County climber autumn 2014

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About the Northumbrian Mountaineering Club (NMC) The NMC is a meeting point for climbers, fell walkers and mountaineers of all abilities.

Our activities centre on rock-climbing in the summer and snow and ice climbing in the winter, and hill walking in both. Meets are held regularly throughout the year.

The NMC is not, however, a commercial organization and does NOT provide instructional courses.

NMC Meets The NMC Members’ Handbook (available to all members) and the NMC website list the dates and locations of all meets.

Non-members: Are always welcome to attend meets.

Note: Winter indoor (wall) meets require a minimum of Prospective membership (see below) due to venue requirements for third party insurance.

Membership details Members are prospective until they fulfill the conditions for full membership (see membership form.) Full membership is valid for one year from the end of February. Prospective membership is valid for six months.

Membership gets you:  Copy of County Climber (published four times a year)

NMC County Climber

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BMC Public Liability Insurance for climbing incidents Discounted NMC guide books Discounted entry at most local walls Access to the extensive NMC library Access to huts of affiliated clubs

How to join the NMC Download a membership form from: www.thenmc.org.uk Send the signed and completed membership to the Membership Secretary at the address shown on the membership form. Payment of fees by GoCardless Direct Debit is preferred; it’s easy to set up at: https://dashboard.gocardl ess.com/api/paylinks/0872P 9H93J Membership fees • Full £23 • Under 18 or in full-time education £15.00

Magazine articles This is YOUR magazine so please keep it running by writing about your own climbing experiences.

Everyone potentially has something to write about, whatever their level of experience or type of activity. Contributions from new members are particularly welcome.

The Editor would be happy to discuss ideas for articles, comment on rough drafts, or work with you to produce the finished article.

Send contributions to: magazine@thenmc.org.uk or direct to the Editor at: john.spencer@ncl.ac.uk

Unless otherwise stated all photos are taken by the author of the article.

Committee 2014/2015 President – Ian Birtwistle Vice Pres. – John Dalrymple Secretary – Andrew Shanks Treasurer – Eva Diran Membership – Adrian Wilson Magazine Editor – John Spencer Social – Ed Sciberras Librarian – Ed Sciberras Web – Ian Birtwistle General - David Angel, Alastair Boardman, Pete Flegg, Ian Ross. Gareth Crapper

As an affiliate to the BMC, the NMC endorses the following participation statement: The BMC recognises that climbing, hill walking and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death.

Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement.

Copyright The contents of this magazine are copyright and may not be reproduced without permission of the NMC. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or the NMC.

Photos Photographs for publication are also welcome. Please send as high a resolution format as possible, although the image may be resized for insertion into the text.

Autumn 2014

Cover shot Watching the big stone, El Cap Meadows, Yosemite (John Spencer)

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What’s in this issue?

Editorial ........................................................ 4 Climbing Yr Wyddfa (Martin Cooper) ......... 5 The changing face of Kalymnos (Dave Hume) ........................................................... 7 Back to the future (John Spencer) .............. 11 Crag Lough clean-up, (Mark Anstiss)…15 Club News .................................................. 16 The archive (John Dalrymple) New guidebook activity (Steve Blake) New member profiles Other Club business

Wednesday evenings meets Since the start of the indoor evening meet ‘season’, we’ve been using, as previously, Hadrian Leisure Centre, Burnside Community College, Wallsend on three out of 4 Wednesday nights. On the fourth Wednesday (the first of the calendar month), however, we have been convening at different wall for a bit of variety.

Forthcoming sessions are as follows: 

Wednesday 3rd December 2014, Sunderland Wall

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Wednesday 7th January 2015, Climb Newcastle (‘The Pool’)

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Wednesday 4th February 2015, Sunderland Climbing Centre

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Wednesday 4th March 2015 Newcastle, Climbing Centre (Byker church)

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Wednesday 1st April 2015, Climb Newcastle

See also the meets calendar on the club website: http://thenmc.org.uk/community/topic/6299nmc-indoor-meets-during-the-winter-season/ and/or consult the Forum for any last minute changes.

Note at the Hadrian Centre all climbers must be either full or provisional club members for insurance purposes. Members MUST show their membership card at the reception desk and pay the £6 entrance fee. After climbing we usually adjourn to a pub (e.g. the Shiremoor House Farm, The Cumberland Arms or the Cluny) for beer, food and a chat.

Venables – Lit & Phil Society Library, Newcastle (see Club News for details) 13th Dec

Club Christmas Dinner – venue to be confirmed

14th Dec

The President’s Bouldering Day – provisionally at new venue The Stell (subject to conditions – details tbc)

7th Jan 2015

Club Quiz Night, Cluny 2, after climbing session (which will be at Climb Newcastle) AGM – Burnside Community College Two Members’ Slides Nights – Burnside Community College, dates to be finalized

28th Jan Late Feb & Early March

Winter meets 2015 You MUST contact the meet leader in advance, as any accommodation may be limited or already fully booked. A deposit may be required to reserve your place. Note that if you cancel after booking a place and your place cannot be filled then you will still have to pay the cost of your place in the hut.

23rd-25th January

Cairngorms, Mill Cottage, Feshiebridge, meet leader Adrian Wilson 07970823483

6-8th February

Cairngorms/Creag Meagaidh, Raeburn Cottage, Laggan, meet leader Tim Catterall 07704614814

20th-23rd February

Torridon and NW, Ling Hut, Torridon, meet leader John Spencer 07813129065

6th-8th March

Glencoe & Lochaber, Alex McIntyre Hut, North Ballachulish

20th-23rd Ben Nevis, CIC Hut March Note the Torridon and CIC meets are both 3 day meets (including Sunday night).

Keep your eye on the Forum http://thenmc.org.uk/community/ for information about all events and meets.

Other events 9th Dec

‘In Shackleton’s Footsteps’Guest Speaker Stephen

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Editorial John Spencer

Another issue of County Climber published late??! What’s my excuse this time? Well, the same as for the summer issue I’m afraid – it’s a victim of my postretirement gallivanting, which latterly included a six-week road trip with Gail through California and British Columbia.

