Climber September/October 2017

SEP–OCT 2017
STONEY
SPORT
PEAK MID-GRADE HOTSPOT
DESTINATION
DINAS MOT
WELSH TRAD CLIMBING
NESSCLIFFE
BIG LINES BIG ROUTES
INTERVIEW
STEVE McCLURE
UK F9b
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EDITOR’S THOUGHTS
A UK First
Whilst the idea of sport climbing isn’t everyone’s first choice when it comes
to climbing, there are times when even the die hard trad climber should
applaud a great sport climbing feat. I’m talking about Steve McClure’s superb
ascent of Rainman to give the UK it’s first F9b. It was a project that not only
required a great deal of ability but a whole heap of determination, self
discipline and belief to pull it off. The determination is testament to how
long it took for just this one route; Steve started working it seven years ago!
One of the great things about Steve is he’s not only at the top of the game
in terms of sport but he’s also made his mark in the trad world with repeats
of the likes of Rhapsody (E11), Choronzon (E10) and Muy Caliente (E9) to
name but a few. All that and he’s getting on a bit at 46. Just goes to prove
that age shouldn’t stop you no matter what grade and climbing you do,
you can all aim to achieve your goals.
I’ve been fortunate to see Steve climb many times and he is a climbing
machine. If you read the news report on Rainman, Keith Sharples writes
that on the day of success Steve ‘texted his mates back in Sheffield saying
he was bust; surely not – machines don’t break?’ And of course that proved
the case, climbing it on his very last go that day. You can read the news
report and a full interview with Steve starting on page 32 in this issue.
Elsewhere in this issue we have a great article by Mark Reeves extolling
the virtues of Dinas Mot in Llanberis Pass, Wales. For some reason this
crag never gets the traffic that places on the other side of the valley receive,
I guess it’s down to it being on the shady side but there’s an abundance of
classic routes to check out. Moving on to an area that throws up a different
style of climbing and aesthetic value. I’m talking about the super popular
Stoney Middelton Dale and especially the plethora of sport climbing venues
in the dale. Not only the well-liked Horseshoe Quarry but a bunch of new
developments to provide the greatest concentration of low to mid-grade
sport climbs in the Peak District. We spill the beans on what’s been
happening and reporting on some of these for the very first time.
A cliff that always impresses with its big lines and soaring routes is
Nesscliffe in Shropshire. Whilst not a crag for anyone given the grade of
the routes – mainly in the extremes – just walking along the base of the crag
when the evening sun is low in the sky and the place glows red in it’s warm
light, it is a sight to behold and worth just popping in for a look even if the
climbing is too tough. You will be inspired. This brings us back full circle to
where we started with Steve McClure climbing F9b; that’s inspiration.
Until next time.
David
THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS
Nick Dixon
A legend, Nick’s been about a while having climbed E8 every
year since 1986 and responsible for a few tricky E9 ascents
including Gribin Wall Climb and Indian Face, and last year
made the 2nd ascent of The Great Escape (E8). This year
amongst others he’s soloed Marrowbone Jelly and can be regularly found
moving sideways at Nesscliffe or hauling himself up scary French Alpine cliffs.
Mark Reeves
Mark is an active climber and author. He is based in North Wales
where he runs a small business coaching climbing through
snowdoniamountainguides.com He has a particular passion
for North Wales trad climbing, especially the sea cliffs of Gogarth.
Mike Hutton
Mike’s passion for photography began in 2001 on a 4,000 mile
solo cycle trip from Gibraltar to North Cape. Since then he’s
focused on worldwide climbing photography. Mike has over
1,000 photo credits to his name and currently divides his time
between photography, writing and lecturing. www.mikehuttonphotography.com
Keith Sharples
Keith is passionate about photography, climbing and the
outdoor adventures which he’s ‘enjoyed’ now for well over
40 years. A long-time resident in Sheffield, Keith has climbed
extensively in the Peak and Pennines as well as the rest of
the UK and Europe and beyond. His written and photographic work has
been published extensively in both the specialist and the general press.
THE TEAM Editor: David Simmonite – Editorial email: climbereditorial@gmail.com
Training: Tom Randall and Ollie Torr
Gear: Bruce Goodlad, Kate Scott, Keith Sharples
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24

contents
News
6: News
UK’s first F9b by McClure, British Bouldering Comp report, News round-up.
competition
21: WIN 1 of 3 Sea to Summit Insulated UltraLight Mat’s worth £105 each.
38
Exposed
14: Stunning image from the USA
Destinations | Crags | Features
24: Dinas Mot – Welsh trad
Mark Reeves celebrates one of the best easily accessible mountain crags in the UK.
38: Nesscliffe – Big routes and big lines
Legendary climber Nick Dixon praises this stunning sandstone crag in Shropshire.
54: Welcome to Stoney Sport
New developments and old classics in Stoney Middleton Dale, Peak District’s
highest concentration of mid-grade sport climbs.
interview
32: Steve McClure
Talking about life and the UK’s first F9b, Rainman.
Bouldering
44: Torrridon Blocs
Mike Hutton visits this wonderful area in north-west Scotland.
Training & Skills
64: The Climber’s Coach
How to perfect your power endurance.
Gear
68: Bumper review – Lightweight bivvy and camping kit
A look at lightweight bivvy bags, sleeping mats, sleeping bags and tents for those
off the beaten track trips.
54
32 44
Regulars
16: UK Classics
The Skull (E4 6a), Diffwys Ddu (Cyrn Las), North Wales.
18: The Climber’s Voice
Looking for the key by Wil Treasure.
22: Ascent of Man
Everest – Hillary and Tenzing.
50: James Pearson and Caroline Ciavaldini
Caroline talks about injuries and mind.
62: Book Reviews
Spain’s best-kept secret: El Desfiladero de la Hermida guidebook review.
78: BMC Update
The latest news from the British Mountaineering Council.
82: Mountaineering Legends
Toni Egger.
Front Cover: Paul Harrison on the upper wall of Private Prosecutions (F6c), Horseshoe Quarry, Derbyshire.
Photo: David Simmonite

Steve McClure on one of his many
attempts at Rainman (F9b) at Malham,
Yorkshire before success came.
6 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

headlines
McClure
climbs UK’s
first F9b
Report and photography by Keith Sharples
After years of attempts, countless readjustments and tiny
tweaks here and there, endless tactical analysis, countless
training sessions and a month or so of near-misses of the ‘last
hard moves’ Steve McClure finally completed his mega Malham
project to give the UK its hardest route yet at F9b.
Steve’s success is richly deserved. Having hit the limelight in
1998 with his Raven Tor route, Mutation (F9a) and still unrepeated,
Steve has spent the last two decades at the top of UK sport climbing.
Famously restrained with his grades Steve said: “I’m grading it F9b.
It’s taken me longer to do than Overshadow and I think it’s harder
so I’m going with F9b.”
It’s the culmination of several years of effort and crowns his
C
glittering climbing career. Steve, now aged 46, is the oldest climber
M
ever to have climbed this grade and it puts him firmly back into the
top pecking order of the world’s sport climbing elite.
Y
Steve’s association with the central and overhanging lower tier of
CM
Malham dates back to 2003 and his first ascent of Rain Shadow, then
the UK’s fourth F9a – fifth now taking Hubble as F9a. Neil Carson’s Big MY
Bang (1996) and Steve’s own Mutation (1998) and Northern Lights (2000)
CY
being the earlier F9a routes. Steve has metaphorically written his
CMY
name across the central section of Malham, firstly Rain Shadow, then
Bat Shadow (F8c+ in 2010) and then Batman (F9a in 2013) followed.
K
Steve’s attempts on Rainman started in 2010. After three years of
attempts and looking for some success, he switched starts and used
Bat Route to approach the headwall. Batman was the resultant F9a.
Since then Steve has been starting his long term project via Rain
Shadow and it is that line that he’s now completed to give Rainman.
The grade breakdown is eye-watering; Raindogs (sans chain grab)
is F8a+. From there, the Rain Shadow bulge is hard Font 8a. Past
there, and with a F8c+ completed, there’s a skanky and contorted
kneebar shake-out. Above lie a series of back-to-back boulder
problems. Places to clip are limited – shake-outs or rests are entirely
absent – until established back in Bat Route. The upper section is also
F8c+ in its own right. The whole thing then is two F8c+s on top of
each other with only the marginal shake-out in the kneebar to get
any semblance of recovery. Power and power endurance are tested
to the max plus aerobic fitness.
On the day he was successful Steve wasn’t confident of climbing it
and texted his mates in Sheffield that he was bust; surely not – machines
don’t break? A couple of hours later – after a walk over the top
of the Malham – he had ‘one more go’ and it was done. The UK had
its first F9b! Steve said: “I had to scrap my way up it in the end; it was
exceptionally close.” Back in 1998 after the first ascent of Mutation he
said a butterfly flapped its wings and that kept him on. Nature nearly
took the opposite tack on Sunday when, having fought through all
the last ‘won’t fall of those moves’, Steve finally made it through to
the contorted rest, duly shook out and set off up Bat Route to
complete the job. Steve explains what nearly happened: “I was doing
the very final moves at the top – it’s about 4b – and a bird flew past
me and nearly knocked me off.”
There’s a full interview with Steve about Rainman and climbing in
general that can be found on page 32 in this issue. n

news round-up
You can read all the latest news on the
Climber website at www.climber.co.uk/news
Honnold goes big with
Freerider solo
Alex Honnold
BIG news from the USA was Alex
Honnold soloing FreeRider (5.13a) in
Yosemite Valley. Clearly It’s the first time
anyone has soloed a route on El Capitan
and if anyone was ever going to do
something as audacious as this it was
going to be Honnold.
Honnold first stepped into the
climbing spotlight big-time back in 2008
with free-solos of Half Dome and
Moonlight Buttress in Yosemite and Zion.
Over the years there has been a number
of climbers committed to soloing bigger
and harder routes; John Bachar from the
70s, Pete Croft in the 80s and more
recently, Dean Potter. Each making their
mark in climbing folklore.
Honnold’s free solo of Half Dome and
Moonlight Buttress however redefined
what was possible by a solo climber
operating at the top of his game.
Honnold’s co-written autobiography
Alone on the Wall published in 2015,
explained how he got into soloing: “I was
too shy to go up to strangers at a crag
and ask if they’d like to rope up with me.”
Honnold charts his development in Alone
on the Wall: “In 2005 and 2006, I did tons
of routes at Joshua Tree, on the granite
boulders and pinnacles in the desert east
of Los Angles. I developed a voracious
appetite for soloing. I’d do as many as fifty
pitches in a day, mostly on short routes
up to 5.10.” By 2007 he had replicated
Peter Croft’s 1987 solo achievements by
soloing The Rostrum and Astroman in a
day. A year later Honnold soloed both Half
Dome and Moonlight Buttress.
Mark Synott, writing for National
Geographic, confirms that Honnold had
been planning a solo of Freerider for
some time. Only Honnold’s closest
climbing friends knew about his
long-held dream of free soloing El Cap
and they were sworn to strict secrecy.
Honnold’s preparation was meticulous
and part of this was a super-fast ascent
of Freerider with Tommy Caldwell. The
pair topped-out in just over five and a
half hours – the fastest ever. Caldwell
reported back: “Alex was on fire.”
Many climbers are similarly highly-developed
and superbly fit; none however
have Honnold’s mental control. In Alone
on the Wall Honnold quips about dying
when asked about being afraid by a
12-year old: “We’ve all gotta die
sometime. You might as well go big”
was his reply. Aside from that, Honnold’s
mental game is renowned for being
massively strong. It is this ability to
control his fear levels which allows
Honnold to excel whilst free soloing.
His ascent of the 30-pitch, 3,000 foot
climb Freerider raises the bar so far it’s
hard to see what might come next as
Peter Croft says: “It was always the
obvious next step. But after this, I really
don’t see what’s next. This is the big
classic jump.”
Coxsey retains World Cup title
In a dazzling display of power and
purpose Shauna Coxsey took her
eleventh career gold in Mumbai, India
to give her an unassailable lead and the
2017 IFSC World Cup Bouldering title –
her second in as many years.
Shauna Coxsey was dominant in
this round and come the final, Shauna
looked as cool as a cucumber. Shauna
duly completed all four final blocs – the
only athlete to do so in Mumbai – in a
total of 11 attempts. Shauna’s 11th gold
gave her another 100 points which put
her in an unassailable position on 535
points and hence the 2017 IFSC World
Cup Bouldering title. What makes it
even more impressive is that Shauna
had major shoulder surgery after
winning her first title. 6
Coxsey taking her 11th gold
and IFSC World Cup title.
Photo: IFSC
8 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

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news round-up
You can read all the latest news on the
Climber website at www.climber.co.uk/news
Barbara Zangerl on The Big
Issue (E9 6c). Photo: Jacopo
Larcher
Barbara Zangerl in Pembroke
trad-fest
Austrian all-rounder, Barbara Zangerl,
was in Britain recently mopping-up an
impressive number of E8 and E9s in
Pembroke including The Big Issue and
Muy Caliente.
Barbara was originally known as a
boulderer; in 2008 she climbed Font
8a+/b when she did Pura Vida. However,
a back problem pushed her into climbing
routes and by 2011 she added the
Vorarlberg (Austria) test-pieces,
Reifeprüfung (F8b+) and Erntezeit (F8c), to
her CV. Since then she’s done numerous
hard routes with sport routes to F8c/+,
Alpine multi-pitch routes – including
Silbergeier (F8b+) – and desperate trad
climbs such as Prinzip Hoffnung (E9/10).
Last year Barbara repeated both Dalriada
(E7 6b) and Requiem (E8 6c) and what is
thought to be the second ascent of
Achemine (E9 6c) in Scotland. In April
this year Barbara climbed Gondo Crack in
Switzerland, a trad F8c.
Barbara arrived in Pembroke in late
June and within days had climbed
Chupacabra (E8/9 6c) and Do you know
where your Children are? (E8 6c). Then,
using beta from her partner Jacopo
Larcher, she flashed Point Blank (E8 6c).
The team then spent a few frustrating
bad weather in North Wales before
returning to Pembroke. Barbara’s second
stint here was also productive climbing
Muy Caliente (E9 6c) and then The Big
Issue (E9 6c).
Barbara seemed especially pleased
with her ascents in Pembroke and of The
Big Issue judging by her comments on
social media: “I am totally impressed of
this place. That was one of our best trad
climbing trips so far. Every route was
simply outstanding! Yesterday I had such
a big fight through Big Issue (E9 6c), with
bad conditions.... I really don’t know
how I made it to the top! More luck than
anything else.”
Feehally flashes Font 8b+
News from the bouldering world is that
Ned Feehally has flashed Trust Issues
(Font 8b+) at The Realm, in Rocklands,
South Africa. It ranks as one of the
hardest flashes, alongside that of Adam
Ondra’s with Jade and Gecko Assis, Jimmy
Webb with The Globalist and Daniel
Woods flashing Entling.
Trust issues was first climbed by Nalle
Hukkataival just a couple of weeks
before in this new area at Rocklands and
climbs a beautiful leaning sandstone
wall. Alex Megos who watched the
ascent said: “That was very impressive to
watch! That fella knows how to use his
heels and lock down to his hips.” An
impressive feat by Feehally who also
snagged an ascent of Amandla (Font
8b+), said to be one of the finest hard
problems in the world.
Elsewhere in Rocklands, Eliot
Stephens broke into the Font 8b+ grade
with an ascent of Golden Shadow that
climbs out of a 45 degree wall on good
crimps with awkward positions and
movements between them. Eliot
remarked: “I spent a few short sessions
just trying to reach holds off the heel toe
cam, but eventually just realised that I’d
have to do my own thing. It then took
another two sessions to link.”
Ned Feehally flashing Trust Issues (Font 8b+).
Photo: Alex Megos
Limestone news
Pete Dawson recently ticked two
noteworthy repeats with True North (F8c)
at Kilnsey, Yorkshire and the third ascent
of Brian (F8c+) at Anstey’s Cove, Devon.
Brian links two existing routes, Poppy
(F8b+) and Tuppence Ha’penny (also
F8b+) and was first done by Ken Palmer
at F8c but upgraded when it was
repeated by Ellis Butler Barker. Before
that the 19 year old made a super-fast
ascent with a first go red-point of True
North. He commented: “I was blown
away by the climbing. Inspired I gave it
my all and somehow finished at the
chains!”
At Raven Tor in the Peak District, Will
Bosi made a fast repeat of Jerry Moffatt’s
Evolution (F8c+) climbing it on only his
third attempt.
Jordan Buys repeated Steve McClure’s
Bat Shadow (F8c+) at Malham. By all
accounts, it’s the second ascent as well.
Back in 2013 he repeated Rainshadow
(F9a) making him one of the then few
climbers to have made it into the super
grades. Jordan nearly did Bat Shadow
just after Rainshadow but it’s taken a
bit longer as Jordan explains: “Well I
got close in 2013, a few months after
doing Rainshadow. In fact it nearly
was a mega-day – early afternoon I did
Dalliance (F8b+) at Kilnsey. Then drove
round to Malham in the evening and
fell off with my hand on the hold that
marks the end of the difficulties.” Fast
forward to 2017 and: “I went on it early
in the year as a reason to get fit. Having
had a bit of disaster following a training
plan that just did not work, I felt like
I was starting from scratch. I was
barely able to do any links, I was heavy
and getting burnt off by everyone. It was
nice to be able to train myself up again
and work out what is best for me
to peak.”
McHaffie – The Cumbrian
Face
James McHaffie plugged a major gap on
Clogwyn Du’r Arddu (Cloggy) with The
Cumbrian Face (E8 7a). The route didn’t
go down without something of a struggle
however and he referred to it has an
‘emotional affair’ on social media.
He’d previously tried the line in late
May but wasn’t successful and had to
lower off a sky-hook. Not easily deterred
he returned at a time when conditions
had been hot and sweaty in North
Wales; hardly conducive to hard
climbing and perhaps not surprisingly
things still don’t go swimmingly well.
However, McHaffie got the lead on his
third attempt. n
10 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

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headlines
BBC
2017
Back to the future as Leah Crane and
Tyler Landman take the titles in the
2017 British Bouldering Championships
at Cliffhanger, Sheffield.
Report and photography by Keith Sharples
Early July signalled a return of the Cliffhanger
festival to Sheffield along with
the eagerly awaited British Bouldering
Championships being the highlight for
spectators – climbers and non-climbers
alike who soaked up the rays and the
vibe. The competition was looking stiff
given that for the second year running
Shauna Coxsey had already sealed
the 2017 IFSC World Cup Bouldering
crown and renowned strongman Will
Bosi had just dispatched a very rare
(third go) repeat of Evolution (F8c+) at
Raven Tor plus achieving a third place
in the European Lead Championships
during his preparation for the BBC.
Other seasoned World Cup campaigners,
including Leah Crane, Tyler
Landman and Dave Barrans were
all prowling in the wings, as was the
2016 men’s champion Matt Cousins.
Then, almost at the 11th hour and as the
final screws were being added to the
temporary bouldering wall in Devonshire
Green, Shauna Coxsey confirmed that
she would not be competing leaving the
field wide open in the women’s event.
Past champions, Leah Crane and Matt
Cousins, were now arguably the favourites
to win and got safely through the
qualification round along with all the big
guns. The semi-finals on Sunday, however,
saw some wonderful performances and
some big upsets in equal measure. In the
women’s event Charlotte Garden and
Molly Thompson-Smith both looked
super strong and edged Leah Crane
into third. In the men’s event, veteran
competitor Dave Barrans, ex-champ Matt
Cousins, Nathan Phillips and Jim Pope all
finished with four tops from four attempts
with Tyler Landman held down in fifth.
8 The men’s winner Tyler Landman topped all four problems to beat off stiff competition.
4 Leah Crane on her way to third BBC title after her victories back in 2009 and 2010.
6 Defending champion, Matt Cousins, could only finish fourth.
12 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

Billy Ridal, Will Bosi and Orrin Coley all battled in vain with the
slopers but fell short of the cut-off for the finals. Slovenian climber
Anže Peharc snatched the sixth and final place in the finals.
When the finals got underway late in the afternoon the blazing
heat had pumped temperatures on the competition wall further –
so much so that the competitors’ hearts must have sunk through
the soles of their shoes as volumes (and thus a lack of positive
holds) once again played a major part in the blocs. That said, the
huge crowd were soon cheering as the tops started to rack up for
Leah Crane. Despite some particularly valiant efforts from the
talented youngsters, such as Holly Toothill and Kitty Morrison as
well as Molly Thompson-Smith, Leah Crane remained cool under
pressure and soon headed the field going on to top all four blocs
and take a convincing win. It was Leah’s third BBC title after her
victories back in 2009 and 2010. Hannah Slaney and Molly
Thompson-Smith joined her on the podium in second and third
with four and three tops respectively in nine attempts each.
The order of the men’s event soon started to switch from
the semi-finals as Tyler Landman began to pull away from the
field with some especially determined climbing. In the end he
topped all four blocs in eight attempts, some six attempts ahead
of Slovenian Anže Peharc who came in second. Nathan Phillips,
with three top-outs in five attempts, edged last year’s winner Matt
Cousins off the podium whilst Dave Barrans and Jim Pope finished
in fifth and sixth. n
RESULTS
Men
1. Tyler Landman
2. Anže Peharc
3. Nathan Phillips
4. Matt Cousins
5. Dave Barrans
6. Jim Pope
Women
1. Leah Crane
2. Hannah Slaney
3. Molly Thompson-Smith
4. Holly Toothill
5. Charlotte Garden
6. Kitty Morrison
A focused Charlotte Garden
put in a strong performance
to finish fifth overall.

