[Baron]

Is it worth putting the cams in at the first break, or should one just forge on?
I am not a hero.

[dave]

the friend placements are shit and its not a terribly comfortable position to place them, and they take up the handholds. you're best just going for it.

[account_inactive]

 

Good gear in the top breaks though

[Oli]

Isn't it all over by the time you can reach the last breaks? I haven't done it, but was under the impression there wasn't any gear until you'd made a committing move off the 'ledge' thing?

[Sloper]

I had to be rescued from the ledge.

[SA Chris]

Isn't it all over by the time you can reach the last breaks? I haven't done it, but was under the impression there wasn't any gear until you'd made a committing move off the 'ledge' thing?

Yes and yes. Why I have never done it. Lower "gear" is of psychological value only, plus will probably harm the rock if you fall.

[grimer]

My friend Neal Beggs was walking in Burbage one day, and heard a cry of 'Like, Help' coming from Pebble Mill. He looked up, and saw Crispin Waddy stood on the ledge. He was dressed only in rock boots, chalk bag and pants. Beggs had to go and get a rope.

Crispin explained he had been in the area for a wedding, and had found himself at Burbage, fancying a go at Pebble Mill. However, he was in his good tackle, and didn't want to get it dirty, so he removed his clothes, and put them on a nearby rock to stay clean.

This seemed like a plausible excuse, so Beggs lowered the rope and rescued him.

I told this story once at a slide show at Llamff. Crispin was there in the audience. Afterwards we were talking.

"But do you know the funniest thing?" he asked. No. What. "That after i got rescued, I thought that the last moves weren't too bad after all, so I went and trield it again. I got back to the ledge, but once again was totally unable to make the last moves, so had to call for another top rope again."

 

[dave]

thats dynamite.

[Jaspersharpe]

This seemed like a plausible excuse, so Beggs lowered the rope and rescued him.

I particularly like this line. Had he not considered it a feasible excuse would he have just left him?

Not as good a story by far but it reminds me of one Neil Gresham told me years ago about when he decided to solo Zeus when out on his own one day and bit off more than he could chew. He'd got himself completely commited and the holds were becoming increasingly green the higher he got. As he gradually became more pumped he realised there was only one thing for it and started shouting for help.

As luck would have it after a couple of minutes of increasingly despairing cries his mate Ian McBeath happened to be wandering up to the crag and hearing the screams went to see what was going on. Neil, thought he was saved and shouted "Thank fuck you've turned up Ian" (or words to that effect) to which Ian replied chirpily "Sorry Neil, I haven't got a rope with me so either you top it out or I'm going to have to sit here and watch you die."

Inspiring stuff obviously as he made it by the skin of his teeth.

[fatboySlimfast]

I think this area brings this out in people...
I was out with Si Berry, Stevie Coates and a few others back in the mid 80's walking up to Burbage south, we had all got the bus out. Dave Pegg had driven out on his c50 step through moped earlier and it was in the car park but no sign of Dave. We all trapsed up and as we got to the quarrys we could see Dave on the widest bit of Goliath soloing away. He gave us a cheery wave and we muttered things about bloody show off etc and went to do Millwheel wall etc. About half an hour later we started to wonder where he was, Si Berry walked out of the quarry to see Dave still in the same position frantically waving and  with a change in wind direction could now hear his screams for a top rope.

[Jaspersharpe]

 

Quality.

[andy popp]

My friend Neal Beggs was walking in Burbage one day, and heard a cry of 'Like, Help' coming from Pebble Mill. He looked up, and saw Crispin Waddy stood on the ledge. He was dressed only in rock boots, chalk bag and pants. Beggs had to go and get a rope.
 

Beggsy got off lightly. In the late eighties Crispin lost some random bet, the forfeit was to climb Arms Race (Avon) stark bollock naked (harness and boots allowed). On the day the bet was called in I was the only available belayer. Needless to say I tried to avert my eyes as he stemmed away above me but with double ropes to manage this wasn't always possible. I'm still having nightmares to this day.

BTW I also soloed Zeus I found it a much more traumatic experience than your average grit E2 5B.

[Steve R]

I know this route has a rep for been reachy....but it deserves more of one!  I'm a shade under 5'10" with slightly +ve AI and could just, just reach the break holds having committed to standing up off the ledge.  If there was any help around, I'd have been yelling too.  Any less reach than what i've got and you'd have to do an extra smeary move off the undercuts which would surely warrant an extra grade....?  No point taking a rope far as i could tell.
p.s. if you find yourself stood on the ledge not fancying the top, i reckon you could hang and drop onto the flat landing and come to no harm.

[andy popp]

Anyone else think both this and The Knock didn't really need to get upgraded?

[Steve R]

from what? The Knock probably deserves more than HVS.

[webbo]

from what? The Knock probably deserves more than HVS.

you mean its not.







 

[aly]

Sorry to change the topic a bit but has anybody done that Playing Dangerous thing up the eliminate slab?  Anyone got any ideas exactly where it's supposed to go for the top bit as you can pretty much reach either arete with your arms... 

[Paz]

but has anybody done that Playing Dangerous thing up the eliminate slab? 

Not me?  You mean anyoe other than Darren, right?

Didn't Ian Parnell tell this Story about Waddy just keeping his ropes in a canoe and to run them through at Pembroke he just stuck them out of it in a heap, grabbed one end and started walking?  And they tried some route up a hole in The Leap that CW had abseiled down before to check out and gotten stuck in?!

[grimer]

What?

[aly]

Sorry Paz but you've totally lost me on that one.  Where do canoes come into it?!?
Yeah, I mean anyone other than Darren, more interested in where it's supposed to go rather than how many ascents it's had.

[grimer]

I'm pretty certain it went up the middle of the lower slab. This, according to Paul Mitchel, was something done a lot, years ago, but was probably now harder since losing pebbles. As far as I can gather, the upper bit just avoided the arete somehow.

"Clinb the face immediately left of Pebble Mill, direct over the overlap and up the face via a desperate 7a move then a few 6c moves to reach the break and poor gear. Continue with a another desperate move on the smallest of pebbles to finish up the headwall above the sloping shelf. (12m)"

Now, as I understand, and no disrespect to Darren's talent, at the time he was using a very eliminate approach to new routes.

I think he actually works at The Foundry.

[Paz]

There were 2 separate gists, the first with no point at all you got.  The other one was me adding another Crispin Wady story into the current pantheon. 

[Slide]

Put me down on the "been rescued from pebble mill" list.