[Dolph]

We did consider not bothering to go as south as Pleasly, but it makes sense as it's all part of the same band of magstone. Also it will be nice to have all the bouldering in one dedicated guide.

With regards to the Action Man can of worms. Yes Dave that sounds like the original sequence. This was much harder if you didn't use your left foot around the arete. You might even have been able to get on a blind jam in the crack from memory. This was probably 7c. Adam eliminated this on the FA and I stand by the fact that it was nails! The other sequence I think is what most refer to as soft and maybe it's 7b+? That's what I'm trying to find out I suppose and if it's worth mentioning the other variation in some form?  Unfortunately I didn't do a great job of this section of the guide. Something I'm hoping to sort out.

[dave]

People have been putting left foot around the arete? Jesus, how do they look themselves in the mirror?

[Dolph]

People have been putting left foot around the arete? Jesus, how do they look themselves in the mirror?

I'm shocked being tall you found this benchmark 7c! Still it sounds like most still think whatever sequence is used, this is 7c, so i suppose it's sorted then.

I'll keep DAMW at 7c
Soul Crusher at 7c
WWMDS at 8a

Still unsure what to do with Black Crow and Black Hoe. Surely Hoe is more difficult. I'm still tempted to drop BC to 7c, although the average have taken 7c+ for it.

[dave]

Dunno about benchmark 7c, it was a few years ago, but don't remember thinking 7c was too far off the mark. On the other hand I've deffo been there with folk who are solid at 7c who walked away empty handed.

[highrepute]

I don't think grades are overly soft at Anston, I think they are about right in the main. Last stand was an offender in the past but hold breakage has corrected that. A large selection of new basic lime climbing might have made it feel soft to people on first visits.

Just commenting on things that might be wrong

Roche Abbey
Passion - 7b
Crystal - 6c+
Borg - 7a
Tripitaka - 7a

Anston
Ebola - harder than 7c - does anyone think it's 7c?
Filthly Duke - hard for 7c - harder for short

[T_B]

Ebola - harder than 7c - does anyone think it's 7c?

I did it from crouched (by accident), not full sitting, before the low-down decent undercut broke. So I think my left hand was in that decent undercut when I pulled on?

Which bit do people find hard? I know I did the big move off the left-hand pocket differently than I've seen in videos. The way I've seen it done is very campussy off a left smeary dish (totally nails). I got the pocket and the pinchy thing to the right of it, then moved my feet across and had a high right foothold, thereby doing a shouldery rollover for the next hold, rather than a full-on campus. Felt steady that way.

[dave]

I thought ebola was fine for 7c, but I can't really remember if that was before or after that big hold broke off that you used to get a left heel on at the start.

Filthy Duke - i would like to comment on the difficulty but every time I've been to try it it's been wet.

[highrepute]

I thought ebola was fine for 7c, but I can't really remember if that was before or after that big hold broke off that you used to get a left heel on at the start.

Filthy Duke - i would like to comment on the difficulty but every time I've been to try it it's been wet.

It should probably stay at 7c if these too old fogies found it so.

Filthy Duke - I needed a lot of visits to get it in condition, need a strong wind to prevent condensation down there.

[BRidal]

I found Soul Crusher really hard, its not my bag so I could believe 7c but if that is the case DAMW is no more than 7b+. These being the same grade seems ridiculous to me. I never fell of DAMW on the link, using the new method it didn't feel like it added all that much. As a result I could believe WWMDS could be top end 7c+, not out of place at 8a though.
Ebola I unwittingly did from a stand not a sit, even then I thought it was nails, probably the hardest 7c I have ever done, miles miles harder than black crow for me. I would have Ebola at 7c+ and Black crow at 7c.
Dark art sneaks into 8a for me too, I don't think dark beta deserves to be a whole grade harder.
Separately, I think free mason should be 7b+ not 7c, felt a similar difficulty to Jack the Nipper for me.
Finally, Into the light I think is 7c not 7c+.

[BRidal]

Oh and at Roche Abbey,
Fools Justice is for sure no more than 7c+ if you employ enough heel hooks. Equally I would say the fool and Fallen idol are more 7b than 7b+. I think 1 move 7b+ should feel harder.
Finally, I think Enity is maybe more 7b+, feels committing but the move itself isn't that bad.
Hope that helps!

[joble]

What's Enity?

[Richie Crouch]

Have the holds got better on fallen idol? I always got shut down on that and made short work of the fool, passion and that other 7B At the far right of impossible roof in comparison.

[saltbeef]

re ebola, I think grade depends on height, I have to do the campus method as I'm marginally too short/under (5'10 -1 ape index) - spanned to do with the heel in. This constitutes the crux for me so it doesn't surprise me that Dave and Tom found it steady. still a cool problem though

[Will Hunt]

Sorry to hijack this thread but it's more active than the connies thread. Will anston be dry tomorrow?

[Dolph]

Thanks Billy some useful feedback there. I agree with a lot of your grades there.

One question about White light. Is that 7c for the drop knee sequence, or 7c for the heel and pinch method. Im trying to work out if the drop knee method is just a lot easier or if the pinch gettig worse has made the standard version of this problem harder. I have never done this the drop knee way......

[Dolph]

What's Enity?

Serenity form a standing start at at the lip. Basically the last hard move.........

[Will Hunt]

We went yesterday and it was as good as ever.

I can only comment on the lowly graded stuff because I'm shit. The unnamed 7A at the left end of Woody's is probably 6C+ - also the drop knee beta in the guide is a bit misleading? I couldn't do it with a drop knee but did first go without!

