(Mostly) South West News 2009
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Chudleigh New Route (29 October 2009)
The oft-eyed wall left of the classic Tom Patey struggle Sarcophagus has now had an ascent, making what is possibly the hardest route at Chudleigh at a proposed grade of E7 6c. The route is surprisingly good and features hard, bouldery climbing above slightly worrying small gear.
photo. Finn Clipson
photo. Chris Jones
Another Kagutsuchi Repeat (22 September 2009)
A visiting Northern raider (from Exeter!) has made the third ascent of Kagutsuchi, Dave Pickford's E7 found down near the start of Commando Ridge at Bosigran. This repeat comes shortly after Andy Steinberg's (see below).
North Coast Action (13 September 2009)
Bouldering on the North Coast's of Devon and Cornwall has gained in popularity over recent years. Tom Newberry reports on recent developments (click ere for more stuff!).
BMC South West Meeting (27 August 2009)
The BMC's next South West Area meeting will be on Sunday 6th September at 8.00pm. It will be held at the Nova Scotia Hotel, 1 Cumberland Basin, Bristol, BS1 6XL.There will be the usual mix of debate and camaraderie, and the BMC's Access & Conservation Officer, Cath Flitcroft, will be attending. "Tasty treats" will be laid on by the landlord.
West Cornwall E7 Repeat (18 August 2009)
Andy Steinberg has made what is likely to be the second ascent of Dave Pickford's E7 'Kagutsuchi' at Bosigran Ridge. With the only gear being at about 3 metres and hard climbing at 10 metres the route is a tad serious. The grade is confirmed and it's probably worth two stars. Andy headpointed the route after top roping the previous day.Update: 3rd ascent (headpoint) made by a punter from Exeter on 20/09/09.
Full description of the route found here.
Cheesewring and SE Cornwall Guidebook to be Updated (10 August 2009)
Work has begun on a new edition of Sean Hawken’s Cheesewring & South East Cornwall guidebook as the original is now out of print. Barney Carver is compiling information for a fully updated and redesigned second edition on behalf of St Ives Printing & Publishing Company, publishers of the 1998 guide. New route descriptions, news of repeats and grade feedback can be sent to him at barnaby(at!)stivesnews.co.uk.
There is also now a website http://www.stivesnews.co.uk/CheesewringClimbing/index.html where those of you who may be interested can check the progress of the new edition. The site also has some historical archive material from the area.
Dart Rock Climbing Wall Now Open (10 August 2009)
For those of you that hadn't noticed, the Dart Rock climbing wall is now fully open. The wall is located on the outskirts of Buckfastleigh, only a minute or 2 from the A38 and pretty much in the centre of the South Devon climbing area.
Please check The DartRock Website for further details
Hard Rock Fest (10 August 2009)
The itinery for next weekend's Hard Rock Fest at The South Molton Wall:
Thursday 13th August
7.30 pm Andy Kirkpatrick LectureFriday 14th August
9.45am Children’s competitions RegistrationFilms throughout the day
7.00pm Children’s Competition presentation
7.30pm The Delahays ‘ Live music’Saturday 15th August
9.45am Adult Competition registrationFilms throughout the day
12.30pm Tim Emett Dry tooling Masterclass
7.00pm Adult competition presentation
7.15pm Premier of ‘Running to the limits’ introduced by Alex Vero himself."CHUNKY MONKI" AFTER PARTY
Sunday 16th August
10.00am Competition Routes open for people. Come and try.Films throughout day
1.00pm Premiere of AlpKits Fig Fours
5.00pm Festival closesDont forgot you can come and stay and camp in one of our Teepees for only £50 for the weekend so no worries about who is driving! Or you can put up your own tent!!
Check http://www.hardrockfest.co.uk/ for further details and to buy tickets.
Buckfastleigh Climbing Wall Opening Opening 26/27th July (10 July 2009)
Dart Rock is due to open on 26/27th July and is looking impressive! Robbie Warke reports:"Paula and I are working frantically to bring Dart Rock to you eager lot. Its looking amazing, the walls are going to excite everyone. We had no idea until the build started how big and open our climbing spaces were going to feel. During the day Dart Rock is lit with natural light and is an open and pleasant space to be in.
With over 400sq m of climbing, all routes leadable, bouldering, traversing, seperate teaching areas, classroom, SRT training, lizard cafe/lounge and disabled access we think that there will be something for everyone at Dart Rock. This is also very much phase one, phase two will include lots more bouldering and maybe even more toprope/lead routes.
