News Archive - 2008

Tony Mitchell has climbed a link on the Cheeseblock at the Kebs. Start below Bridesmaid, traverse leftwares at a low level, up Cheeseblock then left to the exit of the arete - The Big Cheese, 7c+.

Rob Fenton has found and developed Park Rocks, a small crag in Shipley. There are around ten problems here up to Font 6c.

Tom Peckitt has been busy finding new things at Guisecliff and Simon's Seat.

Starting at Guisecliff, Jaws, 7c/7c+, is a superb sharp arete in the quarries at the far west end. Golden Axe, 7a+, climbs a prow near A Little Sparkle. At the Nought Bank area, Exodus, 7b+, climbs the right-hand side of the Transmission arete, while Sprite, 7a, is a dyno further right, right of Green Fingers.

At Simon's Seat, Pinna, 7a+, is left of Simon Says Squeeze, and at nearby Lord's Seat Kermit, 7c, takes the blank-looking wall immediately right of the Larkin layback crack.

Some old(ish) news from Caley.

Matt Waring has climbed the superb-looking highball arete between Gripping Groove and Terry. Chocolate Orange, 7a, is an obvious line but it doesn't appear to have been climbed before - or at least it's not been documented.

On the Two Squirrels boulder, Dave Cowl has added an extension start to the traverse. Three Squirrels, 7c/7c+, starts on the curving flake to the right of the normal start. And The Field Incident, a 7b+ from Andy Swann, takes the wall/arete between The Drey and the crack.

Matt Troilett has climbed a few new problems on and around the main edge at Widdop. These areas are usually neglected in favour of the Lakeside boulders, but there are some good problems here that are well worth seeking out.

Newly uncovered stuff at Guisecliff, across the road from the roadside boulders, from John Hunt and friends.

Lots of news to catch up on as I've been a bit slack updating the website recently.

Let's start at Brimham. At Hare Heads Dave Cowl climbed Lobo, 8a, which starts up Taggart then reverses 5p 10p. Meanwhile at Bat Buttress Andy Swann climbed Vlad without the block from a standing start at around 7b+.

Andy Swann has also climbed several hard problems at Whitehouses. Hercules, 7c+, climbs the roof left of Fat Punter's Roof to join and finish up Rageh Omaar. Revival, 7b/7b+, is the obvious line between Fat Punter's and Whitefinger, and Lazarus, 7c/7c+, is the link into it from Bush Bully. Andy also repeated Whitefinger and added a low start avoiding the plinth - no change in grade.

More news to come, including Guisecliff and some undocumented lower grade problems at Shipley.

Dave Sutcliffe has climbed a highball crack at Eldwick. Comply or Die, V7-ish, it takes the vertical line in the right-hand bay.

Andy Swann and Dave Cowl have been busy finding some new stuff at Brimham. Hussefelt, V9, is a short problem at Flower Pot Rock from Andy. Taggart, 7a+/7b, and Ten Trav, 7c+, by Andy and Dave respectively, can be found on Cyclops Buttress at Hare Heads. Finally Vogue, an 8a by Andy, takes an obvious wall at Maud's Farm somewhere.

Two more new problems at Guisecliff. Silly Little Boys, 6a+, from Francis Holland lies in the woods near the tarn, and Muck and Brass, a bold 5 or perhaps HVS, lies in the woods on the opposite side of the road to the Nought Bank boulders, right of Free Rider, climbed by Paul Clough.

Two more from Jim Purchon, on the boulders over the border from Scout Crag. Gorilla Warfare, 7b, and Cut Through The Mustard To Get To The Funk, trad 5b.

Tom Peckitt has climbed the slab left of Trust at Guisecliff. Grow Up is around 7b.

Jim Purchon has climbed three new problems at Brimham in the Charming Crack area - Flying Teapot, Skull and Gritstonehead.

Nigel Poustie has found a couple of problems on the opposite side of the road to the main roadside boulders at Guisecliff - Freerider and Hippo are both around 6c+.

Another new problem at Guisecliff from Nigel Poustie. Trust, 7b, takes the slabby side of an arete hidden in the woods at the Nought Bank boulders.

Nigel Poustie has unearthed an excellent problem at Guisecliff. Green Fingers, 6c+, lies on the block to the right of SuckerPunch on the Nought Bank boulders.

Meanwhile Geoff Greenwood has climbed the left arete of the big triangular block below the main edge at Scout Crag at 7a+. This has surely been done before - or maybe not?

Finally at Almscliff Andy Crome climbed the wall right of Dreamland via a running jump to reach a good hold eight feet up. Jumping Bean is perhaps ungradeable, but Andy reckons 7a might be about right.

Nigel Poustie and friends have been developing the boulders at the left-hand end of Snowden Crags, the highlight being Nigel's excellent-looking lip traverse, Energy Crisis, 7c+. There are now around thirty problems at this excellent small crag; well worth a visit.

Andy Swann has climbed a couple of new things at Brimham. The first is an eliminate on the Happy Days buttress; Z Cars traverses the lip right of Bilge Pump to join and finish up Bilge Pump. 7a+/7b.

More significant, but possibly climbed before now by Ian Bitcon, Dead Man Walking, 7c, is the direct version of the right arete of Heart-Shaped Slab, starting on sloping holds at the bottom of the slab (rather than on the ledge on the right as for the easier version).

Finally Dave Cowl has climbed a traverse on the Cyclops boulder at Hare Heads. Five P Ten P, 7c, traverses leftwards along a slopey break to join and finish up Cyclops.

Thanks to Dave and Andy for the news and photos.

This year's payment for the yorkshiregrit.com server is due soon. Until now I've paid for the website out of my own pocket, but it's quite expensive ($400+) and I'm not prepared to do that any more. All donations gratefully received. Many thanks to those people who have already donated.

Greg Chapman has climbed the obvious sit start to Cone Head Bobstar at Whitehouses. Patterns in the Void rates 7c/7c+. In Greg's words, "Start matched on a thin finger edge (start of Under Rumsfeld) with your left heel on a slopey edge, pull up to a sloper above the lip RH, then come into a sidepull LH, rock up to the LH crimp and then make a tricky bop into the RH crimp, then as for the stand up. It's probably 7c/+, not 100% sure as it was in the sun and a bit sandy at the top.".