[Bonjoy]

 Had a brief play on this yesterday. It seemed pretty hard. Reasonable footholds but next to nothing for fingers and sufficiently steep to push you off as you try to move up and left along the footholds. Does anyone know how it climbs or indeed if it has had any ascents other than the semi-rumoured FA by the man himself?

[Johnny Brown]

I have a vague memory of doing it years back on my first visit. Either something has broken off very cleanly or I remember wrong. On more recent visits I've not been convinced it can be climbed.

[Somebody's Fool]

I'm fairly sure that Justin did during a brief hiatus from mis-spending his youth.  I could be wrong, although I suspect if anyone has done it it would be him.

It did look fairly impossible as the far from weak Bonjoy/Banks team floundered yesterday.  Did they bag Who Needs Ready Brek I wonder?

[Ru]

I did it when researching the guide. I can't remember much, but I rocked onto a high right foot smear I think to gain an edge with my left hand quike high up, then used this to rock higher and rightwards. I think. Hard.

[Ru]

Actually, I think I did it before I did the guide, remember that the high edge was very thin with like a wafery lippy bit that your skin snagged on - this could easily have come off or crumbled slightly and I doubt you could tell, but would make a massive difference.

[Bonjoy]

The tiny edge was v tiny and unusable in the searing heat of the mid winter sun. Do you rock onto the vague smeary edge used as a footer on Finger of Fate? If so it would explain where we were going wrong. We were trying to go left to a thin crack rather than more direct to the ledge on FOF.

SF - Got to second crimp on WNRB, but is was far to hot to pull on those crimps! Reckon I might stand a good chance on a cold day.

[AndiT]

I've not done it, but was always under the impression that it was bit of a jump from the smears to get the higher hold up and right. Apparently Simon just kept lunging and flying off down the hill (no doubt missing his beer towel by a mile) and then getting back on it. It's meant to be quite a swing when you catch it. That's what I heard, anyway

[Ru]

I definitely moved rightwards. It may have been a pop for the hold I can't remember. It was cold when I did it and I remember boning down on the crimp very hard. Can't remember the feet very well.

[Bonjoy]

Tah, it's all starting to make sense now. I'll know what to try next time.

[Paul B]

SF - Got to second crimp on WNRB, but is was far to hot to pull on those crimps! Reckon I might stand a good chance on a cold day.

that line looks awesome!

[Bonjoy]

You'd love it yoot.
Surely with that avatar you should have "Loves the crimps you hate" as signature!

[Johnny Brown]

Had yet another fruitless (not even any apples) session on this today.

With the info in the new guide, it seems like there are two lines here. Be good to get it sorted for the new guide.

1. From up the slope to the left, lean in to a high hold that isn't as good as it looks. Swing on, then adjust hands and snatch for the base of the crack. As described in '09 Staffs guide, given V9. Good project sit/ non reach start.

2. Climb the slab anywhere that's possible, without using the right arete. Only known ascent by Ru, given 7b+, in bouldering guide at 7b+. Now impossible?

Any other input? I'm guessing Ru's line was pretty near the right arete, ie the two lines would seem not to share any holds.

[BenF]

Me and Dolph looked at this on Saturday.  Had the same dilemma regarding lines that you had and came to the same conclusions you outlined.  I quickly went to do something else whilst Dolph searched for fruit but similarly came up with none like you, although he nearly got up it from the lean in/reach start from the left.  Personally I felt the left hand start was a bit of a non-line (not helped by its rather morpho start) whilst the direct up the slab line was simply holdless, but a better line. 

[Johnny Brown]

Personally I felt the left hand start was a bit of a non-line (not helped by its rather morpho start) whilst the direct up the slab line was simply holdless, but a better line.

Exactly. Amazed to hear Dolph didn't get up the left-hand line though.

[Ru]

From what little I remember, I think I started from the top of the slope on the left side and reached a thin crimp with my right, although you end up with it with your left. I didn't climb the wall just left of the right arete. The description in my guide "climb the centre of the slab" is a bit misleading in retrospect. The line in the new guide is a better illustration, but I seem to remember 2-3 hard smearing moves before I got the crimp, but I may be misremembering. I really need to go back to better remember.

What i do remember is that the problem seemed to boil down to pulling very hard on a painful thin crimp, had an awkward fall and wasn't much fun.

[grimer]

I emailed Simon about this but he got back too late to put his info in the guide. I will fish out the email and post it up in a bit - I'm just off to the dentist now. Wish me luck!

[slackline]

I emailed Simon about this but he got back too late to put his info in the guide. I will fish out the email and post it up in a bit - I'm just off to the dentist now. Wish me luck!

Good luck, say hello to Dobbin

[BenF]

Amazed to hear Dolph didn't get up the left-hand line though.

To be fair, I wouldn't take it as a measure of his ability or the difficulty of the moves as Mick was utterly knackered after six days of climbing on the trot.

[grimer]

From Simon Nadin:

"Left Hand Finger of Fate- desciption is pretty good but just to clarify. It doesnt start at the base of the left arete but slightly higher up the grassy slope. From this position it is possible to stretch out right for the only poor hold on the arete/face. Swing onto this - not too much swing as this usually ends up cartwheeling down the bank-  and continue diagonally rightwards on improving holds to reach Finger of Fate. Finish as for this. Quite hard i think."

[Johnny Brown]

Cheers Grimer, that's pretty much what is in the new guide and makes sense.

The description in my guide "climb the centre of the slab" is a bit misleading in retrospect.

Mild understatement! You owe me about eight hours of my life back!

I think I started from the top of the slope on the left side and reached a thin crimp with my right, although you end up with it with your left.

This is the same as Nadin.

but I seem to remember 2-3 hard smearing moves before I got the crimp

This isn't, and makes you the best slab climber in The Peak. Impressive.

[Ru]

Mild understatement! You owe me about eight hours of my life back!

Apologies. Although you do climb the centre of the slab, you just start on the left. A bad description though.

I think I started from the top of the slope on the left side and reached a thin crimp with my right, although you end up with it with your left.

but I seem to remember 2-3 hard smearing moves before I got the crimp

This isn't, and makes you the best slab climber in The Peak. Impressive.
[/quote]

I'm in danger of talking about something that I can't remember clearly. I made some foot movements that I slipped off a few times. I don't know if this was once I'd got the crimp or before. I had thought that I'd pulled on and moved my feet into position before getting the crimp, more shuffling my feet than actual moves, but I might be mistaken. I didn't climb up the lower slab where there are no holds.

[Johnny Brown]

I think/ hope you were mistaken, otherwise you are still going to have to give me some slab climbing lessons! The crimp is poor, as are the footholds. Once you get on there is a fair bit of tricky smearing just to fiddle your left hand on to the good bit, then a lunge up to the crack.

[Bonjoy]

Good to hear this mystery is solved. Ru - you owe me a similar number of hours.

[Ru]

I've just spent about an hour digging through an old box full of papers and dug out some old topos and notes from when I did the guide - I've got NSF climbing the slab direct and a note saying "from L, still 7b+". So I presume that when I wrote the guide I thought that Simon's original method went up the middle. I also found some sequence notes on the Nth Cloud projects. Anyone tried these?

[Bonjoy]

I vote that if anyone ever manages the slab line it be called Rupert's Secret Sandbag.