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SEP–OCT <strong>2017</strong><br />
STONEY<br />
SPORT<br />
PEAK MID-GRADE HOTSPOT<br />
DESTINATION<br />
DINAS MOT<br />
WELSH TRAD CLIMBING<br />
NESSCLIFFE<br />
BIG LINES BIG ROUTES<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
STEVE McCLURE<br />
UK F9b<br />
GEAR REVIEW<br />
LIGHTWEIGHT<br />
BIVVY & CAMPING<br />
WIN<br />
SEA TO SUMMIT<br />
MATS<br />
WORTH £315<br />
IN TOTAL<br />
TORRIDON<br />
BLOCS:<br />
SCOTTISH<br />
BOULDERING<br />
PERFECT<br />
YOUR POWER<br />
ENDURANCE<br />
UK CLASSICS:<br />
THE SKULL,<br />
DIFFWYS DDU,<br />
WALES<br />
£4.95<br />
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EDITOR’S THOUGHTS<br />
A UK First<br />
Whilst the idea of sport climbing isn’t everyone’s first choice when it comes<br />
to climbing, there are times when even the die hard trad climber should<br />
applaud a great sport climbing feat. I’m talking about Steve McClure’s superb<br />
ascent of Rainman to give the UK it’s first F9b. It was a project that not only<br />
required a great deal of ability but a whole heap of determination, self<br />
discipline and belief to pull it off. The determination is testament to how<br />
long it took for just this one route; Steve started working it seven years ago!<br />
One of the great things about Steve is he’s not only at the top of the game<br />
in terms of sport but he’s also made his mark in the trad world with repeats<br />
of the likes of Rhapsody (E11), Choronzon (E10) and Muy Caliente (E9) to<br />
name but a few. All that and he’s getting on a bit at 46. Just goes to prove<br />
that age shouldn’t stop you no matter what grade and climbing you do,<br />
you can all aim to achieve your goals.<br />
I’ve been fortunate to see Steve climb many times and he is a climbing<br />
machine. If you read the news report on Rainman, Keith Sharples writes<br />
that on the day of success Steve ‘texted his mates back in Sheffield saying<br />
he was bust; surely not – machines don’t break?’ And of course that proved<br />
the case, climbing it on his very last go that day. You can read the news<br />
report and a full interview with Steve starting on page 32 in this issue.<br />
Elsewhere in this issue we have a great article by Mark Reeves extolling<br />
the virtues of Dinas Mot in Llanberis Pass, Wales. For some reason this<br />
crag never gets the traffic that places on the other side of the valley receive,<br />
I guess it’s down to it being on the shady side but there’s an abundance of<br />
classic routes to check out. Moving on to an area that throws up a different<br />
style of climbing and aesthetic value. I’m talking about the super popular<br />
Stoney Middelton Dale and especially the plethora of sport climbing venues<br />
in the dale. Not only the well-liked Horseshoe Quarry but a bunch of new<br />
developments to provide the greatest concentration of low to mid-grade<br />
sport climbs in the Peak District. We spill the beans on what’s been<br />
happening and reporting on some of these for the very first time.<br />
A cliff that always impresses with its big lines and soaring routes is<br />
Nesscliffe in Shropshire. Whilst not a crag for anyone given the grade of<br />
the routes – mainly in the extremes – just walking along the base of the crag<br />
when the evening sun is low in the sky and the place glows red in it’s warm<br />
light, it is a sight to behold and worth just popping in for a look even if the<br />
climbing is too tough. You will be inspired. This brings us back full circle to<br />
where we started with Steve McClure climbing F9b; that’s inspiration.<br />
Until next time.<br />
David<br />
THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS<br />
Nick Dixon<br />
A legend, Nick’s been about a while having climbed E8 every<br />
year since 1986 and responsible for a few tricky E9 ascents<br />
including Gribin Wall Climb and Indian Face, and last year<br />
made the 2nd ascent of The Great Escape (E8). This year<br />
amongst others he’s soloed Marrowbone Jelly and can be regularly found<br />
moving sideways at Nesscliffe or hauling himself up scary French Alpine cliffs.<br />
Mark Reeves<br />
Mark is an active climber and author. He is based in North Wales<br />
where he runs a small business coaching climbing through<br />
snowdoniamountainguides.com He has a particular passion<br />
for North Wales trad climbing, especially the sea cliffs of Gogarth.<br />
Mike Hutton<br />
Mike’s passion for photography began in 2001 on a 4,000 mile<br />
solo cycle trip from Gibraltar to North Cape. Since then he’s<br />
focused on worldwide climbing photography. Mike has over<br />
1,000 photo credits to his name and currently divides his time<br />
between photography, writing and lecturing. www.mikehuttonphotography.com<br />
Keith Sharples<br />
Keith is passionate about photography, climbing and the<br />
outdoor adventures which he’s ‘enjoyed’ now for well over<br />
40 years. A long-time resident in Sheffield, Keith has climbed<br />
extensively in the Peak and Pennines as well as the rest of<br />
the UK and Europe and beyond. His written and photographic work has<br />
been published extensively in both the specialist and the general press.<br />
THE TEAM Editor: David Simmonite – Editorial email: climbereditorial@gmail.com<br />
Training: Tom Randall and Ollie Torr<br />
Gear: Bruce Goodlad, Kate Scott, Keith Sharples<br />
Design: Rod Harrison<br />
Publisher: Simages Media Limited<br />
Marketing enquiries: simagesmedia@gmail.com<br />
Editorial enquiries: climbereditorial@gmail.com<br />
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When you have finished with this magazine please recycle it.
24
contents<br />
News<br />
6: News<br />
UK’s first F9b by McClure, British Bouldering Comp report, News round-up.<br />
competition<br />
21: WIN 1 of 3 Sea to Summit Insulated UltraLight Mat’s worth £105 each.<br />
38<br />
Exposed<br />
14: Stunning image from the USA<br />
Destinations | Crags | Features<br />
24: Dinas Mot – Welsh trad<br />
Mark Reeves celebrates one of the best easily accessible mountain crags in the UK.<br />
38: Nesscliffe – Big routes and big lines<br />
Legendary climber Nick Dixon praises this stunning sandstone crag in Shropshire.<br />
54: Welcome to Stoney Sport<br />
New developments and old classics in Stoney Middleton Dale, Peak District’s<br />
highest concentration of mid-grade sport climbs.<br />
interview<br />
32: Steve McClure<br />
Talking about life and the UK’s first F9b, Rainman.<br />
Bouldering<br />
44: Torrridon Blocs<br />
Mike Hutton visits this wonderful area in north-west Scotland.<br />
Training & Skills<br />
64: The <strong>Climber</strong>’s Coach<br />
How to perfect your power endurance.<br />
Gear<br />
68: Bumper review – Lightweight bivvy and camping kit<br />
A look at lightweight bivvy bags, sleeping mats, sleeping bags and tents for those<br />
off the beaten track trips.<br />
54<br />
32 44<br />
Regulars<br />
16: UK Classics<br />
The Skull (E4 6a), Diffwys Ddu (Cyrn Las), North Wales.<br />
18: The <strong>Climber</strong>’s Voice<br />
Looking for the key by Wil Treasure.<br />
22: Ascent of Man<br />
Everest – Hillary and Tenzing.<br />
50: James Pearson and Caroline Ciavaldini<br />
Caroline talks about injuries and mind.<br />
62: Book Reviews<br />
Spain’s best-kept secret: El Desfiladero de la Hermida guidebook review.<br />
78: BMC Update<br />
The latest news from the British Mountaineering Council.<br />
82: Mountaineering Legends<br />
Toni Egger.<br />
Front Cover: Paul Harrison on the upper wall of Private Prosecutions (F6c), Horseshoe Quarry, Derbyshire.<br />
Photo: David Simmonite
Steve McClure on one of his many<br />
attempts at Rainman (F9b) at Malham,<br />
Yorkshire before success came.<br />
6 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
headlines<br />
McClure<br />
climbs UK’s<br />
first F9b<br />
Report and photography by Keith Sharples<br />
After years of attempts, countless readjustments and tiny<br />
tweaks here and there, endless tactical analysis, countless<br />
training sessions and a month or so of near-misses of the ‘last<br />
hard moves’ Steve McClure finally completed his mega Malham<br />
project to give the UK its hardest route yet at F9b.<br />
Steve’s success is richly deserved. Having hit the limelight in<br />
1998 with his Raven Tor route, Mutation (F9a) and still unrepeated,<br />
Steve has spent the last two decades at the top of UK sport climbing.<br />
Famously restrained with his grades Steve said: “I’m grading it F9b.<br />
It’s taken me longer to do than Overshadow and I think it’s harder<br />
so I’m going with F9b.”<br />
It’s the culmination of several years of effort and crowns his<br />
C<br />
glittering climbing career. Steve, now aged 46, is the oldest climber<br />
M<br />
ever to have climbed this grade and it puts him firmly back into the<br />
top pecking order of the world’s sport climbing elite.<br />
Y<br />
Steve’s association with the central and overhanging lower tier of<br />
CM<br />
Malham dates back to 2003 and his first ascent of Rain Shadow, then<br />
the UK’s fourth F9a – fifth now taking Hubble as F9a. Neil Carson’s Big MY<br />
Bang (1996) and Steve’s own Mutation (1998) and Northern Lights (2000)<br />
CY<br />
being the earlier F9a routes. Steve has metaphorically written his<br />
CMY<br />
name across the central section of Malham, firstly Rain Shadow, then<br />
Bat Shadow (F8c+ in 2010) and then Batman (F9a in 2013) followed.<br />
K<br />
Steve’s attempts on Rainman started in 2010. After three years of<br />
attempts and looking for some success, he switched starts and used<br />
Bat Route to approach the headwall. Batman was the resultant F9a.<br />
Since then Steve has been starting his long term project via Rain<br />
Shadow and it is that line that he’s now completed to give Rainman.<br />
The grade breakdown is eye-watering; Raindogs (sans chain grab)<br />
is F8a+. From there, the Rain Shadow bulge is hard Font 8a. Past<br />
there, and with a F8c+ completed, there’s a skanky and contorted<br />
kneebar shake-out. Above lie a series of back-to-back boulder<br />
problems. Places to clip are limited – shake-outs or rests are entirely<br />
absent – until established back in Bat Route. The upper section is also<br />
F8c+ in its own right. The whole thing then is two F8c+s on top of<br />
each other with only the marginal shake-out in the kneebar to get<br />
any semblance of recovery. Power and power endurance are tested<br />
to the max plus aerobic fitness.<br />
On the day he was successful Steve wasn’t confident of climbing it<br />
and texted his mates in Sheffield that he was bust; surely not – machines<br />
don’t break? A couple of hours later – after a walk over the top<br />
of the Malham – he had ‘one more go’ and it was done. The UK had<br />
its first F9b! Steve said: “I had to scrap my way up it in the end; it was<br />
exceptionally close.” Back in 1998 after the first ascent of Mutation he<br />
said a butterfly flapped its wings and that kept him on. Nature nearly<br />
took the opposite tack on Sunday when, having fought through all<br />
the last ‘won’t fall of those moves’, Steve finally made it through to<br />
the contorted rest, duly shook out and set off up Bat Route to<br />
complete the job. Steve explains what nearly happened: “I was doing<br />
the very final moves at the top – it’s about 4b – and a bird flew past<br />
me and nearly knocked me off.”<br />
There’s a full interview with Steve about Rainman and climbing in<br />
general that can be found on page 32 in this issue. n
news round-up<br />
You can read all the latest news on the<br />
<strong>Climber</strong> website at www.climber.co.uk/news<br />
Honnold goes big with<br />
Freerider solo<br />
Alex Honnold<br />
BIG news from the USA was Alex<br />
Honnold soloing FreeRider (5.13a) in<br />
Yosemite Valley. Clearly It’s the first time<br />
anyone has soloed a route on El Capitan<br />
and if anyone was ever going to do<br />
something as audacious as this it was<br />
going to be Honnold.<br />
Honnold first stepped into the<br />
climbing spotlight big-time back in 2008<br />
with free-solos of Half Dome and<br />
Moonlight Buttress in Yosemite and Zion.<br />
Over the years there has been a number<br />
of climbers committed to soloing bigger<br />
and harder routes; John Bachar from the<br />
70s, Pete Croft in the 80s and more<br />
recently, Dean Potter. Each making their<br />
mark in climbing folklore.<br />
Honnold’s free solo of Half Dome and<br />
Moonlight Buttress however redefined<br />
what was possible by a solo climber<br />
operating at the top of his game.<br />
Honnold’s co-written autobiography<br />
Alone on the Wall published in 2015,<br />
explained how he got into soloing: “I was<br />
too shy to go up to strangers at a crag<br />
and ask if they’d like to rope up with me.”<br />
Honnold charts his development in Alone<br />
on the Wall: “In 2005 and 2006, I did tons<br />
of routes at Joshua Tree, on the granite<br />
boulders and pinnacles in the desert east<br />
of Los Angles. I developed a voracious<br />
appetite for soloing. I’d do as many as fifty<br />
pitches in a day, mostly on short routes<br />
up to 5.10.” By 2007 he had replicated<br />
Peter Croft’s 1987 solo achievements by<br />
soloing The Rostrum and Astroman in a<br />
day. A year later Honnold soloed both Half<br />
Dome and Moonlight Buttress.<br />
Mark Synott, writing for National<br />
Geographic, confirms that Honnold had<br />
been planning a solo of Freerider for<br />
some time. Only Honnold’s closest<br />
climbing friends knew about his<br />
long-held dream of free soloing El Cap<br />
and they were sworn to strict secrecy.<br />
Honnold’s preparation was meticulous<br />
and part of this was a super-fast ascent<br />
of Freerider with Tommy Caldwell. The<br />
pair topped-out in just over five and a<br />
half hours – the fastest ever. Caldwell<br />
reported back: “Alex was on fire.”<br />
Many climbers are similarly highly-developed<br />
and superbly fit; none however<br />
have Honnold’s mental control. In Alone<br />
on the Wall Honnold quips about dying<br />
when asked about being afraid by a<br />
12-year old: “We’ve all gotta die<br />
sometime. You might as well go big”<br />
was his reply. Aside from that, Honnold’s<br />
mental game is renowned for being<br />
massively strong. It is this ability to<br />
control his fear levels which allows<br />
Honnold to excel whilst free soloing.<br />
His ascent of the 30-pitch, 3,000 foot<br />
climb Freerider raises the bar so far it’s<br />
hard to see what might come next as<br />
Peter Croft says: “It was always the<br />
obvious next step. But after this, I really<br />
don’t see what’s next. This is the big<br />
classic jump.”<br />
Coxsey retains World Cup title<br />
In a dazzling display of power and<br />
purpose Shauna Coxsey took her<br />
eleventh career gold in Mumbai, India<br />
to give her an unassailable lead and the<br />
<strong>2017</strong> IFSC World Cup Bouldering title –<br />
her second in as many years.<br />
Shauna Coxsey was dominant in<br />
this round and come the final, Shauna<br />
looked as cool as a cucumber. Shauna<br />
duly completed all four final blocs – the<br />
only athlete to do so in Mumbai – in a<br />
total of 11 attempts. Shauna’s 11th gold<br />
gave her another 100 points which put<br />
her in an unassailable position on 535<br />
points and hence the <strong>2017</strong> IFSC World<br />
Cup Bouldering title. What makes it<br />
even more impressive is that Shauna<br />
had major shoulder surgery after<br />
winning her first title. 6<br />
Coxsey taking her 11th gold<br />
and IFSC World Cup title.<br />
Photo: IFSC<br />
8 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
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news round-up<br />
You can read all the latest news on the<br />
<strong>Climber</strong> website at www.climber.co.uk/news<br />
Barbara Zangerl on The Big<br />
Issue (E9 6c). Photo: Jacopo<br />
Larcher<br />
Barbara Zangerl in Pembroke<br />
trad-fest<br />
Austrian all-rounder, Barbara Zangerl,<br />
was in Britain recently mopping-up an<br />
impressive number of E8 and E9s in<br />
Pembroke including The Big Issue and<br />
Muy Caliente.<br />
Barbara was originally known as a<br />
boulderer; in 2008 she climbed Font<br />
8a+/b when she did Pura Vida. However,<br />
a back problem pushed her into climbing<br />
routes and by 2011 she added the<br />
Vorarlberg (Austria) test-pieces,<br />
Reifeprüfung (F8b+) and Erntezeit (F8c), to<br />
her CV. Since then she’s done numerous<br />
hard routes with sport routes to F8c/+,<br />
Alpine multi-pitch routes – including<br />
Silbergeier (F8b+) – and desperate trad<br />
climbs such as Prinzip Hoffnung (E9/10).<br />
Last year Barbara repeated both Dalriada<br />
(E7 6b) and Requiem (E8 6c) and what is<br />
thought to be the second ascent of<br />
Achemine (E9 6c) in Scotland. In April<br />
this year Barbara climbed Gondo Crack in<br />
Switzerland, a trad F8c.<br />
Barbara arrived in Pembroke in late<br />
June and within days had climbed<br />
Chupacabra (E8/9 6c) and Do you know<br />
where your Children are? (E8 6c). Then,<br />
using beta from her partner Jacopo<br />
Larcher, she flashed Point Blank (E8 6c).<br />
The team then spent a few frustrating<br />
bad weather in North Wales before<br />
returning to Pembroke. Barbara’s second<br />
stint here was also productive climbing<br />
Muy Caliente (E9 6c) and then The Big<br />
Issue (E9 6c).<br />
Barbara seemed especially pleased<br />
with her ascents in Pembroke and of The<br />
Big Issue judging by her comments on<br />
social media: “I am totally impressed of<br />
this place. That was one of our best trad<br />
climbing trips so far. Every route was<br />
simply outstanding! Yesterday I had such<br />
a big fight through Big Issue (E9 6c), with<br />
bad conditions.... I really don’t know<br />
how I made it to the top! More luck than<br />
anything else.”<br />
Feehally flashes Font 8b+<br />
News from the bouldering world is that<br />
Ned Feehally has flashed Trust Issues<br />
(Font 8b+) at The Realm, in Rocklands,<br />
South Africa. It ranks as one of the<br />
hardest flashes, alongside that of Adam<br />
Ondra’s with Jade and Gecko Assis, Jimmy<br />
Webb with The Globalist and Daniel<br />
Woods flashing Entling.<br />
Trust issues was first climbed by Nalle<br />
Hukkataival just a couple of weeks<br />
before in this new area at Rocklands and<br />
climbs a beautiful leaning sandstone<br />
wall. Alex Megos who watched the<br />
ascent said: “That was very impressive to<br />
watch! That fella knows how to use his<br />
heels and lock down to his hips.” An<br />
impressive feat by Feehally who also<br />
snagged an ascent of Amandla (Font<br />
8b+), said to be one of the finest hard<br />
problems in the world.<br />
Elsewhere in Rocklands, Eliot<br />
Stephens broke into the Font 8b+ grade<br />
with an ascent of Golden Shadow that<br />
climbs out of a 45 degree wall on good<br />
crimps with awkward positions and<br />
movements between them. Eliot<br />
remarked: “I spent a few short sessions<br />
just trying to reach holds off the heel toe<br />
cam, but eventually just realised that I’d<br />
have to do my own thing. It then took<br />
another two sessions to link.”<br />
Ned Feehally flashing Trust Issues (Font 8b+).<br />
Photo: Alex Megos<br />
Limestone news<br />
Pete Dawson recently ticked two<br />
noteworthy repeats with True North (F8c)<br />
at Kilnsey, Yorkshire and the third ascent<br />
of Brian (F8c+) at Anstey’s Cove, Devon.<br />
Brian links two existing routes, Poppy<br />
(F8b+) and Tuppence Ha’penny (also<br />
F8b+) and was first done by Ken Palmer<br />
at F8c but upgraded when it was<br />
repeated by Ellis Butler Barker. Before<br />
that the 19 year old made a super-fast<br />
ascent with a first go red-point of True<br />
North. He commented: “I was blown<br />
away by the climbing. Inspired I gave it<br />
my all and somehow finished at the<br />
chains!”<br />
At Raven Tor in the Peak District, Will<br />
Bosi made a fast repeat of Jerry Moffatt’s<br />
Evolution (F8c+) climbing it on only his<br />
third attempt.<br />
Jordan Buys repeated Steve McClure’s<br />
Bat Shadow (F8c+) at Malham. By all<br />
accounts, it’s the second ascent as well.<br />
Back in 2013 he repeated Rainshadow<br />
(F9a) making him one of the then few<br />
climbers to have made it into the super<br />
grades. Jordan nearly did Bat Shadow<br />
just after Rainshadow but it’s taken a<br />
bit longer as Jordan explains: “Well I<br />
got close in 2013, a few months after<br />
doing Rainshadow. In fact it nearly<br />
was a mega-day – early afternoon I did<br />
Dalliance (F8b+) at Kilnsey. Then drove<br />
round to Malham in the evening and<br />
fell off with my hand on the hold that<br />
marks the end of the difficulties.” Fast<br />
forward to <strong>2017</strong> and: “I went on it early<br />
in the year as a reason to get fit. Having<br />
had a bit of disaster following a training<br />
plan that just did not work, I felt like<br />
I was starting from scratch. I was<br />
barely able to do any links, I was heavy<br />
and getting burnt off by everyone. It was<br />
nice to be able to train myself up again<br />
and work out what is best for me<br />
to peak.”<br />
McHaffie – The Cumbrian<br />
Face<br />
James McHaffie plugged a major gap on<br />
Clogwyn Du’r Arddu (Cloggy) with The<br />
Cumbrian Face (E8 7a). The route didn’t<br />
go down without something of a struggle<br />
however and he referred to it has an<br />
‘emotional affair’ on social media.<br />
He’d previously tried the line in late<br />
May but wasn’t successful and had to<br />
lower off a sky-hook. Not easily deterred<br />
he returned at a time when conditions<br />
had been hot and sweaty in North<br />
Wales; hardly conducive to hard<br />
climbing and perhaps not surprisingly<br />
things still don’t go swimmingly well.<br />
However, McHaffie got the lead on his<br />
third attempt. n<br />
10 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
We are<br />
the bond<br />
stronger<br />
than any<br />
rope.<br />
Everything we make is designed by<br />
climbers, for climbers. Each piece is<br />
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headlines<br />
BBC<br />
<strong>2017</strong><br />
Back to the future as Leah Crane and<br />
Tyler Landman take the titles in the<br />
<strong>2017</strong> British Bouldering Championships<br />
at Cliffhanger, Sheffield.<br />
Report and photography by Keith Sharples<br />
Early July signalled a return of the Cliffhanger<br />
festival to Sheffield along with<br />
the eagerly awaited British Bouldering<br />
Championships being the highlight for<br />
spectators – climbers and non-climbers<br />
alike who soaked up the rays and the<br />
vibe. The competition was looking stiff<br />
given that for the second year running<br />
Shauna Coxsey had already sealed<br />
the <strong>2017</strong> IFSC World Cup Bouldering<br />
crown and renowned strongman Will<br />
Bosi had just dispatched a very rare<br />
(third go) repeat of Evolution (F8c+) at<br />
Raven Tor plus achieving a third place<br />
in the European Lead Championships<br />
during his preparation for the BBC.<br />
Other seasoned World Cup campaigners,<br />
including Leah Crane, Tyler<br />
Landman and Dave Barrans were<br />
all prowling in the wings, as was the<br />
2016 men’s champion Matt Cousins.<br />
Then, almost at the 11th hour and as the<br />
final screws were being added to the<br />
temporary bouldering wall in Devonshire<br />
Green, Shauna Coxsey confirmed that<br />
she would not be competing leaving the<br />
field wide open in the women’s event.<br />
Past champions, Leah Crane and Matt<br />
Cousins, were now arguably the favourites<br />
to win and got safely through the<br />
qualification round along with all the big<br />
guns. The semi-finals on Sunday, however,<br />
saw some wonderful performances and<br />
some big upsets in equal measure. In the<br />
women’s event Charlotte Garden and<br />
Molly Thompson-Smith both looked<br />
super strong and edged Leah Crane<br />
into third. In the men’s event, veteran<br />
competitor Dave Barrans, ex-champ Matt<br />
Cousins, Nathan Phillips and Jim Pope all<br />
finished with four tops from four attempts<br />
with Tyler Landman held down in fifth.<br />
8 The men’s winner Tyler Landman topped all four problems to beat off stiff competition.<br />
4 Leah Crane on her way to third BBC title after her victories back in 2009 and 2010.<br />
6 Defending champion, Matt Cousins, could only finish fourth.<br />
12 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
Billy Ridal, Will Bosi and Orrin Coley all battled in vain with the<br />
slopers but fell short of the cut-off for the finals. Slovenian climber<br />
Anže Peharc snatched the sixth and final place in the finals.<br />
When the finals got underway late in the afternoon the blazing<br />
heat had pumped temperatures on the competition wall further –<br />
so much so that the competitors’ hearts must have sunk through<br />
the soles of their shoes as volumes (and thus a lack of positive<br />
holds) once again played a major part in the blocs. That said, the<br />
huge crowd were soon cheering as the tops started to rack up for<br />
Leah Crane. Despite some particularly valiant efforts from the<br />
talented youngsters, such as Holly Toothill and Kitty Morrison as<br />
well as Molly Thompson-Smith, Leah Crane remained cool under<br />
pressure and soon headed the field going on to top all four blocs<br />
and take a convincing win. It was Leah’s third BBC title after her<br />
victories back in 2009 and 2010. Hannah Slaney and Molly<br />
Thompson-Smith joined her on the podium in second and third<br />
with four and three tops respectively in nine attempts each.<br />
The order of the men’s event soon started to switch from<br />
the semi-finals as Tyler Landman began to pull away from the<br />
field with some especially determined climbing. In the end he<br />
topped all four blocs in eight attempts, some six attempts ahead<br />
of Slovenian Anže Peharc who came in second. Nathan Phillips,<br />
with three top-outs in five attempts, edged last year’s winner Matt<br />
Cousins off the podium whilst Dave Barrans and Jim Pope finished<br />
in fifth and sixth. n<br />
RESULTS<br />
Men<br />
1. Tyler Landman<br />
2. Anže Peharc<br />
3. Nathan Phillips<br />
4. Matt Cousins<br />
5. Dave Barrans<br />
6. Jim Pope<br />
Women<br />
1. Leah Crane<br />
2. Hannah Slaney<br />
3. Molly Thompson-Smith<br />
4. Holly Toothill<br />
5. Charlotte Garden<br />
6. Kitty Morrison<br />
A focused Charlotte Garden<br />
put in a strong performance<br />
to finish fifth overall.
