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