[JamesD]

Up for anything round this way on Sunday, and seeing as the weather seems amazing at the moment, I need a real rock fix™ again soon.
This is not too far away for me, have car and moon saturn pad, can happily accomodate one extra person and one medium sized mat I think, maybe 2 at a push, its just tricky because the mat is so big, and my car isn't!

[i.munro]

I'd suggest that SS isn't the best idea for bouldering at this stage if you can possibly get somewhere else. There really is very little in the way of bouldering below 6A  ish.

[JamesD]

Ok maybe not the best for me right now, seeing as I found 5c pretty damn hard when at Burbage.
Is there anywhere else that's within reasonable driving distance of London that you would recommend?

[slackline]

The Peak District or along the M4 corridor to Portland and South Wales (or Font) 

[i.munro]

I just had a look at this

http://www.mountain-trips.co.uk/harrisons_boulder_guide.html

& it looks like there's a few line around 5+ I'd forgotten. It s A (as in one) boulder though.
(usual blah about taking a piece of carpet to stand on & cleaning feet and using a rag to thwack holds with).

I can recommend Fontainebleau only 4 hours ish by train  but probably not for a day.

The southern end of the peak is do-able if you like getting up early.

[JamesD]

I just had a look at this

http://www.mountain-trips.co.uk/harrisons_boulder_guide.html

& it looks like there's a few line around 5+ I'd forgotten. It s A (as in one) boulder though.
(usual blah about taking a piece of carpet to stand on & cleaning feet and using a rag to thwack holds with).

I can recommend Fontainebleau only 4 hours ish by train  but probably not for a day.

The southern end of the peak is do-able if you like getting up early.

Yeah I just had a browse of that website funnily enough, the other areas look pretty cool too, there seems to be a few bits in that grade range, so should be enough to keep us going for a little while I hope.
Oh and don't worry about us damaging the rock, mat has a built in bit of carpet that we keep clean and doesn't touch the ground, we always take all rubbish with us, and we carry with a crappy t-shirt to hit holds with

Is brushing with a soft brush acceptable at Southern Sandstone, or is brushing of any kind a big no no?

[SA Chris]

If you start brushing SS you will never stop.

[i.munro]

I'd still recommend a seperate bit of carpet.
 I tend to like to position  my pad where I'm likely to land rather than where the problem starts
& they're seldom the same place.

As for brushing - ooh controversial! There seems to be a  net campaign afoot to try & get a complete ban going.
I can sort of see the thinking  as peeps tend to copy what they see without engaging  brain.

 My own opinion is that a gentle brush with something soft ie lapis or boar is going to do less damge than slipping about on sandy or chalky holds & that the real problem is chalk... but if you get bollocked you didn't hear that from me.

[JamesD]

I'd still recommend a seperate bit of carpet.
 I tend to like to position  my pad where I'm likely to land rather than where the problem starts
& they're seldom the same place.

As for brushing - ooh controversial! There seems to be a  net campaign afoot to try & get a complete ban going.
I can sort of see the thinking  as peeps tend to copy what they see without engaging  brain.

 My own opinion is that a gentle brush with something soft ie lapis or boar is going to do less damge than slipping about on sandy or chalky holds & that the real problem is chalk... but if you get bollocked you didn't hear that from me.

Good point actually on the pad position, will bring a small car mat or something.
As for chalk....well my experience outdoors is very little so far, but I think the weird thing I see with chalk indoors all the time is people absolutely caking their hands in it, some people do get a little carried away with their "chalk application" me thinks 

[nik at work]

James go and have a good time on the Southern Sandstone. I went to Bowles once, it was OK I suppose. Even if there aren't a huge number of "easier boulder problems" I seem to remember plenty of easier looking routes. I imagine the first couple of metres of them would be fun enough, you could jump off when you felt suitably high.

i.munro you are indeed correct, chalk is pretty much the ultimate source of evil. The credit crunch, Al Quaida and daytime television can all have their routes traced back to chalk...

