[Fiend]

Back Bowden:

Mantle Masterclass - how does one get off the ground if you can't reach the starting holds?

Smooth Wall - is there any knack to this or is it just a massive lunge of razor crimps to a tiny finger sloper pocket in the seam?


Kyloe IN:

The Nadser: grade with / without the collosal bivy-chip out right to start?


Rothley:

ABs Problem - is there any knack to this other than photo in the guide and doing a huge lock off using a LF heel and RH on the sloping nipple smear on the arete?


Shaftoe:

Hound Dog -&- Killer Queen - are these grades the right way round? Are there actually any holds up there on KQ, or just vertical slopers?

Antler And Deck - anyone ever done this?

Butch Catch-Me - is this harder as a few things have snapped off? At any rate, how does one get off the ground?


That's all for now, ta x

[bendavison]

I've always done Mantle Masterclass with a jump start. Sometimes even a run and jump! Back around, I know...

I'm not certain but I think people have taken 7b+ for the Nadser even with the big hold.

[Johnny Brown]

Even without the chip the Nadser didn't feel 7b+, but then county grades seem a bit random. Jump into mantle yes, entertaining!

[sjw]

I'm not certain but I think people have taken 7b+ for the Nadser even with the big hold.

I agree. Although we were there this week and the sloped rail has definitely snapped/gotten much worse at the bottom. Doesn't affect how I do it, but if your sequence involves matching on it then it'll certainly be a bit harder than it used to.

[slackline]

Back Bowden:

Mantle Masterclass - how does one get off the ground if you can't reach the starting holds?

Didn't Joe Brown answer this sort of question from a journalist once who questioned his stature?  I think his answer was....

"I climb up to them"

[Pebblespanker]

Mantel Masterclass - after a few tries found the right spot, smeared on a foot and popped for them, couldn't see how else to get to them - still failed to complete the problem once I latched them though...

[andy_e]

Martin did Antler and Deck the other weekend. It was fucking terrifying to watch as he launched for the flake jug, only to catch it halfway up, swing wildly about, somehow managed to maintain contact, then grab the flake at the top and top out. If he'd come off that swing probably would have taken him into the tree, then down the steep bank.

A few things have broken off Butch Catch-Me but it's still about the same grade apparently. Pull on using the obvious jugs on the lip and the block under the roof for your feet.

[andy_e]

More Dr. P wisdom here:

[Fiend]

Wait a mo, you use the BLOCK on Butch CatchMe? What is this, bad beta for the walk-in?!?

These are useful finds btw.

[Fiend]

Tried to answer my own question about The Nadser here but still don't know. All the photos on UKC show going to the top with left hand, maybe I found the secret easy beta. Conditions must have helped a bit lot since I could pull off the ground on two opposing grattons. Felt brilliant anyway, very aesthetic problem even with the chipped v-notch.

In other questions, I still can't do Smooth Wall, Mantle Madness seems perma-damp, I tried Toffs at Bowden at that must be a grade harder than the Nadser, I did have a question about Y-Front Direct but then realised it's a complete eliminate so whatever, and of course Johnny Brown is right that County grades are all over the place.

[Mike Tyson]

 

Nice one!

[gme]

Starting Direct like this used to be really hard without pads. Used to start further right and do a cross over to get to where you start.
It’s never been a hard 7B+ but probably only7B this way.
I always went with my right hand. Not done it in ages though.
Still a great problem.

[Fiend]

Cheers gav. I did have some qualms about the pads but they're not super thick and I'm a stumpy anyway. I did manage to pull on with another method using the left hand razor, right hand on the nubbin that's the foothold for the final move, and left foot straight into the wee pocket, but it was much harder and lower percentage getting the v-notch.

The right hand finishing method felt good, a vintage fingertip mantle, having to flick my pinky off to get maximum pressdown etc.

[B0405413]

county grades seem a bit random. Jump into mantle yes, entertaining!