Exposed<br />
Sasha DiGiulian climbing Peace (5.13c/d) on Medlicott<br />
Dome in Tuolumne Meadows, USA. One of the hardest<br />
climbs in Tuolumne, this technical two pitch route was<br />
first climbed by Ron Kauk and Chris Falkenstein back<br />
in 1995. It climbs a narrow black streak right<br />
of another classic, the Bachar-Yerian route.<br />
Photo: Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool<br />
14 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 15
uk classics<br />
The Skull E4 6a<br />
Diffwys Ddu (Cyrn Las) North Wales<br />
A Welsh mountain classic by Keith Sharples<br />
ROUTE LOCATION FIRST ASCENT<br />
The Skull (E4 4a, 4b, 5c, 6a, 5c) Diffwys Ddu (Cyrn Las), North Wales M Boysen, A Williams, J Jordan 1966<br />
with aid. FFA: R Evans, H Pasquill 1974<br />
Paul Reeves leading the rightward hanging groove line<br />
on the fifth pitch of The Skull (E4 4a, 4b, 5c, 6a, 5c) on<br />
Cyrn Las, Llanberis Pass. Photo: Keith Sharples<br />
Seen from the Ynys Ettws, The <strong>Climber</strong>s’ Club<br />
hut in Llanberis Pass, Diffwys Ddu looms high<br />
on the mountainside above Cwm Glas. Early<br />
climbers, for reasons unknown, nicknamed the<br />
crag Cyrn Las – a name which it has retained<br />
ever since. Viewed through the murkiness of<br />
inclement weather, Cyrn Las has a threatening<br />
presence; an appearance that it fails to lose<br />
even in bright early morning sunlight when<br />
crags usually have a friendly persona. Paradoxically,<br />
early morning sunlight gifts Cyrn Las an<br />
even more ominous appearance as deep<br />
shadows appear high on the headwall creating<br />
what appear to be pair of deeply sunken eye<br />
sockets. Seen through the furtive imagination<br />
of someone about to climb The Skull, it’s easy<br />
to imagine some monster peering out keeping<br />
a check on those below.<br />
Incredibly, it’s 51 years since Martin Boysen<br />
did the first ascent of The Skull. According to the<br />
guidebook he used six points of aid; this was<br />
eliminated in 1974 by Ray Evans and Hank Pasquill.<br />
Save for a passing mention in the final chapter,<br />
Boysen barely even mentions his ascent of The<br />
Skull in his own autobiography, Hanging On,<br />
‘I loved our days on Dinas Mot, and climbing<br />
The Skull on the overhanging prow of Cryn Las<br />
with Jud Jordan’. Hardly a big sell for one of the best<br />
mountain E4s in the country. But given Boysen’s<br />
climbing CV which is rammed with diamonds from<br />
the Alps to the Himalaya, perhaps we can forgive<br />
him for glossing over The Skull. Boysen was equally<br />
self-deprecating when David Jones asked him about<br />
doing first ascents when he interviewed him for<br />
The Power of Climbing, ‘I’ve tended to pick off the<br />
odd first ascent here and there if it’s come fairly<br />
easily…’ Well pick up a Welsh guidebook and<br />
fact check that some time and you find Boysen’s<br />
name crops up repeatedly around that era mixing<br />
it up with the leading rock stars of the day. Make<br />
no mistake, however, The Skull is a Welsh<br />
diamond from one of the top climbers of his day.<br />
A particularly hot spell of weather in late May<br />
this year seemed the perfect opportunity to address<br />
the wrong that I’d woefully allowed to gather<br />
momentum; namely that I’d not climbed on Cyrn<br />
Las, let alone done The Skull. This, despite having<br />
both on my list of ‘must do’s’ since the early 80s.<br />
Like refugees from a boiling cauldron, Paul and<br />
I typically run away from the white heat of<br />
Malham whenever it becomes too hot. Bent<br />
on picking off classic mountain trad routes if<br />
possible; we are nothing but Extreme Rock<br />
whores. And that was exactly what presented the<br />
biggest challenge of all, would The Skull be too<br />
big a challenge for a pair of sport climbers – one<br />
of whom (the writer) hadn’t placed a nut in anger<br />
in two years. A simplistic solution – yet one<br />
which we hoped had some merit – was that we’d<br />
call into New Mills Tor on the drive over to The<br />
Pass from Sheffield and get into the trad groove.<br />
And that we did, successfully negotiating some<br />
of New Mills’ finest before we headed off west.<br />
It was hardly the ideal prep for a multi-pitch<br />
mountain but that was our only option.<br />
Cometh the morning, the sun duly shone,<br />
it was truly glorious in The Pass. There was no<br />
backing out now, but at least we couldn’t have<br />
asked for better weather. For 45 minutes or so<br />
walking in I imagined the Cyrn Las monster<br />
keeping tabs on us as we approached. The<br />
walk-in and easy approach scramble finally<br />
completed we geared up beneath the crag. In<br />
truth, the first two pitches were pretty scrappy,<br />
they detracted rather than added to the route.<br />
Taking an obvious shortcut we were soon on the<br />
second stance and below all difficulties. By some<br />
fluke I’d finished up with the lead of the first hard<br />
pitch; a short but reputedly tough little crack. I’ve<br />
always liked the security of climbing cracks, the<br />
lure of decent gear proving overwhelmingly<br />
irresistible. Strangely, I always seem to forget<br />
that hard cracks are typically pumpy affairs, a fact<br />
I was reminded of as soon as I got to grips with<br />
it. A couple of good cams and a swift move or<br />
two and the pitch was as good as over. The<br />
climbing hadn’t been as exacting as I’d imagined<br />
it might but that pitch has wreaked considerable<br />
pain and grief in the past for one climber at least,<br />
a large loose flake dislodged under his weight<br />
and fell to the screes below taking the majority of<br />
his fingers from one hand with it. I had been well<br />
aware of this gruesome incident but hadn’t<br />
appreciated until later that it was exactly 20 years<br />
to that very day of our ascent that the accident<br />
had happened. It’s a sobering reminder that rock<br />
on mountain routes isn’t always to be trusted.<br />
Meanwhile back at the belay, I had an<br />
excellent view, rather too good, in fact, of the<br />
fourth pitch. Hanging over the by now gathering<br />
void, the way ahead took a hanging arête on<br />
what appeared the very edge of nowhere.<br />
Honestly, I was more than happy that it was<br />
Paul’s lead. It was, just as Nick Bullock had said<br />
to us earlier that morning in the car park, short<br />
but pokey with hard-won gear and decent if<br />
sharp holds. The yawning void beneath was<br />
completely ignored by Paul – probably the best<br />
approach in reality. Seconding it was a joy;<br />
pulling on holds and ripping gear out as fast<br />
as possible, and what exposure. And yes, the<br />
loose-looking flake does take bodyweight.<br />
The stance above was really quite resplendent,<br />
a good flake, some excellent mid-sized cams and<br />
an even better view of The Pass by now falling<br />
away beneath us. Paul had his eye in by now and<br />
was soon ensconced in the rightward hanging<br />
groove line that was the meat of the fifth and final<br />
pitch. His rapid and exuberant progress soon came<br />
to an abrupt halt, however, progress thereafter<br />
seemed slow – a classic two moves up and one<br />
move back shuffle. How hard could it be I mused?<br />
All too soon I got the perfect opportunity to find<br />
out. Graham Hoey, a good friend, had tipped me<br />
the nod that the final pitch involved wide bridging<br />
so I rather smugly set off to show it who was the<br />
boss. I can generally bridge as well as the next<br />
climber but the crucial section of that top pitch<br />
is more than bridging, not least because there’s<br />
only two footholds in the entire length of the final<br />
groove. Think 3D though and look behind you and<br />
when in doubt squirm a lot as well. Fortunately,<br />
for Paul it was well-protected; fortunately for me<br />
I was seconding and my eyesight is now that bad<br />
I couldn’t see the humongous drop beneath me.<br />
Long story short, it’s a fantastic route, without<br />
a doubt one of the great Welsh mountain classics.<br />
I’m sure it would have felt easier had we been<br />
more in the trad groove but in all honesty we<br />
couldn’t tell the pitches apart – they all felt like<br />
6a rather than the 5c, 6a, 5c that the guide has<br />
historically given them. And if Nick Bullock<br />
figures they’re all worth 6a, I for one won’t<br />
disagree with him. n<br />
16 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 17
THE CLIMBER’S VOICE<br />
Looking<br />
for the key By Wil Treasure<br />
I first heard of Sardine and Raven Tor when I was a teenager working in<br />
a gear shop. It was a cushy job. Once the floor was vacuumed and new<br />
stock put on shelves I had little to do but read magazines and guidebooks,<br />
while my boss made the rounds catching up on high street gossip.<br />
Wil Treasure pulling hard on<br />
Sardine (F7b+) at Raven Tor.<br />
Photo: David Simmonite<br />
One feature which always caught my eye<br />
was Steve McClure’s ‘Magic Grades’ series<br />
in On the Edge magazine. He started<br />
out fairly easy; E1, E3 – these were things<br />
which seemed attainable to an eager<br />
18-year old who had managed to kick<br />
his way up a few low E-grades already.<br />
I was totally inspired by trad climbing.<br />
My bedroom wall was covered with posters<br />
– Leo Houlding on his early attempts<br />
on The Prophet and John Redhead on<br />
an attempt at the Tormented Ejaculation<br />
were my favourites. These climbs were<br />
hard and bold. I felt like if I climbed<br />
dangerous, bold routes I would gain<br />
respect. I wanted to climb long routes,<br />
to experience the uncertainties involved,<br />
to deal with the fear and to be out in the<br />
mountains. I dreamed of the deep sense<br />
of satisfaction, release and calm that<br />
comes with the total concentration needed<br />
to complete a bold route.<br />
When Steve got into the sport grades<br />
I paid less attention. Sport climbing is<br />
for sissies, right? I never really thought<br />
it was something I would get into – the<br />
sport routes near me were either crap<br />
or way too hard, I just couldn’t see the<br />
appeal. What didn’t help was that he<br />
started at F7b+. This was a world away.<br />
I knew of people who’d climbed hard<br />
routes, but didn’t know them personally.<br />
I didn’t know anyone who sport climbed<br />
regularly. Climbing down in the Wye<br />
Valley gave the impression that even<br />
venturing onto E2s was pretty ballsy.<br />
I never saw anyone on the harder routes,<br />
sport or trad. I just assumed only rock<br />
gods climbed those grades.<br />
When Steve wrote of his first experience<br />
of a F7b+ I read it, but it didn’t<br />
really register as an ambition. ‘Climbing<br />
at this level is completely different from<br />
climbing at say, French 6a’ he wrote.<br />
‘Hard training is required. Campusing,<br />
dead hangs, weighted pull-ups, running,<br />
early nights, cake abstinence and general<br />
hard work are all essential, or at least<br />
a few of these anyway. Motivation and<br />
dedication are key’.<br />
This didn’t tick many of the boxes<br />
for me. I like cake and the bakery was<br />
just across the road. They used to make<br />
these diabetes-inducing sugar lumps<br />
called ‘Aunt Bessies’, constructed from<br />
crushed digestive biscuits amongst other<br />
things. They probably held my climbing<br />
back more than any other factor, but<br />
I was never keen for training either.<br />
Perhaps if he’d said climbing F7b+ was<br />
easy I might’ve tried, but for now it felt<br />
like something I would be neither fit<br />
enough nor motivated enough to achieve.<br />
I consoled myself with the knowledge<br />
that sport climbing is for sissies.<br />
I’d never had a<br />
sustained period of<br />
climbing to gain the<br />
fitness I needed<br />
Fast forward four and half years and<br />
I’m stood at the foot of Raven Tor. I’ve<br />
been dragged here in the rain by Duncan.<br />
He knows I’m too weak to get up<br />
anything, but it’s the only place that’s dry.<br />
He warms up by climbing Sardine (F7b+).<br />
Three minutes later he’s back on the floor.<br />
I stand in amazement – I’d never seen<br />
anyone climb that grade, let alone as a<br />
warm-up. I was also confused, Duncan is<br />
strong, but he’s not that strong. That day I<br />
had a go on a top rope and was surprised<br />
to find I could do most of the moves, albeit<br />
no more than three at a time before sitting<br />
on the rope, but suddenly I had a goal.<br />
As it happens, Sardine was Steve<br />
McClure’s first taste of the grade in the<br />
UK too. After biking to Raven Tor from<br />
Sheffield he was underwhelmed, having<br />
just returned from Verdon in France:<br />
‘Still, at least the route I fancied looked<br />
like a piece of piss. Sardine, E6 6b, or<br />
F7b+ in fancy grades, appeared to be an<br />
easy wall with jugs all over it. Surely this<br />
was the easiest E6 in the world! And<br />
there were bolts too, perhaps I would<br />
like this crag after all’.<br />
However, Steve’s attempts weren’t<br />
much more successful than mine: ‘Ten<br />
foot higher and after a traverse out left<br />
the relationship between the size of the<br />
holds and my pumped arms was all<br />
wrong’. Steve lobbed onto the first bolt,<br />
which he’d hung with a wire since the<br />
hanger was missing. Feeling deflated he<br />
dogged his way to the top and went<br />
home, vowing never to return. He did, of<br />
course, adding his own far harder routes.<br />
By chance, on my first day at the Tor,<br />
Steve was there too. He was working a<br />
line that cut through the traverse of<br />
Rooster Booster, creating a new F8c. He<br />
cruised up his line, warmed down on a<br />
F8a and when I next turned round he was<br />
dangling upside down in a tree doing<br />
sit-ups. All this while I was dangling<br />
uselessly from the second bolt of Sardine,<br />
trying to remember how exactly I had<br />
managed the crux move before. Watching<br />
Steve I wondered if I really had the<br />
motivation to climb this route.<br />
Two years on I was back again.<br />
Sardine had received intermittent<br />
attention, but completing my final year<br />
of university and then starting an MA<br />
took over from getting fit. Despite<br />
returning I’d never had a sustained<br />
period of climbing to gain the fitness<br />
I needed for this route and I really had<br />
no idea about redpointing tactics. 6<br />
18 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 19
Wil Treasure on the moves back<br />
right on Sardine (F7b+), Raven<br />
Tor. Photo: David Simmonite<br />
The six weeks after my final exam had<br />
changed that and I was ready for a<br />
serious attempt.<br />
Pulling onto the initial polished and<br />
dusty holds sets my heart racing, normally<br />
this is just nervousness, being in front of<br />
a crowd of far stronger climbers, but today<br />
it is fear of failure. Of failing on a goal that<br />
I now know is within my grasp. But there<br />
is also a bubble of excitement battering<br />
for release from my chest. This is a<br />
milestone. The absent daydream I never<br />
thought would actually be achieved.<br />
I slide my way into the first jug, crossing<br />
through to push my fingers into the next<br />
slot and start the traverse. Feet swing<br />
free and are planted with careful concern<br />
onto footholds which spit the unwary off<br />
without a second thought. Stretching<br />
across I feel my toes slide as I press each<br />
fingertip into the next edge. I match and<br />
bring my foot back to push through the<br />
next move, a throw. I hang in the air in<br />
slow motion as I watch my hand onto<br />
the next hold, positive and comforting.<br />
One more move and I’m on the jug.<br />
I shake the aches from my arms and<br />
press on, the holds here are flat and useful,<br />
but the wall is steep and I can’t hang<br />
around. With fingers wrapped around the<br />
largest, highest edge I begin the traverse<br />
back right. The first traverse is all about<br />
finger strength and body tension, but this<br />
one is about footwork and balance.<br />
I hum my way through the moves.<br />
Right foot, left foot. I reach for the<br />
undercut. It feels good – body position is<br />
important here. Clip. A reach for the small,<br />
insecure pinch for my left hand causes a<br />
flutter. Breathing deeply I shuffle my right<br />
hand to the two finger edge I need to<br />
hold my balance. Left foot, right foot. I’m<br />
set. The next move will land me on the<br />
jug, but I’m frozen. I have to bounce into<br />
it, sinking my fingers into the pocket. I’m<br />
excited – that’s the hardest climbing over<br />
– but I’m barely halfway and I try hard<br />
not to burst the bubble of concentration<br />
that has got me this far.<br />
My forearms are tired and with each<br />
move I try to shake life into them. I know<br />
the holds up here. Each has its own<br />
character. The two-finger pocket, the<br />
sloping edge and my favourite, the<br />
incut, two-hand crimp. From this crimp<br />
I attempt a recovery. It’s too late for that<br />
but the distraction is enough as I force<br />
my fingers into the crack above. A quick<br />
foot-shuffle and I can grasp the sidepull.<br />
Pushing my weight across I kick out,<br />
searching for one of the small concretions<br />
to take the weight from my arms.<br />
On fading arms I pull through the<br />
most worrying part. The finish involves<br />
a hollow section of rock and far from<br />
being concerned I will fall, I am worried<br />
I will alter this route, with my tired arms<br />
lunging at the delicate rock. I try to calm<br />
myself to make the reach, pushing my<br />
weight into my feet as I dare to trust the<br />
edge. Two moves and I make one last<br />
pull to the sanctuary of the finishing jug<br />
and clip the belay. It’s over.<br />
Sardine is the crag warm-up, but I feel<br />
cold. I don’t feel the elation I hoped for<br />
from clipping the chains. I feel as hollow<br />
as the flakes that taunted my aching<br />
arms at the finish. My absent daydream<br />
is no more than that; the moment is lived<br />
out, the world is the same.<br />
Alan Bennett said life is like a tin of<br />
sardines – we’re all looking for the key.<br />
In my case sport climbing has become<br />
about the process and not the completion.<br />
Ticking a route simply means you<br />
have to start another and the process<br />
begins again. The excitement comes<br />
from making the impossible possible,<br />
not from proving that fact. It’s appropriate<br />
that Sardine is the warm-up.<br />
As I glance at the overhangs to my<br />
left I wonder what the next hollow goal<br />
will be? n<br />
20 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
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www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 21
ASCENT OF MAN By Mark Reeves<br />
Everest – Hillary<br />
and Tenzing<br />
Whilst we have already talked about the first<br />
forays on Everest, as we go through our rather<br />
ragged timeline we arrive around the 1950s<br />
and the highest point on Earth is still unclimbed.<br />
It still represented the third pole and<br />
after a hiatus due to political regime change in<br />
the area it was still a prize and in the immediate<br />
aftermath of the war it would be a great<br />
political statement for the first country to lead<br />
a successful expedition.<br />
The lessons of altitude had been learnt already<br />
and whilst George Finch’s oxygen system had been<br />
seen as cheating by Mallory they were now accepted<br />
practice. This and a steady rise in technology<br />
due to the rapid wartime development of equipment<br />
made from the lighter and more thermally<br />
efficient nylon/plastic based products meant that<br />
a climber could wear lighter and warmer<br />
clothing. Everest would still not be a walk in the<br />
park but it must have shortened the odds.<br />
So much so that in 1953 The Alpine Club and<br />
The Royal Geographic Society recruited the best<br />
Himalayan mountaineers. Nearly all took on dual<br />
roles with medics, photographers, physiologist<br />
and filmmakers. The expedition was led by John<br />
Hunt, which surprised many people as the great<br />
explorer Eric Shipton had found the southern<br />
approach in 1951, he must have been devastated<br />
to have been left out of this full blown assault<br />
on the mountain. Although, to be fair, Shipton<br />
was not really into large scale expeditions and<br />
probably wasn’t the image of a leader they would<br />
want to be portrayed in the media if they were<br />
successful, with Shipton being a more gritty and<br />
practical sergeant rather than an officer. There<br />
were, however, at least two remnants of Shipton’s<br />
reconnaissance: Edmund Hillary and Tenzing<br />
Norgay. Given their importance on history it is<br />
interesting how the Kiwi and Tenzing ended up<br />
on that original expedition.<br />
Two days before Shipton departed in 1951 he<br />
had a letter from the president of the New Zealand<br />
Alpine Club, then a member, of course, of the<br />
British Commonwealth, asking if Hillary and<br />
George Lowe could join his expedition. Whilst he<br />
was dubious as he lacked the funding, Shipton<br />
would change his mind after he remembered the<br />
unstuffy cheerfulness of a Kiwi on a previous trip.<br />
The fact that they were already in the Himalaya<br />
and acclimatised after making six first ascents<br />
probably added to their value.<br />
Shipton in his book the The Untravelled World<br />
also recounts how Sherpa Tenzing came to be on<br />
the expedition:<br />
Edmund Hillary in 1953<br />
‘... another prophetic incident. From a<br />
hundred applicants, we chose fifteen<br />
Sherpas to accompany the expedition<br />
from Darjeeling... there was one<br />
Tibetan lad of nineteen, a newcomer,<br />
chosen largely because of his attractive<br />
grin. His name was Tensing Norkay.’<br />
22 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
Tenzing Norgay proved to be a talented climbing<br />
Sherpa who went on to reach a high point of<br />
around 8,000m with the 1952 Swiss Everest<br />
expedition the following year. Whimsical or not,<br />
Shipton’s judgement resulted in Hillary and<br />
Tenzing being given the opportunity to gain<br />
experience of the approach, which must have<br />
made their selection for John Hunt’s ultimately<br />
successful 1953 expedition largely a foregone<br />
conclusion.<br />
It all ended at 11.30am on the 29th May 1953,<br />
when Tenzing and Hillary made it to the summit.<br />
It would be The Times, who part sponsored the<br />
expedition and who had put in place a bizarre<br />
coded message system to keep the news to<br />
themselves as it travelled back to the UK over<br />
land and wireless. The news arrived back in<br />
London on the morning of 2nd June, hours before<br />
Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, quite literally<br />
helping to crown her glory and that of the<br />
Commonwealth. Hunt and Hillary returning to<br />
Kathmandu found that they had been knighted.<br />
It would take another three years for the<br />
second ascent and then as time passed the<br />
ascents got closer and closer together. In part<br />
because the ‘impossible’ factor had been<br />
removed but the other side of this coin was the<br />
greater understanding and appreciation of<br />
altitude. New and harder routes were climbed but<br />
possibly the last great first on Everest would have<br />
to wait until 8th May 1978 when Reinhold<br />
Messner and Peter Habeler stood on the summit<br />
of Everest having used no aids to combat<br />
altitude, in particular without supplemental<br />
oxygen, a feat that has seen few people repeat.<br />
Technology and our understanding of altitude<br />
have developed so much in the last 20 years that<br />
now virtually anyone with a good fitness and<br />
a large enough cheque book can stand on the<br />
roof of the world. Often fuelled by Diamox,<br />
various steroidal treatments against high altitude<br />
pulmonary and cerebral odema and, of course,<br />
as much oxygen as they can suck. Add in a<br />
guide pushing and a Sherpa pulling and what<br />
was once a coveted first ascent that defined a<br />
generation of mountaineers is now little more<br />
than an guided ascent. Whilst on the one hand<br />
this may seem tragic that the mountain has<br />
been lost to commercialism, it is also amazing<br />
that we have managed to almost tame Everest.<br />
The success of the 1953 Everest Expedition<br />
raised the profile of mountaineering worldwide.<br />
It was one of the major events of the decade.<br />
Snowdonia had also recently been declared a<br />
National Park for all to enjoy. Greater numbers<br />
of people than ever before responded by showing<br />
an interest in the outdoors, sparked at least in<br />
part by a ‘Victory’ tour of the UK which included<br />
Tenzing Norgay who, on visiting the Pen y Gwryd<br />
Hotel close to Snowdon, to see where the British<br />
members of the team had trained he gazed up<br />
at the mountain for a while. His companions<br />
thought he was comparing its size to that of<br />
Everest and trying to frame a tactful comment.<br />
But, accustomed only to the scale of peaks at<br />
home, Tenzing asked how many days the climb<br />
would take.<br />
The increase in the number of people<br />
participating in mountaineering and rockclimbing<br />
was boosted by the popularity of<br />
the firmly established Outward Bound movement<br />
and the growing number of outdoor<br />
centres filled with climbers finding employment<br />
as instructors. n<br />
8 The Western Cwm above the Khumbu Icefall. On the first ascent<br />
in 1953 the Lhotse Face (on the right) was climbed trending left to<br />
the South Col (in the centre) and then via the south-east ridge leading<br />
to Mount Everest’s summit. Photo: Moving Mountains Trust/commons.<br />
wikimedia.org<br />
2 Tenzing Norgay in 1967<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 23
Adam Riches enjoying the staggering position<br />
on the exquisite second pitch of the super<br />
classic Direct Route (VS 5b) on Dinas Mot.<br />
Photo: Mark Reeves<br />
24 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
DESTINATION<br />
Dinas<br />
Mot<br />
Welsh trad nirvana<br />
Mark Reeves celebrates one of the best easily accessible mountain crags in the UK<br />
Dinas Mot is an often overlooked crag in one of the heavyweight valleys of UK<br />
rock-climbing, the Llanberis Pass in North Wales. Its north-facing aspect means<br />
for much of the year it is colder and damper than those crags on the southern<br />
side. Yet a well-prepared and dressed team can find a good adventure on the<br />
crag in all but the worst autumnal weather as the central nose effectively has<br />
a drainage system down either side. Most importantly, though, the size and<br />
scope of Dinas Mot is often forgotten, as is the volume and variety of climbing,<br />
with many classic multi-pitch treats across all the grades, and is unchallenged<br />
in the valley. So dress up warm or use the summer months to shade bathe on<br />
Dinas Mot and you will not be disappointed.<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 25
Dinas Mot with the rock<br />
pyramid of The Nose left<br />
of centre and the extensive<br />
Western Wing to the right.<br />
The Eastern Wing can be<br />
seen up and left of the Nose.<br />
Photo: David Simmonite<br />
Gazing up from the Cromlech boulders<br />
lay-by your eyes are instantly drawn to<br />
the compact Nose of Dinas Mot. A<br />
clean bright pyramid of rock around<br />
which the climbing pivots. However,<br />
like a magician’s sleight of hand the<br />
real trick is going on elsewhere. This is<br />
what this article is going to be about, a<br />
celebration of one of the best easy-toaccess<br />
mountain crags in the UK.<br />
Highlighting not only the classics that<br />
get repeated all the time but some of<br />
the more obscure gems that deserve<br />
your attention.<br />
The Mot’s history goes back a long<br />
way as a Bronze Age axe head was<br />
found below it but for climbing it was<br />
1900 when Archer Thompson, famous<br />
for his proclivity towards chimneys found<br />
the outrageous Jammed Boulder Gully<br />
(Mod). This is still used as a descent from<br />
some routes but is worth climbing if you<br />
want an easy scramble or need a quick<br />
adventure on a wet day as the crux is<br />
literally undercover. The boulder in question<br />
is large, about the size of a house,<br />
and it forms an impassable barrier, unless<br />
you head beneath it into the gloom<br />
and weasel your way up to the light<br />
where you are reborn through a narrow<br />
hole. So narrow that if you have a rucksack<br />
on your way will be barred and you<br />
will need to remove it and attach it to<br />
your harness via a long sling to tow it up<br />
the rest of the way. This is guaranteed to<br />
add to the hilarity and adventure of the<br />
whole situation.<br />
The Cracks was the next route,<br />
a fantastic Hard Severe and the first proper<br />
climb on Dinas Mot. Ascended over a<br />
period of years by a variety of people who<br />
progressively freed the aid and straightened<br />
out the line to what it is today.<br />
a fantastic Hard<br />
Severe and the<br />
first proper climb<br />
on Dinas Mot<br />
It is incidentally one of the best sub-VS<br />
routes in North Wales and a popular<br />
outing. Its route finding is devious and<br />
cunning, setting the scene for the routes<br />
on the Nose of Dinas Mot, with some fine<br />
open climbing on the first couple of<br />
pitches leading to an exposed and<br />
difficult final pitch. In this case it is a<br />
well-protected single difficult move to<br />
gain an exposed ledge.<br />
My experience of this route has generally<br />
been trying to solo it, twice I have<br />
made it to that final exposed move only<br />
to become rooted to the ledge, unable to<br />
commit. With each passing second the<br />
gaping abyss gets hungrier and hungrier,<br />
until eventually I have escaped out left<br />
into the descent gully. With a rope on, a<br />
wire right by you and a second close at<br />
hand giving you encouragement the<br />
move is not so bad though.<br />
The Cracks did inspire Colin Kirkus to<br />
go back and free the whole route. Also<br />
turning his attention onto the obvious<br />
central line on crag, Direct Route (VS 5b).<br />
There are few routes as fine as this<br />
anywhere; the hand-traverse on pitch 3<br />
is much photographed due to its<br />
spectacular backdrop. Perhaps it is one<br />
of the iconic images of climbing throughout<br />
the ages. However, the final pitch<br />
with its boulder problem start still troubles<br />
many people given it is a thin and often<br />
damp 5b technical move on a VS climb.<br />
26 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
DEStination<br />
It was originally climbed with some<br />
‘combined tactics’ or the use of a foot up<br />
from one of your seconds and I am sure<br />
it still is on some occasions. Above the<br />
steep crack/groove provides a continuing<br />
challenge for the VS leader.<br />
A year later, in 1931, Menlove Edwards<br />
climbed Western Slabs which is a lovely<br />
part of The Nose of Dinas Mot as it receives<br />
the evening sun. His route is another<br />
classic VS 4c on the crag. It was overshadowed<br />
later that year by Kirkus who climbed<br />
the neighbouring West Rib, which at HVS<br />
5a is a bold and technical route to this day.<br />
It was seen as madness in its day and,<br />
even with modern gear, it is hard to<br />
imagine just how ‘out there’ Kirkus must<br />
have been on the first ascent, although it<br />
does still have its moments. Essentially the<br />
main pitch is never hard but the precarious,<br />
balanced and run-out nature of the<br />
climbing requires a steady head, it is<br />
scary enough to have most climber’s eyes<br />
out on stalks by the top yet it is never so<br />
terrifying as to send you over the edge.<br />
