[BenF]

After going to Earl yesterday and failing yet again at this problem (I can't even do it from the block let alone the floor), I realise that I need help...

I just can't get a decent sequence despite the enticingly good looking holds higher up.  So how do you do it?  My final attempts yesterday saw me trying to campus from the good lower edges on the left.  Totally pants I know, but it seemed like a good idea at one point.

Should I be getting the edges to the left and swinging my right heel up high and rocking up to the next pair of holds?  Or should I just let it lie and take up billiards?

[dave]

if i recall correctly from the ledge i had a god lefthand hold and a decent righthand hold over right with a foot on the ledge. then brought right foot up to rock onto that slopey thing high right, take foot off ledge, sag left to matck the lefthand hold (well i say match its just 2 holds next to each other), then pop up with lefthand for a positive crcimp then pop with right for good big hold, then get the top. Think this is pretty much the sequence used in Stick It. If its any consolation i think this is as hard if not harder than andy browns, you've really got to pull hard.

I always think the version starting rigth off the floor looks doable but then i can never pull on.

[squeek]

You can start with both hands on the right, but I think the problem climbs better with one hand out left and one on the right.

On the right handside when you pull on there's an obvious triangular foothold that you can put your right foot on, don't use this as a smear, use a small edge to the right of it for your right toe.  With your foot on this drop down so your right hand is next to your left, go up with your left hand to a crimp, then roll your shoulders and stand on your right foot to catch the biggish hold. If you catch this you should be ok for the rest, the topout's ok.  This is the sequence I find the easiest, but you can also do it using the good smear like Dave said.

[BenF]

Thanks guys, that all makes sense and is pretty much how I thought it would go.  Bringing the right foot up high seems a little scary with that block below you so I'll go back with some spotters (and a top rope ).

I'll also attempt to get some talent 'cos I reckon that'll help too.

In comparison, yeah I would agree it seems harder than some other Earl stuff like Desert Island from sitter, sloping beauty etc.
Not the most overgraded problem in the guide eh?

Thanks again for the help, I have a sequence now and I'll get back on it next time I head there for my annual attempts at Lager Lager Lager (now that's another story of talentless flailing).

[squeek]

In comparison, yeah I would agree it seems harder than some other Earl stuff like Desert Island from sitter, sloping beauty etc.
Not the most overgraded problem in the guide eh?

Really?  I should probably get those two done then instead of flailing about on them on my repeated attempts, I couldn't do Desert Island arete from standing last time I tried!  Have you done the gimp?  that's about the same grade, probably easier despite getting V8 in the guide (IIRC).

[andy_e]

pictures on yorkshiregrit.com  i.e

study them.

also a good top-down in this month's friction.

[dave]

if anyone wants any beta for DIA then here goes. firsty forget using the good starting hold on the arete as a sidepull, instead use the bottom seam of it round the left of the arete as a normal horizontal straight hold. can't remember if i crimp it or openhand it thumbpinching the arete. right hand goes on something on the other side, whatever. left foot somewhere obvious, then right foot goes up and heelhooks the big sidepull over right - you then pull straight up for that hold on the arete, then as normal jump up and sit on your left foot to get that hold out left. This also works well for climbing into it from the righthand sitter - its basically no harder. Dunno about the left sitter.

The advantage of this is you don't have to fight any kinda barndoor that you may get if pull on on the RH side of the arete  then trying to fall round the arete style. Question?

[Stubbs]

Word, similar to the sequence i was trying last winter without sucess, but didn't have the heelhook on sidepull beta, think it's time to get back up to Earl before the temperatures fall to Siberian levels....

[Bonjoy]

Have done both sitters. The LH one is a lot harder than the right and is well good. The RH finish is also good.
 A big chunk came off the RH sidepull a couple of years back, which makes the dave sequence possible/easier.

[squeek]

When I did DIA it felt easy, but I haven't done it since using the same beta (although I've only tried it in one session).  I started left hand pinching arete, right hand big sidepull, right foot back wall, left foot up to smear on arete, swap feet, heel hook with left, up to slopey hold high on arete, turn left heel into a toe and rock over to get the hold on break.  

I'm going to go to Earl next opportunity after I get back from Font, DIA, Underpants, Sloping Beauty, Superfly, Grape Nut (from ground) ...  it's as if the crag is my ticklist!

[Stubbs]

If you can do HA and DIA, you should find sloping beauty pish. My personal beta is to get a little crimp to the left of the sloper, which is angled at 45 degrees, with my left hand, then right hand up onto sloper and go. Everyone seems to have different beta for this though - some involving toe hooks out right, some involving the crystals to the right of the sloper (which are all wrong in my opinion, and a good way to bleed).

[dave]

Everyone seems to have different beta for this though  

Damn right. Mines the best though.