Having finally got back to town, putting an issue together in a hurry proved a challenge trying to winkle material out of people at short notice is not easy. Notwithstanding, I wanted to honour the tradition of four issues a year, so here you have it: an autumn issue, small but (as ever!) perfectly formed. Thanks to those who managed to get something to me (and thanks in advance to those who have promised material for the winter issue).

The road trip was fantastic, and although we only spent about half of it in wild places, we had two weeks in King’s Canyon, Tuolumne Meadows and Yosemite during which we enjoyed some brilliant hikes and I managed to bag two classic routes (‘Royal Arches’ in Yosemite and ‘Regular Route’ on Fairview Dome). On our way out of ‘the Valley’ we stopped at El Cap Meadows to pay final homage (for now) to the big stone.

We came across a woman sitting in a deckchair, her binoculars trained on the face.

Turned out she was down from Oklahoma, and was settling down for the day to watch her husband climb The Nose on what was to be his 12th solo ascent. He apparently keeps coming back, not only to try and shave time off his personal best, but also because he simply loved the route! Clearly not a run-ofthe-mill climber. I later Googled him and it transpired, unsurprisingly, that he (Tony Mayse) is one of the leading lights of Okie climbing, and wrote the definitive selected guide to that state’s granite climbing, ‘a great tune-up for Yosemite’, apparently! For me, nothing I saw made me feel anymore drawn to big wall climbing than I was before I actually cast eyes on El Capitan – serious respect to those that are, not least Tony Mayse – but I definitely want to return and enjoy some more cragging, sooner rather than later.

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Meanwhile, what else is on offer in this stripped-down issue? Martin Cooper writes about a summer trip to Snowdonia, musing about just who mountains are for, and managing to climb in Llanberis for the first time. Martin informed me that he has had around 50 pieces published in the Club magazine and/or newsletter over the past 25 years, surely our most prolific contributor – thanks you Martin (and long may you continue to contribute!)

Dave Hume, a self-confessed ‘Britgit’ and member of the Last-Minute Team, provides a comprehensive update on recent changes on Kalymnos, covering everything from newly developed sectors to what kinds of beer and honey are available. I found this particularly interesting since, by the time you read this, I will be in the process of losing my Kalymnos virginity, making my first visit, some might say pilgrimage, to the hallowed island in the company of Mr Vaughan.

There’s a piece by me prompted by stumbling across a copy of the first edition of Rocksport (from April 1968), the first magazine dedicated exclusively to rock climbing, and arguably the forebear of magazines such as On the Edge and Climb.

Mark Anstiss, of the Wanneys Club, describes the recent Crag Lough clean-up, the third in successive years. Apparently it’s going to be Peel Crag next year, good news as there are some really great routes there, to the east of the popular section, but hidden beneath vegetation.

Finally, in Club News, JDal describes the fate of the Club Archive, Steve Blake outlines an exciting new initiative to update Northumberland’s guidebooks, both climbing and bouldering, there are a handful of new member profiles, and a preview of our next speaker event on December 9th.

So there you go - good reading to you!

I’m intending to produce the Winter issue in time for Christmas – all contributions welcome. 

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Climbing Yr Wyddfa Martin Cooper

If you drive from Newcastle to North Wales in late July, leaving at three o’clock in the afternoon, you will have the sun in your eyes for five hours. If your timing is right, at seventhirty you will see the mountains of Snowdonia from the A55 near St Asaph. The notched summit of Tryfan will look magnificent, backlit by the declining sun. In the morning it will be raining.

Crib Goch, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), Lliwedd. I had climbed Yr Wyddfa once before, via the Rhyd Ddu path. This was to celebrate finishing my final exams at university. So, some time ago. But today I was to learn a lot. Snowdon is unlike any mountain I have climbed in the UK.

I don’t know how you felt on discovering that Blencathra was for sale in May of this year. I thought long and hard and could not remember such a significant area of mountainous land being put onto the open market in England.

Last February Scotland is at Burnside Wall different. one Wednesday From time to evening, I let slip time, large that I was not sections of looking forward Scottish to climbing, yet Estates again, the same containing old routes in well known Northumberland Hannah with Yr Wydffa beyond mountains are in the summer. sold. Bodies Alex came up like The John with an ingenious solution to my problem.

Muir Trust exist in order to purchase and Climb somewhere else. If only I had thought of safeguard access to such land. An attempt was that before! Unfortunately, I haven’t managed made to raise sufficient funds to buy a weekend NMC meet this summer. Now we Blencathra on behalf of walkers, ramblers, were driving west for three days, Alex, my climbers and mountaineers by “The Friends of daughter, Hannah and I. The drive was Blencathra.” It failed. We must be thankful enjoyable. The local police, we discovered, that the CROW legislation of 2000 means that were concerned about a Welsh driver named access to this mountain cannot be denied, no Araf, who refused to comply with the speed matter who owns it. At the time of writing, limits. They had painted his name all over the however (early October), The Friends of road.

Blencathra website shows that this organisation is still raising funds and has not In the morning it was raining. We decided yet given up in their quest to buy the mountain. to climb Snowdon direct from our hut in Cwm Does anybody have more recent news?

Dyli. At Gorphwysfa (Pen-y pass) we chose to ascend the mountain by three separate routes.

The reason for this now escapes me. Alex did it the proper way, the Snowdon Horseshoe: NMC County Climber

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Who are the mountains for? Who should own them? Who can climb them? Who is

down the mountain if you were injured. Phone the police, Araf. Ask for the rescue team.

Now, you wouldn’t have found a similar number of ill-equipped people on Scafell Pike or Ben Nevis on such a day.

The cafe and the railway clearly draw people to the summit. It is a magnificent mountain, although we had no summit views on that particular day. You can, however, use the very efficient Dyson hand drier in the toilets to dry your damp clothes while waiting for members of your family to arrive. You will be starting to anticipate my point. I wouldn’t like it like this on all of the mountains I climb. I need solitude some days. But I have no problem with one of our more celebrated mountain tops being easily accessible to everybody. Mountaineers aren’t special people. We are just the lucky ones fit enough to get to the top by our own efforts. Being at the summit of a mountain is a special experience that I wouldn’t want to deny to anybody.

