UKH

Lunch time trivia fun....

What's the largest difference between a route's overall grade and the crux grade? Can be for any style of climbing. 

I assume such routes would feel disjointed and probably don't include any classics. 

Verandah Buttress. HVD 5b.

Crack and Corner (S 4b)  A route that used  to get HVD, with a V6 start due to polish.

Although this is a big disparity it's only kept its HVD grade over the years as a historical joke. Really it should be HS 5b (or VS 5b) or maybe HS 4c if you do actually manage to find the virtually impossible to find easier sequence.

I wish I could climb V6 as easily as I can climb Crack and Corner; in reality it's about V0+

Since we seem to be at Stanage I'll give a proper one...

Desperation (E1 6a) I think is considered fairly classic, tech crux at the start, but not all easy above.

V grade not really appropriate it’s more like a problem on one of the old polished “mountain” circuits in Font so about f3A tops

Fourth Protocol (E2 4c) was quite memorable

Given that Californian Arete (E1 4c) is a solo at 4c and only warrants E1, what fresh hell is E2 4c?

You, err.. ever been to Charnwood quarry? Weetabix Jenga according to my notes on the place.

(Un)fortunately not, hence the question!

Death Trap Direct is E6 5c

Can't find an E5 5b; hardest seems to be E3

Information Received is E4 5a

Scissors is E3 5a

Fourth Protocol E2 4c

Perilous Journey E2 4b

Its the best crag that every climber in the UK has been within 50 metres of and never visited. (It is that close to the Southbound lane of the M1).

and at Charnwood quarry you get to claim a new route practically every time you climb there, because the holds someone used last week have gone.

From personal experience, one the other way; First Pinnacle Rib, 99% moving together territory, with a tricky 4b crux mid way.

E2 4c is a relatively straightforward 40m slate slab that only has gear at 30m. And that’s a broken bolt end that needs some creative nut hanging. 

Like I said, it was memorable!

40m of slab climbing at about 55 degrees. One small wire at about 10m and then 2 extreme comedy sky hooks for the rest. No holds of note. Just a whole lot of smearing. On slate. With loads of time to think about things. That bit of the slab is actually reasonably solid until you get to the last few metres

I went there at least 4 times when I worked in Loughborough. Partly due to lack of other options but I did genuinely enjoy the routes I did on the big slab. We spent quite a while one time trying to work out where one route to the left of the slab went only to eventually realise that it had fallen down

Fingerwrecker (HVS 5c)

Claims to be HVS 5C. I'll paste some of the logbook descriptions to give an idea about how odd the grade is

16 Jul, 2016Lead G/U

Nae f*ckin way that this is HVS 5c. Move at the start, whit the f*ck? Whit the f*ck man!

I could not reach the first finger-jam crack properly (I could just touch it with a full stretch) and could not get off the ground in the end… In other words, I did not fall…!

4 Jul, 2020-

Well, it's is VERY safe... VS 6a If there ever was such a stupid grade. Mono fingerlocks? Seriously?

21 Nov, 2020 2nd dog

Crying now.

Apr, 2011Lead dog

Vile. Absolutely not 5c, absolutely not HVS.

Unfortunately (phew 🤣) Charnwood Quarry wasn't available to climb on before I moved from Leicester in 2005 - I think it was still being worked.

But there were other "nice" places to climb - including having a "look" at Morley Quarry - really was a look and a "not for me, thank you" departure. Also the big quarry across the M1 from Markfield, that actually had some proper routes in it including 3 bolted lines up a slab - although I think the bolts would have left something to be desired compared to todays bolting standards.

The biggest losses of Leicestershire rock were Huncote Quarry (some of it's still there but has anyone dared to climb on it in the last 15 years) and Whitwick Quarry (there might be a boulderable bit still sticking out otherwise you'll need a JCB or two).

Sounds fantastic, thanks for the replies all

E6 7b A Little Peculiar 

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/roaches_lower_tier-105/a_little_pe...

Last week you say? It can happen during your own ascent! I was on something nominally graded HS but pulled a really helpful hold off before I could truly use it, which put up the technical grade for the move and, a tiny bit above gear, it suddenly felt VS. However, a bit of creative "cleaning" (really just scraping away with my fingers!) restored the HS feel, so the route remained pretty much the same. 

Morley reminds me of a childhood making "mud pie" (wet mud into a flat bowl, and bake in the sun)

Flicking through Franco Cookson's North York Moors guide last night I came across a VS 7a, however it gets a slightly lower grade here. It's neighbour has quite the disparity too mind.

Fairy Tale High (f7B)

Fairy Tale Low (f7A)

I think a lot of the high tech grades / low adjectival grade stem from a misunderstanding of the grading system which is supposed to be overall difficulty including the technical grade.

A good example is Saline Drip at Raven Tor. For decades this extended boulder problem was graded E5 6b. It's a short solo admittedly but it's still pretty hard and in overall effort is probably not much different to nearby Sardine (same grade). When the new Northern Limestone guide came out the grade inexplicably dropped to E2 6b. I'm sure there is not an E2 leader in the country who could climb that route because of the serious amount of finger strength required. So why grade something E2 that no E2 climber is capable of? It makes no sense.

Maybe these should be considered joke grades or sandbags or something. But they're certainly not a true reflection of a route's difficulty or how the grading system is supposed to work.

Hah yes, put up some new routes there. However most of the routes tended to fall down as i went up so the next person would have an entirely different route to have a go at 

I'm sure TPS is a candidate for this thread........

Second Pinnacle Rib  -  Overall grade Diff with 4b for the Yellow Slab pitch  

First Pinnacle Rib isn't it?

Top pitch of Direct Route, Dinas Mot at 5b, but the rest at only VS

Yes you are correct. I relying on memory, which was wrong!