[pete D]

I was bouldering at Rivelin Quarries last week and climbed two problems that may be new.  They're both in the first bay of the quarry as you approach from the Norfolk Arms car park (about 20m left of Earth Boots).  The best problem is called "Snatch" and felt about Font 7a.  It climbs the centre of the wall to the left of Ipecacuanha Groove (HVS) as far as the obvious big hold via a rock over to a crimp and then a lovely little dyno to better holds.  The arete to the right of Ipecacuanah Groove was also climbed at about 5+.  Next time I'm there, I'll get a pic and post it here.

[Bonjoy]

Nice one. Will take a look next time i'm there.

[nik at work]

Anyone know of any repeats of existing problems, just curious ...

[Bonjoy]

 Still no repeat of Nik's Wall to date as far as I know. Was trying to egg crimp-boy Dense into trying it, I think he's keen.

[dave]

i think a fair few people roll up to nik's wall, go "fuck i'm going to have a go at this, it can't be too bad look at the size of that foothold", put their boots on, chalk up and proceed to not be able to get both feet off the floor. i'm not thinking about any kim in particular.

[Paz]

No French start?

[Jim]

Them hand grips are tiny yo

[Tommy]

I can confirm the quality of Snatch - really, really excellent problem. The arete to right is probably more like Font 6a+ though.

This part of the quarry is an amazing sun trap, so if you find yourself a nasty, cold and windy day, it's great here...

[Bonjoy]

 You do know that Paul B gave the same name to his new prob at Stanage a couple of months ago?

[pete D]

I'd forgotten about Paul B's problem.  Knew the name sounded familiar but couldn't remember where from.  A great name for that problem and on that boulder.  Not sure how to post links but this is quite amusing: .  A new name then...

Roget's thesaurus suggests: abduct, catch, clutch, collar, gain, glom onto, grapple, grasp, grip, jerk, jump, kidnap, nab, nail, pluck, pull, rescue, seize, snag, spirit away, steal, take, win, wrench, wrest, yank.

I quite like "Glom Onto" Font 7a.

[r-man]

Interesting...

Glom being an Americanism of Scots Glaum.

'O, cam ye here the fight to shun,
Or herd the sheep wi' me, man?
Or were ye at the Sherra-moor,
Or did the battle see, man?'
'I saw the battle, sair and teugh,
And reekin-red ran monie a sheugh;
My heart for fear gae sough for sough,
To hear the thuds, and see the cluds
O' clans frae woods in tartan duds,
Wha glaum'd at kingdoms three, man.

the rest here...http://www.worldburnsclub.com/poems/translations/454.htm

[nik at work]

You do know that Paul B gave the same name to his new prob at Stanage a couple of months ago?

And he was just copying the name of my problem at Denham...


...probably

[r-man]

Is Nik's Wall harder or easier than your Snatch problem Nik? Just curious.

[nik at work]

The short answer is Nik's Wall is probably harder.
The slightly more involved answer would be that I climbed Nik's Wall when I was climbing almost constantly and was certainly at my best in terms of technique, strength etc etc. It took ages before I did it. It was at the time the hardest problem I had done by a significant margin. At the time I was obsessive about Rivelin Quarries and obsessive about the problem. I got a combination of a day of great conditions lining up with me climbing well and being uninjured etc. At the time I did it I had no idea of the grade, the V11 grade was first suggested by someone else. I still don't know whether it is accurate as it is unrepeated AFAIK.
Snatch was climbed several years later when I was worrking full time, not climbing anywhere near as much as I wanted/needed to. It still took a long time and is still very thin tricky climbing, but it is just not in the same band of difficulty in my opinion. The grade I gave was V10/11, but realistically it is probably just V10 when compared to Niks Wall at V11
Obviously it is difficult to compare the two given the time between the ascents, and the fact that they are both unrepeated? So there is no consensus on grade. So someone needs to get to it and repeat the two problems so this question can be definitively answered once and for all and the whole climbing community can move onto other great unresolved issues, such as "two mats and one spotter or one mat and two spotters?".

[Tommy]

I would post a photo of "Snatch/Glom onto" if I knew how? I doesn't involve using something like flickr does it? What the fork, with that name Pete - just call it "My Snatch"  

[Fiend]

Two mats and one spotter, definitely.

[nik at work]

Is there nothing left to discuss? Has bouldering become an empty shell...

[webbo]

Two mats and one spotter, definitely.

depends on the make of the mat and the origin of the spotter.

[r-man]

Why not compromise? One and a half of both.

