[nik at work]

OK this year I am going to give sport climbing a proper go. I think I've realised what the problem is. I have no endurance, and no desire to develop endurance either. Also I consider sport climbing to be safe and require no psychological input (yes I know this is wrong but hey-ho I'm too old to change now).  So I need to be selective in my route picking, going for short bouldery routes that are well bolted. Sadly I know practicaly nothing about sport routes so am looking for suggestions. As my current best sport grade is a woeful 7a I am after suggestions in the 7b (realistic) to 7c (optimistic) to 8b (away with the fairies) range. Please make these suggestion good as this is make or break season for me and limestone, so I have to enjoy myself. Remember short, bouldery, well bolted routes (preferably with a short walk-in).
Oh yeah I'm talking Peak, Yorkshire and Lancashire sort of area. Though I would entertain suggestions from around the UK for summer trips, and even Costa Blanca for a holiday.
Cheers
Nik

P.S. Currently thinking that Salar at Rubicon looks like the right sort of thing (despite the first bolt looking a tad high). Any thoughts?

[webbo]

harry tuttle heating engineer 7b+ g-spot giggleswick south.
stuff on the nook in cheedale if its dry.
begineers wall 7b+
stuff on middle to r/h side of catwalk at malham.
scout crag near kendal has a bunch of routes 3 or 4 bolts long.

[unclesomebody]

Salar is apparently very easy for the grade, but I still haven't done it (and I don't think it's very easy!). Why not just stick to some longer boulder problems... the joy of sport climbing (ie. getting pumped!) but without having to clip or use a rope! 

[Scouse D]

Beginners Wall 7b+ and Fossil Wall 7c both short, good, steep and next to each other in blackwell dale.

[nik at work]

Good suggestions, keep 'em coming.

Uncle I could stick to bouldering but I feel that I need to give sport climbing a fair go. Thus far I have dismissed it (and limestone in general) as pointless rubbish, however this is from a position of extremely limited experience. As such I have considered my limitations and decided that the best way to give sport climbing the greatest chance of gaining favour in my eyes is to adopt an extreme selective process. As I stated above it is make or break time for sport climbing and myself. I assume there must be something good about it, but thus far I have no idea what...

[dave]

i will sound like a broken record but beginners wall 7b+ has to be a good starter - its 3 bolts long (but sustained), 30 second from the road in a nice litte spot, and you won't feel shit or intimidated cos unlike the tor there won't be loads of 8c climbers knocking about. fossil wall is equally good 7c.

wild in me 7c at the tor is a good crimpy one, ditto this is the sea 7c+ (going on 7a) at the cornice. there that's me exhausted my sport route recomendations.

[Paul B]

Ill second wild in me.
Uncle - It certainly isnt a soft tick if you go for the crimp method. (The slap is probably a lot easier but couldnt seem to move once i did it)
Dangerous Bro's is a nice crimpy (very bouldery) 8a.
At kilnsey theres pantomime which is bouldery with a bit of jug hauling at the end 7b+
Ground effect, bouldery start followed by a tricky groove followed by gug hauling.
Smooth torquer 7a+ along the right hand end is bouldery and v.easy.

[irish si]

Eat the rich 7c+, on water cum jolly, is good, three bolts long about V5? (and really only 7b+ come on john w??)

the rock is good too.  Have a look at the inch test to the right, short and about 8a/+. or the Inch 'worm' as Buoux 8c told me it was called.

[dave]

Ill second wild in me.

you should go for the lead, its not that runout......(sorry).

Eat the rich 7c+, on water cum jolly, is good, three bolts long about V5?

fuck i'd seen that in the guide and fancied it. will get over there ASAP.

[Doylo]

Eat the rich 7c+, on water cum jolly, is good, three bolts long about V5?

i'll second that, is a reasonable route and maybe 7c (just). If you fancy going a bit further a field nik get yourself to the Eglwysyg valley. you don't need hardly any stamina for Dinbren,its pretty vertical and technical (and short) and theres loadsza routes up to 8b.

