[moose]

I was there this morning, at around 10:30am: absolutely gopping.  Dripping wet on every square inch and drizzle was continuing to be blown onto it. 

All came as a bit of a shock.  I've only been frequenting the place for the last month and had come to regard it as a practically bomb-proof option: having had good days even during persistant rain - at worst just having to work around a bit of low seepage.  Finding the crag so thoroughly soaked... almost as bad a surprise as being given a paedophile for Christmas.

Any regulars care to guess how long before it's climbable again, given the warm forecast?

[Serpico]

If it was totally gopping it usually means it's been in the mist overnight/in the morning. A dry, breezy day will sort it out, could be OK tomorrow but it's unpredictable.

[moose]

Monday 27th June conditions: all dry again except for a bit of low-level seepage below the non-wobbly block (and before then but below the level of the traverse's footholds).

[moose]

btw... I noticed that on the ukc logbook "start to central icefall direct" is given an F7b+ grade

http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=188682

Is this right?  Isn't it just the reverse of the full-length version of Tarot Plane - a V4?  If so, F7b+ sport equivalent would be far too high.  Especially considering that according to the C-Y-L wetpaint, central icefall direct to the non-wobbly block (the "second fifth") is F7b - and comprises far more climbing (the reverse of Cruel Country, V4/5, Going Deaf, V4, and part of Gruts, V3).

[Serpico]

btw... I noticed that on the ukc logbook "start to central icefall direct" is given an F7b+ grade

That's a bit optimistic, from the very start I think it's worth 7b, on it's own 7a+.
Are you sure it was a French grade and not 7b+ on the Farnell scale?

[moose]

looked like a french grade to me - I guess the simplest explaination would be user-generated bollocks content.  Even F7a+/b for reversing a V4 seems a bit generous (toms traverse reverse at Woodwell gets F7a/+ and that's around V6).  The wetpaint's F7b for the second fifth seems about right though - on Sunday I fell off the second-to-last move four times in a row... which seems about right given my pitiful stamina (although I have high hopes for a day when it isn't around 30oC and I'm not on my fourth day "on").

[IanP]

looked like a french grade to me - I guess the simplest explaination would be user-generated bollocks content.  Even F7a+/b for reversing a V4 seems a bit generous (toms traverse reverse at Woodwell gets F7a/+ and that's around V6). 

I'm not a regular at CyL and find the style pretty difficult but reversing Tarot Plane seems about right at 7a+/7b (I'd tend more to the 7b end personally but that's probably just me).  Done it a few times now and it does get much easier with practice.  Can't think of a 7a sport route in the UK that's anywhere near as difficult.

[Teaboy]

Start of the crag to CID is a lot harder than CID to the begining of the crag, maybe not 7b+ but not as far off as you'd imagine if you just do a translation of the boulder grade.

[Andy F]

btw... I noticed that on the ukc logbook "start to central icefall direct" is given an F7b+ grade

That's a bit optimistic, from the very start I think it's worth 7b, on it's own 7a+.
Are you sure it was a French grade and not 7b+ on the Farnell scale?

There's no way that short traverse is as hard as Comedy 

[moose]

Any conditions updates / predictions for the weekend greatly appreciated. 

The forecast looks a showery mess for the weekend - so CYL appears my likeliest prospect for dry rock... but has it seeped after the heavy mid-week rains? 

[moose]

decided to chance the trip:

Largely dry with surprisingly good conditions.  Usual low seepage at wobble block but nothing limiting.  Some seepage near the start of Bend...

[moose]

Has anyone visited recently - wondering about whether to chance a trip on Saturday?

[Three Nine]

Cant help i'm afraid, but if you go i'd very much appreciate an update. I'd love to go up sunday and monday.

[Serpico]

I've made some enquiries and my sources tell me there wasn't a dry hold on the crag yesterday, and it's currently raining. Now the complete absence of a single dry hold usually means it's been in the mist, or it's really blown in, so it might not actually be seeping too badly yet, but I wouldn't risk travelling any distance to find out, best to send a stunt-local in first to test the water.

[moose]

Depending on the prospect of dry rock elsewhere, I might be tempted to give it a go anyway (it's either that or ducking showers and chasing wind-blown matts at Almscliff).  I was at CYL last Saturday and Sunday with torrential rain on both days and the rock stayed dry throughout.  So, if a breeze dispels the current wet it might feasibly stay dry for Saturday or Sunday? 

[moose]

Conditions, Saturday 10:30am: largely dripping wet.  Not the all-over misting  of Thursday - more just bad seepiness (the odd, isolated "up" problem might have been doable but impossible to traverse more than a meter or two).

[rginns]

Has anyone been since Saturday? Am thinking of heading up on Thursday perhaps...

[Probes]

This is a good year to be injured 

[moose]

I went back on Sunday (a combination of insomnia and desperation to get back on my projects) and was rewarded for my head-against-a-brick-wall stubborness with a near dry crag. 

By the end of the day, the only seepage that would kibosh the full traverse was at the crux of Mr Skin (i.e. between wobble block and high break). 

The start to wobble block though was entiirely doable (or would have been for someone with more stamina than me) - just some residual dampness that was fast fading.

Not sure about now though - there's was some heavy rain in Ilkley last night - I suspect given a clear breezy day you'd be okay though.

[rginns]

Cheers Moose, looks to be lashing it down tomorrow afternoon, so not sure yet.

[GCW]

When are you going tomorrow, Rick?  I could possibly be there from 3pm.

[rginns]

Hi G, I was supposed to have a meeting in Cumbria so was going to pop in on my way back, but it's been cancelled so think I'll head to W1 to check out r-mans new lines...you about?

[Serpico]

It was pretty good nick yesterday. The traverse was dry to the high break until about 18:30 when a bit of seepage came through on to one of the crux crimps. There was quite a bit of seepage in the high break, but from past experience it usually misses the holds you use on the traverse or to finish the blocs. Apart from some seepage low down beneath the (ex)wobble block, and beneath Bend, it was all good.

[rginns]

mint conditions today, cool and hardly any seepage (a bit on some footholds to the right of the crag)

[Ru]

Decent last night.

Looking at the wiki, do people really think that the full traverse is an 8a+ into a 7b+?