[andy_e]

Headbanger at St Bees

The Arete at St Bees!

[Monolith]

Shadowplay, Kentmere. Can't seem to get the feet to work.

[powderpuff]

Virgin traverse @ Almscliff, gets the title of the hardest v4 in Yorkshire, no the UK, nah the WORLD ! (Disclaimer I'm a punter)

[tomtom]

Virgin traverse @ Almscliff, gets the title of the hardest v4 in Yorkshire, no the UK, nah the WORLD ! (Disclaimer I'm a punter)

its a massive sandbag - but I'd not call it deceiving... in that there isn't a nice or knacky way of doing it - its just sustained and a bit brutal....

[teestub]

There is tonnes of beta to make it more amenable, though, if not ‘knackiness’. It’s just long so for the average boulderer it feels hard. Not deceiving though, it’s all there for you to see!

[moose]

There is tonnes of beta to make it more amenable, though, if not ‘knackiness’. It’s just long so for the average boulderer it feels hard. Not deceiving though, it’s all there for you to see!

Aye, it might be a toughie for the grade but the difficulties are obvious: it's steep, polished, and long.  Rocking Groove at Caley is a good one ... I am still surprised that it shuts me down everytime!  The Flapjack Groove is another personal low-grade nemesis but its not really deceiving: it looks like a hideously bunched bum-scraper... and it is.

[Will Hunt]

There is tonnes of beta to make it more amenable, though, if not ‘knackiness’. It’s just long so for the average boulderer it feels hard. Not deceiving though, it’s all there for you to see!

Aye, it might be a toughie for the grade but the difficulties are obvious: it's steep, polished, and long.  Rocking Groove at Caley is a good one ... I am still surprised that it shuts me down everytime!  The Flapjack Groove is another personal low-grade nemesis but its not really deceiving: it looks like a hideously bunched bum-scraper... and it is.

With the Rocking Groove, Moose, you want to get your right hand on a slopey crimp thing at the top and, as you rock over, turn your left hand to a palm (or otherwise adjust it) - that's the knack.

But yes, it took me something like three sessions to get that! 6C!

[Monolith]

It kills me to admit that I've never done Hart's Arete at Pex Hill. Not for want of trying and I've had hundreds of goes over the last 20 years. Living around the corner now, I might give it another go in vain at some point. 

[steveri]

Ha, Hart's Arete only took me 8 years Tom. Doubt I'd come close now.
Black Russian always eluded me though, assumed it was just me!
Must have got lucky on Stall Arete and count that as a favourite.

[mrjonathanr]

Stall Arête! Took me 30 + goes, spread over a Sat/Sun siege, in the snow. I tried so many different little combos and then Jordan turned up with Naomi and did it, trying almost every one of my little variants as he worked it out- on sight. 

The trick with Hart’s Arête is to remember there’s a lip, so your fingers need to go in horizontally. Pull up high, lock off, then pop.
Black Russian- still failing since 1984...

[Will Hunt]

Incredible, Tom. A man of your calibre should be pathing Hart's. I seem to remember watching a bloke on it (this is >10 years ago now so a distant memory) who said he'd tried it heaps before. I pointed out that he was doing it completely wrong and when he tried it with the right beta it came together pretty quickly. It escapes me as to what he was doing wrong but he was very happy.

I seem to remember that the most obvious bit of the break is not actually the bit that you go for, and that there's a juggier bit somewhere else in the break? Surely Rich can just give you his one-handed beta?

[Monolith]

I'm actually attending a Hart's Arete failure support group these days so I'm slowly coming to grips with my past on it. Never has a problem frustrated me so much. I've probably been shown 10,000 times by the likes of Andy F, Hession et al. but it never seems to matter.

Do you know what, thanks to the original poster of this thread. It's motivated me to dig my pad out and go climbing again.

[fatneck]

Good stuff Millso - I have also never done Hart's Arete despite also having seen so many other people doing it...

[andy popp]

I have done Hart's Arete, many times, but it is never, ever, ever, easy.

[tomtom]

A few aretes featuring on this list... Lay-by arête at Slipstones is one to add too I think...

