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Gritlist (Read 129650 times)

Bonjoy

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Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 10:00:53 am
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/4755/climbing/gritlist/gritlist.html

Not much to it, but what a great site! Such a shame it hasn’t had any updates since ’03! What could be better for obsessive route baggers than a list of potential objectives with pithy soundbites, critical beta (not a place to look if you are an onsight purist) and subdivision into categories of fearfulness?
Here’s my idea. Seeing as the list is very incomplete, can anyone who has done any off the list grit routes of E5 or above put a gritlist style summary on this thread, complete with gear beta and a guess at a French grade.
I know onsighting is the gold standard, but for mortals like myself there are a whole load of routes on the edge of my comfort zone which I will just never go on without that little extra comfort of knowing there’s a hidden jug in the break or a bomber ballnut 2 at the end of the runout. These are routes which are too safe/easy to headpoint, but maybe too much of a big unknown to want to push the boat out on totally onsight.
Don’t be shy now. I know some folk on here have got shit loads they could add. Think of it as a charitable act, allowing cowards like myself to push their tiny boats (coracles?) out a little bit further.
I’ll kick things off with what little I can. Most of the stuff I’ve climbed is already on the gritlist, the main exceptions being FAs, so please excuse me seeming to big my own routes up. All of these are either in the safe and technical or safe and sustained ranges:

Apple Tree E5 6c – Rowtor
Bouldery rib coming out of My Apple. Not much higher than MA but with the crux right at the top. Good RP4 just high enough. Tricky but safe to get stood up at the lip, then a bold lurch for the top and a roundy finish. A bit spoiled by the close proximity of the tree. F7a

Beyond the Forbidden Forest E5 6b – eatswood
Excellent climbing up a curved bulge. Safe, but crucial cam is hard to place. Bomber gear in break (place to right to direct fall into clear space), big stretch to a distant eye F0.5 or other small cam, hard to place. Tricky hand swap then crux rib via rugosite and pocket. F6c+

Monster Monster E5 6b – eatswood
Safe and bouldery. Roof direct start to E1. Good ballnut 1 + 2 on the right protect dynamic crux to good hold on the lip. Has been bouldered out. F6c+

Right Between the Eyes E5 6b – Turning StoneSequencey wall climbing after a steep start. Good low gear on either side of the chimney. Big move left then right then left. Hard climbing over fairly quickly, then well protected and easy to the top. F6c+

The Inaccessible E5 6a – Ina’s Rock
Churnet, so technically sandstone not grit. Quality pumpy climbing with good gear. Up thrutchy E2 to ledge. Place big cams in upper half of E2. Step left lassoing low metal spikes then yard through the roof with good rock 6 and small friend in crack. The continuation is pumpy and well protected with small cams. Don’t pull on the wrong pebble! F6c

Thanks.

SA Chris

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#1 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 10:07:38 am
I'm sure if you emailed Jon Read he would give you access to it. Would be a great thing to have on a wiki.

Bonjoy

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#2 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 11:25:00 am
It is still there.

SA Chris

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#3 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 11:28:00 am
I meant give you access for updating, etc.

Bonjoy

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#4 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 11:29:38 am
Ah.
T'would be good to have a grit wiki.

nik at work

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#5 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 11:34:18 am
Sticking with the egomania of self-promotion:

Cold School Closure E5 6c - Rivelin Quarries
Desperate thin slab moves give a boulder problem start. Above is protected and easier, a commiting feeling balancy move top a big hold then relative romp to the top. The start can be by-passed with a running jump, but that's not climbing is it? Probably safe but hard category, flashing the start would be a good effort. But not sustained.

Michael Knight Wears A Chest Wig E7 6c - Wimberry
Solo, fairly low crux which is a big rockover. But the landing isn't great although a tied down spotter/mat combo would probably help. Move out to the arete and finish up the right side of this. Relatively easy climbing but feels fairly commiting and "out there". Can also finish up the wall at a similar standard. Safeish crux (with spotter/mat) but bold above.

That's My Lot
Balancy sequence up right side of arete until crux move to obvious arete hold. Hold the swing and romp up the left side to the top. Awful treestump landing, but not high. Lots of mats and spotters (and a bit of stump removal) could make this into a highball boulder problem.

Sorry no sport grades as I don't know how they work. I'll come back with some more in a bit.

Also agree with SA Chris.

Bonjoy

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#6 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 11:37:54 am
Good stuff. what's the gear in CSC?

nik at work

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#7 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 11:47:10 am
I'm pretty sure there's a peg which would protect the balancy move, and probably some other stuff near the top. Unfortunately I soloed it so the gear aspect was never fully explored, sorry.

Oli

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#8 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 12:01:57 pm
Is CSC the thing to the right of Flex or am I imagining things?

Edit: Ignore that I've looked it up now, and its clearly not what i thought it was.

nik at work

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#9 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 02:56:37 pm
Don't Slip Now E5 6a? - Curbar
The worst landing ever, if you stuff this one up it's going to hurt a lot. Only one move though, and it's a fairly easy move at that. The rest of it is a romp. Easier climbing than the slabs just accross the way at Froggatt but worse landing.

aly

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#10 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 04:37:31 pm
Don't Slip Now E5 6a? - Curbar


Where's the hard bit supposed to be on this?  Going up the slab and traversing left seemed fine but then going up the sloping breaks to the ledge seemed to be the hard bit.

