Roof RouteRoute Grade Votings
Total votes cast 77
Adjacent Routes
8m. A oddly-named route up the wide crack in the slabby angle. Awkward but large gear, big feet and determination all help. USER COMMENTS
this route looks easy but I found well tricky! but then Im crap at climbing cracks!
don`t be tricked by the name. It`s a crack not a roof and it swallowed my size 4 and size 5 cams. It will also swallow size 11 hexs. Very strenuous and scrary all in one.
Strenuous? Balance up the slab, laybacking the edge of the crack, much easier!!
The wide crack swallows all large cams. Layback it if you can and jam/arm-bar/thrutch it if you can't. Don't make the mistake I did - wearing approach shoes instead of rock boots doesn't help in either jamming the crack or smearing on the slab!
fun but strenuous - the crack became difficult to cam and I found myself some way above any reliable gear, relying on thigh-jams and wriggling to ascend!
harder than The Knock.
About Severe. If you think this a horror then oh boy do you have a lot to learn about gritstone unpleasantnesses
Not sure about Severe, VS sums up the effort needed, but in no way a horror. I collapsed at the top in a mixture of laughter and a little exhaustion. One big friend is all you need (4 or 5, can't remember), just keep moving it ahead of you and it's virtually a top-roped lead. BTW Has anyone done the slab diirect. Been claimed twice: once at E2 5b and once at E5 6a????????
The overhanging face next to it makes the slab look a lot less steep than it really is. Good route but I'm glad I had a camelot 4!
after gaining the ledge handjam through the overlap, fist jam to get your feet up on the slab,jam left foot in smear high with your right and bring your left leg up in a knee jam. Take both hands off wave to the crowds and continue to the summit. if your biggest gear is a friend 4 you're highest gear will be about half height!
I shit myself, the biggest i had was size 3 hex... and im crap at jamming and have small legs and am skinny....
I originally claimed the slab direct at the grade of E2 5b (in the new route book at Hathersage Outside), but in fairness it's more like E3 6a. It's not E5 because it's too easy to escape into Roof Route.
Fun route, great jams for left foot, good smears for right. Tape up your ankles
Damnit I wanted that slab! I'll have to cross it off my huge list of unclimbed lines in the peak!
agree with taping up ankles, not a route to do wearing shorts, as my knees soon found out.
I love this route. Much more fun as a trad thrash. Motorcycle leathers for the legs and ankles are a must, if not suggest you leave the first aid kit at the top.
Attempted first VS lead - failed. Got foot stuck in the crack and concern for leaving behind in a fall took over. Have left some skin up there for the rest of you.
Good route but no pushover. The slab mysteriously tilts itself steeper while you`re doing the bottom moves.
Glad to see it wasn#t just me bottling it on this route :-D
I agree with dave F that the overhanging face on the left makes the slab look more slabby. I made it half way up the slab (after downclimbing to the ledge a couple of times), put one foot on the slab and went a bit mental! Put both feet back in the crag and udged up a bit further but I couldn't bring myself to let go of the chockstone. Eventually ran out of energy and slithered down for a while before shouting take and then beating up the slab a bit. And I even think I can udge! I abbed for my gear, to discover there doesn't even appear to be any gear in the upper break, so kind of glad I didn't actually get that far.
bloody hell what a fight, really nice at the bottom, I thought i could layback it but too slippery for hands. Shorts and t-shirt are not idea (as I can testify), but a rack of friend 5s is !
Looks pretty tame at first sight put its definately harder than it looks, lay away thrutch foot jam smear....great but you wont arrive on top with a steady heart rate, solid VS4c and dont be told otherwise. |