[dobbin]

Andy Harris said the Inch test was the living end I think, although I'm sure he said the difficulties were confined to just a couple of moves.

I enjoyed Brachiation dance at WCJ Cornice. Think thats 7b? Rattle and hump is a lovely little route and a good introduction to the 8th grade. As everyones already said beginners wall I wont go on about other than to register suprise that its 7b+ - I honestly thought it was 7a+. Theres a really sharp hold on wild in me that puts me off a bit but the bit of headwall above is fun. And when you are done there, go and do chimes to the belay at the break over the lip. Lovely, short and bouldery.

[Paul B]

its alrite if you dont do it the lanky bastard way and therefore dont have to slap for the razor edge!

[old cheese]

The embankment in cheedale could be the place you need. Lots of ok 7's like Hungry eyes at 7a+, Stugeon in the cuboard at easy 7c(crux at the bottom, and stone the loach 7c. many other routes of similar grades and not very long.

the only problem is the walk up the hill to get out!

[Palomides]

How about Why Me (7c) and Entree (8a) in Cheedale?

Both short(ish) and well bolted, in a really nice location. The difficulties on Why Me are shortlived and Entree looks like it eases a lot after the start (could be wrong about this - I couldn''t get off the ground )

Oh, and the walk-in is easy too.

The walk OUT might be a little harder though...

[Andy F]

Malham: Hartley Hare 7a+ (short crux), Toad of Beck Hall 7b+ (two short cruxes), and Le Maximum 7c+ (hard start, easy finish)
Chapel Head: Mangousine Scatouflange 7a (short crux), Electric Warrior 7b (short route) or Zantom Phone  (short very bouldery crux) 7c+
Pen Trywn: The Refrain 7a+ (short crux), Tomorrow People 7c (short route, 2 cruxes with a monster rest between) or Muscle Beach 8a (bouldery crux over roof)

[andy_e]

Will have to get to Chapel Head...

What's Brachiation Dance like?

[Buoux 8C]

Eat the rich 7c+, on water cum jolly, is good, three bolts long about V5? (and really only 7b+ come on john w??)

the rock is good too.  Have a look at the inch test to the right, short and about 8a/+. or the Inch 'worm' as Buoux 8c told me it was called.

Si, you have it all wrong. When talking about the 'Inch worm' I was refering to your manhood. The inch test on the other hand, is something which is short and stiff for 8a.

[dave]

What's Brachiation Dance like?

i've been on this once but not done it. its very steep on massive blocky holds appart from a tricky slab start. its pretty pumpy so wouldn't have thought its a great recomendation for boulderers with no stamina (though i think theres supposed to be a kneebar rest on it). All the holds on it are way too big for most boulderers to be familiar with - i certainly don't know what to do with holds this big.

[nik at work]

Cheers gents, I will report back with tales of glorious success in a couple of weeks (probably...)

[grimer]

"i certainly don't know what to do with holds this big.


Get pumped shitless on them?

[dave]

funnily enough that's the best i could come up with anall.

[Fiend]

ROFL, nice one, got a mate who wanted a 7b-ish project for the summer and recommended Br-Dance cos it looks kinda cool.


Anyway, nik, what about some esoteric horror on the slate - The Medium or something?

[Paul B]

Andi - from your tails of malham i dont think its the route for you.

I wouldnt want to kneebar in that blocky shite that big bit will come out sometime soon.

[Duma]

For holiday ticks you need the promenade at swanage - particuarly 'Garage Mechanic' 7c 15 - odd foot of Font 7bish (don't quote me, it was years ago) and then a 30 foot bumble to the belay. Also 'Rise of the Robots' 7b+ - 30 foot of 50 degree wall...

[andy_e]

Bouldery 7a-7b recommendations?

I've been told that Hartley Hare is a good one to do, I'll try that next time I'm there... any others?

p.s. sorry for the hijack

[Simon S]

Well if your in the west country at any point then cheddar gorge quarry is the place to head. All of these are about 30 feet long!

