Saturday 22 November 2008

Oops, I just had to edit this post so dont worry if you think something is missing, your not going crazy.  

It turns out Kevin only climbed the lower part of the The Groove at Cratcliffe so sorry for any confusion from my initial report.  My congratulations still stand, it is a fine pice of hard climbing in its own right, so well done Kevin.

To help out anyone who is unfamiliar with the wall, here is a topo.  The line marked in red pen is The Groove (it follows the groove all the way until it runs out halfway up the upper arete and then climbs the arete).  The line in black is the section of Fernhill Indirect that Kevin took to avoid the upper arete.



Here is a quote from Neil Foster who attempted The Groove whilst it was still a project.

"At the top of the groove section on The Groove is a horizontal break, traversed by Fernhill Indirect and Trick or Treat, John Allen's super reverse girdle.

Above this break, twin cracks lead straight up into a disappearing groove just right of the arete. I always felt this was the natural line as one feature is effectively a continuation of the other, and I was pleased that James apparently agreed (though I hadn't talked to him before he put up the route).

Avoiding this continuation involves hand traversing all the way across to the Ferhill crux, then all the way back left again on Ferhill (as Fernhill direct). That is great fun, but hardly "The True Line"."

Nice one again Kevin, and the rest of "Team America" and sorry to hear about your split from Equilibrium.  That pebble can be cruel, I remember my finger feeling numb for quite some time after my ascent.  I hope to catch up before you leave. If not, I guess I'll see you in San Fran next week :)


P.S ( for the anonymous commentor) I will be in San Fran with The North Face for a few days but unfortunately wont be giving any talks, well, not public ones anyway.  There are however plans for the future, so keep your eyes open.  I'll post on here when one is confirmed.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Any chance you can let us in on what you'll be up to out here in the Bay Area? If you're giving one, I'd love to catch a talk!