[Bonjoy]

Any done/tried this?
I know Johnny Brown has tried it as it was his enthusing about it that got me onto the idea.
The challenge is to climb all the starred HVSs in the ’89 Stanage guide, in a day. As there are 71 of them this means a lot of soloing. But there’s a few beasts on the list so most will want to lead at least a handful.
Seems like a brilliantly pitched challenge to me (with exception of SMCSLT, see below).
I’ve been heading out on odd evening sessions soloing ones I haven’t done or haven’t done for a while and sussing out which ones I’ll want a rope for.
Just noticed a potential major spoiler today, namely So Many Classics So little Time, HVS 5c in the old guide, now given E4 6b! Anyone done/tried this? Heading up to High Neb tonight to recce the next bunch so will give it a look.
Any thoughts on which direction is best, what kit to bring, etc will all help feed my obsession and keep the boredom gremlins at bay. Thanks.

The list:

1.      Grand theft 5c *
2.      Apparent North 5b**
3.      Suzanne 6a*
4.      Rugosity Crack 5b*
5.      Grotto Wall 4c*
6.      Eliminator 5b*
7.      Townsend Variant 4c*
8.      Flying Buttress Direct 5b***
9.      Leaning Buttress Direct 5b*
10.  Queersville 5a*
11.  Rusty Crack 5b*
12.  Rusty Wall 6a*
13.  Rugosity Wall 5c*
14.  The Flange 5b*
15.  Black Magic 5b**
16.  Retroversion 4c**
17.  Good Friday 5b*
18.  Cave Arete 5a**
19.  Cave Gully Wall 5a**
20.  Paucity 5b*
21.  Agony Crack 5a**
22.  The Link ***
23.  Congo Corner***
24.  Saliva 5a*
25.  Phlegethoa 5c*
26.  The Scoop 5a***
27.  Green Grocer’s Wall 5c*
28.  Pedlar’s Slab 5c*
29.  Punklet 5c*
30.  BAW’s Crawl 5a***
31.  Dover’s Wall Route 2 5a*
32.  Right Unconquerable 5a***
33.  Little Unquonquerable 5a*
34.  August Arete 5a*
35.  Cue 5a*
36.  Billiard Buttress 5a**
37.  Overhanging Wall 5b*
38.  Pegasus Rib 5a*
39.  Tower Face 5a**
40.  Tower Chimney 5b*
41.  Tower Crack 5a*
42.  Fina 5b*
43.  Pullover 5b*
44.  Crescent Arete 5b**
45.  Goliath’s Groove 5a***
46.  Surprise 5b*
47.  Tom-Cat Slab 5b*
48.  Blockhead Direct 5b*
49.  Titanic Direct 5a*
50.  Jeepers Creepers 5b*
51.  Kelly’s Overhang 5b**
52.  Fate 5c*
53.  The Blurter 5b**
54.  Hearsay Crack 5a*
55.  The Knutter 5b*
56.  Travesties 5b*
57.  Sudoxe 5a*
58.  Leviticus 5b*
59.  Deuteronomy 5b**
60.  Exodus 5a*
61.  So Many Classics So Little Time 5c*
62.  Right Hand tower 5a**
63.  Terrazza Crack 5b***
64.  Sceptic 5b*
65.  Microbe 5c*
66.  Valediction 5a*
67.  Old Salt 5a**
68.  The Wobbler 5b*
69.  Surgeon’s Saunter 5b**
70.  The Vice 5b*
71.  The Green Streak 4c**

[Andy B]

I think JR may have done/ tried this. I remember him coming in for a ton of heckling as he battled up Tower Chimney. It might have been some other challenge they were trying though.

[dave]

I haven't done this but have given it the odd thought. I have however done all 36 starred VSs from the '89 guide though, did it in a pair and both soloed or lead/seconded every route. A much easier undertaking but still some general points worth bearing in mind:

With the VSs the greatest concentration of routes, and the ones you're generally already familiar with, is at the popular end. So its best to start at this end because a lot of the routes you have already done can be soloed or otherwise knocked off quickly while you're still fresh. A mate of mine did the VSs going the other way, north to south, and said it was crap cos by the time you reached the popular end and the bulk of the climbing you were already knackered from all the walking. Although with the HVSs you've got the Vice as the penultimate route - HA HA.