The Nose has loads of routes worth<br />
climbing including the varied climbing<br />
on Diagonal (HVS 5a) and the thin<br />
moves on Super Direct (E1 5b), both<br />
offering splendid three star climbing.<br />
hard to imagine<br />
just how ‘out<br />
there’ Kirkus<br />
must have been<br />
on the first ascent<br />
If you want harder climbs then Zeta or<br />
Stairway to Heaven are great at E3, and the<br />
short, challenging crack of GBH (E2 5c) will<br />
stop most people, even those who think<br />
they can jam. The more recent climb of<br />
Trauma, named after the first ascensionist’s<br />
epic battle with the route is a popular<br />
E8 for those who like to crank it out.<br />
Trauma, was climbed in the June by<br />
Leo Houlding and Noel Craine. There<br />
is a footnote in the guidebook to what<br />
happened the day before. On a cold<br />
and windy day in the pass, two lonely<br />
climbers dressed in excessive down<br />
jackets struggled to stay warm. Alone<br />
on that face Leo moved up and down<br />
placing many RPs until he got to a good<br />
placement, interestingly there used to be<br />
a peg on a previous attempt but Leo had<br />
snapped it whilst resting on it and hit<br />
the ledge 30ft below. Today climbers use<br />
a pecker hook, a form of aid climbing<br />
protection, which has proved to be a<br />
bomber placement and helped downgrade<br />
the route from E9 to E8 7a.<br />
Back then Leo struggled to place a<br />
crucial wire blind, with it placed, he<br />
down climbed the route to the ledge<br />
where he bounce tested it. Convinced it<br />
was good after a short rest he fired up<br />
again, making the committing move past<br />
the wire he saw it for the first time letting<br />
out something of a panicked whimper 6<br />
8 Paul Donnithorne and Laura<br />
Jones enjoying the excellent<br />
Zeta (E3 6a). Photo: Don<br />
Sargeant<br />
4 Omer Shavit from Israel<br />
about to get stuck into the crux<br />
section of the main slab on<br />
Super Direct (E1 5b). Photo:<br />
Mark Reeves<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 27
that it was not in the best placement.<br />
He faced the decision to fall or push on.<br />
Despite pushing on, the fear had taken<br />
him and he made a gut-wrenching<br />
scream as he fell, but that tiny wire<br />
held and it gave him as soft a catch as<br />
possible. Three times he pulled the ropes<br />
to try again and three times he took ever<br />
increasing lengths of fall, until he gave<br />
up. The next day was captured by Ray<br />
Wood in one of his great black and white<br />
images of the route.<br />
The Nose of Dinas Mot is really just<br />
the pretty centrepiece to a rather large<br />
and complex table setting. To its left is<br />
the Eastern Wing, which looks dank and<br />
unimpressive from the road. But given a<br />
good few days of dry weather and a nice<br />
breeze there are some amazing routes<br />
worth climbing; MPP (HVS 5a), The Mole<br />
(HVS 5a) and A New Austerlitz (E3 5c) are<br />
incredible as they offer more adventurous<br />
and challenging mountain terrain.<br />
MPP was named after the late Ken<br />
Wilson’s camera ‘Micro Precision<br />
Product’ that he used to photograph the<br />
first ascent of the climb by Pete Crew<br />
back in 1964.<br />
the fear had taken<br />
him and he made<br />
a gut-wrenching<br />
scream as he fell<br />
For me, however, the route of the<br />
Eastern Wing that I can never forget is<br />
Gollum (HVS 5b). In the most part it is<br />
generally nice, take it or leave it, climbing,<br />
a kind of chewing gum for the climber’s<br />
soul, but it has one feature that turns it into<br />
something else. The feature is a large roof<br />
on the second pitch, which is gobsmacking.<br />
Think of Stanage’s Flying Buttress Direct<br />
but way up the crag, perched in the sky<br />
to literally take your breath away. Its<br />
stunning position and size, a good body<br />
length on massive jugs, make it a pitch<br />
you will never forget.<br />
The Eastern Wing pales into insignificances<br />
compared to the Western Wing<br />
which starts just right of the Western<br />
Slabs of the Nose. Spanning across Jam<br />
Boulder Gully and beyond onto Plexus<br />
Buttress. On all these cliffs the climbing<br />
either starts at or crosses over a<br />
geological fault where you go from the<br />
rock you find on the Nose, which is host<br />
to enough ‘classic routes’ to show it is<br />
nice to climb on, before it then steps<br />
onto a new type of volcanic rock that is<br />
grit-like in texture and feel, but still has<br />
positive holds. For me this gritty rock is<br />
the best in the Llanberis Pass and unique<br />
to this valley, making the routes on this<br />
wing that little bit more special.<br />
Proof that even a well<br />
developed crag as Dinas Mot<br />
can still provide quality new<br />
routes including this instant five<br />
pitch classic from 2013. Neil<br />
Foster climbing the 2nd pitch<br />
during the first ascent of Cold<br />
Fusion (E4 6a), Western Wing.<br />
Photo: Keith Sharples<br />
28 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
DEStination<br />
The easiest route on the Western<br />
Wing is Slow Ledge Climb, a classic HS 4b<br />
which is really a continuation from any<br />
route at the top of the Nose but makes a<br />
particularly good extension to The Cracks<br />
or any of the VS routes. It is also all on<br />
the gritty rock and features something of<br />
an outrageous traverse, which with the<br />
Nose and the steep scree slope all sitting<br />
below you makes it feel 10 times higher<br />
than it actually is.<br />
If you are lucky and get drought<br />
conditions you should climb Black Spring,<br />
a demanding and technical HVS 5a. Where<br />
the first few pitches are on the more<br />
edgy rock and whilst looking boring are<br />
actually some of the highlights of the<br />
route, especially the moves left out of<br />
the often still damp crack. You then<br />
transition in almost a step onto the<br />
friction rock and make a direct line to<br />
join and cross Slow Ledge Climb. Again<br />
the exposure by the top is magnificent. 6<br />
4 Adam Riches contemplating<br />
the crux of West Rib (HVS 5a)<br />
on the right side of The Nose.<br />
Photo: Mark Reeves<br />
Katie Haston making short<br />
work of The Chain, a great E1<br />
5b finger crack that never fails<br />
to entertain and gives a super<br />
variation to West Rib. Photo:<br />
Mark Reeves 2<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 29
Bob Moulton following the<br />
2nd pitch of Slow Ledge Climb<br />
(VS 4b). Photo: Don Sargeant<br />
Another stunning line at HVS 5b<br />
through this buttress is Jubilee Climb,<br />
which picks an intricate line up to<br />
what appears to be a gritstone buttress<br />
on the third pitch. From below the<br />
problem looks obvious and easy.<br />
However, on closer acquaintance<br />
gaining the steep crack and making it to<br />
the easier ground above proves to be<br />
rather demanding. Feeling more like a<br />
proper gritstone tussle up a HVS crack, it<br />
gets surprisingly few ascents for such a<br />
fine route.<br />
For many the main and final buttress<br />
on the West Wing is the Plexus Buttress.<br />
Which for me is really the best crag<br />
in the Pass, as all the climbing is on<br />
the gritsone-esque rock, but don’t tell<br />
anyone. Nexus and Plexus are two stunning<br />
E1 5b routes which require a little<br />
technique, boldness and with crack and<br />
roof climbing to overcome. However, Ten<br />
Degrees North (E2 5b) is my personal favourite<br />
in this area and probably the best<br />
E2 in North Wales with the exception of<br />
maybe Mousetrap over on Anglesey.<br />
The first time I climbed Ten Degrees<br />
North I found myself in a rather<br />
awkward situation, the blank groove<br />
had forced me to start bridging and<br />
palming off with my hands and before<br />
I knew what I was doing I was body<br />
bridging, both hands on one wall and<br />
feet on the other, facing down towards<br />
my belayer. In that moment of realisation<br />
as to what I was doing all I could say<br />
was: “I think I might have made a<br />
wrong move.” As it was I managed to<br />
un-contort myself and continue upwards.<br />
I really don’t know<br />
why Dinas Mot<br />
is so overlooked<br />
by climbers<br />
It is perhaps this memory that sticks<br />
in my mind, one of those great climbs<br />
with even better friends. If E2 is too<br />
easy then The Windmill (E3 5c) with<br />
climbing on yet more superb rock will<br />
sort you out.<br />
The only problem with the Plexus<br />
Buttress is when news gets out that it is<br />
in condition climbers flock there like<br />
seagulls to a bag of chips on the<br />
Llandudno promenade. If you find<br />
yourself on the Plexus Buttress and the<br />
routes are all taken then you can fill<br />
some time with one of the single pitch<br />
routes on the right such as Gardd which<br />
has a gnarly off-width at the top for HVS<br />
5a. Alternatively Hornets Attack Victor<br />
Mature is a great little E2 5c, which has a<br />
rather spectacular finale up a thin slab/<br />
arête. Either of these routes will fill time<br />
to let the teams ahead to clear out. You<br />
also get to watch the action on the<br />
Plexus Buttress.<br />
I really don’t know why Dinas Mot<br />
is so overlooked by climbers. Although<br />
sitting opposite the Cromlech means it<br />
has tough competition and who wants<br />
to climb in the shade when most of the<br />
time you can nip up to The Cromlech,<br />
Clogwyn y Crochan or Carreg Wasted<br />
and get a tan, or at least some warmth.<br />
The thing to remember is that during<br />
those few precious days when the sun<br />
is too strong to climb and the rock is<br />
dry, then Dinas Mot comes into is<br />
own. This, in itself, makes the place<br />
that whole much more special to climb<br />
on. Remember though every summer’s<br />
evening about 6-7pm the Western<br />
Slab of the Nose comes into the sun.<br />
Just remember to try and get up there<br />
and enjoy some of these amazing<br />
routes. n<br />
30 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
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the climber<br />
interview<br />
Keith Sharples<br />
talks to…<br />
Steve<br />
McClure<br />
Rainman<br />
Steve McClure is, and will forever remain, irrevocably linked<br />
with hard sport climbing here in the UK and beyond. He has<br />
spearheaded the development of British sport climbing for the<br />
past two decades as well as repeating many of the hardest<br />
trad climbs. His first ascents here in the UK are, like the man<br />
himself, revered far beyond these shores. His ‘performances’<br />
on Petzl Rock Trips have, for example, become the stuff of<br />
legends. So how did a thin slip of a lad from North Yorkshire<br />
rise to such worldwide acclaim and, having been at the top<br />
of his game for 20 years, how did he, aged 46, hold body and<br />
resolve together to finally redpoint Rainman, the UK’s first<br />
F9b and one of the hardest routes in the world?<br />
Steve McClure<br />
I first met Steve one summer evening<br />
Absolutely no idea. In terms of progres-<br />
for giving me the confidence to move<br />
Photo: Keith Sharples<br />
at Craig-y-Biceps in the Peak District.<br />
sion I was the ultimate slow burner. F8c<br />
forward. Confidence counts for a lot,<br />
Back then, in the mid 90s, Steve was a<br />
at 26 and I’d barely got going. Many<br />
you have to believe in yourself. I’d never<br />
slender 20-something with dreadlocks,<br />
sports people are already burned out by<br />
figured I was in the league to try hard<br />
tie-die trousers and a ramshackle rack.<br />
then. I’d progressed slowly, a complete<br />
stuff, didn’t consider even trying. But<br />
Bounding from one route to the next,<br />
trad background, but I looked up to the<br />
after Mutation I was happy to embrace<br />
it was immediately obvious that Steve<br />
world of hard climbing as a place beyond<br />
whatever challenge came along, it<br />
not only had an insatiable appetite for<br />
both my ability and personality. Just a<br />
didn’t matter if I failed. But still, giving<br />
rock but that he was also an excellent<br />
few years before I’d watched someone<br />
it F9a was a big step; I think I graded it<br />
climber. Just how good Steve was, I,<br />
redpoint a F7b and thought it looked<br />
‘possible F9a’. To give it F9a felt almost<br />
and the rest of the world, would begin<br />
so beautiful, but I knew with complete<br />
big headed, making a statement, ‘I think<br />
to realise in the years that followed. Since<br />
certainty I’d never achieve that level.<br />
I’m a F9a climber’. Back then that was<br />
then I’ve been fortunate enough to climb<br />
with Steve extensively and photograph<br />
him almost more than any other climber.<br />
As I write this, we’re in Sweden together<br />
– along with Rab Carrington, another<br />
stalwart of the Sheffield scene – on yet<br />
another adventure.<br />
Sometime after we met, Steve did<br />
Evolution (F8c+) at Raven Tor. He said it<br />
felt ‘proper hard’ and that he’d ‘crossed<br />
a threshold into the world of hard<br />
climbing’.<br />
To kick-off this interview I asked<br />
Steve if he had any idea back in<br />
November 1996 where his climbing<br />
might go and if, in his wildest<br />
dreams, he thought that two years<br />
later he’d be mixing it up with the<br />
best climbers in the world?<br />
Two years later, in autumn 1998,<br />
Steve climbed Mutation. It was a<br />
distinct step-up taking 21 days of<br />
effort. Evolution, for example, had<br />
taken him just six days. Whilst<br />
Steve wrestled with the grade<br />
pretty much everyone else dived<br />
in and proclaimed Mutation as F9a.<br />
Leaving aside Hubble (then graded<br />
F8c+), Mutation became the UK’s<br />
second F9a after Neil Carson’s Big<br />
Bang. Mutation is still unrepeated<br />
today – nearly 20 years later. Chris<br />
Sharma said, for example, he’d<br />
never climb it. Could Mutation,<br />
I mused, perhaps even be F9a+?<br />
Mutation was a gift for me really. It was<br />
my entrance pass into the top team.<br />
Local, and suiting my style, it was perfect<br />
a big deal, especially for a no-one with<br />
no real pedigree. I didn’t want to get it<br />
wrong and look like a fool. But clearly<br />
I was being way too cautious. Evolution<br />
is F8c+, the extra climbing in Mutation<br />
is considerable. Of course it’s F9a…<br />
or harder.<br />
I asked Steve why did he think it<br />
has repelled all-comers thus far<br />
and did he see it getting a repeat<br />
any time soon?<br />
Nearly 20 years without a repeat is a<br />
long time. I’d like it get a second ascent<br />
before it gathers dust and is forgotten.<br />
It could be F9a+ but I’m not so sure. It<br />
certainly suited me. An upgrade would<br />
be nice; it would make it one of the first<br />
of that grade in the world. It’s held out<br />
well. Why? Two reasons, well three.<br />
32 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
Firstly, it’s actually quite hard, secondly,<br />
no really good climbers have got stuck<br />
in, nothing more than a day or so.<br />
Sharma had a play and Megos and<br />
Ondra just a day each. That’s nothing.<br />
Pope and Bosi have yet to really try<br />
although Ryan Pasquill has given it a<br />
bunch of seasons and he’s one of the<br />
UK climbers I’d have put my money on.<br />
Finally, the top British climbers are way<br />
more interested in bouldering.<br />
Luckily I think I’m reasonably suited to<br />
British sport climbing, either by genetics<br />
or just because I’ve done loads of it.<br />
edge development and for some reason<br />
I’ve had it completely to myself. I can’t<br />
single out which route means the most,<br />
Mutation was the start, Northern Lights<br />
was the real test as it was Ben Moon’s<br />
project, Rainshadow was the best, and<br />
Overshadow was the hardest.<br />
Steve had an amazing year in 1998<br />
climbing Mecca Extension (F8c) and<br />
Mega Whore (F8c) before doing<br />
Mutation. He’d stamped his name<br />
on Raven Tor, then arguably the<br />
spiritual home of cutting edge sport<br />
climbing in the UK. However, it was<br />
time to move north to The Dales<br />
where Steve would add considerably<br />
to his CV and really show his<br />
penchant for long, powerful<br />
world-class routes. Did he feel<br />
more comfortable on longer routes<br />
and was the move north a deliberate<br />
policy?<br />
To be fair, and brutally honest, I just<br />
stepped in where there was an opening.<br />
I didn’t choose a style, for quality new<br />
lines there wasn’t that much choice.<br />
For a decade he blitzed Malham<br />
and Kilnsey producing an incredible<br />
series of routes; Northern Lights<br />
(F9a) in 2000, Rain Shadow (F9a) in<br />
2003, Overshadow (F9a+) in 2007,<br />
North Star (F9a/+) in 2008 and then<br />
Bat Shadow (F8c+) in 2010. They’re<br />
all amazing routes. Which means<br />
the most to him now and why?<br />
Raven Tor was good to me. It gifted me<br />
with the final wave of sport routes in the<br />
Peak. But Yorkshire is another level in<br />
terms of quality. I have been incredibly<br />
lucky, and I feel very privileged to have<br />
been left the absolute best new, hard<br />
routes out there. My timing was<br />
impeccable. There has been a perfect<br />
amount of unclimbed projects around<br />
the Peak and The Dales and I’ve taken<br />
them all and built an entire career<br />
around them. There’s hardly any left<br />
now, none, in fact, that are known<br />
entities. My routes were often bolted,<br />
attempted, named and even graded.<br />
They had history and aura and oozed<br />
quality before I even arrived. It’s been<br />
the absolute golden period of cutting<br />
Overshadow was Steve’s first F9a+<br />
(after John Gaskin’s 2004 Violent<br />
New Breed which was the first at<br />
that grade) and it took Steve a lot<br />
to get it finished. Steve’s outline of<br />
the frustrations of redpointing in<br />
Beyond Limits, his 2014 autobiography,<br />
is particularly poignant for<br />
many sport climbers who identify<br />
with the mental effort involved in<br />
doing routes at their limit. I asked<br />
Steve what were the main takehome<br />
points from that experience<br />
and whether they were still relevant<br />
on Rainman?<br />
Overshadow was the first route that required<br />
‘extra’ effort. Everything else I knew I would<br />
climb eventually; it was just a matter of<br />
banging my head against it for a while.<br />
Some routes took 10 days, some more, but<br />
I knew they would go. I was already capable.<br />
But Overshadow I knew was too hard;<br />
I needed to raise my game physically. 6<br />
Steve McClure contorted on<br />
Rainman at Malham in<br />
Yorkshire, the UK’s and Steve’s<br />
first F9b. Photo: Keith Sharples<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 33
So I guess it was the first time I valued<br />
training and thinking about what I was<br />
training for and not just randomly going<br />
through the motions. As climbers we<br />
want to be good at everything, all the<br />
time, and so our ‘training’ is so broad as<br />
planning work, illness and physical peak.<br />
So much that I’d not had to contend with<br />
before. When you are on the limit it<br />
becomes far more than how you can<br />
perform physically. It felt like my limit,<br />
but as it turned out it was miles away.<br />
Many weren’t convinced though<br />
and his denial just seems to add<br />
to the ‘Strong Steve’ myth. Did he<br />
have any thoughts on all that<br />
looking back on it now?<br />
Relatively, I am weak, of course, it’s<br />
Steve McClure pulling on small<br />
holds on North Star (F9a/+)<br />
at Kilnsey, a route he did the<br />
first ascent of in 2008. Photo:<br />
David Simmonite<br />
to perhaps not even work. Having a goal<br />
makes so much sense.<br />
I thought it was my limit and as I<br />
inched closer to success I realised just<br />
how much comes into play when you are<br />
close to the limit: conditions, injury, diet,<br />
finding partners, how long is the season,<br />
Back when Steve first hit the<br />
headlines, he’d picked up the<br />
nickname ‘Strong Steve’. Steve,<br />
however, dismissed that straight<br />
away citing his lack of pull-up<br />
power and overall lack of ‘burl’.<br />
relative and it depends on what and<br />
how you measure. Don’t forget climbing<br />
is three parts: physical, mental and<br />
technical. I’m strong in the mind and my<br />
technique is good. But people like to<br />
focus on physical strength. It’s measurable<br />
and easy to train. Relative to my<br />
performance though, my ‘measureable’<br />
strengths don’t come up well.<br />
Recently, Tom Randall and Ollie<br />
Torr (from Lattice Training and they<br />
write The <strong>Climber</strong>’s Coach column<br />
in <strong>Climber</strong>) have developed their<br />
profiling regime and, just as Steve<br />
had said previously, it turns out<br />
that there are other much ‘stronger’<br />
climbers than him. I asked him<br />
to talk us though his profile results<br />
and outline his relative strengths<br />
and weaknesses.<br />
So, for those of interest, my testing<br />
results were something like +1kg on the<br />
finger strength edge test. This is pretty<br />
poor really, I know people that can hang<br />
+10kg. Fortunately my energy systems<br />
come out well, and on the 30 degree<br />
lattice circuit I can keep going for ages;<br />
I’ve done 450 moves before getting<br />
bored. I can currently do a one-armer on<br />
my left, but not on my right. The Lattice<br />
testing is incredibly useful and interesting<br />
but obviously there is more to it. For<br />
example my finger strength on the<br />
Lattice Edge is poor, but what’s it like on<br />
a 5mm edge relative to others? It’s been<br />
clearly proven that for very small holds<br />
the strength of the fingertip pulp is more<br />
important than ‘standard’ finger strength.<br />
This ‘pulp strength’ can only be gained<br />
by doing a stack of climbing on nasty<br />
edges; it won’t come from a campus<br />
board or bouldering on blobs.<br />
Over the years, and deploying his<br />
considerable skill-set, Steve has<br />
also repeated a number of the hardest<br />
trad routes in the UK; Rhapsody<br />
(E11), as well as Choronzon (E10/<br />
F8b+) and Muy Caliente (E9). I asked<br />
Steve how he approached a hard<br />
trad lead and how that differs to a<br />
hard sport climb?<br />
So first of all we have to define style. For<br />
me ‘traditional’ climbing is all about the<br />
on-sight, that’s what I love most about it<br />
and that’s what I’m drawn to. But for the<br />
very hardest trad, well I’m not good<br />
enough and as we ‘progress’ our trad<br />
cutting edge it’s likely that the on-sight<br />
style will become very hard to achieve.<br />
34 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
the climber interview<br />
Not afraid of turning his hand<br />
The gear is too specific, placements<br />
lines without difficult access there are<br />
secondly, on-sighting into the harder<br />
to hard trad routes, Steve<br />
blind, sequences complex. The difference<br />
not many left. Especially the type of<br />
grades is much more serious.<br />
McClure quickly repeated<br />
between headpoint and on-sight<br />
becomes vast. The difference between<br />
an E5 on-sight and an E9 is considerably<br />
greater that the actual difficulty of the<br />
climbing.<br />
With the headpoint style my approach<br />
is to turn a trad route into a sport route.<br />
In terms of how you move it has to be<br />
route that would motivate me, so that<br />
rules out the few death routes on grit like<br />
Wizard Ridge. And if it’s going to be really<br />
hard you’ll need it to have some level of<br />
convenience, as otherwise the time<br />
investment will be overwhelming. For<br />
example there are two projects at<br />
Dumbarton. But with a five to six-hour<br />
So, let’s turn to Rainman next,<br />
Steve’s, and the UK’s, first F9b.<br />
Steve bolted ‘the line’ and started<br />
working moves back in 2010. Was it<br />
immediately apparent, I asked, that<br />
it was going to be the next level?<br />
Actually my very first thoughts as I<br />
Rhapsody (E11 7a) at<br />
Dumbarton in Scotland in 2008.<br />
Photo: David Simmonite<br />
like a sport redpoint. I have to be going<br />
drive each way, and my current life, there<br />
placed a few bolts were that it was going<br />
for it, moving in attack mode. There is no<br />
is just no way. They are way too hard to<br />
to be okay. There seemed to be a fair few<br />
space for thinking and so I assess the<br />
climb fast but I’m always open to ideas.<br />
holds. That part of the wall is quite<br />
protection and potential fall. Many hard<br />
trad routes have decent gear I think and<br />
I’ve been drawn to them. The falls may<br />
be big, but they aren’t death. I guess my<br />
Did trad satisfy him in the same<br />
way that sport climbing does?<br />
So, I’d love to find something, a F9a on<br />
featured. I could see lots of things I knew<br />
I could pull on. In my diary I’d written<br />
down that ‘It looks like it will be at least<br />
F9a, perhaps F9a+’.<br />
fundamental approach is primarily to<br />
assess difficulty against risk, but erring<br />
on the cautious side,<br />
Steve’s hardest trad routes have<br />
all been repeats. Does he have<br />
any desire to do a super hard<br />
first ascent?<br />
Absolutely. The problem is in finding<br />
the routes. It sounds crazy, but we are<br />
running out. In terms of obvious quality<br />
trad gear would be fantastic. But in the<br />
end, for my level of bravery, it would<br />
effectively be a sport route. What would<br />
set it apart is the fact that it accepts the<br />
full challenge of the cliff. I like this idea<br />
but trad climbing for me is on-sight and<br />
this certainly does satisfy me as much as<br />
sport climbing. It’s my background. I love<br />
it just as much. I just do less, for two<br />
reasons I guess, firstly I’ve done most of<br />
the stuff I can do, certainly locally, and<br />
Steve nicknamed it the ‘Easy Easy’<br />
Project. Where did that come from?<br />
Purely from La Dura Dura, which means<br />
The Hard Hard, which was THE big<br />
project being attempted at the time.<br />
My project was obviously a path<br />
compared to that. But I’m looking<br />
forward to getting a real comparison<br />
at some point, though it won’t come<br />
from me trying La Dura Dura. 6<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 35
In 2013, and after three years<br />
trying the Easy Easy, Steve switched<br />
‘starts’ and began using Bat Route<br />
to access the headwall. In Beyond<br />
Limits he described Batman as the<br />
silver medal – second fiddle to Easy<br />
Easy. Was it an easy decision to get<br />
back onto Easy Easy once Batman<br />
was in the bag and how optimistic<br />
was he then?<br />
In retrospect, climbing Batman was a<br />
copout and I wish I hadn’t bothered. But<br />
that’s in retrospect. At the time it made<br />
complete sense. Firstly it seemed a good<br />
‘training’ link. That’s the way I saw it, a<br />
build up to the main event, a way to get<br />
a feel for the upper section when fatigued<br />
from lower climbing; it made perfect sense.<br />
But it was also a chance to climb a new<br />
route up that wall. I was off the pace<br />
on the Easy Easy, and realistically I was<br />
starting to think it was genuinely too hard.<br />
Having put in a lot of effort I guess<br />
I wanted to make a claim on the line.<br />
I suppose I wanted some kind of closure<br />
in a way, thinking the main event would<br />
never happen. With Batman I could draw<br />
a line under it all. In reality starting up<br />
either Bat Route or Rainshadow makes<br />
sense, they are both just as valid, but<br />
Rainman is far superior to Batman. It’s<br />
a shame Batman came first. If I’d have<br />
imagined I’d climb Rainman I’d have<br />
climbed Batman but not reported it.<br />
Whilst trying Rainman Steve has<br />
had numerous injuries. Did he ever<br />
think that the injuries might<br />
scupper his chances?<br />
Absolutely. As you approach the limit, it’s<br />
not just about your physical limit. It’s<br />
about everything else. My window was<br />
starting to run out, that’s the BIG window,<br />
life’s window. At 46, how many seasons<br />
can I expect to be climbing at my best?<br />
This route required my best; my lifetime’s<br />
best. A season lost to injury may mean<br />
never getting back up there and,<br />
ironically, in order to be my best I had to<br />
constantly flirt with injury, to be right on<br />
the line. This route certainly beat me up,<br />
there are a few specific injuries from<br />
certain moves, but its more that I pushed<br />
on when normally I’d hear my body loud<br />
and clear and back off. I was lucky this<br />
year, I think I just scraped it, I was about<br />
to explode.<br />
At what point did Steve think Rainman<br />
was game-on and did he feel a<br />
sudden pressure increase from then<br />
onwards?<br />
Rainman has been an incredible journey,<br />
but also one that has been very different.<br />
Principally in that for much of it I honestly<br />
wasn’t sure if I’d ever climb it. At best I<br />
figured I had a chance, but often I ‘knew’<br />
deep down it was too hard. I guess there<br />
were enough ‘optimistic’ moments to<br />
keep going. That’s part of the long game<br />
that I’d not yet explored, the REALLY<br />
long game, only played by the very few.<br />
Last spring I felt for the first time that I<br />
was capable, but to be fair I never had<br />
that moment where it was ‘on’. This year<br />
it gradually built up and then suddenly<br />
I had the breakthrough and was up<br />
towards the last few moves. Then it<br />
was there for the taking and everything<br />
changed. Before, it was a toy I played<br />
with, enjoying the journey. No pressure.<br />
And then it was right there. A window<br />
of opportunity had opened that I’d never<br />
expected. The pressure was massive<br />
because I wasn’t sure I’d get another<br />
window, ever, and this window was rapidly<br />
closing. With it being so close to my<br />
limit, everything had to count on every<br />
effort. I guess that was the problem, to<br />
reach a high point had taken my best<br />
ever performance, I then had to keep<br />
repeating my best ever performance, and<br />
go one better.<br />
Steve McClure on his own<br />
route Mutation (F9a) at Raven<br />
Tor in Derbyshire. This route<br />
is still to be repeated nearly<br />
20 years after Steve first did it.<br />
Photo: Keith Sharples<br />
Not surprisingly, the grade maths<br />
for Rainman are little short of<br />
horrific. Raindogs, without the<br />
chain-grab, is F8a+. Immediately<br />
above the shake-out is the Font 8a<br />
crux of Rain Shadow after which<br />
there’s a poor kneebar shake-out.<br />
The headwall above features two<br />
back-to-back Font 7c+ boulders,<br />
all on tiny holds, to a junction with<br />
and shake-out in Bat Route. From<br />
there it’s F8a to the top. Steve’s<br />
often said its two F8c+ one after<br />
the other with only a poor shakeout<br />
in the middle. His training had<br />
to target all three energy systems<br />
(anerobic alactic, anerobic lactic,<br />
36 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
the climber interview<br />
aerobic) so I asked Steve to talk us<br />
through what he did for each. Also,<br />
how much did he think his general<br />
day-to-day activities supported his<br />
training objectives?<br />
As always it’s a massive trade off. You<br />
need to be strong enough for the moves,<br />
but fit enough to climb the whole route.<br />
Being really strong and really fit don’t<br />
usually happen at the same time, so<br />
which to train? I’d always figured I<br />
needed to be stronger, and worked on<br />
my fingers before this year. As a result<br />
I felt strong enough. Stronger would<br />
have been nicer, but it felt like the weak<br />
link was putting it all together. I spent a<br />