I've got a 'grit list' style beta-list of stacks of routes I've looked which could probably be uploaded onto a wiki.  I can't be arsed to copy it out here though (I think it's at least 30 pages).

Paz

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#11 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 05:23:16 pm
El Vino Collapso
Ditch the pads and go for the onsight, you'll be fine.

nik at work

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#12 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 06:16:40 pm
I remember the hard bit as being one move up to a good hand hold. Think there was a good foothold quite far out left and then rock onto that to reach up. It's a long time ago now but I remember it felt very much easier than the Froggatt great slab E5's.
Sorry I'm not very good at this am I?

GCW

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#13 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 07:27:00 pm
It would be very easy to start a wiki, if that's what people would find helpful.

Oli

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#14 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 07:45:51 pm
How does one go about it?
Use something like wetpaint.com? Could even complete numpty do it?
I could be tempted to do it, as I may as well do something useful whilst on t'internet...

GCW

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#15 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 07:50:28 pm
If people want I can set one up, then people can add stuff.  Done it before so it shouldn't take too long.

uptown

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#16 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 07:56:45 pm
Good thread.
I remember the old grit list but could never understand why these were missed?

Earthboots E7 7a *** Rivelin Quarries - Very safe but very hard. French 7c/+? Boulder across to the slot and two good friend 0.5s, then crux moves gain the pocket in the middle of the wall - bomber rock 3. Try not to blow it moving up left to the finish. 1 repeat ground up with 3 pads?

Placid house E6 6c ** Wyming Brook - Powerful undercutting crux from the break (hex 1 and two rock 3's) lead to an easier though deckable top wall.

That's cool by me E6 6b ** Shining cliff - Friends 1 and 1.5 in the low break and two rp1s and a slider 1 in the peghole protect this frightener. Easy climbing really but a high slap from a pebble concentrate the mind.

Lost World E6 6c *** Carl Wark - Stunning and well protected climbing. Rock 7 and friend 0.5 with opposition rock 1 and 2 in the break. Commit to one of the best sequences on grit.

Wooley jumper E6 6b ** Rivelin - Pm me if you want to borrow the key filed down small hex for the pocket, or man up like Grimer for some serious exposure for such a short climb. Would make a great boulder problem!

Obviously I climbed all of these before the benefit of pads, and in the days of primitive gear. I don't know about apportioning french grades either - Grit routes can't really be shoehorned into sports grades imho.

GCW

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#17 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 07:57:34 pm
http://gritlist.wetpaint.com/

There we go.  I'll try to get the basic structure done tonight.

uptown

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#18 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 08:03:18 pm
Some yorkshire knowledge would be useful - anyone tackled the classic 6/7/8's at Hawkcliffe?

grimer

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#19 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 08:48:42 pm
I thought Readza's site was brilliant. It was very simple, and worked really easily. What i really liked about it was that it was all his opinion, and you could learn to trust it, and it was very free from ego. I imagine Readza's entry for Thumbalina: Thumbalina Safe but Scary E6 - Opinions vary on the grade, thought by some to be a 7a boulder problem. No 3 rock'n'roller, .75 ballnut and 1.27 crack 'n' up in thin break at 6m give some protection.

I've always found Wikis, great ideas as they are, harder to get on with, and, heresay to the 'community generation', but the breadth of opinions makes it harder to put faith in it.

All hail the grit list, a simple idea brilliantly done  :beer2:

Fiend

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#20 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 08:50:55 pm
That's cool by me E6 6b ** Shining cliff - Friends 1 and 1.5 in the low break and two rp1s and a slider 1 in the peghole protect this frightener. Easy climbing really but a high slap from a pebble concentrate the mind.
I would definitely dispute that having checked out the same so-called "runner placements" for the E2 that goes leftwards, lol!! Bonjoy didn't you say this was hard possibly 6c??

Anyway.

Errr. Good thread. I have nothing to contribute except that The Knock isn't E5, even without pads.

Don't all routes contain a bomber Ballnut 2 at the end of a long run out??

andy popp

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#21 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 08:59:33 pm
Good effort Gareth. I take Grimer's points onboard but it seems unlikely that Jon will keep updating the gritlist - this could be a useful substitute. Can we import the gritlist into this wiki and is it strictly grit or is some sandstone (e.g. Cheshire, where I would obviously like to encourage more action) allowable?

GCW

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#22 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 09:03:25 pm
I've stuck the grit E5s onto the wiki.
yes, it's a C&P effort, but it's to get an idea of how this should work.  unless Readza agrees, I don't want to steal all of his hard work.

Do people want pages for different levels of seriousness?  Areas?

Andy, I can't see why it can't be a list of all hard routes in the UK at the end of the day.

andy popp

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#23 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 09:20:36 pm
I've made a v. limited start - Gareth feel free to edit me to get a common format. I'll ask Jon, we're now colleagues. I kind of like the idea of it being a bit focussed; grit and sandstone go together well.

abarro81

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#24 Re: Gritlist
October 28, 2008, 09:25:49 pm
might be easiest to arrange each grade by area rather than the 'safe and sustained' etc headings - too hard to agree on which category for routes! Or do it by
> region > crags
then divide the crags into grades... my vote would go for this second option. Most of the stuff I've done is on the gritlist, i'll have a little look through my logbook and add for things I haven't.

 

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