Yeah they are, they have a reputation for being really hard, but a lot of my softest ticks have been in the county.

Though having said that, the routes are graded pretty harshly in my experience.

[Fiend]

Try On The Verge, The Witch, Outward Bound, Spacewalk, Thin Ice, Endless Flight, and then Toffs, Pickpocket, Smooth Wall, Abs Problem, Roof Problem LH (lol), Radgey Gadgey, and see how routes and bloques compare.

Then again Slapper, Surprising Solution, Duvel 8.5%, Little Pixies, Dog Eat Dog, Smooth Operator etc are gifts on a plate with cream on top.

In short, they're all bollox. Apart from the quality, which clearly isn't

[gme]

I think the big issue is the guide is so out of date. A lot of stuff had not been repeated or had many ascents when the last guide came out so had not had time for the grades to settle. It was at a boom time for new development and most of the new stuff was getting done by a small group of people. Over time sequences have been developed, holds have improved/worsened, rock has become cleaner/dirtier so the grades are all over the place.

Some stuff has got easier like transformer direct and left,  vienna and childs play. Some have got harder like captain haddock which was steady 6c when we 1st did it and born lippy due to hold breakage(although its not 8A now either due to better sequences).And some were just massively over graded in the last guide for some reason but would be changed if a new guide came out. The crack 7c (never 8A). Purely Belter 7b+/7c, sprung 7b/b+plus plenty of others.

Unfortunately there is no chance of  a new guidebook coming out now or in the near future. The crags are getting quieter and i dont think a new guide would come anywhere near even covering its costs. A decent website might fill the gap though but it needs someone with the interest and time to do one as again it would be a labour of love. I think online will be the future of most backwater guides.

[Fiend]

I think the big issue is that the "easier" problems were all done in the 80s when everyone trained on brick edges and given English 6a/b because nothing harder could possibly exist and then got translated to Font 6B when someone invented Font grades and then when bouldering became cool everyone started doing compression problems and grading them 7A/B/C vaguely consistently with everywhere else and no-one bothered to check the easy problems because 1. easy problems don't count and 2. Smiths and Earls would laugh at you, so the grades are all over the place.

Also Gav's post.

[Teaboy]

The crags are getting quieter and i dont think a new guide would come anywhere near even covering its costs.

Is Northumberland really a backwater now? It years since I've been but assumed as one of the best bouldering areas in the UK it was now mobbed. I should stop avoiding it!

[gme]

Genuinely quieter than 25 years ago. You will find others at Bowden Shaftoe and kyloe but I mean 3 or 4 cars max on a good weekend day.
Outside of these crags you will be lucky to see a soul.
Had a day at kyloe in this winter and there might have been 20. This was due to the weather going from sunny to snow so it was the only dry crag and people had travelled.
Can remember days in the 80s where you had a lot more people.

[Doylo]

The few problems I’ve done have seemed about right although Yorkshireman is a lot harder than Sprung.

[user deactivated]

Tried to answer my own question about The Nadser here but still don't know. All the photos on UKC show going to the top with left hand, maybe I found the secret easy beta. Conditions must have helped a bit lot since I could pull off the ground on two opposing grattons. Felt brilliant anyway, very aesthetic problem even with the chipped v-notch.

In other questions, I still can't do Smooth Wall, Mantle Madness seems perma-damp, I tried Toffs at Bowden at that must be a grade harder than the Nadser, I did have a question about Y-Front Direct but then realised it's a complete eliminate so whatever, and of course Johnny Brown is right that County grades are all over the place.

Hi Fiend, I thought the Nadser was about 7a / + without any chips on the right starting of two small edges with a high left foot. Certainly wouldn't be surprised if it got 7a or even 6c in font. Nice problem though.

[Fiend]

Cheers. Better tell that to all the people on UKC taking 7B+/high 7B for it  .

Font slab grades are the only things worse than Northumberland grades.

