Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate any recommendations for the best (and perhaps even some hard) pure slab climbs.
Being weak and fat, I've come to love numerous slabs (in all around yurp and scandinavia).
Even pure slabs are to my liking, while I do prefer cracks on a slab.
I think the the best line I have ever climbed is here in Finland, called Smooth operator (given the ego boosting grade of 7a, but to be honest more like 6b/c).
https://27crags.com/photos/93616
A meter or two the to left is another stellar line, with some harder climbing. https://27crags.com/photos/77604
And if yer legs are up to it, then not moving (or warming yer hands 'cause its darn cold) is not a problem. https://27crags.com/photos/91441
> I think the the best line I have ever climbed is here in Finland, called Smooth operator (given the ego boosting grade of 7a, but to be honest more like 6b/c). https://27crags.com/photos/93616
When it's 25 degrees and the sun is shining it definitely deserves 7a. It is a lovely slab though!
> I think the the best line I have ever climbed is here in Finland, called Smooth operator (given the ego boosting grade of 7a, but to be honest more like 6b/c). https://27crags.com/photos/93616
Phwoar!
I climbed some very nice slabs on La Dent d'Orluthis spring, though they were running with water at the time so hard to appreciate fully.
> Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate any recommendations for the best (and perhaps even some hard) pure slab climbs.
The Best (and Hardest) slab climbs in the UK are on the Shelterstone Crag in the Cairngorms - Shelterstone Crag
Aphrodite E7, Realm of the Senses E7, Icon of Lust E8, L'Elsir d'Amore E7, etc. Photo of the slabs here https://www.ukclimbing.com/photos/dbpage.php?id=224585
Wow! What an amazing slab!!! The first people to find it and climb trad protected routes on it must have been climbing visionaries. https://www.ukclimbing.com/photos/dbpage.php?id=28355
On a likewise love-what-you-can-do-and-your-friends-can't basis, Kitkakoulu (6b) remains my favourite bolted slab route. I think for trad Armorican (VS 4c) is the best I've done.
Hard to find any truly pure slab climbs at the grades I climb at, but Islivig Direct (VS 4c) comes pretty close - the best pitch is a cracked in a slab but the rest is mainly slabs. One of the best routes I've done.
Did some amazing routes here. Sainte Victoire#photos
Sainte Victoire. Lots of climbs of all grades and re bolted in the same style as it was done originally ie run out to F@*k once you get a bit of height. Great fun.
Why yes, I had a ball retro O/S FA those some years later (they were full or sand by that time)... But to be honest, that place only started to shine after them bolts (bar the hardest trad line, E2'ish, the rest weren't that good).
As for Kitkakoulu, yeah it was ok but a tad uneven with them rests/ledges... with bolts Nalkkila was a lot better.
Try the slab down at Armathwaite, all routes are pure friction moves.
Scallop (E7 6b)Lenny Limpet (E7 6b)
One of the hardest I e looked at is at Larbrax, Elegance E7 from Julian Lines
Sacre Coeur (E2 5c) Blackchurch. Excellent climb on a great piece of rock.
Satan's Slip (E1 5a) Lundy bold and brilliant
Great Slab (E3 5b) Froggett. Very bold.
Sacre Couer's a crack climb albeit on a slab - and amazing and with great gear.
Some other nice ones down this way are American Express, Crinoid and Wreckers Slab.
I love slabs! A few I've done and rate (nothing super hard here):
Saxon (HVS 5a) & Rock Dancer (E1 5b)
Don't Jis on my Sofa (6a+) Possibly no longer accessible.
Terminator 2 (HVS 5a) even better than its neighbour Lakeland Cragsman, Aphasia @ E2 also meant to be outstanding on the same crag.
Another dozen will pop into my head as soon as I post this I'm sure!
Not hard, but my favourite so far is probably Satans Slip.
