[shark]

I have found that even when just sport climbing that you can take time out to have a days trad climbing at an ego ticklingly high enough grade if you are selective about the routes so they are complementary to the sport climbing.

For example I only had 2 days trad in 2009 but on one day managed an E4 and the second (a few months later) an E5 - both 3 star classics and relatively untraumatic.

I thought it would be good to identify a ticklist for the Sport Climber who might want to do a few trad routes. The criteria for inclusion are :

1. Bomber gear not too spaced
2. Three stars - if you are only going to do a couple of trad routes they've got to be good ones
3. Gently overhanging in a way that is easily manageable if you have sport climbing fitness and safer for falling off
4. Not crack climbs         

From memory the type of routes I have done or attempted that fall into the category are things like:

Mammoth Direct, Run Fast Run Free and the Cow at Gogarth
Ocean Boulevard, Mother Africa and Wall of the Worlds at Swanage
Break On Through, Fay and Pacemaker at Sharpnose
Flakey Wall and Mad Max at High Tor
Get Some In and Yellow Pearls at Pembroke
Slender Loris at Malham
Warpath at Rhoscolyn

Any other sugesstions .....

[ADC]

The Rasp at Higgar?

[Teaboy]

Not sure about Warpath, its soft at the grade but not really a sport climb. Likewise Slender Loris, just 'cos its got a bolt........

I'd add most things on the Cromlech, there's a run out on Right Wall but the nature of the climbing is very similar to sport climbing and the gear is placed from rests.

[Gus]

Trilogy: Raven Crag Langdale
Penal Servitude: Reecastle
The Rasp: Higgar Tor
Bat Out of Hell: Higgar Tor
Inacessible: Ina's Rock, Churnet
Just Klingon: Pembroke
The Sloth: Roaches
Eye of the Tiger: Dovedale
Witch Hunt: Pembroke

[grimer]

Doesn't Trilogy have a fiddly RP crux start?

[Andy F]

Balas and Central Wall at Kilnsey.
There must be some stuff at Blue Scar, Central wall or Priapsm (sp?)
Left Wall, Brimham?
Ressurection, The Cromlech

[shark]

Right Wall is a bit too runout for most straight off the Sport Climbing bench though it is significantly disproportionately easier for the fit.

Not thought about grit. The Rasp is a bit too manly, grunty and painful to be recommended but yes Bat out of Hell fits the bill.

[i_a_coops]

2 suggestions (right next to each other!) at Shorn Cliff:

Lundy Calling: Fairly good (but mostly small) gear, face climbing on positive crimps. There's a peg and a thread as well so bits of it feel nice and safe! Felt damn easy for E4.

Sport Grade: 6b
Faff Grade: Moderate (I had some trouble placing the first gear above the little roof at the beginning, was glad I had a skyhook!)
Fear Grade: not too bad at all

The English Opium Eaters: Used to be a sport route: 2 pegs, then 3 bolts (which have been chopped), then another peg. You do the crux with a peg by your waist. Things do then get a little bit run out above a microwire (unless I climbed past some placements, which is possible!) but it's fairly straightforward if you don't get pumped. Alternatively, you could traverse along and clip the thread on Lundy Calling if you don't like the look of the run out. In the guide as E6, which is very good for the ego!

Sport grade: 7a
Faff grade: Easy (only one bit of non in-situ gear to place, and you can take both hands off to do so)
Fear grade: A bit scary unless you get involved with some side runners.

[shark]

Balas and Central Wall at Kilnsey.
There must be some stuff at Blue Scar, Central wall or Priapsm (sp?)
Left Wall, Brimham?
Ressurection, The Cromlech

  Spot on Andy - you know the type of routes I'm on about.

[Teaboy]

  Spot on Andy - you know the type of routes I'm on about.

I'd contest that Central Wall is more run out than Right Wall and with more hanging around to place gear.

[shark]

2 suggestions (right next to each other!) at Shorn Cliff:

Are these routes genuine classics on good rock?  - my experience of the Wye Valley hasnt been great ! 

[shark]

  Spot on Andy - you know the type of routes I'm on about.

I'd contest that Central Wall is more run out than Right Wall and with more hanging around to place gear.

I'm happy to bow to your more recent experience as its 20 years since I did Central Wall 

[shark]

Oh and what about the routes at Nesscliffe ?