while working classic power endurance,<br />
but also with a recovery element; staying<br />
on the wall between burns shaking out<br />
on poor holds.<br />
Route climbing is so much energy<br />
system based. It’s rare the moves are<br />
actually too hard. And yet many people<br />
still strain strength, cruise the start, and<br />
then fall off boxed. All route climbers,<br />
sport or trad, should be doing a lot of<br />
PE work. But not only that, base fitness<br />
is essential. I’m amazed at how little<br />
exercise many climbers do. They drive<br />
or get the tube to the wall, boulder a few<br />
hours, then jump back in the car. Zero<br />
aerobic. It’s so important. No need to do<br />
stacks, not so much that you struggle to<br />
recover and compromise training. I’m<br />
kind of lucky that I use cycling as a mode<br />
of transport; Sheffield is hilly and cycling<br />
home from the train station after a day’s<br />
route setting with a bag full of drills is<br />
not a bad dose of exercise.<br />
Steve had originally ‘spotted’ the<br />
line of Rainman on his very first trip<br />
to Malham. Could he still remember<br />
how he’d felt then and how did it<br />
feel now that he’d redpointed it to<br />
give the UK its hardest sport route?<br />
On my first visit ever, so way back in the<br />
early 90s, I was desperate to do Raindogs.<br />
It was such a classic. But there was<br />
nothing above it, just a massive section<br />
of unclimbed rock. Obviously I didn’t<br />
even dream I’d be up there, but I could<br />
see the line, the exact line that I would<br />
end up climbing. I remember thinking it<br />
would be amazing when some rock star<br />
finally climbed it. Not that I’m a rock star,<br />
but it’s like I have achieved more than I<br />
ever dreamed, and I dreamed a lot. As a<br />
kid I lived and breathed climbing, it’s all<br />
I wanted to do. I wanted to be my best,<br />
to work through the grades. Maybe even<br />
climb an E6. Not many people surpass<br />
their dreams.<br />
So, who is favourite to get the<br />
coveted second ascent?<br />
It has to be Ondra really, or Megos.<br />
These guys are keen for Britain. Not<br />
many foreigners visit here, but these<br />
guys really like it. I imagine they won’t<br />
find it that hard, as the moves are not<br />
that hard for them. But I’d be so keen for<br />
them to get the second ascent. Sometimes<br />
you worry as a first ascensionist<br />
that your routes will get downgraded, in<br />
the past I have worried. But now I’m kind<br />
of over that.<br />
Now that Rainman is done, what<br />
are Steve’s thoughts and plans for<br />
future? Maybe try the Yorkshire<br />
Triple Crown in a day?<br />
This is such a cool challenge. It’s<br />
something I’ve fancied for years, and<br />
this year it was on my mind long before<br />
Rainman was put to bed. I’ve even<br />
organised with BMC TV to make a mini<br />
film of it. Three of the best routes on the<br />
three best sport cliffs in the UK, all in a<br />
day, and moving between them under<br />
your own steam (I’ll be cycling). It’s not<br />
cutting edge (it’s been done before), but<br />
it will be a real challenge and something<br />
different. F8a+ is not really hard for me,<br />
but it’s still hard, and this challenge is<br />
certainly not a given. I expect to have<br />
to really fight.<br />
Can you see yourself getting<br />
involved with another monster<br />
project – or has that ship sailed<br />
with Rainman?<br />
I’d say it has sailed but I’ve said that<br />
before. When I climbed Rainshadow<br />
I said that was it, that was the hardest I’d<br />
ever climb for sure, and I was done with<br />
‘long’ term projects (20 days, ha! Hardly<br />
even started.). Then after Overshadow,<br />
at F9a+ and 40 days I was certain that<br />
was as hard as I could push. So here<br />
we are at F9b and over 100 days. Yet<br />
again I am convinced I’m at the limit.<br />
But I guess this time it’s different,<br />
because I simply haven’t got enough<br />
life left to go up a notch.<br />
There are a huge number of<br />
reasons why we all climb as well<br />
as numerous benefits that climbing<br />
gives us back in return. I know<br />
Steve has reflected on why he<br />
climbs and on the principal<br />
paybacks that climbing gives him<br />
but – all things being equal – does<br />
he see himself climbing forever?<br />
Why do we climb? I wrote a whole<br />
article on that recently. There are so<br />
many reasons, the scenery, the travel<br />
and the relationships. Then there are all<br />
of the health benefits, not to mention<br />
that buzz of physically performing but<br />
many of these you can get from other<br />
outdoor sports. For me climbing gives<br />
something else, that complete absorption.<br />
Whether it’s a long trad route piecing<br />
together protection and weighing up risk,<br />
or complete focus on movement on a<br />
hard sport route. After a good day’s<br />
climbing I feel a new person, like I’ve<br />
been on holiday. I’m pretty sure I’m a<br />
climbing lifer. I’ll be climbing till I drop.<br />
And, finally, the desert island<br />
question. If you could take one<br />
route or one climbing experience<br />
on to the desert island which would<br />
it be and why?<br />
It’s the corny answer, but it would have to<br />
be Rainman. Not because it’s the hardest,<br />
but I honestly believe it’s the best. It’s such<br />
a complete route with every style. With<br />
this route I feel I was given a real gift. An<br />
awesome line on the UK’s best cliff, a place<br />
I truly love, and in a style that played to<br />
my strengths. The moves are simply<br />
fantastic. I honestly couldn’t have asked<br />
for any more and for it to have been right<br />
on my limit. It’s given me a once in a<br />
lifetime journey. I’ll look back on this<br />
route as the culmination of my career. n<br />
Steve McClure onsighting the<br />
Pembroke classic Ghost Train<br />
(E6 6b) in Stennis Ford. Photo:<br />
Keith Sharples<br />
As we went to<br />
print, news came<br />
in that Steve had<br />
indeed completed<br />
the Yorkshire Triple<br />
Crown in a day.<br />
Steve McClure is sponsored by Petzl, Five Ten, Marmot, Rockcity and is a<br />
BMC Ambassador<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 37
Photography: David Simmonite<br />
Legendary local climber Nick Dixon<br />
enthuses about this stunning crag,<br />
above the A5 about 8 miles west of<br />
Shrewsbury, that he’s got to know<br />
intimately over the years.<br />
A classic hard route first climbed by Nick<br />
Dixon back in 1994 is the superb My Piano<br />
(E7/8 6c). James Pearson is seen here<br />
making an on-sight ascent of the route.<br />
38 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
DEStination<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 39
6 The colours and the clean<br />
lines make Nesscliffe what it is<br />
and this route is a great<br />
example. James Pearson<br />
climbing the striking arête of<br />
Marlene Direct (E7 6c).<br />
Pete Wilson amongst the<br />
pockets on the brilliant<br />
Marlene (E4 6a). 2<br />
What is it to touch rock, to feel the eb<br />
and flow of Jurassic-dinosaur-sand,<br />
through ones fingertips, to see the sun<br />
set westwards over Welsh Berwyn hills<br />
and to smell the sandy decay mixed<br />
with beds of rhododendron petals.<br />
Social, in country parkland, taking<br />
turns on routes and blocs, Shropshire<br />
lads and lasses top roping and working<br />
towards leads of chosen routes, trying<br />
to be perfect, not rushing, many visits.<br />
Some crags bring a focus of a style,<br />
an epicentre and focus, a type that is<br />
unique to the UK, in this I would list<br />
Gogarth, Cloggy, Stanage, Bowden<br />
Doors, Malham, Raven Tor, Scafell and<br />
the far north west of Scotland, indeed in<br />
writing this list I realise that it is the ones<br />
I have missed that gives the true breadth<br />
and value of our climbing on this little<br />
insignificant island and that gives us our<br />
importance. I climb a lot in France but<br />
it is here that the width is. Nesscliffe is<br />
up there, a type, soft vertical sandstone<br />
walls seemingly designed for climbing,<br />
20 metres or so high, accessible with<br />
easy belays from old pines and rhododendrons<br />
protecting crag tops. Bouldering<br />
above flat sandy landings and<br />
traverses of quality. An open, honest and<br />
embracing local ethic that has developed<br />
from the 1970s clandestine visits that<br />
involved mainly top roping (thanks here<br />
to locals such as Nick Postlethwaite and<br />
Stuart Cathcart) and occasional leads<br />
from passing pirates (Ed Drumond, Mark<br />
linden and Crispin Waddy). Routes then<br />
were quite close to the cutting edge and<br />
so it has remained.<br />
The crag is now mature, a clear ethic,<br />
and routes in all grades above E1 to<br />
welcome the visitor, many routes have<br />
been on-sighted, even harder ones like My<br />
Piano E7/8 by James Pearson but the norm<br />
is for headpointing; it just suits the crag<br />
best (rock is soft and wear’s/breaks easily,<br />
protection is from situ gear and soft sandy<br />
wires and cams) and now with routes in<br />
all grades you can pick your victim route<br />
and commence synchrony with it, what<br />
could be more enjoyable? So join us on a<br />
rope, on a lovely autumn evening; or in<br />
winter when friction is at its best, and<br />
each grain of sand bites reassuringly into<br />
fingertips, and pulling down or across<br />
some of the very best mid-grade vertical<br />
bouldering you can find.<br />
The rock at Nesscliffe is particularly<br />
vulnerable to over enthusiasm so the<br />
only plea is to not climb immediately<br />
after the crag has been wet and not to<br />
over-brush or under perform.<br />
Traverses at Nesscliffe are of the very<br />
best order and give route physicality<br />
without all the faff and trappings and<br />
partner-need that the world of routes<br />
inhabits. When visiting with only a pad but<br />
with a need for something longer head<br />
for the Far Buttress, off vertical, abrasive,<br />
and quality. Quite simply the rock here is<br />
mint. Stay Cool, the traverse of this crag<br />
from In the Court of the Sludgbarron to<br />
The Arch is a classic technical crimpfest<br />
and about route F7c ish and the up<br />
problems it passes en route such as Past<br />
Cruising (Font 6a+) and Deep Slot Dino<br />
(Font 6a) are class (and touched upon in<br />
the Around the Bloc feature in the<br />
<strong>Climber</strong> May–June <strong>2017</strong> issue).<br />
The Kynastons cave area is probably<br />
the most frequented bouldering area at<br />
Nesscliffe. It is very easy to find and near<br />
the parking. This area does give some<br />
quality problems but it can suffer from<br />
being a bit dank and salty-sandy. The<br />
short traverse here is Berlin’s Fallen<br />
(F7a), whilst the full traverse from the<br />
corner on the left Berlin Wall Traverse<br />
(route F7c ish) is both elusive and fingery.<br />
Then there is upstairs, Little Northumberland,<br />
aka The Terrace. Tiny, perfect<br />
rock, suntrap, just winters best. Steeper<br />
this bit bulges and barrels and suite the<br />
stronger of finger and arm. The third of<br />
the traverse classics is the right to left<br />
traverse of Little Northumberland (Font<br />
7b+). Chris Naylor crossed this one first<br />
in 2000 on the same beautiful February<br />
day as I climbed Northumberland<br />
Wonderland; but since then I have made<br />
over 1000 crossings and 2 years ago<br />
managed the there-and-back combination<br />
of Lit-Nor-Lit at Font 8a. All of the<br />
boulder problems have now been<br />
climbed from a traverse in from Little<br />
Northumberland by a combination of<br />
Tom Fenick, Kieran King, Ed Booth and<br />
myself and all are improved for it. Sadly<br />
in 2011 the tiny crucial crimp on the<br />
traverse broke off rendering the place<br />
less. With consideration and solemnity<br />
(and Ed as witness) I replaced the hold<br />
exactly as it was and all seems to be<br />
holding up at the moment. To complete<br />
all three classic traverses in a day is a<br />
fine objective for the finger strong.<br />
But back to the main thrust of this<br />
article; the routes and a selection for<br />
those in need of inspiration:<br />
Fun routes at a<br />
reasonable grade<br />
Batman (HVS 5a)<br />
Route introduction to the Far Buttress,<br />
this route has good protection in the<br />
layback flake but will you have the<br />
strength and stamina to put the medium<br />
cams in. Once in the pull out and right at<br />
the top requires a committed act of faith.<br />
Red Square (E2 5c)<br />
A fine corner line, really brilliant protection<br />
mixed with burly laybacking and careful<br />
bridging. This makes this a popular route<br />
and a first choice at Nesscliffe. The final<br />
move is the crux and often sees sweat<br />
and heroics. This history of this route is<br />
tied up with Pete Crew, Baz Ingle and Ed<br />
Drummond and Bob Llewelyn, all of<br />
North Wales pioneering fame. The route<br />
was first led in 1967.<br />
Open Air (E3 5c)<br />
Not the norm for Nesscliffe, this route<br />
requires careful step ups at about 8m<br />
with no protection. Lovely moves and<br />
quite predictable but keep heels low to<br />
maximise friction and confidence. This<br />
route has recently seen several broken<br />
limbs so be warned and be careful. It’s a<br />
kind of great slab thing. The upper part<br />
of the slab is easy but requires some care<br />
with the rock and top out.<br />
Marlene (E4 6a)<br />
Angus Killie and Tom ‘Fennez’ Fenwick<br />
are now local hero’s; climbing E9 and<br />
bouldering Font 8a+. I met them one day<br />
when they were trying this route as truant<br />
schoolchildren on a wild Wednesday.<br />
Angus had just taken a ground fall from<br />
10m and was dusting himself off. Under<br />
misplaced encouragement from myself<br />
and Fennez, he was back up and didn’t<br />
make the same mistake twice. This route<br />
ties together an arête, a pocketed wall and<br />
then a corner, a kind of Nesscliffe-ménage<br />
-medley. Crank it. 6<br />
40 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
DEStination<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 41
Hard<br />
Berlin Wall (E7 6c) (F8a)<br />
Only 12m long but relentless fingery pulls<br />
on edges and pockets lead to a 6c finally<br />
of brutish crimping. This route has now<br />
received about 10 lead ascents and the<br />
grade has settled at a solid F8a. Pete<br />
Robins made a very impressive on-sight<br />
ascent in 2011 and managed the bottom<br />
section via a massive span without its<br />
ancient chipped starting holds.<br />
Yukan III Direct<br />
(E7/8 6c) (F7c+)<br />
Yukan II is a classic and has cleaned up<br />
nicely to give a brilliant E6; its weakness<br />
is that at the top it escapes leftwards up<br />
a short HVS section of crack. In 2015 I<br />
managed to climb the headwall giving<br />
the logical finish up rightwards. This<br />
takes the route from great to magnificent.<br />
The strenuous contorting up the<br />
lower shallow groove leads to a rest and<br />
lots of protection in the break. It is five<br />
metres to the top and all that remains is<br />
to pull right and launch up the improbable<br />
now off-vertical perfect shield. The<br />
route has had repeats from Ed Booth,<br />
Angus Kille and myself and there are<br />
several videos on You Tube for those<br />
who want the beta.<br />
Local Rite (E8 6c) (F8a)<br />
In 2014 Ed Booth cleaned the crack in<br />
the arête up the direct start to Rite Time,<br />
a route that started from a hanging belay<br />
halfway up the crag where the rock gets<br />
good. This is one of the best arête lines in<br />
the quarry and therefore in the country.<br />
We all thought the rock just looked too<br />
sandy to be fun but it is a testament to<br />
Ed’s vision that he saw the possibilities.<br />
After cleaning and chalking and several<br />
goes on a top rope by a strong local crew<br />
the rock became really quite solid and<br />
predictable and the lead was on. After a<br />
nasty fall with the rope wrapped around<br />
my leg I needed the Patricia Novelli Aloe<br />
Vera treatment. Ed was in, and made a<br />
superb ascent placing all of the gear on<br />
8 Gus Hudgins climbing the<br />
fine corner line of Red Square<br />
(E2 5c). A popular route with<br />
great protection mixed and a<br />
mix of laybacking and bridging.<br />
6 Hazel Findlay mid tick on<br />
the classic of Yukan II (E6/7<br />
6b). Nick Dixon added a direct<br />
finish up the headwall in 2015,<br />
Yukan III Direct (E7/8 6c).<br />
6 Mark Sharratt sets up for<br />
the top moves on Cones and<br />
Currents (E5 6a).<br />
Tougher<br />
Cones and Currents (E5 6a)<br />
Some can climb E5 on-sight and work up<br />
to this through the grades; commendable,<br />
but hardly world class. Others can’t<br />
and still want to push themselves and<br />
find out what it would be like. Sex and<br />
Casual Ties (E3) seems to have become<br />
the first headpoint of choice for those<br />
who can climb classically at about E2<br />
but want to push it a bit. Some place<br />
their gear on route others pre-place,<br />
I just think brilliant, go for it, don’t tell<br />
fibs but why shouldn’t you learn to pull<br />
down hard and develop transferable<br />
skills on more difficult ground?<br />
Nonsense (E5 6a)<br />
One of the original free routes of the cliff,<br />
the situ protection has deteriorated over<br />
the 25 or so years since the first ascent.<br />
The rock has also rounded and cleaned up<br />
in equal measure, but with modern cams<br />
and wires it’s well protected and they are<br />
all easy enough to place on the lead.<br />
Leafstorm (E6 6b)<br />
Climbing the full height of the quarry at<br />
35m this is a trek but the bridging moves<br />
flow easily and protection can usually be<br />
placed easily from good relaxed bridges.<br />
This part of the cliff has a very sandy lower<br />
third which is a very acquired taste.<br />
lead. I made my ascent in less brilliant<br />
style. Atypical in style the first section is<br />
on large open layback holds and is just<br />
strenuous and continental, the upper<br />
arête returns to some technical pulls<br />
around an arête on tiny edges. This one<br />
is worth the journey for.<br />
Fin’ally Mackinally’s<br />
Groove (E7 6c) (F8a)<br />
A titbit from 2011 and the back cover<br />
of the 2012 supplement. This route on<br />
the Far Buttress is on the very best rock<br />
quality at Nesscliffe and it is so intense<br />
and short-lived. Great moves on the<br />
tiniest of crimps past a good peg.<br />
This route awaits a second ascent.<br />
42 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
DEStination<br />
Harder<br />
Une Jeune Fille Quatre Vingt<br />
Dix Ans (E8 6c) (F8a)<br />
The Wall left of 10 O’clock Saturday<br />
Morning is unlikely and blank. A crux at<br />
15 metres has repulsed all on-sight<br />
attempts so far with some spectacular<br />
falls. In the autumn evening glow of<br />
2016 I watched Callum Musket, several<br />
days in and on his last attempt of the<br />
day; he got past all of the difficulties on<br />
the lower wall and climbed the second<br />
crux above. Protection arranged really it<br />
was then just a case of keeping cool and<br />
marching on and keeping focus on the<br />
bit ahead. It was such a sickener to see<br />
him lose power on an easier section<br />
above and ping outwards. So close, but<br />
he’ll be back and get it next time.<br />
Play Me E8/9 7a (F8a+)<br />
James made a great on sight ascent of<br />
My Piano in 2014. I was, I must say a<br />
little perplexed by the strict level of the<br />
ethics he placed upon himself. His wife,<br />
Caroline Ciavaldini, had led the route<br />
before him in more conventional style<br />
and he neither belayed her nor would<br />
watch her so that his on sight was<br />
genuinely that. I am both impressed by<br />
this and slightly unsure whether this<br />
level of professionalism doesn’t detract<br />
from the fun and camaraderie of going<br />
climbing. James then went on to add his<br />
own route climbed in conventional style<br />
up the wall to the right of My Piano. This<br />
route has not been repeated but it looks<br />
brilliant and hard.<br />
A 1000 Setting Suns<br />
(E9 7a) (F8b)<br />
The words you cannot say, the things<br />
you cannot do, or can you? The idea that<br />
it is, in fact possible, develops slowly.<br />
Strain and pull on every finger sinew and<br />
keep cool and focussed on the upper part<br />
where a fall will result in a big whipper,<br />
in my case from the very top of the crag<br />
to land on my wife Sheila who was<br />
belaying. The lower part is unpredictable<br />
and probably E8 in its own right. James<br />
Pearson made a very fine ascent in one<br />
day and Dave Birkett has been up there<br />
too. Angus is so close. n<br />
INFO<br />
Guidebook<br />
Nick Dixon’s Nesscliffe guidebook and updated new routes supplement covers the<br />
entire crag and also includes a DVD to get you motivated, a bargain at £15 for all<br />
of this. You can get hold of it from High Sports in Shrewsbury and Needlesports in<br />
Keswick via their website (or in person) and other good climbing shops.<br />
Finding the crag<br />
From the A5 west of Shrewsbury, roundabouts at either end of the Nesscliffe<br />
bypass are signposted for Nesscliffe village. Head into the village and turn up<br />
the road opposite the Old Three Pigeons pub (decent beer). Take this for a mile<br />
to a small car park on the right. The crag is reached from here by following the<br />
path rightwards to the crag. A gentle walk taking 5–10 minutes depending on<br />
which bit you are heading for.<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 43
Around<br />
the bloc<br />
the best of<br />
British Bouldering<br />
Local climber Alex Thompson about to<br />
launch into the crux on Malc’s Arête<br />
(Font 7b) at the Ship Boulder. One of the<br />
finest problems in the Scotland.<br />
44 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
Torridon<br />
Blocs<br />
Words and Photographs by Mike Hutton<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 45
Scattered on the grassy slopes below the majestic ridgeline of Liathach in the<br />
northwest Scottish highlands is enough bouldering to last several lifetimes.<br />
A seemingly endless array of undiscovered problems lay waiting for those lucky<br />
individuals who thrive off exploration and adventure. Rumours of frictional<br />
sandstone in a truly wilderness landscape completely devoid of people are what<br />
tempted photographer and climber Mike Hutton into making the journey north.<br />
Below L–R: Bryony Weathers<br />
on the extremely juggy problem<br />
of Biscuits (Font 3+) which<br />
covers some pretty steep<br />
ground for the grade.<br />
Alex Thompson enjoying<br />
Layback (Font 4) on Angel<br />
Walls. The key is in name<br />
and is one of the many quality<br />
easier problems in the area.<br />
The previous night had been so cold<br />
even the water had frozen inside the<br />
van. So cold, in fact, that the passing<br />
local policeman on his way back from<br />
the pub had banged on my door out of<br />
concern that I may not be alive. I was<br />
more than alive, warmed by whisky<br />
and dreaming of the next day in the glen<br />
and what delights would be unearthed.<br />
Immediately reassured by signs of life he<br />
let me be and I slumped into yet another<br />
fairytale dream. The morning was clear<br />
and bright; the first rays of light hit the<br />
snow-clad crests of Liathach and Beinn<br />
Eighe turning them a delightful pink<br />
and creating a beautiful reflection in the<br />
dark waters of Loch Claire. As I sipped<br />
some morning coffee the winter sun did<br />
its best to warm the soul. Bleary-eyed<br />
I cruised down the glen with that<br />
wonderful feeling you get at the start<br />
of an adventure. Nothing beats that<br />
moment when you visit a place for the<br />
first time. Scattered on the flanks of<br />
the mountain were arêtes and prows<br />
glistening in the winter light with<br />
endless possibilities for exploration<br />
and development.<br />
The Celtic Jumble, as they call it,<br />
was mind boggling on first acquaintances.<br />
Plinths of lavish chocolate coloured<br />
Torridonian sandstone lay strewn on a<br />
multitude of micro-tiers above the road.<br />
My eyes were constantly drawn into the<br />
far distance towards possible sightings<br />
of new unclimbed problems then back<br />
down to the magnificent Ship shaped<br />
boulder. There is no disputing; this<br />
biblical chunk of rock boulder is world<br />
class. The only danger is that it may<br />
cast an evil spell that prevents you<br />
from tasting the more farflung fruits<br />
on the higher slopes.<br />
The severely overhanging Malc’s<br />
Arête (Font 7b) is almost like a designer<br />
problem and many would agree the long<br />
journey is worth it for this test piece<br />
alone. A great find by Malcolm Smith<br />
back in 1997 and remarkable that he<br />
managed it during a long bout of<br />
glandular fever. The striated horizontal<br />
bandings and exquisite colour palette<br />
are what makes this boulder so special.<br />
The ripples on the west face turn a<br />
beautiful shade of deep purple in the<br />
late day sun and it really is a sight for<br />
sore eyes. These ripples are the main key<br />
to unlocking Richie Betts’s The Mission<br />
(Font 7b) which crimps and lanks its way<br />
up the appealing blank-looking sunny<br />
face. A possible uber-hard line awaits<br />
the super-talented just to the left.<br />
For mere mortals the precarious<br />
Dandy Don’s Arête (Font 6b) on the right<br />
side of the cheese wedge still represents a<br />
significant challenge. It’s very on/off and<br />
there is always that distinct possibility of<br />
your feet popping as you throw for the<br />
top. For me the prospect of catapulting<br />
myself into the bog was the main thing<br />
that kept me focused during my many<br />
frustrated attempts.<br />
46 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
Around the bloc<br />
There is, however, so much more<br />
than the Ship’s Prow. Further up the<br />
hillside to the right is perhaps the best<br />
collection of easier problems I have ever<br />
seen. The Angel Walls are riddled with<br />
corners and juggy flake lines and even<br />
without the guide you would be hard<br />
pushed to not have an action-packed<br />
afternoon as you let your imagination<br />
run wild on the varied architecture.<br />
The Celtic Boulder with its unmistakable<br />
carvings is a brilliantly shaped<br />
feature and well worth a visit for the<br />
multitude of easy problems it has on its<br />
arêtes, one of which is Layback Arête<br />
(Font 5). Slot Wall to the right has two<br />
class reachy problems that I remember<br />
being so good I had to repeat them over<br />
and over again. The positive Slot Crack<br />
(Font 6a+) is fairly straightforward as the<br />
name suggests but the incredibly<br />
highball and eye-catching arête line of<br />
Vapour Trail (Font 6c) is worth at least E4<br />
of anyone’s money and not one to fluff<br />
near the top as you pull on the elusive<br />
snappy crimp. Jen Randall’s video reveals<br />
all but maybe that would spoil the fun.<br />
In reality you would be pushed not to<br />
have a good time at the Celtic Jumble. Ian<br />
Taylor and Richie Betts’s guidebook is a<br />
real class act and serves to point you in the<br />
right direction whether it is towards the<br />
classics or finding unclimbed lines on the<br />
far upper slopes. The unique kind of<br />
humour that has been injected into the<br />
text makes it a real breath of fresh air when<br />
compared to so many of the other bouldering<br />
guidebooks you see on the market.<br />
In an environment<br />
like this my only<br />
advice would be to<br />
run wild and escape<br />
from the restrictions<br />
of any guidebook<br />
The Betts 6b, Taylor 6c and Mike Lee 7a<br />
grading system is excellent and may<br />
catch you off your guard which is no bad<br />
thing in today’s world of conformism.<br />
As I relaxed in my surrounding with a<br />
bunch of enthusiastic locals on this<br />
beautiful winter’s day I could appreciate<br />
why a select few individuals had left<br />
their crowded birthplaces and relocated<br />
to this wonderful wilderness. These<br />
people were here for the same reason.<br />
They craved peace and quiet and an<br />
escape from the high levels of organisation<br />
that are so prevalent in the modern<br />
world some of us choose to live in.<br />
In an environment like this my only<br />
advice would be to run wild and escape<br />
from the restrictions of any guidebook.<br />
Let your imagination take over, if<br />
something grabs your attention run up<br />
the hill and let the rock do the talking.<br />
Later that evening some of the clan<br />
returned from a session on the hillside<br />
above the Celtic Jumble. Rumours of more<br />
great problems needed to be confirmed<br />
and it wasn’t long before the beast was<br />
unleashed and I too was legging it up the<br />
hillside towards the Egg-shaped boulder The<br />
unmistakable and eye-catching Egg Crack<br />
(Font 5) and the airy Highball Arête (Font 5+)<br />
are just a few of the many great problems.<br />
The more I scoped the more I realised the<br />
potential was never ending; there are<br />
literally so many undiscovered treasures.<br />
Venture back up the glen to 7-mile boulder<br />
and check out the delights on yet another<br />
solitary gem high on the hillside. Nothing<br />
is super hard here and it’s a real peace of<br />
paradise. Take in the views and relish<br />
just being in this special environment. 6<br />
Bryony Weathers on a brilliant<br />
unknown problem above Angel<br />
Walls. When the rock is this<br />
great who cares what the<br />
grade is just climb it.<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 47
8 A great way to end the day.<br />
Mike Hutton scopes out an<br />
unnamed problem above Angel<br />
Walls on a perfect evening.<br />
Mike Hutton on the bold, sketchy,<br />
but superb Dandy Don’s Arête<br />
(Font 6b) at the Ship Boulder. 2<br />
There is even much scope on the<br />
opposite side of the glen. Lurking on the<br />
foothills of Seana Mheallan is the<br />
magnificent Scotty Dog bloc with its<br />
bizarre shaped prow and amazing, and<br />
quite out there, challenge going by the<br />
name of The Diehard (Font 6c+) which<br />
surmounts the prow by its two arêtes.<br />
Just this boulder alone has scope for many<br />
more lines. Even further up the hillside<br />
and quite out of view is perhaps the best<br />
problem in Torridon. Those who are willing<br />
to make the steep scramble through the<br />
mountain of heather will realise what all<br />
the fuss was about when they cast there<br />
eyes on the mother of prows. The Essence<br />
(Font 7b+) represents fridge-hugging at its<br />
very best and has to be seen to be believed.<br />
In reality the bouldering in Torridon is<br />
unlikely to ever become over-crowded.<br />
After all it is miles away from anywhere<br />
and that’s actually a pretty good thing.<br />
I hope you too can one day have a<br />
magical adventure up on the glens. ■<br />
FACT FILE<br />
Guidebooks<br />
The best and most up-to-date defi nitive guide to the area is Torridon Bouldering – Welcome to the<br />
Jumble by Ian Taylor and Richie Betts the area’s main developers:<br />
www.davemacleod.com/shop/torridonbouldering.html<br />
If you have the guide then this update will be useful:<br />
www.northwestoutdoors.co.uk/northwestoutdoorsullapool/2014/11/torridon-bouldering-update.html<br />
Boulder Scotland (Third Edition) by John Watson covers some of Torridon and is a great guide to get for<br />
the rest of the country. Boulder Britain by Niall Grimes will get you to the crag and gives an overview of<br />
the most popular areas.<br />
How to get there<br />
The majority of the boulders are scattered on the hillsides of Glen Torridon below the ridgeline of the<br />
