[tim palmer]

anyone done it?  Was shut down on saturday, might just be i am too weak (esp on 2 finger pockets) but does anyone have any magic beta?

[account_inactive]

Went to Cratcliffe the other day and think this is the problem I looked at to the right of Kaluza.  There was some obvious holds at waist height and then a good finishing hold.  I've read that it starts on undercut (not that I saw these) and is 8a.  Any beta as per Tim's request?

Cheers

[r-man]

Yes, that's Sweet Thing. Apparently a key foothold has recently broken, and it hasn't been climbed in its current state.

[Tom de Gay]

Wasn't it chipped/vandalised a few years back? Key hand hold chipped off or on?

[dave]

A hold was knocked off, then someone optimistically brushed the remainder into a hold.

[account_inactive]

I assume that effects the sit start as the top looked climbable

[cofe]

the hold that was fucked and re-fucked was the right-hand hold you chuck to the top off. SS (from memory) starts on undercuts, to a 2 finger pocket, to said-fucked hold, to top. etc.

[Johnny Brown]

That hold used to be a lovely slope, now its a huge, ugly chipped crimp. And no increase in grade 

Which foothold broke? The one you threw to the top off?

[account_inactive]

Those holds don't look like they should be on an 8a.  Foot holds would have to be terrible I would have thought

[cofe]

i've not seen it for ages. the SS used to be 8a+ or whatever back in the day, and i remember watching beasts get spanked on it. the original problem is basically a thing of the past.

[account_inactive]

Shame

[c.j.d.]

I asked about this on another thread recently.  Seems that no one is in the know.

Basically, I know that the key hold that you used to launch to the top off has gone.  This now may have been brushed back into existence (clarificartion on this anyone?).

To my knowledge, it has not been reasended in its current state.  It was a tough 8a at the time. Katz got close on the SS, but I guess what I am interested in is: is there holds, is it realistic, will it be as good, as the original move was way cool.

[account_inactive]

The holds that you go to the top from look pretty good (big that is).  As I said I didn't look at the sit start.  The holds were all covered in chalk when I walked past so someone looks to have been trying it

[nodder]

Sounds awful.

[cofe]

Katz did the sitter, pre-hold destruction.

[monkey boy]

The problem still goes, the foot hold broke that you chuck for the sloper off but there numerous other ones that can be used. Sit on an undercut and slopey crimp, pocket, fucked hold, top! Had a brief play on this when I got from Font; it was too cold and I was very unpsyched but it felt hard, definately worth at least 8a. Its easy to get the distance for the top but holding it is another matter.

[Andy Harris]

The last move was prob 8a in it's own right, a huge slap to a poor sloper. The hold that was created was significantly better than the original and looked awful. That last moves had to be one of the greatest moves there was. Put some effort in to this but it broke before I did it, gutting, such great  moves.

The start moves were always hard (7c) with bad feet.

I seem to remember it was found by Canadian Frank but done by Ben.

[kook]

don't know what the hand hold was like before it broke but in my opinion the moves are still great and its def harder to hit the top on the link now i broke the foot hold (sorry) but still possible. i heard that before the hand broke it was a bit higher which might actually have made the jump a bit easier because you're less bunched even though it was less positive, if that makes sense. i find that the starts one of those where if everything clicks it feels straight forward, if you doesn't you're landing on your arse. its cool though

[Johnny Brown]

The last move was prob 8a in it's own right, a huge slap to a poor sloper.

Hmm. That would have been my first 8a, and by far my quickest. I did it in a short session, 10 goes or something, and would have had it down as hard 7b+. Rather a difference...

The hold that was created was significantly better than the original and looked awful. That last moves had to be one of the greatest moves there was.

Agree with both of those statements. I never had any interest in doing the sitter, and I've certainly no interest in trying it now with that chipped mess.

i heard that before the hand broke it was a bit higher which might actually have made the jump a bit easier because you're less bunched even though it was less positive

Hmm. I doubt it - it was about 1/2" higher, and much worse. And lets be clear - the hold didn't break, it was vandalised.