Hard to believe it took this long for someone to mention Trilleachan Slabs. Is it out of fashion these days I wonder? We went there and repeated Hammer and Spartan (after 40 years or more!) last year and there weren't many there on a perfect day.
Plenty to go at on Welsh slate. In fact, I think but one of the routes I've done on slate have been slabs.
> The Best (and Hardest) slab climbs in the UK are on the Shelterstone Crag in the Cairngorms - Shelterstone Crag
I didn't realise Meltdown was in Scotland!
Blank and Blankist on the Rosa Slabs, Arran.
Saxon (HVS 5a) is one of the finest routes in the country. Get's my vote
Steve
Anything on the Etive slabs is worth doing. My personal favourite is Jaywalk (E2 5c).
The "one that got away" at Etive is Jackson (E5 6a) - the heart-stopping arete right of Pinch Direct. I fell off about 30' up it at least 25 years ago. Thankfully I didn't go over the edge. I don't think it has had a 2nd ascent....
Steve
At the bottom end of the graded list (but well up there for quality), how about Arrow Route (VD)?
Steve
> Hard to believe it took this long for someone to mention Trilleachan Slabs. Is it out of fashion these days I wonder? We went there and repeated Hammer and Spartan (after 40 years or more!) last year and there weren't many there on a perfect day.
I was thinking of Long Reach on there, one of my favourite memories over the years. Perhaps the midges have got more fierce over the years and scared people away!
> Hard to believe it took this long for someone to mention Trilleachan Slabs. Is it out of fashion these days I wonder? We went there and repeated Hammer and Spartan (after 40 years or more!) last year and there weren't many there on a perfect day.
Surely the OP should be looking at...
Never heard of this route. Is it really 380m and 10 pitches?
There's also St. Loy Cliff. Some brilliant routes from E1 up:
Also, The Damned (E5) - but the climb search is hanging right now!
Steve
Down at the Bumbly end of things, the 3 pitch Grack on Glacier Point Apron was the slab highlight of a trip there - "Awesome, Dude" as they say in the locality. https://www.ukclimbing.com/photos/dbpage.php?id=51018
Grimsel Pass has also been mentioned above and Sector Donald Duck had some lovely easyish slabs. Mt. St Victoire and Mt. Coudon have plenty to offer in the Cote d'Azur. Closer to home, I've had fun on Great Slab at Millstone, Hammer and Spartan on Etive Slabs, and the short but neat Slab and Crack at Kyloe Out.
I love slabs.
Dave
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/set.php?id=170
Not one of my lists (of which I've made a few), but a pretty good selection of the best slab climbing in the UK across the grades.
Walk on the Wild Side and Midas Touch at Auchinstarry are worth a mention.
Oops! Just realised the OP’s E2 grade is “worked”. The Long Reach, as I understand it, is a kinda an O/S or else deal... The Pause was enough to terrify me.
Not to talk down Shelterstone, but the hardest slabs are clearly elsewhere as well. I'd suggest such candidates as Once Upon a Time in the South West (E9 6c), The Walk of Life (E9 6c), The Zone (E9 6c) and The Meltdown (9a) as merely a taste of top end UK slab.
Took my biggest ever "fall" on The Long Reach. It seemed to last about ten seconds.....
What do you actually mean by pure slab? Lack of holds? Low enough angle that it doesn't feel like a 'wall' climb?
My response suggesting the Shelterstone was slightly tongue in cheek. However, I'm no expert but I think the climbs you mention (although extremely hard) might actually be quite steep and rely on tiny crimps. The Shelterstone and Etive slab routes mentioned above are pure padding which is true slab climbing. Depends what your definition of a slab is I suppose.
Pure slab climbs for me are moves of pure friction with no holds. Most of the routes mentioned above have holds on the hard bits! Some superb ones that I’ve done over the years are, surprising few and far between...
Obsession Fatale (E8 6c)Dogleg / Blank Linkup (VS 4b)Chalkstorm (E3 5c)Solstice (E5 6a)Simulkrime (5.9)No match for climb id:50158
The best of this style are meant to be at La Pedriza, but I’ve not been there yet...