Although on their own you'd be happy to solo all of the VSs and probably a lot of the HVSs I reckon its actually quicker and less mentally draining to just lead them fast with maybe just sticking in one bit of gear at the crux. We did this on most of the VSs and it means you can go fast and climb in a sprinty cavalier fashion without the need to be ultra-careful and the worry of soloing, and without the penalty of concentration lapses when you're knackered.

Also we took mainly cams not nuts for speed, and also find the shortest lightest rope you can get away with for the routes, if need be cut an old 9mm in half or something. I think we took an old 30m rope. Saves weight and also coiling/ropehanding time. Also save time by not taking proper belays at the top of routes, where possible just wedge yourself behind a block or in a gully, or in some cases start downclimbing the descent route down the back of the butress while the second is following the route etc etc.

Having someone meet you around high neb or plantation area with some food and water is a good boost too.

And one final thing, remember downclimbing routes doesn't count, unless you're name is arran or ohly.

[Bonjoy]

I think JR may have done/ tried this. I remember him coming in for a ton of heckling as he battled up Tower Chimney. It might have been some other challenge they were trying though.

Pretty sure he's done a VS and an E1 (this would include Tower Chimney if based on the new guide) based challenge on Stanage, but not a HVS one.

And one final thing, remember downclimbing routes doesn't count, unless you're name is arran or ohly.

You reckon? It was good enough for Fawcett. To be honest I wasn't planning on doing this.
However, on a similar note, was thinking of getting round the necessity of doing The Link AND Congo Corner by going up TL and climbing down then up the CC bit en-route. 

[dave]

Wasn't Right Unconquerable that was doenclimbed years before it was first "done", i.e. ascended by Brown? Hence downclimbing doesn't count as an ascent (clues in the name).

[nai]

JR blogged about doing the VS one recently, including some gear tips:

http://jr-climbing.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/the-vs-challenge.html

[Bonjoy]

Cheers nai.
Had a look at So Many Classics last night. Lets just say it didn’t reek of classic or HVS, more like pokey highball 7a on dirty slopers with a sketchy landing. Doesn’t look well (at all!) travelled. Wonder if it’s a Hoey/Allen joke entry to scupper puerile grade list tickers. Was being devoured by a cloud of midges at the time so didn’t try climbing it. On or off the list it’s a fly in the ointment. For now I reckon unless persuaded otherwise I’ll strike it off my list, which leaves a round 70 routes.

[fatboySlimfast]

Si berry did it back in 91/92 as training for a lotus flower trip. Did it roped.
(his lake district hard rock tour ujsupported in 3 days with john topping was impressive as well)

[Will Hunt]

Kelly's Overhang without a rope? Eep!

[Bonjoy]

Have soloed it before but think it was above snow. Remember the move being knacky rather than gnarly.

[dave]

You should do the whole thing above snow, would be a right epic challenge in limited daylight.

[SA Chris]

Wearing snowshoes.

[Bonjoy]

Just found this account of Matt Heason doing it over two day http://www.planetfear.com/articles/Midsummer_Madness__The_UKs_Best_Climbing_Challenges_485.html . He includes SMCSLT but doesn't make any mention of it (as you might given that it's supposed to be E4 6b) in the article  . Now I'm confused.

[dave]

Its probably a path for lanky 6'4" motherfuckers, bastards.

[JR]

Bonjoy you're right,

I've only done the VS (twice) and the E1 both out the 89 guide.  Both cracking days out but the E1 is hard, even though there's only 29 there's some proper tough'uns in it especially when it's normally a warm day (pig's ear, centaur etc)

As i tweeted the other week, I keep meaning to have a go at the HVS challenge but not got round to it yet, it's definitely on the list, the same technique/rack as the VS would do it but it and would require a very early start in midsummer, it would probably getting on for 16+ hours.

I put some of the list on UKC

VS here: http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/set.php?id=437
and E1: http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/set.php?id=443

[Bonjoy]

Cheers JR.
I'm aiming for minimal leading/seconding. As I can't find anyone so far who'd want to do it in this style I'll prob only have partner on the led routes. Hoping for a <10 hour completion this way!

[JR]

I always saw the un-official rules as requiring a partner and all roped/seconded but obviously that's totally open to whatever!  We were pretty strict on the E1s, we did the solos with a rope and brought up the second!  A bit anal I know!  Dave's right though in terms of leading.  It does feel a bit easier, safer and quicker to err on the side of leading quickly than solo I think as you do just fly up chucking gear in.  Once you're halfway along Stanage, 15 routes in ,any gear dyslexia faffing is long gone.