I seem to remember it was found by Canadian Frank but done by Ben.

Wow. What a guy - such vision. Where is he now?

[carlisle slapper]

Actually thanks to the stabilisation work that got done i'd say the chipped hold is now one of the most solid at the crag (compared to some of the huge scars appearing about the place thanks to hold erosion.

Problems like this are bound to get broken and worn down, especially as people nowadays won't walk away from something if it is a bit wet etc. with the amount of freeze thaw that has gone on this winter its not suprising that holds are shedding.

The stand is definitely much harder now if it was 7b+ish before. i did it from a stand just after it got broken by using a fairly indestructible smear for RF just under the roof. As Dave said there are also other options for the left foot, but non look like they're as permanent as the smear. sitter will likely be back upto hard 8a/8a+ now i'd say

where as the foothold left from the snapped one is just biscuit. I'd be all for brushing the biscuit away and stabilising whats left with some sandtex. That way a classic problem might become a bit more respectable and permanent. there are quite a few other problems at this crag which would appreciate a bit of sandtex too... or we could just let them gradually wear into vienna style vulgarities and all complain how appalling it is that it has happened.

I'll do the work if no one objects too much

[dave]

I don't think for a second that the standup used to be 7b+, that's just crack babble.

[Stu Littlefair]

I don't think for a second that the standup used to be 7b+, that's just crack babble.

what he said. I spent a lot of time trying this the same time as ben. Could do the start every go, but never snagged that move, not even from a stand. It was at least 7c+ from standing before. Haven't been back since it broke.

I reckon some repair work would be bon. Needs to be done carefully  - the repaired crimp looked awful when first done, though I've not seen it recently.

[Ru]

The original hold was about an inch or so above the current one. It was a small crimp 4-5 mm in depth. The new hold is at least twice the size of the old one. When the problem was first done, there was a tiny intermediate ear for the left hand below the top - this snapped soon after and the problem was repeated without it. The start moves, for me at least, were significantly easier than the top move (in its old state). I'm impressed with JB thinking that this move was only 7B+, I thought it 8A and never managed it. I've not tried it in its current state, I think James did it and thought 7C+/8A and I think Mick's done it too.

[a dense loner]

to be honest i agree with johnny. i tried it years ago with brad of brads wall fame. nearly latched the top move, a lot, and i can't jump out of a bunched position. johnny however can, the top move had never seen 8a, i would have been quite happy to tick 7b+ for it, maybe 7c. i'm also quite happy to question stu and ru, the 2 shortest people at a crag on any given day, about the reasons they find a big move hard

[a dense loner]

now i've just wrote that i seem to remember brad telling me the top move was 7c. obviously this has nothing to do with the problem in its current state. it just goes to show how hazy memories are

[kook]

the foot hold is still there and could probably be glued back on if someone knew what they were doing

[Bonjoy]

Actually thanks to the stabilisation work that got done i'd say the chipped hold is now one of the most solid at the crag (compared to some of the huge scars appearing about the place thanks to hold erosion.

Problems like this are bound to get broken and worn down, especially as people nowadays won't walk away from something if it is a bit wet etc. with the amount of freeze thaw that has gone on this winter its not suprising that holds are shedding.

The stand is definitely much harder now if it was 7b+ish before. i did it from a stand just after it got broken by using a fairly indestructible smear for RF just under the roof. As Dave said there are also other options for the left foot, but non look like they're as permanent as the smear. sitter will likely be back upto hard 8a/8a+ now i'd say

where as the foothold left from the snapped one is just biscuit. I'd be all for brushing the biscuit away and stabilising whats left with some sandtex. That way a classic problem might become a bit more respectable and permanent. there are quite a few other problems at this crag which would appreciate a bit of sandtex too... or we could just let them gradually wear into vienna style vulgarities and all complain how appalling it is that it has happened.

I'll do the work if no one objects too much

Go for it that man. I don't think anyone on here will complain, so long as you do a decent job. The prob with the chipped handhold was not primarily the sealing, more the unsubtle way that a big fat crimp was brushed out of the sandy rock exposed by the chipping. The application of stabiliser was also a bit slapdash but that should have weathered in now I’d imagine. Whoever sealed it probably didn’t realise the importance of bringing a rag to dab off excess sealant.