Exposed
Sasha DiGiulian climbing Peace (5.13c/d) on Medlicott
Dome in Tuolumne Meadows, USA. One of the hardest
climbs in Tuolumne, this technical two pitch route was
first climbed by Ron Kauk and Chris Falkenstein back
in 1995. It climbs a narrow black streak right
of another classic, the Bachar-Yerian route.
Photo: Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
14 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 15

uk classics
The Skull E4 6a
Diffwys Ddu (Cyrn Las) North Wales
A Welsh mountain classic by Keith Sharples
ROUTE LOCATION FIRST ASCENT
The Skull (E4 4a, 4b, 5c, 6a, 5c) Diffwys Ddu (Cyrn Las), North Wales M Boysen, A Williams, J Jordan 1966
with aid. FFA: R Evans, H Pasquill 1974
Paul Reeves leading the rightward hanging groove line
on the fifth pitch of The Skull (E4 4a, 4b, 5c, 6a, 5c) on
Cyrn Las, Llanberis Pass. Photo: Keith Sharples
Seen from the Ynys Ettws, The Climbers’ Club
hut in Llanberis Pass, Diffwys Ddu looms high
on the mountainside above Cwm Glas. Early
climbers, for reasons unknown, nicknamed the
crag Cyrn Las – a name which it has retained
ever since. Viewed through the murkiness of
inclement weather, Cyrn Las has a threatening
presence; an appearance that it fails to lose
even in bright early morning sunlight when
crags usually have a friendly persona. Paradoxically,
early morning sunlight gifts Cyrn Las an
even more ominous appearance as deep
shadows appear high on the headwall creating
what appear to be pair of deeply sunken eye
sockets. Seen through the furtive imagination
of someone about to climb The Skull, it’s easy
to imagine some monster peering out keeping
a check on those below.
Incredibly, it’s 51 years since Martin Boysen
did the first ascent of The Skull. According to the
guidebook he used six points of aid; this was
eliminated in 1974 by Ray Evans and Hank Pasquill.
Save for a passing mention in the final chapter,
Boysen barely even mentions his ascent of The
Skull in his own autobiography, Hanging On,
‘I loved our days on Dinas Mot, and climbing
The Skull on the overhanging prow of Cryn Las
with Jud Jordan’. Hardly a big sell for one of the best
mountain E4s in the country. But given Boysen’s
climbing CV which is rammed with diamonds from
the Alps to the Himalaya, perhaps we can forgive
him for glossing over The Skull. Boysen was equally
self-deprecating when David Jones asked him about
doing first ascents when he interviewed him for
The Power of Climbing, ‘I’ve tended to pick off the
odd first ascent here and there if it’s come fairly
easily…’ Well pick up a Welsh guidebook and
fact check that some time and you find Boysen’s
name crops up repeatedly around that era mixing
it up with the leading rock stars of the day. Make
no mistake, however, The Skull is a Welsh
diamond from one of the top climbers of his day.
A particularly hot spell of weather in late May
this year seemed the perfect opportunity to address
the wrong that I’d woefully allowed to gather
momentum; namely that I’d not climbed on Cyrn
Las, let alone done The Skull. This, despite having
both on my list of ‘must do’s’ since the early 80s.
Like refugees from a boiling cauldron, Paul and
I typically run away from the white heat of
Malham whenever it becomes too hot. Bent
on picking off classic mountain trad routes if
possible; we are nothing but Extreme Rock
whores. And that was exactly what presented the
biggest challenge of all, would The Skull be too
big a challenge for a pair of sport climbers – one
of whom (the writer) hadn’t placed a nut in anger
in two years. A simplistic solution – yet one
which we hoped had some merit – was that we’d
call into New Mills Tor on the drive over to The
Pass from Sheffield and get into the trad groove.
And that we did, successfully negotiating some
of New Mills’ finest before we headed off west.
It was hardly the ideal prep for a multi-pitch
mountain but that was our only option.
Cometh the morning, the sun duly shone,
it was truly glorious in The Pass. There was no
backing out now, but at least we couldn’t have
asked for better weather. For 45 minutes or so
walking in I imagined the Cyrn Las monster
keeping tabs on us as we approached. The
walk-in and easy approach scramble finally
completed we geared up beneath the crag. In
truth, the first two pitches were pretty scrappy,
they detracted rather than added to the route.
Taking an obvious shortcut we were soon on the
second stance and below all difficulties. By some
fluke I’d finished up with the lead of the first hard
pitch; a short but reputedly tough little crack. I’ve
always liked the security of climbing cracks, the
lure of decent gear proving overwhelmingly
irresistible. Strangely, I always seem to forget
that hard cracks are typically pumpy affairs, a fact
I was reminded of as soon as I got to grips with
it. A couple of good cams and a swift move or
two and the pitch was as good as over. The
climbing hadn’t been as exacting as I’d imagined
it might but that pitch has wreaked considerable
pain and grief in the past for one climber at least,
a large loose flake dislodged under his weight
and fell to the screes below taking the majority of
his fingers from one hand with it. I had been well
aware of this gruesome incident but hadn’t
appreciated until later that it was exactly 20 years
to that very day of our ascent that the accident
had happened. It’s a sobering reminder that rock
on mountain routes isn’t always to be trusted.
Meanwhile back at the belay, I had an
excellent view, rather too good, in fact, of the
fourth pitch. Hanging over the by now gathering
void, the way ahead took a hanging arête on
what appeared the very edge of nowhere.
Honestly, I was more than happy that it was
Paul’s lead. It was, just as Nick Bullock had said
to us earlier that morning in the car park, short
but pokey with hard-won gear and decent if
sharp holds. The yawning void beneath was
completely ignored by Paul – probably the best
approach in reality. Seconding it was a joy;
pulling on holds and ripping gear out as fast
as possible, and what exposure. And yes, the
loose-looking flake does take bodyweight.
The stance above was really quite resplendent,
a good flake, some excellent mid-sized cams and
an even better view of The Pass by now falling
away beneath us. Paul had his eye in by now and
was soon ensconced in the rightward hanging
groove line that was the meat of the fifth and final
pitch. His rapid and exuberant progress soon came
to an abrupt halt, however, progress thereafter
seemed slow – a classic two moves up and one
move back shuffle. How hard could it be I mused?
All too soon I got the perfect opportunity to find
out. Graham Hoey, a good friend, had tipped me
the nod that the final pitch involved wide bridging
so I rather smugly set off to show it who was the
boss. I can generally bridge as well as the next
climber but the crucial section of that top pitch
is more than bridging, not least because there’s
only two footholds in the entire length of the final
groove. Think 3D though and look behind you and
when in doubt squirm a lot as well. Fortunately,
for Paul it was well-protected; fortunately for me
I was seconding and my eyesight is now that bad
I couldn’t see the humongous drop beneath me.
Long story short, it’s a fantastic route, without
a doubt one of the great Welsh mountain classics.
I’m sure it would have felt easier had we been
more in the trad groove but in all honesty we
couldn’t tell the pitches apart – they all felt like
6a rather than the 5c, 6a, 5c that the guide has
historically given them. And if Nick Bullock
figures they’re all worth 6a, I for one won’t
disagree with him. n
16 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 17

THE CLIMBER’S VOICE
Looking
for the key By Wil Treasure
I first heard of Sardine and Raven Tor when I was a teenager working in
a gear shop. It was a cushy job. Once the floor was vacuumed and new
stock put on shelves I had little to do but read magazines and guidebooks,
while my boss made the rounds catching up on high street gossip.
Wil Treasure pulling hard on
Sardine (F7b+) at Raven Tor.
Photo: David Simmonite
One feature which always caught my eye
was Steve McClure’s ‘Magic Grades’ series
in On the Edge magazine. He started
out fairly easy; E1, E3 – these were things
which seemed attainable to an eager
18-year old who had managed to kick
his way up a few low E-grades already.
I was totally inspired by trad climbing.
My bedroom wall was covered with posters
– Leo Houlding on his early attempts
on The Prophet and John Redhead on
an attempt at the Tormented Ejaculation
were my favourites. These climbs were
hard and bold. I felt like if I climbed
dangerous, bold routes I would gain
respect. I wanted to climb long routes,
to experience the uncertainties involved,
to deal with the fear and to be out in the
mountains. I dreamed of the deep sense
of satisfaction, release and calm that
comes with the total concentration needed
to complete a bold route.
When Steve got into the sport grades
I paid less attention. Sport climbing is
for sissies, right? I never really thought
it was something I would get into – the
sport routes near me were either crap
or way too hard, I just couldn’t see the
appeal. What didn’t help was that he
started at F7b+. This was a world away.
I knew of people who’d climbed hard
routes, but didn’t know them personally.
I didn’t know anyone who sport climbed
regularly. Climbing down in the Wye
Valley gave the impression that even
venturing onto E2s was pretty ballsy.
I never saw anyone on the harder routes,
sport or trad. I just assumed only rock
gods climbed those grades.
When Steve wrote of his first experience
of a F7b+ I read it, but it didn’t
really register as an ambition. ‘Climbing
at this level is completely different from
climbing at say, French 6a’ he wrote.
‘Hard training is required. Campusing,
dead hangs, weighted pull-ups, running,
early nights, cake abstinence and general
hard work are all essential, or at least
a few of these anyway. Motivation and
dedication are key’.
This didn’t tick many of the boxes
for me. I like cake and the bakery was
just across the road. They used to make
these diabetes-inducing sugar lumps
called ‘Aunt Bessies’, constructed from
crushed digestive biscuits amongst other
things. They probably held my climbing
back more than any other factor, but
I was never keen for training either.
Perhaps if he’d said climbing F7b+ was
easy I might’ve tried, but for now it felt
like something I would be neither fit
enough nor motivated enough to achieve.
I consoled myself with the knowledge
that sport climbing is for sissies.
I’d never had a
sustained period of
climbing to gain the
fitness I needed
Fast forward four and half years and
I’m stood at the foot of Raven Tor. I’ve
been dragged here in the rain by Duncan.
He knows I’m too weak to get up
anything, but it’s the only place that’s dry.
He warms up by climbing Sardine (F7b+).
Three minutes later he’s back on the floor.
I stand in amazement – I’d never seen
anyone climb that grade, let alone as a
warm-up. I was also confused, Duncan is
strong, but he’s not that strong. That day I
had a go on a top rope and was surprised
to find I could do most of the moves, albeit
no more than three at a time before sitting
on the rope, but suddenly I had a goal.
As it happens, Sardine was Steve
McClure’s first taste of the grade in the
UK too. After biking to Raven Tor from
Sheffield he was underwhelmed, having
just returned from Verdon in France:
‘Still, at least the route I fancied looked
like a piece of piss. Sardine, E6 6b, or
F7b+ in fancy grades, appeared to be an
easy wall with jugs all over it. Surely this
was the easiest E6 in the world! And
there were bolts too, perhaps I would
like this crag after all’.
However, Steve’s attempts weren’t
much more successful than mine: ‘Ten
foot higher and after a traverse out left
the relationship between the size of the
holds and my pumped arms was all
wrong’. Steve lobbed onto the first bolt,
which he’d hung with a wire since the
hanger was missing. Feeling deflated he
dogged his way to the top and went
home, vowing never to return. He did, of
course, adding his own far harder routes.
By chance, on my first day at the Tor,
Steve was there too. He was working a
line that cut through the traverse of
Rooster Booster, creating a new F8c. He
cruised up his line, warmed down on a
F8a and when I next turned round he was
dangling upside down in a tree doing
sit-ups. All this while I was dangling
uselessly from the second bolt of Sardine,
trying to remember how exactly I had
managed the crux move before. Watching
Steve I wondered if I really had the
motivation to climb this route.
Two years on I was back again.
Sardine had received intermittent
attention, but completing my final year
of university and then starting an MA
took over from getting fit. Despite
returning I’d never had a sustained
period of climbing to gain the fitness
I needed for this route and I really had
no idea about redpointing tactics. 6
18 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 19

Wil Treasure on the moves back
right on Sardine (F7b+), Raven
Tor. Photo: David Simmonite
The six weeks after my final exam had
changed that and I was ready for a
serious attempt.
Pulling onto the initial polished and
dusty holds sets my heart racing, normally
this is just nervousness, being in front of
a crowd of far stronger climbers, but today
it is fear of failure. Of failing on a goal that
I now know is within my grasp. But there
is also a bubble of excitement battering
for release from my chest. This is a
milestone. The absent daydream I never
thought would actually be achieved.
I slide my way into the first jug, crossing
through to push my fingers into the next
slot and start the traverse. Feet swing
free and are planted with careful concern
onto footholds which spit the unwary off
without a second thought. Stretching
across I feel my toes slide as I press each
fingertip into the next edge. I match and
bring my foot back to push through the
next move, a throw. I hang in the air in
slow motion as I watch my hand onto
the next hold, positive and comforting.
One more move and I’m on the jug.
I shake the aches from my arms and
press on, the holds here are flat and useful,
but the wall is steep and I can’t hang
around. With fingers wrapped around the
largest, highest edge I begin the traverse
back right. The first traverse is all about
finger strength and body tension, but this
one is about footwork and balance.
I hum my way through the moves.
Right foot, left foot. I reach for the
undercut. It feels good – body position is
important here. Clip. A reach for the small,
insecure pinch for my left hand causes a
flutter. Breathing deeply I shuffle my right
hand to the two finger edge I need to
hold my balance. Left foot, right foot. I’m
set. The next move will land me on the
jug, but I’m frozen. I have to bounce into
it, sinking my fingers into the pocket. I’m
excited – that’s the hardest climbing over
– but I’m barely halfway and I try hard
not to burst the bubble of concentration
that has got me this far.
My forearms are tired and with each
move I try to shake life into them. I know
the holds up here. Each has its own
character. The two-finger pocket, the
sloping edge and my favourite, the
incut, two-hand crimp. From this crimp
I attempt a recovery. It’s too late for that
but the distraction is enough as I force
my fingers into the crack above. A quick
foot-shuffle and I can grasp the sidepull.
Pushing my weight across I kick out,
searching for one of the small concretions
to take the weight from my arms.
On fading arms I pull through the
most worrying part. The finish involves
a hollow section of rock and far from
being concerned I will fall, I am worried
I will alter this route, with my tired arms
lunging at the delicate rock. I try to calm
myself to make the reach, pushing my
weight into my feet as I dare to trust the
edge. Two moves and I make one last
pull to the sanctuary of the finishing jug
and clip the belay. It’s over.
Sardine is the crag warm-up, but I feel
cold. I don’t feel the elation I hoped for
from clipping the chains. I feel as hollow
as the flakes that taunted my aching
arms at the finish. My absent daydream
is no more than that; the moment is lived
out, the world is the same.
Alan Bennett said life is like a tin of
sardines – we’re all looking for the key.
In my case sport climbing has become
about the process and not the completion.
Ticking a route simply means you
have to start another and the process
begins again. The excitement comes
from making the impossible possible,
not from proving that fact. It’s appropriate
that Sardine is the warm-up.
As I glance at the overhangs to my
left I wonder what the next hollow goal
will be? n
20 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

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www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 21

ASCENT OF MAN By Mark Reeves
Everest – Hillary
and Tenzing
Whilst we have already talked about the first
forays on Everest, as we go through our rather
ragged timeline we arrive around the 1950s
and the highest point on Earth is still unclimbed.
It still represented the third pole and
after a hiatus due to political regime change in
the area it was still a prize and in the immediate
aftermath of the war it would be a great
political statement for the first country to lead
a successful expedition.
The lessons of altitude had been learnt already
and whilst George Finch’s oxygen system had been
seen as cheating by Mallory they were now accepted
practice. This and a steady rise in technology
due to the rapid wartime development of equipment
made from the lighter and more thermally
efficient nylon/plastic based products meant that
a climber could wear lighter and warmer
clothing. Everest would still not be a walk in the
park but it must have shortened the odds.
So much so that in 1953 The Alpine Club and
The Royal Geographic Society recruited the best
Himalayan mountaineers. Nearly all took on dual
roles with medics, photographers, physiologist
and filmmakers. The expedition was led by John
Hunt, which surprised many people as the great
explorer Eric Shipton had found the southern
approach in 1951, he must have been devastated
to have been left out of this full blown assault
on the mountain. Although, to be fair, Shipton
was not really into large scale expeditions and
probably wasn’t the image of a leader they would
want to be portrayed in the media if they were
successful, with Shipton being a more gritty and
practical sergeant rather than an officer. There
were, however, at least two remnants of Shipton’s
reconnaissance: Edmund Hillary and Tenzing
Norgay. Given their importance on history it is
interesting how the Kiwi and Tenzing ended up
on that original expedition.
Two days before Shipton departed in 1951 he
had a letter from the president of the New Zealand
Alpine Club, then a member, of course, of the
British Commonwealth, asking if Hillary and
George Lowe could join his expedition. Whilst he
was dubious as he lacked the funding, Shipton
would change his mind after he remembered the
unstuffy cheerfulness of a Kiwi on a previous trip.
The fact that they were already in the Himalaya
and acclimatised after making six first ascents
probably added to their value.
Shipton in his book the The Untravelled World
also recounts how Sherpa Tenzing came to be on
the expedition:
Edmund Hillary in 1953
‘... another prophetic incident. From a
hundred applicants, we chose fifteen
Sherpas to accompany the expedition
from Darjeeling... there was one
Tibetan lad of nineteen, a newcomer,
chosen largely because of his attractive
grin. His name was Tensing Norkay.’
22 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

Tenzing Norgay proved to be a talented climbing
Sherpa who went on to reach a high point of
around 8,000m with the 1952 Swiss Everest
expedition the following year. Whimsical or not,
Shipton’s judgement resulted in Hillary and
Tenzing being given the opportunity to gain
experience of the approach, which must have
made their selection for John Hunt’s ultimately
successful 1953 expedition largely a foregone
conclusion.
It all ended at 11.30am on the 29th May 1953,
when Tenzing and Hillary made it to the summit.
It would be The Times, who part sponsored the
expedition and who had put in place a bizarre
coded message system to keep the news to
themselves as it travelled back to the UK over
land and wireless. The news arrived back in
London on the morning of 2nd June, hours before
Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, quite literally
helping to crown her glory and that of the
Commonwealth. Hunt and Hillary returning to
Kathmandu found that they had been knighted.
It would take another three years for the
second ascent and then as time passed the
ascents got closer and closer together. In part
because the ‘impossible’ factor had been
removed but the other side of this coin was the
greater understanding and appreciation of
altitude. New and harder routes were climbed but
possibly the last great first on Everest would have
to wait until 8th May 1978 when Reinhold
Messner and Peter Habeler stood on the summit
of Everest having used no aids to combat
altitude, in particular without supplemental
oxygen, a feat that has seen few people repeat.
Technology and our understanding of altitude
have developed so much in the last 20 years that
now virtually anyone with a good fitness and
a large enough cheque book can stand on the
roof of the world. Often fuelled by Diamox,
various steroidal treatments against high altitude
pulmonary and cerebral odema and, of course,
as much oxygen as they can suck. Add in a
guide pushing and a Sherpa pulling and what
was once a coveted first ascent that defined a
generation of mountaineers is now little more
than an guided ascent. Whilst on the one hand
this may seem tragic that the mountain has
been lost to commercialism, it is also amazing
that we have managed to almost tame Everest.
The success of the 1953 Everest Expedition
raised the profile of mountaineering worldwide.
It was one of the major events of the decade.
Snowdonia had also recently been declared a
National Park for all to enjoy. Greater numbers
of people than ever before responded by showing
an interest in the outdoors, sparked at least in
part by a ‘Victory’ tour of the UK which included
Tenzing Norgay who, on visiting the Pen y Gwryd
Hotel close to Snowdon, to see where the British
members of the team had trained he gazed up
at the mountain for a while. His companions
thought he was comparing its size to that of
Everest and trying to frame a tactful comment.
But, accustomed only to the scale of peaks at
home, Tenzing asked how many days the climb
would take.
The increase in the number of people
participating in mountaineering and rockclimbing
was boosted by the popularity of
the firmly established Outward Bound movement
and the growing number of outdoor
centres filled with climbers finding employment
as instructors. n
8 The Western Cwm above the Khumbu Icefall. On the first ascent
in 1953 the Lhotse Face (on the right) was climbed trending left to
the South Col (in the centre) and then via the south-east ridge leading
to Mount Everest’s summit. Photo: Moving Mountains Trust/commons.
wikimedia.org
2 Tenzing Norgay in 1967
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 23

Adam Riches enjoying the staggering position
on the exquisite second pitch of the super
classic Direct Route (VS 5b) on Dinas Mot.
Photo: Mark Reeves
24 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

DESTINATION
Dinas
Mot
Welsh trad nirvana
Mark Reeves celebrates one of the best easily accessible mountain crags in the UK
Dinas Mot is an often overlooked crag in one of the heavyweight valleys of UK
rock-climbing, the Llanberis Pass in North Wales. Its north-facing aspect means
for much of the year it is colder and damper than those crags on the southern
side. Yet a well-prepared and dressed team can find a good adventure on the
crag in all but the worst autumnal weather as the central nose effectively has
a drainage system down either side. Most importantly, though, the size and
scope of Dinas Mot is often forgotten, as is the volume and variety of climbing,
with many classic multi-pitch treats across all the grades, and is unchallenged
in the valley. So dress up warm or use the summer months to shade bathe on
Dinas Mot and you will not be disappointed.
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 25

Dinas Mot with the rock
pyramid of The Nose left
of centre and the extensive
Western Wing to the right.
The Eastern Wing can be
seen up and left of the Nose.
Photo: David Simmonite
Gazing up from the Cromlech boulders
lay-by your eyes are instantly drawn to
the compact Nose of Dinas Mot. A
clean bright pyramid of rock around
which the climbing pivots. However,
like a magician’s sleight of hand the
real trick is going on elsewhere. This is
what this article is going to be about, a
celebration of one of the best easy-toaccess
mountain crags in the UK.
Highlighting not only the classics that
get repeated all the time but some of
the more obscure gems that deserve
your attention.
The Mot’s history goes back a long
way as a Bronze Age axe head was
found below it but for climbing it was
1900 when Archer Thompson, famous
for his proclivity towards chimneys found
the outrageous Jammed Boulder Gully
(Mod). This is still used as a descent from
some routes but is worth climbing if you
want an easy scramble or need a quick
adventure on a wet day as the crux is
literally undercover. The boulder in question
is large, about the size of a house,
and it forms an impassable barrier, unless
you head beneath it into the gloom
and weasel your way up to the light
where you are reborn through a narrow
hole. So narrow that if you have a rucksack
on your way will be barred and you
will need to remove it and attach it to
your harness via a long sling to tow it up
the rest of the way. This is guaranteed to
add to the hilarity and adventure of the
whole situation.
The Cracks was the next route,
a fantastic Hard Severe and the first proper
climb on Dinas Mot. Ascended over a
period of years by a variety of people who
progressively freed the aid and straightened
out the line to what it is today.
a fantastic Hard
Severe and the
first proper climb
on Dinas Mot
It is incidentally one of the best sub-VS
routes in North Wales and a popular
outing. Its route finding is devious and
cunning, setting the scene for the routes
on the Nose of Dinas Mot, with some fine
open climbing on the first couple of
pitches leading to an exposed and
difficult final pitch. In this case it is a
well-protected single difficult move to
gain an exposed ledge.
My experience of this route has generally
been trying to solo it, twice I have
made it to that final exposed move only
to become rooted to the ledge, unable to
commit. With each passing second the
gaping abyss gets hungrier and hungrier,
until eventually I have escaped out left
into the descent gully. With a rope on, a
wire right by you and a second close at
hand giving you encouragement the
move is not so bad though.
The Cracks did inspire Colin Kirkus to
go back and free the whole route. Also
turning his attention onto the obvious
central line on crag, Direct Route (VS 5b).
There are few routes as fine as this
anywhere; the hand-traverse on pitch 3
is much photographed due to its
spectacular backdrop. Perhaps it is one
of the iconic images of climbing throughout
the ages. However, the final pitch
with its boulder problem start still troubles
many people given it is a thin and often
damp 5b technical move on a VS climb.
26 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

DEStination
It was originally climbed with some
‘combined tactics’ or the use of a foot up
from one of your seconds and I am sure
it still is on some occasions. Above the
steep crack/groove provides a continuing
challenge for the VS leader.
A year later, in 1931, Menlove Edwards
climbed Western Slabs which is a lovely
part of The Nose of Dinas Mot as it receives
the evening sun. His route is another
classic VS 4c on the crag. It was overshadowed
later that year by Kirkus who climbed
the neighbouring West Rib, which at HVS
5a is a bold and technical route to this day.
It was seen as madness in its day and,
even with modern gear, it is hard to
imagine just how ‘out there’ Kirkus must
have been on the first ascent, although it
does still have its moments. Essentially the
main pitch is never hard but the precarious,
balanced and run-out nature of the
climbing requires a steady head, it is
scary enough to have most climber’s eyes
out on stalks by the top yet it is never so
terrifying as to send you over the edge.
The Nose has loads of routes worth
climbing including the varied climbing
on Diagonal (HVS 5a) and the thin
moves on Super Direct (E1 5b), both
offering splendid three star climbing.
hard to imagine
just how ‘out
there’ Kirkus
must have been
on the first ascent
If you want harder climbs then Zeta or
Stairway to Heaven are great at E3, and the
short, challenging crack of GBH (E2 5c) will
stop most people, even those who think
they can jam. The more recent climb of
Trauma, named after the first ascensionist’s
epic battle with the route is a popular
E8 for those who like to crank it out.
Trauma, was climbed in the June by
Leo Houlding and Noel Craine. There
is a footnote in the guidebook to what
happened the day before. On a cold
and windy day in the pass, two lonely
climbers dressed in excessive down
jackets struggled to stay warm. Alone
on that face Leo moved up and down
placing many RPs until he got to a good
placement, interestingly there used to be
a peg on a previous attempt but Leo had
snapped it whilst resting on it and hit
the ledge 30ft below. Today climbers use
a pecker hook, a form of aid climbing
protection, which has proved to be a
bomber placement and helped downgrade
the route from E9 to E8 7a.
Back then Leo struggled to place a
crucial wire blind, with it placed, he
down climbed the route to the ledge
where he bounce tested it. Convinced it
was good after a short rest he fired up
again, making the committing move past
the wire he saw it for the first time letting
out something of a panicked whimper 6
8 Paul Donnithorne and Laura
Jones enjoying the excellent
Zeta (E3 6a). Photo: Don
Sargeant
4 Omer Shavit from Israel
about to get stuck into the crux
section of the main slab on
Super Direct (E1 5b). Photo:
Mark Reeves
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 27

that it was not in the best placement.
He faced the decision to fall or push on.
Despite pushing on, the fear had taken
him and he made a gut-wrenching
scream as he fell, but that tiny wire
held and it gave him as soft a catch as
possible. Three times he pulled the ropes
to try again and three times he took ever
increasing lengths of fall, until he gave
up. The next day was captured by Ray
Wood in one of his great black and white
images of the route.
The Nose of Dinas Mot is really just
the pretty centrepiece to a rather large
and complex table setting. To its left is
the Eastern Wing, which looks dank and
unimpressive from the road. But given a
good few days of dry weather and a nice
breeze there are some amazing routes
worth climbing; MPP (HVS 5a), The Mole
(HVS 5a) and A New Austerlitz (E3 5c) are
incredible as they offer more adventurous
and challenging mountain terrain.
MPP was named after the late Ken
Wilson’s camera ‘Micro Precision
Product’ that he used to photograph the
first ascent of the climb by Pete Crew
back in 1964.
the fear had taken
him and he made
a gut-wrenching
scream as he fell
For me, however, the route of the
Eastern Wing that I can never forget is
Gollum (HVS 5b). In the most part it is
generally nice, take it or leave it, climbing,
a kind of chewing gum for the climber’s
soul, but it has one feature that turns it into
something else. The feature is a large roof
on the second pitch, which is gobsmacking.
Think of Stanage’s Flying Buttress Direct
but way up the crag, perched in the sky
to literally take your breath away. Its
stunning position and size, a good body
length on massive jugs, make it a pitch
you will never forget.
The Eastern Wing pales into insignificances
compared to the Western Wing
which starts just right of the Western
Slabs of the Nose. Spanning across Jam
Boulder Gully and beyond onto Plexus
Buttress. On all these cliffs the climbing
either starts at or crosses over a
geological fault where you go from the
rock you find on the Nose, which is host
to enough ‘classic routes’ to show it is
nice to climb on, before it then steps
onto a new type of volcanic rock that is
grit-like in texture and feel, but still has
positive holds. For me this gritty rock is
the best in the Llanberis Pass and unique
to this valley, making the routes on this
wing that little bit more special.
Proof that even a well
developed crag as Dinas Mot
can still provide quality new
routes including this instant five
pitch classic from 2013. Neil
Foster climbing the 2nd pitch
during the first ascent of Cold
Fusion (E4 6a), Western Wing.
Photo: Keith Sharples
28 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