[Tommy]

Here Nik,

I'll discuss something...

TML - Nails. Start, ok. Middle ok-ish. Step up and slap to sloper - agh! Swing round - uggh! Top - easy.

I'm glad your dog was spotting you so well that day 

And........ was there that dirty great fallen over tree stump at the bottom when you did it?

[nik at work]

Yes the stump was there, inviting landing. Especially as I thought that I'd probably face plant onto it as I get pulled off the sloper.

So you've actually tried it then?
Or have you repeated it?
Effort if you have, in fact effort for even trying it (I get the impression it's not attempted all that frequently).

I always thought the slab to the right would become an awsome problem one day if you're interested...

[Tommy]

Yeah, I've bouldered up into the middle of the hard sequence and fallen/jumped off (good landing) and then shunted the rest once. I can't do the running slap thing. Frickin hard in my opinion. Whether I'll do it is an entirely different question. 7a tech is not really my sphere of influence to be honest! I'm amazed that you did it in a session with no spotters. 

The slab to the right.... now there's a interesting one. I have to admit I have had a little fiddle with the holds and have held off from cleaning it up. Looks mighty dynamic or requires the skills of a mantle magician!

[GCW]

Hi Nik:  I've had a look at Snatch.  I couldn't see (a) where it goes or (b) any holds 
"The Obvious Sidepull" bit, I assume, refers to to the rightwards facing thing from where the rest looks awfully thin.  May have another look if the place ever dries out properly.  Did you ground-up the problem or have a play on a rope?  My knees are bad enough as it is....

[nik at work]

Cheers.

Yeah some kind of wierd fingertip mantle type thing, pretty desp from what I remember fo the brief play I had on it.

Have you done any of the other routes in the quarries? There's some real quality there at E5+

Do I know you?

[nik at work]

If you couldn't see any holds then you could see where it goes

I played on a rope first because a) it's quite high and b) you really can't see the holds so I didn't even know if there were any to start with.
The sequence from what I remember is:
Do easy starting bit.
Get the rightward facing sidepull with your left as a gaston.
Move left foot to obvious good foothold by right hand
Move right hand to appalling tiny tiny hold, like a circular dent in the rock, out right.
Move right foot up to tiny iron rugosity style ripple (if you are tall you might be able to leave your foot on the lower good foothold which would probably make the problem easier)
Rock up onto right foot.
Reach up with right hand to invisible  thin crimp pretty much at full stretch directly above your head.
Move left hand up to a little dishy sidepull doo-dah
Paste left foot on something and move right foot up to a higher crap foothold
Slap with left hand to a better crimp.
A couple more pulls on actual holds and your at the shelf.

I think thats pretty acurate but it was a few years ago so I might slightly confused the sequence in my senile mind...

[GCW]

The sequence from what I remember is:
Do easy starting bit.
Get the rightward facing sidepull with your left as a gaston.
Move left foot to obvious good foothold by right hand

Yeah, got this far and couldn't see what to do.  I'll add it to the to-do list.  The crux isn't right at the top then?  Have to dig my gear out of the attic.
Crap-Pot is a good, fingery problem too.  The direct finish seems thin.  For a tiny shithole quarry it's got some good problems.

[nik at work]

The crux move is probably the next couple of stages but the crux sequence (i.e. all of the hard climbing) probably takes you to a pretty uncomfortable height.
Definitely worth breaking out the rope for an inspection IMHO.

Yeah I thought crap-pot was quite allright as slightly eliminate probs in dingy quarries go, but JR wasn't that impressed. Hence the name...

[Tommy]

Pete on his problem (hope you don'e mind me putting this on here Pete).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7569684@N06/?saved=1

[GCW]

It seems JR likes the traverse though.  It has good moves, so now I know where it goes I'll get back on it.  And maybe ab down Snatch and have a proper look at it   

[nik at work]

Let me know how you get on.

[JC]

To  Nik at work:

i was bouldering in the quarry yesterday and decided to have a play on Nik's wall cos the style suits me well. I eventually figured out a sequence that i thought would work but by that time my tips were too trashed to try it again. 

Just curious about the way you originally did it.

My sequence was pull on with the two crimps, right foot in the good foot hold, then make a huge rock over for the high sidepull with your right hand, get the other side pull for your left, feet up and then the top??

Keen to get back there soon and try again, has it had a second ascent yet do you know?

cheers   

[Bonjoy]

 I've never heard of it having a second ascent.

[Jim]

I've never heard of anyone even trying it

[Johnny Brown]

Who's snapped the pebble off Faze Action? Bastards, I'll never do it now...

