[Krank]

My friend wants to visit Malham to sample the delights of the trad climbing, since neither of us have been before i was after a little advice...

1, is it any good?
2, what style is it, steep/walls/slabby
3, best grade range?
4, anything else worth knowing?

Cheers

[Gus]

Something that's worth knowing is that the crag has some of the best sport climbing in the country.

Leave the trad rack at home!!!

[Teaboy]

1. Yes
2. Walls (mostly)
3. HVS (VS if you include Clubfoot) to E5
4. It's worth checking to see if there is a bird ban around the terrace area

[slackline]

Only been to Malham once and as I'm manifestly shit we hit the wings to do some trad...

My friend wants to visit Malham to sample the delights of the trad climbing, since neither of us have been before i was after a little advice...

1, is it any good?

I enjoyed it my mate didn't (see below)

2, what style is it, steep/walls/slabby

The lines we did (can't remember them off the top of my head, but up on the right-hand wing as you're looking at it) were steep-ish and tended to follow the lines of weaknesses (i.e. cracks).

3, best grade range?

Guess that depends on your upper limit, but we had a good couple of hours doing stuff HVS-E2 between the showers.

4, anything else worth knowing?

Its pretty polished in places (one of the reasons my mate didn't like it).

[SA Chris]

I think polish is the key word there. Worst I had come across at the time until I climbed at Avon and then Chudleigh.

Depending on grade range there are some great limestone trad crags in Yorkshire.

[Krank]

cheers all, sounds like it will be a fun day on the polish. Chris, whats your suggestions for good lime trad venues in yorkshire? grade range is E1-5

[Paul B]

blue scar?

[Paul B]

I know you said Yorkshire but High Tor is a fantastic place should you be up for a day trip.

[chris_j_s]

blue scar?

Think Blue is bird banned at the moment.

Kilnsey or Gordale maybe?!?

[SA Chris]

cheers all, sounds like it will be a fun day on the polish. Chris, whats your suggestions for good lime trad venues in yorkshire? grade range is E1-5

Shit, I was thinking somewhat lower grades! In the HVS - E2 range I have had great days out at some of the smaller slightly less well known places like Pot Scar and Crummackdale, but other than browsing the guide, not sure what to recommend at higher grades than that.

Paul's suggestion might be a go-er, looks great in the newest YMC Guide (which I picked up in a local charity shop for £3!).

[Paul B]

There are some classic routes at Kilnsey as well obviously.

Face Value
Deja Vu (flailed on this as a 2nd as my introduction to Limestone)
Didn't claws get a shiny peg last year or did I imagine that?
Central Wall
The Diedre

Malham right wing is on my list, the E2's look the best from the text.

Blue scar, it'd be Central Wall although again my memories of this are flailing as a 2nd.

High Tor:
Debauchery
Darius
Delicatessen
Nightmare of Brown Donkeys
Robert Brown
Laurin into Phrantic looks fantastic (you see it all the time from the ab, still can't convince Nat after her swing on NoBD).
People say Flaky Wall and Supersonic are both ace.

[Bonjoy]

What little trad I’ve done at Malham has been good, but as folk say is very polished on the classic easier stuff. My best days tradding on Yorks lime have been at Gordale, Kilnsey and Blue Scar (but as mentioned Blue is likely to be bird banned).

[IanP]

cheers all, sounds like it will be a fun day on the polish. Chris, whats your suggestions for good lime trad venues in yorkshire? grade range is E1-5

There seems to be a little bit of negativity about trad at Malham on this thread - I think it should probably be first on the list for trad limestone in Yorkshire, great selection of routes in your grade range both on the right wing and the terrace (longer than it looks, mostly 15 - 20m)) - Carnage LH (E1), Crossbones, Wombat, Sundance Wall (E2), Midnight Cowboy, Mullato Wall (E3), Slendar Loris (E4), a number of great looking E5's I haven't done.

Other real quality trad limestone crag imo is Blue Scar some decent E1 to E4 stuff on the left, a couple of superb 'reasonable' E5's (i.e I've done them) and lots more impressive stuff in the E5 - E6 range.  Unfortunately its banned until July.

NB All this is from my memory of the 90's, I only clip bolts these days 

[Will Hunt]

The trad at Gordale looks fucking terrifying.

[Krank]

good stuff, that sorts out my summer trips to Yorkshire, cheers.

High Tor is a fantastic place should you be up for a day trip.

got a day at HT planned for the next few weeks, peak stuff is on my door step so im a bit more clued up about that but cheers

The trad at Gordale looks fucking terrifying.

sounds good

[Paul B]

I'm probably stating the obvious again and sorry for it not being overly relevant here but it looks like there's been some low grade sport-climbs added at the RHS of High Tor.

[Fiend]

1. The E2+ trad at Malham isn't noticably polished apart from the odd starting move. It's not Stoney FFS.

2. It is clearly better than the sport climbing. Best rock in the cove, better lines, more exposed.

3. Errr what more does one need to know.

[Stabbsy]

I'm with Ian on this one, the trad stuff at Malham is superb. Yes, there's a bit of polish, but mainly on the easier routes.

I think it should probably be first on the list for trad limestone in Yorkshire, great selection of routes in your grade range both on the right wing and the terrace (longer than it looks, mostly 15 - 20m)) - Carnage LH (E1), Crossbones, Wombat, Sundance Wall (E2), Midnight Cowboy, Mullato Wall (E3), Slendar Loris (E4), a number of great looking E5's I haven't done.

