UKH

Some advice please; yesterday I was completely defeated on limestone (at Portland) due to the rock being greasy all day even though there was almost no rain (short-lived very light drizzle) and mild temperatures (about 15 deg). In future I need to interpret the (Met Office) forecast better. What should I look for? Yesterday had hardly any wind. Is that bad? I guess so. What about humidity as shown on the forecast? I think yesterday it reached 92% - 96%. Tomorrow, another day of light cloud, it's forecast as about 82%. Sunday, light cloud again, about 70%. So what do these percentages mean? Both Saturday and Sunday the wind seems middling from W/NW. Does that affect humidity?
Any idea what is the best way to interpret these figures in future? Thanks Roger

In reply to silhouette:

W coast of Portland needs SUN to burn off the morning grease. White cloud weather tend to be greasy IMO.

Expecting good weekend connies for Blacknor based on latest forecast I've seen.

In reply to Owen W-G:

Cheers

In reply to silhouette:

High humidity is going to mean high grease on limestone sea cliffs. Generally speaking overcast days, or worse, grey drizzly days, seem to have pretty awful grease. Sun and breeze are helpful.

Thing is, you can't sack off every day that conditions aren't perfect. If it's not raining, go out and climb, and if it's greasy, moan about it and use it as an excuse!

In reply to silhouette:

What were you on?

Mick

In reply to silhouette:
Climbed at Portland on Fri, wallsend north, can't say it felt greasy, not even before the sun came round. Has felt greasy at sea level routes with receding tide not far off high tide, but usually lower down the routes.
A crack we did, was not too bad, pretty good actually, but they can be very greasy even high up, if it rained the day b4, eg Evening Falls, Battleship Edge, which can then be scary if it's near yr limit.
Just might need to chalk up more, buy powders rather than ball chalk, could help.
But it was good conditions Fri, a nice day too, a vest +shorts could have been worn.
Tmrw looks ok.

In reply to Rock to Fakey:

Night time temperature is pretty crucial. Cool nights and heavy autumn dew means condensation on the rock. Needs some sun on it or a good breeze for conditions to get better, and will be less greasy after a warmer, overcast night.

In reply to silhouette:

I'm not familiar with Portland, but at the other end of the country we have a similar problem with the Aberdeenshire sea cliffs (mostly granite). Wind direction is crucial. If the wind is off the sea they can often be greasy and add a couple of grades (at least that's what I claim after failing on a route). Would a W/NW be picking up moisture across Portland bay, hence the high humidity values?

As others have said, direct sunlight helps.

In reply to Mick Ward:

We went to The Cuttings first followed by Battleship (where I fell into the mud twice before even arriving). I have always checked the wind aspect on the Met Office forecast to avoid strong wind but I now realise that I should check the humidity too, and of course that gentle wind is my friend. We learn from our mistakes.

In reply to silhouette:

A secret to those in the know to send those really hard routes, you need the renowned and fabled Portland conditions of "sticky damp"!

In reply to petegunn:

Agreed - but they don't come often!

Mick

In reply to silhouette:

Many thanks for your reply. I wasn't being nosey. You got two of the worst venues going, in terms of conditions. Though Blacknor Far South and Wallsend are often even worse.

You can certainly look at the humidity generally but, for success on Portland, tactics have to be much more fine-tuned. For example, on Road Rage, there's generally a four hour window from noon to four o'clock. Get on it outside these times and you'll usually be stuffed.

The simplest answer is the one you identified above - the gentle wind is your friend. Sun to dry things out (but in the summer gets too hot), wind to disperse the hot air somewhat. West coast generally smeggy until sun and wind hit it; east coast smeggy, if near the sea, when the sun crosses over. Generally grooves and corners will hold damp air far more than aretes/more open walls.

I'm sorry you had a not so good visit. Given the time and effort for people to get to Portland, I always want them to have the best experience possible. It's always worth checking the windsock at Ferrybridge, just to the right on the causeway, after the now closed pub. It will give the direction and strength of the wind. If it's really blasting from the West, don't even go there.

Generally the Cuttings is better in late afternoon, when the sun goes off it. Often, in the evenings, you can get great conditions. Unfortunately, by then, most folk have had to go home!

Hope you have better luck next time.

Mick

In reply to silhouette:

While not being familiar with the place, my two pennorth would be this. Coastal locations are going to have salt in the air which will accumulate on the crags unless rain washes it away. If you then have relative humidity in the 90%s the salt will draw moisture out of the air and this will appear on the rock and make it greasy. Similar processes mean fog is commoner over sea than over land.