Barnacle BulgeRoute Grade Votings
Total votes cast 55
Adjacent Routes
14m. The thin crack and groove (climbing just the right-hand fissure is 5a) lead into the base of the wide crack. From here move 2m right and climb directly up the slab more easily. USER COMMENTS
Taken direct I found the initial thin crack on its own very hard - well harder than 5a (given in the BMC guide). The top section is a bit of a stroll and not in keeping with the start.
The groove is the traditional S 4a / 4b, and well worth doing. The alternative thin crack on the right, now with a polished start, is extremely hard, unless you are 6 foot, strong and use chalk.
When I climbed it, I was under the impression that the route went up the crack, it's not 4c doing it this way. (I am 6 foot tall 'strong enough' and use chalk and I still found it hard.)
Despite the in-situ top rope group the route isn't that hard, it cleans up it's act with height as all the groups and optomistic fellows all fall off at the lower section making that more slippery but never touching the higher ground.
Awkward! About S 4b for the route as a whole coz the bottom cleft is about 4b and hard work but well protected
tricky start....but i'm short and it wasn't that hard!! top half is a doddle though, like most of the climbs on this face once you're off the ground you've cracked it!!!
HS 4c is fair. Not as good as Camperdown Crawl though.
Is there a missing foothold on this route? I've watched 7 or 8 people try this over the last 2 weekends, and no one I've met thinks it's 4c, including myself. |