All the routes mentioned are great (can't comment on Carnage LH), but I'd also add Wind & Wuthering/Swift Attack/Friday the 13th to the list of E3's and Bad Brain to the E4's. Regatta de Blanc and Doubting Thomas are both superb at E5, although I remember a very dodgy looking thin bit of tat on the crux of Regatta that might be due for replacement. Don't be put off by the polish at the bottom of the shared start of Wombat/Slender Loris/Regatta, as it improves above and Slender Loris is one of the best E4s I've done.

Of the other venues, I found Gordale trad an acquired taste, but I can recommend Face Route and Prince of Darkness. Crummackdale has a few good routes, but mainly in the HVS-E1 band and nothing up to the stand up alongside Malham/Kilnsey/Blue. Blue Scar is amazing when it's open (I'd recommend Central Wall, Shootist, Blue Grit and Unreal - all excellent). Yew Cogar trad routes look great, but have only sport climbed down there.

Hope that's of some use.

[mrjonathanr]

Another vote for Trad at Malham being great. I've done most of the stuff on the right and it's all good. Bad Brain etc and the majority of Terrace routes firmly on my ticklist. Wombat/Slender/Doubting T all brilliant. Access to that section of wall is that horrible polished bit but it's good afterwards.

[Paul B]

when others have said polished, is there any chance of a benchmark of shinyness? Is it worse than say 'Darius' at High Tor?

[highrepute]

I've only done one trad route at Malham, and it was on second. Limehill E5, and it was awesome. Exposure by the bucket load. Hell, getting to the start was scary enough for me! didn't think polish was a problem on it so maybe the higher grades are less polished.

[Sidehaas]

cheers all, sounds like it will be a fun day on the polish. Chris, whats your suggestions for good lime trad venues in yorkshire? grade range is E1-5

There seems to be a little bit of negativity about trad at Malham on this thread - I think it should probably be first on the list for trad limestone in Yorkshire, great selection of routes in your grade range both on the right wing and the terrace (longer than it looks, mostly 15 - 20m)) - Carnage LH (E1), Crossbones, Wombat, Sundance Wall (E2), Midnight Cowboy, Mullato Wall (E3), Slendar Loris (E4), a number of great looking E5's I haven't done.

Other real quality trad limestone crag imo is Blue Scar some decent E1 to E4 stuff on the left, a couple of superb 'reasonable' E5's (i.e I've done them) and lots more impressive stuff in the E5 - E6 range.  Unfortunately its banned until July.

NB All this is from my memory of the 90's, I only clip bolts these days 

I had a great day doing trad at Malham.  Its one of the best trad limestone crags in the country, even if you completely ignore the sport climbing.  Carnage Left-Hand is absolutely brilliant (excepting pitch 1).  The shorter stuff to the right was good too.  We did a cool HVS through a roof - cant remember the name.

[Will Hunt]

How do Carnage and Carnage Left Hand compare in scariness/danger? And are the pitches they share above quite spicy as well?

[duncan]

I had a great day doing trad at Malham.  Its one of the best trad limestone crags in the country, even if you completely ignore the sport climbing. 

Trad. at Malham is pretty good and clearly the best in Yorkshire.   I think it just fails the 'would you take a foreign visitor* there' test though, whereas High Tor just passes and several limestone crags dahn sarf definitely pass.

*From, say, Boulder, Stavanger or Prague.

[shark]

Slender Loris is one of the best E4s I've done.

 

...and Limehill and Midnight Cowboy are also awesome and not subject to the bird ban this year.

[Stabbsy]

...and Limehill and Midnight Cowboy are also awesome and not subject to the bird ban this year.

I've done Midnight, but Limehill's been on the list to go back for. Anyone with any knowledge on Wild West Hero?

How do Carnage and Carnage Left Hand compare in scariness/danger? And are the pitches they share above quite spicy as well?

Can't comment on the danger, but they don't share much climbing. They use the same aid/free move to climb out of the cave then LH goes left and Carnage goes up and slightly right.

when others have said polished, is there any chance of a benchmark of shinyness? Is it worse than say 'Darius' at High Tor?

Bottom of Wombat is as bad as some bits off Windy Ledge at Stoney, similar for large parts of Kirkby Wall and Junkyard Angel (the HVS someone mentioned a few posts back I think). There's a bit of polish on most routes, but not as bad as a lot of things I've done in the Peak. Haven't done Darius for ages, so can't really use that as a benchmark.

[IanP]

2. It is clearly better than the sport climbing.

Clearly extremely arguable.

Best rock in the cove

Tufa and pockets around Dawn, Baboo etc, immaculate headwall on Zoolook, perfect crimping then tufa on Herbie.

better lines

Maybe got something here though things like Yosemite Wall and L'Obsession have take some pretty good lines and the Groove is probably the best line in Yorkshire.

more exposed.

Free and easy, never mind Breach of the Peace.

[webbo]

How do Carnage and Carnage Left Hand compare in scariness/danger? And are the pitches they share above quite spicy as well?

Carnage has a bit of loose rock on the first pitch as well as bit of a run out.These days isn't carnage L/h easy E1 and Carnage solid E2 rather than both being HVS.

[Will Hunt]

Search me, I haven't done either. They've been on the list for a while though. Perhaps on a nice warm day this summer.

[seankenny]

several limestone crags dahn sarf definitely pass.

I presume you are talking Pembroke, Cheddar and bits of Swanage?

[Fiend]

Berry Head obviously.

[SA Chris]

I think he means Choadleigh.