Climbing Clogwyn y Tawr #1

The next day was warm, dry and responsible for safety on our mountains? Sixty nine percent of the land in Snowdonia National Park is privately owned but managed by the National Park. The provision of properly maintained paths, display boards showing walking routes, and the availability of leaflets with very simple maps is unlike any other mountain in the UK. (OK, I haven’t done all of the Munros). There is a railway to its summit, a cafe at the top. During the week after our visit a local farmer floated the idea of selling 600 acres of his land on Snowdon, valued at approximately £7.5 million. He was sick of being criticised for the way he farmed the land and was interested in allowing more, ‘environmental use’. What does all of this mean for Yr Wyddfa?

There were hundreds of people on Snowdon on July 28th, many having ascended by the railway, of course. Of those walking up from Pen-y pass, many had very flimsy waterproofs and no walking boots. There were huge numbers of children making the ascent.

At the summit cafe were people with no map, relying on asking at the cafe counter if ‘…the brown track on the map is the PYG track..’ or asking for a look at our map. The Snowdon Mountain Railway Company’s information made it very clear that they wouldn’t take you NMC County Climber

Climbing at Clogwyn y Tawr #2 Autumn 2014

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sunny. We headed for Clogwyn y Tarw by the side of Lyn Idwal, an excellent, accessible crag where Nick Dixon and Leo Houlding put up ‘The

a ‘Black Cliff’ and the routes on the overhanging left wall were dripping water.

Fortunately, ‘Rib and Slab’ was dry,

Craig Ddu and the Llanberis Pass

Gribbin Wall Climb’ and ‘Rare Lichen’, both E9 6c, in 1997. We chose two slightly easier routes but were very pleased with our day’s work, which included Hannah’s first multipitch route, ‘Slab Climb’ (Diff). The first pitch is well polished and the moves at the top of the slab quite exposed. While the climbing itself was well within Hannah’s capability, she was less happy at the belays. It was noticeable to me a long while ago that I wanted one hundred per cent safety in my belaying when climbing with my family. That doesn’t mean I settle for much less with my friends. At least, I hope it doesn’t! This was the fourth time I had climbed in the Ogwen Valley. It is a superb climber’s valley with routes to satisfy at all grades, in stunning locations on immaculate rock.

straightforward for the grade (V Diff) and pleasant climbing. The guidebook suggests staying on the rope for the first part of the descent. This is sound advice. Steep grass leads to a short step with loose rock, the trickiest move on the route.

Finally, the trip provided me with an ambition fulfilled at last, a route in Llanberis Pass. I have climbed, at a very easy standard, in most of mainland Britain’s best known climbing locations but, for reasons I can’t really explain, I had never climbed in Llanberis. There is so much to choose from. A logical approach seemed appropriate; start at the bottom of the valley on the left. Work your way up. First up is Craig Ddu, which is indeed

Whether you are a returning visitor to Kalymnos, or thinking of going for the first time, there are some things you can count on:

NMC County Climber

From the belay halfway up Craig Ddu we had a magnificent view of a car chase along the valley. Despite the pursuing police car using both horn and blue flashing lights, the driver of a red estate car was not slowing down. I hope it wasn’t Araf.... 

The changing face of Kalymnos Dave Hume

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Autumn 2014

Dozens of easily accessible and wellsigned crags and thousands of bolted routes of all levels of difficulty, varying from slabs to spectacular caves, usually named and graded at their starts, and all on a wide range of limestone. page 7 of 21

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The island’s second town, Massouri, is almost entirely focussed on catering for climbers.

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which frequently lists the wrong flight for each belt.

Enjoying the relative peace and solitude of

A couple of leering ‘Britgits’ in the Emporios beach bar

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The weather is usually warm and sunny, and any rain storms pass quickly.

Beautiful, often dramatic scenery, and a warm sea for swimming.

Plenty of cheap, if usually quite basic, studio accommodation.

Cheap and tasty food, especially fish and seafood, alongside traditional Greek dishes, and cheap wine served in flower pots.

Well-deserved chilled Mythos lager at the end of a day.

Thousands of climbers of all nationalities in the town, on foot, on their scooters, on the cheap bus, and a friendly atmosphere – it’s a huge tribal destination for climbers of all ages.

Feral and partly domesticated goats looking for unattended rucksacks.

Thyme honey for sale – especially good from ‘Poppy’ who runs Katerina’s Bar at Arginonda.

The challenge of getting a smile out of the well-known and man-in-the-know Scouser and professional misery guts Steve who runs the Glaros Bar. Having fun at the under-sized Kos airport and being fooled by the baggage reclaim

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Emporios, the last village on the road west.

The fun of the ferry to the crags of Telendos and wondering who will misjudge their jump onto the waiting rocks.

The high probability of meeting someone you know that you didn’t know was going to Kalymnos.

Many NMC readers will have more ‘givens’ to share, as it is a regular sun-rock destination for lots of club members. It’s only 18 months since my last visit, but there was proof that nothing stays the same forever, and on my latest and rather hastily-organised trip this October, some things had CHANGED! How dare they?! (Some of these changes are for the better though).

Most marked was the increased number of people. It was very, very busy. October is the prime month anyway, and a North Face Climbing Festival was due to start two days after we left for home, but that couldn’t explain the crowds. Even finding accommodation wasn’t as easy as usual. The knock-on effect was that if you wanted to eat at one of the more popular restaurants at prime time, you had to RESERVE A TABLE!

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Torpedo Boat, but unarmed.

There’s a bakery now, doing fresh sandwiches, and lessthan-fresh cake.

The market-leading Mythos beer is being challenged by the admittedly mellower ‘Fix’. The traditional complimentary dessert of Loukoumades (Honey balls) is being replaced with cake or, occasionally and most welcome, with fresh fruit.

If some of the above hints of a rant, then it is all wiped out by the best changes of all – a significant increase in new crags and new routes.

There are about 840 new climbs in the new route list available from http://climbkalymnos.com and ten new crags, many new sub-sectors on existing crags and major extensions to some old favourite cliffs.