famous Liathach mountain range and can be accessed from the parking in Torridon village. A pair of<br />
Wellington boots will come in handy to cross the bog.<br />
When to go<br />
The boulders by their free standing nature will face all directions but many of the problems face south<br />
and west so will receive a lot of sun and are quickly dried by any prevailing southwesterly winds. Sunny<br />
winter, spring and autumn days offer the best conditions. Although it’s possible to climb from May to<br />
<strong>September</strong> the midges will send you packing unless there is a breeze. It’s best to avoid the area after<br />
rain as the sandstone is easily damaged when damp.<br />
48 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
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James Pearson &<br />
Caroline Ciavaldini<br />
Injuries<br />
and Mind Caroline<br />
Ciavaldini writes:<br />
Why should we speak on the subject<br />
of injury? Because to my eyes, they<br />
are an inherent part of the sport. Of<br />
any sport actually. Quite naturally,<br />
we play a sport to test and push the<br />
mental and physical limits of ourselves<br />
and, sometimes, we push too much.<br />
Sometimes, we go past the physical<br />
possibilities of our body and a tendon,<br />
a muscle, a ligament, or a bone gives<br />
way. It is the only way that our body<br />
has to tell our mind that we went too<br />
far without listening to the mind’s<br />
warnings; that of pain.<br />
And sometimes it is a subconscious<br />
part of our mind that wants and needs to<br />
have a break, despite all our conscious<br />
motivation, all our stubbornness.<br />
Sometimes the causes of the physical<br />
injury are to be searched in the depth of<br />
our mind.<br />
Occasionally I think how wonderful it<br />
would be if we could avoid injuries all<br />
together, but in reality they are there for<br />
a reason and, as frustrating as they can<br />
be, we have to learn to understand them.<br />
I am 32 now and I have had many<br />
injuries. Little ones, big ones and I don’t<br />
think I did learn before 10 years of<br />
serious practice to hear what my body<br />
had to say. But I learned, sometimes<br />
after one good session, one finger hurts<br />
just a little bit, a shoulder is a bit painful<br />
on a movement, an ankle swollen. At 18,<br />
I would simply treat anything with<br />
disdain and climb on, maybe taping at<br />
the very best and I would see my pains<br />
evolve, grow, until I would have to stop<br />
for at least two weeks. I wasn’t capable<br />
of skipping one session, the one session<br />
that could have sufficed to bring<br />
everything back to normal. Why?<br />
50 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
Clockwise from below:<br />
Caroline enjoying the lead on<br />
Void (E4 6a) at Tremadog, North<br />
Wales. Photo: David Simmonite<br />
Caroline climbing on Bee Wall<br />
in Chattanooga, USA. Photo:<br />
Eddie Gianelloni<br />
Injury allows time to catch<br />
up with some reading.<br />
Photo: Yannick Long<br />
Because I feared to self indulge.<br />
I couldn’t see the difference between<br />
my mind being a little lazy and my<br />
body asking for a break.<br />
Over time I have gained experience,<br />
or perhaps I have learned to accept that<br />
I am not superwoman and my body has<br />
its limits. I can usually feel and decipher<br />
pains that won’t lead to injuries from<br />
pains that must be taken seriously but<br />
that kind of experience, by nature, is<br />
hard to explain. Maybe the first rule<br />
would be to really listen to your body.<br />
To take the time to experience it, and<br />
remember it is just as you focus on a<br />
sense when you taste wine, but focus<br />
on the senses inside your own body.<br />
It is all good and well talking about<br />
experience, but here I am, not climbing<br />
for three weeks now with a partial pulley<br />
in my little pinkie. So what did happen,<br />
and where did I go wrong?<br />
Maybe the first rule<br />
would be to really<br />
listen to your body<br />
Since I stopped competitions five<br />
years ago I have not had one injury, or at<br />
least not a serious one. As I didn’t have<br />
the time pressure of competitions, where<br />
one has to be ready for D-day, I was<br />
usually able to skip one session, or one<br />
week if needed. Of course, the overall<br />
intensity has a lot to do with it, and since<br />
stopping serious structured training<br />
(don’t read this the wrong way, I’m still<br />
training, a lot, just with more days at the<br />
crag and more trips away) my body is<br />
also taking less constant punishment.<br />
James on the other hand has never been<br />
so injured as these days – he’s also never<br />
been as strong. A testament to how little<br />
training he was doing before and how<br />
you perhaps can’t have it all. There is a<br />
lot to say about finding your own body’s<br />
rhythm and balance. It takes time to develop<br />
strength and fitness but, more importantly,<br />
it takes time for your body to<br />
grow strong to cope with such intensity.<br />
Anyone can train hard for a season; very<br />
few manage to train hard for a career but<br />
I’m losing myself… 6<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 51
Enjoying the climbing. Caroline<br />
bouldering at Burbage South in the<br />
Peak District. Photo: David Simmonite<br />
52 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
James Pearson &<br />
Caroline Ciavaldini<br />
So why this one? I did a big project<br />
last year, The Voie Petit on Grand Capucin<br />
on Mont Blanc. That was last summer,<br />
nearly a year ago now. It took a lot of<br />
focus and I knew afterwards that I would<br />
need a couple of months on and off to<br />
regain my full motivation. So I gave<br />
myself some time.<br />
We travelled a lot and I gave some<br />
time to James who had been my sparring<br />
partner for nearly a full season, to focus<br />
on his trad projects. Eventually I did start<br />
training again and I could feel that my<br />
motivation was going into a new direction.<br />
I wanted to learn to trad climb on-sight,<br />
something that I had not really done<br />
before. That is a very delicate subject<br />
that would be worth another column<br />
entirely… you English often say you are<br />
not fit for sport climbing, but with a little<br />
work you could be great in endurance –<br />
on-sight trad is really pumpy.<br />
I trained on our climbing wall in our<br />
house, progressing through all of our old<br />
circuits and feeling a little fitter every day.<br />
We visited Annot, a great trad climbing<br />
area in the south of France, full of cracks<br />
of all shapes and sizes. Every day I could<br />
feel the progression of learning new<br />
skills, then one day in a tiny crack where<br />
I had to crimp like an animal to place<br />
some gear I started feeling some pain.<br />
After 20 years<br />
of climbing I<br />
am still learning<br />
Ironically, with all the intensity of hard<br />
sport climbing and competitions, I think<br />
it is trad climbing where you are often<br />
at the most risk of injury. There are lots<br />
of times where you don’t really warm up<br />
properly because there are just not the<br />
right routes to warm up on and you often<br />
find yourself pulling harder than necessary<br />
out of fear, or a simple desire to feel<br />
locked onto the holds.<br />
I stopped fairly fast as the pain was<br />
not going away and came down from<br />
the route, but sadly by that point the<br />
damage had been done. At first I did<br />
think that, as usual, I had stopped early<br />
enough to recover fast. It was only a<br />
small pain. But it is taking time and three<br />
weeks down the line I am still waiting.<br />
I didn’t worry at first, trying to actually<br />
enjoy the time off climbing and focusing<br />
on other things… but now it is getting<br />
too long. I have started climbing a little<br />
bit again; only easy and without my<br />
little finger but I know I have to be very<br />
careful. Three years ago James had a<br />
similar injury and after some time he<br />
realised he could actually climb if he<br />
kept his little finger in the air – like<br />
you British drinking tea.<br />
Unfortunately for him, in doing so<br />
he modified the way he held his arm in<br />
the air, causing several other muscular<br />
tension problems that lasted much<br />
longer than the original injury.<br />
I know I can’t climb too much that<br />
way but just easy climbing should be<br />
okay and I am enjoying climbing just<br />
for the pleasure rather than constantly<br />
pushing myself more and more. I keep<br />
coming back to finding your balance,<br />
which is easy to say and obviously<br />
harder to do, but if it wasn’t we’d all be<br />
perfect and I wouldn’t be writing this<br />
column about injury. I am also starting<br />
to look forward to training again and<br />
that makes me realise the good side<br />
of my injury, being forced to take a<br />
break finally helps me to regain full<br />
motivation, something that I did<br />
struggle with the last year.<br />
Not being able to climb gives me<br />
lots of time to dream of the routes that<br />
I want to try and now I am simply<br />
looking into the future where I will be<br />
allowed by my body to climb, train,<br />
improve, test myself once again. After<br />
20 years of climbing I am still learning.<br />
If we look hard enough we can normally<br />
turn each situation to a positive and<br />
at the same time learn how we can<br />
minimise the risks in the future. I’m<br />
still learning and I’m sure I’ll be injured<br />
again at some point in the future, but<br />
for right now I’m enjoying missing the<br />
effort and enjoying getting back to<br />
wanting it. You come back more<br />
motivated than ever. n<br />
Caroline drinking tea and<br />
keeping her injured little<br />
finger in the air – very British.<br />
Photo: James Pearson<br />
Caroline and James are supported by Edelweiss, La Sportiva, The North Face,<br />
Wild Country, Altimssimo and Biomechanica. They also founded the S.P.O.T. project,<br />
a charity aimed at helping less fortunate climbers. You can find out more about<br />
this and maybe make a donation, buy a T-shirt or pass on some climbing gear at<br />
www.spotclimbers.com<br />
Read more from Caroline and James at www.onceuponaclimb.co.uk<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 53
Welcome to<br />
STONEY<br />
SPORT<br />
The Peak District’s highest concentration<br />
of mid-grade sport climbs Photography: David Simmonite<br />
Long renowned for the excellent trad climbing at Stoney Middleton,<br />
the dale that holds this imposing crag has undergone considerable<br />
development in recent years with the addition of many new sport climbs<br />
to appeal to the masses. The old favourite of Horseshoe Quarry is<br />
approaching maturity in terms of virgin rock, even though it still surprises<br />
when new rock gets unearthed, however, climbers have sought out new<br />
areas and revamped a couple of old favourites to give the highest<br />
concentration of low to mid-grade sport climbs in the Peak District.<br />
Stephen Coughlan on the popular Horseshoe Quarry tick, The Big Fat Texan on the Corner (F6a+).<br />
54 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
DESTINATION<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 55
6 Stephen Coughlan in action<br />
on The Director’s Cut (F6a+)<br />
at Horsehoe Quarry.<br />
2 The sign greeting you at the<br />
entrance to Horseshoe Quarry<br />
that shows the quarry layout.<br />
2 Nige Prestidge on the<br />
borehole section of the excellent<br />
Shot your Bolt (F6b+) on the<br />
Main Wall at Horseshoe Quarry.<br />
The North Side<br />
Paul Harrison (Stoney West) and David<br />
Simmonite head to the north side of the<br />
dale to give the lowdown on the five<br />
venues on this flank.<br />
Horseshoe Quarry<br />
Perhaps the most popular mid-grade sport<br />
climbing venue in the UK, the extensive<br />
Horseshoe Quarry has come a long way<br />
from its modest start when it was first<br />
developed in the mid-80s by the likes of<br />
Mark Pretty, Steve France, Ian French and<br />
Chris Wright amongst others. Originally<br />
Furniss Quarry, they dubbed it Horseshoe<br />
Quarry due to its shape.<br />
I first visited on a chilly April day in<br />
1990 when I did Galening Crack with<br />
Dave Vincent and I’ve been a regular since.<br />
An invaluable piece of kit on my harness<br />
then was a green size 1 HB Micromate,<br />
the first three cam unit camming device<br />
in the UK. It would fit in just about every<br />
placement in the Main Wall’s top break<br />
and a godsend to steady the nerves,<br />
especially with a flexible U-shaped stem<br />
when we all had rigid stemmed Friends<br />
at the time. Why mention this? Back then<br />
most of the routes were developed with<br />
a mix of bolts, pegs and trad gear to<br />
protect them. For example, Litany Against<br />
Fear relied on six pegs and a couple of<br />
trad placements and was given a grade<br />
of E3 5c. Nowadays most of the routes<br />
have been retro-bolted to turn it into a<br />
sport climber’s paradise and Litany is<br />
now F6b+ (using the original finish) with<br />
the same superb moves.<br />
Moving forward apace, it’s now<br />
thronged with 300+ routes on rock quality<br />
from superb to dubious – such was the<br />
push to climb every inch of rock in the<br />
quarry – on both tiers. Rest assured<br />
though, it’s easy to spot the good from the<br />
bad. The grade spread is F3 up to F7b with<br />
the vast majority in the higher F5s and<br />
through the F6s on mainly vertical rock.<br />
A natural suntrap it also comes into its<br />
own in winter when it’s too cold to climb<br />
elsewhere coupled with quick drying<br />
routes and sheltered nature. In summer<br />
some areas are shaded to escape the heat.<br />
Talking of access, quarrying finished<br />
back in 1969 and climbing was discouraged<br />
by the then owners, Tarmac. Fast<br />
forward to 2005 and it was purchased by<br />
the BMC, not only protecting the climbing<br />
access but turning the quarry into a<br />
conservation area. Gone is debris and<br />
general litter, and plants and wildlife have<br />
now taken hold. With newts making use of<br />
the pond created on the left as you enter<br />
the main quarry and a collection of plants<br />
from orchids to cowslips amongst others.<br />
On a first visit, head for the centrepiece<br />
of Horseshoe, the Main Wall. The wall<br />
is easily spotted given the quality of this<br />
grey sheet of rock in the centre of the<br />
lower tier. It is home to the best routes,<br />
although it’s becoming a victim of its<br />
quality and some routes are now<br />
polished. But don’t let this dissuade you<br />
from trying these technical wall gems.<br />
So what to try? A good start to get the<br />
muscles firing is Pale Rider (F6a) on the<br />
left edge of the wall. Moving up a grade<br />
is School’s Out (F6a+) followed by its<br />
neighbour the quality Rotund Rooley at<br />
F6b+ with great but thin, delicate moves<br />
up an open groove high on the route.<br />
Moving right again you come to Wall<br />
of Jericho (F6b+), a personal favourite<br />
with a crux around a rib and a tough<br />
start. If you like crimpy climbing Legal<br />
Action (F6c) will be right up your street<br />
with a low crux. Private Prosecution<br />
(hard at F6c and possibly F6c+) presents<br />
a brilliant mix of technical and airy<br />
climbing, especially the technical scoop<br />
and headwall. Passing the aforementioned<br />
Litany against Fear its right-hand<br />
neighbour is Megalithic Man (F6b+),<br />
arguably the best on the wall and varied<br />
in the lower section before finishing<br />
with a series of beautiful delicate moves<br />
at the top. And the final recommendation<br />
is the fabulous Shot Yer Bolt (F6b+) via<br />
an obvious borehole to a perplexing<br />
finishing section.<br />
Heading left from the Main Wall the<br />
routes are not in the same class and<br />
there can be some loose holds but routes<br />
worth doing are the crack of Sag Paneer<br />
at F4+, The Big Fat Texan on the Corner is<br />
a popular route at a popular F6a+ grade,<br />
Sunday Sport (F6b) – one of the original<br />
routes climbed in 1987 by Mark Pretty<br />
– offers a good long pitch and further<br />
left is the shallow corner of Nowt Taken<br />
Out (F6a+) with some nice climbing<br />
and a testing finish.<br />
At the end of the quarry you won’t<br />
have missed the big slabs. They offer<br />
long easier routes from F4 through to<br />
F6a and have proved popular. However,<br />
there is still some loose rock so helmets<br />
are advised for you and your belayer.<br />
Some of the routes are done in two<br />
pitches and longer than 30m so take<br />
care, especially if you only have a<br />
60m rope.<br />
Heading back the way you came,<br />
passing the Main Wall, the right-hand<br />
section of the lower tier and in particular<br />
the Androids Area offers up some good<br />
pitches. The pick of the bunch are<br />
Dalken Shield (F6b) albeit feeling a<br />
little out-there on the steep headwall,<br />
The Director’s Cut (F6a+) via a vague rib,<br />
Blade Runner (F6a+) gives a bold outing<br />
given there’s only three bolts in the route<br />
but the climbing is really good and the<br />
bolts are just where you need them<br />
– push on. And last but not least over<br />
to the right is the excellent and fingery<br />
Rage (F6b). There are further routes<br />
right again, especially in the Toilet<br />
Sector, that, despite not being that<br />
good (the clue’s in the name) are<br />
remarkably popular.<br />
56 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
DEStination<br />
The upper tier above the Main Wall is<br />
quieter with a selection of shorter routes<br />
that feel less intimidating than those<br />
below, a fair few in the F5–F6b range.<br />
They have the advantage of keeping the<br />
sun when the lower tier goes into shade<br />
– useful in winter. Worthwhile routes<br />
include from the left: Into the Labyrinth<br />
(F5+) up the front face of a grey tower, By<br />
Zeus (F6a+) up the arête to the right with<br />
a reachy start and Spiteful Rain taking the<br />
face right again at F5+. Then there’s<br />
Smoke Gets in your Eyes (F6b+) taking a<br />
prominent arête with a disconcerting<br />
move far enough above a bolt to make<br />
you think but it is a great trip. Finally,<br />
Blue Sunday (F6a+) with nice face<br />
climbing and Dinky Toy (F6c) via a thin<br />
crack and a delightful technical wall.<br />
Horse Thief Quarry<br />
This recent development by Gary Gibson<br />
is on the walls immediately left of the<br />
sharp bend you encounter down the road<br />
from Horseshoe Quarry. It offers easy<br />
access and 17 quick-drying routes that<br />
catch the sun until around mid-afternoon<br />
with grades from F4 to F7a, the majority<br />
in the F6a to F6b+ range.<br />
The climbing is split into two areas<br />
with the right-hand walls offering the<br />
better routes; nonetheless there are one<br />
or two good routes over to the left. These<br />
are the long arête of Under the Thiefdome<br />
at F5+ and a good warm-up, just left is<br />
Dome of the Thief at a tough and reachy<br />
F6b+ though you can sneak left and back<br />
right at the crux if you can’t reach but it<br />
does knock a grade off.<br />
Moving to the right-hand section,<br />
things start getting interesting on the<br />
more appealing central wall. Favourites<br />
are The Thief of Baghdad (F6b+) with a<br />
lovely sequence on the white wall in the<br />
middle followed by a long stretch between<br />
two breaks. Right gain is Thief of Mad<br />
Dad (F6b+) using a short corner, the<br />
groove right again provides The Rustler<br />
(F6b), Thieving Magpies (F6a) presents a<br />
few nice moves and finally Rustler Brand<br />
(F6b) gives tricky climbing via a blunt rib<br />
and is harder than it looks, don’t rush it.<br />
Stoney West<br />
Hidden away high amongst the trees,<br />
Stoney West has always been the poor<br />
cousin to its more illustrious neighbour<br />
(Stoney Middleton). However, this once<br />
quiet and neglected cliff has enjoyed<br />
something of a renaissance recently<br />
thanks to the addition of a number of<br />
decent sport routes, chiefly in the low to<br />
middle grades. The new additions sit, in<br />
some cases uneasily, alongside some of<br />
the crags early pioneering routes from<br />
the likes of Paul Nunn, Tom Proctor and<br />
Paul Mitchell. 6<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 57
Chris Hindley nails the Thief<br />
of Mad Dad (F6b+) on the<br />
right-hand section of Horse<br />
Thief Quarry.<br />
The cliff itself has much to recommend<br />
it to the sport climber, the rock is<br />
generally good quality, although a loose<br />
band in the upper reaches demands care,<br />
the base of the cliff is well-shrouded by<br />
trees but its elevated nature means it enjoys<br />
a sunny aspect and is ideal for a late<br />
afternoon or evening session. The rock<br />
dries relatively quickly after rain and its<br />
sheltered nature makes it a good choice<br />
for a blustery day. A word of caution,<br />
however, the steep vegetated slope<br />
below the cliff quickly becomes muddy<br />
and consequently very slippery when wet<br />
as a number of unsuspecting climbers/<br />
belayers have found to their peril.<br />
As for the routes, Another Camden<br />
Day (F6c+) is perhaps the one to single<br />
out of the recent additions, pleasant face<br />
climbing culminates in a spectacular<br />
steep finish where a hidden knee bar can<br />
be more than useful if arms are wilting.<br />
Out of interest, either side of this are the<br />
fine early trad routes Southerners Can’t<br />
Climb (E3 5c) and Northerners Can’t Climb<br />
(E5 6b); the latter was retro-bolted but<br />
then quickly de-bolted, a good example<br />
of climbers self-management of ethics.<br />
Just left is Can’t Climb, Won’t Climb (F7a)<br />
another good face climb and this one is<br />
fully bolted.<br />
The small bay above the vegetated<br />
slope in the centre of the cliff has a number<br />
of shorter sport routes. These are<br />
deceptively sustained and many of the<br />
routes feature fierce and fingery climbing.<br />
Perhaps the pick of the bunch are In<br />
Conversation (F6b) a technical thin crack<br />
and Libation (F6b+) up a crimpy little wall<br />
just right. The steeper wall right again<br />
has proven popular and now has a clutch<br />
of quality middle grade wall climbs to<br />
tempt. Nearly all the routes feature fierce<br />
bouldery starts and if you have carried a<br />
stick clip up with you this is the place to<br />
use it. Don’t Talk to Strangers (F6c) is my<br />
favourite; a bold and reachy start leads<br />
up into the black streak in the centre of<br />
the wall. Procession (F6b+) is the slightly<br />
easier line just right, again with a fierce<br />
bouldery start where a long reach helps.<br />
Perilscope (F7a) climbs the fierce crimpy<br />
wall right again, the desperate start can<br />
be avoided from the right and knocks the<br />
grade down a notch. High in the right-hand<br />
side of the wall is a large hole; this is the<br />
gained by the excellent State of the Nation<br />
(F6c) and left with no little difficulty.<br />
Right again a more broken wall provides<br />
a number of pleasant easier routes, the<br />
best thereabouts is A Timer and a Place<br />
(F6a) up the nicely positioned arête.<br />
Finally, a short buttress, one of the first<br />
encountered on the approach, gives a<br />
couple of worthwhile routes – Shake Rattle<br />
and Roll (F6b) a deceptively tricky wall<br />
climb and Before Too Long (F6b) a burly<br />
pitch up the roofed-corner and wall.<br />
Golden Wall<br />
In the trees below Stoney West is a small<br />
and easily accessible wall with a handful<br />
of short routes ranging from F5+ to F6c+.<br />
The routes feel stout at the grades but<br />
can give a good afternoon’s sport. The<br />
best routes are Black Bryony (F6b) giving<br />
pleasing moves via a blunt rib and pleasant<br />
wall, and just to its right is the decent<br />
wall climb of Blickin’ ‘eck (F6b+).<br />
Garage Buttress<br />
A true roadside crag, following recent<br />
developments Garage Buttress has been<br />
elevated to one the area’s most popular<br />
sport climbing venues. Again fully bolted<br />
sport routes sit side by side with classic<br />
trad climbs, an example of climbers<br />
self-policing the development of modern<br />
routes, although some bolts do sit a<br />
little close. It’s got the advantage of easy<br />
approach, quick drying rock and a sunny<br />
aspect thus popular in winter.<br />
The routes on the left side of the<br />
buttress are reached by a scramble up (a<br />
rope sometimes in place) to a high ledge<br />
which has an in-situ rope rail and bolt<br />
belays. Starting from the left the routes<br />
tend to start off steady and get harder<br />
towards the top. Worth doing are:<br />
Bohemian offering open wall climbing at a<br />
benchmark F6b+; its close neighbour on<br />
the right Empty Cartridge (F6b+) is a bit<br />
tougher with hard pull above the break<br />
and Reloaded (F6b+) via a shallow groove<br />
to the break and a fine finishing headwall.<br />
Further right the buttress is home to<br />
an imposing piece of rock (Little Plum<br />
Area) with a collection of hard test-pieces<br />
including Dig Deeper (F8a) with fierce<br />
pocket pulling, Ozone Bozo (F7c) involving<br />
some big long moves so height is a<br />
factor. Next to be recommended is the<br />
hardest of them all, Kristian Clemmow’s<br />
route Tollbar (F8a+), and finally on this<br />
section is the superb Little Plum. Originally<br />
climbed on aid, Jerry Moffatt freed<br />
both pitches of the route at the start of<br />
the 80s. Although it can be climbed in<br />
two pitches it is best done in one long<br />
pitch at an ‘easy’ F8a.<br />
Moving to the right-hand section<br />
of Garage Buttress the dozen routes<br />
added in the last few years have proved<br />
instantly popular with a couple of short<br />
warm-up routes on the left at around<br />
F6a to start the ball rolling. Right again<br />
the 30m long Dreamcatcher (F6b+) is<br />
without doubt the best pitch on this<br />
wall with lovely flowing moves to a<br />
steep pull at the top. Immediately right<br />
is Creamsnatcher (F6b) with some good<br />
delicate sections. Just around the corner<br />
the rock isn’t quite so good with some<br />
snappy holds but there a few routes from<br />
F6a to F7a, the best being the exposed<br />
upper wall of Four Thousand (F6c). If you<br />
have a 60m rope, tie a knot in the end as<br />
the route is 32m in length. If that’s too<br />
much, you can climb to the first lower-off<br />
in the break to tick Two Thousand (F6a+).<br />
The South Side<br />
Nick Taylor looks at the climbing and offers<br />
suggestions for this side of the dale.<br />
Drive the dale from Horseshoe Quarry<br />
towards Stoney Middleton village and<br />
at the sharp bend in the road you may<br />
glimpse a striking buttress on the right<br />
above the trees, thereafter the valley is<br />
heavily wooded on this side for nearly<br />
a mile, until opposite the Lover’s Leap<br />
Garage at the start of the village, a large<br />
quarry is noticeable. There are, in fact,<br />
three huge quarries hidden from view<br />
which offer numerous varied and very<br />
worthwhile sport routes. West to east<br />
these are Hidden Quarry, Darlton Quarry<br />
and Goddard’s Quarry. Recent developments<br />
followed the abandonment<br />
of these quarries and be reminded that<br />
there is no official access so if asked to<br />
leave please do so courteously.<br />
Hidden Quarry<br />
Hidden Quarry contains the striking<br />
prow, known locally as The Sphynx, or<br />
recently by climbers as Sit Down<br />
Buttress, and several other areas of<br />
development. The first climbs there were<br />
by Tom Proctor and Geoff Birtles in 1973,<br />
58 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
DEStination<br />
Sniffer Clark and the legendary Big Chiv,<br />
‘A particularly impressive lead by Proctor<br />
with a 40-foot overhanging chimney that<br />
makes Elder Crack look pathetic. The<br />
route has only minimal protection’.<br />
These were on the tier below Berserker<br />
Joe but have now been buried by<br />
landscaping of the quarry. The first sport<br />
climbs were put up by Paul Freeman and<br />
Mark Pretty, with further development by<br />
John Allen, Gary Gibson and Nick Taylor.<br />
When you enter the quarry via a<br />
vague path (details on Gibson’s website),<br />
Sit Down Buttress is obvious over to the<br />
left and is a beautiful sunny spot offering<br />
year-round quick drying climbing, but it<br />
can be breezy on a windy day. The front<br />
face offers several worthwhile routes on<br />
good rock. Stand Out Arête (F6b) is the<br />
obvious and well-named photogenic<br />
arête and is tough for a short section.<br />
The wall just left offers up a nicely<br />
balanced route Sit Down Wall (F6a) to<br />
give another super climb and a good<br />
first route. Sit Up and Beg (F6b) to the<br />
left of a trad crack is reachy and fingery,<br />
and the four routes left again are all<br />
around F6a and give a good afternoon’s<br />
climbing.<br />
Routes on the steep right side of the<br />
Stand out Arête have an entirely different<br />
character, with an intimidating feel.<br />
The first two on the left are harder<br />
offerings, Christmas Crackers (F6c+)<br />
and Where’s Wall-E, the hardest at F7a.<br />
a beautiful sunny spot<br />
offering year-round<br />
quick drying climbing<br />
The obvious crack gives solid jamming,<br />
Berserker Joe (easy F6a except for the<br />
wall-trained), Footprints in The Snow<br />
(F6a+) has an excellent out-there<br />
finish up the hanging corner, Trouser-<br />
Ripper (F6b+) boasts an exacting start<br />
which can be avoided starting up the<br />
previous route at F6a+ but spoils the<br />
fun. Finally, another good tick is Drill<br />
Bit Taylor (F6b) with a demanding<br />
overlap to overcome. Approximately<br />
50m around to the left from Sit Down<br />
Buttress are four short routes ranging<br />
from F6a+ to F6c on a rib and compact<br />
wall that stays shaded.<br />
There are other areas of development<br />
situated to the right as you enter the quarry<br />
on tiered walls. The first buttress encountered<br />
immediately on the right has a dusty<br />
left wall with a couple of climbs at F6c<br />
and F6b+ followed by several lines<br />
around F6b with a mixture of pockets,<br />
crimps and tricky finger locks. The steep<br />
blocky tower is Chunky and good value<br />
at F6b. The arête is Bride of Chunky<br />
(F6b+) with a definite crux sequence.<br />
To the right, Lurid Persona (F6b+) and<br />
Cous Cous (F6b+) share a start, then<br />
Downstream Takeaway (F6b+) and Odd<br />
Bod Junior (F6a) share a common finish.<br />
Two other areas have been developed<br />
on the tier below but are not described<br />
here. Continue walking along the ledge<br />
to the impressive Main Wall at the far<br />
left-hand side. The right-hand route is<br />
a shorter warm-up, Stoked for the Send<br />
(F6b) with another slightly harder route<br />
just left. Three routes on the Main Wall<br />
are amongst the best in the quarry, on<br />
the left is Super Leggera (F6c+) providing<br />
excellent climbing, Spirit of Ecstasy (F6b)<br />
is the original route of the wall which<br />
has a hard start, particularly for those<br />
of less stature, followed by a delightful 6<br />
Above L–R: John Davidson<br />
pulling hard on Perilscope<br />
(F7a) at Stoney West.<br />
Stephen Coughlan climbing<br />
Stand Out Arête (F6b) on<br />
Sit Down Buttress, arguably<br />
the best route in this part of<br />
Hidden Quarry.<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 59
60 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk<br />
A long route and recent addition to<br />
Goddard’s Quarry, Nick Taylor on the crux<br />
section high on Goddard’s Corner (F6a+).
