[Will Hunt]

Anyone got the numbers on this? Had a very quick look at it on Saturday and it had the look of a really good, thin, pure slab problem. Is it over once you get stood in the chip?

[Nigel]

I did something here the other day while trying to figure out In Off which basically  ended up being Fight On Black arete climbed on the right. I.e. pull on with arete in LH and small dish in RH, LF on arete, step through RF to good foot used on FoB, shimmy up to hole. Really rather good I thought but don't know if this is In Off. Worth recording though if it isn't. I tried something using the chip for either of my feet but couldn't find anything to pull on with that wasn't the arete so it seemed a bit pointless, especially since In Off claimes to climb the runnel feature which is in itself about 6 inches from the arete! Something further R between puported line of In Off and The Shelf would be better I thought, but only from looking at it.

[Will Hunt]

The new guide says that there's a 7A (I think) to the left of The Shelf and right of In Off. Guide says it's reachy and it's a Rob Fenton problem, which basically means that it may only be possible at 7A by Rob or the Jolly Green Giant!

When I looked at In Off I thought that it looked a bit grubby in the runnel and like it hasn't been done in ages, but as I inspected it closer I saw that two foot smears near the ground were cleaned, and there was a little fresh chalk on that small dish you mentioned. When I stepped onto the thin smears my RH went instinctively down and right and found a pebble to pinch as an undercut - this also had fresh chalk on it, as did the chip. This all felt very Pex Hill thin and I remembered that it's a Will Simm problem, so at that point I stepped away realising that I didn't have the skin to crimp hard enough on the small dish to get the smears to work, and I wasn't really dialled into the slow moving, balancey slab mindset anyway. But from what I saw there is a line there that appears to climb independently right of the arete. It did puzzle me that there wasn't really any chalk that used the runnel as a side pull. And there are some crap looking pebbles up and right which could possibly be used but they also had no chalk on them.

The thing that you did will no doubt have been done before, but it does sound like a decent variation and worth recording - maybe call it Right On Black!

[Nigel]

Those chalk marks and brushed smears will be mine, like I say I did try for a little while trying to climb direct up the slab using LF in chip but was struggling to make much headway. So these may not be the actual "In Off" holds, just what I brushed from deck! I didn't have a brush on stick so couldn't sort runnel which was still filthy, as were any high right pebbles. Partially why I ditched trying that line. The natural start to what I guessed was In Off would prob start LF rocking on chip, though I have no idea really and it does seem a neglected problem which is a shame. Wouldn't surprise me if some pebbles had parted company over the years, they do seem fragile at Widdop. The "FoB on it's right" thing that I did did use runnel for RH so you may have seen some chalk on it, but not much as you don't need to yard off it, just use for balance. Probably 7a-ish? Must have been done before and struck me as odd it wasn't recorded. Good name suggestion!

Does it say there's a new 7a between Shelf & In Off in new bouldering guide? I don't have that. That line didn't look a) well travelled or b) 7a! That said I didn't try it so could be. I'll have a look next time I'm there anyway, and I'll take a brush on a stick this time. Is this Rob chap massive? (You seem to imply so!).

[Will Hunt]

That's interesting. Sounds like a problem that needs a bit of unearthing. I'll try and get round to asking on that Yorkshire Grit Bouldering group on Facebook as it seems to be inhabited by plenty of the Burnley crowd.

The 7A thing is mentioned in the new definitive guide, just as a passing mention as a variation on The Shelf I think (I'm typing from memory). I glanced at it for a moment but it looked very grubby and, to be honest, a bit lacking in any definitive line. Rob is indeed a big chap - I have seen Steve "Never Knowingly Outlanked" Dunning refer to Rob somewhere as "A big unit". Make of that what you will 

[andy popp]

I couldn't swear to it but I think I've done it. I seem to remember thinking it would be interesting to try it without the chip.

[Rob F]

Bit of beta here...
https://web.archive.org/web/20121207105154/http://www.yorkshiregrit.com/widdop.html
From memory it was a case of pulling onto two slopers then bouncing up with both hands at the same time to the shelf keeping the left foot on. Got it about third go. Seems as though I gave it 7b at the time but it was summer. Also there  was talk of it having been done before my ascent  / ? Tim Clifford...

[Will Hunt]

After enquiring on the Facebook group, Boggy and co say that it has lost a pebble. The locally approved beta now is to use stacked pads to get your foot in the chip to start.
I reckon there's potential to tidy that up with a proper start to get stood in the chip.