The improved cross-island New sector (and old trainers) at The Beach road from Skalia brings more climbers – ‘Britgits’ – challenging our of the remote crags within range, and might previous status as simply relatively rare ‘Old mean that increased transport – scooter or car – Gits’. Of course there are loads of young is making access easier and eventually climbers, climbing couples of varying genders, relieving pressure on the better-known and for the first time we met some malelocations. female couples where the female was leading the harder stuff. To cater for the increased In our short trip we visited the new sector visitor numbers, more scooter shops have Palionisos Bay, virtually empty of climbers, opened and there are many more hire cars around on the roads. The scooter noise at night can be bloody irritating.

There seems to be an increase in large and loud groups of older British

There’s more building to the west, and the Elena ‘Village’ has been finished and was to be the HQ of the North Face Festival. There are now at least 3 climbing shops selling gear, and a fourth selling climbing clothing. None of it is cheap, neither are the drinks on offer in the new ‘cocktail’ bars.

The old ferry has been demoted and renamed the Slow Ferry, as there is a more frequent Fast Ferry, which is great, a bit like a WWII NMC County Climber

Palionisos Bay welcome

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with 30 new routes from 4 to 7b. This was well-bolted on good rock, with classic slabs on the right side and some old-fashioned harder lines on the left. It is in the sun after midday.

The final rough road ends at a restaurant (‘Yey!’), catering for the islandhopping yacht fraternity (more Yah or Oui than Yey), but the owner

Sea Breeze might be an old favourite, but there are loads of new routes here, especially on the imposing Pocket Wall, where 10 new routes in the 5c+ to 6b+ range add to the existing crop.

There are also many new additions to Sea Breeze Left, ranging from 5a to 6b+, with the added advantage of finishing the day at Katerina’s Bar and buying that Thyme honey to take home to justify a return trip for more supplies.

Noufaro has seen about 20 new routes up to the far left, of which ‘Glaros Bar’ 6b and ‘Revue’ 6a+ gave fine and long sport for the better pair of our little team A 6a+ at Je t’aime of three.

generously offers up free nosh with your second beer. Next, The Beach. In the original guidebook with only a handful of routes, another 13 in the 5s and 6s have been added to the existing high 6s and 7s. A 20 minute walk down a reasonable path brings you to a secluded beach, initially spoiled by washed up debris, but round the corner you can enjoy good rock and a pleasant swim with no crowds. There was no sign of Leonardo de Caprio. It’s in the shade after midday. The 2* ‘Bronchitis’ is thin at 6a, and the long 2* ‘Suite’ at 5c has a testing final clip.

Je t’aime, (come, come, you know what I mean) is another existing sector which has doubled its tally of routes. Well away from the fleshpots, over the road to Vathy, there are some great routes to go at, again, virtually deserted when we were there.

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Time stopped us from our plan to visit the much extended crag of Miltiadis on Telendos, but we have it on good authority (Bryn Roberts!) that the new Telendos sector Lambda was well worth a trip. We also went to Arginonda (crowded), Kasteli North Wall and North Cape Peter (deserted, and probably justifiably so). As new sectors develop, they tend to be further from Massouri and transport becomes more important. There is a recent increase in bolted multi-pitch routes and harder extensions of existing single pitch routes. We heard that the Remy brothers continue to drill away on new big crags, many involving longer approaches. Kalymnos is a long way from being worked out, as plenty of undeveloped rock remains.

If you have been recently, and I hear that a good number of you have, why not share your

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opinions of the new stuff on the NMC website to keep the rest of us in the loop?

Mountain Craft (precursor of Mountain) and The Climber, as Climber was then called. As its title suggested, the former focussed on (The Last-Minute team: Cliff Robson, Ross mountaineering (!), predominantly activity in Hume, Dave Hume).  the higher ranges. The latter, although advertising itself as ‘The national monthly Back to the future magazine for hill- and fell-walkers, rock climbers and all mountaineers’ mainly covered John Spencer hill-walking and rock climbing in the easier Close acquaintances, notably members of grades in the UK, but also fell-running and my long-suffering family, know I am, to say orienteering and other related sports. Club the least, a bit of a journals were the hoarder. main repository of Newspaper the history, the cuttings, weird, legends and the kitschy stories of the collectables, sport, also of new magazine articles, route information. academic papers Meanwhile, rock (many of them climbing was unread), growing in postcards, pressed popularity, grades flowers, pebbles, were rising, a shells, odd-shaped wider range of bits of wood, gear was badges.....you get appearing on the the picture. In market, and the amongst all this first rock climbing clutter is a random ‘celebrities’ had collection of arrived in the climbing wake of live TV magazines from broadcasting of the past half climbs such as the century. I say first ascent of the random – I have Old Man of Hoy some more-or-less basically, the Rocksport, Issue No 1, April 1968 complete years’ climbing and worth of certain mountaineering magazines, ones to which I subscribed for a mass media had not caught up. while (usually during periods when I wasn’t getting out much, a kind of substitution Rocksport aimed to capture the Zeitgeist therapy). But the collection, through which I and to be the ‘voice of modern rock climbing’, occasionally rummage, comprises mostly odd providing a forum for debate and discussion as issues bought in climbing shops or at railway well as reporting on latest developments and stations, read cover-to-cover, then stashed in controversies. It was co-edited by Les the cupboard.

Ainsworth and Phil Watkin, then both at University in Cardiff. Les is one of the So there I was the other day, rummaging stalwarts and champions of climbing in North away, when I came across a copy of the first West England; as well as Rocksport he edited issue of Rocksport, a magazine which probably the first and most of the subsequent editions of only the more senior reader will remember. the Lancashire guide (indeed is working on the Published in April 1968, with the strapline next edition at this very moment) and in ‘The magazine for rock climbers by rock recognition of his work was made an Honorary climbers’, and selling for the princely sum of 2 Member of the BMC in 2006, and given a shillings (=10p!), it was groundbreaking in a Torch Trophy Trust Award for his ‘exceptional modest kind of way. At the time the only other contribution to volunteering in sport.’ Phil was mainstream magazines on the UK market were last heard of guiding in North Wales.

