Jam Busters in Yorkshire Raid

 Wednesday July 20th

The record breaking country wide 4 day heatwave finally burnt itself out overnight on Tuesday.  Looking for a halfway house giving easy access from Darlington, Clitheroe and York.  After flirting with another Brimham trip someone came up with the bright idea of a nice steady day on the easier routes of Yorkshire's premier gritstone venue;

Almscliff

It didn't take very long to run out of those.......   Pinnacle Face route was taken over by a tope roping team so we had 4 good routes on Low Man for the morning session.

BP hors de combat with thumb meets blade episode

CB makes the most of the lower third of Stewpot (HVD)

NB probing the awkward first few moves on the so called Easy Way.

All rather polished especially to start, worth a stiffer grade now.

A big cam (#4) came down from above to make the finishing moves safe.

Note soft focus in AT's images.  Maybe an unintended setting to make results more like wet film.

CB reaching the same point just as the top rope gets set up

Very windy on belay

CB led up Rough Crack via Tiernan's Traverse variation at S 4a

NB gets in the finishing jams

Solid

Ages since AT played with Fluted Columns (HVD)

Lovely climbing just a couple of moves lead to huge holds up there.

All done on Low Man

The afternoon session started with a carefree stroll over to the main crag.   All a bit burly by comparison.

AT made the mistake of saying Frankland's Green Crack (VS 4c) looked good on RockFax App.

So CB set off up it.

A steady lay back start leads to a powerful crux that pulls round this bulging overlap.

NB captures an utterly compelling scene.

CB commits....

.....and pulls through to some sort of of rest.  One last gear placement before....

.... launching out onto an improbable sequence to finish the route.

Great climbing by CB

AT makes progress in reasonable style.

For a while.

Making this transition required a tight rope and a bit more.

Getting stood up in the final niche results in loss of previous style.

Made the moves up and out once got back into some sort of shape.

Mandrake much easier at HVS 5a

The start of Central Climb

VS4c ***

Hard here

Hard everywhere

Another friend goes in

More Jamming

Still steep

All in all quite very intimidating 

AT follows, no dogs barking on this one, steep but more straightforward moves than FGC.

Well earned

CB can't match AT's 1000 yard stare....

Need to get me a copy of 

Kick Out The Jams