If you do it in less than 10hours I shall definitely doth my cap.  That's about 8mins per route average, non stop at 10 hours including time walking between routes, and some inevitable queuing if it's a weekend.

I'd do it with you if I had the time, but I won't be around or probably inclined to do it, with good daylight hours, now until next summer due to work etc.

The VS took us just under 10 hours, though it was relatively "leisurely".  ie could go faster but not much.

[Bonjoy]

Could be way optimistic on the timing. Doing it in a day is the main thing. Did a test pace check starting at Suzzane and going left for 70 mins one evening last week. Did 14. Obviously this is the fastest bit of the challenge and i was fresh and soloing.... Plan is to start early, work left and blitz the popular end before the crowds turn up. Meet partner at either Unconquerables or Tower Chimney depending on how fried my head is.
The choice of doing it that way is largely due to the difficulty of finding someone able and psyched to do it with, though I like the idea of having led/soloed every route.

[dave]

I can't remember how long it took me and barson on the VSs, I might have it written down somewhere,

[John Gillott]

I looked at having a go at all the VSs in the 1989 guide in a day, so starred and non-starred. We reckoned there were 148 of them.

We planned right to left, to avoid the crowds on the popular end of an evening and to avoid the damp on the far end of a morning.

We planned soloing, but with maybe a rope and a bit of gear for one or two routes. Brief write up here:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=41159

We did one quarter one day in training, another quarter another day, and the remaining half another day. We did the latter in eight and a half hours, so it was doable. I lacked the fitness, dedication and timing (watch out for bird bans) to piece it together. It was good to look at all the routes rather than just the starred ones as we discovered a number of nice routes we'd otherwise have missed. It'd be nice to try it again.

[Bonjoy]

Spotted that before on the UKC log. Now that is a fine and hefty mission!

[dave]

I remember Kim and Barson trying to do all 70-odd starred VSs from the unpopular 2002 stanage guide, they got about half way and the general feeling was that the writers in an attempt to draw traffic away from the classics had given stars to some proper shockers. I suppose thats a joy of the starred routes from '89, its all killer, no filler.

[Bonjoy]

Cleaned and soloed So Many Classics… last night. Crux is high up above a so-so landing/very low gear and involves pulling on some very slopey breaks. The E4 6b given in the new guide seemed correct, though the crux might feel easier than that on a cold day. Actually very good, ideal as a highball at about 6B/+ with enough pad. Will probably try to include if/when the weather allows an attempt.

[TobyD]

Cheers JR.
I'm aiming for minimal leading/seconding. As I can't find anyone so far who'd want to do it in this style I'll prob only have partner on the led routes. Hoping for a <10 hour completion this way!

i'm keen.   i'd solo 80% of that list,  roughly!

[Johnny Brown]

I did the VSs in an afternoon with Ben, and then tried the HVSs with Ben and Pete, all soloing. We started at the popular end and got to Tower Face before a bird ban (oh the irony) and heat/ lack of water took the wind out of our sails. Somewhere I've got a photo of all three of us on the top half of Right Unconquerable. Be keen to try again, the Staffs nose is the other obvious challenge.

[Tommy]

JB, aren't you going to break the Staff's Nose time with Andi? Or has he got some other hotshot partner 

I've always wondered if someone could do the Peak District Midgard Serpent. All the Eastern and Western grit Brown and Whillan's route in a day. I've got the list and it's absolutely monumental. And quite scary.

[duncan]

Tom, I'd like to see your version. 

I made a start some time ago here and got to 125. 

I was thinking of making them a lifetime goal; in-a-day would be astonishing.

[Tommy]

Shit, I never noticed that was one at Rylstone and Widdop. That does make it hard!

Although.......... do these fall outside of "Western/Eastern grit"? You could exclude the Yorkshire ones.

[El Mocho]

Be keen to try again...

What! I thought we made a pact to chuck away our comfy boots and only boulder from now on?

Adam having had more than enough after only 33 pitches (and well off route if you look at Alpinist JB):



Although I wouldn't mind another go at the HVS challenge or the Staffs Nose (might be tricky to fit into my 6 hour window whilst May is at school)

[Tommy]

Ben, 6hrs is perfect! You've also got the added incentive to get it finished nice and fast 

Get Adam in a pair of 5.10 trainers and surely he's an unstoppable partner?

