Page 34 - 2020 AMA Winter

MISCARTICLE
lifetime climbing at a place, its true of Brimham and the Nidderdale area in its entirety. Visit Jokers Wall to work the arms and the Trackside Boulder to work the feet. One place to visit if you are an adventurous soul is Guisecliff, reputedly the tallest gritstone crag in the UK, its always been a (very) quiet backwater due to its northerly aspect but its development as a bouldering venue is currently exploding and easy samples are literally roadside. If you fancy some first ascents, this is the place to go. A personal favourite though is Gate House Crag, a 10 minute drive (plus a 15 minute walk along a track) from my old house! Secluded and in a lovely moorland setting the crag currently has over a hundred problems ranging from f2-f7a+ all on excellent gritstone and above invariably good landings, well worth a visit. On a personal note, I have through my own explorations found my very own ‘Crag X’, it’s got good potential for about 20-30 problems, some of which will beyond my capabilities but so far I’ve managed to tick off about 8, the first of which had to be named ’In Plain Sight’ (f5)... obviously.
MASHAM
The Moors to west of Masham (pronounce it Masam to not get corrected by a local) hold some fabulous crags and some of the absolute best fine-grained gritstone about. Roundhill is an excellent introduc- tory venue with lots of amenable grades and the superb 3 star classic of Gladiator (f5) to have a go at. Just over the brow of hill is the aforementioned Ash Head, another must visit venue for the boulderer and, if you bring a rope and rack, the
best HVS on gritstone that you’ve never heard of...Thunder Crack!!! Across the Leighton Reservoir and hidden in deepest Colsterdale is the ‘jewel in the crown’ of moorland grit, Slipstones. Short in stature maybe (although there are some cracking trad routes) but it comes into its own when going highball above the pads. So good the guidebook writers described it ‘the single malt of gritstone, distilled to perfection, leaving only the finest routes on perfect rock’...I could not agree more. So good in fact it attracted the Peak big hitter of Ben Moon in 2002 to send the crags ‘last great problem’ the jaw dropping ‘Cypher’ (f8b). Apparently ‘only the tall and strong need apply’, I can confirm this is true, as I am neither and can’t even get off the floor on it. However, it is not all about the top end stuff, as just below is the Lower Tier aka the Tea Party Slab where many a novice has learnt to trust their feet and the value of clean shoes.
SCUGDALE
Heading over the Vale of Mowbary and onto the West side of the North Yorks Moors is the small but perfectly formed Scugdale, a mini Stanage Edge but formed of bullet hard sandstone instead. Its pretty highball in nature and you will see lots of trad climbers but to be honest a couple of pads and a good spotter takes the sting out of most problems. The crag is actually split into two sections, the very popular Scot Crags and the quieter Barker’s Crags, I genuinely love climbing at Scots but my inquisitive nature is more drawn to Barker’s as I’m always surprised by a new problem or bloc. Scugdale is a place I’ve introduced lots of students, clients and friends over the years and without fail every single one of them has fallen in love with the place. Routes to put on the list include, at Scots Crags, Razors Rib (f2), Pingers (f5), Bonzo (highball f5/ HVS 5b) and Tippling Wall (f5). Over at Barkers, check out Problem Wall (f5+) and the historical classic of New Dimensions (f6a+). A word to the wise.... grades can feel a bit on the stiff side... this is Yorkshire after all, you will get nowt for free up here!
WAINSTONES
More well known as a trad venue but excellent bouldering abounds not only here but also scattered across the opposite hillside at Cold Moor. If nothing else simply come for a walk along the Cleveland Way and enjoy the simply
Barkers Crags at Scugdale
stunning views north across Teesside and over to the Northern Pennines. The Crack (f5) on ‘A’ Boulder is a local classic but warm up, and get used to the rock, on the Southern Boulder. For more spectacular (and harder) problems head over to the Prow and get those pads stacked high! After something more esoteric, wander over to Cold Moor and find Beak Ridge (f3+) before trying something far more ‘traditional’ in the form of Nebula at the Neb Buttress.
THE FUTURE
So, what does the future look like for bouldering in North Yorkshire? Upon the release of every new guidebook there is always a feeling of an area being climbed out or being fully developed, the flip side to this is that with every new guidebook, the ‘gaps’ are more obvious. In most cases this might be a route or a problem but in North Yorkshire this can also mean entire crags or areas. Crags that have dismissed by previous generations as being ‘to small’ to bother with are now being developed into quality bouldering venues and the pace of development, rather than slowing down is still being driven along. It seems every time that I check the Unknown Stones website either a new crag has been developed or updated with more routes. There is some talk of bringing all this information into a comprehensive guidebook, but my best guess would be that it would be obsolete before it was even printed. What I do know though is that if it is ever to be printed it would be a huge guidebook that would plonk North Yorkshire at the top of boulderers ‘must visit’ lists.
The Handrail at Slipstones
34 / ARMY MOUNTAINEER