[Bonjoy]

Here’s a couple of good new hard things from Ned and various bits and pieces of mine and others from recent days out.

Froggatt

Palmed and Dangerous 8a
The cave left of Ape Drape is a fairly well known hard project tried by quite a few folk over the years. Ned managed to solve one of the two possible problems. From low on a sidepull and crimp cross the roof to gain a jug midway along AD, finish up this. A crazy facing out body bridge sequence (good effort Stu figuring that one out!) leads to a hard twisting release. The straight out line still remains to be done and will be hard (8b minimum). FA Ned Feehally

Eagle Tor

This is on the Mona wall and outside the fenced off bit with the Private sign on it, so is kind of in access no man’s land, or at least I reckon that’s a plausible claim if challenged.

Ill Eagle 7c+
A sit start to Mona starting up the prow on the right. Good powerful slappy moves on positive holds. Mona is quite reachy unfortunately. FA Ned Feehally
I have this one on film, though whether I ever get round to posting it up I don’t know.

Lisa 6b
The obvious right arete prow of the mall starting on the jug. A good obvious problem, probably done before. Could also be done as a none-reachy finish to the above sitter at 7b+/c or something like that.

Here’s a couple three from Back Tor – Derwent I forgot to mention earlier in the year. Did these between Howshaw sessions:

Slanting Arete Low 7a – A low left sit start adds some hard lip shuffling and ups the grade a couple of notches.
Blob Arete 6c – Just right of Slanting arete is a prob called The Blob, right again is another arete/lip with some nice rugosites on it. SS in a crack and climb left to topout on the front
Mini Gargantoit 6b – On the far left of Back Tor on a low block is a roof facing back toward the crag. Climb the right lip/arete of this from the back

Bamford

Snared 6b – 50m or so left of the Ontos/Auricle area on a boulderer a little below crag level. Climb the hanging arete – FA Bob Berzins  (I added a sit start at 6c)

I also did a sit start to The Bookend. It was well brush and I’d imagine it’s been done before. Adds a few more nice moves and maybe makes the whole thing about 6c+.

Hen Cloud

Starlight Lefthand Direct 6c+ - Carry on up the top bit instead of traversing off. This is an out and out classic. I had a hunch it might have been what Veale/Allen climbed and called Starlight and Storm and that poor memories then mistranslation led to the current description of it going RHS. To my mind it’s the line of the block and climbs much better than the RHS. The top bit is a lovely move. I spoke to Martin last night and he wasn’t totally sure but his recollection seemed to suggest I might be right. It took a bit of cleaning on a rope so I suspect if they did do it it has been pretty neglected ever since. Kind of screws up the naming on the block if this is actually SandS. I’d suggest (unless other info comes to light) that the next guide keeps the current naming on the RH line and leaves it’s FA blank, but credits the LH direct to Veale/Allen and gives it a proper name (Starlight Lefthand Direct being a shit name for an area classic) – is Girth Control too flippant? Sorry for the waffle, I tend to see the new probs bit of UKB partly as a reference notebook for future guides, hence the guff.

Wicker’s World 6c – The far right arete of Black Wall is a 6b+ of Jon Read’s which goes up the right side to finish up a crack. Climb the left side to the top break. Great balancey first move off a really high foot (double pad for shorties seems fair). Needs a proper finish - it didn’t look very hard but was covered in flaky lichen. FA Ned Feehally

Sketch and Mantel 6b
Well down the hill below B4XS is a steep quarried looking slab with a capping roof. A tricky pull gains the break and a good mantel to finish round the roof. Steep landing

Twisting in the Wind 7a
50m or so right of Sketch and Mantel is a steep flaked arete on lone boulder. Climb this from a sit start avoiding the back arete. Eliminate, but decent climbing.

[r-man]

Here’s a couple of good new hard things from Ned and various bits and pieces of mine and others from recent days out.

Froggatt

<name to follow> 8a
The cave left of Ape Drape is a fairly well known hard project tried by quite a few folk over the years. Ned managed to solve one of the two possible problems. From low on a sidepull and crimp cross the roof to gain a jug midway along AD, finish up this. A crazy facing out body bridge sequence (good effort Stu figuring that one out!) leads to a hard twisting release. The straight out line still remains to be done and will be hard (8b minimum). FA Ned Feehally

Nice! I tried this a bit. Never managed to figure out a sequence/do the crux moves. Glad to know it was as hard as I suspected! Did anyone get this on film? I'd love to see the moves.