DEStination
The easiest route on the Western
Wing is Slow Ledge Climb, a classic HS 4b
which is really a continuation from any
route at the top of the Nose but makes a
particularly good extension to The Cracks
or any of the VS routes. It is also all on
the gritty rock and features something of
an outrageous traverse, which with the
Nose and the steep scree slope all sitting
below you makes it feel 10 times higher
than it actually is.
If you are lucky and get drought
conditions you should climb Black Spring,
a demanding and technical HVS 5a. Where
the first few pitches are on the more
edgy rock and whilst looking boring are
actually some of the highlights of the
route, especially the moves left out of
the often still damp crack. You then
transition in almost a step onto the
friction rock and make a direct line to
join and cross Slow Ledge Climb. Again
the exposure by the top is magnificent. 6
4 Adam Riches contemplating
the crux of West Rib (HVS 5a)
on the right side of The Nose.
Photo: Mark Reeves
Katie Haston making short
work of The Chain, a great E1
5b finger crack that never fails
to entertain and gives a super
variation to West Rib. Photo:
Mark Reeves 2
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 29

Bob Moulton following the
2nd pitch of Slow Ledge Climb
(VS 4b). Photo: Don Sargeant
Another stunning line at HVS 5b
through this buttress is Jubilee Climb,
which picks an intricate line up to
what appears to be a gritstone buttress
on the third pitch. From below the
problem looks obvious and easy.
However, on closer acquaintance
gaining the steep crack and making it to
the easier ground above proves to be
rather demanding. Feeling more like a
proper gritstone tussle up a HVS crack, it
gets surprisingly few ascents for such a
fine route.
For many the main and final buttress
on the West Wing is the Plexus Buttress.
Which for me is really the best crag
in the Pass, as all the climbing is on
the gritsone-esque rock, but don’t tell
anyone. Nexus and Plexus are two stunning
E1 5b routes which require a little
technique, boldness and with crack and
roof climbing to overcome. However, Ten
Degrees North (E2 5b) is my personal favourite
in this area and probably the best
E2 in North Wales with the exception of
maybe Mousetrap over on Anglesey.
The first time I climbed Ten Degrees
North I found myself in a rather
awkward situation, the blank groove
had forced me to start bridging and
palming off with my hands and before
I knew what I was doing I was body
bridging, both hands on one wall and
feet on the other, facing down towards
my belayer. In that moment of realisation
as to what I was doing all I could say
was: “I think I might have made a
wrong move.” As it was I managed to
un-contort myself and continue upwards.
I really don’t know
why Dinas Mot
is so overlooked
by climbers
It is perhaps this memory that sticks
in my mind, one of those great climbs
with even better friends. If E2 is too
easy then The Windmill (E3 5c) with
climbing on yet more superb rock will
sort you out.
The only problem with the Plexus
Buttress is when news gets out that it is
in condition climbers flock there like
seagulls to a bag of chips on the
Llandudno promenade. If you find
yourself on the Plexus Buttress and the
routes are all taken then you can fill
some time with one of the single pitch
routes on the right such as Gardd which
has a gnarly off-width at the top for HVS
5a. Alternatively Hornets Attack Victor
Mature is a great little E2 5c, which has a
rather spectacular finale up a thin slab/
arête. Either of these routes will fill time
to let the teams ahead to clear out. You
also get to watch the action on the
Plexus Buttress.
I really don’t know why Dinas Mot
is so overlooked by climbers. Although
sitting opposite the Cromlech means it
has tough competition and who wants
to climb in the shade when most of the
time you can nip up to The Cromlech,
Clogwyn y Crochan or Carreg Wasted
and get a tan, or at least some warmth.
The thing to remember is that during
those few precious days when the sun
is too strong to climb and the rock is
dry, then Dinas Mot comes into is
own. This, in itself, makes the place
that whole much more special to climb
on. Remember though every summer’s
evening about 6-7pm the Western
Slab of the Nose comes into the sun.
Just remember to try and get up there
and enjoy some of these amazing
routes. n
30 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

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the climber
interview
Keith Sharples
talks to…
Steve
McClure
Rainman
Steve McClure is, and will forever remain, irrevocably linked
with hard sport climbing here in the UK and beyond. He has
spearheaded the development of British sport climbing for the
past two decades as well as repeating many of the hardest
trad climbs. His first ascents here in the UK are, like the man
himself, revered far beyond these shores. His ‘performances’
on Petzl Rock Trips have, for example, become the stuff of
legends. So how did a thin slip of a lad from North Yorkshire
rise to such worldwide acclaim and, having been at the top
of his game for 20 years, how did he, aged 46, hold body and
resolve together to finally redpoint Rainman, the UK’s first
F9b and one of the hardest routes in the world?
Steve McClure
I first met Steve one summer evening
Absolutely no idea. In terms of progres-
for giving me the confidence to move
Photo: Keith Sharples
at Craig-y-Biceps in the Peak District.
sion I was the ultimate slow burner. F8c
forward. Confidence counts for a lot,
Back then, in the mid 90s, Steve was a
at 26 and I’d barely got going. Many
you have to believe in yourself. I’d never
slender 20-something with dreadlocks,
sports people are already burned out by
figured I was in the league to try hard
tie-die trousers and a ramshackle rack.
then. I’d progressed slowly, a complete
stuff, didn’t consider even trying. But
Bounding from one route to the next,
trad background, but I looked up to the
after Mutation I was happy to embrace
it was immediately obvious that Steve
world of hard climbing as a place beyond
whatever challenge came along, it
not only had an insatiable appetite for
both my ability and personality. Just a
didn’t matter if I failed. But still, giving
rock but that he was also an excellent
few years before I’d watched someone
it F9a was a big step; I think I graded it
climber. Just how good Steve was, I,
redpoint a F7b and thought it looked
‘possible F9a’. To give it F9a felt almost
and the rest of the world, would begin
so beautiful, but I knew with complete
big headed, making a statement, ‘I think
to realise in the years that followed. Since
certainty I’d never achieve that level.
I’m a F9a climber’. Back then that was
then I’ve been fortunate enough to climb
with Steve extensively and photograph
him almost more than any other climber.
As I write this, we’re in Sweden together
– along with Rab Carrington, another
stalwart of the Sheffield scene – on yet
another adventure.
Sometime after we met, Steve did
Evolution (F8c+) at Raven Tor. He said it
felt ‘proper hard’ and that he’d ‘crossed
a threshold into the world of hard
climbing’.
To kick-off this interview I asked
Steve if he had any idea back in
November 1996 where his climbing
might go and if, in his wildest
dreams, he thought that two years
later he’d be mixing it up with the
best climbers in the world?
Two years later, in autumn 1998,
Steve climbed Mutation. It was a
distinct step-up taking 21 days of
effort. Evolution, for example, had
taken him just six days. Whilst
Steve wrestled with the grade
pretty much everyone else dived
in and proclaimed Mutation as F9a.
Leaving aside Hubble (then graded
F8c+), Mutation became the UK’s
second F9a after Neil Carson’s Big
Bang. Mutation is still unrepeated
today – nearly 20 years later. Chris
Sharma said, for example, he’d
never climb it. Could Mutation,
I mused, perhaps even be F9a+?
Mutation was a gift for me really. It was
my entrance pass into the top team.
Local, and suiting my style, it was perfect
a big deal, especially for a no-one with
no real pedigree. I didn’t want to get it
wrong and look like a fool. But clearly
I was being way too cautious. Evolution
is F8c+, the extra climbing in Mutation
is considerable. Of course it’s F9a…
or harder.
I asked Steve why did he think it
has repelled all-comers thus far
and did he see it getting a repeat
any time soon?
Nearly 20 years without a repeat is a
long time. I’d like it get a second ascent
before it gathers dust and is forgotten.
It could be F9a+ but I’m not so sure. It
certainly suited me. An upgrade would
be nice; it would make it one of the first
of that grade in the world. It’s held out
well. Why? Two reasons, well three.
32 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

Firstly, it’s actually quite hard, secondly,
no really good climbers have got stuck
in, nothing more than a day or so.
Sharma had a play and Megos and
Ondra just a day each. That’s nothing.
Pope and Bosi have yet to really try
although Ryan Pasquill has given it a
bunch of seasons and he’s one of the
UK climbers I’d have put my money on.
Finally, the top British climbers are way
more interested in bouldering.
Luckily I think I’m reasonably suited to
British sport climbing, either by genetics
or just because I’ve done loads of it.
edge development and for some reason
I’ve had it completely to myself. I can’t
single out which route means the most,
Mutation was the start, Northern Lights
was the real test as it was Ben Moon’s
project, Rainshadow was the best, and
Overshadow was the hardest.
Steve had an amazing year in 1998
climbing Mecca Extension (F8c) and
Mega Whore (F8c) before doing
Mutation. He’d stamped his name
on Raven Tor, then arguably the
spiritual home of cutting edge sport
climbing in the UK. However, it was
time to move north to The Dales
where Steve would add considerably
to his CV and really show his
penchant for long, powerful
world-class routes. Did he feel
more comfortable on longer routes
and was the move north a deliberate
policy?
To be fair, and brutally honest, I just
stepped in where there was an opening.
I didn’t choose a style, for quality new
lines there wasn’t that much choice.
For a decade he blitzed Malham
and Kilnsey producing an incredible
series of routes; Northern Lights
(F9a) in 2000, Rain Shadow (F9a) in
2003, Overshadow (F9a+) in 2007,
North Star (F9a/+) in 2008 and then
Bat Shadow (F8c+) in 2010. They’re
all amazing routes. Which means
the most to him now and why?
Raven Tor was good to me. It gifted me
with the final wave of sport routes in the
Peak. But Yorkshire is another level in
terms of quality. I have been incredibly
lucky, and I feel very privileged to have
been left the absolute best new, hard
routes out there. My timing was
impeccable. There has been a perfect
amount of unclimbed projects around
the Peak and The Dales and I’ve taken
them all and built an entire career
around them. There’s hardly any left
now, none, in fact, that are known
entities. My routes were often bolted,
attempted, named and even graded.
They had history and aura and oozed
quality before I even arrived. It’s been
the absolute golden period of cutting
Overshadow was Steve’s first F9a+
(after John Gaskin’s 2004 Violent
New Breed which was the first at
that grade) and it took Steve a lot
to get it finished. Steve’s outline of
the frustrations of redpointing in
Beyond Limits, his 2014 autobiography,
is particularly poignant for
many sport climbers who identify
with the mental effort involved in
doing routes at their limit. I asked
Steve what were the main takehome
points from that experience
and whether they were still relevant
on Rainman?
Overshadow was the first route that required
‘extra’ effort. Everything else I knew I would
climb eventually; it was just a matter of
banging my head against it for a while.
Some routes took 10 days, some more, but
I knew they would go. I was already capable.
But Overshadow I knew was too hard;
I needed to raise my game physically. 6
Steve McClure contorted on
Rainman at Malham in
Yorkshire, the UK’s and Steve’s
first F9b. Photo: Keith Sharples
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 33

So I guess it was the first time I valued
training and thinking about what I was
training for and not just randomly going
through the motions. As climbers we
want to be good at everything, all the
time, and so our ‘training’ is so broad as
planning work, illness and physical peak.
So much that I’d not had to contend with
before. When you are on the limit it
becomes far more than how you can
perform physically. It felt like my limit,
but as it turned out it was miles away.
Many weren’t convinced though
and his denial just seems to add
to the ‘Strong Steve’ myth. Did he
have any thoughts on all that
looking back on it now?
Relatively, I am weak, of course, it’s
Steve McClure pulling on small
holds on North Star (F9a/+)
at Kilnsey, a route he did the
first ascent of in 2008. Photo:
David Simmonite
to perhaps not even work. Having a goal
makes so much sense.
I thought it was my limit and as I
inched closer to success I realised just
how much comes into play when you are
close to the limit: conditions, injury, diet,
finding partners, how long is the season,
Back when Steve first hit the
headlines, he’d picked up the
nickname ‘Strong Steve’. Steve,
however, dismissed that straight
away citing his lack of pull-up
power and overall lack of ‘burl’.
relative and it depends on what and
how you measure. Don’t forget climbing
is three parts: physical, mental and
technical. I’m strong in the mind and my
technique is good. But people like to
focus on physical strength. It’s measurable
and easy to train. Relative to my
performance though, my ‘measureable’
strengths don’t come up well.
Recently, Tom Randall and Ollie
Torr (from Lattice Training and they
write The Climber’s Coach column
in Climber) have developed their
profiling regime and, just as Steve
had said previously, it turns out
that there are other much ‘stronger’
climbers than him. I asked him
to talk us though his profile results
and outline his relative strengths
and weaknesses.
So, for those of interest, my testing
results were something like +1kg on the
finger strength edge test. This is pretty
poor really, I know people that can hang
+10kg. Fortunately my energy systems
come out well, and on the 30 degree
lattice circuit I can keep going for ages;
I’ve done 450 moves before getting
bored. I can currently do a one-armer on
my left, but not on my right. The Lattice
testing is incredibly useful and interesting
but obviously there is more to it. For
example my finger strength on the
Lattice Edge is poor, but what’s it like on
a 5mm edge relative to others? It’s been
clearly proven that for very small holds
the strength of the fingertip pulp is more
important than ‘standard’ finger strength.
This ‘pulp strength’ can only be gained
by doing a stack of climbing on nasty
edges; it won’t come from a campus
board or bouldering on blobs.
Over the years, and deploying his
considerable skill-set, Steve has
also repeated a number of the hardest
trad routes in the UK; Rhapsody
(E11), as well as Choronzon (E10/
F8b+) and Muy Caliente (E9). I asked
Steve how he approached a hard
trad lead and how that differs to a
hard sport climb?
So first of all we have to define style. For
me ‘traditional’ climbing is all about the
on-sight, that’s what I love most about it
and that’s what I’m drawn to. But for the
very hardest trad, well I’m not good
enough and as we ‘progress’ our trad
cutting edge it’s likely that the on-sight
style will become very hard to achieve.
34 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

the climber interview
Not afraid of turning his hand
The gear is too specific, placements
lines without difficult access there are
secondly, on-sighting into the harder
to hard trad routes, Steve
blind, sequences complex. The difference
not many left. Especially the type of
grades is much more serious.
McClure quickly repeated
between headpoint and on-sight
becomes vast. The difference between
an E5 on-sight and an E9 is considerably
greater that the actual difficulty of the
climbing.
With the headpoint style my approach
is to turn a trad route into a sport route.
In terms of how you move it has to be
route that would motivate me, so that
rules out the few death routes on grit like
Wizard Ridge. And if it’s going to be really
hard you’ll need it to have some level of
convenience, as otherwise the time
investment will be overwhelming. For
example there are two projects at
Dumbarton. But with a five to six-hour
So, let’s turn to Rainman next,
Steve’s, and the UK’s, first F9b.
Steve bolted ‘the line’ and started
working moves back in 2010. Was it
immediately apparent, I asked, that
it was going to be the next level?
Actually my very first thoughts as I
Rhapsody (E11 7a) at
Dumbarton in Scotland in 2008.
Photo: David Simmonite
like a sport redpoint. I have to be going
drive each way, and my current life, there
placed a few bolts were that it was going
for it, moving in attack mode. There is no
is just no way. They are way too hard to
to be okay. There seemed to be a fair few
space for thinking and so I assess the
climb fast but I’m always open to ideas.
holds. That part of the wall is quite
protection and potential fall. Many hard
trad routes have decent gear I think and
I’ve been drawn to them. The falls may
be big, but they aren’t death. I guess my
Did trad satisfy him in the same
way that sport climbing does?
So, I’d love to find something, a F9a on
featured. I could see lots of things I knew
I could pull on. In my diary I’d written
down that ‘It looks like it will be at least
F9a, perhaps F9a+’.
fundamental approach is primarily to
assess difficulty against risk, but erring
on the cautious side,
Steve’s hardest trad routes have
all been repeats. Does he have
any desire to do a super hard
first ascent?
Absolutely. The problem is in finding
the routes. It sounds crazy, but we are
running out. In terms of obvious quality
trad gear would be fantastic. But in the
end, for my level of bravery, it would
effectively be a sport route. What would
set it apart is the fact that it accepts the
full challenge of the cliff. I like this idea
but trad climbing for me is on-sight and
this certainly does satisfy me as much as
sport climbing. It’s my background. I love
it just as much. I just do less, for two
reasons I guess, firstly I’ve done most of
the stuff I can do, certainly locally, and
Steve nicknamed it the ‘Easy Easy’
Project. Where did that come from?
Purely from La Dura Dura, which means
The Hard Hard, which was THE big
project being attempted at the time.
My project was obviously a path
compared to that. But I’m looking
forward to getting a real comparison
at some point, though it won’t come
from me trying La Dura Dura. 6
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 35

In 2013, and after three years
trying the Easy Easy, Steve switched
‘starts’ and began using Bat Route
to access the headwall. In Beyond
Limits he described Batman as the
silver medal – second fiddle to Easy
Easy. Was it an easy decision to get
back onto Easy Easy once Batman
was in the bag and how optimistic
was he then?
In retrospect, climbing Batman was a
copout and I wish I hadn’t bothered. But
that’s in retrospect. At the time it made
complete sense. Firstly it seemed a good
‘training’ link. That’s the way I saw it, a
build up to the main event, a way to get
a feel for the upper section when fatigued
from lower climbing; it made perfect sense.
But it was also a chance to climb a new
route up that wall. I was off the pace
on the Easy Easy, and realistically I was
starting to think it was genuinely too hard.
Having put in a lot of effort I guess
I wanted to make a claim on the line.
I suppose I wanted some kind of closure
in a way, thinking the main event would
never happen. With Batman I could draw
a line under it all. In reality starting up
either Bat Route or Rainshadow makes
sense, they are both just as valid, but
Rainman is far superior to Batman. It’s
a shame Batman came first. If I’d have
imagined I’d climb Rainman I’d have
climbed Batman but not reported it.
Whilst trying Rainman Steve has
had numerous injuries. Did he ever
think that the injuries might
scupper his chances?
Absolutely. As you approach the limit, it’s
not just about your physical limit. It’s
about everything else. My window was
starting to run out, that’s the BIG window,
life’s window. At 46, how many seasons
can I expect to be climbing at my best?
This route required my best; my lifetime’s
best. A season lost to injury may mean
never getting back up there and,
ironically, in order to be my best I had to
constantly flirt with injury, to be right on
the line. This route certainly beat me up,
there are a few specific injuries from
certain moves, but its more that I pushed
on when normally I’d hear my body loud
and clear and back off. I was lucky this
year, I think I just scraped it, I was about
to explode.
At what point did Steve think Rainman
was game-on and did he feel a
sudden pressure increase from then
onwards?
Rainman has been an incredible journey,
but also one that has been very different.
Principally in that for much of it I honestly
wasn’t sure if I’d ever climb it. At best I
figured I had a chance, but often I ‘knew’
deep down it was too hard. I guess there
were enough ‘optimistic’ moments to
keep going. That’s part of the long game
that I’d not yet explored, the REALLY
long game, only played by the very few.
Last spring I felt for the first time that I
was capable, but to be fair I never had
that moment where it was ‘on’. This year
it gradually built up and then suddenly
I had the breakthrough and was up
towards the last few moves. Then it
was there for the taking and everything
changed. Before, it was a toy I played
with, enjoying the journey. No pressure.
And then it was right there. A window
of opportunity had opened that I’d never
expected. The pressure was massive
because I wasn’t sure I’d get another
window, ever, and this window was rapidly
closing. With it being so close to my
limit, everything had to count on every
effort. I guess that was the problem, to
reach a high point had taken my best
ever performance, I then had to keep
repeating my best ever performance, and
go one better.
Steve McClure on his own
route Mutation (F9a) at Raven
Tor in Derbyshire. This route
is still to be repeated nearly
20 years after Steve first did it.
Photo: Keith Sharples
Not surprisingly, the grade maths
for Rainman are little short of
horrific. Raindogs, without the
chain-grab, is F8a+. Immediately
above the shake-out is the Font 8a
crux of Rain Shadow after which
there’s a poor kneebar shake-out.
The headwall above features two
back-to-back Font 7c+ boulders,
all on tiny holds, to a junction with
and shake-out in Bat Route. From
there it’s F8a to the top. Steve’s
often said its two F8c+ one after
the other with only a poor shakeout
in the middle. His training had
to target all three energy systems
(anerobic alactic, anerobic lactic,
36 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

the climber interview
aerobic) so I asked Steve to talk us
through what he did for each. Also,
how much did he think his general
day-to-day activities supported his
training objectives?
As always it’s a massive trade off. You
need to be strong enough for the moves,
but fit enough to climb the whole route.
Being really strong and really fit don’t
usually happen at the same time, so
which to train? I’d always figured I
needed to be stronger, and worked on
my fingers before this year. As a result
I felt strong enough. Stronger would
have been nicer, but it felt like the weak
link was putting it all together. I spent a
while working classic power endurance,
but also with a recovery element; staying
on the wall between burns shaking out
on poor holds.
Route climbing is so much energy
system based. It’s rare the moves are
actually too hard. And yet many people
still strain strength, cruise the start, and
then fall off boxed. All route climbers,
sport or trad, should be doing a lot of
PE work. But not only that, base fitness
is essential. I’m amazed at how little
exercise many climbers do. They drive
or get the tube to the wall, boulder a few
hours, then jump back in the car. Zero
aerobic. It’s so important. No need to do
stacks, not so much that you struggle to
recover and compromise training. I’m
kind of lucky that I use cycling as a mode
of transport; Sheffield is hilly and cycling
home from the train station after a day’s
route setting with a bag full of drills is
not a bad dose of exercise.
Steve had originally ‘spotted’ the
line of Rainman on his very first trip
to Malham. Could he still remember
how he’d felt then and how did it
feel now that he’d redpointed it to
give the UK its hardest sport route?
On my first visit ever, so way back in the
early 90s, I was desperate to do Raindogs.
It was such a classic. But there was
nothing above it, just a massive section
of unclimbed rock. Obviously I didn’t
even dream I’d be up there, but I could
see the line, the exact line that I would
end up climbing. I remember thinking it
would be amazing when some rock star
finally climbed it. Not that I’m a rock star,
but it’s like I have achieved more than I
ever dreamed, and I dreamed a lot. As a
kid I lived and breathed climbing, it’s all
I wanted to do. I wanted to be my best,
to work through the grades. Maybe even
climb an E6. Not many people surpass
their dreams.
So, who is favourite to get the
coveted second ascent?
It has to be Ondra really, or Megos.
These guys are keen for Britain. Not
many foreigners visit here, but these
guys really like it. I imagine they won’t
find it that hard, as the moves are not
that hard for them. But I’d be so keen for
them to get the second ascent. Sometimes
you worry as a first ascensionist
that your routes will get downgraded, in
the past I have worried. But now I’m kind
of over that.
Now that Rainman is done, what
are Steve’s thoughts and plans for
future? Maybe try the Yorkshire
Triple Crown in a day?
This is such a cool challenge. It’s
something I’ve fancied for years, and
this year it was on my mind long before
Rainman was put to bed. I’ve even
organised with BMC TV to make a mini
film of it. Three of the best routes on the
three best sport cliffs in the UK, all in a
day, and moving between them under
your own steam (I’ll be cycling). It’s not
cutting edge (it’s been done before), but
it will be a real challenge and something
different. F8a+ is not really hard for me,
but it’s still hard, and this challenge is
certainly not a given. I expect to have
to really fight.
Can you see yourself getting
involved with another monster
project – or has that ship sailed
with Rainman?
I’d say it has sailed but I’ve said that
before. When I climbed Rainshadow
I said that was it, that was the hardest I’d
ever climb for sure, and I was done with
‘long’ term projects (20 days, ha! Hardly
even started.). Then after Overshadow,
at F9a+ and 40 days I was certain that
was as hard as I could push. So here
we are at F9b and over 100 days. Yet
again I am convinced I’m at the limit.
But I guess this time it’s different,
because I simply haven’t got enough
life left to go up a notch.
There are a huge number of
reasons why we all climb as well
as numerous benefits that climbing
gives us back in return. I know
Steve has reflected on why he
climbs and on the principal
paybacks that climbing gives him
but – all things being equal – does
he see himself climbing forever?
Why do we climb? I wrote a whole
article on that recently. There are so
many reasons, the scenery, the travel
and the relationships. Then there are all
of the health benefits, not to mention
that buzz of physically performing but
many of these you can get from other
outdoor sports. For me climbing gives
something else, that complete absorption.
Whether it’s a long trad route piecing
together protection and weighing up risk,
or complete focus on movement on a
hard sport route. After a good day’s
climbing I feel a new person, like I’ve
been on holiday. I’m pretty sure I’m a
climbing lifer. I’ll be climbing till I drop.
And, finally, the desert island
question. If you could take one
route or one climbing experience
on to the desert island which would
it be and why?
It’s the corny answer, but it would have to
be Rainman. Not because it’s the hardest,
but I honestly believe it’s the best. It’s such
a complete route with every style. With
this route I feel I was given a real gift. An
awesome line on the UK’s best cliff, a place
I truly love, and in a style that played to
my strengths. The moves are simply
fantastic. I honestly couldn’t have asked
for any more and for it to have been right
on my limit. It’s given me a once in a
lifetime journey. I’ll look back on this
route as the culmination of my career. n
Steve McClure onsighting the
Pembroke classic Ghost Train
(E6 6b) in Stennis Ford. Photo:
Keith Sharples
As we went to
print, news came
in that Steve had
indeed completed
the Yorkshire Triple
Crown in a day.
Steve McClure is sponsored by Petzl, Five Ten, Marmot, Rockcity and is a
BMC Ambassador
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 37

