[andy popp]

The subtle line of holds and features up the wall about six foot left of Harmers Arete in the roadside quarry. This stunning highball is the best bouldering first ascent I've done in Cheshire; totally independent, continuously interesting climbing, great varied holds, excellent rock, stays dry and clean, a clean solid top-out, and a distinct dose of spice towards the top.

[Bonjoy]

Good skills. I assume this is the one mentioned in the other thread. 

[Fiend]

  sounds good youth.

[Will Hunt]

It would be great to try this sometime, Andy. How high is high? How many pads would you say is a healthy number?

P.S. Very well done! 

[Ally Smith]

Good skills Andy - it looked harder than 7A+ when i spotted you on it!

[SA Chris]

Pics? I assume it's a modest estimate of grade.

Well done Andy.

[GCW]

I think it's great that OAPs still have the enthusiasm to put stuff up   

Nice one.

[Johnny Brown]

Fine effort, keen to get over again soon. No idea on the grade but it sounds a bit low given your pedigree and the effort! The done thing in font at least seems to be to add a bit to the grade for high problems...

[andy popp]

Thanks. Yes, this is the one discussed in the other thread. I was very pleased to do it. I really think its 3*

The grade is possibly soft if anything. I haven't been climbing at all well this year. More importantly I found a better sequence for the top half since Ally spotted me on it; same holds just different hands etc. This has definitely dropped it at least a notch. Given the height 7A+ could be fair.

Will, its at least 25', possibly a touch more. I fell off the last move once and maybe three times just below that, always with at least two pads and mostly with three. I definitely felt the falls. I had three pads when I did it.

[tomtom]

Well done Andy - your look of relief at the end was infectious

RE; Grading, having tried the bottom part of it - it feels like a 6C into a 7A/+ move (I'm then stuck but I've not tried it on a rope ) - which then looks like its another 7A/+ move up to a fluffable but easier top two moves. Its about 6/7m high...

Grade calculators do your stuff...

[Stubbs]

Nice one Andy, sounds great, any sort of media - photos, video, interpretive dance, descriptive haiku?

[Wood FT]

Well done Andy - your look of relief at the end was infectious

RE; Grading, having tried the bottom part of it - it feels like a 6C into a 7A/+ move (I'm then stuck but I've not tried it on a rope ) - which then looks like its another 7A/+ move up to a fluffable but easier top two moves. Its about 6/7m high...

Grade calculators do your stuff...

E6 6c

[Sloper]

V4 R? 

[Pantontino]

Nice one Andy, sounds amazing!

[Nibile]

 
Your success is surely due to your visit in Siena!
 

[Fiend]

Well done Andy - your look of relief at the end was infectious

RE; Grading, having tried the bottom part of it - it feels like a 6C into a 7A/+ move (I'm then stuck but I've not tried it on a rope ) - which then looks like its another 7A/+ move up to a fluffable but easier top two moves. Its about 6/7m high...

Grade calculators do your stuff...

E6 6c

Hah, was just about to ask for a likely old skool grade 

[andy popp]

Your success is surely due to your visit in Siena!
 

The power of Lore, by osmosis.

[galpinos]

Where's the photo?

[tomtom]

I'll try and take some tomorrow afternoon if I get out there...

[andy popp]

I've got a photo of the line on my phone but its never going to look like anything but a dark, boring flat wall.

[T_B]

I like dark flat walls!

Good work 

[steveri]

Great stuff. I kept looking at that other thread disappointed with no news! Looks a great (non) line and you were looking pretty close last time I last saw you. I love the way it looked very possible when J Dawes was on it last year, then became an entirely imaginary line in the winter with no chalk ...and then reverted to slowly revealing its secrets and actual holds again this year.

[andy popp]

See, I said it was a boring flat wall.

[Will Hunt]

I spent a perfect couple of hours in Haydn's Quarry this morning with Andy. Andy showed me this wall and it looked completely blank and featureless (typical Cheshire then!).
After he gave it an ab and a brush, the line came to life and he talked me up it with a stream of perfect beta, so this is perhaps the second ascent?

Locals! Sort your acts out! 
This is, without question, a flawless wall climb of the utmost perfection. I can't think that any of the problems I ever did at Pex in my youth match this in terms of quality. It does not deserve neglect. The quarry is dry and the holds are chalked. Get to it.

[B0405413]

How high is this problem? Will it be reet with two mats and no spotters?

[slackline]

How high is this problem? Will it be reet with two mats and no spotters?

Scroll through the thread reading it and you'd have got to...

Thanks. Yes, this is the one discussed in the other thread. I was very pleased to do it. I really think its 3*

The grade is possibly soft if anything. I haven't been climbing at all well this year. More importantly I found a better sequence for the top half since Ally spotted me on it; same holds just different hands etc. This has definitely dropped it at least a notch. Given the height 7A+ could be fair.

Will, its at least 25', possibly a touch more. I fell off the last move once and maybe three times just below that, always with at least two pads and mostly with three. I definitely felt the falls. I had three pads when I did it.

[Will Hunt]

How high is this problem? Will it be reet with two mats and no spotters?

The problem is the same height as this:
http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,25951.0.html

The fall would be clean and straight down I think, so two mats stacked would suffice I think.

[andy popp]

Will absolutely walked up this! I was very pleased to see it repeated.

This is, without question, a flawless wall climb of the utmost perfection. I can't think that any of the problems I ever did at Pex in my youth match this in terms of quality. It does not deserve neglect. The quarry is dry and the holds are chalked. Get to it.