[Ru]

If you had worked out a novel sequence on a classic 3* Froggatt project that you'd made good headway on in one session, but hadn't quite worked out how to do the last move, would you tell Ned how to do it? No, I wouldn't either.

This sequence is brilliant and unique, if Ned did it how we were trying it. Basically you reach out to the flake with your left hand (as a back hand) with your feet on the plinth at the back of the roof, but match into the flake by turning to face the floor. You then trav leftwards with palms on the flake, facing downwards until you can reach out to the jugs on Ape Drape. At that point you have to release and spin through 180 to match the jug.

[Johnny Brown]

Starlight Lefthand Direct 6c+ - Carry on up the top bit instead of traversing off. This is an out and out classic. I had a hunch it might have been what Veale/Allen climbed and called Starlight and Storm and that poor memories then mistranslation led to the current description of it going RHS. To my mind it’s the line of the block and climbs much better than the RHS. The top bit is a lovely move. I spoke to Martin last night and he wasn’t totally sure but his recollection seemed to suggest I might be right. It took a bit of cleaning on a rope so I suspect if they did do it it has been pretty neglected ever since

Pretty sure I've done this. Like most of Hen Cloud, it has a habit of building thick green scrittle in all but perfect weather.

[Stu Littlefair]

If you had worked out a novel sequence on a classic 3* Froggatt project that you'd made good headway on in one session, but hadn't quite worked out how to do the last move, would you tell Ned how to do it? No, I wouldn't either.

Oops. Knew I'd gone wrong somewhere.

[r-man]

This sequence is brilliant and unique, if Ned did it how we were trying it. Basically you reach out to the flake with your left hand (as a back hand) with your feet on the plinth at the back of the roof, but match into the flake by turning to face the floor. You then trav leftwards with palms on the flake, facing downwards until you can reach out to the jugs on Ape Drape. At that point you have to release and spin through 180 to match the jug.

Sounds amazing! Well done both Stu and Ned!

[Bonjoy]

Pretty sure I've done this. Like most of Hen Cloud, it has a habit of building thick green scrittle in all but perfect weather.

None of us did it the day you were there with me and Nic. Think we might have looked at it and got spurned by wet scrittle. Yes I dare say it might have had some ascents since Veale/Allen, these things do grizzle up quite quickly. It certainly deserves plenty more attention now it's clean.

[Johnny Brown]

I've been on it a bunch of times, all a while back now but I'm pretty sure the first visit I did what you described. I remember it being scrittlier that day with Nic.

[Bonjoy]

I'm not doubting your memory word. How much was the taxi fare? I bet you had to stump up Pat's half. 

[Bonjoy]

The Froggatt 8a is called Palmed and Dangerous

[Bonjoy]

Crappy shoe-cam video of Ill Eagle:

[Fiend]

Get a Gorillapod and sharpen your brush on a stick so you can stab it on the ground and clasp the gpod on top. Maximum functionality for minimum expenditure.

[Bonjoy]

Starlight vid:


Changed my mind about the name on it. Having read the route description in the older guide and spoke to one of the first ascentionists I'm convinced this is the original line of Starlight and Storm. To avoid having two probs with the same name I've logged this on pb.info as Original Starlight and Storm. The other side is an inferior variant IMO.

[205Chris]

Starlight vid:


Changed my mind about the name on it. Having read the route description in the older guide and spoke to one of the first ascentionists I'm convinced this is the original line of Starlight and Storm. To avoid having two probs with the same name I've logged this on pb.info as Original Starlight and Storm. The other side is an inferior variant IMO.

Looks good. From the ginger hair and french start you'd think that was Jacky Godoffe and not Ned.

[Paul B]

Top spotting by the Quill!

[JamieG]

Crappy shoe-cam video of Ill Eagle:

Good effort. Looks hard. Has the access at Eagle Tor cleared up? Or is it still keep a low profile?

[Bonjoy]

The latter. This prob is outside the fenced off main bit of the crag and on opposite side of hill to the house, so in theory they may not be too arsed if folk climb on this block  and you're less likely to get noticed.

[Gritlad]

Top spotting by the Quill!

 Although not my climbing ability, at least my spotting ability as been mistaken for a level as good as Pascals.
Thanks 

[Paul B]

Ha! Brilliant, that'll be why he had no recollection of the problem / day.

[Nan]

Ha! Brilliant, that'll be why he had no recollection of the problem / day.

You make it sound like he sometimes does remember things....

[monkey boy]

Did Ill Eagle yesterday. Great little boulder and very atypical for grit.