Photography: David Simmonite
Legendary local climber Nick Dixon
enthuses about this stunning crag,
above the A5 about 8 miles west of
Shrewsbury, that he’s got to know
intimately over the years.
A classic hard route first climbed by Nick
Dixon back in 1994 is the superb My Piano
(E7/8 6c). James Pearson is seen here
making an on-sight ascent of the route.
38 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

DEStination
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 39

6 The colours and the clean
lines make Nesscliffe what it is
and this route is a great
example. James Pearson
climbing the striking arête of
Marlene Direct (E7 6c).
Pete Wilson amongst the
pockets on the brilliant
Marlene (E4 6a). 2
What is it to touch rock, to feel the eb
and flow of Jurassic-dinosaur-sand,
through ones fingertips, to see the sun
set westwards over Welsh Berwyn hills
and to smell the sandy decay mixed
with beds of rhododendron petals.
Social, in country parkland, taking
turns on routes and blocs, Shropshire
lads and lasses top roping and working
towards leads of chosen routes, trying
to be perfect, not rushing, many visits.
Some crags bring a focus of a style,
an epicentre and focus, a type that is
unique to the UK, in this I would list
Gogarth, Cloggy, Stanage, Bowden
Doors, Malham, Raven Tor, Scafell and
the far north west of Scotland, indeed in
writing this list I realise that it is the ones
I have missed that gives the true breadth
and value of our climbing on this little
insignificant island and that gives us our
importance. I climb a lot in France but
it is here that the width is. Nesscliffe is
up there, a type, soft vertical sandstone
walls seemingly designed for climbing,
20 metres or so high, accessible with
easy belays from old pines and rhododendrons
protecting crag tops. Bouldering
above flat sandy landings and
traverses of quality. An open, honest and
embracing local ethic that has developed
from the 1970s clandestine visits that
involved mainly top roping (thanks here
to locals such as Nick Postlethwaite and
Stuart Cathcart) and occasional leads
from passing pirates (Ed Drumond, Mark
linden and Crispin Waddy). Routes then
were quite close to the cutting edge and
so it has remained.
The crag is now mature, a clear ethic,
and routes in all grades above E1 to
welcome the visitor, many routes have
been on-sighted, even harder ones like My
Piano E7/8 by James Pearson but the norm
is for headpointing; it just suits the crag
best (rock is soft and wear’s/breaks easily,
protection is from situ gear and soft sandy
wires and cams) and now with routes in
all grades you can pick your victim route
and commence synchrony with it, what
could be more enjoyable? So join us on a
rope, on a lovely autumn evening; or in
winter when friction is at its best, and
each grain of sand bites reassuringly into
fingertips, and pulling down or across
some of the very best mid-grade vertical
bouldering you can find.
The rock at Nesscliffe is particularly
vulnerable to over enthusiasm so the
only plea is to not climb immediately
after the crag has been wet and not to
over-brush or under perform.
Traverses at Nesscliffe are of the very
best order and give route physicality
without all the faff and trappings and
partner-need that the world of routes
inhabits. When visiting with only a pad but
with a need for something longer head
for the Far Buttress, off vertical, abrasive,
and quality. Quite simply the rock here is
mint. Stay Cool, the traverse of this crag
from In the Court of the Sludgbarron to
The Arch is a classic technical crimpfest
and about route F7c ish and the up
problems it passes en route such as Past
Cruising (Font 6a+) and Deep Slot Dino
(Font 6a) are class (and touched upon in
the Around the Bloc feature in the
Climber May–June 2017 issue).
The Kynastons cave area is probably
the most frequented bouldering area at
Nesscliffe. It is very easy to find and near
the parking. This area does give some
quality problems but it can suffer from
being a bit dank and salty-sandy. The
short traverse here is Berlin’s Fallen
(F7a), whilst the full traverse from the
corner on the left Berlin Wall Traverse
(route F7c ish) is both elusive and fingery.
Then there is upstairs, Little Northumberland,
aka The Terrace. Tiny, perfect
rock, suntrap, just winters best. Steeper
this bit bulges and barrels and suite the
stronger of finger and arm. The third of
the traverse classics is the right to left
traverse of Little Northumberland (Font
7b+). Chris Naylor crossed this one first
in 2000 on the same beautiful February
day as I climbed Northumberland
Wonderland; but since then I have made
over 1000 crossings and 2 years ago
managed the there-and-back combination
of Lit-Nor-Lit at Font 8a. All of the
boulder problems have now been
climbed from a traverse in from Little
Northumberland by a combination of
Tom Fenick, Kieran King, Ed Booth and
myself and all are improved for it. Sadly
in 2011 the tiny crucial crimp on the
traverse broke off rendering the place
less. With consideration and solemnity
(and Ed as witness) I replaced the hold
exactly as it was and all seems to be
holding up at the moment. To complete
all three classic traverses in a day is a
fine objective for the finger strong.
But back to the main thrust of this
article; the routes and a selection for
those in need of inspiration:
Fun routes at a
reasonable grade
Batman (HVS 5a)
Route introduction to the Far Buttress,
this route has good protection in the
layback flake but will you have the
strength and stamina to put the medium
cams in. Once in the pull out and right at
the top requires a committed act of faith.
Red Square (E2 5c)
A fine corner line, really brilliant protection
mixed with burly laybacking and careful
bridging. This makes this a popular route
and a first choice at Nesscliffe. The final
move is the crux and often sees sweat
and heroics. This history of this route is
tied up with Pete Crew, Baz Ingle and Ed
Drummond and Bob Llewelyn, all of
North Wales pioneering fame. The route
was first led in 1967.
Open Air (E3 5c)
Not the norm for Nesscliffe, this route
requires careful step ups at about 8m
with no protection. Lovely moves and
quite predictable but keep heels low to
maximise friction and confidence. This
route has recently seen several broken
limbs so be warned and be careful. It’s a
kind of great slab thing. The upper part
of the slab is easy but requires some care
with the rock and top out.
Marlene (E4 6a)
Angus Killie and Tom ‘Fennez’ Fenwick
are now local hero’s; climbing E9 and
bouldering Font 8a+. I met them one day
when they were trying this route as truant
schoolchildren on a wild Wednesday.
Angus had just taken a ground fall from
10m and was dusting himself off. Under
misplaced encouragement from myself
and Fennez, he was back up and didn’t
make the same mistake twice. This route
ties together an arête, a pocketed wall and
then a corner, a kind of Nesscliffe-ménage
-medley. Crank it. 6
40 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

DEStination
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 41

Hard
Berlin Wall (E7 6c) (F8a)
Only 12m long but relentless fingery pulls
on edges and pockets lead to a 6c finally
of brutish crimping. This route has now
received about 10 lead ascents and the
grade has settled at a solid F8a. Pete
Robins made a very impressive on-sight
ascent in 2011 and managed the bottom
section via a massive span without its
ancient chipped starting holds.
Yukan III Direct
(E7/8 6c) (F7c+)
Yukan II is a classic and has cleaned up
nicely to give a brilliant E6; its weakness
is that at the top it escapes leftwards up
a short HVS section of crack. In 2015 I
managed to climb the headwall giving
the logical finish up rightwards. This
takes the route from great to magnificent.
The strenuous contorting up the
lower shallow groove leads to a rest and
lots of protection in the break. It is five
metres to the top and all that remains is
to pull right and launch up the improbable
now off-vertical perfect shield. The
route has had repeats from Ed Booth,
Angus Kille and myself and there are
several videos on You Tube for those
who want the beta.
Local Rite (E8 6c) (F8a)
In 2014 Ed Booth cleaned the crack in
the arête up the direct start to Rite Time,
a route that started from a hanging belay
halfway up the crag where the rock gets
good. This is one of the best arête lines in
the quarry and therefore in the country.
We all thought the rock just looked too
sandy to be fun but it is a testament to
Ed’s vision that he saw the possibilities.
After cleaning and chalking and several
goes on a top rope by a strong local crew
the rock became really quite solid and
predictable and the lead was on. After a
nasty fall with the rope wrapped around
my leg I needed the Patricia Novelli Aloe
Vera treatment. Ed was in, and made a
superb ascent placing all of the gear on
8 Gus Hudgins climbing the
fine corner line of Red Square
(E2 5c). A popular route with
great protection mixed and a
mix of laybacking and bridging.
6 Hazel Findlay mid tick on
the classic of Yukan II (E6/7
6b). Nick Dixon added a direct
finish up the headwall in 2015,
Yukan III Direct (E7/8 6c).
6 Mark Sharratt sets up for
the top moves on Cones and
Currents (E5 6a).
Tougher
Cones and Currents (E5 6a)
Some can climb E5 on-sight and work up
to this through the grades; commendable,
but hardly world class. Others can’t
and still want to push themselves and
find out what it would be like. Sex and
Casual Ties (E3) seems to have become
the first headpoint of choice for those
who can climb classically at about E2
but want to push it a bit. Some place
their gear on route others pre-place,
I just think brilliant, go for it, don’t tell
fibs but why shouldn’t you learn to pull
down hard and develop transferable
skills on more difficult ground?
Nonsense (E5 6a)
One of the original free routes of the cliff,
the situ protection has deteriorated over
the 25 or so years since the first ascent.
The rock has also rounded and cleaned up
in equal measure, but with modern cams
and wires it’s well protected and they are
all easy enough to place on the lead.
Leafstorm (E6 6b)
Climbing the full height of the quarry at
35m this is a trek but the bridging moves
flow easily and protection can usually be
placed easily from good relaxed bridges.
This part of the cliff has a very sandy lower
third which is a very acquired taste.
lead. I made my ascent in less brilliant
style. Atypical in style the first section is
on large open layback holds and is just
strenuous and continental, the upper
arête returns to some technical pulls
around an arête on tiny edges. This one
is worth the journey for.
Fin’ally Mackinally’s
Groove (E7 6c) (F8a)
A titbit from 2011 and the back cover
of the 2012 supplement. This route on
the Far Buttress is on the very best rock
quality at Nesscliffe and it is so intense
and short-lived. Great moves on the
tiniest of crimps past a good peg.
This route awaits a second ascent.
42 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

DEStination
Harder
Une Jeune Fille Quatre Vingt
Dix Ans (E8 6c) (F8a)
The Wall left of 10 O’clock Saturday
Morning is unlikely and blank. A crux at
15 metres has repulsed all on-sight
attempts so far with some spectacular
falls. In the autumn evening glow of
2016 I watched Callum Musket, several
days in and on his last attempt of the
day; he got past all of the difficulties on
the lower wall and climbed the second
crux above. Protection arranged really it
was then just a case of keeping cool and
marching on and keeping focus on the
bit ahead. It was such a sickener to see
him lose power on an easier section
above and ping outwards. So close, but
he’ll be back and get it next time.
Play Me E8/9 7a (F8a+)
James made a great on sight ascent of
My Piano in 2014. I was, I must say a
little perplexed by the strict level of the
ethics he placed upon himself. His wife,
Caroline Ciavaldini, had led the route
before him in more conventional style
and he neither belayed her nor would
watch her so that his on sight was
genuinely that. I am both impressed by
this and slightly unsure whether this
level of professionalism doesn’t detract
from the fun and camaraderie of going
climbing. James then went on to add his
own route climbed in conventional style
up the wall to the right of My Piano. This
route has not been repeated but it looks
brilliant and hard.
A 1000 Setting Suns
(E9 7a) (F8b)
The words you cannot say, the things
you cannot do, or can you? The idea that
it is, in fact possible, develops slowly.
Strain and pull on every finger sinew and
keep cool and focussed on the upper part
where a fall will result in a big whipper,
in my case from the very top of the crag
to land on my wife Sheila who was
belaying. The lower part is unpredictable
and probably E8 in its own right. James
Pearson made a very fine ascent in one
day and Dave Birkett has been up there
too. Angus is so close. n
INFO
Guidebook
Nick Dixon’s Nesscliffe guidebook and updated new routes supplement covers the
entire crag and also includes a DVD to get you motivated, a bargain at £15 for all
of this. You can get hold of it from High Sports in Shrewsbury and Needlesports in
Keswick via their website (or in person) and other good climbing shops.
Finding the crag
From the A5 west of Shrewsbury, roundabouts at either end of the Nesscliffe
bypass are signposted for Nesscliffe village. Head into the village and turn up
the road opposite the Old Three Pigeons pub (decent beer). Take this for a mile
to a small car park on the right. The crag is reached from here by following the
path rightwards to the crag. A gentle walk taking 5–10 minutes depending on
which bit you are heading for.
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 43

Around
the bloc
the best of
British Bouldering
Local climber Alex Thompson about to
launch into the crux on Malc’s Arête
(Font 7b) at the Ship Boulder. One of the
finest problems in the Scotland.
44 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

Torridon
Blocs
Words and Photographs by Mike Hutton
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 45

Scattered on the grassy slopes below the majestic ridgeline of Liathach in the
northwest Scottish highlands is enough bouldering to last several lifetimes.
A seemingly endless array of undiscovered problems lay waiting for those lucky
individuals who thrive off exploration and adventure. Rumours of frictional
sandstone in a truly wilderness landscape completely devoid of people are what
tempted photographer and climber Mike Hutton into making the journey north.
Below L–R: Bryony Weathers
on the extremely juggy problem
of Biscuits (Font 3+) which
covers some pretty steep
ground for the grade.
Alex Thompson enjoying
Layback (Font 4) on Angel
Walls. The key is in name
and is one of the many quality
easier problems in the area.
The previous night had been so cold
even the water had frozen inside the
van. So cold, in fact, that the passing
local policeman on his way back from
the pub had banged on my door out of
concern that I may not be alive. I was
more than alive, warmed by whisky
and dreaming of the next day in the glen
and what delights would be unearthed.
Immediately reassured by signs of life he
let me be and I slumped into yet another
fairytale dream. The morning was clear
and bright; the first rays of light hit the
snow-clad crests of Liathach and Beinn
Eighe turning them a delightful pink
and creating a beautiful reflection in the
dark waters of Loch Claire. As I sipped
some morning coffee the winter sun did
its best to warm the soul. Bleary-eyed
I cruised down the glen with that
wonderful feeling you get at the start
of an adventure. Nothing beats that
moment when you visit a place for the
first time. Scattered on the flanks of
the mountain were arêtes and prows
glistening in the winter light with
endless possibilities for exploration
and development.
The Celtic Jumble, as they call it,
was mind boggling on first acquaintances.
Plinths of lavish chocolate coloured
Torridonian sandstone lay strewn on a
multitude of micro-tiers above the road.
My eyes were constantly drawn into the
far distance towards possible sightings
of new unclimbed problems then back
down to the magnificent Ship shaped
boulder. There is no disputing; this
biblical chunk of rock boulder is world
class. The only danger is that it may
cast an evil spell that prevents you
from tasting the more farflung fruits
on the higher slopes.
The severely overhanging Malc’s
Arête (Font 7b) is almost like a designer
problem and many would agree the long
journey is worth it for this test piece
alone. A great find by Malcolm Smith
back in 1997 and remarkable that he
managed it during a long bout of
glandular fever. The striated horizontal
bandings and exquisite colour palette
are what makes this boulder so special.
The ripples on the west face turn a
beautiful shade of deep purple in the
late day sun and it really is a sight for
sore eyes. These ripples are the main key
to unlocking Richie Betts’s The Mission
(Font 7b) which crimps and lanks its way
up the appealing blank-looking sunny
face. A possible uber-hard line awaits
the super-talented just to the left.
For mere mortals the precarious
Dandy Don’s Arête (Font 6b) on the right
side of the cheese wedge still represents a
significant challenge. It’s very on/off and
there is always that distinct possibility of
your feet popping as you throw for the
top. For me the prospect of catapulting
myself into the bog was the main thing
that kept me focused during my many
frustrated attempts.
46 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

Around the bloc
There is, however, so much more
than the Ship’s Prow. Further up the
hillside to the right is perhaps the best
collection of easier problems I have ever
seen. The Angel Walls are riddled with
corners and juggy flake lines and even
without the guide you would be hard
pushed to not have an action-packed
afternoon as you let your imagination
run wild on the varied architecture.
The Celtic Boulder with its unmistakable
carvings is a brilliantly shaped
feature and well worth a visit for the
multitude of easy problems it has on its
arêtes, one of which is Layback Arête
(Font 5). Slot Wall to the right has two
class reachy problems that I remember
being so good I had to repeat them over
and over again. The positive Slot Crack
(Font 6a+) is fairly straightforward as the
name suggests but the incredibly
highball and eye-catching arête line of
Vapour Trail (Font 6c) is worth at least E4
of anyone’s money and not one to fluff
near the top as you pull on the elusive
snappy crimp. Jen Randall’s video reveals
all but maybe that would spoil the fun.
In reality you would be pushed not to
have a good time at the Celtic Jumble. Ian
Taylor and Richie Betts’s guidebook is a
real class act and serves to point you in the
right direction whether it is towards the
classics or finding unclimbed lines on the
far upper slopes. The unique kind of
humour that has been injected into the
text makes it a real breath of fresh air when
compared to so many of the other bouldering
guidebooks you see on the market.
In an environment
like this my only
advice would be to
run wild and escape
from the restrictions
of any guidebook
The Betts 6b, Taylor 6c and Mike Lee 7a
grading system is excellent and may
catch you off your guard which is no bad
thing in today’s world of conformism.
As I relaxed in my surrounding with a
bunch of enthusiastic locals on this
beautiful winter’s day I could appreciate
why a select few individuals had left
their crowded birthplaces and relocated
to this wonderful wilderness. These
people were here for the same reason.
They craved peace and quiet and an
escape from the high levels of organisation
that are so prevalent in the modern
world some of us choose to live in.
In an environment like this my only
advice would be to run wild and escape
from the restrictions of any guidebook.
Let your imagination take over, if
something grabs your attention run up
the hill and let the rock do the talking.
Later that evening some of the clan
returned from a session on the hillside
above the Celtic Jumble. Rumours of more
great problems needed to be confirmed
and it wasn’t long before the beast was
unleashed and I too was legging it up the
hillside towards the Egg-shaped boulder The
unmistakable and eye-catching Egg Crack
(Font 5) and the airy Highball Arête (Font 5+)
are just a few of the many great problems.
The more I scoped the more I realised the
potential was never ending; there are
literally so many undiscovered treasures.
Venture back up the glen to 7-mile boulder
and check out the delights on yet another
solitary gem high on the hillside. Nothing
is super hard here and it’s a real peace of
paradise. Take in the views and relish
just being in this special environment. 6
Bryony Weathers on a brilliant
unknown problem above Angel
Walls. When the rock is this
great who cares what the
grade is just climb it.
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 47

8 A great way to end the day.
Mike Hutton scopes out an
unnamed problem above Angel
Walls on a perfect evening.
Mike Hutton on the bold, sketchy,
but superb Dandy Don’s Arête
(Font 6b) at the Ship Boulder. 2
There is even much scope on the
opposite side of the glen. Lurking on the
foothills of Seana Mheallan is the
magnificent Scotty Dog bloc with its
bizarre shaped prow and amazing, and
quite out there, challenge going by the
name of The Diehard (Font 6c+) which
surmounts the prow by its two arêtes.
Just this boulder alone has scope for many
more lines. Even further up the hillside
and quite out of view is perhaps the best
problem in Torridon. Those who are willing
to make the steep scramble through the
mountain of heather will realise what all
the fuss was about when they cast there
eyes on the mother of prows. The Essence
(Font 7b+) represents fridge-hugging at its
very best and has to be seen to be believed.
In reality the bouldering in Torridon is
unlikely to ever become over-crowded.
After all it is miles away from anywhere
and that’s actually a pretty good thing.
I hope you too can one day have a
magical adventure up on the glens. ■
FACT FILE
Guidebooks
The best and most up-to-date defi nitive guide to the area is Torridon Bouldering – Welcome to the
Jumble by Ian Taylor and Richie Betts the area’s main developers:
www.davemacleod.com/shop/torridonbouldering.html
If you have the guide then this update will be useful:
www.northwestoutdoors.co.uk/northwestoutdoorsullapool/2014/11/torridon-bouldering-update.html
Boulder Scotland (Third Edition) by John Watson covers some of Torridon and is a great guide to get for
the rest of the country. Boulder Britain by Niall Grimes will get you to the crag and gives an overview of
the most popular areas.
How to get there
The majority of the boulders are scattered on the hillsides of Glen Torridon below the ridgeline of the
famous Liathach mountain range and can be accessed from the parking in Torridon village. A pair of
Wellington boots will come in handy to cross the bog.
When to go
The boulders by their free standing nature will face all directions but many of the problems face south
and west so will receive a lot of sun and are quickly dried by any prevailing southwesterly winds. Sunny
winter, spring and autumn days offer the best conditions. Although it’s possible to climb from May to
September the midges will send you packing unless there is a breeze. It’s best to avoid the area after
rain as the sandstone is easily damaged when damp.
48 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

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James Pearson &
Caroline Ciavaldini
Injuries
and Mind Caroline
Ciavaldini writes:
Why should we speak on the subject
of injury? Because to my eyes, they
are an inherent part of the sport. Of
any sport actually. Quite naturally,
we play a sport to test and push the
mental and physical limits of ourselves
and, sometimes, we push too much.
Sometimes, we go past the physical
possibilities of our body and a tendon,
a muscle, a ligament, or a bone gives
way. It is the only way that our body
has to tell our mind that we went too
far without listening to the mind’s
warnings; that of pain.
And sometimes it is a subconscious
part of our mind that wants and needs to
have a break, despite all our conscious
motivation, all our stubbornness.
Sometimes the causes of the physical
injury are to be searched in the depth of
our mind.
Occasionally I think how wonderful it
would be if we could avoid injuries all
together, but in reality they are there for
a reason and, as frustrating as they can
be, we have to learn to understand them.
I am 32 now and I have had many
injuries. Little ones, big ones and I don’t
think I did learn before 10 years of
serious practice to hear what my body
had to say. But I learned, sometimes
after one good session, one finger hurts
just a little bit, a shoulder is a bit painful
on a movement, an ankle swollen. At 18,
I would simply treat anything with
disdain and climb on, maybe taping at
the very best and I would see my pains
evolve, grow, until I would have to stop
for at least two weeks. I wasn’t capable
of skipping one session, the one session
that could have sufficed to bring
everything back to normal. Why?
50 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

Clockwise from below:
Caroline enjoying the lead on
Void (E4 6a) at Tremadog, North
Wales. Photo: David Simmonite
Caroline climbing on Bee Wall
in Chattanooga, USA. Photo:
Eddie Gianelloni
Injury allows time to catch
up with some reading.
Photo: Yannick Long
Because I feared to self indulge.
I couldn’t see the difference between
my mind being a little lazy and my
body asking for a break.
Over time I have gained experience,
or perhaps I have learned to accept that
I am not superwoman and my body has
its limits. I can usually feel and decipher
pains that won’t lead to injuries from
pains that must be taken seriously but
that kind of experience, by nature, is
hard to explain. Maybe the first rule
would be to really listen to your body.
To take the time to experience it, and
remember it is just as you focus on a
sense when you taste wine, but focus
on the senses inside your own body.
It is all good and well talking about
experience, but here I am, not climbing
for three weeks now with a partial pulley
in my little pinkie. So what did happen,
and where did I go wrong?
Maybe the first rule
would be to really
listen to your body
Since I stopped competitions five
years ago I have not had one injury, or at
least not a serious one. As I didn’t have
the time pressure of competitions, where
one has to be ready for D-day, I was
usually able to skip one session, or one
week if needed. Of course, the overall
intensity has a lot to do with it, and since
stopping serious structured training
(don’t read this the wrong way, I’m still
training, a lot, just with more days at the
crag and more trips away) my body is
also taking less constant punishment.
James on the other hand has never been
so injured as these days – he’s also never
been as strong. A testament to how little
training he was doing before and how
you perhaps can’t have it all. There is a
lot to say about finding your own body’s
rhythm and balance. It takes time to develop
strength and fitness but, more importantly,
it takes time for your body to
grow strong to cope with such intensity.
Anyone can train hard for a season; very
few manage to train hard for a career but
I’m losing myself… 6
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 51

Enjoying the climbing. Caroline
bouldering at Burbage South in the
Peak District. Photo: David Simmonite
52 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

