UKH

anyone know if midsummer night's dream on cloggy will be dry tomorrow (8/7) 

In reply to sambarstow:

It doesn’t take seepage and dries veery quickly and it such a wonderful route which I didn’t find overly bold if you stay calm but tge upper pitches are tge hardest; I have done it twice 

In reply to sambarstow:

Sam - I've added a comment to the logbook about the peg that you might want to read.

In reply to Gary Gibson:

Might only be dry on pitch 1+3. P2 had a significant weep when I did it with Paul Ingham. Really impressive lead but not actually over hard  as wet bits could be avoided. Easy to say in hindsight having had a rope above your head ! I was surprised he even set off, how wet it looked.

In reply to Gary Gibson:

Not overly bold?! I’ve not done it but if there’s one thing that first pitch sounds like; it’s really really bold. From what gathered it’s only a knackered old peg and some rusty old blade/bolt thing keeping you off the floor (maybe some skyhooks too if that’s your thing?). I would have thought that if you tie in to that thing thinking it’s not going to be very serious then you’re possibly in for a shocker!… like I said though; I’ve not done it yet…

In reply to George_Surf:I hooked tge bolt stub with the end of an rp  pulled back on itself but didn’t want to fall so prepare it beforehand 

In reply to George_Surf:

It is, it's extremely bold, so much so that I find it hard to reconcile anyone saying otherwise. If Midsummer isn't "overly bold" what is?!

I'd still rate it as one of the boldest pitches I've ever led, although I didn't help myself by missing the hidden peg, but given the state it was likely in doubt it would have made much difference anyway. Maybe it felt different in the 80s, when the fixed gear was in a much better state, but in 2012 (when I did it) it felt pretty f**king unsafe - and I doubt it's got any safer since!!

I'm not trying to put anyone off, because I suspect for many (myself included) it is the psychological test that draws people towards Midsummers; however, I felt like it was worth clearing up any claims that it's anything other than "extremely bold".

In reply to sambarstow:

Sorry for throwing the thread off on a tangent. Hopefully you manage to get on Midsummer Night's Dream sometime soon. Whilst it may not have come across within the post above, the experience I had on it was absolutely unforgettable and one of the most involved ascents of my entire life. Hopefully you have a similar experience...

In reply to Gary Gibson:

That bolt thing is one of the weirdest pieces of protection I've seen. It now looks like a small stump of metal sticking out, a hole drilled through the top and a very thin wire swaged through the hole. The peg felt solid enough... but I didn't have a great look at it. Seems like Tom didn't think much of it

In reply to Will Rupp:

It's almost forty years ago so memory is vague but is p1 MND the only one with fixed gear ?

Also no mention of womb bits , it's also a  thin slab leading to the first belay of great wall , harder but with better gear so E5 6b rather than E6 6a . 

Just wondering if with the deterioration of the bolt and peg if this will become the  normal way of climbing this section of rock.

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

I have to agree with Rob on this. AMND is one of the more dangerous pitches I’ve led.  If you fall off the upper section I think it’s very likely you’ll end up on the ground.  But for all that, if you are comfortable with that grade, and that style of climbing, it is a really intense, absorbing experience.  I’ve led bold routes where I’ve felt like I’m having to fight to maintain control, with any satisfaction only arriving once I’d topped out realised I’d actually got away with it.  By contrast I found AMND really enjoyable during the lead.  But I was acutely aware that I couldn’t fall off… 

In reply to Rick Graham:

Yes, only first pitch has fixed gear. The peg on womb bits is now just a joke.

In reply to Will Rupp:

Funnily enough that's the peg I missed, despite having done Womb Bits and made a mental note regarding its location. Turns out I should have made more detailed notes 🤦‍♂️

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

Anyone wondering if they'll cope with the technical challenges of AMND could go and do Womb Bits first.  The protection on that is way better and there's absolutely no chance of hitting the floor, but the crux sequence is much thinner.  If you cruise WB, the technicalities (at least) of AMND won't present any problems (not that I knew that at the time!).  I did WB 4 years before venturing up AMND.

Funnily enough I have no memory of clipping a peg on WB, but I did clip a peg (the same one?) on AMND.  Seem to remember it is hidden from sight in a little left facing corner.  I'm fairly sure I found it by feel and clipped it blind...

In reply to Will Rupp:

It’s an old 6mm bolt whose hanger snapped 

In reply to Gary Gibson:

Sounds bomber 😂

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

It might have been adequate , once upon a time.

I find it interesting to consider how many designs both commercial and diy have been used  to fix  drilled gear in routes. 

Thought I had had a good grounding in this subject , aiding on yourshire limestone etc in the early 70s as was popular in bad weather  till i went to yosemite and my american climbing partner showed me his " really neat" emergency bolting kit, like nothing I had seen on the crag or in equipment manuals.

Any photos of the bolt on AMND?