Yorkshire News - Autumn 2003

As the long hot summer of 2003 finally appears to be fading its time to take stock on another productive season of new routing and bouldering. Since the last update in June there has been lots of activity at Trow Gill, with significant new routes at Gordale and Yew Cogar Scar. Elsewhere on the limestone feverish checking for the new guide has unearthed many other new routes of lesser stature but they all add to the rich variety of Yorkshire Climbing.

On the Grit the most significant new routes are at Chevin Quarry where David Sutcliffe and friends have now added four hard and very significant routes to this once neglected area. Recent tree felling by Leeds leisure services has opened up the quarry and made it a much more appealing spot.

A new bouldering sector on Ilkley Moor has been developed and written up by Richard Seabrooke. This is above and beyond Swastika Stones but a useful addition to this area on good rock with 18 problems up to V7.

Whilst speaking of bouldering Francis Holland reminds me I haven't mentioned several recently developed areas in Nidderdale including new sectors at Brimham. Full details are constantly being updated on www.yorkshiregrit.com and Francis urges you to take at look at Whitehouses Crag in particular www.yorkshiregrit.com/whitehouses . This website is dedicated to Yorkshire bouldering with lots of good pictures (unfortunately mainly of Francis!).

So, in a little more detail, 11 new routes have been added to Trow Gill in the last three months. On the right wing these include Blackout in the Big apple (F6a), Silver Fox (F6b), and Creaking Gait, (F6c) all from Mick Johnson. Bootleg Bandits (F7a) from Nigel Baker, Bandicoot (7a) and Whores with Quick Drawers (F6c+) courtesy of Steve Coates and and a very popular bolted version of Pimp with a limp (F7a+) from Paul Clarke.

On the Left Wall I added Market Forces (F7b), Gaz Parry extended Bush of Ghosts by a very powerful sequence at F7c and Ian Vickers added Max, (F8a) to create the crags hardest route to date.

Matt Troilett found Unknown Pleasures (E5) on the Dolostone Wall at Gordale and a direct start to Bon Appetite (F7b+) at Malham. Matt and Paul Wheeler have put in several marathon efforts rebolting old routes at Gordale and in one afternoon alone replaced fifty bolts around Backwater Buttress. Scavanger and Chocolate Logger at Malham also got a long overdue clean up by volunteers who would rather have been climbing! Would anyone else like to share the workload??

Ian Vickers and Gaz parry added The Ten Year Itch (F8a) to Yew Cogar and they have also done some repair work to the older harder routes there and at Trow Gill.

In the easier grades Karl Lunt and Alison Sharman have developed a new sector above Beggar's Stile which they allege could contain the very best HVDiff on Yorkshire Limestone definitely worth 3 stars. They have also added a couple of new routes to the rather esoteric Cowside Flask further up the valley from Yew Cogar.
The first new routes (VS and HVS) recorded at Ash Tree Crag for over 13 years came in recently from Dick Conway and Ian Baker. I suspect there is lots more potential up there for those willing to endure the walk

On the Grit the main Route News is all from the Chevin, where David Sutcliffe's Stonequest (E6/7), Primate, (E6) and Clarence Tenthumbs (E7) are all bold and important additions (See pictures below). David also seconded his friend John Bannister on Pipe Dreams (E4) in the same area.

Lesser routes on the grit include a few minor offerings in the Hares Head area at Brimham from Tony Marr and a pleasant VS gap filler at Lord's Seat from Bob Larkin. Jamie Moss and Matt Kilner have added a new line to Penyghent and Brian Trevelyn has reported a couple of new problems at Shipley. Tim Pollard has unearthed a couple more lines at Eastby including an exciting left hand version of the Padder at E1. Ian Farnworth and Paul Wheeler took a well earned day off from re-bolting work on the limestone to add Fat Flossin' (E1 5c) to Rocky Valley at Ilkley

There have been no serious access issues to report except at Yew Cogar where the farmer has challenged climbers approaching the crag up and down the valley. Either go seek permission or follow the guidebook approach down the big hill and save enough energy for the walk out again.