[Eddies]

Andi asked me if I was up for the nose challenge with him... i said "HEEEEL NOOO" Gutted Pete and him missed out by such a narrow margin (
Note how the 5c's in that list only got 1star
Likkle bit scary for HVS me thinks!?

[Bonjoy]

Forecast was looking good for Sunday and I had an offer of belay/support from semi-retired slab legend Jon Coe, so went for it. Slept in the van close by so I didn’t have to wake any earlier than needed, got to Suzzanne at 7:15 (opted to leave the two at Apparent North till last, so I could get through the Popular end quickly before the crowd turned up and so Jon didn’t have to turn up early to belay as I planned to solo the first 28 on the list, with the exception of the route Apparent North). Finished the last route at 19:45 with not much light to spare. Conditions were pretty good, got a bit hot in the middle but a good breeze all day kept sweat levels down and midges away. Crowds got a bit problematic from High Neb onwards with nine routes having to be picked off on the way back along the edge. Soloed or led all the routes listed, plus accidentally did an extra one on the popular end I thought was on the list but wasn’t. The E4 which I was undecided all day whether I’d try or not went ok in the end. The Vice nearly proved a heartbreaker though, as 66th route of the day and not having been on it before I struggled. It took an hour, a fall, some dogging, too much skin and a good deal of swearing before I got my tired bones up it. The remaining nine routes were all fairly gruelling after this with tired crampy arms. Great day out, well worth the effort. Beer in the Norfolk with Jon and Parry went down very well indeed.
Ten hours was too optimistic and generally reflects the fact that the mission as a whole was a bit harder than I’d guessed at. Having never done more than about twenty routes in a day before I didn’t realise how full body tired you get after treble that number, even if none of it is especially desperate. That said I didn’t race round and stopped to chat with folk, had to zigzag about a fair bit due to crowds, sat down and ate proper foot, led some I would have otherwise soloed ( so Jon had a fun day too) and did one that wasn’t on the list. Had I done it on a quiet weekday, started at Apparent North , pre-practiced The Vice, soloed everything I was happy to and not done an extra one I think I’d have done it in about ten hours.
Reckon that’s my lot for multi route marathons this year but already thinking about good ones for next year. Fancy doing the VS version of this mission as a full solo, the E1 (mostly lead), anyone done the E2s, a hundred E point day, classic  HVS’s along Froggatt-Curbar-Baslow, the Staffs Nose, the possibilities are endless…

[tomtom]

Effort Bonjoy!

[Johnny Brown]

Nice word, impressed! So 12.5 hours is the time to beat? I think one or two mistakes are inevitable on a mission of this type, its ,making sure you didn't miss any that can be tough.

[Wood FT]

Forecast was looking good for Sunday and I had an offer of belay/support from semi-retired slab legend Jon Coe, so went for it. Slept in the van close by so I didn’t have to wake any earlier than needed, got to Suzzanne at 7:15 (opted to leave the two at Apparent North till last, so I could get through the Popular end quickly before the crowd turned up and so Jon didn’t have to turn up early to belay as I planned to solo the first 28 on the list, with the exception of the route Apparent North). Finished the last route at 19:45 with not much light to spare. Conditions were pretty good, got a bit hot in the middle but a good breeze all day kept sweat levels down and midges away. Crowds got a bit problematic from High Neb onwards with nine routes having to be picked off on the way back along the edge. Soloed or led all the routes listed, plus accidentally did an extra one on the popular end I thought was on the list but wasn’t. The E4 which I was undecided all day whether I’d try or not went ok in the end. The Vice nearly proved a heartbreaker though, as 66th route of the day and not having been on it before I struggled. It took an hour, a fall, some dogging, too much skin and a good deal of swearing before I got my tired bones up it. The remaining nine routes were all fairly gruelling after this with tired crampy arms. Great day out, well worth the effort. Beer in the Norfolk with Jon and Parry went down very well indeed.
Ten hours was too optimistic and generally reflects the fact that the mission as a whole was a bit harder than I’d guessed at. Having never done more than about twenty routes in a day before I didn’t realise how full body tired you get after treble that number, even if none of it is especially desperate. That said I didn’t race round and stopped to chat with folk, had to zigzag about a fair bit due to crowds, sat down and ate proper foot, led some I would have otherwise soloed ( so Jon had a fun day too) and did one that wasn’t on the list. Had I done it on a quiet weekday, started at Apparent North , pre-practiced The Vice, soloed everything I was happy to and not done an extra one I think I’d have done it in about ten hours.
Reckon that’s my lot for multi route marathons this year but already thinking about good ones for next year. Fancy doing the VS version of this mission as a full solo, the E1 (mostly lead), anyone done the E2s, a hundred E point day, classic  HVS’s along Froggatt-Curbar-Baslow, the Staffs Nose, the possibilities are endless…

what a day! The vice must have felt grim.