[Will Hunt]

To call Hart's Arete an arête is somewhat generous. Almost like a little Pex in-joke.

[powderpuff]

There is tonnes of beta to make it more amenable, though, if not ‘knackiness’. It’s just long so for the average boulderer it feels hard. Not deceiving though, it’s all there for you to see!

Aye, it might be a toughie for the grade but the difficulties are obvious: it's steep, polished, and long.  Rocking Groove at Caley is a good one ... I am still surprised that it shuts me down everytime!  The Flapjack Groove is another personal low-grade nemesis but its not really deceiving: it looks like a hideously bunched bum-scraper... and it is.

 
Sorry.
Forgive me Lord for i have sinned....
Hopfully 3 Hail Marys and 2 Our Father's will cleanse me of this error.

It's still a twat of problem though!

[moose]

A few aretes featuring on this list... Lay-by arête at Slipstones is one to add too I think...

Really? To me it looks like a very pure, hard and balancy arete, and I find it... a pure, hard and balancy arete.  I am faintly annoyed that I have not yet done it, given the umpteen times my right hand has brushed the break, but hardly shocked. At the same crag, I'd say Ripper was more deceptive - it looks fairly innocuous, the grade suggests it's a warm-up, yet I chickened-out of topping it out for years of visits.

[JamieG]

I can't for the life of me, do Trackside at Curbar. There is something wrong with my hips. I can't rock up onto my heel/toe/knee/anything! I had to stop trying it put such a damper on my day. 

[sdm]

I can't for the life of me, do Trackside at Curbar. There is something wrong with my hips. I can't rock up onto my heel/toe/knee/anything! I had to stop trying it put such a damper on my day. 

Did you try consciously pointing your left foot slightly down as soon as you put your heel on? It allows you to keep on rocking over it without having to adjust your heel. If I don't point it down to begin with, I reach a point half way through the rockover where I can't rock any further unless I adjust my heel, which is really awkward to do.

[tommytwotone]

Despite picking off a couple of the things mentioned here (Trackside, Strawberries, Pebble Wall), I am at a total loss as to how one does Banana Finger Direct as a more compact gentleman.

I've tried all manner of positions for the knee bar but can't get it to stick. I'm almost glad the crimpy thing is crumbling now as it gives me an excuse to leave it well alone.

[highrepute]

Despite picking off a couple of the things mentioned here (Trackside, Strawberries, Pebble Wall), I am at a total loss as to how one does Banana Finger Direct as a more compact gentleman.

I've tried all manner of positions for the knee bar but can't get it to stick. I'm almost glad the crimpy thing is crumbling now as it gives me an excuse to leave it well alone.

Made myself a mini-goal of ticking the Bold Star sub 7s in the VP guide and this was the hardest for me. I thought 7b for someone of my height (5'. I pulled on some tiny pebbles - I suspect that if you're not a fan of pulling on tiny holds it will feel way harder than 7b.

[tomtom]

I can't for the life of me, do Trackside at Curbar. There is something wrong with my hips. I can't rock up onto my heel/toe/knee/anything! I had to stop trying it put such a damper on my day. 

Did you try consciously pointing your left foot slightly down as soon as you put your heel on? It allows you to keep on rocking over it without having to adjust your heel. If I don't point it down to begin with, I reach a point half way through the rockover where I can't rock any further unless I adjust my heel, which is really awkward to do.

For me its all about where you place the right foot on the left wall when bringing the LF/heel over... THE spot makes it feel piss, away from it a struggle *height dependent beta etc...

[Murph]

I can’t remember how I did it but I’m 5’7” and didn’t find banana finger direct hard. I did have someone pointing at holds and stuff though and I’m very inconsistent but it is unlikely that you’re not tall enough James.

Tiger at burbage south on the other hand. Maybe not deceiving enough for this thread but I must be doing it wrong. Only 6B I think but it has so far resisted every assault.

[andy popp]

To call Hart's Arete an arête is somewhat generous. Almost like a little Pex in-joke.

Not unlike South-west Overhang and North-west Overhang.