So hold on just a little longer and we look forward to welcoming you all through the doors at Dart Rock."
Please check The DartRock Website for further details
Chudleigh Tree Choppage (9 June 2009)
The dead tree that was hanging from the crag on Brer Fox (just left of the top of Tar Baby) has now been removed. There are a couple of dangerous-looking blocks in the area that require care although they withstood a vigorous "stamp test".For further info. on Chudleigh please check the guide and Full details on the state of in-situ gear at Chudleigh
Torbryan Rubbish (9 June 2009)
The local Teignbridge Council ranger has recently put a sign up at Torbryan politely stating that a minority of climbers have been leaving litter at the crag. Whilst the majority of rubbish found at the crag (beer cans and drinks bottles) appears to have been thrown off the top (presumably by the local scallywag youths) there is no doubt a very small amount of rubbish has been left by climbers around the base of the crag. Please ensure you don't drop finger tape and fag ends and also consider taking a rubbish bag with you to remove other rubbish from the area.
Cheesewring Re-gearing (7 June 2009)
Inland Cornwall's premier crag has seen a lot of attention of late with a gang of keen locals getting together to carry out the much needed work of replacing old fixed gear at the crag. The crag is home to a large range of quality routes, many of which are reliant on in-situ gear. Hopefully the recent cleaning and re-gearing will lead to a resurgence in popularity of this excellent crag. Andy Steinberg reports:" The plan is to re-bolt all the sports routes and replace dodgy pegs on the trad routes and have a good clean up. There are also a few routes that relied solely on pegs, some of these will be bolted.
...the bolting is being carried out in a responsible and sensitive fasion with due regard for the history of the place and after consultation with the first ascensionist and other interested parties. The aim is to re-equip the sport routes properly without affecting other, more adventurous routes.".
Marty Hallet on High Noon E2 Photo. Mark Glaister
So far the work has been funded by Andy Steinberg, Andy Grieve, Richard Hudson, Richard Pollard, and Barney Carver. More bolts are on order and if anyone would like to make a donation please email andrewsteinberg @ btinternet.com. Any feedback on the work should also be emailed to Andy.
Here is a list of what has been done so far
Double Agent F7a bolted (previously relied on pegs)
Agent Provocoteur F7a+ bolted (previously relied on pegs)
Potential Energy F6c+ bolted (previously relied on pegs)
West Point F6b re-bolted
Feline Adventures F6b+ re-bolted
Tag F7b re-bolted
Crucifier F7a re-bolted (previously relied on pegs and bolts)
Half Man Half Biscuit E3 6a (1 bolt replaces stolen peg)
Debutante E3 6a (1 bolt replaces peg)
Warrior F6c re-bolted
Friend or Foe F7a+ re-bolted
Gone to Pot F6c+ bolted (previously relied on pegs removed after 1st ascent)
Psychokiller E6 6c Fr 7c+Please note that information on the condition of routes and what gets bolted will now be updated on the Cheesewring and South East Cornwall route info page.
More Chudleigh Updates (1 June 2009)
Parking - problems are starting to emerge as climbers have been parking in The Rock Centre (the outdoor pursuits centre by the North Face) instead of the traditional parking by the kissing gate in Rock Road. Please stick with the parking in Rock Road (avoiding the section beyond the kissing gate where there is a No Parking sign).Gear: The peg on Twang has now gone. Grade remains E1. I have added a page with full details on the state of in-situ gear at Chudleigh. Please send in any appropriate updates on Chudleigh in-situ gear (including any that has been replaced or needs replacing).
Also note that there is currently a fallen tree to the left of the top of Tar Baby - this is probably holding in some loose rock and likely to be a little dangerous. Take care! It will be removed pretty soon!
The Climbing Academy Events (2 February 2009)
The fantastic new Bristol bouldering wall is hosting a series of events over the next couple of months:
Saturday 21st February - Women's Only Bouldering. 6.30pm to 9.30pm
Thursday 26th February - Chris Sharma Lecture (book early to avoid disappointment!).
Saturday 28th February - Bouldering Competition. Starts at 1.00pm. Party in the evening.
Wednesday 4th March - Neil Gresham offering top tips between 3.00pm and 9.00pm.
Saturday 14th March - Women's Only Bouldering. 6.30pm to 9.30pm
Sunday 15th March - Jerry Moffatt Lecture.
Saturday 21st March - Bouldering Competition. Starts at 1.00pmFor further details please visit www.theclimbingacademy.com
Please send in any climbing news - South West or further afield.
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