Brimham full of action

Monday 26th June
Had aimed to be out on Sunday but way too windy, Monday a much better bet , make the most of it - the rest of the week looks pretty grim.  CB tied up at the dentist in Thirsk at noon so it seemed like a good place to rendezvous would be the brilliant playground of
Brimham Rocks

Cubic Block exerts its usual magnetism as the GO-TO sector at the start of the day's efforts





AT on Heather Wall

BP gets the sums right on Square Root

Cubic Corner - solved with friends from the right dimension

BP applied some precision and comes up with the answer




Re-locate to Cannon Rock.
CB materialises and gives the team a third dimension.

BP in fine form on Maloja

 BP in action

CB makes the traverse moves in a v fine position

Managed to walk past the jamming test piece of RH crack and lured the gang to Birch Tree Wall.

It's still a classic.




Camped for a while to fiddle with small gear at the back of the big break

A delicate traverse leads to the wall and a hunt for gear



A few more moves yield a solid placement

CB sorts out the jamming crux on Right Wall

Exit via flutes under the roof and out right

After a couple of desperate mantles the steep jamming crack comes as something of a relief

A few minutes walk out to Allans Crack

It's BP's lead - phew!!

Hard moves lead up.......

....to really hard moves from here out left to an undercut hold

Strenous climbing and getting gear sorted

The angle eases briefly to a
rest - of sorts

More steep moves lead to a pleasant slab and the top in fifteen feet or so



PHEW!!


Brilliant effort - top of the grade and more

Time for another

Awkward moves to here

AT fixes focus on the foothold

No muffed moves till the belay please

Fagged out!

PUB!

That CB gives us the grade creeps

More pics here

Wharncliffe Heat Wave

Wednesday 21st June
CB back into the loop after last week's drop out, standing in this week for BP who is soaking up the Dorset sun.  Weather north of Leeds very mixed so south bound again - according to my UKC it's been 10 years since we were at
Wharncliffe Crags
Although something tells me there's been a trip since then? (PS it was July 2008)  The crag is rather long and broken so planned to operate across three sectors, starting with the
Great Buttress Area

NB on Remus wondering what the Romans ever did for us

Soon in the flow

Beta not needed on this splendid severe

The little overlap

Move up right to lock onto the lay away

NB up for more roaming about on Romulus







CB operating at about 10% capacity

AT jumps a turn to bag the main route hereabouts- Great Buttress

Tricky lower section leads to some bold moves next to an unconvincing cam


NB helpfully points out the optional side runner

So stepped back down and whopped in a big bong!

Beginning to regret not being more diligent with gear in the lh rope.

Fortunately the finishing moves are straightforward enough apart from the snappy hold

CB gets himself going on the direct finish
(Just a Minute)
at E15b

No hesitation, deviation or repetition

Moving on
Puttrells Progress Sector

Starts with an amenable slab with three pleasant routes which seemed to go ok in the short sharp shower

Soon dried out

More pleasant climbing just As We Like It

CB follows in great shape

AT gives away his hiding place whilst making progress of sorts

Everyone seems to find it all very funny

So a quick swing out and launch across gets progress back on track

Plenty still to do but good holds lead to a steep finish


Masses of action packed into a mere 12m

The definition of
"Good Value"

Himmelswillin Sector

CB cruises up the final route

Sustained climbing to a rest out left before the final crack


Gear selection and placement impeccable as ever




NB shows Willing


Gott im Himmel!!

The Longest Day -  time well spent!

Note that route 8 gets HVD in the guide

Stanage à Trois

Wednesday June 14th
CB's last minute hiccup left three to invent a day out at
Stanage Edge
Weather rather too warm to get far into the E grades so found some great friction at a more moderate level.  Plenty of people out at the crag, but our target buttress was pretty free so got straight into action just before noon.

After some debate BP get's the first lead on the books

NB follows BPs very tidy lead on Bishop's Route

More merriment follows on Robin Hood's something or other.


A big cam or two would have been handy on the lead, as it was three bongs and a sling was enough to keep the quivers away

Route finding not too difficult

NB shows willing in his scarlet shirt.....

Then makes a Bee line for a pleasant excursion

BP on Soft Shoe

Interesting and well protected

Ellis's Eliminate was tempting, but AT sets off on Right Twin Crack


Starts quite steady but toughens up

Perfect protection

NB polishes the session off with a nice Shuffle

 LR
Soft Shoe
Shuffle
Robin Hood's Right Hand Buttress Direct
Bishop's Route
Climber is on Inverted V (still there I imagine)

Please Sir can I have Some Moor

Thursday June 1st

A longish layoff for both of us, feeling the need to keep the comfort zone as big as possible - cue one of the default local options - the reliably welcoming Wainstones - but feeling a bit moorish so the extra helpings on offer over on Ravens Scar were too tempting to turn down.

Figured the ever improbable Sphinx Nose Traverse would do for starters

The bow in the blue rope is a clue to the way the wind was starting to get a bit tasty


But those pants are hot!

BP keeps cool, not making a meal of it, stuffing it with some top gear

Yummy

Lingered around for a couple more routes before the wind got too much

Hungry for moor.....  so popped over to Ravenscar

Only to find we'd been beaten to it by Cleveland's very own Mr TM and partner Mr MT, seen at Scugdale a few weeks back.

TM shows the way on Waterslide 
© Tony Marr

Had to get it done....


AT latches the crucial side pull to start the big rock over onto the second shelf.

The route above offers some welcome gear

(Contrary to UKC description)


Good value

The new DMM offsets went down well at both venues, very confidence inspiring bits of kit

More gear



BP followed with a determined wire brush

Left it better than we found it

Even the descent path got a good seeing to

BP on the fantastic Forest Face

Resolved to come back later this year for more of these under travelled routes