[moose]

Does anyone have the knowledge for this?  I can hang the two crimpy pinchy holds on the arete okay but further upwards progress appears to be a matter of heroic endeavor, with me repeatedly falling off whilst trying to make use of a wide pinch for the RH.. and then going home to bleed. 

So any information, no matter how obvious or trivial seeming, would be much appreciated e.g. is there some foot-trickery for getting / using that pinch, do you keep on the LHS of the arete, which hand is it best to go for the top with, do you go straight for the top or use that sloper to the LHS etc????

[Ru]

any chance of you contributing to my beta request thread...  please (I am off on holiday on thursday and have a hankering to do that and Ringpiece before depature).

I doubt this method is what you're hoping for. Anyway, from the position that this bloke is in:



I put my right foot on a small dink on the right hand side of the arete, rock round rightwards onto it, and go straight for the top with my right hand. Well it would make sense if you were a foot shorter.

[uptown]

I'm not sure if this will help either moose, but I remember getting a very broad pinch with my right (visible in the photo as a dish up and right of jons lefthand) and then getting my right foot high in a pocketchip to the left of the arete. You can then lock for either the sloper or the top with your left - the top would make more sense.
I don't know if this is the conventional sequence though - Let me know how you get on with it.

[moose]

Cheers fellas.

Ru, as you suspected your beta is of limited use for someone whose height is only matched by their lack of ability; definitely a method for bionic-elves rather than moribund-Ents!

Uptowngirl, your method seems the likeliest... but still bloody hard.  On strong days I can get the broad RH pinch but pulling-up on it seems beyond me (to gain the pinch I smear around onto the RHS of the arete and so have to use it straight-on, rather than being able to lay away from it).  By the way, do you really mean "getting my right foot high in a pocketchip to the left of the arete"?  Sounds a bit tricky - unless your body is on the LHS of the arete?

[uptown]

By the way, do you really mean "getting my right foot high in a pocketchip to the left of the arete"?  Sounds a bit tricky - unless your body is on the LHS of the arete?

I think so - I might be getting my left and right foot mixed up though, it's ages since I did it last.

[andy_e]

I can't cut loose at all like in the picture without swinging off down the slope, but I can just about get both pinches higher up the arete, using a heel-hook in the huge hole, then clamping the arete with my right heel, anybody else use this beta, and if so, how do you finish it from there?

[Will Hunt]

Resurrection for Moose who still seeks the beta.

First of all, are the conditions excellent? They are? Good, then we can begin.

It's obvious, but you can and should stand on the boulder behind the problem to inspect the top holds to make sure that you know how to take them, as how you use them is quite precise. It's not the way people normally do it, but I prefer to take the LH arete-pinch hold as a full crimp (thumb wrapped over index finger) on the arete's LHS. A little left of the arete's apex and close to the edge of the hold. It's smaller than burying your fingers deep over the whole hold and pinching it, but it's much more positive. For the right hand pebbly dish that's just right of the arete, you want to get your index finger just above a small sharp pebble near the top of the hold, middle finger sits just under this, and ring finger should then be sort of dragging the larger pebble beneath. This way it actually feels like a hold.

Start left hand in a chip and right hand in a small chip-pocket crimp. Step on and RH up to the obvious crimp on the RHS of the arete. LF on a good horizontal edge. LH up to take the higher crimp/pinch thing as described above. Here's the knacky bit. Below the starting RH pocket-crimp is a hideously polished undulation in the rock - almost like it's been abused with resin. Place your heel behind this. The idea is not really to rock over it or get weight on top of it - you'll still be on the arete's left side; it's more to pull you into the rock while you move your RH as statically as you can to the top pebbly RH hold. Once you have these top two holds well you will be able to move your right toe up to the starting pocket-crimp (small cut loose may be required). Stand on that to reach the top (I think I went RH up) and match.

Strong/bendy types may be able to avoid the heel thing and, with their LH on the top crimp/pinch, be able to get their toe in the chip pocket-crimp and stand straight to the top from there without even using the high RH hold. Disgusting.

[Bradders]

Disappointly missing what we were all really waiting for; what grade do you think it is Will?

[Will Hunt]

Disappointly missing what we were all really waiting for; what grade do you think it is Will?

9B (soft).

Erm. 7B I would have said. Difficult to put a number on as it's quite connies dependent and knacky.

[moose]

Thanks Will, very comprehensive! I'd say I look forward to trying your beta but that would be a lie. Like many problems at Ilkley, trying First Arete seems more a painful obligation!

[Fiend]

Thanks. This was vaguely on my post-lockdown lifetime-ambitions-to-check-out list, as I like aretes and the landing looks good. Saved me a wasted visit to Ilkley reading that.

[Will Hunt]

Any trip to Ilkley for bouldering is wasted in my opinion, but it's local. Needs must etc.

[Bradders]

Does First Arete top out?

[Will Hunt]

It's a drop off unfortunately.

[moose]

Any trip to Ilkley for bouldering is wasted in my opinion, but it's local. Needs must etc.

I've lived in Ilkley for 10 years.... in that time, I've probably bouldered at the Cow & Calf less than 20 times (and that includes a few times when I had no other choice as my car was knackered). 

Still, I'm grateful to have a local crag, and one with plenty still to try during this time of plague-related drudgery (even if I've not tried for good reason).  And, don't tell the Covid police, but I've ventured 9 mile to Shipley Glen on occasion (I tell myself that paying council tax to Bradford Council entitles me to use all Bradford area crags, and having a Leeds postcode likewise for Leeds area crag.... currently trying to structure an argument that being born and growing-up in the York area carries an inherited visitation right for North Yorkshire crags!).

First Arete is still repellent though...... it makes me unhappy that such a classy looking feature can be so misleading.  Possible subject for a threat? Meritricious, disappointing, and bogus blocs!?

[User deactivated.]

I tried this last night. Keeping the left foot on the edge weighted felt awkward to me, so I swapped it for a toe hook in the big hole just left of it. Right foot is on a pebble right of the arete rather than the smear on it. After getting the left hand pinch and keeping the toe hook in I moved right heel up to the polished bit, reached up to grab the right hand pebbly pinch and... right heel slips taking out 3 tips, damnit! But I think this beta will work as the hold looks good when you get it right.

[dunnyg]

If you were on superset before, I was one of the people struggling on the 7A next door. Hope it was more sheltered!

[User deactivated.]

If you were on superset before, I was one of the people struggling on the 7A next door. Hope it was more sheltered!

Yes, that was me. It was thankfully a little more sheltered up at first arete. Nearly blew off the edge getting over there though!

[Will Hunt]

My friend sent me some photos which show the heel thing you do. Note also the refusal to pinch the top pinch and the way to hold the RH dish. We believe in you, Moose!

[Bradders]

Good pics 

[highrepute]

Seems like Will and I used similar beta. There's something about this problem being really hard unless you can do it.

[sxrxg]

Really enjoyed that video, something about the music just seems to add to the sense of cold with everyone being huddled in their down jackets.

Also I see energy follows thought is in that video... Any chance someone could mark up a Google satellite map of rocky valley with this bloc highlighted. Both times I have been I haven't managed to locate this bloc and have spent time wandering around falling in holes upto my waist and it is not an experience I want to repeat on my next visit!

[Will Hunt]

Really enjoyed that video, something about the music just seems to add to the sense of cold with everyone being huddled in their down jackets.

Also I see energy follows thought is in that video... Any chance someone could mark up a Google satellite map of rocky valley with this bloc highlighted. Both times I have been I haven't managed to locate this bloc and have spent time wandering around falling in holes upto my waist and it is not an experience I want to repeat on my next visit!

I don't think I could do anything more accurate than you'll get in the guide, but it's worth noting that the problem is Body Rocker, not Energy Follows Though. EFT doesn't use the arete.

[sxrxg]

Thanks, which guide is this? I only have the total climbing and old rockfax...

[highrepute]

Really enjoyed that video, something about the music just seems to add to the sense of cold with everyone being huddled in their down jackets.

Also I see energy follows thought is in that video... Any chance someone could mark up a Google satellite map of rocky valley with this bloc highlighted. Both times I have been I haven't managed to locate this bloc and have spent time wandering around falling in holes upto my waist and it is not an experience I want to repeat on my next visit!

Cheers.

I see will has already provided the relevant information.I do recall we struggled to find it for ages, then I couldn't do EFT before it got dark!

[Will Hunt]

Thanks, which guide is this? I only have the total climbing and old rockfax...

Yorkshire Grit vol 2 (the blue book) covers it. If you don't want to buy a book for one problem then 27crags (yuck) has a pin in roughly the right place.

[36chambers]

All this recent First Arete chat has reminded me just how good the problem is.

[andy_e]

It's certainly one of the best problems at Ilkley!

damned with faint praise

[Footwork]

All this recent First Arete chat has reminded me just how good the problem is.

First arete is so 5 years ago