[Scouse D]

"You don't have to climb something to know how hard it is" -  Lee 'Ben Moon' Anderson

[Johnny Brown]

The stand is definitely much harder now if it was 7b+ish before.

It can't be - as Ru said the hold is about three times the size. I must just have been having a good day. It was tricky enough that I knew I wouldn't have been able to do it from sitting though, or not without a siege. It was, as they say in Arkansas, a' low-percenter'.

As slaps go, it was a technical one requiring an unusual trajectory - I can see why the strong and static might struggle, through that doesn't make it hard. The kind of move Leo would do in two goes.

[Andy Harris]

Big lad canadian Frank but do you remember his mate who’s done so much of the Peruvian he had to get a new septum?

It was John W who pulled off the intermediate, think I still have it, and maybe the bruise I got when he elbowed me on the way down.

That move was v.deceptive, v. easy to feel you were close but in reality a long way from it. I suspect this is why a number of people think its easier as they got close. Don’t really think height made a massive difference, it was being able to do the move in control and having the strength to keep yourself close to the rock at the top of the move rather than the finger strength to latch it at speed.

[Johnny Brown]

Hmm. Not having the strength, I just changed the trajectory so my CoG was moving inwards at the end of the move, not out. Once I sussed that it wasn't too bad. 7c tops.

[Jim]

can we have a big "HALAM" medal for johnny footwork
and a little one for dense

I remember the original hold being small, the new one is massive in comparison

[a dense loner]

"You don't have to climb something to know how hard it is" -  Lee 'Ben Moon' Anderson

anyone who thinks you have to climb something to have a very good idea how hard it is "is a fucking idiot", and you can quote me

[c.j.d.]

I don't think for a second that the standup used to be 7b+, that's just crack babble.

Loveley.  Bloody long haired crack whores.  '7b+' my Brad Pitt reversing arse.

I guess the bottom line seems to be that this is still a good problem, with the stand being 8a, and the sitter 8a+.  Cool.

[brad]

Hello to all
I found and brushed this line up in late 96..a few weeks later i was up there again doing a little filming of my first ascents of the new found and freshly brushed up egg boulder (i never called it that by the way, it must have been alan williams as he was the only person who handled the correspondence from this area for the new guide fax 09) john welford was trying the footless version of t crack, he couldnt do it blaming the odd flake of snow was giving poor friction, we chatted a while he offered me a cup of raspberry tea and we talked more stud in the cave of t crack looking out at the changing weather, he had just done "the bastard" at rubicon and told me also that he had just injured his hand at work with a with a heavy chain. i still have it on film somewhere.. john w popping his head around to see what i was up to filming and climbing in the snow ;0)
anyway..as we were talking i mentioned the good line id found and he seemed keen to look at it, he was the second person to lay eyes on it at that time, it was overgrown with brambles and a elder tree was all over it too.
i had that many problems to do all of rowtor to go and brush up + loads of problems at eagle tor, stanton, brads block...etc that i didnt have the time to work it and left it for another time, it turned out id left it too long as ben moon snatched it all up.
so thats the story of sweet thing

[account_inactive]

So you saw a line but didn't clean or climb it?

[brad]

i used to do it like jerry did on a bouldering video until that hold was ripped off.. i never saw the sit start

[a dense loner]

what do u mean? you never tried the sit start?

[brad]

sorry, i should correct myself...jerry moffat did it like i used to do it    the easier way id say but thats history now

i never tryed the sit start, it wernt that obvious at the time

[a dense loner]

u tried the sit start with me one day

[brad]

that must have been after ben did it then
forgive me but who can you be? 

[a dense loner]

sorry but u saying u never tried the sit start silly me thought that u meant you'd never tried the sit start

who i am is of no importance, we don't know each other we just happened to try it together one day

[account_inactive]

Even his name is a riddle 

[uptown]

Even his name is a riddle 

nowt up with me.