Dave

Dave Sutcliffe on the first ascent of Stonequest (E6/7)
Picture John Bannister

Dave Sutcliffe on the first ascent of Primate, (E6)
Picture John Bannister

Dave Sutcliffe on the first ascent of Primate, (E6)
Picture John Bannister

Dave Sutcliffe on the first ascent of Clarence Tenthumbs (E7)
Picture John Bannister

Paul Wheeler on Earthquake (5b)

Adam Wheeler on the first ascent of Generation Landslide (S)

Derek Hargreaves on Peace Frog (E2 5c)

Yorkshire News Update - June 2003

Malham, Gordale, Trow Gill, Dib Scar, Giggleswick, Oxenber, Attermire, Crummackdale and the long neglected Hull Pot all feature in recent limestone activity whilst Caley, Brimham, Earl and Crookrise have new routes and or problems on the Grit.

The bird restrictions at Malham have been revised with Peregrines moving house to the left wing in the region of the Caveat wall hence opening up early the better trad routes on the Carnage and Terrace Walls further right.

The big new route on Limestone is the much coveted Raindogs Extension which Steve McClure has been working on for over a year. It finally fell in June to a delighted Steve who believes it is well up with the hardest sports routes in Britain at F9a. The route finishes at a no hands rest and lower-off some way short of the half-height ledges and Steve suggests it could continue further at a loosish 7a+ . If you can get that far you are welcome to finish it!

At Gordale Matt Troilett and Nez Herbert have climbed an interesting E4 traverse from the left of the upper waterfall and Mark Radtke has climbed a new sports route at F6c+ to the left of Pillar and Roof.

Paul Clarke has continued his Trow Gill campaign with a couple of routes in the F7b+ range just left of Petulant Frenzy and a route of similar difficulty to the right of Tower of Baubles. He then added a short but powerful F7c over the bulges to the right of Cave Crack at Dib Scar. At the same venue Nigel Baker re-equipped the start of This Fear of Blocks but followed a diagonal line leftwards across the upper wall on good rock to avoid the loose blocky groove of the original route above. F6c+ is the none too generous grade at the moment. Also at Dib the Ration and Welfare and Passion and Warfare have been re-equipped and the later now has an almost independent left hand variant Pension and Busfare at F7a with new staples to indicate the line. A more blinkered right-hand line is also possible clipping the replaced bolts of the original line at F7a+/b but keeping always to the right of them.

There are two more easyish lines at Giggs South courtesy of Dick Tong and Mick Johnson, both on the Bonhommie walls and at Giggs North Paul Wheeler and Friends added two at F6a+ to the Red Rag wall directly above the layby.

Further a field at Hull Pot the long defunct routes of Sportak and Ocean Blue were re-equipped by Paul Wheeler, Ian Farnworth and friends to give good lines at F7b+. The same pair added a totally new F7a, Boff the Dog, on the same wall.

At Crummackdale a guide checking campaign by Phil Osborne, Bob Larkin and friends has produced nine new routes between VS and E2 several of which sound to be good quality. And at Attermire Glyn Edwards, Colin Binks, Peter Kay and Angela Soper added several routes in the HVS to E2 category to the long neglected Escarpment buttresses and one to the lower tier of the main buttress in the vicinity of Mellow Yellow. Oxenber provided Simon Blythe with a rare new route, only the second here since the last guide in 1992.

I also have news of a completely new small crag to the North-west of Ingleton added to the database under the name of Tow Scar. It is between Thornton in Lonsdale and Kingsdale and currently holds 10 routes in the easier grades up to HVS.

Back to the grit and almost as I wrote my last update for this site, bemoaning the fact that nothing new was happening on the gritstone, Steve Dunning proved me wrong by completing the long awaited projected on the Great Flake block at Caley. High Fidelity is a worthy addition to the Yorkshire grit micro-route masterclass weighing in at V13+ (F8c?) but at only 7 metres above a flat landing its not easy to assign an E grade. I leave that to the next generation of guidewriters. Good effort Steve!