How about these three scenarios:

1) I try to climb a problem without chalk, my hands get sweaty, said sweat gets on the rock making it greasy, I slip off said rock, I have another go at said problem with the same result. I repeat this process several times with the same result, my hands slip off the increasingly greasy and sweaty hold and my (rigourously cleaned) boots skid off the smears I am standing on possibly causing erosion. I give up and walk away, somebody else subsequently tries the same problem without chalk, my hand jam means they also grease off, have repeated attempts then give up. A third suitor to the line steps up with the same result after numerous attemps. And so on and so on...

2) I use an appropriate amount of chalk (and by appropriate I mean appropriate for my skin/sweatiness rather than what a passing Mister high and mighty might think) and do the problem in two or three attempts. Subsequent climbers do much the same.

3) I slap chalk everywhere, donkey marks, big arrows paste the chalk on all the holds and flounder around unsuccessfully for half an hour before wandering off leaving a few pieces of finger tape and an empty crisp packet as evidence of my attempts.

Now which of those scenarios is best? Not everybody uses chalk appropriately but your endless evangelical preachings about the evils of chalk are getting just a tad dull.

Sorry this is all OT, wherever you end up James I hope you have a great time.

[i.munro]

Now which of those scenarios is best? Not everybody uses chalk appropriately but your endless evangelical preachings about the evils of chalk are getting just a tad dull.

The guy asked about brushing.
As I say this seems to be a tad controversial. I answered his question as best  I could.
I can't see how not to mention chalk as that's what requires brushing.

[i_a_coops]

I've always thought brushing is a bit unnecesary unless you're on very rough rock that has chalk clogging up the texture (like grit). On sandstone I've always found wiping the chalky paste off with a t shirt has been good enough, anything that really requires friction on sandstone is generally going to be less chalked as less people will try it!

I'd say Bowles has a good selection of Font 5s and 5+s - I'm thinking Coathanger (left side of fandango wall), the start of Fandango, Sapper Direct, the start of Perspiration (up the back of the cave to the right of target), um, any more ideas anyone? They're all pretty good.

http://www.mountain-trips.co.uk/bowles_boulder_guide.html

I think a lot of the grades are very soft actually, but mainly the higher ones - below 6A I think they're ok.

[deacon]

Hi James, theres plenty of bouldering to do at the lower grades but they're not always the best quality routes. Happy Valley will keep you busy for a while and you'll probably have the place to yourself. Also Stone Farm is pretty good for lower grade problems and most of the routes can be climbed with a pad under you.
Have fun

[chriss]

As already stated get your pad, carpet, rag & chalk and have a jolly good day out!

Being new to climbing dosen't make you thick, so just use a bit of common and it will all be fine.

Do you have a guide? If not Bowles will have plenty of folk to point problems out. Fragile wall and Lady in Mink end (the first bit from car park) has some easy grade stuff and nice traverses.  Stone Farm & Happy Valley are also winners for low ball easy stuff. Harrisons dose have a few bits and loads of the short routes can be bouldered, but you would need a guide to know what's what.

Beat avoid High, which dose have some nice low grade stuff, but not worth it for £10. Eridge or Under rocks wouldn't really be worth it either.

As Ian stated the Sandstone (as with alot of areas)  is suffering a bit at present, so don't take it personally is some one offers you some 'advice' hopefully they will offer it in the right way and not be a billy big bollox about it.

Have fun and get involved.

[JamesD]

Cheers dude, looks like Bowles it is then, i'll be up there relative early, probably between 9 and 10 if anyone wants to hook-up and hang out?

I'll be the big guy carrying a big red Moon Saturn Pad

[i.munro]

So did you have  good time?

[JamesD]

Weather was supposed to be shite, so I left it and ended up going for a swim, it started raining in the morning heavily so I took that as a bad sign, although by accounts from other people apparently a lot if not all of it dried out, so I feel bad that I didn't go.
But have made plans to go this Sunday, assuming the weather stays good, fingers crossed!

[i.munro]

You can console yourself that you did the 'right' thing by being cautious.
The sandstone's getting wrecked at the moment & not waiting for it to dry prpoerly is part of that.   

[JamesD]

Ok it's confirmed, we are going to be at bowles from 9am tomorrow morning as it looks to be the only dry day this weekend, so if anyone else fancies it, shoot me a message for my number, or look for the huge lump attempting to gracefully dismount onto a big red bouldering pad

[chriss]

I think a lot of the grades are very soft actually, but mainly the higher ones - below 6A I think they're ok.

