERS AND MEETS 225Libraria
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Number in series 70; Year of publication 1986 - Fell and Rock ...

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