Rock up left for sloper from low pocket. Get fingers on sloper and curl your thumb underneath your first finger as if you're trying to hide your thumb from view. You'll find your thumb will hook over a pebble and takea lot of weight off your fingers - for me this si key to holding this hold well. Swap feet on that line of footholds, bring RH up to crimp that bunch of crystals right of the sloper - this in't as bad as it sounds, it's a really positive hold. Then just slap up left fo the top jug. This sequence got me up it on a day when I had about 8 split tips taped up, that thumb is a real lifesaver for shot skin on the left hand. Its also good cos it keeps you over the better landing and cos you're front-on at all times its not freaky at all, you won't take bad falls. All these sequences involving undercutting, crossovers, toehooks etc are just as wack as someone wacking off their load of man-wax all over game Whack Attack whilst wearing a waxed jacket.

[Stubbs]

Next time you go, find the crimp rail to the left and thou shalt be converted like an overweight american being pulled out of their wheelchair by a man in a shiny suit. my beta means you get to move off the sloper for the top, rather than having to bone off a crimp, and you know that sloper is the best hold thereabouts.

[dave]

you trippin? the crystal hold is a jug! no sense using a crap hold when theres a sinker 3 inches away - this ain't the pinches wall.

[BenF]

Haven't tried the Gimp although I looked at it yesterday and thought it looked a tad eliminate.  I realise that's a bit daft coming from a British climber, but it didn't look a strong line.  I'll give it a go though.  

And thanks for the photo Andi, but I'm not sure it helps much, just annoys me that the climber can make the problem look so easy.

[BenF]

I'm going to go to Earl next opportunity after I get back from Font, DIA, Underpants, Sloping Beauty, Superfly, Grape Nut (from ground) ...  it's as if the crag is my ticklist!

Ah yeah, the place is full of utter quality.  Surely the best grit crag?  For pure lines, clean unsandy rock and the setting.  Never fail to be satisfied with a visit to Earl.

[Stubbs]

no sense using a crap hold when theres a sinker 3 inches away.

yes yes, my point exactly, except you appear to have confused the holds: Sloper = good, crytals = bad. The problem is sloping beauty, not crystal beauty after all eh?

Earl is only let down by it's aspect, if it faced any other way it would be ten times as busy and polished to hell... hmm maybe facing north is a good thing.

[BenF]

Earl is only let down by it's aspect, if it faced any other way it would be ten times as busy and polished to hell... hmm maybe facing north is a good thing.

And further to that, Earl's aspect is a boon (I don't think I've ever used that word before) in early/late summer when it provides much better conditions than other grit crags.  Even in winter, facing north doesn't cause that much discomfort or dampness in the grand scheme of things.

[dave]

the great thing about earl is its good training for the real thing - burbage earl. :wink:

[BenF]

the great thing about earl is its good training for the real thing - burbage earl. :wink:

No, the great thing about burbage is its good training for the real thing - Earl.

There is a great similarity between the two venues and I'm hard pressed to choose between the two.  Rock is better at Earl, less polish and more classics (yeah go on, argue it).  But Burbage has a little more volume and plenty of other close classy venues (and I said classy, not glassy).  Then again Earl is easily combined with Widdop or even Bridies, except that its falling down and needs to be left well alone now.

[dave]

there aint no polish at burbage earl. you must be thinking of the other burbages.

[BenF]

there aint no polish at burbage earl. you must be thinking of the other burbages.

And how many Burbages are there exactly?  Or can there be only one?

[dave]

loadsa burbages, burbage north, burbage west, burbage bridge, burbage south-west (toads mouth, carl wark south etc). higgar east could really be called burbage west-north-west-by-north, and carl wark could be burbage west-south-west-by-west. burbage earl is a subset of burbage south, being the part of the crag east of stampede, so called cos its very like earl crag, i.e. dark green, good lines, dodgy landings. or conversley, maybe earl is named after burbage earl. any questions?

[squeek]

Crookrise is also near to Earl and Shipley Glen doesn't take too long to get to from Earl, rock to rock.  Another plus point for Earl is that is never seems to be very busy.

I was never overly impressed with the bouldering at Burbage, but I haven't been there since getting Ru's guide, so I should probably go back and have a reassesment.

[BenF]

loadsa burbages, burbage north, burbage west, burbage bridge, burbage south-west (toads mouth, carl wark south etc). higgar east could really be called burbage west-north-west-by-north, and carl wark could be burbage west-south-west-by-west. burbage earl is a subset of burbage south, being the part of the crag east of stampede, so called cos its very like earl crag, i.e. dark green, good lines, dodgy landings. or conversley, maybe earl is named after burbage earl. any questions?

Fantastic summary there Dave.  You forgot the Cowper Stone though.  It's technically part of the same valley, just a little higher up the watershed.  Would that be Burbage extreme north west?

No doubt you will furnish me with a suitable response.  And people used to say I went on about Burbage too much...