Just out of interest what problems do you feel are soft as I have always thought they are fairly ok?

[i_a_coops]

Ah.... do bear in mind that I've never been to Font and am only really able to compare them to problems I've done at Bowles and High Rocks.

The dyno on the ES nose area surely isn't 7B though? I did it long before I climbed 7A, and it's far easier than Chez's dyno at High Rocks.

None of the 7As on range wall feel that hard either, I did several of them before I climbed british 6b, haven't tried them recently so I'm not too sure but I don't remember it feeling as hard as Nicotine Alley or any of the 7As at high rocks..

The one that really confuses me is the sit start problem to the right of Coathanger, I've heard from several people it's 6C or 6C+ and it's certainly easier than say Kranked at high rocks - it surely can't be 7B!

Banana Hammock is down in the guide as 6C+, it's very slopey though so if it's not in good nick then it might well feel 7A.


As for the High Rocks guide on the same site, I don't think that the standing start to Brenva is 6C. I'm not going to mention the sitter as no one seems to agree on it and I suspect it's a can of worms.

If you disagree with any of this then please let me know, as I don't have much experience grading things and would like to know what other people think!

[chriss]

Fair enough, you really don't have any bench marks for comparison if you have only done SS problems.......

My thoughts are this, holds get better/ worse, new beta is found and grading is SUBJECTIVE. I also think that SS lacks traffic from the larger bouldering community, it aint' the Peaks so some grades are all over the shop.

For the dynos I can't dyno so can't really comment, but seeing my mate do Clowns pocket and Chez dyno the Bowles one looks much easier.

Range wall? Is that the wall under Patella? If so I  agree, the crimpy thing is no where near 7a. The problem near Coathanger feels 7a/+ the sit adds a bit, so could feel soft 7b? It is also a pretty different style to Kranked which has had it's holds grown due to wear, bit Ian H or S are the authorities on this.

Banana Hammock feels fucking 7b in the heat, 7a if cold and done the proper way or 6c if you are a sloper daddy! 

As for Breneva stand being 6c, no chance unless  you are 4 foot tall, the sit is a funny one. It's seen some wear, but not 7b, 7a+ is a fair grade for this I think.

I think we are sort of on the same page, it also depends where you find your info the Mountain thing topo, Climbers Guide, Jingo, SS page on Facebook or word of mouth. When you look on something like 8a.nu (which I am on) and see varying grades invariably you will think WTF on some stuff, some climbers will go for the ego grade, but some stuff just suits your style.

Take a  trip up North, hit Font and compare for yourself, personally I still think they are ok.

[Canary M Burns]

Beat avoid High, which dose have some nice low grade stuff, but not worth it for £10.

When did they put the price up? Thought it was a fiver?

Come to think of it I don't think I've been there since guys were debating which female from big brother one is the most attractive! 

[i.munro]

The price went up (& the opening hours were cut) last year in response to their perception that climbers weren't paying
& were climbing over the fence.

[chriss]

The price went up (& the opening hours were cut) last year in response to their perception that climbers weren't paying
& were climbing over the fence.

No it was a FACT that climbers were not paying and bunking fences along with being rude & abusive to the staff.

If you don't want to pay GO ELSEWHERE. Season tickets were £45 last time round. It is shit that it's gone so expensive, but High is on private land so tough shit...........Oh and just in case you missed it- If you don't want to pay GO ELSEWHERE.......

Thank you.

[i.munro]

Well I strongly suspect you're right about climbers not paying but I don't know it as a FACT, how could I?

[chriss]

I'm not having a dig at you buddy as you are one of the few genuine Sandstone lovers who actually give a fuck. Was pointing it out to anyone who may of read it and thought it was management bollox to justify the price hike.
 

[Willriseley]

I know its kinda gone the 25th  but anybody still heading down that way? currently in the van and have 2 pads in there all the time, room for maybe 1/2 people and a few more mats, if not will be in a car soon so maybe 4 seats and roof the mats

[JamesD]

I'm up for bowles rock this Saturday, weather looks excellent, leaving from Central and have a moon Saturn pad, spare foot carpet and chalk a plenty

[Willriseley]

central where?

[JamesD]

Shoreditch Central London