Went up yesterday morning with Steve Dunning to have a look at the Rhythem/Aye-n-Ard Crack boulder.
Fuck me sideways - that is a very impressive piece of stone! :shock:
I'd seen a video of Steve doing Rhythem, but I was just gobsmacked when I actually saw it in the flesh (so to speak).
Rhythem and Aye-n-Ard Crack are amazing lines, and the rest of the problems look stunning (I say 'looked', because myself and Mr Katz declined to trash our skin in the sweltering heat, preferring instead a quick scamper over to the shade of Kilnsey.)
Basically there is (from left to right), a V6 sds, a project lip trav (looks quite do-able), a sds crack (not sure what grade, a V10/11 sds hanging arete (probably V11 after loss of pebble on starting hold), Aye-n-Ard Crack E2 6b (although looks okay as a highball with pads), Rhythem sds V14 (although the start doesn't really make it any harder according to Steve, but it is good way of defining the exact pull on position). Steve has done a left hand finish to Rhythem at V11/12 - this looks awesome too.
You could probably also link into the Aye-n-Ard Crack from the start of Rhythem (if you had fingers of steel!).
The approach is quite long, but fairly flat. That said, it is worth waiting for the bracken to die down and more crucially for the temperature to drop.
Steve also pointed out some other smart looking problems on the way in; including a clean V6ish wall and some steep prows.
See page 587 in the Yorkshire gritstone guide for some rather vague directions, or
http://www.yorkshiregrit.com/flasby_fell.jspfor some more helpful locational photos and an image of the 'Tarn Boulder' which shows the line of Rhythem from an oblique angle (the top of the E2 6b crack is visible to the left).
I was talking to Micky Johnston at Kilnsey afterwards and I realised that I had seen a picture of Dave Barton on the crack in the mags a few years ago, and as Mick pointed out, the groove line was clearly shown in the photo.
Pure class, I tell ya.
