The Butcher Route Grade Votings
Total votes cast 55
Adjacent Routes
25m. Easy E3 or hard E2, the discussions will go on for ever - this time we have gone with the harder grade, next time, who knows? Start below the arete and climb a crack in its right-hand side. Make a satisfying move leftwards to a jug on the arete, then move back right to finish. Some people accidentally continue direct from where the crack ends which makes it about 6a (and proper E3!). USER COMMENTS
A superb route :) Commit to the arete and try not to think about your gear and the space beneath your feet!
Seems more like E3 to me as well, one tricky arete move after pumpy crack leads to huge holds, though it is a lot better protected than you might think.
Several leaders trying this for their first E2/3 have decked, but the gear is good. The crux is committing and it can be quite hard to place the gear after you've got onto the arete.
If you compare this to Clean Hand it feels like it's worth an extra grade. The trouble for most is that the crux comes after a draining pumpy section and therefore feels that much harder and more committing.
I just seem to know too many capable leaders who've taken big lobes off this route for it to be E2. Particularly tough for the short.
Ear Lobes?
If it is E3 it is right at the bottom of any graded list. I did this and Sunlover on the same day and calling them both E3 is daft. You can hang from the mid-height jug for hours and place at least two bomber nuts before committing to the crux sequence.
pumpy pumpy.
got to be E3 but loads of cam options at jug plus good wires
That letterbox hold will soon be visible from space, there's so much chalk in there |