Also, a note on a couple of problem descriptions. I couldn't really figure out what holds were in or out on Dirty Harry. It looked like the most obvious set of holds to use would involve a rightward facing flake crimp. The topo shows it going out right then coming back left (avoiding the flake crimp?) and the description doesn't mention the flake crimp, so is that definitely out?

Light Flight. I've tried to find this a couple of times and can't figure out what you might climb there at 6C+. Could it be a typo and it's supposed to be 7C+? Is it a jump start to the big hold just over the lip and then a campus chuck up and right?

BTW, massive kudos too you for developing such an awesome venue!

[dave]

Random anston thought - at places like the Ebola buttress in the current guide I'm sure there's a couple of problems where the stated/obvious starting holds (like the RH sidepull on Ebola, and the split crimp and poor pinch on Phoenix) are almost unreachable from sitting for those of normal height, or there's some shit rock lower down etc. Might account for some of the grade discrepancies people report etc. It would be nice to clarify in a future guide where stuff starts from sitting mandatory, or really starts from specified holds that you may or may not be able to reach from sitting depending how long your arms are or how many mats etc. Or things that can be started lower but they are never dry etc.

[Dolph]

That's a good idea Dave, especially where reach is an issue or the rock is wet and crap, as you mention.

Light flight is just hard. Its basically a direct jump and campus of the small crimp right of the other problems. i'd done it once when i graded it and just guessed it was easy if you where tall. The grade on this will be going up.

The Un-knamed is another Adam Wood problem and it has a super low start. This need specifying if it's not clear. I cant imagine any other way except drop kneeing on the start. If there is another way that would explain that grade discrepancy.

I think with Dirty Harry if you are starting at the specified place and making the first move into the undercut with the left. everything else is probably in?

I probably need to just go and re-climb this stuff. Problem is my time is short ad i'd always rather climb something new.

 

[Will Hunt]

The Un-knamed is another Adam Wood problem and it has a super low start. This need specifying if it's not clear. I cant imagine any other way except drop kneeing on the start. If there is another way that would explain that grade discrepancy.

Have just checked the video where the bloke in the yellow t-shirt does it. We definitely used the same starting holds, the big tufas. Right foot was where they bloke had his, left foot was on something a little further forward and maybe left of where he had his. Most weight went through the right foot so you're almost layawaying the right tufa, which is a big jug.
It would be really hard to try and specify the 7A start the bloke does in the video since the easier method uses the same handholds. I think there's enough hard stuff at the crag to not need to artificially inflate the grades by mandating poor foot positioning!

[highrepute]

The Un-knamed is another Adam Wood problem and it has a super low start. This need specifying if it's not clear. I cant imagine any other way except drop kneeing on the start. If there is another way that would explain that grade discrepancy.

Have just checked the video where the bloke in the yellow t-shirt does it. We definitely used the same starting holds, the big tufas. Right foot was where they bloke had his, left foot was on something a little further forward and maybe left of where he had his. Most weight went through the right foot so you're almost layawaying the right tufa, which is a big jug.
It would be really hard to try and specify the 7A start the bloke does in the video since the easier method uses the same handholds. I think there's enough hard stuff at the crag to not need to artificially inflate the grades by mandating poor foot positioning!

I've done this twice on occasions separated by a number of years. First time I thought it was ok, the second time found it quite hard. Both times thought 7A was about right.

[T_B]

Went to Anston y'day for the first time in a couple of years...

Dark Art. The starting hold of this has definitely deteriorated since 2013, making the first move off the deck harder. So I'd leave it at 8A.
Black Crow. Keeps breaking - see Dave's post.
Quarantine. Did this y'day in a sess on my first link go. It's mainly about finger strength and felt like french 8a+ to me. I then looked at 8a.nu and interestingly someone else had said route 8a+. So, that would translate to Font 7C or maybe 7C+?

Overall, given how much stuff has broken on these popular buttresses I wonder how much a guidebook is required?

[Bradders]

I've spent a considerable amount of time at Anston over the last 9/10 months. Having never previously climbed on limestone before, it's been an educating experience.

I think the reputation for soft grades is entirely unwarranted, and actually in certain instances has gone the other way. The major caveat for me is clearly that it is not my style or what I have been used to, having been raised indoors and matured on Yorkshire grit stone. Now that I've spent more time there, I do feel somewhat qualified to offer a few opinions (and sorry this is late).

• Reservation - this feels very stiff for 7B. I'd argue for 7B+. Feels about the same as Alpha and Jack the Nipper to me.
• Fine Art and Colt - these are weird. Some people find one hard and not the other, whilst others find both nails. Personally I did Colt quicker and then was able to run laps, whilst Fine Art I did third go and then struggled to repeat over several sessions! Having now got them both pretty wired, I'd say they're fair at 7A+. Both are definitely harder than Last Stand or Blind Bat, which I think are both 7A.
• Last Stand - see above
• Blind Bat - see above
• Black Tufa - I think 7B. The first move is clearly the crux but once you've worked out how to pull off the floor it's fine. I found this considerably easier than Reservation.
• Beta Blocker - easy once you have the beta. Is that the point? Feels about 6B+ with the method I use.

Many thanks to Mike and others for developing the place. A clear measure of it's quality is that despite living in Halifax it's comfortably my most visited crag of the last year (I dread to think how many miles I've racked up in that time  ).

[bigironhorse]

Does anyone know if this guide is still going to be produced? Have had a few sessions at anston and have been reminded how great it is. Would be nice to have a proper guide to the area and to discover some other mag lime crags? Is there a topo available anywhere for Roche?

[highrepute]

peakbouldering.info is good for roche