> What do you actually mean by pure slab?
I thought it meant up to 70 degrees in steepness??
The Very Big and the Very Small (8b+)
To echo your thread title...
A Widespread Ocean of Fear (E5 6a)
Just for the name...
As a self-confessed slab and slatehead Llanberis slate quarries are slab central with hundreds of routes from 4-8b and HS to E8. It's thin, technical and delicate, requiring a steady head.
Heading the shot is a classic (bolted) line at E5 6b or 7a+ish if you redpoint it.
If you ever come, give me a shout
I'm not sure but Endless Nameless might be the hardest slab in the UK.
How about The Devil’s Slide on Lundy .. “Classic Rock”
Arran is absolutely teaming with lovely granite slab climbs. I first climbed blank before blankist existed and the guidebook stated at the time the slabs were climbable anywhere. I always thought blankist was pretty much a non line and probably wouldn't of been listed had it not been done and listed in the guide book by the SMC boys club. An outstanding Arran slab climb "line" and extremely under rated is the nearby "Angels pavement" It packs a lot in its short length.
> Blank and Blankist on the Rosa Slabs, Arran.
As Grahame says, 'pure slabs' are when there aren't usable hand/footholds and you have to rely on pressing and padding. I'm not great at pure slabs, partly due to lack of practice but also they're too scary! Gimme some holds.
> The "one that got away" at Etive is Jackson (E5 6a) - the heart-stopping arete right of Pinch Direct. I fell off about 30' up it at least 25 years ago. Thankfully I didn't go over the edge. I don't think it has had a 2nd ascent....>
I think the minimal write-up in the guide has probably ensured a lack of interest, but the latter is surprising if the line is as good as your link suggests. I don't have the guide to hand, but UKC seems unclear whether the FA was 1983 or 1989?
Nobody's mentioned Leicestershire's finest slabs yet - Charnwood Quarry.
It may not be to everyone's taste but there are some memorable experiences to be had there. Fourth Protocol, for instance, is well worth it's rather unusual grade of E2 4c.
> As Grahame says, 'pure slabs' are when there aren't usable hand/footholds and you have to rely on pressing and padding.
That's how I would define it too, but if that's what the OP was asking for then lots of the responses are not relevant.
The Meltdown, for example, is about 88° and frictionless, so hardly a pure slab.
I've been turned away from Blank a couple of times now by the wet. Is it a drainage line?
Blankist was good and bone dry when the other was a stream bed....?
Surely I must have missed it? I can't see a mention of Tuolomne Meadows.
You're correct of course, I got confused. I'm a foreigner these days...
As far as I’m aware the SMC is open to both sexes and there are quite a number of female members. I also understand that boys are not admitted - only adults.
Helluva Slab, Hella Point, West Penwith
Worth it just for the fun of the approach and your start position.
Remember doing pothole slab on the ne face of chir mhor on arran many moons ago, great route .. overshadowed by a summer ascent of bell’s groove... a true mountaineering experience 😀
> I've been turned away from Blank a couple of times now by the wet. Is it a drainage line?
> Blankist was good and bone dry when the other was a stream bed....?
On your original post you state "Blank and Blankist" on this thread for best slab lines. But your above post seems to now place "Blank" on the opposite end of the scale. It evens hints that you haven't actually climbed the route you previously gave your recommendation for!
"Blank" was always considered to be the best route on the south slabs. As I stated earlier the slabs are climbable anywhere. I've climbed everything on that slab including the scrappy routes and of course the girdle. If you get a wet smear just step left or right. I once climbed "Blank" the morning after a tent bound pissing wet day. I still have the old photos and only the first pitch has a wet smear to our side. The upper pitches are dry although a bit of avoidable damp at the scoop. To be honest I don't believe anything on the South slabs is a contender for the best Arran slab climb never mind in the country. I am very biased as well as its my back door climbing area for nearly 40 years.