[i_a_coops]

I'd give them both 2 or probably 3 stars. Everything else I did or saw at Shorn Cliff was bollocks! If they in Cheedale and fully bolted TEOE would be similar to but better than The Corniceman or Quality Control I reckon, might even be up there with Darl pitch 1.

Disclaimer: it's possible I was overly excited by the softness of the grades... 

[tomtom]

Its been 15 years since I led anything hard on trad, but Last Tango in Paris (Vivian) is one slab you can nail full of gear all the way up, and Cemetry Gates at the Cromlech was also very well protected...

[IanP]

I would guess Central Wall fits the general group of basically safe and steepish routes with positive holds that suit sport climbing skills even though it is a bit runout'ish in places. 

On the same crag you've also got the Shootist with well protected sustained climbing, also Great White which I haven't done but looked relatively well protected when I belayed somebody on it.

Chee Tor has a few - Queer Street (though actually I thought it was bloody hard for E3), Splintered Perspex, Mortlocks, Apocalypse  - not all absolute classics but quality routes.

Must be loads at Pembroke - Bloody Sunday and the routes on the Castle come to mind.

[Stabbsy]

I'd agree with Left Wall at Brimham - 3 boulder problems between rests and good gear. Not sure about the Blue Scar suggestions - I found Central Wall very bold at the bottom but steady, the gear on the harder bit is good though. The Shootist and Blue Grit at the same crag would be a better bet. A few other thoughts :-

Doubting Thomas - Malham
Golden Mile - Chee Tor
Headhunter - The Leap
Fascist and Me - Trevallen
John Wayne - St. Govans
Rimsky Korsakov - The Pass
Holocaust/Genocide - Dow

[SA Chris]

Agree on Left Wall at Brimham. Only seconded it but it seemed stead away.

Wolfman Jack on Lundy?

Must be lots of routes at Pembroke, but can't recall many. What is your lower threshold grade?

Rock Idol?
Strait Gate?
Brazen Butteress?
Sinecure?

Loads of the stuff in Second Geo at Sheigra. And possibly some of the harder stuff at the outer end of First Geo, but not done them myself. Sadly I doubt very few of you will ever experience the joy of them.

[ChrisC]

Pembroke seems have an almost endless list of routes that will fit the criteria, I've said before that it feels like trad climbing for a sport climber down there.
Supersonic, thought the crux of this was the same as on Flakey Wall.
Midnight Summer Dream on Chee Tor, a tad run out but not so bad and it's above a bolt, then a thread.  Also thought Queer Street really hard for E3
Positron, vaguely cracky on the pumpy pitch, but not a crack climb in that sense of the word.
Reecastle has a good few routes, Guillotine, Thumbscrew, White Noise (it's not really crack climbing) and someone already mentioned Penile Servitude

[ChrisC]

Wolfman Jack on Lundy?

I thought about that one and would agree on the 2nd pitch, the 1st however is distinctly traditional in a wide crack kind of way, especially if damp and lacking in big gear...

[SA Chris]

Probably right, don't recall having much difficulty on it. Tradhead me.

Although to be fair, it involving 2 pitches and an abseil approach and on a fairly remote island devoid of bolts will probably not be visited by any sportclimbers anyway.

[Paul B]

Bloody Sunday - You don't get more sport like than this
Just Klingon - or maybe you do? in-situ slings all the way, then a fulmar to ensure a trad like tick?

[Paul B]

Rock Idol?

I'd agree, I definately hung around for a while looking at the steep pointy jugs thinking "really?"

Strait Gate?
Brazen Butteress?
Sinecure?

Strait Gate and BB both follow crack lines and whilst they're exceedingly well protected they didn't feel like sport climbs to me. Sinecure felt like it should be made of slate.

[SA Chris]

Well they may follow crack lines, but they aren't exactly crack climbs. The two can be mutually exclusive.

I thought Sinecure was just well protected steady slab / wall climbing, and quite different to the rest of Barcud. But granted the wrong side of vertical to meet Shark's criteria. Although you are highly unlikely to fall off.

[slackline]

Australia - lots in the steep trad face category at Arapiles, usually bomber gear.

They also have those fucking stupid carrot bolts that you have to fiddle plates on before clipping so it feels like trad (faffing with gear) but is climbing like sport climbing as its on bolts (although my experience of them is that they aren't to be trusted as some were very short and not that deep in the rock and I came across a few that wobbled)