[Johnny Brown]

I don't remember Beat Surrender being bridging particularly, certainly not wide bridging. More like techy laybacking. Agree it is sustained though.

Get some in should be fine if you warm up, both on the day and in trad generally. I think it's the downclimbing that gets you, the rests aren't great and you'd be better going up.

[Bonjoy]

If you're not a midget then Minotaur down the Leap is an obvious candidate

[Wood FT]

 

If you're not a midget then Minotaur down the Leap is an obvious candidate

me and my chipont'shoulder would love to hear stories of midgets slaying the minotaur, anyone?

[T_B]

My forte is routes that are a bit run out, requiring commitment but not seriously dangerous.

John Wayne at St Govans should be on your list.

[Johnny Brown]

me and my chipont'shoulder would love to hear stories of midgets slaying the minotaur, anyone?

I've watched Bransby piss it a couple of times. And Caff. I doubt Steve Mac struggles either. I bet Hazel has done it. And of course Midgets himself usually pisses Pembroke E5s. Does that help?

[Boredboy]

Barbarella is good, well protected crux start loads of gear to the break and a crimpy head wall, very exciting climbing!

[Stu Littlefair]

If you're not a midget then Minotaur down the Leap is an obvious candidate

me and my chipont'shoulder would love to hear stories of midgets slaying the minotaur, anyone?

Minotaur I thought was very steady. It's a tricky move if you're short but it's more about pulling harder rather than some reach moves which are about being taller.

[Paul B]

This is good to hear as I've always wanted to do it. I can remember Unclesomebody being rather unimpressed with the size of the hold for that move though?

T_B was telling me this had gone down to E4 the other night which I'm glad to hear is wrong 

[Neil F]

My forte is routes that are a bit run out, requiring commitment but not seriously dangerous. Endurance rather than bouldering. 3D weirdness like chimneys is also good. Keep them coming!

Begs the question, which Pembroke E5s should I be aiming for? I've been spanked on Sunlover wall and done the usual suspects in The Leap other than Darkness at Noon. The latter is screamingly obviously My Sort Of Route that I would have just answered my question except it is hard to get tides, conditions and fitness to coincide.

Duncan

As I'm sure you realise, your description of your forte routes above, is actually a perfect description of excactly what Darkness at Noon involves!  If it isn't top of your wishlist for Pembroke E5s then it probably should be.

As for conditions, I had never seen Darkness dry in my many visits to the Leap.  But after doing Orange Robe Burning on a perfect day a few years ago, I decided that Darkness simply had to in nick, and so we abbed into the Leap.  Walking down the beach, I was gutted to find the Darkness wall glinting with moisture, just as it always had been.  But something told me to have a closer look, despite appearances being wholly offputting. I got on it, and discovered that it was actually snuff dry, and the glinting surface was just some weird optical illusion.  I haven't a clue whether it had actually been wet on the previous occasions, but I know definitively that the day I did it, the route looked soaking and was actually bone.

So, remember to have a closer look, particularly if there is a bit of a drying breeze blowing through the Leap.

Darkness at Noon (along with Woeful) is the best route I've done in done in the Leap.  In fact it is one of the best E5s I've done anywhere.

Neil

[Doylo]

Ye Minotaur is a lock off so as long as you're not short and weak...

[Wood FT]

Ye Minotaur is a lock off so as long as you're not short and weak...

fuck.

[Stu Littlefair]

Neil - what's the second pitch of Darkness like? Are they both E5?

[T_B]

The second pitch involves tunnelling through a hole or something daft. It's well good. E3 or E4 5c.

[Wood FT]

I think the tunnelling is optional Tom you bloody sandbagger

[T_B]

Yeah can't really remember tbh, just remember my mate leading that pitch and getting in a bit of a tangle

[duncan]

My forte is routes that are a bit run out, requiring commitment but not seriously dangerous.

John Wayne at St Govans should be on your list.

That's interesting. I'd sort of dismissed it as being basically a sport-route. I'll take a closer look.

