San Melas

Smears all the way with a break and chance to chicken out half way. Not much gear so you may as well solo it!
James - 05/Mar/02

the gear is perfect to protect the crux above the break though so only solo it if you want extra E points
jonathan prager - 09/Mar/02

sorry but you don't get more E-points for soloing a protected route!!! Brilliant route.
daveP - 15/Apr/02

Hey Jon, does that mean if I solo it in wellies and mittens, carrying your mum on my back it gets E10???
RobS - 12/Jul/02

I slipped off on to the half height gear, but I don't think it's exactly death to solo.
The slide took so long I could have read the paper.
Paz - 14/Oct/02

Gear seems spot on to me any number of freinds in the break, no deck out potential. Quality route
phil - 07/Apr/03

Like the BMC guide says "offers no straws for which the floundering may grasp" - but that's what makes it brilliant!
yan - 29/May/03

Bog Standard grit E3. Good gear in the break, but LARGE (3/4) cams protect, not small as it says in the new Western Grit...
ChrisC - 01/Jul/03

Yeah large cams protect! Longish fall from the crux but deffo not a solo. E3 5c perfect grade. fantastic!
FedUp - 28/Sep/03

A really good E3, one of the best I've climbed for a while. As recommended above LARGE friends req'd 3.5 and 4 best. The moves from the break are a bit smeary and balancy and lovely.
Ropeboy - 20/Nov/04

sweet, sound, oh yeah, and safe...
lose7lbs - 21/Nov/04

pure class
andynonymous - 14/Apr/05

Lovely route. Don't be put off if your foot slips when testing the crucial smear. It's much better when you weight it properly.
Andy Clarke - 27/Nov/05

Awesome route, felt a bit commiting rocking up to the break, then had to have my large cam thrown up to me as the break was fatter than I thought! Top moves were fantastic high and insecure rockovers. Less fantastic was the fact that I got a cam caught in the pull loop on the back of my left boot while rocking up! I couldn't move up and thought the only way was down. Luckily I calmed down and bent my leg a little more so it unhooked itself, then climbed to the top and swore my head off in relief!
Andrew Barker - 20/Feb/06

One of the most over-rated routes around, hardly worth 3 stars.
Aly - 22/Mar/06

Christ I loved this route. Proper awesome smeary wonderfulness, it felt so good. Best slab route I've done in ages.
Jus - 19/Feb/07

BETA ALERT!
Two independent ways of moving from the break.
1. Centre of slab, straight up from the protruding 'tongue', smears to reach the second (higher and righthand) of the two slanting creases.
2. 3 feet right of the tongue, highsteps to gain the first (lower, lefthand) of the two slanting creases.
Both about same grade.
Owen WG - 25/Mar/08

a wonderful route, top quality gritstone smearfest....if your day was made up of routes like this your arms would be rested and your brain possibly a little drained:)
Evan Holdsworth - 10/May/10