[tomtom]

Hello,
I find the start of Si's Arete nails, I'm tall and can't frogs leg around the arete with my L heel on the good hold. I can flag through with my right, keeping my L heel on that hold, but seem to get into all sorts of foot trouble after the first move (moving my flagged r leg through to the right hand side). Is it possible my way, or will I just have to shoe horn my legs apart to get one leg either side of the arete? Or is it just hard and I'm crap! 
T

[richdraws]

I think Dave Cowl is quite tall, see how he does it on the video on Yorkshire Grit. The way I did it is left heel on rock right over it with my right leg flagging out to the right hand side of the blunt arete. I seem to remember figuring the first move out to be quite tricky then once you have the feel for it its relatively easy.

http://www.yorkshiregrit.com/video.html?id=almscliff__si_arete&n=0

Good luck

[GCW]

I think Dave Cowl is brutally strong, see how he does it on the video on Yorkshire Grit.

[moose]

For the very first hand movements I have both legs out to the LHS of the arete - LF on the obvious heel hook, RF smearing under the lip.   I keep that left heel in place for the next few moves after that too - just keep on slapping until I can get my RF properly under me and turn the left-heel into a toe..  

[robertostallioni]

I think Dave Cowl is brutally strong, see how he does it on the video on Yorkshire Grit.

Dave is a robot sent back from the future to hug fridges.

[tomtom]

For the very first hand movements I have both legs out to the LHS of the arete - LF on the obvious heel hook, RF smearing under the lip.   I keep that left heel in place for the next few moves after that too - just keep on slapping until I can get my RF properly under me and turn the left-heel into a toe..  

Thanks I'll give that a whirl (too windy methinks today..) for me it often seems to be about finding ways to loose some height by curling up legs/body etc...

[tomtom]

I think Dave Cowl is quite tall, see how he does it on the video on Yorkshire Grit. The way I did it is left heel on rock right over it with my right leg flagging out to the right hand side of the blunt arete. I seem to remember figuring the first move out to be quite tricky then once you have the feel for it its relatively easy.

http://www.yorkshiregrit.com/video.html?id=almscliff__si_arete&n=0

Good luck

Thanks, if I try and do it like in the vid, I just cant seem to spread my legs (!?) wide enough arond the arete - so I've been trying it like this (shamelessly cribbed from yorkshiregrit.com) - is this what you meant Moose?
T

[andy_e]

I think Dave Cowl is brutally strong, see how he does it on the video on Yorkshire Grit.

Dave is a robot sent back from the future to hug fridges.

 

[andy_e]

Funny that, everyone in yorkshire has their own style: Dave Cowl hugs fridges, Nige Poustie does eliminate lip traverses, Andy Swann does 8as and calls them 7b...

[webbo]

Funny that, everyone in yorkshire has their own style: Dave Cowl hugs fridges, Nige Poustie does eliminate lip traverses, Andy Swann does 8as and calls them 7b...

i think dave and andy would prefer not to be mentioned in the same sentence as the ginger minger.

[andy_e]

Actually, it's probably the other way round and nige would be paranoid that they'd find out his projects through being mentioned in the same sentence...

[moose]

Thanks, if I try and do it like in the vid, I just cant seem to spread my legs (!?) wide enough arond the arete - so I've been trying it like this (shamelessly cribbed from yorkshiregrit.com) - is this what you meant Moose?

Yep, that's the badger - you have to splay the RF out in a curious feeling way to get the good smear.  I think I start cross-handed to most people too - so that I can throw with my RH still on the best hold (the crozzliest sloper).

[Stabbsy]

I'm also fairly tall (6'3"ish) and found this really awkward until I worked out a sequence. That said, I've never seen anyone else do it the same way, so it may be fairly specific to my height and weakness.

I start cross-handed with my left heel on and right foot flagged underneath. Pull on and get crimp for left hand and gritty bit on the arete for the right hand. Move right foot round the arete (not really doing much with it) and then rockover your left heel and lean away from the right hand on the arete. Once you get into a stable position (the awkward bit), reach for the top crimp with your left and finish fairly easily.

[tomtom]

I'm also fairly tall (6'3"ish) and found this really awkward until I worked out a sequence. That said, I've never seen anyone else do it the same way, so it may be fairly specific to my height and weakness.

