the shizzle > new problems

[Peak][Saddleworth][Pots and Pans][Ouzel block] various new and reclimbed things

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JamieG:
My brother and I went up Pots and Pans in Saddleworth on Sunday morning and had a really good session. Climbed a few new, and a few established but poorly documented problems, in and around the far left quarry. Including:

Mr Monster - 7a+ - Well established problem (in over the moors guide), but doesn't seem to get many visitors. Obvious blank slab/wall on the left side of the quarry. Very hard slab climbing all revolving around using a poor mono/crimp for your left hand. Poor feet and a big step up to reach the higher breaks. Nice problem but a little unforgiving on the left hand.

S Arete - 5+/6a - Only record I can see is in a photo on UKC (maybe its in older guides). Interesting S shaped arete at the back right of the quarry. Climb on its right hand side, pop up to vertical shot hole. Heel onto arete and reach for better holds higher. Then either top out around the arete or direct.

Captain Troll - 7a (maybe 7a+) - Only mention I can see is in the comments on the UKC photo of S Arete. Climb the wall right of S arete using the large sidepull/undercut. Hard pop up to vertical shot hole and then dynamic moves to gain the top. Brilliant climbing. Caution the starting foothold is a bit delicate/soft and broke a bit when we were climbing. (Maybe needs stabilising - superglue? I'll look at the hold repair thread).


Ouzel block - below and to the left of the left hand quarry is an obvious block with an overhanging arete. We climbed three lines on this block all with sit starts and I'm pretty sure none of them have been done before.

Ouzel arete - 5 - Climb the obvious arete on its right hand side with a couple of big moves to good holds.

Ouzel arete sit - 6c - The sitstart involves a tough pull on and slap (either left up the arete or right to the good crimp). Top out as before.

Ouzel slab - 5 - Climb the arete on its left up the slabby face. Balancy moves to gain the good hold on the arete and a slightly scary/awkward top out follow. Can be done as a sit at roughly the same grade or maybe worth a +

Afterbirth - 6b+ - Matched on the the good crimp in the middle of the face to right of Ouzel arete dyno to the top using the good footholds to the right. Can be done direct or using an intermediate sidepull.

Afterbirth sit - 6c - Adds a couple lovely technical moves from a little pocket and crimp.


Tombstone block - Between the scree/slag of the two main quarries is a little isolated block. Looks a bit like a tombstone. Gives two easy but not brilliant problems. Probably both been done before. Both probably no harder than low 5s. Hard to tell as I wasn't remotely warmed up and it was blowing an absolute gale.

Tombstone right - From standing climb the arete on its right, giving a decent problem. Nice smeary moves that ease with height.

Tombstone left - A fairly poor but a little tricky sitstart to the left hand side of the arete. Pull on with a bit of awkwardness and reach for the top.


My brother made a little video which features most of the above problems. Definitely well worth a walk up there now. And definitely more problems to be established too. Quite a few nice looking lines in the quarries and surrounding blocks that haven't been done.

Fiend:
Impressive work on Mr Monster, it does seem an excellent problem on a lovely bit of rock. Still maintain it's harder than any 7A+ slab I've ever seen if you're short. I was trying different beta but still no idea how to get that foot up high.

JamieG:
Cheers Fiend, My brother and I used slightly different footholds. I used a more positive foothold to the left of the one that my brother uses in the video. It is a better foothold but a little more difficult to place your foot onto and then harder to step up, but much better once you start rocking up. I'm a little taller than him (I'm 5'10 and he's about ~5'9, similar arm lengths both positive ape indices) and he felt too stretched on my foothold. Then it is a bit of a reach to the break (definitely harder for the short). Slightly different left hand beta too. I went with full mono middle finger crimp (sore on the joints). He managed to get two fingers on the edge and crimp. Either way it is a fierce problem and pretty tough on the left hand. Could be 7b (brother said he thought it might be too). I find grading accurately very hard. Don't get out as much as I would like to (kids! :-) ), so often I am a bit rusty on problems to compare with.

scragrock:
Nice work Jamie & Robbie G :great:

JamieG:
Cheers Scragrock. Just shows you don't need to be in the wilds of Scotland to find nice unclimbed problems. :-) I'm hoping to go for a good scout around at some point to see what else has been overlooked up there. And at Slade rocks too.

(Unfortunately around saddleworth there have been some things claimed that clearly haven't been done and others which have wildly over the top grades. And it is a little tricky untangling the mess)

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