DEStination<br />
pocketed wall that keeps on coming but<br />
with the odd rest and, finally, Superveloce<br />
(F6c+) left again is first-rate with a blind<br />
finish. There are a couple of projects in<br />
this area identified by missing hangers so<br />
please respect these as it takes a lot of<br />
effort to develop these venues.<br />
Darlton Quarry<br />
Darlton Quarry is the middle of the three<br />
and least developed with most of the<br />
routes climbed by Gibson. The routes are<br />
on the north-facing back wall over to the<br />
right when you enter. Eight routes have<br />
been added with grades from F6c+ to F7b<br />
on good rock and sustained in nature.<br />
The best of the routes start with the first<br />
on the left-hand side of this wall, This<br />
is Not a Drill (F7a), offering good face<br />
climbing and a crux on small holds, the<br />
easiest on this section are second and<br />
third from the right, The Knew and Blue<br />
Knew (both F6c+), the final right-hand<br />
route is The Grey (F7a+) with a mix of<br />
high steps and rock-overs. There are a<br />
few easy routes on the opposite wall and<br />
the best is Still Game (F5+), starting next<br />
to a block of wood that is bolted to the<br />
wall (but not by the first ascensionist)<br />
then to the right are four routes at F5+,<br />
F5+, F5 and F6b+.<br />
Goddard’s Quarry<br />
Goddard’s Quarry is opposite Stoney<br />
Middleton Garage buttress, accessed<br />
via the stile opposite the Lover’s Leap<br />
Garage. With most of the development<br />
having taken place on the north-facing<br />
walls most areas are in shade until the<br />
late afternoon/evening in summer. The<br />
initial wall encountered at the top of<br />
the approach track, Crustacean Wall,<br />
was the first developed in the quarry<br />
(by Gibson) just in time for inclusion in<br />
BMC Peak Limestone North guidebook.<br />
Since then a number of climbs of varied<br />
character have been added throughout<br />
the quarry by Gibson, Mark Pretty, Paul<br />
Freeman, Nick Taylor, John Allen and<br />
David Simmonite.<br />
Recommended on Crustacean Wall<br />
is the obvious crack of Pearls from the<br />
Shell (F6a+) plus the technical walls to<br />
its left and right, Brachiopods Bite Back<br />
(F6b) and Red Mist (F7a). Walking into<br />
the quarry there are some massive walls<br />
over 30m+ in height. The first route By<br />
Goddard (F6c) takes a white scarred<br />
pillar and to the right is the long arête of<br />
Sheffield Tape Archive (F6a+) giving lovely<br />
moves with a good sequence through a<br />
small shallow corner at half height. Right<br />
again is a striking arête high on the cliff<br />
taken by Steps (F6c+), perhaps the first<br />
ascensionist’s second favourite band after<br />
the Stranglers? Then, after a number<br />
of routes high on the cliff starting from<br />
an access rope, there is a big and prominent<br />
left-facing corner; Goddard’s Corner<br />
(F6a+) gives some super old fashioned<br />
traditional laybacking and bridging on<br />
the crux upper corner.<br />
After this head up a grassy bank<br />
to the right that eventually levels out<br />
and leads to The Plantation. Several<br />
worthwhile routes are on the Upper Tier<br />
to your left as you head up the bank, accessed<br />
with care across a scree slope. At<br />
the very left-hand end a corner above a<br />
belay bolt is Boy Better Know (F6a) giving<br />
old school jamming in a fine position.<br />
Right again is Weasel Wall; the left-hand<br />
routes, Weasel Assassin (F7a+) and Psycho<br />
Squirrel (F7b), are very intense and<br />
technical. The right-hand routes start on<br />
diabolical rock but are pleasant above,<br />
both are F6b+. The next cluster of short<br />
routes are even higher up the scree cone,<br />
Buzzards Banquet (F6a+) is a good route<br />
with an off-width finish, Billy Bunter (F5)<br />
is an easy slab and there are two routes<br />
at F6a+. Back down below and to the<br />
right, facing the cliff, are several more<br />
routes in left-hand section of The Plantation<br />
that are not described but offer a<br />
grade spread from F5 to F6c.<br />
Moving along to The Plantation’s<br />
main area, all routes on the left-hand<br />
side have tricky starts, on the left Crozzles<br />
Away (F6b), right again is Pebbles<br />
Away (F6b) via a thin crack before<br />
moving right to another crack and the<br />
recently added Clastic Rock, a sustained<br />
F6b direct through a small overlap from<br />
the initial thin crack of Pebbles.<br />
The next route is Unbroken (F7b)<br />
followed by 3D Magic (F6c) with good<br />
pumpy climbing that swings into the<br />
alcove and up through bulges to the<br />
short rib above. On the right side of this<br />
wall are seven more routes from F6b+ to<br />
F7a+. Recommended are the two routes<br />
on the right, the wonderfully sustained<br />
Debrilliant (F6c) and Careless Talc (F6b+)<br />
complete with a tricky finish.<br />
Over to the right-hand side of The<br />
Plantation area is a scattering of easier<br />
routes, first up is the groove of Mup Me<br />
and arête of Strong like Horse, both F5+<br />
and these share a lower-off. Isolated in a<br />
bay behind a distinctive tree is Tree Twister<br />
(F6a+), at the far right-hand is a flowstone<br />
pillar offering up Dendrophilia (F6b+) and<br />
on the right is Eticlac and Underclac at<br />
F6b. Next up, two routes gain a ledge then<br />
clip shared bolts from either side; Style<br />
Scott (F6b) and Flabba Holt (F6a) on the<br />
right. Lastly is a flowstone crack swinging<br />
right onto a wall to give Junjo Lawes (F6a).<br />
The last area is at the far end of the<br />
quarry on the opposite side – Sunshine<br />
Walls – which actually become shady on<br />
summer afternoons. Routes on the main<br />
wall are left-to-right: Sun of a Gun (F7a+);<br />
Sunny Side Up (F6c+); Here Comes the<br />
Sun (F6b+) and Good Day Sunshine (F6b).<br />
Finally, a pillar 30m to the right is the<br />
easiest thereabouts, Sun Honey (F6a).<br />
On the wall directly below Sunshine Wall<br />
is Chuckle Brothers offering a nice F6a+<br />
with a tricky start. n<br />
Please Note<br />
Inclusion of some of the crags in this article, in particular<br />
the south side of the dale doesn’t give you the right to climb<br />
there. If asked to leave please do so courteously and without<br />
hesitation. Please bear in mind that these quarries can<br />
contain loose rock and some of the routes, even though<br />
well-cleaned, can be dusty with the odd dubious hold so take<br />
this into account. As with all climbing, climbers and belayers<br />
should be aware of this and pay close attention at all times<br />
and use of helmets is advisable. <strong>Climber</strong>s should evaluate<br />
any fixed gear used and make a personal judgement about<br />
its quality and trustworthiness.<br />
Route information and guidebooks<br />
The final moves of Careless<br />
Talc (F6b+) in The Plantation<br />
area of Goddard’s Quarry are<br />
the toughest; Stephen<br />
Coughlan eyeing them up.<br />
It is beyond this article to highlight every route but further details can be found on<br />
Gary Gibson’s invaluable and regularly updated website www.sportsclimbs.co.uk<br />
There’s a selection of all but the newer crags in both the BMC’s Peak Limestone<br />
North and Rockfax’s Peak Limestone guidebooks.<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 61
eviews<br />
El Desfiladero<br />
de la Hermida<br />
Roca Verde £20<br />
It’s out. The guidebook to Spain’s best-kept<br />
secret and one of the best summer climbing<br />
venues in Europe. Had enough of going to<br />
the usual places and you fancy a change? Fed<br />
up of the crowds, the heat and the polished<br />
routes? Look no further, the crags in this book<br />
have got everything you’re looking for. El<br />
Desfiladero de la Hermida covers the climbing<br />
centred around the village of La Hermida,<br />
located in the gorge called El Desfiladero de<br />
la Hermida that runs north/south through<br />
the eastern end of the picturesque Picos de<br />
Europa, from Panes to Potes, on the border<br />
between Cantabria and Asturias.<br />
This is a really beautiful part of Spain,<br />
known as ‘Green Spain’ due to the abundance of<br />
vegetation as a result of the maritime climate and<br />
the scenery is simply stunning. The topography is<br />
classic karst limestone. The gorge has very steep<br />
sides, riddled with rocky gullies that lead up to<br />
high craggy peaks with breathtaking views. There<br />
are crags everywhere and the potential for more<br />
development is obvious. It gets even better as the<br />
summer temperatures are typically in the mid-20s,<br />
which make such a pleasant change compared to<br />
many parts in Europe. In fact, a normal season<br />
there extends from late spring (as the tufas dry<br />
out) until early winter, when the first of the rain<br />
which keeps the valleys so green arrives. Though<br />
the addition of many quick-drying, walls and<br />
slabs outside the main valley means that there<br />
should be something to get on year round.<br />
There is plenty to do on rest days as a 30-minute<br />
drive away is the coast with the possibility of<br />
surfing the Atlantic swell. Alternatively, there are<br />
numerous paths that can take you up into the<br />
heart of the Picos de Europa or you can take the<br />
cable car up to the most famous mountain in the<br />
area, the Naranjo de Bulnes. If all of the above<br />
activities sound too strenuous, you may just<br />
prefer to go and relax at the climbers’ bar in La<br />
Hermida (La Cuadrono) and sample Chucho and<br />
Angela’s wonderful hospitality. However, if you’re<br />
staying in Potes, try the climbers’ bar (La Reunion)<br />
and sample some of their home-made beers or<br />
enjoy a nice cheap coffee (don’t forget this is<br />
Spain, so prices are always very reasonable).<br />
For years there have been rumours of great<br />
climbing in this part of northern Spain but<br />
information was always scarce. Then three years<br />
ago Richie Patterson published the excellent Roca<br />
Verde, a selective topo covering some of the crags<br />
in Cantabria, Asturias and Leon. As a result the<br />
area started to receive more attention, justifiably<br />
so. Due to this new found popularity Richie,<br />
in collaboration with the local Cantabrian<br />
climbers, has put this definitive guidebook<br />
together, specifically covering all of the new<br />
(or previously hidden) crags in the La Hermida<br />
valley, and what a guidebook it is.<br />
62 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
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price. It shares the same excellent shaping, materials and buckle system<br />
as DMM’s other high-end harnesses, but differs in having a fi xed waist<br />
belt. This means you need to be more careful to get the right fi t to make<br />
sure the generous allocation of fi ve gear loops are centred, but with three<br />
sizes to choose from that shouldn’t be a problem. A good entry-level<br />
harness for indoor or outdoor use, and summer or winter climbing.<br />
Info: www.dmmclimbing.com<br />
Petzl Corax ➋<br />
£60<br />
Weight: 490g (Size 1)<br />
2 sizes (1, 2)<br />
The Corax has been around for some time, but with good reason.<br />
This is a solid and robust harness with the essential features to take<br />
the beginner into all manner of climbing activities. The double-buckle<br />
waist belt makes it easily adjustable to a wide range of sizes. The<br />
leg loops and waist belt are quite wide, but well-shaped for ease of<br />
movement. A safety feature for beginner climbers is the bright green<br />
belay loop that helps identify the correct connection point for the<br />
belay/abseil device.<br />
Info: www.petzl.com / www.lyon-outdoor.co.uk (stockist info)<br />
Camp Jasper CR4 ➌<br />
£59.99<br />
Weight: 515g (XS/medium)<br />
2 sizes (XS/M and L/XL)<br />
New for 2012 from Camp is another entry-level, all-round harness that also<br />
features a two-buckle waist closure system so that it is easy to center the<br />
belt, gear loops and tie-in point regardless of your waist size. Very similar<br />
to the Corax with a wide but well-shaped waist belt to offer good lumbar<br />
support. Four gear loops offer adequate racking, and both leg loops can<br />
be released if needed. A solid and durable, but slightly heavier alternative.<br />
Info: www.camp.it / www.allcord.co.uk (stockist info)<br />
Julie-Ann Clyma gearing up in Calico Basin, Red Rocks, wearing<br />
the Black Diamond Siren harness. Photo: Roger Payne<br />
➊<br />
➋<br />
➌<br />
78 March 2012 www.climber.co.uk www.climber.co.uk March 2012 79<br />
gear review.indd 78 1/5/12 11:09:17<br />
The first thing you will notice when you flick<br />
through it is the attention to detail that has been<br />
put into the presentation and that it is written in<br />
Spanish and English. The introduction is concise,<br />
yet has all the necessary information you need,<br />
including a very clear general map, where to<br />
stay and what the topo symbols mean. There<br />
is an interesting section on ‘Geography and<br />
Wildlife’ as well as a very important section<br />
on ‘Access and Etiquette’.<br />
Each crag has its own introduction, including<br />
the style of climbing, orientation regarding the sun,<br />
walk-in times and access map with GPS co-ordinates.<br />
The topos are very accurately drawn on<br />
clear colour photos and printed on top quality<br />
paper. All pitch lengths are given. However, there<br />
are no stars. The authors don’t want climbers to<br />
be drawn towards particular routes, with the result<br />
that they become polished and end up with queues<br />
during busy periods, they want you to find out for<br />
yourself and have fun doing so. The action photos<br />
are some of the best I have seen in a climbing<br />
guide and really do give you an important first<br />
impression. They fire you up, your fingers start<br />
to sweat and you start mentally planning how<br />
to get there as soon as possible.<br />
The valley is already quite well-known for its<br />
amazing tufas at steep crags such as Rumenes<br />
and El Infierno. However, this is not just an area<br />
that suits climbers operating in the big numbers<br />
because what is not so well-known is the fact that<br />
there are also many crags that offer really enjoyable<br />
climbing at a more reasonable standard in equally<br />
impressive surroundings. In fact, much of the<br />
new guide is taken up with crags with amenable<br />
grades that should allow mixed parties to enjoy<br />
the valley more, making a morning cranking on<br />
tufas followed by an afternoon on the slabs (or<br />
vice versa) a practical option.<br />
The guide includes a total of 32 crags, of<br />
which 24 are published for the first time,<br />
including the jaw-dropping Cueva Carcalosa<br />
(which will soon become internationally<br />
important for those seeking long steep voyages<br />
in tufa paradise) and the long established, but<br />
nonetheless previously secret, Cicera (with its<br />
wealth of demanding crimpy climbing in the<br />
summer shade). La Desfiladero de la Hermida is in<br />
A5 format, has 176 pages and almost 700 routes<br />
to choose, graded from F3+ to F8c+ and offers<br />
great value at £20. Please bear in mind that it is<br />
the only definitive guide and purchasing it will<br />
help contribute towards future equipping in the<br />
area. After you’ve been climbing, don’t forget to<br />
have a beer at La Cuadrona, followed by a swim<br />
in the hot springs up the road.<br />
My advice; skip Céüse this summer, buy this<br />
topo, book your ferry – job done.<br />
El Desfiladero de LaHermida is published<br />
by Roca Verde and is available direct from:<br />
www.rocaverdeclimbing.com<br />
Mike Owen<br />
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MAGAZINE FOR<br />
HARNESSES<br />
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taster of <strong>Climber</strong> for FREE<br />
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www.climber.co.uk<br />
We regularly run gear reviews. This is a snippet of a<br />
recent one from the March 2012 issue of <strong>Climber</strong>.
training<br />
& skills<br />
the climber’s coach<br />
with Tom Randall<br />
and Ollie Torr<br />
How to Perfect<br />
Your Power<br />
Endurance<br />
Earlier in this series of articles we looked at the basic<br />
methods of improving endurance of the forearm. One<br />
of the main points that we made was that people spend<br />
too much of their time in a ‘pumped’ state and working<br />
the middle ground of intensity. One of the reasons for<br />
avoiding this range was to hold off on this type of<br />
training until the power endurance phase. This is exactly<br />
the type of climbing we want to be doing when it comes<br />
to reaching peak physical form for sport climbing. It’s<br />
the time of the year where we’re aiming to bring all of<br />
our fitness and strength together to hopefully produce<br />
the perfect combination and maximum force and<br />
endurance – this equals higher grades with any luck.<br />
Dave Mason timing his rests<br />
between circuits. Photo: David<br />
Simmonite<br />
One of the key problems we do see<br />
these days is the lack of correct training<br />
facilities for power endurance. Most<br />
of you out there will want to be able<br />
to get to a lead wall perhaps three times<br />
a week. This is all very well, but it also<br />
requires quite a lot of time to be put<br />
aside and it requires a belay partner.<br />
Fortunately, an increasingly common<br />
facility is coming to the rescue – the<br />
traverse wall/looped circuit board.<br />
Circuit boards are now found in many,<br />
many climbing walls across the country<br />
and cross the disciplines of bouldering<br />
and sport climbing – on one hand it is<br />
low level climbing, like bouldering, but<br />
the number of moves carried out is more<br />
similar to a sport climbing experience.<br />
For this reason, you can easily train<br />
your sport climbing fitness (or in other<br />
words – power endurance) with the<br />
convenience and ease of going<br />
bouldering. You don’t need a climbing<br />
partner, a rope or huge amounts of time.<br />
This combination, I think, is great for<br />
those climbers out there pushed for time<br />
or on a budget. We’re going to look at<br />
power endurance training and how you<br />
improve for sport climbing routes.<br />
What you will typically find if you<br />
lack power endurance for a route is<br />
that you fail due to an unbearable<br />
pump – your forearms are rock hard<br />
and even though the moves in their<br />
singularity are reasonable, you can’t<br />
do them.<br />
If your power endurance is lacking,<br />
you will find that all moves are straightforward<br />
to do very quickly, but linking<br />
20 or more of them together is very<br />
hard. This is typically what we encounter<br />
on routes that are fairly sustained in<br />
nature, with no stand-out crux move<br />
that is way harder than others.<br />
Working on your power endurance<br />
will have the effect of improving both<br />
your on-sight and redpoint grade.<br />
I’m going to run you through two<br />
different power endurance exercises,<br />
one of which works well for improving<br />
your redpoint grade and the other<br />
which is more focused on improving<br />
your on-sighting. That said, there are<br />
mutual benefits for both, but I have<br />
found with experience that each has<br />
its own particular focused benefits.<br />
64 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
Exercise 1 – Redpointing<br />
• You should feel VERY pumped on this exercise.<br />
• You should not be failing until the last rep in this exercise.<br />
• Your ‘resting time’ should always be at least equal or less than your ‘climbing time.’<br />
Dave Mason in the middle of a<br />
long circuit on the Climbing<br />
Works Sheffield circuit board.<br />
Photo: David Simmonite<br />
1. Warm up<br />
2. Choose a 40-move section of the circuit wall that is at your redpoint grade – this might be two grades<br />
above your on-sight.<br />
3. Break the 40-move circuit into four sections of 10 moves each.<br />
4. Climb each section, followed by a rest period that is equal to the climbing time it took for that section.<br />
5. For example, climb 20 seconds, rest 20 seconds, climb 15 seconds, rest 15 seconds, climb 30 seconds,<br />
rest 30 seconds, etc.<br />
6. Aim to have four to six attempts on the whole circuit in each session with at least 10-15 minutes rest<br />
between each rep.<br />
7. Over a period of eight weeks aim to bring the rest period down by five seconds each week until you<br />
are getting close to redpointing the whole circuit.<br />
8. You will be amazed at what you can achieve by doing this. 6<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 65
Exercise 2 –<br />
On-sighting<br />
Secondly, we’re going to look at a<br />
power endurance exercise that is<br />
good for improving your on-sight<br />
grade – especially on endurance<br />
style routes that have no singularly<br />
hard move.<br />
The important part of this<br />
exercise is that you are very strict<br />
with the rest and climb times and<br />
that you work this consistently over<br />
a period of eight weeks for some<br />
really good gains.<br />
• You should feel VERY pumped on this exercise.<br />
• You should only be failing on the last few reps in this exercise.<br />
• Your ‘resting time’ should always be exactly equal to your ‘climbing time.’<br />
1. Warm up.<br />
2. Find a route that is around your on-sight grade and work a section that<br />
takes you 60 seconds to climb.<br />
3. This section should feel around 50% of your maximum i.e. on your first<br />
few reps, you aren’t getting too pumped.<br />
4. Attempt to climb your 60-second circuit 10 times with 60 seconds rest<br />
between each climb.<br />
5. This means you climb for 10 minutes and rest for 10 minutes in total.<br />
It doesn’t sound like too much, but it’s a superb exercise.<br />
If you get this exercise correct, you will<br />
feel extremely pumped by your sixth<br />
or seventh minute of climbing and be<br />
fighting very hard to complete the eighth,<br />
ninth and 10th minute.<br />
If you find you are failing too early,<br />
then reduce the grade of the route you<br />
are attempting. You should NOT lengthen<br />
the rest times, as this will start to take<br />
you more into stamina training.<br />
So to summarise your power endurance<br />
training on circuit boards, you should<br />
always try and bear the following points<br />
in mind.<br />
1. The climbing intensity is high (around<br />
your on-sight level or just above), and<br />
the overall number of moves is<br />
moderate 100-250.<br />
2. You should aim to get VERY pumped.<br />
3. If you are not getting pumped<br />
because one move is causing<br />
failure, add in extra holds so that<br />
the climbing is easier and more<br />
sustained.<br />
How to fit into your<br />
training plan<br />
The key to structuring and ordering the<br />
power endurance training that you do<br />
each year is to make sure it is used as<br />
a ‘fine tuning’ tool only at the very end<br />
before you go away on a climbing trip,<br />
want to try your project or are headed<br />
off to a competition. This means that it<br />
is key that you complete this type of<br />
training only in the final eight weeks or<br />
so before you head off on a climbing trip<br />
or take part in a competition. There are<br />
still many climbers who think they can<br />
boulder, campus board and fingerboard<br />
for months on end and then only do the<br />
endurance (or power endurance work)<br />
as a final back-up plan.<br />
In my experience this is a mistake, as<br />
to create excellent power endurance (the<br />
ability to endure the strength that do you<br />
have) for any individual they will need to<br />
have established an excellent endurance<br />
base and then only build the power endurance<br />
at the end. If the climber tries to<br />
exclude ever working the power endurance<br />
or that they think they can work it<br />
all year long, they are very wrong.<br />
The individual who ignores the power<br />
endurance work will only be good on ‘very<br />
easy’ or ‘very hard’ ground and fail on the<br />
mid intensity and the climber who works<br />
power endurance for more than even a<br />
few months risks burn-out or injury.<br />
During your power endurance<br />
preparation phase, you can train this<br />
aspect of your climbing from one to two<br />
times per week as a F6a-F7b+ climber<br />
and two to four times per week if you’re<br />
climbing above those grades and have at<br />
least three years of consistent training<br />
experience. As you approach the trip,<br />
project or competition that you are<br />
aiming for, reduce this by at least 50%<br />
and add in a little bit more power-based<br />
bouldering work to get the recruitment<br />
of the forearm muscles working in your<br />
favour. n<br />
Timing both rests and<br />
climbing time is crucial.<br />
Photo: David Simmonite<br />
Tom Randall and Ollie Torr are from<br />
Lattice Training who provide systematic<br />
analysis and training services to climbers<br />
around the world. The team has developed<br />
a unique insight into analysing climbing<br />
performance and optimising training using<br />
their Lattice Board. This tool has been used<br />
as a method for collecting performance<br />
profiling data across hundreds of climbers<br />
and could possibly be the next step in taking<br />
climbing to another level. For more info<br />
go to www.latticetraining.com<br />
66 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
training & skills<br />
Glen Chapman is climbing a<br />
steep power endurance F6b<br />
with no particular hard moves<br />
– perfect for on-sight training.<br />
Photo: David Simmonite<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 67
gear review by <strong>Climber</strong> Test Team<br />
Sleep<br />
Light<br />
Lightweight<br />
Camping &<br />
Bivvy Gear<br />
Heading to climb in remote areas or mountain crags and want to<br />
keep weight down? We look at lightweight options for nights out.<br />
There are times when you want to climb in the mountains for two or three days (or longer), for<br />
example, on Scafell or Ben Nevis, but can’t face the long slog each day. So the alternative is to<br />
bed down close to the crag. The problem with this is the amount of weight you’ll be carrying,<br />
hauling a trad rack, ropes, food, water, etc is bad enough. Then factor in gear you need to<br />
spend a comfortable night and suddenly the weight of your already heavy pack starts to sink in<br />
and the appeal of camping diminishes.<br />
These days new materials and techniques have shaved considerable amounts of weight from<br />
what you need, especially on the basics: sleeping bag, tent and sleeping mats. Most of this stems<br />
from the development of kit used by elite athletes taking part in mountain marathons where every<br />
gram counts. So we looked at some of the kind of kit available for a two to three season camp or<br />
bivvy in far-to-reach places and mountains to help you keep weight down and still maintain comfort.<br />
Alpkit Hunka<br />
Bivvy Bags<br />
Sometimes you may only be out for a night, or<br />
are planning an Alpine route where you may be<br />
on a ledge mid-route and using a tent isn’t<br />
practical. This is where a bivvy bag comes in to<br />
protect you from the elements.<br />
Alpkit Hunka bivvy bag<br />
Weight: 360g RRP £47<br />
The Hunka is a simple and affordable bivvy bag<br />
that is waterproof and breathable. It is commonly<br />
found near the top of a lot of climbers’ wish list, in<br />
fact visit Alpkit’s web site and you’ll likely find it out<br />
of stock such is the demand. So, why is it popular?<br />
It is manufactured from thin ripstop nylon<br />
and weighs in at around 360g. The thin material<br />
doesn’t feel as durable as some others on the<br />
market, but then the more durable bags are<br />
usually heavier. It achieves this weight in no<br />
small part by not having a zip, which does make<br />
it trickier to get into and out of, especially if you<br />
are using a thicker sleeping bag and/or have your<br />
mat in there too. But the benefit of going zip-less<br />
is that it does massively help to keep rain out.<br />
The hood is roomy enough to stuff a dry bag<br />
with some clothes in to act as a pillow which<br />
helps with a good night’s sleep. There are two<br />
drawstrings, one across the chest and the other<br />
in the hood, to seal out the elements, and a cinch<br />
toggle on either side of the hood by your ears.<br />
The drawstrings can get in your face a little<br />
during the night and are a mild annoyance.<br />
In terms of breathability, be careful to not seal the<br />
drawstrings too tightly, otherwise you get a bit of<br />
dampness inside, but that applies to other bivvy<br />
bags, even those double the price. The Hunka<br />
packs down into a neat net stuff sack built into<br />
the foot of the bag, and when packed isn’t much<br />
bigger than a lightweight hardshell jacket.<br />
It comes in a choice of three colours, and an<br />
XL is available if you are tall or want to stuff your<br />
gear in with you. It is recommended for three<br />
season UK and summer Alpine trips. It’s light and<br />
small enough that you won’t mind tossing it into<br />
your pack as a ‘just in case’ item and at the price<br />
it’s a great value product.<br />
MSR E-Bivy bag<br />
Weight: 236g RRP £105<br />
This truly ultra-light, compact and weather<br />
resistant bivvy bag offers the ultimate in minimalist<br />
bivvying. The fabric used is 30D silicone coated<br />
ripstop nylon for the top and tougher more durable<br />
30D Durashield coated nylon for the base that<br />
provides a higher degree of waterproofness.<br />
You should be fully aware that it isn’t fully<br />
waterproof with no taped or sealed seams but<br />
can deal with light showers and morning dew In<br />
heavier rain it should be combined with a sleeping<br />
bag with hydrophobic down filling designed to keep<br />
the down dry and a tarp. Though if you want to be<br />
out in fouler weather then you should look at fully<br />
waterproof options. The base offers more water<br />
resistance and keeps you dry from damp ground<br />
with no problem. There is no zip at the entrance<br />
with just a simple opening but the entrance is big<br />
enough to make it relatively easy to get in.<br />
The breathability of the bag was found to be<br />
okay with little in the way of condensation and<br />
dampness on the inside of the bag and it also<br />
keeps the wind out. It was spacious enough to<br />
take a sleeping bag complete with mat with ease.<br />
It also makes a good ‘cover’ for a sleeping bag,<br />
adding to the warmth and durability if the outer<br />
shell is particularly lightweight. Given the miniscule<br />
weight and tiny pack size you can always leave it<br />
in your pack for use as emergency protection.<br />
MSR E-Bivy<br />
68 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
Rab Alpine Bivi<br />
Weight: 470g RRP £220<br />
A high quality bivvy bag made of highly breathable<br />
and waterproof 15D eVent DVStorm three-layer<br />
fabric on the top and a 70D nylon taffeta bathtub<br />
base to add to the durability, especially when on<br />
rocky ground. At the head end is the zipped<br />
entrance that unzips a third of the way down the<br />
bag making entry very easy. The smooth running<br />
zips are covered with a waterproof flap fastened<br />
by Velcro to stop water ingress.<br />
The Alpine Bivi swallows a sleeping bag and a<br />
mat with comfort especially given the bigger<br />
dimensions of the bag. There is no mesh at the<br />
opening to stop midges getting in but this is<br />
probably because the bag is at home in the Alps<br />
on summit attempts (hence the name) or as a<br />
great winter bivvy bag. In fact, as one tester<br />
pointed out – it would be a super all-rounder.<br />
The design is one of simplicity and one which<br />
was well-liked, standing up to a downpour of rain<br />
that lasted through the night but still kept out the<br />
water. Yes there was some condensation on the<br />
inside but it was remarkably light considering the<br />
pounding it had on a wet and humid night; the<br />
perfect conditions for condensation build-up. A<br />
little heavier than some of the bags on test, it still<br />
came in at a respectable 470g and packed away it<br />
took up little room in your pack.<br />
Perfect for any situation and in particular Alpine<br />
bivvys, it’s an item you can place your trust in and<br />
that will perform when you need it to; highly<br />
recommended, especially for all-year round use.<br />
Rab Ridge Raider Bivi<br />
Weight: 1033g RRP £280<br />
A cross between a small tent and a bivvy bag, the<br />
Ridge Raider is a very well-made, relatively<br />
lightweight, waterproof single-person bivvy but<br />
with a hooped entrance courtesy of a DAC pole.<br />
The bivvy uses a durable and waterproof 40d<br />
eVent three-layer fabric on top with a 70D nylon<br />
taffeta base and fully taped seams. It also comes<br />
with four pegging points and two guylines to<br />
keep everything in place plus six pegs.<br />
It sets up in seconds with the pole easy to<br />
insert in its sleeve and provides a very comfortable<br />
bivvying experience, especially for those<br />
who don’t want to feel too claustrophobic with<br />
material around their face. The pole fashions a<br />
hoop at the entrance that creates a nice amount<br />