[Bonjoy]

Not sure. I know at least Andy Banks has done it without

[Oli]

I saw that Nik's Wall was looking chalked up yesterday... Looks uber thin.

I went for a wander around the quarries yesterday and didn't realise how much stuff there was there. Some of it looks pretty awesome, definitely worth a trip back I think. I'm now starting to see why Nik and Tom rate it highly.

[Houdini]

This sounds a stunner - & I'll travel for sublime slabs. Has it been repeated?  8A / H11+?

What gives hombre?

[nik at work]

Not a slab, vertical wall climbing on super thin holds. Unrepeated AFAIK, must be heading towards 10 years old now also..... Given 8a in Ru's guide.

In response to the original question re: sequence, I think this is right....

Get on the wall, left hand up to gaston a shit sidepull, right foot up to match where right hand is, left hand slaps up to gaston another shit sidepull, right hand does something with something shit, rock right onto the right foot forever, sprockle udge and pop, top.

Done several years ago so sequence might be slightly wrong but I'm sure I worked my left hand up and kept my right low and it was very desperate. Good luck, keep us posted on progress (and your thoughts on the grade).

Oli, Rivelin Quarries is quality. I spout a lot of semi-coherent shit most of the time but on this fact I am right on the money. It has in the past being woefully under-rated and overlooked, happily it now seems to be attracting the attention and praise it deserves (and there are still lines to go, albeit quite hard ones).

[Houdini]

I'm on it Nik -  give me a few months to t´return to the UK and peruse your wares.

[GCW]

Snatch may be a good one for you Houd.

[Houdini]

Wakes up Large.


*stiffens slightly*


Snatch y' say?   

[Oli]

I went down ages ago when Tom did a new route, and have seen some footage of stuff like Neat Feet, Flex, Earthboots and Jack the Groove on consumed. Whilst i'm still firmly a punter, I'm definitely keen to stick a rope on a few of the more amenable ones and have a play.
There are some nails looking blank slabs too. From my light scratching of the surface, I reckon you're right saying it deserves more attention.

[nik at work]

Travel all that way to go to Rivelin Quarries and Denham. That would be a seriously esoteric trip.

Or do you mean a different Snatch?

If you do go to try either of them keep us posted on your progress, with your power ball iron grip you'll ice 'em like pappa smurf...

[GCW]

There is only one Snatch worthy of mention here

[r-man]

Remembered this 7a Glom Onto problem the other day. Anyone been to check it out? Just wondering if it's worth a trip sometime. Pete D, did you ever post those photos? I skimmed the thread but couldn't find them.

It climbs the centre of the wall to the left of Ipecacuanha Groove (HVS) as far as the obvious big hold via a rock over to a crimp and then a lovely little dyno to better holds.  The arete to the right of Ipecacuanah Groove was also climbed at about 5+.  Next time I'm there, I'll get a pic and post it here.

[r-man]

Just read thread more thoroughly and found a photo of the problem formerly known as Prince Snatch:

[Oli]

A friend and I went down to the quarries today and cleaned up a couple of routes. They should be getting on for perfectly clean...
    Routes cleaned;
       Teddy Bear's Picnic - Looks like its got some quality thin crack climbing
       Paddington - Looks scary
       Boira Aira - Ditto

Unfortunately it started raining after the cleaning so we didn't actually get on them, however, a return trip is on the cards.
May also clean up Snivelin Rivelin, Flex and the thing next to it at some stage as well.

[nik at work]

Flex is brilliant.

Ahem, on the suject of Rivelin Quarries anybody know of any Niks Wall repeats? It's been a while....

[Oli]

Ahem, on the suject of Rivelin Quarries anybody know of any Niks Wall repeats? It's been a while....

Is it the time of year for the annual request for a repeat? 

Flex does look good, but also hard.

[nik at work]

Surely this season....

Yes Flex is very good indeed.

[Bonjoy]

Did a new prob up the arete (right arete of the crack/chimney) just left of Glom Onto today. It's called Chimp 'B' and is about 7a I reckon. You go up the blank layback arete until you reach holds on a ramp and them make crux moves right onto the finishing jug of Glom. Somebody's Fool did it too. We both enjoyed it. Hopefully he'll stick a photo up.
Also repeated Glom Onto. A good problem it is too. We figured some static beta which I think is more 6c/6c+ than 7a.

[Somebody's Fool]

Chimp 'B'

Little bit of laybacking:


The crux is letting go of the ramp with the left hand to shuffle rightwards to gain the finish of Glom Onto: