[Tommy]

Finally, the epic journey is over. After 60-ish days over 4 years, I've finally put to bed my dream project.

I'm a big fan of the old-school style of climbing and when I found a 20ft+ horizontal roof crack near to my parents home a number of years ago I couldn't believe my luck. Spent of bit of time cleaning it up (especially seeing at the rock can be sandy outside of the line of the crack) and slowly set to work getting the line figured out...

It's really, really complex climbing as the crack that runs through the roof is fairly insipient meaning it can go from 2 inches to nothing in width very quickly along it's entire length. It also is never any deeper than about 4 inches (except for one hold near the end), which makes for pretty flared and shallow holds/jams.

If in the Peak/Wales etc it might not be that significant, but I think it stands out for a few reasons. It's a full-on 20ft of totally horizontal climbing (not much of that around) and also it features some of the hardest crack climbing anywhere. Really hard crack climbing. The SW doesn't get that many hard problems put up really either so, it always nice to have something to work on, should locals be interested.

I've got a couple of photos here (not great I know, but you get the flavour) and video footage which should I get round the editing problems I'll post up. Anyone know why WMM files don't fit in youtube?

For anyone who's a bit geeky like me, here's the sequence:

Crimpy rail and pinch, big move to hideous baggy cupped handjam, 180 deg spin, thumb jam (oh yes!), 2 finger pocket, spin another 180 deg, 2 finger finger-jam (great move), 2 finger pocket, tricky thin-hands hand-jam, good jam (but very hard to seat), wild cut loose, loooong reach to mono-dish, 180 deg spin, bump dish-hand to good sloper-crimp (redpoint crux), round onto the headwall, a load of heel hooking and more crimps and slopey-crimps (not to bad). Top-out!

[r-man]

Cracking stuff! (Sorry*)

Congratulations! That looks epic.





_{*No I'm not.}

[SA Chris]

Nice. Also, where the hell is it?

[Fiend]

Good effort Tommy 

This should deserve some attention / coverage, yes?

[account_inactive]

8A roof crack?

[Jaspersharpe]

The pics remind me of Akira. 

Good effort. It sounds fucking desperate.

[Stu Littlefair]

Second the where is it comments!

Also, if that's your bag there is an unclimbed roof crack project in the Ache Ball cave at Hartland Quay. I thought 8a-ish whilst working it but never quite got it done. Class line though, which I was dissapointed not to get done. Go to it!

(it can get quite high in some beach conditions, take a stepladder)

[Bonjoy]

Looks good. What crag is it at?

[Dave Westlake]

Second the where is it comments!

Also, if that's your bag there is an unclimbed roof crack project in the Ache Ball cave at Hartland Quay. I thought 8a-ish whilst working it but never quite got it done. Class line though, which I was dissapointed not to get done. Go to it!

(it can get quite high in some beach conditions, take a stepladder)

Third the where is it comments - that looks ace! 

Stu, do you mean font 8a or french 8a?  looks like a route to me!  Also, which line do you mean, the deep narrow crack that comes out opposite acheball or the kind of fissure (?) type line that comes directly out from the back on the same side as ache ball? does any of this make sense??

[Stu Littlefair]

I mean font 8a, and I mean the deep narrow crack opposite ache ball...

[nik at work]

Congratulations, looks ace.

Whereisitwhereisitwhereisit??????

[SA Chris]

Time to take bets on location? I'm guessing somewhere random and Mendippish? Holcombe?

[Pantontino]

It's at Bathford.

[Tommy]

Yeah, it's in Bathford (nr Bath) and also know by some locals as Sally-in-the-Woods. As I said, it's not exactly a prime location, so probably and unfortunately not of that much significance I don't suppose.

Great set of moves though!!     If you're really enjoy that kind of climbing, it would be worth a trip and the woods has about another 50 or so other established boulder problems that can provide an afternoon's entertainment.

[Tommy]

Second the where is it comments!

Also, if that's your bag there is an unclimbed roof crack project in the Ache Ball cave at Hartland Quay. I thought 8a-ish whilst working it but never quite got it done. Class line though, which I was dissapointed not to get done. Go to it!

(it can get quite high in some beach conditions, take a stepladder)

Right.... that sounds intersting indeed! What's the details exactly? Width, length, angle etc. Got any photos you could email me by any chance?

Man, and I thought it was expensive enough going down Bristol way regularly! Wish there was something decent in the Peak area.

[Stu Littlefair]

don't have photos, no. Its fully horizontal and is all crack climbing, with jams from thin hands, to fists. Its long too, maybe sixty feet long. I did all the moves when I was down there but couldn't link it. Bon chance...

[SA Chris]

Isn't there a good lip traverse of the same cave? What are access arrangements like? I thought the name was not to mentioned on public forum. If so, some moderation of this thread may be necessary.

[Pantontino]

SA Chris you may have a point there.

"I've also spoken to the land owners.  They have no problem with people climbing there.  However, they didn't want any articles published about the place in guidebooks or magazines for fear of attracting hordes.  Unlikely, but you've got to respect their wishes."

This is a quote from Tim H from a thread back in the summer of 2006. Does anybody know the current situation?

[Doylo]

nice work Tom, surely the grade of 5.13+ would have been more appropriate though 

[c.j.d.]

Looks awsome - well done that man.  Good to know its not just us 'old timers' sending seige stylee!  Winner.

[Greg C]

Not sure if Tommy's posted it anywhere else but there is a video of his new problem here...

http://eliteukbinventory.blogspot.com/2008/02/south-west-all-elements-8a.html

[Tommy]

Have taken the probably poor decision to put some music to it, but at least it masks some of my grunting! Shot in 2 sections as ground is really rocky and slippery outside of cave. First section features actual footage of the FA and second section is a splice. Hopefully it'll inspire a few people to go check it out!

[Scouse D]

Tom, were you a Shef Uni bod? You look right familiar.Effort on your problem, looks brilliant

[Fiend]

Tom, were you a Shef Uni bod? You look right familiar.Effort on your problem, looks brilliant

Have you been down The Edge in the last couple of years?

P.s. Good to see it on vid! Got the beta up in a seperate window for extra....fun.

[Tommy]

Tom, were you a Shef Uni bod? You look right familiar.Effort on your problem, looks brilliant

Have you been down The Edge in the last couple of years?

P.s. Good to see it on vid! Got the beta up in a seperate window for extra....fun.

Ha ha! Now that's what I'm talking about... You obviously enjoy crack as much as I do Fiend! PS. If you're ever down that way exploring more esoterica, then my good Mum will gladly hand out beta (she lives about 5 miles away) although nothing else. 

To anyone that's worrying about access issues, then I've spoken to a Bath County Councillor and the Footpaths Access Team and they have assured me there's no problems (except that you're not allowed to mountain bike there). It's a pretty limited area really, so I don't suppose much will ever change. Having spent the last 8 yrs or so cleaning up problems in the area I'm quite fond of the place - hopefully some others might get an occasional afternoon's pleasure out of it too.