> Remember doing pothole slab on the ne face of chir mhor on arran many moons ago, great route .. overshadowed by a summer ascent of bell’s groove... a true mountaineering experience 😀
You should try it in winter. It's an impossible greasy pole!
I'm pretty sure it was 83 - simply because I knew about it when I was at Uni in St Andrews from 85-90.
It's a frightening line. The arete is very sharp, and there is virtually no gear. Worst of all, the arete (a right arete) leans rightwards, so if you fall you could easily go over the edge and tear your ropes on the edge as you go.
When I tried it, the granite was a little bit ball-bearingsy. I ended up losing my footing and coming off, thankfully only about 30' up it, and not too far above a very small wire, so I stayed on the slab rather than going over.
Steve
Me too. My old schooling was that up to 30degrees was a glacis, between 30 and 70 a slab and beyond that a wall.
There seems to be a modern trend to classify a slab as anything less than vertical and Wikipedia supports this. But it then goes on to say that slabs are " often not leadable" followed by a load of other guff, culminating in " slab climbing is a relatively new area of climbing ......... last thirty years...."
I'm left wondering what Arthur Birtwhistle would make of that.
Anyway, to add to the list of venues I propose Carreg Y Barcud as a controversial suggestion: often described as slab climbing but steeper than my idea of the style.
Sorry fmck: I think you might be berating someone else!
I never made the 'original' post you mention ;I was just inquiring as to the normal conditions of Blank.
Thanks for the information anyway.
> Not to talk down Shelterstone, but the hardest slabs are clearly elsewhere as well. I'd suggest such candidates as Once Upon a Time in the South West (E9 6c), The Walk of Life (E9 6c), The Zone (E9 6c) and The Meltdown (9a) as merely a taste of top end UK slab.
You forgot Die By The Drop (E10 7a)
My mistake and my apologies. As wee bit more info. South slabs only had two scrappy rock routes on it "route one and two" when "Bugs McKeith" as a teenager visited the crag and picked the best plum line. "Blank"
Thanks for the info. At least a sharp arete may give some OK holds, though as the guide notes, falling into Agony sounds horrific enough without the rope cutting! It's miles beyond anything I'll ever consider, so thankfully my interest is purely academic.
I did. I'm not sure they'd have been much use but it was nice to look down and see what looked like gear. I've done 4 or 5 of the routes on that slab. Find them strangely appealing. Maybe it's for those rare moments when you actually find some worthwhile gear!
Messner (V) Is one that looks amazing, on my wishlist.
I think Blank was the route on the slabs where I reinforced some sort of belay by sitting on a tape loop; sounds iffy but the angle is amenable enough to get away with almost anything.
There is similar but slightly easier stuff just across the Senes plateau on Seekofel South face, including a few sparsely bolted routes.
CB
edit: link to one of the routes here:
https://www.alpintouren.com/de/touren/klettern/tourbeschreibung/fotos_24735...
> Never heard of this route. Is it really 380m and 10 pitches?
I can't remember to be honest and don't have the guide to hand. I do remember the first pitch was slightly over 50m as my partner had to start climbing before I could get to a belay (contrary to what the recent SMC guide says, there is one) and there were some other very long pitches. Based on the OS map it's probably more like 280m so perhaps a typo.
> Me too. My old schooling was that up to 30degrees was a glacis, between 30 and 70 a slab and beyond that a wall.
My opinion is that you should be able to stop 'holding' the handholds on a slab, lean on it not fall off i.e. stand there with your weight on your feet.
> There seems to be a modern trend to classify a slab as anything less than vertical and Wikipedia supports this.
Foreign guidebooks often class walls as slabs. B'stards!
Endless Nameless (V13) at Stanworth Quarry surely has to be up there? Surely!
Self Control at Val di Mello is utterly horrendous, probably what you are looking for!
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