Im excited for when you bring all this training to bear in the greater ranges 

[GCW]

Having never done more than about twenty routes in a day before I didn’t realise how full body tired you get after treble that number, even if none of it is especially desperate.

I remember trying to solo 100 routes in a day years ago, starting at Birchen.  We got to mid 80s before we gave up.  It's harder than you may expect.

[SA Chris]

Nice one Bonjoy. Amazing effort.

[andy_e]

Great effort Bonus Joyous.

I got to 64 at Stanage, then my shoulder dislocated half-way up a severe and I had to do the rest of the route one-armed. Still got shoulder issues to this day!

[slackline]

  Good effort, sounds like the pints were well deserved.

[Bonjoy]

Im excited for when you bring all this training to bear in the greater ranges 

Me too, Froggatt, Curbar, hey maybe even the Roaches!

[dave]

You didn't look nearly ruined enough for my liking. Clearly wasn't hard enough. I mean you didn't even doze off in the pub for fucks sake!

I reckon a good one would be to park at rowsley, walk to chatsworth edge then head north doing any starred route up to VDiff finishing at stanage north, at which point you have to walk to the A57 then attempt to hitch back to your car. The Gritstone Cuillin.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

...at which point you have to walk to the A57 The Strines then attempt to hitch back to your car for food and beer, . The Gritstone Cuillin.

and a nice midgey camp in the woods and you'll have the full Cuillin experience

[Jaspersharpe]

Cracking effort Bonjoy!

[SA Chris]

...at which point you have to walk to the A57 The Strines then attempt to hitch back to your car for food and beer, . The Gritstone Cuillin.

and a nice midgey camp in the woods and you'll have the full Cuillin experience

Provided the rain is horizontal (+/- 5 degrees) and there is the occasional sleet squall.

[andy_e]

All interspersed with blue skies and mad heat for ten minutes, before the return of the rain.

[tommytwotone]

You didn't look nearly ruined enough for my liking. Clearly wasn't hard enough. I mean you didn't even doze off in the pub for fucks sake!

I reckon a good one would be to park at rowsley, walk to chatsworth edge then head north doing any starred route up to VDiff finishing at stanage north, at which point you have to walk to the A57 then attempt to hitch back to your car. The Gritstone Cuillin.

Blimey.

So that'd be (assuming you discount any minor crags / boulders / quarries?):

Chatsworth
Birchen
Gardoms
Baslow
Curbar
Froggatt
Tegness (as I'm assuming popping in and ticking the Pinnacle would be a must!)
Yarncliffe
Lawrencefield
Millstone
Burbage South
Higgar
Burbage West
Burbage North
Stanage Popular
Stanage High Neb
Stanage North

Including all of the walking inbetween, that'd be a proper mission...(Heads off to trawl guidebooks / get notebook...)

[dave]

I reckon only the main continuous edge line, so you can bin millstone, higgar, west, lawrencefield, and yarncliffe.

More seriously a very good day out in terms of walking which I did a couple of years ago in january is to start at strines, head up the back to derwent and then and walk south along the main crag line to finish at the robin hood at birchens. Its 20miles and you could spice it up by say doing all the *** routes of a given grade on the way, or say one *** route at every main crag/section or something.

[Johnny Brown]

I think there's already an organised race along those lines isn't there?

[205Chris]

I think there's already an organised race along those lines isn't there?

You're not wrong - Nine Edges

It raises money for Edale MRT.

[Falling Down]

Nice one Bonjoy.  Sounds like a cracking day out, especially sat here in a London office.

I've done the Nine Edges as a run/climb years ago '93 but started at Rivelin and then out to strines for Derwent then onto Stanage and the crags to Chatsworth.  Did it on my own 'unsupported', went a bit hard, ran out of water and ended up with ITB.  Can't remember the time but it was a long day out.

[Fiend]

Bon effort Bonjoy!! YaY for the Vice (I still haven't done it)

[andy popp]

Fine effort Bonjoy!

[Will Hunt]

 

[JR]

Forecast was looking good for Sunday and I had an offer of belay/support from semi-retired slab legend Jon Coe, so went for it.....

Good effort Jon!