Greed                             7b+
Insatiable                        7b (classic)
Bursting the wave             8a
Split rambo                      7b
Holdloss                          7b+
A day called zero              8a
Crystal gale                     7a+
Raw deal                         7a

For starters!

[webbo]

30ft long and those grades.if it was not hundreds of miles away,i could be tempted in to buying a rope again.

[Andy F]

Bouldery 7a-7b recommendations?

I've been told that Hartley Hare is a good one to do, I'll try that next time I'm there... any others?

'Tis indeed a good bouldery route. 7a if you slink of into Pupplejumper, 7a+ if you finish the correct straight up method, and much better that way.

[Houdini]

The Untouchables, Dinorwig Slate. 

Smaller than a set-square from a Helix protractor set.   Fr 8a (maybe a little harder now after Herr von Kratz pulled an already sicca'd hold off it a few years ago).

[saltbeef]

Cheers gents, I will report back with tales of glorious success in a couple of weeks (probably...)

think success will be based purely on the premise it stops raining...

[Paz]

Greed                             7b+
Bursting the wave             8a
Holdloss                          7b+
A day called zero              8a

Fuck me si, I was onna suggest the Wave but thought it miles away.  Have you been on or even done any of the above - what's they like?
Milimetre Wall is probably Nik's cup of tea, apparently a 7c slab of similar length with only a four to six move crux to a good hold. 

There's loads of things that are `essentially' bouldery (or slabby) too, with easy climbing up to or after the crux, that you probably only need 6b+ stamina for.  For me the big thing last year was getting fit enough to work routes effectively.  Working out how not to get knackered resting on a rope, or recover before I got knackered on a rope, to throw in some bouldery shapes at my limit.  And getting on routes.  And being arsed to go back and polish shit off or even spend days on the same thing.  Repeat visits is the key.  And not letting go, that helps too.  And taking big falls.  And making the damn clips cos then you have to fall off the climbing or take a big fall with slack out.  And getting a grigri so you're not pumped from locking off an ATC holding your mates arse.  Of course the most useful thing to have before you start is a big bag of route recommendations and beta.

[Simon S]

I wish-only on 7as at the moment. I'm hoping to try and get some more done there when the weather improves though(and I get fitter).
The two 8as look horrendous-real finger fuckers,remember the finger tape.
Your spot on about a Gri Gri! Essential kit for a day of dogging!

Let me know when your down that way next and need a belayer.

[Paz]

Yeah cool, will do!  Was down last night and did the new 6 left of Split Rambo (this has only got two cobwebby old 8mms in by the way) and Grope The Slope and the thing to the left, but most of the seepage lines there are all pretty wet at the mo.  My mate did Islands in the City nonetheless.  I'm not really recommending the routes I did to people who live 200 miles away, just mentioning them so's people get an idea of what's dry.  Which reminds me - more usefully the whole of Boulder Cove at Brean's surprisingly dry, or was on tuesday. 

[Houdini]

You want short sport?





Ask - and ye shall receive!





http://www.flashgames247.com/play/370.html

[dave]

Eat the rich 7c+, on water cum jolly, is good, three bolts long about V5?

i'll second that, is a reasonable route and maybe 7c (just).

word went to have a go on this route last night. Am i to assume that these days people just lower off the crab on the 3rd bolt rather than pulling over that loose looking roof at the top to finish at the loweroff desbribed in the cockfax guide?

As for the route it did seem good, having watched scouse work it i flahsed up to the 2nd bolt (whihc would probably be about V5) then we found the bit between the 2nd and 3rd bolts to be harder than anything below. question.

Also, what is the line of assorted bolts right of the Inch Test? looked like soemthing with an adequate smattering of holds, not as black looking as inch test by a long way, the odd 1980s troll bolts and a thread etc. doesn't seem to be listed in the cockfax or the '99 bmc guides?