Another lesser known YG LGP also fell around the same time to Mike Gray at Little Brimham. The very obvious unclimbed 6 metre wall, this time above a rather more serious landing finally succumbed as The Good News at E6 6c (V8/9). Mike tells me he had only one small mat, wore his helmet and had no spotters but describes the sequence as one of the best he has ever experienced. I know several other strong teams have tried and failed so suggest this could become an important test piece for the Brimham area. Also at Brimham Mick Johnson and Dick Tong climbed Windy Day Flop, (E2 5b) on the Calkwalk pinnacle.

Eastby and Crookrise have seen several minor additions and variants from Kev Barrett, Tim Pollard and Brian Swales mainly in the VS category with 3 routes in particular on a newly cleaned section of Eastby to the right of The Nose. Also at Crookrise, Pine Needle Boulder, in the woods about a hundred metres below the Sole has been unearthed and cleaned by Peter Hill to provide around 10 new problems up to 6b. At Earl Crag, Phil Osborne has climbed a new E1 directly above the start of the Prowler.

All the above have been incorporated into the databases where you can obtain full details with reference to the definitive guides

Finally in the esoteric bouldering venue category I have received details of several specific problems at Park Rocks Bingley from Nathan Stead. I know this area has had its devotees for several years but no one has ever documented the place as far as I know. Access is best gained from the Sandy Banks lane above the Malt Shovel pub on the Harden to Willsden Road and I understand there is lots of potential for those prepared to put in the required cleaning time. If anyone has a full list of problems here please let me know.

.

Dave

Kev Barrett on Dawn till Dusk VS 5a at Eastby

Kev Barrett on Oliver Twist VS 5a at Crookrise.

Yorkshire News Update - Easter 2003

Its been a slow start to the new routing new year with very little to report over the late autumn & winter months. However, the dry Spring has got the limestone enthusiasts into action and routes are now falling thick and fast at Giggleswick North and Trow Gill.

Nigel Baker set the ball rolling at Giggs North by bolting the line once mistakenly thought to be taken by Sweet Gene Vincent. It has now become Bad Genie at F6c and has already proved very popular. I added Film Clips F6a to the Hollywood Cup and Northern Humour (F6c) at the left end of main crag. Not to be outdone Paul Wheeler and Ian Farnworth bolted another short rib nearby to give Hit me with Your Clipping Stick (F6c+) Though they had to import Nez Herbert for the first lead. The same team re-equipped Branching Out at (F6b+) and Sunset Boulevard to revive an excellent line now worth F7b+, whilst Matt Troilett made Blue Movies (F7a) in the Hollywood Cup. On the same crag Haggard Herring (F7b) was fully re-equipped and given an independent belay by Steve Coates.

At Trow Gill the unseasonally early dry spell allowed Nigel Baker to complete unfinished business from last autumn to create The Road to Iraq and Ruin (F7a+) a good hybrid diagonal from the start of Brush with a Goat and Paul Clarke managed to extend Open For Business over its final bulge to give Frozen Assets (F7b+), described by Paul as a V7 boulder problem at the end of a long F6c+ route. I re-equipped Age Concern, now a pleasant F7a which gave the opportunity for Steve Coates to add a direct line to its right with the same finish, Senior Moment (F6c) and Paul added The Flying Zimmer Frame Finish (F7b+) into the upper left hand groove.

The limestone season really started with a bang with a fund raising party at Elslack in support of the Yorkshire Bolt Fund and the organisational efforts of Micky Johnston, Neil Herbert, Craig Entwhistle and friends combined with great slide shows from Mark Radtke and Andy Cave and genourous sponsors donating raffle prizes ensured the 100 guests had a very drunken night. Over £900 was raised which should ensure re-equipping efforts can continue throughout the year.

On the grit I have absolutely nothing to report. This is, I suspect the longest period without a new route on Yorkshire Grit for as long as I can remember. Who is going to be the first to do a new route on Yorkshire Grit in 2003? Don't try telling me there are none left. I presume lots has been happening in the bouldering arena but again I've no new info. I know that several good problems not shown on Rads topo have been done at Swastika Stones and I am in the process of updating the list there with V grades so if anyone has any little gem there they want to tell me about I will be publishing a new topo very soon.

Dave,

8th April 2003