of living space and in dry weather there’s also a<br />
zipped mesh inner ‘door’ – in addition to the<br />
waterproof outer ‘door’ – to keep the midges out<br />
but allow a breeze in if you want. The zips are<br />
also covered with a generous waterproof flap to<br />
curb water getting in. Yes there’s a weight<br />
penalty for this hooped design, plus the pack size<br />
is nearly double that of a conventional bag, but<br />
it’s a good compromise between a tent and bivvy<br />
for solo mountain use.<br />
In use, it was found to be excellent, one of the<br />
test team slept out for a few windy, rain-filled<br />
nights and not once did they get wet with no<br />
water entering it. The breathability of the fabric<br />
was good, though there was some condensation<br />
on the inside but less than was expected but this<br />
is inevitable in any bivvy bag with moisture from<br />
your breath. In terms of room, you enter from the<br />
head end and it easily swallowed a sleeping bag<br />
and a lightweight mat and at a push if you aren’t<br />
too tall you could squeeze a small pack at your<br />
feet. Luxury in terms of a bivvy bag, we found it a<br />
perfect match with Rab’s Neutrino Endurance 200<br />
also on test.<br />
Sleeping Bags<br />
We have concentrated on down sleeping bags as<br />
it’s all about saving weight. Whilst there are good<br />
man-made fibre options available, and often at a<br />
cheaper price, they are a heavier option. Bags<br />
come in different lengths and widths depending<br />
Brand/Model<br />
Rab Ridge Raider Bivi<br />
Rab Alpine Bivi<br />
Price (RRP)<br />
on manufacturers and the best way to see if it<br />
suits you is to try them out at a shop.<br />
Many manufacturers are now beginning to use<br />
a treatment that makes the down more water<br />
resistant without adding to the weight. There are<br />
different types of treatments and names floating<br />
around – the one that’s used in most of the bags<br />
we have on test is Nikwax Hydrophobic Down<br />
(Sea to Summit use Ultra-Dry down moisture<br />
protection). Whilst it doesn’t make the down<br />
entirely waterproof it absorbs less water (which<br />
can come from you in the form of sweat) and dries<br />
quicker, helping retain loft in damp conditions.<br />
It’s not a miracle though; if the down gets wet it<br />
will still clump and become ineffective. 6<br />
Weight<br />
(grams)<br />
Alpkit PipeDream 200 £140 545 7C<br />
Mountain Equipment Women’s Helium 250 £200 675 3C<br />
Rab Neutrino Endurance 200 £240 742 0C<br />
Sea to Summit Insulated Spark SpIII £450 642 -4C<br />
Terra Nova Elite 350 £420 950 0C<br />
Thermarest Antares HD £165 430 -9C<br />
Western Mountaineering Highlite £365 455g 2C<br />
Comfort<br />
Limit Rating<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 69
Alpkit PipeDream 200<br />
Weight: 545g Comfort limit: 7C RRP £140<br />
If you are looking for a lightweight two season<br />
bag to take on routes needing a bivvy then this<br />
bag from Alpkit is worth a look. Aside from the<br />
good price, it’s what is inside the bag that makes<br />
it stand out, and it’s a bit of a mouthful; 200g<br />
of 750 fill power RDS certified ethically sourced<br />
Nikwax hydrophobic 90/10 goose down. All<br />
these feathers are contained in a well-made<br />
DWR coated polyester shell and constructed<br />
with a stitch-through method with the whole<br />
lot weighing an impressive 545g.<br />
The bag packs down well in its stuff sack<br />
or can be compressed further if you shove into<br />
something like a two litre roll top dry bag, which<br />
has the bonus of keeping it protected from mother<br />
nature if you are caught in a deluge. The bag<br />
has a lovely soft feel and it glides over your base<br />
layers when you hop inside it. It is surprisingly<br />
warm given how thin it is. The zip opens close<br />
to the base of the bag, but the toggle could be a<br />
bit bigger so it’s easier to grab in the dark. Once<br />
snug inside the drawcord pulls the hood nicely<br />
around your face and when pulled tight leaves<br />
just your nose and mouth exposed for when you<br />
want to really seal out the elements. The testers<br />
found the hood quite spacious and the bag itself<br />
fitted most well, including one who is a 6’2”<br />
skinny man.<br />
So how warm will it keep you? You’ll get a<br />
good night’s sleep at 7C or warmer is what Alpkit<br />
themselves say, which does assume you’re wearing<br />
only base layers. But you can probably push<br />
that a little lower once you’ve got a few extra<br />
layers on and then jump in a bivvy bag or throw<br />
in a silk liner.<br />
The trickiest thing I find about selecting a<br />
sleeping bag is deciding whether to go for a<br />
lighter bag where you may get a bit cold when the<br />
temperature drops, or to go for the heavier and,<br />
crucially for me, significantly warmer next model<br />
up. If you like the 200 but want more warmth,<br />
the 400 model is £60 more and 320g heavier but<br />
you’ll get a good night’s sleep at -6C. Both ways,<br />
there’s a PipeDream for everyone and you won’t<br />
regret buying it especially if you are on a budget.<br />
Mountain Equipment<br />
Women’s Helium 250<br />
Weight: 675g Comfort limit: 3C RRP £200<br />
A women’s specific sleeping bag, the Helium<br />
250 builds on Mountain Equipment’s long<br />
experience of making the ideal bag for a given<br />
scenario, in this case two to three season use<br />
with a comfort limit of 3C.<br />
The bag comes in an attractive blackberry<br />
colour and is constructed using slanted box-wall<br />
baffles and stitch-through baffles. The filling is<br />
243g of 90/10 Pure Duck Down with fill power of<br />
700 and the outer shell is Helium 20 which is very<br />
light and breathable. There is a full length baffle<br />
backed two-way zip (and thankfully snag free) to<br />
allow maximum ventilation and integrated neck<br />
baffle with an easy to operate Lode Lock closure<br />
to secure the neck baffle closed and allow no<br />
heat loss. To complete the picture there’s an<br />
anatomically shaped hood and offset foot-box<br />
plus it comes with a waterproof dry bag stuff sack<br />
and funky storage cube for when it’s not in use.<br />
In use, Mountain Equipment uses something<br />
they call Alpine fit with zoned EXL system and<br />
this maximises thermal efficiency throughout the<br />
bag and it works well. The bag was used to 5C<br />
Rab Neutrino<br />
Endurance 200<br />
and was found to be nice and warm. It offered<br />
just the right amount of space for our female<br />
tester, being a good size space wise and a good<br />
compromise between room to move and less air<br />
space to heat up. The foot box was generous too<br />
with room to wriggle your toes and the hood was<br />
very well fitted, moving with the head when<br />
cinched up but never feeling claustrophobic at<br />
any time. The drawcords for the hood and neck<br />
baffles were easy to use in action. The shorter<br />
length of the bag was also a plus point and if you<br />
are a tall woman they do a longer version. The<br />
pack size was pretty small and the weight, to say<br />
it is packed with great features and a full length<br />
zip, is first rate. If you are a female climber<br />
looking for good sleeping bag it’s one you<br />
should take a look at.<br />
Rab Neutrino Endurance 200<br />
Weight: 742g Comfort limit: 0C RRP £240<br />
Rab offer two versions of the same sleeping bag,<br />
the Neutrino and the one we have, the Neutrino<br />
Endurance. The difference is the outer shell<br />
fabric. The Endurance has an outer of Pertex<br />
Endurance fabric which gives a high level of<br />
water resistance and coupled with Nikwax’s<br />
hydrophobic down treatment makes it ideal for<br />
bivvying. The shell does add weight so if you<br />
don’t want to bivvy nor need extra protection<br />
look at Rab’s Neutrino 200 coming in at 620g.<br />
The bag is filled with 200g of top quality 800<br />
fill power 90/10 European certified goose down<br />
and is hand-filled in Derbyshire. Other key features<br />
include a close-fitting and generous neck baffle,<br />
collar and hood drawcords that are easy enough<br />
to use and a small internal zipped stash pocket<br />
near the top of the zip. A slightly over ½ length<br />
zip with anti-snag webbing tape that does exactly<br />
what it says with the zip running freely. The zip is<br />
covered by a good size baffle, this time using<br />
Primaloft, with a Velcro clasp at the top of the zip.<br />
The bag is constructed using a trapezoidal baffle<br />
design to eliminate potential cold spots. Another<br />
neat thing is the Pertex inner fabric treated with<br />
Polygiene odour control. The anti-bacterial fabric<br />
treatment used in the sleeping bag’s lining, using<br />
recycled silver salt technology to inhibit and<br />
guard against the growth of odours so you can<br />
use your bag for longer trips, means it will still<br />
smell fresh. This is a great idea given how smelly<br />
sleeping bags get and we are surprised it’s not<br />
adopted by other manufacturers. Finally, it comes<br />
with an excellent waterproof dry bag compression<br />
stuff sack plus a cotton storage sack.<br />
Mountain Equipment<br />
Helium 250 Womens<br />
Alpkit PipeDream<br />
200<br />
70 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
gear review<br />
Sea to Summit<br />
Spark SPIII<br />
In use, the bag did everything it needed to,<br />
offering a comfortable sleeping experience with a<br />
medium sized fit, although it does get a little<br />
narrower around the legs and has a well-designed<br />
foot box area. The weight and pack size<br />
was good, not the lightest on test but it had<br />
additional features to the lighter bags plus the<br />
Endurance fabric shell. Warmth wise it was used<br />
down to 4C where it was felt to be okay,<br />
however, using it towards the comfort limit of 0C<br />
wearing a base layer would be recommended.<br />
Furthermore the Polygiene odour treatment<br />
works; a great touch to an already good sleeping<br />
bag. If you bivvy a lot in temperate climates i.e.<br />
summer Alpine route, it should be a bag you take<br />
a good look at.<br />
Sea to Summit Spark SpIII<br />
Weight: 642g Comfort limit: -4C RRP £450<br />
To keep the weight to a minimum and still give a<br />
warm bag, the filling is top quality high loft 850+<br />
90/10 premium goose down with an Ultra-Dry<br />
down moisture protection that keeps the down<br />
resistant from the wet, thus making it a good bag<br />
in damp conditions. The generous 400g of down,<br />
held in place with a box-wall baffle construction,<br />
is sourced and certified by the Responsible Down<br />
Standard; a standard driving the down and<br />
feather industry towards humane animal rearing<br />
and handling practices.<br />
It is constructed using box wall baffles to help<br />
fill any gaps and hence no cold spots. Add to this<br />
a micro-weight 10D Pertex quantum shell and<br />
15D lining that feels nice on the skin and you<br />
have a bag that oozes quality. The drawback of<br />
a thin shell material (you can see the down<br />
through it) is durability and it can be easier to<br />
snag and tear so you need to take care using it<br />
– not a problem in a tent but you should<br />
consider a bivvy bag when bivvying – this and<br />
the MSR E-bivy bag made a great combo.<br />
Available in regular and long sizes, it’s a slim<br />
mummy-shaped bag that allows a good loft and<br />
leaves less air space needed to be warmed up.<br />
It comes complete with a compression bag and<br />
storage bag for when the bag isn’t in use. It<br />
features a one third length zip backed by a baffle,<br />
a full and spacious hood, and a nicely sized foot<br />
box area. At the opening of the bag there is a<br />
generous neck baffle and similar around the<br />
edge of the hood to trap heat in.<br />
In use, the bag was well-liked given the pack<br />
size, weight and warmth but the larger testers<br />
found the narrow fit a little restrictive around the<br />
torso, plus you can’t vent from the lower torso<br />
down due to the short zip. It was used down to<br />
around 2C and at no time was it felt cold, in fact,<br />
one advantage of the close fitting design was<br />
that you felt cocooned in warm down loveliness.<br />
Used in a damp environment the Ultra-Dry down<br />
moisture protection worked well and crucially<br />
the bag maintained its loft and warmth.<br />
A true minimalist bag, the Spark SpIII uses the<br />
lightest materials and finest down available to<br />
create an astonishing sleeping bag in terms of<br />
weight to warmth ratio. A favourite amongst the<br />
testers and one that is highly recommended<br />
– especially for a fast and light approach – if you<br />
don’t mind the price, fit and shorter zip.<br />
Terra Nova Elite 350<br />
Weight: 920g Comfort limit: 0C RRP £180<br />
Sitting below their more expensive and higher<br />
performance Laser range, the Elite offers<br />
performance at an affordable price. The 350 uses<br />
600 fill duck down rather than the 900 fill goose<br />
Terra Nova Elite 350<br />
Therm-a-Rest<br />
Antares HD<br />
down used in the Laser range and has a lower<br />
comfort rating down to 0C making it suitable for<br />
spring, summer and autumn use. They also do a<br />
lighter Elite 250 and heavier Elite 550 model.<br />
To save weight it has a half-length zip with zip<br />
sliders that prevent it from sliding down in the<br />
night. Draw cords are employed on both the<br />
mummy-shaped hood and the neck baffles to trap<br />
in more heat. It’s supplied with a handy mesh<br />
sack which helps the bag maintain its loft during<br />
storage and also a sturdy compression sack<br />
which enables it to be easily packed down.<br />
First impressions are this is a roomy bag. One<br />
of the reviewers is over six foot and was able to<br />
fit in with extra clothes and not feel restricted.<br />
The box-shaped toe area creates more space too.<br />
When inside the bag it’s easy to close the hood<br />
round your head with the toggle and also operate<br />
the neck baffle. The outer material seems pretty<br />
tough and it appears to even be water resistant,<br />
which will be a real bonus when used inside a<br />
bivvy bag. Very noticeable was that the zip did<br />
not snag when opening – a definite advantage.<br />
Interestingly the packed down size and length of<br />
the sleeping bag is not available on the website<br />
yet it is printed on the compression sack.<br />
Although the bag was only tested down to 4C,<br />
it was found that you didn’t need the baffles<br />
firmly closed so they were sure this would be<br />
fairly comfortable down to 0C inside a tent<br />
with maybe some thermals on.<br />
To sum up, this is a good bag for the money<br />
– one of the cheapest on test – but comes with a<br />
compromise and that is weight at 920g. If you<br />
can justify twice the amount of money and need a<br />
much lighter weight bag for the same rating then<br />
consider the Laser 600 which weighs in at just 660g.<br />
Therm-a-rest Antares HD<br />
Weight: 950g Comfort limit: -9C RRP £420<br />
The warmest on test and a good all-round bag,<br />
particularly if you are a cold sleeper, which you<br />
could use from early spring through to late<br />
autumn. It uses 440 g 750+ fill power Nikwax<br />
hydrophobic down and adds a reflective<br />
ThermaCapture lining. This is effectively a<br />
reflective layer that minimises heat loss and<br />
helps make the bag feel warmer quicker. It is<br />
all wrapped in a DWR-treated 20D Ripstop<br />
Nylon shell that repels water to an extent and<br />
a lovely soft Nylon inner.<br />
Constructed using their new Zoned Insulation,<br />
it uses box baffles on top of the bag with most<br />
of the down going there and a lighter layer of<br />
sewn-through down to the bottom of the bag. 6<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 71
This is because when you sleep on down it’s<br />
crushed and becomes less effective so more of<br />
it is located in other areas of the bag where it<br />
works better.<br />
This means a sleeping mat is important and<br />
the extra insulation it gives so it’s got a neat trick;<br />
there’s two soft wide(ish) elasticated straps on the<br />
base of the bag that you feed your sleeping mat<br />
into to keep it in place whilst you sleep – contrary<br />
to some testers’ initial derision it worked well<br />
with no one finding themselves rolling off the<br />
mat. We found it worked beautifully with the<br />
Thermarest XTherm. On the sample we had, the<br />
straps were permanently in place but with the<br />
newer versions the straps are detachable.<br />
There’s a generous neck baffle and a full length<br />
two-way zip with a baffle to keep out the cold.<br />
The zip moves well with hardly any snagging. The<br />
fit of the bag was found to be roomy, especially<br />
around the body and hip area with plenty of space<br />
to move around and the well-shaped hood is<br />
generous too. Finally, there’s a small external<br />
zipped storage pocket near the bag entrance.<br />
There’s a long version for taller people and it<br />
comes with a stuff sack and storage bag.<br />
It is the heaviest on test (just) and the pack<br />
size wasn’t as small but for that you do get the<br />
warmest sleeping bag, and combined with the<br />
Thermarest XTherm sleeping bag it makes an<br />
excellent sleeping system.<br />
Western Mountaineering Highlite<br />
Weight: 455g Comfort limit: 2C RRP £365<br />
Not a name familiar with many UK buyers, Western<br />
Mountaineering have built a strong reputation in the<br />
US, due in no small part to the quality of construction<br />
and materials they use. There are three sizes: short,<br />
regular and long – it packs down extremely small,<br />
the smallest on test and also the lightest at 455g.<br />
It’s constructed with a stitch-through baffled<br />
box construction and to avoid cold spots they<br />
use baffled vertical seams with a 4cm netting to<br />
separate the inner and outer fabric thus allowing the<br />
down to fill the gaps and hey presto, no cold spots.<br />
In terms of features, to get it down to such a light<br />
weight it’s very stripped down with a half-length<br />
non-baffled zip and no neck baffle. Creating such a<br />
light bag is about compromise and they’ve covered<br />
the main features needed in a good bag. This is<br />
evident in the use of 225g of high quality 850+ fill<br />
power down with high loft coupled with a light,<br />
but reasonably durable, ‘Extremelite’ shell fabric.<br />
The bag was used down to around 4C at the<br />
lowest and no one complained of being cold but<br />
it would have been nice to try it at a lower<br />
temperature. A criticism though was the zip, it<br />
comes undone at its base and was a fiddle to put<br />
back together plus it was a bit slick and could<br />
slowly creep down if you didn’t fasten it all way<br />
up and use the Velcro fastening at its top to<br />
secure it. The toggle on the zip was also a bit<br />
small and fiddly. Perhaps Western Mountaineering<br />
should look at the choice of zip. The hood<br />
looked like an area that had been trimmed down<br />
and was a little shallow with headspace feeling<br />
cramped and the hood closing system didn’t<br />
close up as well as others.<br />
The cut of the bag is fairly narrow; some<br />
found it snug, particularly around the hips and<br />
feet, whilst for others it wasn’t an issue and there<br />
was sufficient space. It’s always difficult for a<br />
manufacturer to size a bag to fit all shapes and<br />
Western<br />
Mountaineering<br />
HighLite<br />
sizes, so follow the simple rule; try before you<br />
buy. In summary, there are compromises but if<br />
you want an ultra-light, well-made bag with<br />
first-rate down filling that takes up hardly any<br />
space in your pack then look no further that<br />
the HighLite.<br />
Sleeping Mats<br />
There are loads of different mats on the market but<br />
given the parameters of this review we focused,<br />
in the main, on lightweight air inflated mats.<br />
Each mat is given an R-value; basically the<br />
higher the figure the warmer the mat is. Thermal<br />
resistance is the measurement that indicates a<br />
material’s ability to insulate and there are two versions<br />
of the R-value, the US Method that basically<br />
gives a higher reading due to a difference on how<br />
the reading is made using imperial units, and the<br />
SI version that is used in most other parts of the<br />
world. So to help you, and acknowledge that<br />
most of the mats here use the US method, we<br />
adopted both systems for this review.<br />
With an air-filled mat most of the body heat is<br />
lost through radiation which in turn establishes<br />
convection currents within the mat. One way of<br />
combating this is by incorporating reflective<br />
layers to reflect the radiant heat back to the user.<br />
Sometimes it’s combined with a light insulation<br />
layer to help break down the convection currents<br />
resulting in a warmer mat for use in colder<br />
weather. Given the two to three season use we<br />
are looking at all the mats are suitable, however,<br />
using a warmer mat means you can often get<br />
away with a lighter weight sleeping bag and thus<br />
less weight to carry.<br />
A point worth highlighting is inflating the mat.<br />
For years people have used their own breath to<br />
inflate, the down side of this is your breath contains<br />
moisture and you can transfer some of that into<br />
the mat. This eventually leads to a build up of<br />
fungus on the inside of the mat and a breakdown<br />
of the material. To combat this some manufacturers<br />
either coat the inside to prevent the fungus<br />
growing and/or provide another means of<br />
inflation – often in the shape of a pump or a bag/<br />
air capture inflation device. The beauty of this is<br />
that the mat lasts longer and you don’t get light<br />
headed from blowing. Of course, this adds extra<br />
weight so most people stick to good old breaths.<br />
Brand/Model<br />
Price<br />
(RRP)<br />
Weight<br />
(grams)<br />
Exped AirMat HyperLite M<br />
Weight: 310g RRP £110<br />
The lightest on test and with a tiny pack size, it’s<br />
pretty amazing that it inflates to a thickness of<br />
7cm and offers a small degree of warmth. Inflated<br />
to its fullest it offers a firm platform and you can<br />
make it a little softer to your taste by letting a<br />
little air out – something which most testers did.<br />
The tapered mummy shape helps reduce<br />
weight further and that gives width at the<br />
shoulder and less at the feet (common with most<br />
mats on test). The vertical centre air cells/baffles<br />
are smaller on the inside of the mat and wider on<br />
each edge of the mat help prevent you rolling off.<br />
R-value<br />
(SI)<br />
R-value<br />
(us)<br />
Dimensions<br />
(regular<br />
size)<br />
Exped AirMat HyperLite M £110 310 0.33 1.9 183 x 52 x 7cm<br />
Klymit Static V2 £72 463 0.23 1.3 183 x 59 x 6.5cm<br />
Sea to Summit UltraLight £90 395 0.12 0.7 183 x 55 x 5cm<br />
Sea to Summit Insulated UltraLight £105 488 0.58 3.3 183 x 55 x 5cm<br />
Therm-a-rest Evolite £105 528 0.37 2.1 183 x 51 x 5cm<br />
Therm-a-rest NeoAir XTherm £165 430 1.00 5.7 183 x 51 x 6.3cm<br />
72 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
gear review<br />
To further aid this it has an anti-slip GripSkin<br />
honeycomb pattern coating to help stop you<br />
sliding and it gives nice next to the skin comfort.<br />
The material used on both sides is 20D polyester<br />
with a TPU polyether film laminate that gives an<br />
air of durability.<br />
A good inflate/deflate flap valve system that<br />
sits nice and flat and makes inflating/deflating<br />
simple but you do have to make sure the flap is<br />
properly seated back in the valve so air won’t<br />
escape when inflating. There’s also a small<br />
plastic ‘pin’ attached to push the flap down when<br />
you wish to deflate, or you can just pull on the<br />
green flap but it is a little slow to deflate. If you<br />
are blowing it up by breaths it takes around 20<br />
to inflate it fully. To avoid passing moisture into<br />
it, it comes with a mini-pump that weighs in at<br />
45g and quickly locks onto the valve plus a small<br />
sack to put the mat and pump in. The stuff sack<br />
has a small pocket that holds the included repair<br />
kit. It’s a little slow using the mini-pump but<br />
Exped do the Schnozzel Pumpbag that inflates<br />
the mat much quicker. You can also use this as<br />
a large stuff sack.<br />
A favourite amongst the test team with regards<br />
to comfort, the extraordinarily light weight<br />
and a remarkable pack size given how thick it inflates<br />
to. It also provides a good level of warmth<br />
that’s ideal for two to three season use. In our<br />
eyes, if fast and light is the game then it’s one<br />
you should seriously consider purchasing.<br />
Klymit Static V2 Lite<br />
Weight: 463g RRP £72<br />
With a unique design, the Static V2 delivers<br />
reasonable comfort and packs down pretty small.<br />
The V2 uses body mapping to produce an ergonomic<br />
design with angulated baffles and V chamber<br />
construction to help minimise air movement<br />
and maintain loft. There are also side rails to help<br />
keep the body in place. It’s unusual in this review<br />
that it’s a rectangular shape, where all the others<br />
on test are tapered at the foot end, thus giving<br />
more wriggle space.<br />
In an effort to make the mat lighter Klymit uses<br />
a thinner 30D Polyester top fabric and a more<br />
durable 75D bottom fabric though it did get a<br />
puncture on a sharp rock during on test but it<br />
was easily fixed in the field with the included<br />
patch repair kit.<br />
The inflation valve was found to be fiddly<br />
given that you needed to twist it to unlock and to<br />
pull the top up then blow it up before pushing it<br />
back down and twisting to lock. With gloves on<br />
Exped AirMat HL M<br />
it was awkward and was the least liked of any on<br />
test. Also when you blow air into the mat and it<br />
reaches a point where it’s nearly full air escapes<br />
between breaths. It took around 16 breaths to<br />
inflate it fully.<br />
It was found to give decent comfort and stability<br />
for most users but some, in particular side<br />
sleepers, found the angulated baffles awkward to<br />
sleep on. The mat also makes a bit of a ‘squeaking’<br />
noise. It packed down small and though it’s<br />
not the warmest, its good compromise between<br />
weight, pack size and above all value for what<br />
you get. Worth a look if money if tight.<br />
Sea to Summit UltraLight Mat<br />
Weight: 395g RRP £90<br />
This mat belies its tiny packed size in terms of<br />
the loft it attains and gives a comfortable sleeping<br />
experience given the weight and size. This is<br />
down to the technology used by Sea to Summit<br />
using their Air Sprung Cells. They use a dot weld<br />
pattern to create a high surface area matrix of<br />
inter-connected chambers called Air Sprung<br />
Cells. As each cell (there’s 181 in the regular<br />
size) deforms independently the mat conforms to<br />
your body shape and feels softer with more body<br />
contact area.<br />
In the UltraLight they use a single layer set up<br />
of medium resolution Air Sprung Cells that gives<br />
good support on uneven ground plus the tapered<br />
‘mummy’ shape allows them to create such a<br />
light mat but still maintain an enjoyable degree<br />
of comfort. The outer pockets are also slightly<br />
oversized at the halfway point to help keep you<br />
on the mat but it still didn’t stop some rolling off.<br />
The downside is that it was the least warm of the<br />
Sea to Summit<br />
UltraLight Mat<br />
Klymit Static V2 Lite<br />
mats on test – not a problem in warm weather<br />
but if you want to push the seasons a bit you<br />
should consider the insulated version.<br />
The valve has a pretty flush dual valve built<br />
into one, a high flow rate intake valve plus a<br />
rapid deflate valve by pulling the silicon flap open<br />
to dump air very quickly, along with an ability<br />
to finely adjust the firmness of the mat. In use it<br />
took just six or so breaths to inflate it making it<br />
super quick and best on test. It was a system that<br />
everyone loved allowing the mat to be blown up<br />
and let down very quickly. It comes with a stuff<br />
sack, six self-adhesive repair patches and a spare<br />
silicone one-way valve flap.<br />
In summary, the ultimate mat for anyone who<br />
wants to have the lightest gear and smallest pack<br />
size but still maintain a great deal of comfort.<br />
A firm favourite with the testers, particularly<br />
those where every gram counts. 6<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 73
Sea to Summit Insulated UltraLight<br />
Mat Weight: 488g RRP £105<br />
If you want something that’s warmer and<br />
with some insulation than the Sea to Summit<br />
UltraLight Matt then you should look at their<br />
Insulated UltraLight Mat. With the same features<br />
and technology as the standard UltraLight, it<br />
adds insulation by using Exhin Platinum, a quiet<br />
non-woven fabric that reflects radiant heat loss<br />
back to the user and a Thermolite insulation to<br />
prevent convective loss between you and the<br />
ground. But does it work? Yes, in use there was<br />
found to be a noticeable difference in the warmth<br />
and lack of heat loss and it certainly does what it<br />
says on the ‘tin’.<br />
Again this comes with a stuff sack, six<br />
self-adhesive repair patches and a spare silicone<br />
one-way valve flap for repairs in the field and it’s<br />
available in regular size plus a small (weight:<br />
430g, length: 168cm) and large (weight: 595g,<br />
length: 198cm).<br />
Summing up, coupled with the plus points of<br />
the UltraLight (see previous review) it’s certainly<br />
worth a look if you don’t mind the extra 90 odd<br />
grams of weight and want to push the three<br />
season envelope and/or have a not so warm<br />
sleeping bag.<br />
Therm-a-rest Evolite<br />
Weight: 528g RRP £105<br />
This is a hybrid mat using a mix of an internal<br />
skeleton of alternating lightweight Atmos foam<br />
(the ‘AirFrame’) and air channels, and is the only<br />
self-inflating mat on test. The use of foam leads<br />
to a very stable mat than most air-inflated mats<br />
and is relatively comfortable to sleep on. There’s<br />
also the added bonus of having some support if<br />
the mat springs a leak during the night thanks to<br />
the foam. The downside of the foam is the extra<br />
bulk when packed, around twice the size of any<br />
other mat on test, and the extra weight being the<br />
heaviest on test at 528g.<br />
Whilst the mat inflates to a point, extra breaths<br />
(around eight) were needed to get it to the<br />
optimum fill, so you could say it was semi-inflating.<br />
We think the valve system could be<br />
improved. When you blow air into the mat and it<br />
reaches a point where it’s nearly full, a small<br />
amount of air escapes between breaths. Other<br />
companies have overcome this with a one way<br />
valve thus no air escapes. It’s a minor point but<br />
we feel it’s worth mentioning.<br />
The fabric used has a smooth feel to it and<br />
was appreciated, particularly when lounging<br />
around on it. Lofting to a height of 5cm it did<br />
provide a good level of comfort, even for side<br />
sleepers who didn’t feel their elbows pushing<br />
through to the ground and no tester complained<br />
of an uncomfortable night. The only real issue<br />
was the width, which is quite narrow, and it was<br />
felt that a little extra width would be ideal. Price<br />
wise it’s in the middle ground.<br />
All in all, it’s a good choice if you are on the<br />
fence about buying a purely air-inflated mat and<br />
want the best of both worlds, albeit with some<br />
compromise on weight and bulk. Plus the EvoLite<br />
offers a higher degree of comfort compared to a<br />
standard self-inflating mat.<br />
Therm-a-rest NeoAir XTherm<br />
Weight: 430g RRP £165<br />
A remarkable mat and easily the warmest on<br />
test, in fact, if you want a comfortable mat for all<br />
year round but still want super light then this is it,<br />
however, it comes at a premium price. Constructed<br />
with a tapered design utilising horizontal baffling<br />
to impart support and stability along with the use<br />
of ThermaCapture technology. This provides four<br />
season warmth with reflective chambers that<br />
locks in body heat and redirects it back to you<br />
without the need for additional insulation keeping<br />
it lightweight and efficient. It really does work and<br />
you can feel the warmth reflection back to you.<br />
Some think NeoAir mats are noisy but it’s not the<br />
case here; although it makes a bit of a ‘crinkling’<br />
sound it’s barely noticeable and seems to ‘bed in’<br />
quickly becoming quieter with use. The top of the<br />
mat also has a non-slip coating that helps keep you<br />
in place. Again as stated in the previous review<br />
we think the valve system could be improved.<br />
In use, it was found to be one of the most<br />
comfortable on test, particularly for the side<br />
sleepers, in no small part due to how thick this<br />
inflates to – one of the deepest one test. There was<br />
one caveat though, some found it too firm when<br />
fully inflated and let out a small amount of air until<br />
they were satisfied with the softness. It took around<br />
