Great Slab Route Grade Votings
Total votes cast 97
Adjacent Routes
18m. Total class; not too hard but still unprotected and a touch precarious. Trend right up a delicate ramp to a ledge then 'piano-play' right across some slippery footholds to a rest; deep breath then climb the steeper wall on flatties. Harder for the short. USER COMMENTS
What a fabulous climb.
One of the most rewarding climbs ever. Crux feels like 4b after doing it, but 6a to contemplate. The onsight makes it just worth E3, but also earns all 3 stars. If there were a bomber runner at the crux, it would get HVS 5a, and hardly a single star. (top-ropers note: it is not just the grade that depends on the style, but the star-rating also, as the quality is not in the moves as such, but in the experience).
Well said Dave. I still love this route now just for the flutter you still get. Awesome experience
See dozens of 'top ropers' on the Great Slab routes these days. Not a good thing in my opinion.
Top ropers sod off! If you don't think you're up to leading it, leave it alone. If you did top-rope it, it wouldn't be an E3 lead anyway, so there's no point. If and when this climb gets polished, it will become unjustifiable except as a no-star 'do it for the grade' scarer.
Top roping wasters stop ruining this and other good routes on the slabs hereabouts with your antics. It is unfair and reducing the challenge of the climb to your level whilst damaging it for others. Top ropings ok, just not on delicate mid-grade routes like this.
Incredible. Absolute incredible.
didn't Joe Brown top rope this many times before doing it on lead??
brilliant. i'd give it top end E3. i thought the moves were surprisingly tricky to work out, but over quite quickly once started. no top roping pls, polosh would ruin this climb.
Top roping delicate unprotected climbs:
I led this and the other slabs hereabouts on sight in the late 1980s but am now much older and fatter and have no desire to hurt myself - dropping a rope down them and using a shunt on a quiet winter's afternoon does no more harm to the rock than leading and seconding - so why all the holier than thou stuff...just be honest with yourself and others and enjoy the moves in the best style you can manage at the time
Joe Brown on sighted this so so should everyone else or leave it be.
I have some sympathy with John Yates. If the anti top rope lobby carries on secondng will be frowned on! In fact there's no difference between seconding an unprotected climb and top roping! |