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So what did this new, cutting edge magazine contain? (1) An editorial section laid out the justification for a new magazine and its aims and aspirations. It hoped to cover ‘the whole field of rock-climbing; from easy to

Press), speculated about the future of outcrop climbing. He predicted (pretty safely I think you’ll agree) that climbs would get harder and increase in number and that outcrops would become the ‘playgrounds of climbing’. One of the cutting edge areas of developments in both grades and technique at the time was the gritstone quarries of the Northern Pennines, where as a callow youth I cut my teeth.

Unsworth described them as ‘big, ugly and dangerous’ – entirely correct! – but made the somewhat contentious claim that each new route therein was worth six at Stanage! If so, my half dozen new The author cutting his teeth in a big, ugly & dangerous quarry routes in the (‘Blackout’, VS 4c, Wilton One, February 1968) Bolton quarries = extreme; developments in equipment and 36 new routes on Stanage – result! Other areas technique; photographs; descriptions of new of significant recent development were the routes; interim guides to newly developed limestone crags of Yorkshire and the Peak, areas; information on modifications to although, he suggested they were by then more established routes ; book reviews; etc...’ and or less played out, even claiming that ‘few the editors wanted Rocksport to reflect people could now make a name for controversy and provide a vehicle for debate. themselves’ on limestone – the perils of prediction! The real cutting edge of A proposed regular feature was a Selected development, however, was on sea cliffs, Climbs section, three routes (one in easier notably Gogarth on Anglesey. On safer grades, one mid-grade and one hard or aid ground, he posed the question, that if Gogarth, route) to be covered for each of two venues. only discovered in 1964, could remain hidden This inaugural issue highlighted routes at for so long ‘how many more are there yet to Tremadoc and Malham. There was an interim come?’ Indeed! guide to Hoghton Quarry near Preston (publication of the first edition of the There was a short article on how to tie and aforementioned Lancashire guide was still a use ‘hero loops’, small loops of tape, what year away), a New Routes section, and a most people would now call tie-offs, for use in review of the 1968 Avon Gorge New Routes both free and aid climbing to tie off (!) pegs Supplement written by a certain Mr Ed. Ward that weren’t snug with the rock face, thus Drummond, as he then called himself (see potentially lessening the shock load on their below). stems. A tip for preventing the loop slipping off the end of the peg – i.e. by clipping a krab In an article called ‘Played out’ Walt through the eye of the peg – was considered Unsworth (outdoor writer, later Editor of ‘particularly desirable with some home-made Climber and Rambler and founder of Cicerone NMC County Climber

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pegs’! – Eeeh, home-made pegs, them were the days, eh?

But for me the most interesting feature was an article by co-editor Phil Watkin about grading, ‘Grading systems – back to earth’. This was a reaction to proposals made in Ward Drummond’s Avon supplement, mentioned above, which he had first articulated in an article in The Climber the previous year (2). British climbers were still using an expanded version of the grading system introduced (reputedly by Owen Glynne Jones) in the early part of the century i.e. Easy, Moderate, Difficult, Very Difficult, Severe, Very Severe, albeit modified to include sub-divisions (Hard Severe, Hard VS etc) and the new descriptor ‘Extremely’ Severe (and, reserved for occasional use, ‘Exceptionally Severe’).

All except the Scots, that is, whose grading system, channeled through Scottish Mountaineering Club and its journal and guides, ended at Very Severe.

Around 1964 Pete Crew, Welsh pioneer, and Rodney Wilson had proposed adding a technical grade to the descriptive term, the origins of the now familiar system (4a, 4b, 4c etc), but this practice was only slowly filtering through.

Ward Drummond argued that, even with the technical grade, the current system was not fit for purpose, notably in relation to harder climbs. Information about the relative difficulty of a climb, particularly a new route, was left to the vagaries of word of mouth, which became ‘word of myth; mystery, ignorance and the cult of the demi-gods (”hard men”) becomes the common superstition.‘(2) Graded lists in the back pages of guides were the only means by which relative difficulties of one ‘Extreme’ could be judged against another, and they were often idiosyncratic.

Drummond proposed dropping the traditional descriptive term, retain the CrewWilson technical grade and supplement this with 4, yes four additional numeric categories, all ranging from zero to 3, as follows: (1) number of crux sections (2) ‘a general breakdown of the possible protection’ (3) state of the rock, and (4) the ‘kind of technical difficulty’. In the latter category, for example, 0 = ‘resting ledges, large, adequate holds’, whereas 3 = ‘persistently thin, limiting holds, resting places only at protection.’ In his 1967 NMC County Climber

Climber article he gave several examples of the new metric applied to well known hard climbs in Wales. Thus ‘Vector’ at Tremadoc,

at that time simply graded Extremely Severe, became ‘6a, 5/0/0/2’, and ‘Cemetery Gates’ in the Cromlech (also graded Extremely Severe) became ‘5b, 6/0/1/1’. The former is currently graded E2, 5a/5c/5b/4b, the latter E1 5b/4c.

Watkin’s beef with Drummond’s system, surprise surprise, was that it was too complex and clumsy to use. Instead he suggested all the information contained within Drummond’s four new categories could be captured ‘by careful use of standard words’ i.e. in the route description (!). His proposal for tackling the problem of highlighting relative difficulty was to seek some kind of consensus on the graded list, rather the leaving it to the whim of the guidebook writer and his mates, by circulating forms ‘through climbing clubs, shops and huts, on which climbers would classify routes in order of severity......’ following which ‘a simple statistical analysis....would lead to a graded list which makes the most of available information and minimise anomalies.’

Although his suggestions sounded ridiculous at the time, they kind-of anticipated the arrival of the internet and advent of sites such as UKClimbing which are now repositories of

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vast amounts of basic information, ‘beta’ and opinions about grading, certainly for the more popular climbs.

due course the now familiar F (French/ Font) sport grades arrived and stuck.