I start cross-handed with my left heel on and right foot flagged underneath. Pull on and get crimp for left hand and gritty bit on the arete for the right hand. Move right foot round the arete (not really doing much with it) and then rockover your left heel and lean away from the right hand on the arete. Once you get into a stable position (the awkward bit), reach for the top crimp with your left and finish fairly easily.

Cheers Stabbsy & Moose, I'm about that tall, and trying it the way you describe raised a host of 'you're making that far harder for yourself' comments from the people I was with... I'll give it a pop, T

[tomtom]

Re-visited Si's arete on Monday afternoon - the conditions were really good, and I made further progress using the tall mans way talked about previously in the thread.. I can get a really good upwards smear/press thing with my right leg flagged under and move left hand and right hand up as in the picture below..
Unfortunately I then have the problem of where to put my right leg! when I move on from the picture below.. I tried folding it under me and lunging for the sloper with my right hand but I seem to push myself outwards. Moose - is this the stage where you mentioned feeling around the corner with your rf to find a smear/something? It almost feels like I could do with just dragging a heel around the RH corner to keep myself on whilst going up for the next sloper!
So near and yet so far! excellent...
(ps - my foot is not on the ground - honest!)

[uptown]

I'm not tall tomtom, but it sounds like I do it similarly to you 'bigboys'. Just swap that left heel to a toe and pop the next sloper without putting your right foot round.

[nik at work]

I am short, nay midget-esque yet I think I too did a similar thing (largely due to having the hip flexibilty of a piece of wood). However my technical tweek was to eschew the heel altogether and attack in a toe on style from the outset thus negating the requirement for tricky mid problem foot based shilly-shallying.
Of course I may be remembering this all wrong, GCW doubtless knows the truth...

[GCW]

I (nearly) did it the lanky man's way.  Left heel on, pull up to OK left hand hold, take right hand.  Then I udged and udged and slapped for the top.  In this last bit my right leg was worse than useless, the crux for me is avoiding the inevitable dab.  I was too bunched to get my right leg round right, so had to cock it up like a spaniel.

Next time it'll go.

[sjw]

Swap heel for a toe, get that RF around the corner on nothing specific and you can kind of hug the arete...which helped me a lot when going up to the next hold if I remember rightly. Good luck!

[Steve R]

However my technical tweek was to eschew the heel altogether and attack in a toe on style from the outset thus negating the requirement for tricky mid problem foot based shilly-shallying.

seconded.... and thought that sentence deserved to be down in print at least one more time

[tomtom]

Thanks for the beta - RobL who I was climbing with shifted the heel for a toe - but he is quite a bit shorter than me.. I guess with the toe as you move onto it you can pull yourself closer to the rock than the heel - though the heel felt essential for the first move.
I have the same problem as GCW was describing, my right leg just flaps about underneath me.. when I pop up for the hold I tend to go out and up rather than up, so if that right leg/foot could just scrittle around for something to keep my arse in when I move up I think that would work. Anyway, some good ideas to try there thanks - and now I've got the first couple of moves wired I'm feeling quite confident about the rest with fresh arms (famous last words!)
Tom

[GCW]

After the reminder from tomtom, I put this bad boy to bed today.  The secret?  Don't use a mat!  Worked for me

My previous problem was my right foot swinging into the mat on the last hard move.  With a change of boot (and old skool lacing stylee), no mat and some MTFU it went down.  Feels like 7a+ to me, very bunched and awkward.

And then Steve's Wall, just for the 'Cliff beta police 

[tomtom]

Good effort GCW... and cheers for the vid.. I'll see if I can snake my right foot over to that little edge you had chalked up next time I'm there. Were the conditions still good?

Steves wall: looks like you're missing the first move - as I understand it you have to span across from that good LH hold into the pocket that you were starting with your RH in...  If what you've done is the problem I'll take the tick as I've done it from there.. but can't do the first move I described... (its made to look shockingly easy here.. http://www.yorkshiregrit.com/problem.html?id=almscliff__steves_wall#video;n=0 )

PS - like the slo-mo preview at the start 

[GCW]

It's described as a sit start, that's what I did. 
I tried the move from the pocket, going straight to the high RH edge but pulling on is viscious.

EDIT:  Conditions were good if you like sticking your hands in butter pats.

[tomtom]

It's described as a sit start, that's what I did. 
I tried the move from the pocket, going straight to the high RH edge but pulling on is viscious.

watch out for the Almscliff ethics police...