Just to be clear, The Dark Ark is the righthand chalked line on the wall left of Harmers Arete, the lefthand chalked line is my ongoing project (more progress today. Very frustratingly both Tom and Will can simply reach where I have a really hard move near the bottom). I'd really appreciate an ongoing chance to do this - especially as I gladly showed Will the cleaned and ready line he climbed today as Prodigal Sons 

[Will Hunt]

Will absolutely walked up this! I was very pleased to see it repeated.

It's a very good job you were talking me through it. I was aware that I'd been moving well on the warm ups and getting dialled back into the Cheshire Feel. I definitely clicked into that special zone. Had I had to have a second go after a big fall I think the commitment might have left me at the top! Great stuff. 3 stars!

[andy popp]

Dolph has just climbed my long standing project left of The Dark Ark at Harmers. He seems absolutely made up with it and says it thin and hard all the way. Comments he made suggest its at least 7C+. Its not as good as The Dark Ark as there's a perma-damp patch (which doesn't really effect the climbing) but this is another very good highball. problem. Will update with name and grade when he gets back to me. There's a video too, which I'll ask if I can share. I'm really made up someone's done and feel like a bit less of chump now for not being able to do it.

Btw. I've put together a short document detailing new problems climbed at established crags since the 2012 guide; happy to share with anyone who might want a copy (obviously it needs updating now).

[Will Hunt]

That's great news. I had been meaning to get round to trying this. I seem to remember the lower crux that you were trying didn't feel impossible with a bit of lank. If it's as hard as Mike says then it sounds like I've been saved a wasted trip!

[Ally Smith]

Great news Andy - i had an ab down it earlier in the year and thought it was desperate!

I'd be keen for a copy of the local updates document too

[andy popp]

I seem to remember the lower crux that you were trying didn't feel impossible with a bit of lank. If it's as hard as Mike says then it sounds like I've been saved a wasted trip!

Yeah, I had the rest sorted but was really struggling with reach on that move. Even Mike said it was reachy. Anyway, I think you could definitely do this problem Will.

Ally, sent you the updates thing via FB. I decided to chuck in a couple of the "new" crags too. It now has 60+ new problems and variant, some of them as good as anything in the guide.

[andy popp]

Mike is calling it Northern Voodoo and is finding grading this style tricky but has reluctantly settled on 7C+:

[Will Hunt]

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Qc4XxDnza/?igshid=7utceug41ufp

[Duncan campbell]

So Dark Ark goes up to the right of this? Visited Harmers after work over the summer. Lovely spot.

[Will Hunt]

Yes, there's two lines on this wall. The wall right of the corner (Mike's new thing) and the wall left of the arete (The Dark Ark).

[Duncan campbell]

Looks mega! I have just realised this is in the other quarry, which I didn’t visit the night I went to Harmer’s.

Will have to hope for more work in Liverpool or link it up to a trip to see my girlfriend’s parents.

Would like to do catalepsy at pex too...

[Andy F]

Catalepsy is mega, the best problem at Pex (in my opinion anyway) and one of the best things I've ever done.

[a13c]

Hi Andy, can I have a copy of your updates please? Do I need to pm you my email address? Cheers.

[andy popp]

Of course! Yes, pm me your email. Unless I'm mistaken I don't think you can add attachments to messages here. I've added in Stonehills Lane and Overton Neb as "new" crags, but not the Heath, which is all a bit of mess in terms of claims, descriptions etc. Would love to know if you have more to add anywhere.

[tomtom]

Got a google drive/Dropbox/OneDrive account Andy? Then you could just post a link? Or I can make it a google doc so anyone can edit it etc..?

[andy popp]

That would be better. I'll send you the latest version and you can put it up perhaps?

[Will Hunt]

If you're looking for some permanent place to put it then I can pop it on Unknown Stones.

[tomtom]

That would be better. I'll send you the latest version and you can put it up perhaps?

Sure. Email it to me?

[andy popp]

Just sent it to your Hull address.

[a13c]

Cheers for the reply/offer Andy. I'll save you the bother of sending them out to all us keen locals and wait for tomtom to put it online!

[tomtom]

Here you are:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/107tkNf11Yu49hhjrwGU3qbYJQIhc167RE4rc255nhbw

I’ve not made it editable - but you can comment. So people can put comments on there if there are updates/changes required. Feel free to share on FB anywhere relevant etc..

(PS I can make it anyone can edit if that’s easier? Doubt anyone would hijack it etc.. but thought easier to go with comments only to start with)

[andy popp]

Cheers Tom.

[tomtom]

Cheers Tom.

no prob. 2 min job. Stuck it on FB too.

[BenF]

Good work Andy, and thanks Tom for posting on googledocs.

[a13c]

Cheers for that Tom 👍
The tears in the rain extension... Is that the one I did or has someone extended it further? The one I did starts sat on the block thing as far to the right as possible and as a couple of moves into the original, the update says about a standing start adding a couple of moves into the original...

[a13c]

Thought I should add the video of what I'm on about...!

[andy popp]

I would imagine they're the same thing Alec. I just didn't know you'd done it. I'd also forgotten you done one on the Life in the Woods block. I'll add that.

[a13c]

Coolio. Cheers Andy. I'd forgotten about that one at stanner nab!

[tomtom]

Was on Tears on Thursday (first session) and chatting to Ste - who suggested the more natural start for the not extended version was standing on the plinth then dropping down and across the traverse... this felt better than starting lying on the shelf/plinth...


Anyway - the trickiest bits are further on.

There’s also a couple of other eliminated on that block on ukc..