So that was that as far as grading was concerned – well and truly sorted........except of course it wasn’t, indeed the debate trundles on, and is unlikely ever to be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. As recently as the end of October a new thread appeared on UKC, initiated by Franco Cookson (he of a nearby parish), arguing the case for the use of the H (‘headpoint’) grade, either as a supplementary or a replacement grade for the hardest climbs (4). Unsurprisingly, it generated a lot of debate and hot air. No conclusions were drawn, and doubtless along the way someone was accused of being a Nazi!

Personally, I find the UK system perfectly adequate for my humble needs, indeed there are many occasions when I think OGJ’s original classification – Easy, Moderate, Difficult and Exceptionally Severe – would suffice!

Ward Drummond’s proposals were not exactly laughed out of court, simply quietly ignored. Over the next few years the numeric system gradually permeated climbing guides, new routes reports in magazines, and of course climbers’ conversations. In 1973 Colin Read, Lake District activist, proposed breaking down the Extreme grade into three categories: Mild

XS, (Standard) XS and Hard XS, an idea that was taken up enthusiastically, but was then replaced a few years later by Pete Botterill’s suggestions about E- numbers (E1, E2 etc).

Even the SMC moved into the modern era, tentatively introducing, first a Hard Very Severe grade, then, doubtless to the chagrin of a hoary, hirsute old guard, finally adopting E grades. Into the 80s, and Yorkshire gritstoners added the P descriptor to indicate potential risk or the ‘prang’ factor (to quote from a review of the latest Yorkshire Gritstone Guide, Volume 1 in 2012 on UKC ‘’P1 meant that if you fell off you'd be in the pub after climbing, P2 meant that if you fell off you would be airhobbling into the pub after climbing and P3 was for, forget the pub call a helicopter and an undertaker” (!) (3); P grades didn’t really catch on and were eventually dropped. And in NMC County Climber

And what became of Rocksport? The first issue was a makeshift affair, produced using a typewriter and a Gestetner duplicator, the quality of photographic reproduction pretty low. By issue Number 3, in August 1968, however, it was printed on glossy paper, had decent (B&W) photographs, carried adverts and was already claiming to have ‘made a difference’ by broadcasting concern about the appearance of unnecessary pegs at Almscliff and chipping at Brimham, resulting in ‘remedial action’ being taken by local activists (the corpses of the perpetrators doubtless still lying in unmarked graves somewhere on a windswept moor near Pateley Bridge!).

Ainsworth and Watkins eventually handed over editorial responsibilities to another team but the magazine went from strength to strength, fulfilling most of the original aims and aspirations, and playing a full part in both documenting and shaping the development of the sport into the mid-70s.

Mountain Craft transmogrified into Mountain under Ken Wilson’s enthusiastic editorship, the first issue appearing in January 1969 (containing, by the by, a short news item about developments in those ‘big, ugly and dangerous’ Lancashire quarries – written by me!). Mountain did cover rock climbing both in its information section and in periodic features, providing an international dimension, but its main focus remained adventures in big

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hills. In 1976, a new magazine arose indirectly from the ashes of Rocksport, namely Crags, edited by Geoff Birtles. This ran until 1981 when it turned into High which then took over

Thanks to Phil Kelly and Les Ainsworth for background information. 

Crag Lough clean-up, Part 3 Mark Anstiss

On Saturday 13th September a team of volunteers armed with their climbing gear, trowels and patio knives made their way to Crag Lough for a spot of much-needed gardening in a continuation of the previous two years’ sterling work. They worked hard to return The author (with fewer teeth) back in a big, ugly and dangerous another clutch of quarry (‘Cameo’ E1 5a, Wilton One, June 2013) excellent routes to their former glory and bring the ‘Mountain Info’ element of Mountain back a few overlooked gems from obscurity. when the latter folded in 1992 - bear with me, The day was rounded off with a well-deserved dear reader - to become High Mountain. On barbecue courtesy of the BMC, followed by The Edge, edited by Ed Douglas, had appeared consumption of ale (plenty of it) in the local in 1987, something of a rival to High (and, inn. The fruits of all this effort were enjoyed interestingly, aspiring to fill yet another gap the following day with many of the volunteers arising as grades cranked up another notch or out climbing, with some routes seeing ascents several, and sport climbing finally arrived on for the first time in years, possibly decades. our shores). OTE merged with High in 2004.

Meanwhile, The Climber turned first into Crag Lough does not lend itself to climbing Climber and Rambler, then became Climber in the colder months, however the vegetation and Hillwalker, nowadays still going strong as will not return before next year and the winter simply Climber, the long term-survivor. weather will hopefully finish off the cleaning Nonetheless, Rocksport arguably laid the nicely. The routes will be at their best next foundations of the ‘modern’ climbing Spring and many North East climbers are magazine. The content and format of today’s already eagerly looking forward to their first magazines are essentially the same as those visit in the new year. first typewritten issues of Rocksport, Both the BMC, who sponsored the day, and differences in detail and emphasis I would like to thank everyone who helped out, notwithstanding (Bouldering? Blocs? Eh?! We and the National Trust and Natural England for just used to call it ‘messing around’ Coaching? their permission and support.

Masterclasses? What?!! Just get on and do it, man…..OK, I’ll shut up), obviously a winning The routes formula.

Centurion’s Crack, Praetor and Bibliography Doomsday Crack were cleaned by Bob (1) Rocksport, Issue No 1, April 1968 McAdam and Sarah Hawker. These three (2) The Climber, October 1967, ‘To grade routes have been described as ‘vegetated’ in or not to grade?’ E Ward-Drummond the last two guides; they now provide some (3) http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/p excellent lower grade challenges. age.php?id=5130 Impossible Wall and Bisector were (4) http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t. cleaned by John Doughty. php?t=601253&v=1#x7913928 NMC County Climber

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Brutus was cleaned by Charley Fell.

conditions and kept for ever and a day. Maybe longer, the archive is designed to survive a mass extinction event.

Block Chimney and Block Chimney Superdirect were cleaned by two lads from Durham Mountain Sports whose names I forgot to make a note of!

If you want to get access to the documents before they are properly catalogued you need to get in touch with me and I'll arrange it for you. Only club members can see them at the moment.

A number of routes on Dexter Buttress were given a makeover by Spenser Gray.