James Pearson &
Caroline Ciavaldini
So why this one? I did a big project
last year, The Voie Petit on Grand Capucin
on Mont Blanc. That was last summer,
nearly a year ago now. It took a lot of
focus and I knew afterwards that I would
need a couple of months on and off to
regain my full motivation. So I gave
myself some time.
We travelled a lot and I gave some
time to James who had been my sparring
partner for nearly a full season, to focus
on his trad projects. Eventually I did start
training again and I could feel that my
motivation was going into a new direction.
I wanted to learn to trad climb on-sight,
something that I had not really done
before. That is a very delicate subject
that would be worth another column
entirely… you English often say you are
not fit for sport climbing, but with a little
work you could be great in endurance –
on-sight trad is really pumpy.
I trained on our climbing wall in our
house, progressing through all of our old
circuits and feeling a little fitter every day.
We visited Annot, a great trad climbing
area in the south of France, full of cracks
of all shapes and sizes. Every day I could
feel the progression of learning new
skills, then one day in a tiny crack where
I had to crimp like an animal to place
some gear I started feeling some pain.
After 20 years
of climbing I
am still learning
Ironically, with all the intensity of hard
sport climbing and competitions, I think
it is trad climbing where you are often
at the most risk of injury. There are lots
of times where you don’t really warm up
properly because there are just not the
right routes to warm up on and you often
find yourself pulling harder than necessary
out of fear, or a simple desire to feel
locked onto the holds.
I stopped fairly fast as the pain was
not going away and came down from
the route, but sadly by that point the
damage had been done. At first I did
think that, as usual, I had stopped early
enough to recover fast. It was only a
small pain. But it is taking time and three
weeks down the line I am still waiting.
I didn’t worry at first, trying to actually
enjoy the time off climbing and focusing
on other things… but now it is getting
too long. I have started climbing a little
bit again; only easy and without my
little finger but I know I have to be very
careful. Three years ago James had a
similar injury and after some time he
realised he could actually climb if he
kept his little finger in the air – like
you British drinking tea.
Unfortunately for him, in doing so
he modified the way he held his arm in
the air, causing several other muscular
tension problems that lasted much
longer than the original injury.
I know I can’t climb too much that
way but just easy climbing should be
okay and I am enjoying climbing just
for the pleasure rather than constantly
pushing myself more and more. I keep
coming back to finding your balance,
which is easy to say and obviously
harder to do, but if it wasn’t we’d all be
perfect and I wouldn’t be writing this
column about injury. I am also starting
to look forward to training again and
that makes me realise the good side
of my injury, being forced to take a
break finally helps me to regain full
motivation, something that I did
struggle with the last year.
Not being able to climb gives me
lots of time to dream of the routes that
I want to try and now I am simply
looking into the future where I will be
allowed by my body to climb, train,
improve, test myself once again. After
20 years of climbing I am still learning.
If we look hard enough we can normally
turn each situation to a positive and
at the same time learn how we can
minimise the risks in the future. I’m
still learning and I’m sure I’ll be injured
again at some point in the future, but
for right now I’m enjoying missing the
effort and enjoying getting back to
wanting it. You come back more
motivated than ever. n
Caroline drinking tea and
keeping her injured little
finger in the air – very British.
Photo: James Pearson
Caroline and James are supported by Edelweiss, La Sportiva, The North Face,
Wild Country, Altimssimo and Biomechanica. They also founded the S.P.O.T. project,
a charity aimed at helping less fortunate climbers. You can find out more about
this and maybe make a donation, buy a T-shirt or pass on some climbing gear at
www.spotclimbers.com
Read more from Caroline and James at www.onceuponaclimb.co.uk
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 53

Welcome to
STONEY
SPORT
The Peak District’s highest concentration
of mid-grade sport climbs Photography: David Simmonite
Long renowned for the excellent trad climbing at Stoney Middleton,
the dale that holds this imposing crag has undergone considerable
development in recent years with the addition of many new sport climbs
to appeal to the masses. The old favourite of Horseshoe Quarry is
approaching maturity in terms of virgin rock, even though it still surprises
when new rock gets unearthed, however, climbers have sought out new
areas and revamped a couple of old favourites to give the highest
concentration of low to mid-grade sport climbs in the Peak District.
Stephen Coughlan on the popular Horseshoe Quarry tick, The Big Fat Texan on the Corner (F6a+).
54 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

DESTINATION
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 55

6 Stephen Coughlan in action
on The Director’s Cut (F6a+)
at Horsehoe Quarry.
2 The sign greeting you at the
entrance to Horseshoe Quarry
that shows the quarry layout.
2 Nige Prestidge on the
borehole section of the excellent
Shot your Bolt (F6b+) on the
Main Wall at Horseshoe Quarry.
The North Side
Paul Harrison (Stoney West) and David
Simmonite head to the north side of the
dale to give the lowdown on the five
venues on this flank.
Horseshoe Quarry
Perhaps the most popular mid-grade sport
climbing venue in the UK, the extensive
Horseshoe Quarry has come a long way
from its modest start when it was first
developed in the mid-80s by the likes of
Mark Pretty, Steve France, Ian French and
Chris Wright amongst others. Originally
Furniss Quarry, they dubbed it Horseshoe
Quarry due to its shape.
I first visited on a chilly April day in
1990 when I did Galening Crack with
Dave Vincent and I’ve been a regular since.
An invaluable piece of kit on my harness
then was a green size 1 HB Micromate,
the first three cam unit camming device
in the UK. It would fit in just about every
placement in the Main Wall’s top break
and a godsend to steady the nerves,
especially with a flexible U-shaped stem
when we all had rigid stemmed Friends
at the time. Why mention this? Back then
most of the routes were developed with
a mix of bolts, pegs and trad gear to
protect them. For example, Litany Against
Fear relied on six pegs and a couple of
trad placements and was given a grade
of E3 5c. Nowadays most of the routes
have been retro-bolted to turn it into a
sport climber’s paradise and Litany is
now F6b+ (using the original finish) with
the same superb moves.
Moving forward apace, it’s now
thronged with 300+ routes on rock quality
from superb to dubious – such was the
push to climb every inch of rock in the
quarry – on both tiers. Rest assured
though, it’s easy to spot the good from the
bad. The grade spread is F3 up to F7b with
the vast majority in the higher F5s and
through the F6s on mainly vertical rock.
A natural suntrap it also comes into its
own in winter when it’s too cold to climb
elsewhere coupled with quick drying
routes and sheltered nature. In summer
some areas are shaded to escape the heat.
Talking of access, quarrying finished
back in 1969 and climbing was discouraged
by the then owners, Tarmac. Fast
forward to 2005 and it was purchased by
the BMC, not only protecting the climbing
access but turning the quarry into a
conservation area. Gone is debris and
general litter, and plants and wildlife have
now taken hold. With newts making use of
the pond created on the left as you enter
the main quarry and a collection of plants
from orchids to cowslips amongst others.
On a first visit, head for the centrepiece
of Horseshoe, the Main Wall. The wall
is easily spotted given the quality of this
grey sheet of rock in the centre of the
lower tier. It is home to the best routes,
although it’s becoming a victim of its
quality and some routes are now
polished. But don’t let this dissuade you
from trying these technical wall gems.
So what to try? A good start to get the
muscles firing is Pale Rider (F6a) on the
left edge of the wall. Moving up a grade
is School’s Out (F6a+) followed by its
neighbour the quality Rotund Rooley at
F6b+ with great but thin, delicate moves
up an open groove high on the route.
Moving right again you come to Wall
of Jericho (F6b+), a personal favourite
with a crux around a rib and a tough
start. If you like crimpy climbing Legal
Action (F6c) will be right up your street
with a low crux. Private Prosecution
(hard at F6c and possibly F6c+) presents
a brilliant mix of technical and airy
climbing, especially the technical scoop
and headwall. Passing the aforementioned
Litany against Fear its right-hand
neighbour is Megalithic Man (F6b+),
arguably the best on the wall and varied
in the lower section before finishing
with a series of beautiful delicate moves
at the top. And the final recommendation
is the fabulous Shot Yer Bolt (F6b+) via
an obvious borehole to a perplexing
finishing section.
Heading left from the Main Wall the
routes are not in the same class and
there can be some loose holds but routes
worth doing are the crack of Sag Paneer
at F4+, The Big Fat Texan on the Corner is
a popular route at a popular F6a+ grade,
Sunday Sport (F6b) – one of the original
routes climbed in 1987 by Mark Pretty
– offers a good long pitch and further
left is the shallow corner of Nowt Taken
Out (F6a+) with some nice climbing
and a testing finish.
At the end of the quarry you won’t
have missed the big slabs. They offer
long easier routes from F4 through to
F6a and have proved popular. However,
there is still some loose rock so helmets
are advised for you and your belayer.
Some of the routes are done in two
pitches and longer than 30m so take
care, especially if you only have a
60m rope.
Heading back the way you came,
passing the Main Wall, the right-hand
section of the lower tier and in particular
the Androids Area offers up some good
pitches. The pick of the bunch are
Dalken Shield (F6b) albeit feeling a
little out-there on the steep headwall,
The Director’s Cut (F6a+) via a vague rib,
Blade Runner (F6a+) gives a bold outing
given there’s only three bolts in the route
but the climbing is really good and the
bolts are just where you need them
– push on. And last but not least over
to the right is the excellent and fingery
Rage (F6b). There are further routes
right again, especially in the Toilet
Sector, that, despite not being that
good (the clue’s in the name) are
remarkably popular.
56 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

DEStination
The upper tier above the Main Wall is
quieter with a selection of shorter routes
that feel less intimidating than those
below, a fair few in the F5–F6b range.
They have the advantage of keeping the
sun when the lower tier goes into shade
– useful in winter. Worthwhile routes
include from the left: Into the Labyrinth
(F5+) up the front face of a grey tower, By
Zeus (F6a+) up the arête to the right with
a reachy start and Spiteful Rain taking the
face right again at F5+. Then there’s
Smoke Gets in your Eyes (F6b+) taking a
prominent arête with a disconcerting
move far enough above a bolt to make
you think but it is a great trip. Finally,
Blue Sunday (F6a+) with nice face
climbing and Dinky Toy (F6c) via a thin
crack and a delightful technical wall.
Horse Thief Quarry
This recent development by Gary Gibson
is on the walls immediately left of the
sharp bend you encounter down the road
from Horseshoe Quarry. It offers easy
access and 17 quick-drying routes that
catch the sun until around mid-afternoon
with grades from F4 to F7a, the majority
in the F6a to F6b+ range.
The climbing is split into two areas
with the right-hand walls offering the
better routes; nonetheless there are one
or two good routes over to the left. These
are the long arête of Under the Thiefdome
at F5+ and a good warm-up, just left is
Dome of the Thief at a tough and reachy
F6b+ though you can sneak left and back
right at the crux if you can’t reach but it
does knock a grade off.
Moving to the right-hand section,
things start getting interesting on the
more appealing central wall. Favourites
are The Thief of Baghdad (F6b+) with a
lovely sequence on the white wall in the
middle followed by a long stretch between
two breaks. Right gain is Thief of Mad
Dad (F6b+) using a short corner, the
groove right again provides The Rustler
(F6b), Thieving Magpies (F6a) presents a
few nice moves and finally Rustler Brand
(F6b) gives tricky climbing via a blunt rib
and is harder than it looks, don’t rush it.
Stoney West
Hidden away high amongst the trees,
Stoney West has always been the poor
cousin to its more illustrious neighbour
(Stoney Middleton). However, this once
quiet and neglected cliff has enjoyed
something of a renaissance recently
thanks to the addition of a number of
decent sport routes, chiefly in the low to
middle grades. The new additions sit, in
some cases uneasily, alongside some of
the crags early pioneering routes from
the likes of Paul Nunn, Tom Proctor and
Paul Mitchell. 6
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 57

Chris Hindley nails the Thief
of Mad Dad (F6b+) on the
right-hand section of Horse
Thief Quarry.
The cliff itself has much to recommend
it to the sport climber, the rock is
generally good quality, although a loose
band in the upper reaches demands care,
the base of the cliff is well-shrouded by
trees but its elevated nature means it enjoys
a sunny aspect and is ideal for a late
afternoon or evening session. The rock
dries relatively quickly after rain and its
sheltered nature makes it a good choice
for a blustery day. A word of caution,
however, the steep vegetated slope
below the cliff quickly becomes muddy
and consequently very slippery when wet
as a number of unsuspecting climbers/
belayers have found to their peril.
As for the routes, Another Camden
Day (F6c+) is perhaps the one to single
out of the recent additions, pleasant face
climbing culminates in a spectacular
steep finish where a hidden knee bar can
be more than useful if arms are wilting.
Out of interest, either side of this are the
fine early trad routes Southerners Can’t
Climb (E3 5c) and Northerners Can’t Climb
(E5 6b); the latter was retro-bolted but
then quickly de-bolted, a good example
of climbers self-management of ethics.
Just left is Can’t Climb, Won’t Climb (F7a)
another good face climb and this one is
fully bolted.
The small bay above the vegetated
slope in the centre of the cliff has a number
of shorter sport routes. These are
deceptively sustained and many of the
routes feature fierce and fingery climbing.
Perhaps the pick of the bunch are In
Conversation (F6b) a technical thin crack
and Libation (F6b+) up a crimpy little wall
just right. The steeper wall right again
has proven popular and now has a clutch
of quality middle grade wall climbs to
tempt. Nearly all the routes feature fierce
bouldery starts and if you have carried a
stick clip up with you this is the place to
use it. Don’t Talk to Strangers (F6c) is my
favourite; a bold and reachy start leads
up into the black streak in the centre of
the wall. Procession (F6b+) is the slightly
easier line just right, again with a fierce
bouldery start where a long reach helps.
Perilscope (F7a) climbs the fierce crimpy
wall right again, the desperate start can
be avoided from the right and knocks the
grade down a notch. High in the right-hand
side of the wall is a large hole; this is the
gained by the excellent State of the Nation
(F6c) and left with no little difficulty.
Right again a more broken wall provides
a number of pleasant easier routes, the
best thereabouts is A Timer and a Place
(F6a) up the nicely positioned arête.
Finally, a short buttress, one of the first
encountered on the approach, gives a
couple of worthwhile routes – Shake Rattle
and Roll (F6b) a deceptively tricky wall
climb and Before Too Long (F6b) a burly
pitch up the roofed-corner and wall.
Golden Wall
In the trees below Stoney West is a small
and easily accessible wall with a handful
of short routes ranging from F5+ to F6c+.
The routes feel stout at the grades but
can give a good afternoon’s sport. The
best routes are Black Bryony (F6b) giving
pleasing moves via a blunt rib and pleasant
wall, and just to its right is the decent
wall climb of Blickin’ ‘eck (F6b+).
Garage Buttress
A true roadside crag, following recent
developments Garage Buttress has been
elevated to one the area’s most popular
sport climbing venues. Again fully bolted
sport routes sit side by side with classic
trad climbs, an example of climbers
self-policing the development of modern
routes, although some bolts do sit a
little close. It’s got the advantage of easy
approach, quick drying rock and a sunny
aspect thus popular in winter.
The routes on the left side of the
buttress are reached by a scramble up (a
rope sometimes in place) to a high ledge
which has an in-situ rope rail and bolt
belays. Starting from the left the routes
tend to start off steady and get harder
towards the top. Worth doing are:
Bohemian offering open wall climbing at a
benchmark F6b+; its close neighbour on
the right Empty Cartridge (F6b+) is a bit
tougher with hard pull above the break
and Reloaded (F6b+) via a shallow groove
to the break and a fine finishing headwall.
Further right the buttress is home to
an imposing piece of rock (Little Plum
Area) with a collection of hard test-pieces
including Dig Deeper (F8a) with fierce
pocket pulling, Ozone Bozo (F7c) involving
some big long moves so height is a
factor. Next to be recommended is the
hardest of them all, Kristian Clemmow’s
route Tollbar (F8a+), and finally on this
section is the superb Little Plum. Originally
climbed on aid, Jerry Moffatt freed
both pitches of the route at the start of
the 80s. Although it can be climbed in
two pitches it is best done in one long
pitch at an ‘easy’ F8a.
Moving to the right-hand section
of Garage Buttress the dozen routes
added in the last few years have proved
instantly popular with a couple of short
warm-up routes on the left at around
F6a to start the ball rolling. Right again
the 30m long Dreamcatcher (F6b+) is
without doubt the best pitch on this
wall with lovely flowing moves to a
steep pull at the top. Immediately right
is Creamsnatcher (F6b) with some good
delicate sections. Just around the corner
the rock isn’t quite so good with some
snappy holds but there a few routes from
F6a to F7a, the best being the exposed
upper wall of Four Thousand (F6c). If you
have a 60m rope, tie a knot in the end as
the route is 32m in length. If that’s too
much, you can climb to the first lower-off
in the break to tick Two Thousand (F6a+).
The South Side
Nick Taylor looks at the climbing and offers
suggestions for this side of the dale.
Drive the dale from Horseshoe Quarry
towards Stoney Middleton village and
at the sharp bend in the road you may
glimpse a striking buttress on the right
above the trees, thereafter the valley is
heavily wooded on this side for nearly
a mile, until opposite the Lover’s Leap
Garage at the start of the village, a large
quarry is noticeable. There are, in fact,
three huge quarries hidden from view
which offer numerous varied and very
worthwhile sport routes. West to east
these are Hidden Quarry, Darlton Quarry
and Goddard’s Quarry. Recent developments
followed the abandonment
of these quarries and be reminded that
there is no official access so if asked to
leave please do so courteously.
Hidden Quarry
Hidden Quarry contains the striking
prow, known locally as The Sphynx, or
recently by climbers as Sit Down
Buttress, and several other areas of
development. The first climbs there were
by Tom Proctor and Geoff Birtles in 1973,
58 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

DEStination
Sniffer Clark and the legendary Big Chiv,
‘A particularly impressive lead by Proctor
with a 40-foot overhanging chimney that
makes Elder Crack look pathetic. The
route has only minimal protection’.
These were on the tier below Berserker
Joe but have now been buried by
landscaping of the quarry. The first sport
climbs were put up by Paul Freeman and
Mark Pretty, with further development by
John Allen, Gary Gibson and Nick Taylor.
When you enter the quarry via a
vague path (details on Gibson’s website),
Sit Down Buttress is obvious over to the
left and is a beautiful sunny spot offering
year-round quick drying climbing, but it
can be breezy on a windy day. The front
face offers several worthwhile routes on
good rock. Stand Out Arête (F6b) is the
obvious and well-named photogenic
arête and is tough for a short section.
The wall just left offers up a nicely
balanced route Sit Down Wall (F6a) to
give another super climb and a good
first route. Sit Up and Beg (F6b) to the
left of a trad crack is reachy and fingery,
and the four routes left again are all
around F6a and give a good afternoon’s
climbing.
Routes on the steep right side of the
Stand out Arête have an entirely different
character, with an intimidating feel.
The first two on the left are harder
offerings, Christmas Crackers (F6c+)
and Where’s Wall-E, the hardest at F7a.
a beautiful sunny spot
offering year-round
quick drying climbing
The obvious crack gives solid jamming,
Berserker Joe (easy F6a except for the
wall-trained), Footprints in The Snow
(F6a+) has an excellent out-there
finish up the hanging corner, Trouser-
Ripper (F6b+) boasts an exacting start
which can be avoided starting up the
previous route at F6a+ but spoils the
fun. Finally, another good tick is Drill
Bit Taylor (F6b) with a demanding
overlap to overcome. Approximately
50m around to the left from Sit Down
Buttress are four short routes ranging
from F6a+ to F6c on a rib and compact
wall that stays shaded.
There are other areas of development
situated to the right as you enter the quarry
on tiered walls. The first buttress encountered
immediately on the right has a dusty
left wall with a couple of climbs at F6c
and F6b+ followed by several lines
around F6b with a mixture of pockets,
crimps and tricky finger locks. The steep
blocky tower is Chunky and good value
at F6b. The arête is Bride of Chunky
(F6b+) with a definite crux sequence.
To the right, Lurid Persona (F6b+) and
Cous Cous (F6b+) share a start, then
Downstream Takeaway (F6b+) and Odd
Bod Junior (F6a) share a common finish.
Two other areas have been developed
on the tier below but are not described
here. Continue walking along the ledge
to the impressive Main Wall at the far
left-hand side. The right-hand route is
a shorter warm-up, Stoked for the Send
(F6b) with another slightly harder route
just left. Three routes on the Main Wall
are amongst the best in the quarry, on
the left is Super Leggera (F6c+) providing
excellent climbing, Spirit of Ecstasy (F6b)
is the original route of the wall which
has a hard start, particularly for those
of less stature, followed by a delightful 6
Above L–R: John Davidson
pulling hard on Perilscope
(F7a) at Stoney West.
Stephen Coughlan climbing
Stand Out Arête (F6b) on
Sit Down Buttress, arguably
the best route in this part of
Hidden Quarry.
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 59

60 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk
A long route and recent addition to
Goddard’s Quarry, Nick Taylor on the crux
section high on Goddard’s Corner (F6a+).

DEStination
pocketed wall that keeps on coming but
with the odd rest and, finally, Superveloce
(F6c+) left again is first-rate with a blind
finish. There are a couple of projects in
this area identified by missing hangers so
please respect these as it takes a lot of
effort to develop these venues.
Darlton Quarry
Darlton Quarry is the middle of the three
and least developed with most of the
routes climbed by Gibson. The routes are
on the north-facing back wall over to the
right when you enter. Eight routes have
been added with grades from F6c+ to F7b
on good rock and sustained in nature.
The best of the routes start with the first
on the left-hand side of this wall, This
is Not a Drill (F7a), offering good face
climbing and a crux on small holds, the
easiest on this section are second and
third from the right, The Knew and Blue
Knew (both F6c+), the final right-hand
route is The Grey (F7a+) with a mix of
high steps and rock-overs. There are a
few easy routes on the opposite wall and
the best is Still Game (F5+), starting next
to a block of wood that is bolted to the
wall (but not by the first ascensionist)
then to the right are four routes at F5+,
F5+, F5 and F6b+.
Goddard’s Quarry
Goddard’s Quarry is opposite Stoney
Middleton Garage buttress, accessed
via the stile opposite the Lover’s Leap
Garage. With most of the development
having taken place on the north-facing
walls most areas are in shade until the
late afternoon/evening in summer. The
initial wall encountered at the top of
the approach track, Crustacean Wall,
was the first developed in the quarry
(by Gibson) just in time for inclusion in
BMC Peak Limestone North guidebook.
Since then a number of climbs of varied
character have been added throughout
the quarry by Gibson, Mark Pretty, Paul
Freeman, Nick Taylor, John Allen and
David Simmonite.
Recommended on Crustacean Wall
is the obvious crack of Pearls from the
Shell (F6a+) plus the technical walls to
its left and right, Brachiopods Bite Back
(F6b) and Red Mist (F7a). Walking into
the quarry there are some massive walls
over 30m+ in height. The first route By
Goddard (F6c) takes a white scarred
pillar and to the right is the long arête of
Sheffield Tape Archive (F6a+) giving lovely
moves with a good sequence through a
small shallow corner at half height. Right
again is a striking arête high on the cliff
taken by Steps (F6c+), perhaps the first
ascensionist’s second favourite band after
the Stranglers? Then, after a number
of routes high on the cliff starting from
an access rope, there is a big and prominent
left-facing corner; Goddard’s Corner
(F6a+) gives some super old fashioned
traditional laybacking and bridging on
the crux upper corner.
After this head up a grassy bank
to the right that eventually levels out
and leads to The Plantation. Several
worthwhile routes are on the Upper Tier
to your left as you head up the bank, accessed
with care across a scree slope. At
the very left-hand end a corner above a
belay bolt is Boy Better Know (F6a) giving
old school jamming in a fine position.
Right again is Weasel Wall; the left-hand
routes, Weasel Assassin (F7a+) and Psycho
Squirrel (F7b), are very intense and
technical. The right-hand routes start on
diabolical rock but are pleasant above,
both are F6b+. The next cluster of short
routes are even higher up the scree cone,
Buzzards Banquet (F6a+) is a good route
with an off-width finish, Billy Bunter (F5)
is an easy slab and there are two routes
at F6a+. Back down below and to the
right, facing the cliff, are several more
routes in left-hand section of The Plantation
that are not described but offer a
grade spread from F5 to F6c.
Moving along to The Plantation’s
main area, all routes on the left-hand
side have tricky starts, on the left Crozzles
Away (F6b), right again is Pebbles
Away (F6b) via a thin crack before
moving right to another crack and the
recently added Clastic Rock, a sustained
F6b direct through a small overlap from
the initial thin crack of Pebbles.
The next route is Unbroken (F7b)
followed by 3D Magic (F6c) with good
pumpy climbing that swings into the
alcove and up through bulges to the
short rib above. On the right side of this
wall are seven more routes from F6b+ to
F7a+. Recommended are the two routes
on the right, the wonderfully sustained
Debrilliant (F6c) and Careless Talc (F6b+)
complete with a tricky finish.
Over to the right-hand side of The
Plantation area is a scattering of easier
routes, first up is the groove of Mup Me
and arête of Strong like Horse, both F5+
and these share a lower-off. Isolated in a
bay behind a distinctive tree is Tree Twister
(F6a+), at the far right-hand is a flowstone
pillar offering up Dendrophilia (F6b+) and
on the right is Eticlac and Underclac at
F6b. Next up, two routes gain a ledge then
clip shared bolts from either side; Style
Scott (F6b) and Flabba Holt (F6a) on the
right. Lastly is a flowstone crack swinging
right onto a wall to give Junjo Lawes (F6a).
The last area is at the far end of the
quarry on the opposite side – Sunshine
Walls – which actually become shady on
summer afternoons. Routes on the main
wall are left-to-right: Sun of a Gun (F7a+);
Sunny Side Up (F6c+); Here Comes the
Sun (F6b+) and Good Day Sunshine (F6b).
Finally, a pillar 30m to the right is the
easiest thereabouts, Sun Honey (F6a).
On the wall directly below Sunshine Wall
is Chuckle Brothers offering a nice F6a+
with a tricky start. n
Please Note
Inclusion of some of the crags in this article, in particular
the south side of the dale doesn’t give you the right to climb
there. If asked to leave please do so courteously and without
hesitation. Please bear in mind that these quarries can
contain loose rock and some of the routes, even though
well-cleaned, can be dusty with the odd dubious hold so take
this into account. As with all climbing, climbers and belayers
should be aware of this and pay close attention at all times
and use of helmets is advisable. Climbers should evaluate
any fixed gear used and make a personal judgement about
its quality and trustworthiness.
Route information and guidebooks
The final moves of Careless
Talc (F6b+) in The Plantation
area of Goddard’s Quarry are
the toughest; Stephen
Coughlan eyeing them up.
It is beyond this article to highlight every route but further details can be found on
Gary Gibson’s invaluable and regularly updated website www.sportsclimbs.co.uk
There’s a selection of all but the newer crags in both the BMC’s Peak Limestone
North and Rockfax’s Peak Limestone guidebooks.
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 61