GME has a point that in common with many areas the bouldering load isn't well distributed in the County and a lot of decent places languished underused.

[user deactivated]

Haha, I'd generally take what I can get grade wise. But 7b+ For the Nadser seemed to be pushing the boat out even for me. Ukc peeps must be deluding themselves How does it compare to other slabs of that grade in the uk? I've not done many given above 7b.

[Andy W]

quite a few years ago, pre 2005, I spent quite a bit of time in Northumberland. I ticked a few classics; Vienna, Poverty, RH and LH (ok maybe not classic!), Yorkshireman, Crouching tiger thingy and Hitchhikers...yet I never could do The Nadser 

[user deactivated]

Meh I've never been aware of anyone climbing miles' slab at wimberry and that gets 7b+, I couldn't find it on the ukc database. Actually sack that it's down as directissima and Mark20 has logged it. Be interesting to hear if he's done both? Mark?

[mark20]

I've never been to Kyloe  This problem looks mint though, so maybe I'll make an effort this year.
Directissima is an odd one, in that it has a reasonable hold so it's more of a mantel/press type move rather than 'balancy, sharp pebbles, shit footholds, techy bollocks'.

[user deactivated]

Cheers Mark, a lurking rocket man promptly texted me with his 'mantle your hand' beta ssshhhhhhhhh

[Fiend]

Haha, I'd generally take what I can get grade wise. But 7b+ For the Nadser seemed to be pushing the boat out even for me. Ukc peeps must be deluding themselves How does it compare to other slabs of that grade in the uk? I've not done many given above 7b.

I would agree with delusions. But the more I boulder the more I realise how nebulous and intangible bouldering grades are, being almost entirely based around morphology and conditions rather than actual difficulty (unlike adjectival trad grades which are mostly based around objective facts).

In this case Nads felt like easy 7A+. Taking into account the conditions being beyond amazing, my having a very singular focus, and using seemingly rarer beta for the top, and votes from the delusional for hard 7B, I would take 7A+/B for it (don't worry, I never even thought about the +grade, just not an option) - not that "taking grades" is in any way meaningful, but if you're going to do it at least do it semi-sensibly.

In context and as some other examples, Spinal Slab took me <6 goes again in perfect conditions. Red Baron took me <6 goes but I would have flashed it if I'd chosen to slap my left to a slightly higher hold first go (I was using John Dunne knee beta). Sulky Little Boys took me several sessions, almost entirely due to morpho reasons as I have to jump to the 'good' arete gastons instead of reach them. The list of sub 7A problems I can't get near is probably 10,000 times longer. 7A+ is very much my limit. Conclusion, fuck knows, take an average of "what it felt like to me" plus "what the consensus is", factoring into account other people being idiots etc etc. Anyway I had fun doing it so I'm the best.

I do need suggestions for more conditions dependent slopey techy balancy problems in The County around the ~7A~ mark if anyone has them (feel free to give me appallingly sandbaggy 6Bs and farcically soft 7Bs). The weather is bloody cold at the mo and all that I think I've got left to do are burly roofs.... Northern Soul Iceberg Smooth Wall Belford T Justice etc etc I've done but they're exactly the sort of thing. Maybe I need to try ABs again huh.

[Fiend]

Back at Back Bowden today. Looked at Smooth Wall again (you know, the thing just right of Four Mats Wall that is 3 grades easier but not plastered in chalk), still can't make any sense how it works. Someone give me the full beta on it please. Dan? your time....

[user deactivated]

Hi fiend, not sure if you meant me? But I've never climbed there. One thing for sure though, downhill racer direct is significantly harder than the Nadser haha enjoyed the blogs still after all these years a good read 👍

[SB]

Back at Back Bowden today. Looked at Smooth Wall again (you know, the thing just right of Four Mats Wall that is 3 grades easier but not plastered in chalk), still can't make any sense how it works. Someone give me the full beta on it please. Dan? your time....

Consider going to Caller Crag....