Sinister Corner, Sausage Juice and The Sinister Sizzler were cleaned by Sonia Byers (the latter two routes were new lines opened up as a result of last year’s clean up).

Punch Line was cleaned by Mark Anstiss and the starting ledges of Back Alley are now cleared of turf, making this excellent Diff even better!

With so much achieved at Crag Lough over the past three years it is anticipated that the focus next year will shift to Peel Crag. Keep an eye out for details in Spring 2015....

Club News The archive Since the club’s beginnings after WWII we have built up a large collection of assorted bits of paper. Things like committee meeting minutes, correspondence from irate landowners, details of the club tent in the Cheviots, stories of the tiresome search for a club hut in the Lakes etc etc. This stuff may be of interest to current members and future historians, so it has been retained and passed from one unwilling club member to another these past 65 years in boxes of increasing size.

Something had to be done, so I approached The Northumberland County Archive Service (NCAS), at Woodhorn Colliery in Ashington.

This was something and I was doing it. It was a long shot, but I emailed them and to my amazement they were keen to take the thing on.

I took the pile of cardboard boxes to the Ashington depot, stuck the contents on a trolley (where they still are), and filled in all sorts of forms. The NCAS are now going to go through all of the documents, catalogue them properly and include the archive in their publicly available catalogue. Then the documents will be stored in proper archive NMC County Climber

Once they are catalogued then any member of the public can see the archive. If someone does want to see it, NCAS will first ask for our permission, because we retain ownership. This stops the likes of Rockfax and the Daily Mail poking their noses into our affairs. Probably not the Murdoch Mob though.

On a serious note, the Data Protection Act applies to archive material, so confidential personal information, such as that found on membership forms, won't be made available.

I'd like to point out that in all the time I've had the archive, over 15 years, nobody has ever wanted to look at anything. I've told NCAS that they can store it all at the back of the cupboard.

John Dalrymple

New guidebook activity Word may have got around amongst members that some new guidebook work is underway. This is correct and John has asked me to provide some background to the process and how it may evolve.

Since the publication of the last two guides, development, particularly in bouldering, has continued on both new and established crags, and while new bouldering venues outnumber cragging locations, the number of new routes and locations makes a review of both worthwhile.

A number of activists have been searching out new venues and problems, some make the news, but the vast majority do not. It is, after all, the ‘Quiet County’! Indeed some of the venues are so little known they didn't even get into the Secret Blocs article! That said I’d estimate that there are in excess of thirty new bouldering sites; some small and some extensive, and four new cragging locations.

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ball, many are most definitely routes, and some of both genres are of remarkable quality.

While there's a lot of it, not that many people are aware of what's out there, and as a result many venues don't see the traffic they need to keep them in condition.

allow a grade consensus to be reached, which could be fed back into the chapters. It also sets a number technical limitations (relating to file sizes) that the chapters have to comply with.

Thus far I have nearly completed The Stell, (Note that I’m no Desk Top Publishing wizard, and am getting help from JDal on the handling of photos – believe me it’s...complicated). The Stell, Caller Crag (an important venue), the Bizzle and Tosson will likely be the most challenging chapters because of their size. The remainder are much smaller, and production, I hope, will be much simpler.

Once six or so are completed we will release three, with one released each month thereafter - that's the plan anyway! So far it’s become clear to me how time consuming the process is, even though Bob Smith and I hold much of the information, there is more that

‘Maximus Decimus’, 7a+, at Blakey's Bloc, Steve Blake climbing

At a recent meeting the interested parties convened and agreed that a review was overdue and that the Club, as the historic custodian of new route information and guides, should be involved, if not at the centre of the process. But what to do about it? At conclusion the participants agreed that a manageable way ahead would be to produce a series of PDFs, one for each venue, that would be held on the Club’s website and available as free downloads. These would, or, could, form the basis of a hard copy guide in due course.

The attraction of this process is that: 



Each PDF could be posted on completion, getting the information out there – it’s important that these venues are visited, as without traffic many of the problems and routes will re-populate with lichen. In terms of quality much of what has been done is as good as anything that has gone before, and many are harder. They need the traffic.

Free downloads make it difficult for pirates to exploit. Why go to the effort to produce a pirate guide when the information is freely available for people to download?

The production of the PDFs is linked to an associated upgrade of the Club’s route database that allows a degree of user feedback on grades, comments and uploading of photos.

This would in time (as long as people use it) NMC County Climber

Bob Smith on an unnamed 6b+ in Hepburn

needs to be collected from other activists (and much of it in detail), along with the acquisition of suitable crag photos (best taken on the same day, in suitable light), and illustrative images of the problems and routes.

Photos are a particular challenge, given that the pool of people doing the problems and routes isn’t large, and let’s face it Bob, me, Alec and the gadgies aren’t photogenic anymore! Then there’s all the other malarkey: location, access, maps, sorting out the historical record, emphasising sustainability and so on. All while still trying to get some Autumn 2014

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climbing done. I’ll stop now - I can tell I’m losing you....

‘Audrey Hepburn’, 7a+, at Caller David Murray climbing

Thankfully I retire in December and hope, with a bit of help, to get through the process more quickly. I would hope to have some of the PDFs finished by the summer, though I'll not be held to that. If it transpires you have any relevant material, be it photos or opinion, then feel free to offer it up. It would help if it’s not abusive - I don't have a thick skin and am very sensitive!

In the meanwhile if you want to say hello feel free, I’m the formerly tall, dark and handsome bloke you’ll see at the wall, who spends more time on the mats than the holds.

across the UK. The one that really blew me away was to Glencoe.

Summer 2006: White Ensign VS 4c** (Limekilns, Fife) So much so that I got a new job in Scotland. I lived in a village called Limekilns outside Edinburgh. It even had it own crag!

Summer 2010: Huayna Potosi 6088m (Corillera Real, Bolivia) In 2009 I quit my job and cycled the length of the Andes in South America. On the way I climbed several high altitude mountains.

Alpinism and climbing big mountains is something I have an ambition to do more of.