eviews
El Desfiladero
de la Hermida
Roca Verde £20
It’s out. The guidebook to Spain’s best-kept
secret and one of the best summer climbing
venues in Europe. Had enough of going to
the usual places and you fancy a change? Fed
up of the crowds, the heat and the polished
routes? Look no further, the crags in this book
have got everything you’re looking for. El
Desfiladero de la Hermida covers the climbing
centred around the village of La Hermida,
located in the gorge called El Desfiladero de
la Hermida that runs north/south through
the eastern end of the picturesque Picos de
Europa, from Panes to Potes, on the border
between Cantabria and Asturias.
This is a really beautiful part of Spain,
known as ‘Green Spain’ due to the abundance of
vegetation as a result of the maritime climate and
the scenery is simply stunning. The topography is
classic karst limestone. The gorge has very steep
sides, riddled with rocky gullies that lead up to
high craggy peaks with breathtaking views. There
are crags everywhere and the potential for more
development is obvious. It gets even better as the
summer temperatures are typically in the mid-20s,
which make such a pleasant change compared to
many parts in Europe. In fact, a normal season
there extends from late spring (as the tufas dry
out) until early winter, when the first of the rain
which keeps the valleys so green arrives. Though
the addition of many quick-drying, walls and
slabs outside the main valley means that there
should be something to get on year round.
There is plenty to do on rest days as a 30-minute
drive away is the coast with the possibility of
surfing the Atlantic swell. Alternatively, there are
numerous paths that can take you up into the
heart of the Picos de Europa or you can take the
cable car up to the most famous mountain in the
area, the Naranjo de Bulnes. If all of the above
activities sound too strenuous, you may just
prefer to go and relax at the climbers’ bar in La
Hermida (La Cuadrono) and sample Chucho and
Angela’s wonderful hospitality. However, if you’re
staying in Potes, try the climbers’ bar (La Reunion)
and sample some of their home-made beers or
enjoy a nice cheap coffee (don’t forget this is
Spain, so prices are always very reasonable).
For years there have been rumours of great
climbing in this part of northern Spain but
information was always scarce. Then three years
ago Richie Patterson published the excellent Roca
Verde, a selective topo covering some of the crags
in Cantabria, Asturias and Leon. As a result the
area started to receive more attention, justifiably
so. Due to this new found popularity Richie,
in collaboration with the local Cantabrian
climbers, has put this definitive guidebook
together, specifically covering all of the new
(or previously hidden) crags in the La Hermida
valley, and what a guidebook it is.
62 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

BEGINNER OR ENTRY-LEVEL HARNESSES
DMM Viper ➊
£52.50
Weight: 410g (medium)
3 sizes (S, M, L)
This is a durable and comfortable beginner’s harness at a very good
price. It shares the same excellent shaping, materials and buckle system
as DMM’s other high-end harnesses, but differs in having a fi xed waist
belt. This means you need to be more careful to get the right fi t to make
sure the generous allocation of fi ve gear loops are centred, but with three
sizes to choose from that shouldn’t be a problem. A good entry-level
harness for indoor or outdoor use, and summer or winter climbing.
Info: www.dmmclimbing.com
Petzl Corax ➋
£60
Weight: 490g (Size 1)
2 sizes (1, 2)
The Corax has been around for some time, but with good reason.
This is a solid and robust harness with the essential features to take
the beginner into all manner of climbing activities. The double-buckle
waist belt makes it easily adjustable to a wide range of sizes. The
leg loops and waist belt are quite wide, but well-shaped for ease of
movement. A safety feature for beginner climbers is the bright green
belay loop that helps identify the correct connection point for the
belay/abseil device.
Info: www.petzl.com / www.lyon-outdoor.co.uk (stockist info)
Camp Jasper CR4 ➌
£59.99
Weight: 515g (XS/medium)
2 sizes (XS/M and L/XL)
New for 2012 from Camp is another entry-level, all-round harness that also
features a two-buckle waist closure system so that it is easy to center the
belt, gear loops and tie-in point regardless of your waist size. Very similar
to the Corax with a wide but well-shaped waist belt to offer good lumbar
support. Four gear loops offer adequate racking, and both leg loops can
be released if needed. A solid and durable, but slightly heavier alternative.
Info: www.camp.it / www.allcord.co.uk (stockist info)
Julie-Ann Clyma gearing up in Calico Basin, Red Rocks, wearing
the Black Diamond Siren harness. Photo: Roger Payne
➊
➋
➌
78 March 2012 www.climber.co.uk www.climber.co.uk March 2012 79
gear review.indd 78 1/5/12 11:09:17
The first thing you will notice when you flick
through it is the attention to detail that has been
put into the presentation and that it is written in
Spanish and English. The introduction is concise,
yet has all the necessary information you need,
including a very clear general map, where to
stay and what the topo symbols mean. There
is an interesting section on ‘Geography and
Wildlife’ as well as a very important section
on ‘Access and Etiquette’.
Each crag has its own introduction, including
the style of climbing, orientation regarding the sun,
walk-in times and access map with GPS co-ordinates.
The topos are very accurately drawn on
clear colour photos and printed on top quality
paper. All pitch lengths are given. However, there
are no stars. The authors don’t want climbers to
be drawn towards particular routes, with the result
that they become polished and end up with queues
during busy periods, they want you to find out for
yourself and have fun doing so. The action photos
are some of the best I have seen in a climbing
guide and really do give you an important first
impression. They fire you up, your fingers start
to sweat and you start mentally planning how
to get there as soon as possible.
The valley is already quite well-known for its
amazing tufas at steep crags such as Rumenes
and El Infierno. However, this is not just an area
that suits climbers operating in the big numbers
because what is not so well-known is the fact that
there are also many crags that offer really enjoyable
climbing at a more reasonable standard in equally
impressive surroundings. In fact, much of the
new guide is taken up with crags with amenable
grades that should allow mixed parties to enjoy
the valley more, making a morning cranking on
tufas followed by an afternoon on the slabs (or
vice versa) a practical option.
The guide includes a total of 32 crags, of
which 24 are published for the first time,
including the jaw-dropping Cueva Carcalosa
(which will soon become internationally
important for those seeking long steep voyages
in tufa paradise) and the long established, but
nonetheless previously secret, Cicera (with its
wealth of demanding crimpy climbing in the
summer shade). La Desfiladero de la Hermida is in
A5 format, has 176 pages and almost 700 routes
to choose, graded from F3+ to F8c+ and offers
great value at £20. Please bear in mind that it is
the only definitive guide and purchasing it will
help contribute towards future equipping in the
area. After you’ve been climbing, don’t forget to
have a beer at La Cuadrona, followed by a swim
in the hot springs up the road.
My advice; skip Céüse this summer, buy this
topo, book your ferry – job done.
El Desfiladero de LaHermida is published
by Roca Verde and is available direct from:
www.rocaverdeclimbing.com
Mike Owen
TRY OUR DIGITAL
MAGAZINE FOR
HARNESSES
Download our 16 page
taster of Climber for FREE
and see what you think.
Find out more...
www.climber.co.uk
We regularly run gear reviews. This is a snippet of a
recent one from the March 2012 issue of Climber.

training
& skills
the climber’s coach
with Tom Randall
and Ollie Torr
How to Perfect
Your Power
Endurance
Earlier in this series of articles we looked at the basic
methods of improving endurance of the forearm. One
of the main points that we made was that people spend
too much of their time in a ‘pumped’ state and working
the middle ground of intensity. One of the reasons for
avoiding this range was to hold off on this type of
training until the power endurance phase. This is exactly
the type of climbing we want to be doing when it comes
to reaching peak physical form for sport climbing. It’s
the time of the year where we’re aiming to bring all of
our fitness and strength together to hopefully produce
the perfect combination and maximum force and
endurance – this equals higher grades with any luck.
Dave Mason timing his rests
between circuits. Photo: David
Simmonite
One of the key problems we do see
these days is the lack of correct training
facilities for power endurance. Most
of you out there will want to be able
to get to a lead wall perhaps three times
a week. This is all very well, but it also
requires quite a lot of time to be put
aside and it requires a belay partner.
Fortunately, an increasingly common
facility is coming to the rescue – the
traverse wall/looped circuit board.
Circuit boards are now found in many,
many climbing walls across the country
and cross the disciplines of bouldering
and sport climbing – on one hand it is
low level climbing, like bouldering, but
the number of moves carried out is more
similar to a sport climbing experience.
For this reason, you can easily train
your sport climbing fitness (or in other
words – power endurance) with the
convenience and ease of going
bouldering. You don’t need a climbing
partner, a rope or huge amounts of time.
This combination, I think, is great for
those climbers out there pushed for time
or on a budget. We’re going to look at
power endurance training and how you
improve for sport climbing routes.
What you will typically find if you
lack power endurance for a route is
that you fail due to an unbearable
pump – your forearms are rock hard
and even though the moves in their
singularity are reasonable, you can’t
do them.
If your power endurance is lacking,
you will find that all moves are straightforward
to do very quickly, but linking
20 or more of them together is very
hard. This is typically what we encounter
on routes that are fairly sustained in
nature, with no stand-out crux move
that is way harder than others.
Working on your power endurance
will have the effect of improving both
your on-sight and redpoint grade.
I’m going to run you through two
different power endurance exercises,
one of which works well for improving
your redpoint grade and the other
which is more focused on improving
your on-sighting. That said, there are
mutual benefits for both, but I have
found with experience that each has
its own particular focused benefits.
64 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

Exercise 1 – Redpointing
• You should feel VERY pumped on this exercise.
• You should not be failing until the last rep in this exercise.
• Your ‘resting time’ should always be at least equal or less than your ‘climbing time.’
Dave Mason in the middle of a
long circuit on the Climbing
Works Sheffield circuit board.
Photo: David Simmonite
1. Warm up
2. Choose a 40-move section of the circuit wall that is at your redpoint grade – this might be two grades
above your on-sight.
3. Break the 40-move circuit into four sections of 10 moves each.
4. Climb each section, followed by a rest period that is equal to the climbing time it took for that section.
5. For example, climb 20 seconds, rest 20 seconds, climb 15 seconds, rest 15 seconds, climb 30 seconds,
rest 30 seconds, etc.
6. Aim to have four to six attempts on the whole circuit in each session with at least 10-15 minutes rest
between each rep.
7. Over a period of eight weeks aim to bring the rest period down by five seconds each week until you
are getting close to redpointing the whole circuit.
8. You will be amazed at what you can achieve by doing this. 6
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 65

Exercise 2 –
On-sighting
Secondly, we’re going to look at a
power endurance exercise that is
good for improving your on-sight
grade – especially on endurance
style routes that have no singularly
hard move.
The important part of this
exercise is that you are very strict
with the rest and climb times and
that you work this consistently over
a period of eight weeks for some
really good gains.
• You should feel VERY pumped on this exercise.
• You should only be failing on the last few reps in this exercise.
• Your ‘resting time’ should always be exactly equal to your ‘climbing time.’
1. Warm up.
2. Find a route that is around your on-sight grade and work a section that
takes you 60 seconds to climb.
3. This section should feel around 50% of your maximum i.e. on your first
few reps, you aren’t getting too pumped.
4. Attempt to climb your 60-second circuit 10 times with 60 seconds rest
between each climb.
5. This means you climb for 10 minutes and rest for 10 minutes in total.
It doesn’t sound like too much, but it’s a superb exercise.
If you get this exercise correct, you will
feel extremely pumped by your sixth
or seventh minute of climbing and be
fighting very hard to complete the eighth,
ninth and 10th minute.
If you find you are failing too early,
then reduce the grade of the route you
are attempting. You should NOT lengthen
the rest times, as this will start to take
you more into stamina training.
So to summarise your power endurance
training on circuit boards, you should
always try and bear the following points
in mind.
1. The climbing intensity is high (around
your on-sight level or just above), and
the overall number of moves is
moderate 100-250.
2. You should aim to get VERY pumped.
3. If you are not getting pumped
because one move is causing
failure, add in extra holds so that
the climbing is easier and more
sustained.
How to fit into your
training plan
The key to structuring and ordering the
power endurance training that you do
each year is to make sure it is used as
a ‘fine tuning’ tool only at the very end
before you go away on a climbing trip,
want to try your project or are headed
off to a competition. This means that it
is key that you complete this type of
training only in the final eight weeks or
so before you head off on a climbing trip
or take part in a competition. There are
still many climbers who think they can
boulder, campus board and fingerboard
for months on end and then only do the
endurance (or power endurance work)
as a final back-up plan.
In my experience this is a mistake, as
to create excellent power endurance (the
ability to endure the strength that do you
have) for any individual they will need to
have established an excellent endurance
base and then only build the power endurance
at the end. If the climber tries to
exclude ever working the power endurance
or that they think they can work it
all year long, they are very wrong.
The individual who ignores the power
endurance work will only be good on ‘very
easy’ or ‘very hard’ ground and fail on the
mid intensity and the climber who works
power endurance for more than even a
few months risks burn-out or injury.
During your power endurance
preparation phase, you can train this
aspect of your climbing from one to two
times per week as a F6a-F7b+ climber
and two to four times per week if you’re
climbing above those grades and have at
least three years of consistent training
experience. As you approach the trip,
project or competition that you are
aiming for, reduce this by at least 50%
and add in a little bit more power-based
bouldering work to get the recruitment
of the forearm muscles working in your
favour. n
Timing both rests and
climbing time is crucial.
Photo: David Simmonite
Tom Randall and Ollie Torr are from
Lattice Training who provide systematic
analysis and training services to climbers
around the world. The team has developed
a unique insight into analysing climbing
performance and optimising training using
their Lattice Board. This tool has been used
as a method for collecting performance
profiling data across hundreds of climbers
and could possibly be the next step in taking
climbing to another level. For more info
go to www.latticetraining.com
66 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

training & skills
Glen Chapman is climbing a
steep power endurance F6b
with no particular hard moves
– perfect for on-sight training.
Photo: David Simmonite
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 67

gear review by Climber Test Team
Sleep
Light
Lightweight
Camping &
Bivvy Gear
Heading to climb in remote areas or mountain crags and want to
keep weight down? We look at lightweight options for nights out.
There are times when you want to climb in the mountains for two or three days (or longer), for
example, on Scafell or Ben Nevis, but can’t face the long slog each day. So the alternative is to
bed down close to the crag. The problem with this is the amount of weight you’ll be carrying,
hauling a trad rack, ropes, food, water, etc is bad enough. Then factor in gear you need to
spend a comfortable night and suddenly the weight of your already heavy pack starts to sink in
and the appeal of camping diminishes.
These days new materials and techniques have shaved considerable amounts of weight from
what you need, especially on the basics: sleeping bag, tent and sleeping mats. Most of this stems
from the development of kit used by elite athletes taking part in mountain marathons where every
gram counts. So we looked at some of the kind of kit available for a two to three season camp or
bivvy in far-to-reach places and mountains to help you keep weight down and still maintain comfort.
Alpkit Hunka
Bivvy Bags
Sometimes you may only be out for a night, or
are planning an Alpine route where you may be
on a ledge mid-route and using a tent isn’t
practical. This is where a bivvy bag comes in to
protect you from the elements.
Alpkit Hunka bivvy bag
Weight: 360g RRP £47
The Hunka is a simple and affordable bivvy bag
that is waterproof and breathable. It is commonly
found near the top of a lot of climbers’ wish list, in
fact visit Alpkit’s web site and you’ll likely find it out
of stock such is the demand. So, why is it popular?
It is manufactured from thin ripstop nylon
and weighs in at around 360g. The thin material
doesn’t feel as durable as some others on the
market, but then the more durable bags are
usually heavier. It achieves this weight in no
small part by not having a zip, which does make
it trickier to get into and out of, especially if you
are using a thicker sleeping bag and/or have your
mat in there too. But the benefit of going zip-less
is that it does massively help to keep rain out.
The hood is roomy enough to stuff a dry bag
with some clothes in to act as a pillow which
helps with a good night’s sleep. There are two
drawstrings, one across the chest and the other
in the hood, to seal out the elements, and a cinch
toggle on either side of the hood by your ears.
The drawstrings can get in your face a little
during the night and are a mild annoyance.
In terms of breathability, be careful to not seal the
drawstrings too tightly, otherwise you get a bit of
dampness inside, but that applies to other bivvy
bags, even those double the price. The Hunka
packs down into a neat net stuff sack built into
the foot of the bag, and when packed isn’t much
bigger than a lightweight hardshell jacket.
It comes in a choice of three colours, and an
XL is available if you are tall or want to stuff your
gear in with you. It is recommended for three
season UK and summer Alpine trips. It’s light and
small enough that you won’t mind tossing it into
your pack as a ‘just in case’ item and at the price
it’s a great value product.
MSR E-Bivy bag
Weight: 236g RRP £105
This truly ultra-light, compact and weather
resistant bivvy bag offers the ultimate in minimalist
bivvying. The fabric used is 30D silicone coated
ripstop nylon for the top and tougher more durable
30D Durashield coated nylon for the base that
provides a higher degree of waterproofness.
You should be fully aware that it isn’t fully
waterproof with no taped or sealed seams but
can deal with light showers and morning dew In
heavier rain it should be combined with a sleeping
bag with hydrophobic down filling designed to keep
the down dry and a tarp. Though if you want to be
out in fouler weather then you should look at fully
waterproof options. The base offers more water
resistance and keeps you dry from damp ground
with no problem. There is no zip at the entrance
with just a simple opening but the entrance is big
enough to make it relatively easy to get in.
The breathability of the bag was found to be
okay with little in the way of condensation and
dampness on the inside of the bag and it also
keeps the wind out. It was spacious enough to
take a sleeping bag complete with mat with ease.
It also makes a good ‘cover’ for a sleeping bag,
adding to the warmth and durability if the outer
shell is particularly lightweight. Given the miniscule
weight and tiny pack size you can always leave it
in your pack for use as emergency protection.
MSR E-Bivy
68 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

Rab Alpine Bivi
Weight: 470g RRP £220
A high quality bivvy bag made of highly breathable
and waterproof 15D eVent DVStorm three-layer
fabric on the top and a 70D nylon taffeta bathtub
base to add to the durability, especially when on
rocky ground. At the head end is the zipped
entrance that unzips a third of the way down the
bag making entry very easy. The smooth running
zips are covered with a waterproof flap fastened
by Velcro to stop water ingress.
The Alpine Bivi swallows a sleeping bag and a
mat with comfort especially given the bigger
dimensions of the bag. There is no mesh at the
opening to stop midges getting in but this is
probably because the bag is at home in the Alps
on summit attempts (hence the name) or as a
great winter bivvy bag. In fact, as one tester
pointed out – it would be a super all-rounder.
The design is one of simplicity and one which
was well-liked, standing up to a downpour of rain
that lasted through the night but still kept out the
water. Yes there was some condensation on the
inside but it was remarkably light considering the
pounding it had on a wet and humid night; the
perfect conditions for condensation build-up. A
little heavier than some of the bags on test, it still
came in at a respectable 470g and packed away it
took up little room in your pack.
Perfect for any situation and in particular Alpine
bivvys, it’s an item you can place your trust in and
that will perform when you need it to; highly
recommended, especially for all-year round use.
Rab Ridge Raider Bivi
Weight: 1033g RRP £280
A cross between a small tent and a bivvy bag, the
Ridge Raider is a very well-made, relatively
lightweight, waterproof single-person bivvy but
with a hooped entrance courtesy of a DAC pole.
The bivvy uses a durable and waterproof 40d
eVent three-layer fabric on top with a 70D nylon
taffeta base and fully taped seams. It also comes
with four pegging points and two guylines to
keep everything in place plus six pegs.
It sets up in seconds with the pole easy to
insert in its sleeve and provides a very comfortable
bivvying experience, especially for those
who don’t want to feel too claustrophobic with
material around their face. The pole fashions a
hoop at the entrance that creates a nice amount
of living space and in dry weather there’s also a
zipped mesh inner ‘door’ – in addition to the
waterproof outer ‘door’ – to keep the midges out
but allow a breeze in if you want. The zips are
also covered with a generous waterproof flap to
curb water getting in. Yes there’s a weight
penalty for this hooped design, plus the pack size
is nearly double that of a conventional bag, but
it’s a good compromise between a tent and bivvy
for solo mountain use.
In use, it was found to be excellent, one of the
test team slept out for a few windy, rain-filled
nights and not once did they get wet with no
water entering it. The breathability of the fabric
was good, though there was some condensation
on the inside but less than was expected but this
is inevitable in any bivvy bag with moisture from
your breath. In terms of room, you enter from the
head end and it easily swallowed a sleeping bag
and a lightweight mat and at a push if you aren’t
too tall you could squeeze a small pack at your
feet. Luxury in terms of a bivvy bag, we found it a
perfect match with Rab’s Neutrino Endurance 200
also on test.
Sleeping Bags
We have concentrated on down sleeping bags as
it’s all about saving weight. Whilst there are good
man-made fibre options available, and often at a
cheaper price, they are a heavier option. Bags
come in different lengths and widths depending
Brand/Model
Rab Ridge Raider Bivi
Rab Alpine Bivi
Price (RRP)
on manufacturers and the best way to see if it
suits you is to try them out at a shop.
Many manufacturers are now beginning to use
a treatment that makes the down more water
resistant without adding to the weight. There are
different types of treatments and names floating
around – the one that’s used in most of the bags
we have on test is Nikwax Hydrophobic Down
(Sea to Summit use Ultra-Dry down moisture
protection). Whilst it doesn’t make the down
entirely waterproof it absorbs less water (which
can come from you in the form of sweat) and dries
quicker, helping retain loft in damp conditions.
It’s not a miracle though; if the down gets wet it
will still clump and become ineffective. 6
Weight
(grams)
Alpkit PipeDream 200 £140 545 7C
Mountain Equipment Women’s Helium 250 £200 675 3C
Rab Neutrino Endurance 200 £240 742 0C
Sea to Summit Insulated Spark SpIII £450 642 -4C
Terra Nova Elite 350 £420 950 0C
Thermarest Antares HD £165 430 -9C
Western Mountaineering Highlite £365 455g 2C
Comfort
Limit Rating
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 69