15-20 breaths to blow it up and it also comes with<br />
an air inflation bag that can double as a stuff sack,<br />
albeit with a small hole in the end, plus repair kit.<br />
This mat is toasty warm, comfortable, packs<br />
very small considering how warm it is and<br />
definitely light. Overall, if you can afford it and<br />
want an all-year-round mat without the weight<br />
or bulky pack size, the XTherm is worth every<br />
penny and should last years. At the moment it<br />
offers the greatest warmth to weight ratio there<br />
is. It was a struggle to get this back from some<br />
of the team, which says it all.<br />
Therma-a-rest EvoLite<br />
Thermarest XTherm<br />
Sea to Summit UltraLight Insulated Mat<br />
74 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
gear review<br />
Tents<br />
With tents there’s always going to be a compromise<br />
regards weight against durability and<br />
longevity. The lighter the fabric, the more prone<br />
it is to UV (sun) damage and the less longevity<br />
you will get from it compared to heavier fabric,<br />
so bear this in mind when going ultra-light. That<br />
said, modern fabrics have remarkable strength to<br />
weight ratio. Indeed when you look at some of<br />
the ultra-light tents you’d think that merely<br />
blowing on it would cause a tear let alone stand<br />
up to strong winds, but they do.<br />
The light weight of the fabrics often means<br />
that the Hydrostatic Head (HH) figures – a way of<br />
measuring how waterproof a fabric is, higher is<br />
better – are lower compared to beefier fabrics. It’s<br />
not a problem though as the tents are waterproof<br />
and will stand up to inclement weather, but it<br />
does mean more care is required, especially with<br />
the groundsheet. We feel that unless you really<br />
need to keep the weight to a minimum then a<br />
tent footprint is well worth using.<br />
With any tent in this review we would<br />
recommend first pitching it at home before<br />
heading out – some are trickier to pitch than<br />
others. We tested tents for two people given that<br />
it’s you and a climbing partner, so don’t forget<br />
those ear plugs.<br />
Brand/Model<br />
Price (RRP)<br />
Packed<br />
weight<br />
(grams)<br />
Inner tent dimensions<br />
(length x width/<br />
narrowest x height)<br />
Alpkit Ordos 2 £225 1,300 208 x 136/105 x 102cm<br />
MSR Freelite 2 £390 1,400 213 x 127 x 91cm<br />
Terra Nova Solar Photon 2 £480 849 225 x 130/84 x 100cm<br />
Vango F10 Xenon UL 2 £325 1650 210 x 130 x 100cm<br />
Ferrino Atrax 2 £340 1900 210 x 130 x 100cm<br />
Alpkit Ordos 2 Weight: 1.3kg RRP £225<br />
A very lightweight and well-priced three season<br />
tent for two people, the Ordos 2 is well-made<br />
considering the cost. The fabric on the fly is 15D<br />
nylon ripstop (HH 3000mm), the inner uses a<br />
combination of mesh and 15D nylon panels, the<br />
groundsheet is a 20D nylon (HH 3000mm) and all<br />
the seams are fully taped. The tent is freestanding<br />
and is inner pitch first but you can also pitch<br />
the outer on its own to go lighter, shaving 426g<br />
off the weight.<br />
The three DAC poles come in one joined-up<br />
section (hub design) and colour-coded webbing<br />
on the flysheet and inner helped with pitching.<br />
Whilst tent pitching was fairly straightforward<br />
(our sample didn’t have instructions) the tent<br />
sometimes got out of shape, causing the main<br />
‘ridge’ pole to curve in an S-shape. When this<br />
happened it took some tweaking of the tension<br />
on pegging points and guylines to get it right.<br />
Also make sure that the Velcro tabs on the inside<br />
of the flysheet are tightly wound around the<br />
poles, otherwise everything moves around.<br />
Something that did cause concern was the pole<br />
that went across the back of the tent – it was a bit<br />
long and just overshot the reinforcement points<br />
that protect the fly.<br />
The flysheet goes all the way to the ground to<br />
keep out rain and this can lead to condensation<br />
on the inside. Alpkit solve this with a vent at the<br />
tent front that can be fastened open to allow<br />
airflow. Condensation was held at bay though<br />
small amounts of moisture did form on the fly.<br />
The bathtub style groundsheet was thin and in<br />
wet conditions did get a bit damp so we’d<br />
recommend using a footprint. The tent stood up<br />
well to the rain and wind though so no complaints<br />
there. Materials wise, as you’d expect in a<br />
Alpkit Ordos 2<br />
lightweight tent, you have to take care, and in<br />
particular, the mesh on the inner was easy to<br />
tear, the inner door is entirely mesh with some in<br />
the roof too and at the foot end. We would like to<br />
see a stronger mesh.<br />
In terms of fit it was fine for two people,<br />
feeling spacious enough with two mats fitting<br />
side by side but the porch was small and couldn’t<br />
accommodate two sacks, one had to go in the<br />
tent thus losing some space. Inside there two<br />
mesh storage pockets and tabs sewn into the<br />
roof to hang things from. The stuff sack it came<br />
with was a tight fit fully loaded but it made for a<br />
very small pack size.<br />
In summary, a lightweight, small pack size and<br />
incredibly low priced tent – worth a look if on a<br />
budget. However, with some tweaks, it could be<br />
that much better.<br />
Ferrino Atrax 2 Weight: 1.9kg RRP £340<br />
A well-known brand in Europe, the innovative<br />
Italian company of Ferrino have been producing<br />
tents since 1890 so they know something about<br />
making them, and the Atrax 2 is testament to this<br />
experience.<br />
This two person tent is inner pitch first and<br />
comes with two entrances, one on either side,<br />
and the benefits this adds. The fly is made from<br />
20D nylon ripstop silicone-coating (HH 3000mm),<br />
the inner tent is out of the same material and<br />
mixed with netting, the bathtub groundsheet is a<br />
heftier 40D nylon ripstop floor (HH 3000 mm) and<br />
all the seams are factory taped. The quality DAC<br />
poles are all linked together into one unit with<br />
the now standard shock cord plus radial points,<br />
and along with the long central pole with a<br />
forked end there’s a central cross pole to<br />
maximise headroom. Pitching is simple and very<br />
quick, again one of the quickest on test, and it<br />
comes with instructions and a great repair kit.<br />
The tent packed to a conveniently small size<br />
too so no quibbles there.<br />
Due to the cross pole design the inner and<br />
headroom is pretty roomy. Again similar to the<br />
MSR tent (see review below) the inner is<br />
predominantly mesh and Ferrino have built the<br />
nylon panels up the sides to around one third<br />
height to give protection from breezes when<br />
sleeping. For odds ’n’ ends there’s a large<br />
storage pocket at one end. There’s also a<br />
diamond-shaped nylon panel in the roof to<br />
catch any condensation trips. In an effort to<br />
combat condensation they’ve included two<br />
vents (their Air Aeration system) on the fly<br />
close to the entrances and this works very<br />
well to control any build up of moisture. 6<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 75
With space for two mats side by side and two<br />
people you don’t have a feeling of being hemmed<br />
in. The only downside is the concave shape of<br />
the side wall/doors that encroached a little into<br />
the living space but this does make for a roomier<br />
porch and, after a while, you fail to notice it,<br />
especially when lying down. Each porch is a fair<br />
size and each takes a pack and shoes with no<br />
problems and the zips on the entrance are easy<br />
to find given their bright yellow colour. That can<br />
also be said of the two fast adjustment guylines<br />
and pegging points that are all bright yellow.<br />
In use, it was well-received by the team and<br />
worked well, apart from one thing that we<br />
thought could be improved. On the flat rear end<br />
of the tent, where your head would be, there’s<br />
no pegging to pull it out and because of this the<br />
inner and outer touched, especially when there<br />
was wind blowing. Whilst it didn’t cause too<br />
many problems with damp ingress, it would be<br />
a simple fix to solve it and would add barely any<br />
extra weight. Other than that the tent was very<br />
stable and certainly waterproof given the amount<br />
of rain it had to withstand during a wet weekend<br />
in the Lakes; and the groundsheet didn’t get damp.<br />
To sum up, we liked it. A very well-made tent<br />
built by a company with a fine pedigree and,<br />
whilst not the lightest on test, it certainly<br />
provided a bombproof shelter with the convenience<br />
of two entrances and looked striking with<br />
the contrasting trim against the green.<br />
MSR Freelite 2<br />
Weight: 1.4kg RRP £390<br />
The MSR Freelite 2 is a freestanding, inner pitch<br />
first, lightweight three-season tent with a good<br />
liveability factor. It uses 15D nylon ripstop<br />
Durashield coated fabric (HH 1200mm) for the<br />
flysheet, a 10D nylon micromesh for the inner<br />
and 15D nylon ripstop Durashield (coated HH<br />
1500mm) for the bathtub groundsheet. There are<br />
aluminium poles all in one unit – a double-forked<br />
main pole and a centre cross pole to maximise<br />
headroom.<br />
The inner is mainly mesh to keep weight down<br />
and aid ventilation and MSR have built the nylon<br />
floor tub up the sides to give some protection<br />
from air flow when you lay down. Some liked the<br />
amount of mesh, especially in hot weather, some<br />
weren’t sure it was right for the UK climate as<br />
wind will blow through the inner but did concede<br />
that if you had only one super light tent to use<br />
here and abroad this would be a good one.<br />
Two good sized doors, one on either side,<br />
provide easy access – an entrance each so no<br />
climbing over each other to go pee – plus it<br />
offers more space to stash your bags and shoes<br />
if you wish to leave maximum space in the<br />
inner tent. Two mats fit easily side by side, even<br />
rectangular ones. Headspace is very good due<br />
to the cross pole and near vertical sides so you<br />
can comfortably sit up. The spacious interior<br />
offers comfort on longer trips with some room<br />
to move. There are a couple of small pockets in<br />
the inner tent to stash things.<br />
In terms of waterproofness and condensation<br />
build-up, there were no leaks when it rained but<br />
there was a small amount of condensation,<br />
probably due to the lack of vents and the fact the<br />
fly went all the way to the ground. It stood up well<br />
to wind with virtually no movement in the side<br />
walls but then it wasn’t tested in strong winds.<br />
Set up was very quick and easy, taking less<br />
than five minutes, plus there are instructions<br />
on the stuff sack/bag. We do like instructions.<br />
We tested tents<br />
for two people<br />
given that it’s<br />
you and a<br />
climbing partner,<br />
so don’t forget<br />
those ear plugs.<br />
Ferrino Atrax 2<br />
MSR FreeLite2<br />
The bag to pack the tent in is oversized making it<br />
easy to put it away and comes with compression<br />
straps to reduce the size – which is very small by<br />
the way. If you want to cut weight further (the<br />
inner weighs 428g) you can erect the outer only<br />
and use the MSR footprint designed for this tent.<br />
An excellent, well thought out tent, that offers<br />
a good living space and convenience with two<br />
porches all in a lightweight package. It pitches<br />
quickly too and stands up to bad weather well.<br />
A firm favourite with most of the team and<br />
worth considering.<br />
Terra Nova <strong>2017</strong> Solar Photon 2<br />
Weight: 849g RRP £480<br />
The three-season Terra Nova Solar Photon 2 Tent<br />
has been recently updated with stronger poles<br />
and it remains one of the lightest, freestanding<br />
two man tents on the market at 849g. Not shabby<br />
for a two skinned tent.<br />
76 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
gear review<br />
The material used is nylon Watershed (HH<br />
3000mm) for the fly and nylon Watershed (HH<br />
5000mm) for the groundsheet. The poles are<br />
quality DAC poles and the tent pegs are worth<br />
mentioning. These are small titanium ones<br />
weighing in at miserly 1g each – someone said<br />
they were: “Akin to oversized toothpicks.” They<br />
held okay in firm ground but not so well in soft<br />
ground, it was felt worth carrying some V pegs<br />
for the main pegging points for this situation.<br />
Terra Nova are unable to factory tape the<br />
seams due to the super light material but they are<br />
sewn in a way that minimises water penetration.<br />
You’ll need to apply seam sealer yourself if you<br />
want but it would be nice if seam sealer was<br />
supplied with the tent.<br />
The tent is inner pitch first and was simple to<br />
erect, one of the quickest on test, and it came<br />
with instructions too. The pole bag had an<br />
integral pocket for the pegs, a nice touch and<br />
again cuts weight and there’s a repair tube in<br />
case of a broken pole. The inner tent door is<br />
made entirely of mesh and there’s mesh at the<br />
foot end to allow ventilation to cut condensation.<br />
On this note it was well-controlled with none<br />
visible during testing in part due to the front and<br />
rear fly hoods that allow through ventilation.<br />
Terra Nova Solar Photon 2<br />
Vango F10 Xenon UL 2<br />
A compromise of such a low weight is<br />
space and headroom. It’s a tight fit for two<br />
but if you keep your gear in the porch it just<br />
about works. You also need to check the<br />
width of your sleeping mats as there is not<br />
much room at the narrower foot end and<br />
mats may overlap unless you have tapered<br />
ones. Headspace is manageable unless you<br />
are tall. The porch was a good size and could<br />
fit a pack or two. To save more weight you<br />
can use just the outer tent and Terra Nova’s<br />
Fastpack groundsheet.<br />
One tester found the sides of the tent flapped<br />
in the wind and felt that a couple of extra<br />
pegging points towards the back of the tent<br />
would stop this. There was no damp coming<br />
through the groundsheet even though it’s a<br />
light material, but if you can afford the extra<br />
weight use a footprint. On the whole it was<br />
very stable due to its design and inspired<br />
confidence for such a light tent.<br />
In summary, there are compromises and it<br />
isn’t cheap but it is incredibly well-made. Easily<br />
the lightest on test and ideal for those wanting<br />
a fast and light approach but need reliable<br />
protection from the elements and are willing<br />
to trade interior space for weight.<br />
Vango F10 Xenon UL 2<br />
Weight: 1.65kg RRP £325<br />
The Vango F10 Xenon UL 2 is a lightweight<br />
two person, three-season tunnel style tent<br />
which offers excellent levels of stability and<br />
weather protection, combined with a spacious<br />
living area.<br />
The Xenon utilises two alloy Gothic Arch<br />
poles to create the tunnel shape and give an<br />
amazing amount of space within the tent<br />
considering the weight. To create more stability<br />
Vango have incorporated TBS Pro, an internal<br />
guying system using a lightweight Dyneema<br />
cord that works beautifully, holding the tent<br />
firm in bad weather.<br />
The flysheet fabric is a 15D siliconised/PU<br />
coated nylon (HH 3000mm), the bathtub<br />
groundsheet is a durable 70D nylon fabric<br />
(waterproof to HH 6000mm) and the inner is<br />
15D breathable nylon. All flysheet and groundsheet<br />
seams are factory taped to make a weather<br />
tight product. The guylines and pegging points<br />
are made from super strong Dyneema.<br />
The easiest to pitch of all the tents in this<br />
review, it can be pitched in one, with flysheet<br />
and inner pitching together making it a doddle.<br />
The inner and outer can be separated if you<br />
wish, ideal for when you are trying it out back<br />
at home. To combat condensation and add<br />
ventilation the Xenon 2 also features a large<br />
vent over the door allowing plenty of airflow,<br />
with the added advantage of preventing the<br />
rain falling into the inner when the door is<br />
open. The vent is needed given that the flysheet<br />
reaches all the way to the ground to keep out<br />
wind and rain. Finally, a part mesh inner door<br />
allows ventilation whilst keeping midges out.<br />
The tunnel style gives plenty of headroom<br />
in the inner tent area and there are a number<br />
of storage pockets including in the roof space<br />
for odds ’n’ ends. The porch offers good space<br />
easily taking a couple of packs if you need to<br />
put them there. If you do need a bigger porch<br />
there’s the Xenon 2 UL 2+, essentially the same<br />
tent but adds an elongated porch and around<br />
400g extra weight.<br />
The tent was used in some foul weather<br />
and was found to be very robust, keeping out<br />
heavy rain and remaining stable in strong<br />
winds. It all just worked without any problems<br />
and gave a sense of security when cocooned<br />
inside. The large vent allowed some airflow<br />
and kept condensation down to a minimum<br />
in humid weather. Using a heavier weight<br />
groundsheet meant no problems with damp<br />
and was fine without a footprint. The tent has<br />
a pretty small pack size especially given how<br />
big it is and the tent bag has an oversized<br />
opening for easy packing and compression<br />
straps to reduce pack size.<br />
Very reliable, easy to pitch and take<br />
down, offering superb space to weight ratio<br />
and at a good price. This tent is equally at<br />
home in the mountains and as a base camp<br />
down in the valley. Recommended, especially<br />
if you value more space and want an all-round<br />
tent. n<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 77
news update from the British<br />
Mountaineering Council<br />
New BMC T-shirts<br />
The new organic BMC Climb t-shirt<br />
Climb walls, rock, hills, ice or mountains? You’ll love our new t-shirt.<br />
Fresh from the printer, we’ve got yet another excellent design from<br />
the extremely talented Liam Dangerfield on our high-quality 100%<br />
organic t-shirts.<br />
Whether you’re a walker, climber, or mountaineer, and whether<br />
you’re interested in protecting and fixing footpaths, defending access<br />
to crags, or promoting conservation, show your support with this<br />
awesome design.<br />
Whatever your bag, unite under one common banner and help<br />
us continue our great work to protect the interests of our members.<br />
The Lake District t-shirt: a Wainwright tribute<br />
Alfred Wainwright was famously a man of few words. But it’s probably<br />
reasonable to assume the 214 words we’ve artfully arranged on this<br />
new T-shirt were among his favourites.<br />
We wanted to produce a T-shirt with an original design based<br />
around the Lake District that would appeal to hill walkers, climbers<br />
and casual fans alike. After much racking of brains we came up with<br />
the idea of ‘mapping’ the region using the names of its signature<br />
landmarks – the lakes and mountains.<br />
In a homage to the famous guidebook author, we’ve taken the<br />
names of all 214 hills considered the core Wainwright mountains, plus<br />
11 of the biggest lakes, and arranged them to produce an eye-catching,<br />
intricate word map of the Lake District.<br />
All our t-shirts are just £15 for BMC members or £20 for non-members.<br />
Find them all online: www.bmcshop.co.uk<br />
BMC organisational review update<br />
The independent organisational review of the BMC is well underway and a<br />
team has been selected for the process, with Ray Wigglesworth QC as<br />
chair. The review group will sit for a four to six month period, after which<br />
there will be widespread consultation amongst the BMC membership in<br />
the run up to the April 2018 AGM.<br />
Ray Wigglesworth, chair of the BMC Organisational Review Group, says:<br />
“It’s incredibly important that BMC members take part in the process. We<br />
will gather opinions via the membership questionnaire, the focus groups,<br />
feedback on our monthly reports, through the Area Meetings in <strong>September</strong>,<br />
November, and February, and ultimately the AGM.”<br />
Find the latest newsletter at: www.thebmc.co.uk/review-newsletter<br />
Read our interview with Ray: www.thebmc.co.uk/ray-interview<br />
78 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
The Women in Adventure Film<br />
Competition 2018<br />
First steps: getting high with<br />
the New Alpinists booklet<br />
People of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can enjoy alpinism,<br />
but if the prospect of learning new skills in a harsh and complex<br />
environment seems a little bit daunting, then our new booklet<br />
will help to guide you along your first steps as an Alpine climber.<br />
Written by BMC ambassador and aspirant Mountain Guide<br />
Calum Muskett and Mountain Guide Steve Long, there is an<br />
emphasis on making a success of your first Alpine trips.<br />
The skills, knowledge and equipment required to become an<br />
Alpinist are covered to prepare you for many years of safe and<br />
memorable adventures in the high mountains.<br />
The 32-page booklet includes chapters on equipment, fitness<br />
preparation, planning and acclimatisation, glacier travel and<br />
hazards, huts and bivouacs, and emergency procedures.<br />
New Alpinists is available to download as a FREE PDF,<br />
or you can order a printed copy from the BMC online shop for<br />
just 75p (plus delivery charge) for members:<br />
We’re bringing the Women in Adventure Film Competition back for an<br />
epic fourth time, so start firing up your cameras. We’re inviting all<br />
professional and amateur filmmakers to submit their short films about<br />
outdoor women’s mountain adventures.<br />
This year, the BMC is teaming up again with Women Climb and<br />
Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (ShAFF), and we’re also bringing on<br />
board Llanberis Mountain Film Festival and the prestigious Banff<br />
Mountain Film & Book Festival too. This means the overall winner of the<br />
competition gets the chance to see their film screened at each festival.<br />
From sea stacks in Scotland, naked swimming in Snowdonia, and<br />
first ascents in Kyrgyzstan, entries to the Women in Adventure Film<br />
Competition over the years have impressed and inspired us all.<br />
In the UK, just 5% of sports coverage is of women. Things are a little<br />
more promising within the adventure film industry, but there’s still a<br />
ways to go yet. Help put even more adventurous women on the big<br />
screen this year and send your story in.<br />
Entries will be streamed on BMC TV in early 2018 and winners of<br />
each category will be screened at Llanberis Mountain Film Festival in<br />
early March and at ShAFF in mid-March. Chief judge Emily Pitts of<br />
Women Climb said: “What a year for the Women in Adventure film<br />
competition. As a judge, it was amazing to see so many women having<br />
fun on their adventures. We are already excited for next year and<br />
encourage everyday adventurers to get started on their film creations.”<br />
www.thebmc.co.uk/newalpinists<br />
Summer rocks!<br />
We love summer and we love bargains! If you’re planning an adventure,<br />
we’re running two great offers until the end of <strong>October</strong>: 25% off Alpine<br />
& Ski European annual policies and 15% off single-trip European rock<br />
policies. So whether you’re heading for alpine summits or the chains on<br />
your Spanish project, don’t forget to pack BMC travel insurance. Get an<br />
instant quote online on the BMC website: www.thebmc.co.uk/insurance<br />
For latest News & Events visit: www.thebmc.co.uk<br />
BMC Elected Officers<br />
Acting President: Nick Kurth<br />
Vice President: Emma Flaherty<br />
Vice President: Rupert Davies<br />
Honorary Treasurer: John Simpson<br />
The British<br />
Mountaineering Council<br />
177-179 Burton Road,<br />
Manchester, M20 2BB<br />
Tel: 0161 445 6111<br />
Email: office@thebmc.co.uk<br />
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 79
Classifieds<br />
For further information please contact Hayley Comey<br />
Email: hayleyc@warnersgroup.co.uk Tel: 01778 392445<br />
COURSES/HOLIDAYS/ACTIVITIES<br />
RETAILERS GUIDE<br />
» SURREY<br />
» BIRMINGHAM<br />
at<br />
CRAGGY ISLAND<br />
9 Cobbett Park, Moorfield Road, Slyfield<br />
Estate, Guildford GU1 1RU<br />
Tel: 01483 565635<br />
SURREY’S ONLY TRUE CLIMBING SPECIALISTS<br />
Climbing & mountaineering equipment<br />
& books and absolutely nothing else!<br />
www.rockonclimbing.co.uk<br />
at<br />
REDPOINT<br />
CLIMBING CENTRE<br />
77 Cecil Street, Birmingham B19 3ST<br />
Tel: 0121 359 8709<br />
BIRMINGHAM’S ONLY TRUE CLIMBING SPECIALISTS<br />
Climbing & mountaineering equipment<br />
& books and absolutely nothing else!<br />
www.rockonclimbing.co.uk<br />
FOR SALE<br />
PICOS DE EUROPA<br />
MOUNTAIN HOUSE FOR SALE<br />
A spacious 16th Century house<br />
situated in the Picos National Park at<br />
the foot of the Eastern Massif in a tiny<br />
south facing hamlet with numerous<br />
paths directly from the house up through unspoilt fl ower meadows<br />
and rushing steams out onto the mountainside. Only 5km from the<br />
market town of Potes.<br />
For more information go to www.homeaway.co.uk/p61899<br />
or contact Marcus.linell@sothebys.com or<br />
bakewellstuarts@sky.com Freehold £120,000. English owners.<br />
WEB DIRECTORY<br />
» LONDON<br />
LONDON’S SPECIALIST<br />
CLIMBING SHOPS<br />
44 Tower Bridge Rd<br />
London SE1 4TR<br />
BOOT REPAIR<br />
Reading Climbing Centre<br />
Reading RG2 0AU<br />
www.coldmountainkit.com<br />
INSTRUCTOR TRAINING COURSES<br />
LOWLAND LEADER, CWA, CWLA, SPA, ML,<br />
HILL & MOORLAND LEADER AWARD, OUTDOOR 1ST AID,<br />
MOUNTAINEERING CLIMBING SKILLS TRAINING<br />
AND TECHNICAL ADVICE FOR WALLS<br />
TEL: 07710 345322 OR SEE: WWW.MOUNTAIN-ACTIVITIES.CO.UK<br />
Secondhand Mountaineering Books<br />
Jarvis Books<br />
www.mountainbooks.co.uk<br />
Tel: 01248 716021<br />
Rescue Emergency Care<br />
First Aid Training<br />
www.recfirstaid.net<br />
Call the REC Helpline 01224 622383<br />
ROCK BOOT RESOLES<br />
Five Ten / Vibram XS/XS2 Grip Rubber £38<br />
XS Edge £38<br />
PRICES INCLUSIVE OF TOE RANDS<br />
ANY STITCHING AND RETURN POSTAGE<br />
Vibram Units for Hiking Boots £49 inc. P&P<br />
Contact: CHESHIRE SHOE REPAIRS<br />
2 Walton Road, Stockton Heath, Warrington, WA4 6NL.<br />
01925 269777<br />
www.cheshireshoe.co.uk<br />
ACTIVITY CENTRE<br />
WALES’ LARGEST<br />
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tel 0333 600 20 20<br />
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at<br />
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Tel: 0208 981 5066 • Fax: 0208 983 0204<br />
LONDON’S ONLY TRUE CLIMBING SPECIALISTS<br />
Climbing & mountaineering equipment<br />
& books and absolutely nothing else!<br />
www.rockonclimbing.co.uk<br />
Visit our new look website<br />
www.climber.co.uk
CLIMBING WALLS<br />
» LIVERPOOL<br />
» HERTFORDSHIRE<br />
CLIMBING AT XC<br />
• 880m² of high quality climbing<br />
• Bouldering Area<br />
• 6 Auto Belays<br />
• Novice Area<br />
• 14 metre high walls with a mixture<br />
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• A combinaon combinaon combinaon combinaon combinaon of Lightwave,<br />
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systems<br />
XC Jarman Park<br />
Hemel Hempstead Herts, HP2 4JS<br />
Call: 01442 507193<br />
www.thexc.co.uk<br />
» OXFORD<br />
ROCK SOLID<br />
OXFORDSHIRE’S PREMIER<br />
CLIMBING WALL<br />
» STOKE<br />
01865 484370<br />
climb@brookes.ac.uk<br />
www.brookes.ac.uk/sport<br />
» SHEFFIELD » STOCKPORT<br />
CLIMBING WALL SERVICES<br />
• Safety Inspections • Route Setting • Instructor Training<br />
• Route Setter Training • Technical Advice and Consulting<br />
+44 (0) 79741 85374<br />
info@climbingwallservices.com<br />
www.climbingwallservices.com<br />
ACCOMMODATION<br />
ACCOMMODATION FOR CLIMBERS<br />
& WALKERS<br />
▲ Self catering Blacksmiths Hostel and The Smiddy Bunkhouse ▲ Snowgoose apartments<br />
▲ 2 efficient drying rooms ▲ Off road parking ▲ Bike & Canoe Storage<br />
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COURSES • GUIDING • MOUNTAIN GEAR HIRE<br />
COURSES & GUIDING ● high mountain walking & scrambling ● rock climbing & abseiling<br />
● summer & winter mountaineering ● winter mountaineering ● snow & ice<br />
● kayaking & open canoeing on rivers sea and loch ● dinghy sailing<br />
● WILDERNESS EXPEDITIONS ● OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT HIRE<br />
www.mountainguidesscotland.co.uk<br />
Snowgoose Mountain Centre & The Smiddy Bunkhouse, Station Road, Corpach, Fort William PH33 7JH<br />
Tel: 01397 772467 Contact John Cuthbertson (MIC) & Tina
Mountaineering<br />
Legends in collaboration with Vertebrate Publishing<br />
Toni Egger<br />
Toni Egger (1926–1959) was an Italian mountaineer and native<br />
German speaker. He was one of the strongest mountaineers of<br />
the post Second World War period. He died at the age of 32 in<br />
circumstances that were never fully clarified, in an attempt to<br />
climb Cerro Torre in Patagonia. According to Cesare Maestri<br />
(his rope companion on the occasion), Egger was hit by an<br />
avalanche near the triangular junction of the East Wall during<br />
descent. His remains were found in 1974 on the Torre Glacier.<br />
In the post-war period, Egger’s mountaineering<br />
career began. In 1950, after having gone to the<br />
Dolomites using smugglers’ paths, as he had no<br />
passport, he was so impressed by the mountains<br />
writing, ‘I arrived for the first time in the Dolomites<br />
and I was enchanted by the beauty of the majestic<br />
mountains. I have a longing desire to return to<br />
devote myself to more important excursions’.<br />
Soon after with Franz Reinzer, he climbed the<br />
North Wall of Cima Grande di Lavaredo. Then<br />
with Heini Heinricher he climbed a new winter<br />
route on the North Wall of the Lanser Kopf and<br />
the North Face of Roter Turm.<br />
In 1951 he enrolled on the Alpine course at<br />
Zillertal; among the 50 participants he is ranked<br />
fourth in the winter and second in the summer.<br />
Notes in his diary read, ‘(it) was a great success,<br />
as there are many other excellent mountaineers,<br />
and I honestly acknowledge that I never felt the<br />
best’. Soon after he graduated as an Alpine guide.<br />
In 1952 he made several firsts in the Dolomites,<br />
including the first ascent of the South West Corner<br />
of Roter Turm, other north faces and together with<br />
Franco Mantelli he climbed the Matterhorn by<br />
the Furggen Ridge. His many fast, and sometimes<br />
solo, ascents in the Alps get him the nickname<br />
of ‘The Weasel’.<br />
In 1957 he participated in an exploratory<br />
expedition to Peru organized by the Austrian<br />
Alpine Club and directed by Heinrich Klier,<br />
on which he and Siegfried Jungmair made<br />
the first ascent of Jirishanca.<br />
In 1958, Cesare Maestri was organizing an<br />
expedition to Cerro Torre. After difficult climbing<br />
from 6th to 15th January 1959, to equip the 300m<br />
of a dihedral leading to the triangular embankment<br />
of the East Wall, the team were stopped by bad<br />
weather. On 28th January, Maestri, Egger and Fava<br />
departed to try for the top; Fava soon returned to<br />
the base leaving Maestri and Egger alone. Six<br />
days later, on 3rd February, Fava found Maestri<br />
half-buried in the snow, saying that they had<br />
reached the summit the previous day, but on<br />
the descent Egger had been hit and dragged away<br />
by an avalanche. The camera that could have<br />
documented the ascent was lost in the accident.<br />
The Maestri-Egger climb of 1959 is strongly<br />
contested in the mountaineering world because<br />
of numerous inaccuracies and contradictions<br />
by Maestri. Ed Douglas in his new book The<br />
Magician’s Glass talks about this mystery and<br />
the tragic doubts surrounding the death of<br />
Toni Egger, a true mountaineering legend.<br />
82 Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> www.climber.co.uk
NEXT ISSUE<br />
NOVEMBER–DECEMBER<br />
Including:<br />
SCOTTISH WINTER TICK LIST<br />
Winter is almost here and to get you in the mood for the<br />
forthcoming season, the mountain instructors at Glenmore<br />
Lodge highlight their favourite winter climbs.<br />
SWEDEN ROCKS<br />
Looking for top-class and accessible climbing, Keith<br />
Sharples headed to Sweden and spent time around<br />
Gothenburg and Bohuslan. He reports on the superb sport,<br />
trad and DWS climbing he found.<br />
GEAR REVIEW –<br />
TRAD CLIMBING GEAR<br />
Bruce Goodlad visits The Steeple (E2 5c) on Shelter Stone<br />
Crag in Scotland and looks at general kit including clothing,<br />
footwear, rucksack, etc. that you’d need for climbing in a<br />
remote location. Plus he reviews multi-pitch rack options,<br />
focusing on the lighter end of what’s available.<br />
And much more including superb photography,<br />
expert coaching, interviews and all our regulars.<br />
ON-SALE<br />
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER<br />
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www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct <strong>2017</strong> 2016 83
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