If you're not a midget then Minotaur down the Leap is an obvious candidate

me and my chipont'shoulder would love to hear stories of midgets slaying the minotaur, anyone?

Minotaur I thought was very steady. It's a tricky move if you're short but it's more about pulling harder rather than some reach moves which are about being taller.

I've done Minotaur. I'm very average height and it seemed OK. More to the point, my 5'5" mate lead it. He's a 7c rather than 8c leader. He might have had a little pop on the long move.

Barbarella is good, well protected crux start loads of gear to the break and a crimpy head wall, very exciting climbing!

I've been spanked on Sunlover wall.

Barbarella administered the spanking. I was going quite well at the time too. Well-protected but seemed extremely pumpy. Perhaps I wasn't warmed up properly or something.

As for conditions, I had never seen Darkness dry in my many visits to the Leap.  But after doing Orange Robe Burning on a perfect day a few years ago, I decided that Darkness simply had to in nick, and so we abbed into the Leap.  Walking down the beach, I was gutted to find the Darkness wall glinting with moisture, just as it always had been.  But something told me to have a closer look, despite appearances being wholly offputting. I got on it, and discovered that it was actually snuff dry, and the glinting surface was just some weird optical illusion.  I haven't a clue whether it had actually been wet on the previous occasions, but I know definitively that the day I did it, the route looked soaking and was actually bone.

So, remember to have a closer look, particularly if there is a bit of a drying breeze blowing through the Leap.

Darkness at Noon (along with Woeful) is the best route I've done in done in the Leap.  In fact it is one of the best E5s I've done anywhere.

That's excellent beta, without being beta. Just the sort of thing I was hoping to get. Darkness is clearly the right answer but, like you, I'd dismissed it as looking wringing wet every time I'd ever had a look at it.

Thanks everyone!

[Doylo]

Isn't Barberella supposed to be French 7b or so. More physical than the other suggestions...

[T_B]

I doubt it's 7b, but Orange Robe Burning to the right might feel easier if you're better on your feet/don't mind a bit of bold.

[andy popp]

I thought ORB felt pretty tough - not E6 but certainly towards the top-end of E5.

[Johnny Brown]

I can remember Unclesomebody being rather unimpressed with the size of the hold for that move though?

IIRC there is an intermediate which you get at more or less full reach. The trick is to bump again to a jug (easier for the tall obvs), Keith probably pulled through.

[Neil F]

Neil - what's the second pitch of Darkness like? Are they both E5?

I don't think it's much more than E3, Stu.  It's just a short lived layback, which I can't imagine causing any trouble to an 8b leader, whatever their gender... 

I think the first person I heard had gone tunnelling was Sophie W.  I was amazed, as it had never occurred to me when I had done it a few years before.  But I do remember standing on the shelf after the layback and suddenly realising I was looking straight down at my belayer through a tube in the rock that I'd scarcely noticed as I'd climbed past its lower end.

The potential for 'substantial' threads in Huntsman's Leap is really quite impressive!

Neil

[Stu Littlefair]

[emoji3] fantastic. That's gone straight up to number 1 on the list. Just got to get up it now, or Johnny will never let me forget it.

[Three Nine]

I read your blog and then I had a dream about Jules that night, which would have been awesome except you were in it as well. We were at a theme park and you and Jules jumped the queue and I was really pissed off a) because Jules was married to you and not me, and b) because you jumped the queue.

[Fiend]

me and my chipont'shoulder would love to hear stories of midgets slaying the minotaur, anyone?

I've watched Bransby piss it a couple of times. And Caff. I doubt Steve Mac struggles either. I bet Hazel has done it. And of course Midgets himself usually pisses Pembroke E5s. Does that help?

classic. Alarmingly some people actually think this is answering the question. Oh well Hazel doesn't climb 9a so it must be fine for the E4/5 midget.

[Fultonius]

Fiend bloody right it answers the question. Doesn't matter if they all climb 9c, they also all*reached the holds* therefore reach is *not* an excuse.


That's one thing I like about alpine climbing - height is pretty much irrelevant you short arsed fuckers ;-)