Alpkit PipeDream 200
Weight: 545g Comfort limit: 7C RRP £140
If you are looking for a lightweight two season
bag to take on routes needing a bivvy then this
bag from Alpkit is worth a look. Aside from the
good price, it’s what is inside the bag that makes
it stand out, and it’s a bit of a mouthful; 200g
of 750 fill power RDS certified ethically sourced
Nikwax hydrophobic 90/10 goose down. All
these feathers are contained in a well-made
DWR coated polyester shell and constructed
with a stitch-through method with the whole
lot weighing an impressive 545g.
The bag packs down well in its stuff sack
or can be compressed further if you shove into
something like a two litre roll top dry bag, which
has the bonus of keeping it protected from mother
nature if you are caught in a deluge. The bag
has a lovely soft feel and it glides over your base
layers when you hop inside it. It is surprisingly
warm given how thin it is. The zip opens close
to the base of the bag, but the toggle could be a
bit bigger so it’s easier to grab in the dark. Once
snug inside the drawcord pulls the hood nicely
around your face and when pulled tight leaves
just your nose and mouth exposed for when you
want to really seal out the elements. The testers
found the hood quite spacious and the bag itself
fitted most well, including one who is a 6’2”
skinny man.
So how warm will it keep you? You’ll get a
good night’s sleep at 7C or warmer is what Alpkit
themselves say, which does assume you’re wearing
only base layers. But you can probably push
that a little lower once you’ve got a few extra
layers on and then jump in a bivvy bag or throw
in a silk liner.
The trickiest thing I find about selecting a
sleeping bag is deciding whether to go for a
lighter bag where you may get a bit cold when the
temperature drops, or to go for the heavier and,
crucially for me, significantly warmer next model
up. If you like the 200 but want more warmth,
the 400 model is £60 more and 320g heavier but
you’ll get a good night’s sleep at -6C. Both ways,
there’s a PipeDream for everyone and you won’t
regret buying it especially if you are on a budget.
Mountain Equipment
Women’s Helium 250
Weight: 675g Comfort limit: 3C RRP £200
A women’s specific sleeping bag, the Helium
250 builds on Mountain Equipment’s long
experience of making the ideal bag for a given
scenario, in this case two to three season use
with a comfort limit of 3C.
The bag comes in an attractive blackberry
colour and is constructed using slanted box-wall
baffles and stitch-through baffles. The filling is
243g of 90/10 Pure Duck Down with fill power of
700 and the outer shell is Helium 20 which is very
light and breathable. There is a full length baffle
backed two-way zip (and thankfully snag free) to
allow maximum ventilation and integrated neck
baffle with an easy to operate Lode Lock closure
to secure the neck baffle closed and allow no
heat loss. To complete the picture there’s an
anatomically shaped hood and offset foot-box
plus it comes with a waterproof dry bag stuff sack
and funky storage cube for when it’s not in use.
In use, Mountain Equipment uses something
they call Alpine fit with zoned EXL system and
this maximises thermal efficiency throughout the
bag and it works well. The bag was used to 5C
Rab Neutrino
Endurance 200
and was found to be nice and warm. It offered
just the right amount of space for our female
tester, being a good size space wise and a good
compromise between room to move and less air
space to heat up. The foot box was generous too
with room to wriggle your toes and the hood was
very well fitted, moving with the head when
cinched up but never feeling claustrophobic at
any time. The drawcords for the hood and neck
baffles were easy to use in action. The shorter
length of the bag was also a plus point and if you
are a tall woman they do a longer version. The
pack size was pretty small and the weight, to say
it is packed with great features and a full length
zip, is first rate. If you are a female climber
looking for good sleeping bag it’s one you
should take a look at.
Rab Neutrino Endurance 200
Weight: 742g Comfort limit: 0C RRP £240
Rab offer two versions of the same sleeping bag,
the Neutrino and the one we have, the Neutrino
Endurance. The difference is the outer shell
fabric. The Endurance has an outer of Pertex
Endurance fabric which gives a high level of
water resistance and coupled with Nikwax’s
hydrophobic down treatment makes it ideal for
bivvying. The shell does add weight so if you
don’t want to bivvy nor need extra protection
look at Rab’s Neutrino 200 coming in at 620g.
The bag is filled with 200g of top quality 800
fill power 90/10 European certified goose down
and is hand-filled in Derbyshire. Other key features
include a close-fitting and generous neck baffle,
collar and hood drawcords that are easy enough
to use and a small internal zipped stash pocket
near the top of the zip. A slightly over ½ length
zip with anti-snag webbing tape that does exactly
what it says with the zip running freely. The zip is
covered by a good size baffle, this time using
Primaloft, with a Velcro clasp at the top of the zip.
The bag is constructed using a trapezoidal baffle
design to eliminate potential cold spots. Another
neat thing is the Pertex inner fabric treated with
Polygiene odour control. The anti-bacterial fabric
treatment used in the sleeping bag’s lining, using
recycled silver salt technology to inhibit and
guard against the growth of odours so you can
use your bag for longer trips, means it will still
smell fresh. This is a great idea given how smelly
sleeping bags get and we are surprised it’s not
adopted by other manufacturers. Finally, it comes
with an excellent waterproof dry bag compression
stuff sack plus a cotton storage sack.
Mountain Equipment
Helium 250 Womens
Alpkit PipeDream
200
70 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

gear review
Sea to Summit
Spark SPIII
In use, the bag did everything it needed to,
offering a comfortable sleeping experience with a
medium sized fit, although it does get a little
narrower around the legs and has a well-designed
foot box area. The weight and pack size
was good, not the lightest on test but it had
additional features to the lighter bags plus the
Endurance fabric shell. Warmth wise it was used
down to 4C where it was felt to be okay,
however, using it towards the comfort limit of 0C
wearing a base layer would be recommended.
Furthermore the Polygiene odour treatment
works; a great touch to an already good sleeping
bag. If you bivvy a lot in temperate climates i.e.
summer Alpine route, it should be a bag you take
a good look at.
Sea to Summit Spark SpIII
Weight: 642g Comfort limit: -4C RRP £450
To keep the weight to a minimum and still give a
warm bag, the filling is top quality high loft 850+
90/10 premium goose down with an Ultra-Dry
down moisture protection that keeps the down
resistant from the wet, thus making it a good bag
in damp conditions. The generous 400g of down,
held in place with a box-wall baffle construction,
is sourced and certified by the Responsible Down
Standard; a standard driving the down and
feather industry towards humane animal rearing
and handling practices.
It is constructed using box wall baffles to help
fill any gaps and hence no cold spots. Add to this
a micro-weight 10D Pertex quantum shell and
15D lining that feels nice on the skin and you
have a bag that oozes quality. The drawback of
a thin shell material (you can see the down
through it) is durability and it can be easier to
snag and tear so you need to take care using it
– not a problem in a tent but you should
consider a bivvy bag when bivvying – this and
the MSR E-bivy bag made a great combo.
Available in regular and long sizes, it’s a slim
mummy-shaped bag that allows a good loft and
leaves less air space needed to be warmed up.
It comes complete with a compression bag and
storage bag for when the bag isn’t in use. It
features a one third length zip backed by a baffle,
a full and spacious hood, and a nicely sized foot
box area. At the opening of the bag there is a
generous neck baffle and similar around the
edge of the hood to trap heat in.
In use, the bag was well-liked given the pack
size, weight and warmth but the larger testers
found the narrow fit a little restrictive around the
torso, plus you can’t vent from the lower torso
down due to the short zip. It was used down to
around 2C and at no time was it felt cold, in fact,
one advantage of the close fitting design was
that you felt cocooned in warm down loveliness.
Used in a damp environment the Ultra-Dry down
moisture protection worked well and crucially
the bag maintained its loft and warmth.
A true minimalist bag, the Spark SpIII uses the
lightest materials and finest down available to
create an astonishing sleeping bag in terms of
weight to warmth ratio. A favourite amongst the
testers and one that is highly recommended
– especially for a fast and light approach – if you
don’t mind the price, fit and shorter zip.
Terra Nova Elite 350
Weight: 920g Comfort limit: 0C RRP £180
Sitting below their more expensive and higher
performance Laser range, the Elite offers
performance at an affordable price. The 350 uses
600 fill duck down rather than the 900 fill goose
Terra Nova Elite 350
Therm-a-Rest
Antares HD
down used in the Laser range and has a lower
comfort rating down to 0C making it suitable for
spring, summer and autumn use. They also do a
lighter Elite 250 and heavier Elite 550 model.
To save weight it has a half-length zip with zip
sliders that prevent it from sliding down in the
night. Draw cords are employed on both the
mummy-shaped hood and the neck baffles to trap
in more heat. It’s supplied with a handy mesh
sack which helps the bag maintain its loft during
storage and also a sturdy compression sack
which enables it to be easily packed down.
First impressions are this is a roomy bag. One
of the reviewers is over six foot and was able to
fit in with extra clothes and not feel restricted.
The box-shaped toe area creates more space too.
When inside the bag it’s easy to close the hood
round your head with the toggle and also operate
the neck baffle. The outer material seems pretty
tough and it appears to even be water resistant,
which will be a real bonus when used inside a
bivvy bag. Very noticeable was that the zip did
not snag when opening – a definite advantage.
Interestingly the packed down size and length of
the sleeping bag is not available on the website
yet it is printed on the compression sack.
Although the bag was only tested down to 4C,
it was found that you didn’t need the baffles
firmly closed so they were sure this would be
fairly comfortable down to 0C inside a tent
with maybe some thermals on.
To sum up, this is a good bag for the money
– one of the cheapest on test – but comes with a
compromise and that is weight at 920g. If you
can justify twice the amount of money and need a
much lighter weight bag for the same rating then
consider the Laser 600 which weighs in at just 660g.
Therm-a-rest Antares HD
Weight: 950g Comfort limit: -9C RRP £420
The warmest on test and a good all-round bag,
particularly if you are a cold sleeper, which you
could use from early spring through to late
autumn. It uses 440 g 750+ fill power Nikwax
hydrophobic down and adds a reflective
ThermaCapture lining. This is effectively a
reflective layer that minimises heat loss and
helps make the bag feel warmer quicker. It is
all wrapped in a DWR-treated 20D Ripstop
Nylon shell that repels water to an extent and
a lovely soft Nylon inner.
Constructed using their new Zoned Insulation,
it uses box baffles on top of the bag with most
of the down going there and a lighter layer of
sewn-through down to the bottom of the bag. 6
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 71

This is because when you sleep on down it’s
crushed and becomes less effective so more of
it is located in other areas of the bag where it
works better.
This means a sleeping mat is important and
the extra insulation it gives so it’s got a neat trick;
there’s two soft wide(ish) elasticated straps on the
base of the bag that you feed your sleeping mat
into to keep it in place whilst you sleep – contrary
to some testers’ initial derision it worked well
with no one finding themselves rolling off the
mat. We found it worked beautifully with the
Thermarest XTherm. On the sample we had, the
straps were permanently in place but with the
newer versions the straps are detachable.
There’s a generous neck baffle and a full length
two-way zip with a baffle to keep out the cold.
The zip moves well with hardly any snagging. The
fit of the bag was found to be roomy, especially
around the body and hip area with plenty of space
to move around and the well-shaped hood is
generous too. Finally, there’s a small external
zipped storage pocket near the bag entrance.
There’s a long version for taller people and it
comes with a stuff sack and storage bag.
It is the heaviest on test (just) and the pack
size wasn’t as small but for that you do get the
warmest sleeping bag, and combined with the
Thermarest XTherm sleeping bag it makes an
excellent sleeping system.
Western Mountaineering Highlite
Weight: 455g Comfort limit: 2C RRP £365
Not a name familiar with many UK buyers, Western
Mountaineering have built a strong reputation in the
US, due in no small part to the quality of construction
and materials they use. There are three sizes: short,
regular and long – it packs down extremely small,
the smallest on test and also the lightest at 455g.
It’s constructed with a stitch-through baffled
box construction and to avoid cold spots they
use baffled vertical seams with a 4cm netting to
separate the inner and outer fabric thus allowing the
down to fill the gaps and hey presto, no cold spots.
In terms of features, to get it down to such a light
weight it’s very stripped down with a half-length
non-baffled zip and no neck baffle. Creating such a
light bag is about compromise and they’ve covered
the main features needed in a good bag. This is
evident in the use of 225g of high quality 850+ fill
power down with high loft coupled with a light,
but reasonably durable, ‘Extremelite’ shell fabric.
The bag was used down to around 4C at the
lowest and no one complained of being cold but
it would have been nice to try it at a lower
temperature. A criticism though was the zip, it
comes undone at its base and was a fiddle to put
back together plus it was a bit slick and could
slowly creep down if you didn’t fasten it all way
up and use the Velcro fastening at its top to
secure it. The toggle on the zip was also a bit
small and fiddly. Perhaps Western Mountaineering
should look at the choice of zip. The hood
looked like an area that had been trimmed down
and was a little shallow with headspace feeling
cramped and the hood closing system didn’t
close up as well as others.
The cut of the bag is fairly narrow; some
found it snug, particularly around the hips and
feet, whilst for others it wasn’t an issue and there
was sufficient space. It’s always difficult for a
manufacturer to size a bag to fit all shapes and
Western
Mountaineering
HighLite
sizes, so follow the simple rule; try before you
buy. In summary, there are compromises but if
you want an ultra-light, well-made bag with
first-rate down filling that takes up hardly any
space in your pack then look no further that
the HighLite.
Sleeping Mats
There are loads of different mats on the market but
given the parameters of this review we focused,
in the main, on lightweight air inflated mats.
Each mat is given an R-value; basically the
higher the figure the warmer the mat is. Thermal
resistance is the measurement that indicates a
material’s ability to insulate and there are two versions
of the R-value, the US Method that basically
gives a higher reading due to a difference on how
the reading is made using imperial units, and the
SI version that is used in most other parts of the
world. So to help you, and acknowledge that
most of the mats here use the US method, we
adopted both systems for this review.
With an air-filled mat most of the body heat is
lost through radiation which in turn establishes
convection currents within the mat. One way of
combating this is by incorporating reflective
layers to reflect the radiant heat back to the user.
Sometimes it’s combined with a light insulation
layer to help break down the convection currents
resulting in a warmer mat for use in colder
weather. Given the two to three season use we
are looking at all the mats are suitable, however,
using a warmer mat means you can often get
away with a lighter weight sleeping bag and thus
less weight to carry.
A point worth highlighting is inflating the mat.
For years people have used their own breath to
inflate, the down side of this is your breath contains
moisture and you can transfer some of that into
the mat. This eventually leads to a build up of
fungus on the inside of the mat and a breakdown
of the material. To combat this some manufacturers
either coat the inside to prevent the fungus
growing and/or provide another means of
inflation – often in the shape of a pump or a bag/
air capture inflation device. The beauty of this is
that the mat lasts longer and you don’t get light
headed from blowing. Of course, this adds extra
weight so most people stick to good old breaths.
Brand/Model
Price
(RRP)
Weight
(grams)
Exped AirMat HyperLite M
Weight: 310g RRP £110
The lightest on test and with a tiny pack size, it’s
pretty amazing that it inflates to a thickness of
7cm and offers a small degree of warmth. Inflated
to its fullest it offers a firm platform and you can
make it a little softer to your taste by letting a
little air out – something which most testers did.
The tapered mummy shape helps reduce
weight further and that gives width at the
shoulder and less at the feet (common with most
mats on test). The vertical centre air cells/baffles
are smaller on the inside of the mat and wider on
each edge of the mat help prevent you rolling off.
R-value
(SI)
R-value
(us)
Dimensions
(regular
size)
Exped AirMat HyperLite M £110 310 0.33 1.9 183 x 52 x 7cm
Klymit Static V2 £72 463 0.23 1.3 183 x 59 x 6.5cm
Sea to Summit UltraLight £90 395 0.12 0.7 183 x 55 x 5cm
Sea to Summit Insulated UltraLight £105 488 0.58 3.3 183 x 55 x 5cm
Therm-a-rest Evolite £105 528 0.37 2.1 183 x 51 x 5cm
Therm-a-rest NeoAir XTherm £165 430 1.00 5.7 183 x 51 x 6.3cm
72 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

gear review
To further aid this it has an anti-slip GripSkin
honeycomb pattern coating to help stop you
sliding and it gives nice next to the skin comfort.
The material used on both sides is 20D polyester
with a TPU polyether film laminate that gives an
air of durability.
A good inflate/deflate flap valve system that
sits nice and flat and makes inflating/deflating
simple but you do have to make sure the flap is
properly seated back in the valve so air won’t
escape when inflating. There’s also a small
plastic ‘pin’ attached to push the flap down when
you wish to deflate, or you can just pull on the
green flap but it is a little slow to deflate. If you
are blowing it up by breaths it takes around 20
to inflate it fully. To avoid passing moisture into
it, it comes with a mini-pump that weighs in at
45g and quickly locks onto the valve plus a small
sack to put the mat and pump in. The stuff sack
has a small pocket that holds the included repair
kit. It’s a little slow using the mini-pump but
Exped do the Schnozzel Pumpbag that inflates
the mat much quicker. You can also use this as
a large stuff sack.
A favourite amongst the test team with regards
to comfort, the extraordinarily light weight
and a remarkable pack size given how thick it inflates
to. It also provides a good level of warmth
that’s ideal for two to three season use. In our
eyes, if fast and light is the game then it’s one
you should seriously consider purchasing.
Klymit Static V2 Lite
Weight: 463g RRP £72
With a unique design, the Static V2 delivers
reasonable comfort and packs down pretty small.
The V2 uses body mapping to produce an ergonomic
design with angulated baffles and V chamber
construction to help minimise air movement
and maintain loft. There are also side rails to help
keep the body in place. It’s unusual in this review
that it’s a rectangular shape, where all the others
on test are tapered at the foot end, thus giving
more wriggle space.
In an effort to make the mat lighter Klymit uses
a thinner 30D Polyester top fabric and a more
durable 75D bottom fabric though it did get a
puncture on a sharp rock during on test but it
was easily fixed in the field with the included
patch repair kit.
The inflation valve was found to be fiddly
given that you needed to twist it to unlock and to
pull the top up then blow it up before pushing it
back down and twisting to lock. With gloves on
Exped AirMat HL M
it was awkward and was the least liked of any on
test. Also when you blow air into the mat and it
reaches a point where it’s nearly full air escapes
between breaths. It took around 16 breaths to
inflate it fully.
It was found to give decent comfort and stability
for most users but some, in particular side
sleepers, found the angulated baffles awkward to
sleep on. The mat also makes a bit of a ‘squeaking’
noise. It packed down small and though it’s
not the warmest, its good compromise between
weight, pack size and above all value for what
you get. Worth a look if money if tight.
Sea to Summit UltraLight Mat
Weight: 395g RRP £90
This mat belies its tiny packed size in terms of
the loft it attains and gives a comfortable sleeping
experience given the weight and size. This is
down to the technology used by Sea to Summit
using their Air Sprung Cells. They use a dot weld
pattern to create a high surface area matrix of
inter-connected chambers called Air Sprung
Cells. As each cell (there’s 181 in the regular
size) deforms independently the mat conforms to
your body shape and feels softer with more body
contact area.
In the UltraLight they use a single layer set up
of medium resolution Air Sprung Cells that gives
good support on uneven ground plus the tapered
‘mummy’ shape allows them to create such a
light mat but still maintain an enjoyable degree
of comfort. The outer pockets are also slightly
oversized at the halfway point to help keep you
on the mat but it still didn’t stop some rolling off.
The downside is that it was the least warm of the
Sea to Summit
UltraLight Mat
Klymit Static V2 Lite
mats on test – not a problem in warm weather
but if you want to push the seasons a bit you
should consider the insulated version.
The valve has a pretty flush dual valve built
into one, a high flow rate intake valve plus a
rapid deflate valve by pulling the silicon flap open
to dump air very quickly, along with an ability
to finely adjust the firmness of the mat. In use it
took just six or so breaths to inflate it making it
super quick and best on test. It was a system that
everyone loved allowing the mat to be blown up
and let down very quickly. It comes with a stuff
sack, six self-adhesive repair patches and a spare
silicone one-way valve flap.
In summary, the ultimate mat for anyone who
wants to have the lightest gear and smallest pack
size but still maintain a great deal of comfort.
A firm favourite with the testers, particularly
those where every gram counts. 6
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 73

Sea to Summit Insulated UltraLight
Mat Weight: 488g RRP £105
If you want something that’s warmer and
with some insulation than the Sea to Summit
UltraLight Matt then you should look at their
Insulated UltraLight Mat. With the same features
and technology as the standard UltraLight, it
adds insulation by using Exhin Platinum, a quiet
non-woven fabric that reflects radiant heat loss
back to the user and a Thermolite insulation to
prevent convective loss between you and the
ground. But does it work? Yes, in use there was
found to be a noticeable difference in the warmth
and lack of heat loss and it certainly does what it
says on the ‘tin’.
Again this comes with a stuff sack, six
self-adhesive repair patches and a spare silicone
one-way valve flap for repairs in the field and it’s
available in regular size plus a small (weight:
430g, length: 168cm) and large (weight: 595g,
length: 198cm).
Summing up, coupled with the plus points of
the UltraLight (see previous review) it’s certainly
worth a look if you don’t mind the extra 90 odd
grams of weight and want to push the three
season envelope and/or have a not so warm
sleeping bag.
Therm-a-rest Evolite
Weight: 528g RRP £105
This is a hybrid mat using a mix of an internal
skeleton of alternating lightweight Atmos foam
(the ‘AirFrame’) and air channels, and is the only
self-inflating mat on test. The use of foam leads
to a very stable mat than most air-inflated mats
and is relatively comfortable to sleep on. There’s
also the added bonus of having some support if
the mat springs a leak during the night thanks to
the foam. The downside of the foam is the extra
bulk when packed, around twice the size of any
other mat on test, and the extra weight being the
heaviest on test at 528g.
Whilst the mat inflates to a point, extra breaths
(around eight) were needed to get it to the
optimum fill, so you could say it was semi-inflating.
We think the valve system could be
improved. When you blow air into the mat and it
reaches a point where it’s nearly full, a small
amount of air escapes between breaths. Other
companies have overcome this with a one way
valve thus no air escapes. It’s a minor point but
we feel it’s worth mentioning.
The fabric used has a smooth feel to it and
was appreciated, particularly when lounging
around on it. Lofting to a height of 5cm it did
provide a good level of comfort, even for side
sleepers who didn’t feel their elbows pushing
through to the ground and no tester complained
of an uncomfortable night. The only real issue
was the width, which is quite narrow, and it was
felt that a little extra width would be ideal. Price
wise it’s in the middle ground.
All in all, it’s a good choice if you are on the
fence about buying a purely air-inflated mat and
want the best of both worlds, albeit with some
compromise on weight and bulk. Plus the EvoLite
offers a higher degree of comfort compared to a
standard self-inflating mat.
Therm-a-rest NeoAir XTherm
Weight: 430g RRP £165
A remarkable mat and easily the warmest on
test, in fact, if you want a comfortable mat for all
year round but still want super light then this is it,
however, it comes at a premium price. Constructed
with a tapered design utilising horizontal baffling
to impart support and stability along with the use
of ThermaCapture technology. This provides four
season warmth with reflective chambers that
locks in body heat and redirects it back to you
without the need for additional insulation keeping
it lightweight and efficient. It really does work and
you can feel the warmth reflection back to you.
Some think NeoAir mats are noisy but it’s not the
case here; although it makes a bit of a ‘crinkling’
sound it’s barely noticeable and seems to ‘bed in’
quickly becoming quieter with use. The top of the
mat also has a non-slip coating that helps keep you
in place. Again as stated in the previous review
we think the valve system could be improved.
In use, it was found to be one of the most
comfortable on test, particularly for the side
sleepers, in no small part due to how thick this
inflates to – one of the deepest one test. There was
one caveat though, some found it too firm when
fully inflated and let out a small amount of air until
they were satisfied with the softness. It took around
15-20 breaths to blow it up and it also comes with
an air inflation bag that can double as a stuff sack,
albeit with a small hole in the end, plus repair kit.
This mat is toasty warm, comfortable, packs
very small considering how warm it is and
definitely light. Overall, if you can afford it and
want an all-year-round mat without the weight
or bulky pack size, the XTherm is worth every
penny and should last years. At the moment it
offers the greatest warmth to weight ratio there
is. It was a struggle to get this back from some
of the team, which says it all.
Therma-a-rest EvoLite
Thermarest XTherm
Sea to Summit UltraLight Insulated Mat
74 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

gear review
Tents
With tents there’s always going to be a compromise
regards weight against durability and
longevity. The lighter the fabric, the more prone
it is to UV (sun) damage and the less longevity
you will get from it compared to heavier fabric,
so bear this in mind when going ultra-light. That
said, modern fabrics have remarkable strength to
weight ratio. Indeed when you look at some of
the ultra-light tents you’d think that merely
blowing on it would cause a tear let alone stand
up to strong winds, but they do.
The light weight of the fabrics often means
that the Hydrostatic Head (HH) figures – a way of
measuring how waterproof a fabric is, higher is
better – are lower compared to beefier fabrics. It’s
not a problem though as the tents are waterproof
and will stand up to inclement weather, but it
does mean more care is required, especially with
the groundsheet. We feel that unless you really
need to keep the weight to a minimum then a
tent footprint is well worth using.
With any tent in this review we would
recommend first pitching it at home before
heading out – some are trickier to pitch than
others. We tested tents for two people given that
it’s you and a climbing partner, so don’t forget
those ear plugs.
Brand/Model
Price (RRP)
Packed
weight
(grams)
Inner tent dimensions
(length x width/
narrowest x height)
Alpkit Ordos 2 £225 1,300 208 x 136/105 x 102cm
MSR Freelite 2 £390 1,400 213 x 127 x 91cm
Terra Nova Solar Photon 2 £480 849 225 x 130/84 x 100cm
Vango F10 Xenon UL 2 £325 1650 210 x 130 x 100cm
Ferrino Atrax 2 £340 1900 210 x 130 x 100cm
Alpkit Ordos 2 Weight: 1.3kg RRP £225
A very lightweight and well-priced three season
tent for two people, the Ordos 2 is well-made
considering the cost. The fabric on the fly is 15D
nylon ripstop (HH 3000mm), the inner uses a
combination of mesh and 15D nylon panels, the
groundsheet is a 20D nylon (HH 3000mm) and all
the seams are fully taped. The tent is freestanding
and is inner pitch first but you can also pitch
the outer on its own to go lighter, shaving 426g
off the weight.
The three DAC poles come in one joined-up
section (hub design) and colour-coded webbing
on the flysheet and inner helped with pitching.
Whilst tent pitching was fairly straightforward
(our sample didn’t have instructions) the tent
sometimes got out of shape, causing the main
‘ridge’ pole to curve in an S-shape. When this
happened it took some tweaking of the tension
on pegging points and guylines to get it right.
Also make sure that the Velcro tabs on the inside
of the flysheet are tightly wound around the
poles, otherwise everything moves around.
Something that did cause concern was the pole
that went across the back of the tent – it was a bit
long and just overshot the reinforcement points
that protect the fly.
The flysheet goes all the way to the ground to
keep out rain and this can lead to condensation
on the inside. Alpkit solve this with a vent at the
tent front that can be fastened open to allow
airflow. Condensation was held at bay though
small amounts of moisture did form on the fly.
The bathtub style groundsheet was thin and in
wet conditions did get a bit damp so we’d
recommend using a footprint. The tent stood up
well to the rain and wind though so no complaints
there. Materials wise, as you’d expect in a
Alpkit Ordos 2
lightweight tent, you have to take care, and in
particular, the mesh on the inner was easy to
tear, the inner door is entirely mesh with some in
the roof too and at the foot end. We would like to
see a stronger mesh.
In terms of fit it was fine for two people,
feeling spacious enough with two mats fitting
side by side but the porch was small and couldn’t
accommodate two sacks, one had to go in the
tent thus losing some space. Inside there two
mesh storage pockets and tabs sewn into the
roof to hang things from. The stuff sack it came
with was a tight fit fully loaded but it made for a
very small pack size.
In summary, a lightweight, small pack size and
incredibly low priced tent – worth a look if on a
budget. However, with some tweaks, it could be
that much better.
Ferrino Atrax 2 Weight: 1.9kg RRP £340
A well-known brand in Europe, the innovative
Italian company of Ferrino have been producing
tents since 1890 so they know something about
making them, and the Atrax 2 is testament to this
experience.
This two person tent is inner pitch first and
comes with two entrances, one on either side,
and the benefits this adds. The fly is made from
20D nylon ripstop silicone-coating (HH 3000mm),
the inner tent is out of the same material and
mixed with netting, the bathtub groundsheet is a
heftier 40D nylon ripstop floor (HH 3000 mm) and
all the seams are factory taped. The quality DAC
poles are all linked together into one unit with
the now standard shock cord plus radial points,
and along with the long central pole with a
forked end there’s a central cross pole to
maximise headroom. Pitching is simple and very
quick, again one of the quickest on test, and it
comes with instructions and a great repair kit.
The tent packed to a conveniently small size
too so no quibbles there.
Due to the cross pole design the inner and
headroom is pretty roomy. Again similar to the
MSR tent (see review below) the inner is
predominantly mesh and Ferrino have built the
nylon panels up the sides to around one third
height to give protection from breezes when
sleeping. For odds ’n’ ends there’s a large
storage pocket at one end. There’s also a
diamond-shaped nylon panel in the roof to
catch any condensation trips. In an effort to
combat condensation they’ve included two
vents (their Air Aeration system) on the fly
close to the entrances and this works very
well to control any build up of moisture. 6
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 75