Winter 2012: Cneifion Arete Grade 3 scramble (Cwm Cneifion, Snowdonia) I moved to Newcastle in 2011 but didn’t really do any climbing (except a few winter trips to Scotland). In 2012 I decided to retrain as a teacher in North Wales.

Summer 2013: Savage Slit, Severe*** (Corrie an Lochain, Cairngorms) I spent August 2013 working at an outdoor centre for people with disabilities in Aviemore.

I then started work as a teacher in South Shields.

Summer 2014: The Overhanging Crack E2 5c*** (Bowden Doors, Northumberland) In the last two years I’ve begun to explore the climbing in Northumberland. Strangely I’m more enthusiastic about climbing now than ever before!

Future ambitions.

Go indoor bouldering every week. Confidently onsight any HVS I want. Climb Tower Ridge in winter. Climb a sea stack. Climb all the Munros (I’ve done 120).

Ben MacFarlane Well, I kind of got back into climbing

Steve Blake

New member profiles Pete Hubbard Summer 2004: Morpheus VDiff 4a** (Avon Gorge) I took up climbing when I was at University in Bristol.

Winter 2005: Dorsal Arete II*** (Stob Coire Nan Lochan, Glencoe) After graduating in 2004 I got a job in Woking and joined Guildford Mountaineering Club.

Seeing as Surrey isn’t really the best place for climbing, the club had regular trips to crags NMC County Climber

Ben MacFarlane

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a couple of years ago after about a 15 year break, marriage, children and a career kind of put a halt to some hobbies. But anyway to the present, just carrying on with a bit of bouldering, with a bit of indoors at a mediocre level, bumbling along towards a bit of trad in North wales, Lakes & Northumberland.

Hopefully for next year continuing to do a bit more outdoors, especially trad.

half years, entirely indoors until joining NMC earlier this year. Really enjoying getting out on real rock especially since doing the Learn to Lead course, never thought I'd be doing the routes I'm doing now! Looking to get my fitness up over the winter so I can keep improving next year, maybe get some more weekend trips in.

Astell Clarke

Dana Ofiteru

I started climbing more years ago than I like to remember, at a time when you mostly learnt to climb outside doing trad in all sorts of dodgy weather. When I discovered bolts on sun rock I was easily seduced away from the British cold and rain. The delights of crags or mountains in Mallorca, Sardinia, Kalymnos, France, Spain, Italy, USA and Canada have all been joyously sampled. Although I have dabbled with ice axes and crampons and am keen to do more, I have spent most of my winter fun time on ski slopes.

I started climbing in the Emirates/Oman about one year and a half ago. I have some unfinished business there on a 6c+ route that

Other Club business

Dana Ofiteru

one day I’d like to go back and finish. Until joining the club in August 2014, I only knew about bolted routes – so traditional climbing is all new to me. For the moment, I’m in the beginner mind set up: fighting the rock/wall and wanting to finish a route at all cost or all colours :-) (which often means zero technique).

But it would be nice if at one point I’ll manage to relax and enjoy finishing a route respecting the ethics :-) Sonia Byers I've been climbing for around two and a

The Committee continues to beaver away behind the scenes with various projects, not least recruiting new members to the Club.

We are also looking for new Committee members to be appointed at the AGM – do consider putting yourself forward, the work is not onerous and is actually quite good fun!

Meanwhile, the President will be halfway through his tenure in January 2015 and we are already thinking of succession – ideally the successor serves time on the Committee as Vice-President....watch this space.

Guest speaker Stephen Venables, Tuesday December 9th Hot on the heels of the highly successful Sherpa and BMC-sponsored evening with Messrs Col and Gresham (which drew around 35 Club members and 58 nonmembers and a full-house at the Masterclass), we’re delighted to have Stephen Venables coming to talk about his expeditions to South Georgia in the South Atlantic.

From the horse’s mouth: ‘Stephen Venables first visited South Georgia twenty five years ago, seeking something different after a decade of Himalayan expeditions culminating in a new route up Everest. He liked the sub-Antarctic island so much that he has since returned five times, drawn back

Sonia Byers NMC County Climber

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by the thrill of sailing in the Southern Ocean, the stunning wildlife, the brilliant skiing and the chance to make first ascents on some of the most remote mountains on earth. South Georgia will always be associated with Ernest Shackleton’s desperate rescue mission after the loss of the Endurance in 1916. Having now retraced Shackleton’s legendary crossing of the island three times – on one occasion with Reinhold Messner and Conrad Anker, during the making of the Imax movie Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure – Stephen brings alive one of the great escape stories of all time.’

NMC County Climber

It’s at the Lit & Phil Library next to the Central Station in Newcastle, and is free to members, £10 to non-members. Doors open at 7.30, talk at 8pm. Be there, or be square! 

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Wall concessions £1 off the standard entry price at:  Sunderland Wall.  Durham Wall.  Climb Newcastle (Wed. nights only).  Newcastle Climbing Centre (Byker church)  Morpeth Bouldering Wall Also winter season Wednesday nights at Burnside college, £6 entrance fee, open to NMC members and provisional members only.

NMC Website

guidebook published by the NMC. The following guides currently available:  Northumberland Climbing Guide The definitive and comprehensive guide to climbing in Northumberland – much more useful than ‘the other one’ - £12.50 to members (RRP £18.95)  Northumberland Bouldering Guide The latest guide, £12.50 to members (RRP £19.95)

The NMC website includes various discussion forums, a photo-archive for members’ climbing photos, online guides for most Northumberland crags

For either of the above guides contact John Earl on 0191 236 5922 (add £2 P&P if required.)

www.thenmc.org.uk

 No Nobler County A history of the NMC and climbing in Northumberland.

Now ONLY £2.00 …Hurry while stocks last!!!

NMC Guidebooks NMC members pay a discounted price for any

Contact Martin Cooper on 0191 252 5707

Club T-shirts and hoodies These are still available in a range of sizes. T-shirts are yellow, hoodies are red.

T-Shirts (men's and women's) £15 Hoodies £25 Contact Eva Diran on: 7824627772 ediran@hotmail.com

Fire in the back country, Tuolumne Meadows, California NMC County Climber

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