With space for two mats side by side and two
people you don’t have a feeling of being hemmed
in. The only downside is the concave shape of
the side wall/doors that encroached a little into
the living space but this does make for a roomier
porch and, after a while, you fail to notice it,
especially when lying down. Each porch is a fair
size and each takes a pack and shoes with no
problems and the zips on the entrance are easy
to find given their bright yellow colour. That can
also be said of the two fast adjustment guylines
and pegging points that are all bright yellow.
In use, it was well-received by the team and
worked well, apart from one thing that we
thought could be improved. On the flat rear end
of the tent, where your head would be, there’s
no pegging to pull it out and because of this the
inner and outer touched, especially when there
was wind blowing. Whilst it didn’t cause too
many problems with damp ingress, it would be
a simple fix to solve it and would add barely any
extra weight. Other than that the tent was very
stable and certainly waterproof given the amount
of rain it had to withstand during a wet weekend
in the Lakes; and the groundsheet didn’t get damp.
To sum up, we liked it. A very well-made tent
built by a company with a fine pedigree and,
whilst not the lightest on test, it certainly
provided a bombproof shelter with the convenience
of two entrances and looked striking with
the contrasting trim against the green.
MSR Freelite 2
Weight: 1.4kg RRP £390
The MSR Freelite 2 is a freestanding, inner pitch
first, lightweight three-season tent with a good
liveability factor. It uses 15D nylon ripstop
Durashield coated fabric (HH 1200mm) for the
flysheet, a 10D nylon micromesh for the inner
and 15D nylon ripstop Durashield (coated HH
1500mm) for the bathtub groundsheet. There are
aluminium poles all in one unit – a double-forked
main pole and a centre cross pole to maximise
headroom.
The inner is mainly mesh to keep weight down
and aid ventilation and MSR have built the nylon
floor tub up the sides to give some protection
from air flow when you lay down. Some liked the
amount of mesh, especially in hot weather, some
weren’t sure it was right for the UK climate as
wind will blow through the inner but did concede
that if you had only one super light tent to use
here and abroad this would be a good one.
Two good sized doors, one on either side,
provide easy access – an entrance each so no
climbing over each other to go pee – plus it
offers more space to stash your bags and shoes
if you wish to leave maximum space in the
inner tent. Two mats fit easily side by side, even
rectangular ones. Headspace is very good due
to the cross pole and near vertical sides so you
can comfortably sit up. The spacious interior
offers comfort on longer trips with some room
to move. There are a couple of small pockets in
the inner tent to stash things.
In terms of waterproofness and condensation
build-up, there were no leaks when it rained but
there was a small amount of condensation,
probably due to the lack of vents and the fact the
fly went all the way to the ground. It stood up well
to wind with virtually no movement in the side
walls but then it wasn’t tested in strong winds.
Set up was very quick and easy, taking less
than five minutes, plus there are instructions
on the stuff sack/bag. We do like instructions.
We tested tents
for two people
given that it’s
you and a
climbing partner,
so don’t forget
those ear plugs.
Ferrino Atrax 2
MSR FreeLite2
The bag to pack the tent in is oversized making it
easy to put it away and comes with compression
straps to reduce the size – which is very small by
the way. If you want to cut weight further (the
inner weighs 428g) you can erect the outer only
and use the MSR footprint designed for this tent.
An excellent, well thought out tent, that offers
a good living space and convenience with two
porches all in a lightweight package. It pitches
quickly too and stands up to bad weather well.
A firm favourite with most of the team and
worth considering.
Terra Nova 2017 Solar Photon 2
Weight: 849g RRP £480
The three-season Terra Nova Solar Photon 2 Tent
has been recently updated with stronger poles
and it remains one of the lightest, freestanding
two man tents on the market at 849g. Not shabby
for a two skinned tent.
76 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

gear review
The material used is nylon Watershed (HH
3000mm) for the fly and nylon Watershed (HH
5000mm) for the groundsheet. The poles are
quality DAC poles and the tent pegs are worth
mentioning. These are small titanium ones
weighing in at miserly 1g each – someone said
they were: “Akin to oversized toothpicks.” They
held okay in firm ground but not so well in soft
ground, it was felt worth carrying some V pegs
for the main pegging points for this situation.
Terra Nova are unable to factory tape the
seams due to the super light material but they are
sewn in a way that minimises water penetration.
You’ll need to apply seam sealer yourself if you
want but it would be nice if seam sealer was
supplied with the tent.
The tent is inner pitch first and was simple to
erect, one of the quickest on test, and it came
with instructions too. The pole bag had an
integral pocket for the pegs, a nice touch and
again cuts weight and there’s a repair tube in
case of a broken pole. The inner tent door is
made entirely of mesh and there’s mesh at the
foot end to allow ventilation to cut condensation.
On this note it was well-controlled with none
visible during testing in part due to the front and
rear fly hoods that allow through ventilation.
Terra Nova Solar Photon 2
Vango F10 Xenon UL 2
A compromise of such a low weight is
space and headroom. It’s a tight fit for two
but if you keep your gear in the porch it just
about works. You also need to check the
width of your sleeping mats as there is not
much room at the narrower foot end and
mats may overlap unless you have tapered
ones. Headspace is manageable unless you
are tall. The porch was a good size and could
fit a pack or two. To save more weight you
can use just the outer tent and Terra Nova’s
Fastpack groundsheet.
One tester found the sides of the tent flapped
in the wind and felt that a couple of extra
pegging points towards the back of the tent
would stop this. There was no damp coming
through the groundsheet even though it’s a
light material, but if you can afford the extra
weight use a footprint. On the whole it was
very stable due to its design and inspired
confidence for such a light tent.
In summary, there are compromises and it
isn’t cheap but it is incredibly well-made. Easily
the lightest on test and ideal for those wanting
a fast and light approach but need reliable
protection from the elements and are willing
to trade interior space for weight.
Vango F10 Xenon UL 2
Weight: 1.65kg RRP £325
The Vango F10 Xenon UL 2 is a lightweight
two person, three-season tunnel style tent
which offers excellent levels of stability and
weather protection, combined with a spacious
living area.
The Xenon utilises two alloy Gothic Arch
poles to create the tunnel shape and give an
amazing amount of space within the tent
considering the weight. To create more stability
Vango have incorporated TBS Pro, an internal
guying system using a lightweight Dyneema
cord that works beautifully, holding the tent
firm in bad weather.
The flysheet fabric is a 15D siliconised/PU
coated nylon (HH 3000mm), the bathtub
groundsheet is a durable 70D nylon fabric
(waterproof to HH 6000mm) and the inner is
15D breathable nylon. All flysheet and groundsheet
seams are factory taped to make a weather
tight product. The guylines and pegging points
are made from super strong Dyneema.
The easiest to pitch of all the tents in this
review, it can be pitched in one, with flysheet
and inner pitching together making it a doddle.
The inner and outer can be separated if you
wish, ideal for when you are trying it out back
at home. To combat condensation and add
ventilation the Xenon 2 also features a large
vent over the door allowing plenty of airflow,
with the added advantage of preventing the
rain falling into the inner when the door is
open. The vent is needed given that the flysheet
reaches all the way to the ground to keep out
wind and rain. Finally, a part mesh inner door
allows ventilation whilst keeping midges out.
The tunnel style gives plenty of headroom
in the inner tent area and there are a number
of storage pockets including in the roof space
for odds ’n’ ends. The porch offers good space
easily taking a couple of packs if you need to
put them there. If you do need a bigger porch
there’s the Xenon 2 UL 2+, essentially the same
tent but adds an elongated porch and around
400g extra weight.
The tent was used in some foul weather
and was found to be very robust, keeping out
heavy rain and remaining stable in strong
winds. It all just worked without any problems
and gave a sense of security when cocooned
inside. The large vent allowed some airflow
and kept condensation down to a minimum
in humid weather. Using a heavier weight
groundsheet meant no problems with damp
and was fine without a footprint. The tent has
a pretty small pack size especially given how
big it is and the tent bag has an oversized
opening for easy packing and compression
straps to reduce pack size.
Very reliable, easy to pitch and take
down, offering superb space to weight ratio
and at a good price. This tent is equally at
home in the mountains and as a base camp
down in the valley. Recommended, especially
if you value more space and want an all-round
tent. n
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 77

news update from the British
Mountaineering Council
New BMC T-shirts
The new organic BMC Climb t-shirt
Climb walls, rock, hills, ice or mountains? You’ll love our new t-shirt.
Fresh from the printer, we’ve got yet another excellent design from
the extremely talented Liam Dangerfield on our high-quality 100%
organic t-shirts.
Whether you’re a walker, climber, or mountaineer, and whether
you’re interested in protecting and fixing footpaths, defending access
to crags, or promoting conservation, show your support with this
awesome design.
Whatever your bag, unite under one common banner and help
us continue our great work to protect the interests of our members.
The Lake District t-shirt: a Wainwright tribute
Alfred Wainwright was famously a man of few words. But it’s probably
reasonable to assume the 214 words we’ve artfully arranged on this
new T-shirt were among his favourites.
We wanted to produce a T-shirt with an original design based
around the Lake District that would appeal to hill walkers, climbers
and casual fans alike. After much racking of brains we came up with
the idea of ‘mapping’ the region using the names of its signature
landmarks – the lakes and mountains.
In a homage to the famous guidebook author, we’ve taken the
names of all 214 hills considered the core Wainwright mountains, plus
11 of the biggest lakes, and arranged them to produce an eye-catching,
intricate word map of the Lake District.
All our t-shirts are just £15 for BMC members or £20 for non-members.
Find them all online: www.bmcshop.co.uk
BMC organisational review update
The independent organisational review of the BMC is well underway and a
team has been selected for the process, with Ray Wigglesworth QC as
chair. The review group will sit for a four to six month period, after which
there will be widespread consultation amongst the BMC membership in
the run up to the April 2018 AGM.
Ray Wigglesworth, chair of the BMC Organisational Review Group, says:
“It’s incredibly important that BMC members take part in the process. We
will gather opinions via the membership questionnaire, the focus groups,
feedback on our monthly reports, through the Area Meetings in September,
November, and February, and ultimately the AGM.”
Find the latest newsletter at: www.thebmc.co.uk/review-newsletter
Read our interview with Ray: www.thebmc.co.uk/ray-interview
78 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

The Women in Adventure Film
Competition 2018
First steps: getting high with
the New Alpinists booklet
People of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can enjoy alpinism,
but if the prospect of learning new skills in a harsh and complex
environment seems a little bit daunting, then our new booklet
will help to guide you along your first steps as an Alpine climber.
Written by BMC ambassador and aspirant Mountain Guide
Calum Muskett and Mountain Guide Steve Long, there is an
emphasis on making a success of your first Alpine trips.
The skills, knowledge and equipment required to become an
Alpinist are covered to prepare you for many years of safe and
memorable adventures in the high mountains.
The 32-page booklet includes chapters on equipment, fitness
preparation, planning and acclimatisation, glacier travel and
hazards, huts and bivouacs, and emergency procedures.
New Alpinists is available to download as a FREE PDF,
or you can order a printed copy from the BMC online shop for
just 75p (plus delivery charge) for members:
We’re bringing the Women in Adventure Film Competition back for an
epic fourth time, so start firing up your cameras. We’re inviting all
professional and amateur filmmakers to submit their short films about
outdoor women’s mountain adventures.
This year, the BMC is teaming up again with Women Climb and
Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (ShAFF), and we’re also bringing on
board Llanberis Mountain Film Festival and the prestigious Banff
Mountain Film & Book Festival too. This means the overall winner of the
competition gets the chance to see their film screened at each festival.
From sea stacks in Scotland, naked swimming in Snowdonia, and
first ascents in Kyrgyzstan, entries to the Women in Adventure Film
Competition over the years have impressed and inspired us all.
In the UK, just 5% of sports coverage is of women. Things are a little
more promising within the adventure film industry, but there’s still a
ways to go yet. Help put even more adventurous women on the big
screen this year and send your story in.
Entries will be streamed on BMC TV in early 2018 and winners of
each category will be screened at Llanberis Mountain Film Festival in
early March and at ShAFF in mid-March. Chief judge Emily Pitts of
Women Climb said: “What a year for the Women in Adventure film
competition. As a judge, it was amazing to see so many women having
fun on their adventures. We are already excited for next year and
encourage everyday adventurers to get started on their film creations.”
www.thebmc.co.uk/newalpinists
Summer rocks!
We love summer and we love bargains! If you’re planning an adventure,
we’re running two great offers until the end of October: 25% off Alpine
& Ski European annual policies and 15% off single-trip European rock
policies. So whether you’re heading for alpine summits or the chains on
your Spanish project, don’t forget to pack BMC travel insurance. Get an
instant quote online on the BMC website: www.thebmc.co.uk/insurance
For latest News & Events visit: www.thebmc.co.uk
BMC Elected Officers
Acting President: Nick Kurth
Vice President: Emma Flaherty
Vice President: Rupert Davies
Honorary Treasurer: John Simpson
The British
Mountaineering Council
177-179 Burton Road,
Manchester, M20 2BB
Tel: 0161 445 6111
Email: office@thebmc.co.uk
www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 79

Classifieds
For further information please contact Hayley Comey
Email: hayleyc@warnersgroup.co.uk Tel: 01778 392445
COURSES/HOLIDAYS/ACTIVITIES
RETAILERS GUIDE
» SURREY
» BIRMINGHAM
at
CRAGGY ISLAND
9 Cobbett Park, Moorfield Road, Slyfield
Estate, Guildford GU1 1RU
Tel: 01483 565635
SURREY’S ONLY TRUE CLIMBING SPECIALISTS
Climbing & mountaineering equipment
& books and absolutely nothing else!
www.rockonclimbing.co.uk
at
REDPOINT
CLIMBING CENTRE
77 Cecil Street, Birmingham B19 3ST
Tel: 0121 359 8709
BIRMINGHAM’S ONLY TRUE CLIMBING SPECIALISTS
Climbing & mountaineering equipment
& books and absolutely nothing else!
www.rockonclimbing.co.uk
FOR SALE
PICOS DE EUROPA
MOUNTAIN HOUSE FOR SALE
A spacious 16th Century house
situated in the Picos National Park at
the foot of the Eastern Massif in a tiny
south facing hamlet with numerous
paths directly from the house up through unspoilt fl ower meadows
and rushing steams out onto the mountainside. Only 5km from the
market town of Potes.
For more information go to www.homeaway.co.uk/p61899
or contact Marcus.linell@sothebys.com or
bakewellstuarts@sky.com Freehold £120,000. English owners.
WEB DIRECTORY
» LONDON
LONDON’S SPECIALIST
CLIMBING SHOPS
44 Tower Bridge Rd
London SE1 4TR
BOOT REPAIR
Reading Climbing Centre
Reading RG2 0AU
www.coldmountainkit.com
INSTRUCTOR TRAINING COURSES
LOWLAND LEADER, CWA, CWLA, SPA, ML,
HILL & MOORLAND LEADER AWARD, OUTDOOR 1ST AID,
MOUNTAINEERING CLIMBING SKILLS TRAINING
AND TECHNICAL ADVICE FOR WALLS
TEL: 07710 345322 OR SEE: WWW.MOUNTAIN-ACTIVITIES.CO.UK
Secondhand Mountaineering Books
Jarvis Books
www.mountainbooks.co.uk
Tel: 01248 716021
Rescue Emergency Care
First Aid Training
www.recfirstaid.net
Call the REC Helpline 01224 622383
ROCK BOOT RESOLES
Five Ten / Vibram XS/XS2 Grip Rubber £38
XS Edge £38
PRICES INCLUSIVE OF TOE RANDS
ANY STITCHING AND RETURN POSTAGE
Vibram Units for Hiking Boots £49 inc. P&P
Contact: CHESHIRE SHOE REPAIRS
2 Walton Road, Stockton Heath, Warrington, WA4 6NL.
01925 269777
www.cheshireshoe.co.uk
ACTIVITY CENTRE
WALES’ LARGEST
DEDICATED CLIMBING CENTRE
tel 0333 600 20 20
web climbinguk.com
Llangorse Brecon LD3 7UH
Est 1958
at
THE MILE END
CLIMBING WALL
Haverfield Road, Bow, London, E3 5BE
Tel: 0208 981 5066 • Fax: 0208 983 0204
LONDON’S ONLY TRUE CLIMBING SPECIALISTS
Climbing & mountaineering equipment
& books and absolutely nothing else!
www.rockonclimbing.co.uk
Visit our new look website
www.climber.co.uk

CLIMBING WALLS
» LIVERPOOL
» HERTFORDSHIRE
CLIMBING AT XC
• 880m² of high quality climbing
• Bouldering Area
• 6 Auto Belays
• Novice Area
• 14 metre high walls with a mixture
of top ropes and lead lines
• A combinaon combinaon combinaon combinaon combinaon of Lightwave,
Cristalithe and Mozaik climbing
systems
XC Jarman Park
Hemel Hempstead Herts, HP2 4JS
Call: 01442 507193
www.thexc.co.uk
» OXFORD
ROCK SOLID
OXFORDSHIRE’S PREMIER
CLIMBING WALL
» STOKE
01865 484370
climb@brookes.ac.uk
www.brookes.ac.uk/sport
» SHEFFIELD » STOCKPORT
CLIMBING WALL SERVICES
• Safety Inspections • Route Setting • Instructor Training
• Route Setter Training • Technical Advice and Consulting
+44 (0) 79741 85374
info@climbingwallservices.com
www.climbingwallservices.com
ACCOMMODATION
ACCOMMODATION FOR CLIMBERS
& WALKERS
▲ Self catering Blacksmiths Hostel and The Smiddy Bunkhouse ▲ Snowgoose apartments
▲ 2 efficient drying rooms ▲ Off road parking ▲ Bike & Canoe Storage
▲ Lecture – meeting room for 12 persons ▲ Convenient village location
www.accommodation-fortwilliam.co.uk
COURSES • GUIDING • MOUNTAIN GEAR HIRE
COURSES & GUIDING ● high mountain walking & scrambling ● rock climbing & abseiling
● summer & winter mountaineering ● winter mountaineering ● snow & ice
● kayaking & open canoeing on rivers sea and loch ● dinghy sailing
● WILDERNESS EXPEDITIONS ● OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT HIRE
www.mountainguidesscotland.co.uk
Snowgoose Mountain Centre & The Smiddy Bunkhouse, Station Road, Corpach, Fort William PH33 7JH
Tel: 01397 772467 Contact John Cuthbertson (MIC) & Tina

Mountaineering
Legends in collaboration with Vertebrate Publishing
Toni Egger
Toni Egger (1926–1959) was an Italian mountaineer and native
German speaker. He was one of the strongest mountaineers of
the post Second World War period. He died at the age of 32 in
circumstances that were never fully clarified, in an attempt to
climb Cerro Torre in Patagonia. According to Cesare Maestri
(his rope companion on the occasion), Egger was hit by an
avalanche near the triangular junction of the East Wall during
descent. His remains were found in 1974 on the Torre Glacier.
In the post-war period, Egger’s mountaineering
career began. In 1950, after having gone to the
Dolomites using smugglers’ paths, as he had no
passport, he was so impressed by the mountains
writing, ‘I arrived for the first time in the Dolomites
and I was enchanted by the beauty of the majestic
mountains. I have a longing desire to return to
devote myself to more important excursions’.
Soon after with Franz Reinzer, he climbed the
North Wall of Cima Grande di Lavaredo. Then
with Heini Heinricher he climbed a new winter
route on the North Wall of the Lanser Kopf and
the North Face of Roter Turm.
In 1951 he enrolled on the Alpine course at
Zillertal; among the 50 participants he is ranked
fourth in the winter and second in the summer.
Notes in his diary read, ‘(it) was a great success,
as there are many other excellent mountaineers,
and I honestly acknowledge that I never felt the
best’. Soon after he graduated as an Alpine guide.
In 1952 he made several firsts in the Dolomites,
including the first ascent of the South West Corner
of Roter Turm, other north faces and together with
Franco Mantelli he climbed the Matterhorn by
the Furggen Ridge. His many fast, and sometimes
solo, ascents in the Alps get him the nickname
of ‘The Weasel’.
In 1957 he participated in an exploratory
expedition to Peru organized by the Austrian
Alpine Club and directed by Heinrich Klier,
on which he and Siegfried Jungmair made
the first ascent of Jirishanca.
In 1958, Cesare Maestri was organizing an
expedition to Cerro Torre. After difficult climbing
from 6th to 15th January 1959, to equip the 300m
of a dihedral leading to the triangular embankment
of the East Wall, the team were stopped by bad
weather. On 28th January, Maestri, Egger and Fava
departed to try for the top; Fava soon returned to
the base leaving Maestri and Egger alone. Six
days later, on 3rd February, Fava found Maestri
half-buried in the snow, saying that they had
reached the summit the previous day, but on
the descent Egger had been hit and dragged away
by an avalanche. The camera that could have
documented the ascent was lost in the accident.
The Maestri-Egger climb of 1959 is strongly
contested in the mountaineering world because
of numerous inaccuracies and contradictions
by Maestri. Ed Douglas in his new book The
Magician’s Glass talks about this mystery and
the tragic doubts surrounding the death of
Toni Egger, a true mountaineering legend.
82 Sep–Oct 2017 www.climber.co.uk

NEXT ISSUE
NOVEMBER–DECEMBER
Including:
SCOTTISH WINTER TICK LIST
Winter is almost here and to get you in the mood for the
forthcoming season, the mountain instructors at Glenmore
Lodge highlight their favourite winter climbs.
SWEDEN ROCKS
Looking for top-class and accessible climbing, Keith
Sharples headed to Sweden and spent time around
Gothenburg and Bohuslan. He reports on the superb sport,
trad and DWS climbing he found.
GEAR REVIEW –
TRAD CLIMBING GEAR
Bruce Goodlad visits The Steeple (E2 5c) on Shelter Stone
Crag in Scotland and looks at general kit including clothing,
footwear, rucksack, etc. that you’d need for climbing in a
remote location. Plus he reviews multi-pitch rack options,
focusing on the lighter end of what’s available.
And much more including superb photography,
expert coaching, interviews and all our regulars.
ON-SALE
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER
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www.climber.co.uk Sep–Oct 2017 2016 83

START A CAREER
AS AN OUTDOOR INSTRUCTOR
Our four-month residential Fast Track Instructor Scheme is the
perfect way to change direction into a career in the outdoors.
Join us on one of our free open days and find out more.
www.pyb.co.uk/fasttrack
www.pyb.co.uk