Postern beta please

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 Exile 26 Jan 2020

I've had Postern on my to do list for a while but the majority of write ups I've read appear to end in an off route epic towards the top. Has anybody got any advice on staying on route? 

 DaveHK 26 Jan 2020
In reply to Exile:

It's a while ago now but it all seemed fairly obvious to me. Probably helps to have an idea which options you're going for both at start and finish.

OP Exile 26 Jan 2020

This one I would think:

Postern Variation (VI 6)

 iainballantyne 26 Jan 2020
In reply to Exile:

As Dave says its quite an obvious winter line, don't remember having many problems with route finding, apart from maybe the traverse leftwards out of the chimney onto a narrow ledge as it looks a wee bit unlikely (sinker hooks tho! ?crux?). The upper pitches of the route follow a really obvious series of right facing corners and ledges to the side of the steep main bastion, again it forms the logical line winter on the face. Just follow your intuition and you shouldn't go too far wrong!

Post edited at 22:16
 Neil Adams 27 Jan 2020
In reply to Exile:

I'm not sure about Postern specifically, but often for routes on that face, if the bottom is white enough to be "in" then the top is absolutely blootered. Add in darkness and exhaustion and it's easy to go wrong, even if the route-finding isn't intrinsically that hard.

In reply to iainballantyne:

I missed that traverse left from chimney, when I done it! Instead finished up Direct Finish, Clach Diam Chimney, which was way harder than anything beneath it.

Stuart

 Robertgiddy 27 Jan 2020
In reply to Exile:

Would agree with iain that the traverse left out from the chimney could be easily missed - this was pitch three as we did it but they were quite long pitches!

I also remember the line for the final 50m being a bit vague after you get to the point overlooking the gully, once we got there it was just a case of following our noses up the easiest line to the top.

Post edited at 18:11
OP Exile 27 Jan 2020
In reply to Exile:

Thanks very much all. So it sounds like getting the traverse correct is the key and not over thinking the top. 

 DaveHK 27 Jan 2020
In reply to Exile:

> Thanks very much all. So it sounds like getting the traverse correct is the key and not over thinking the top. 

It's very much a follow your nose sort of route. I remember enjoying it because of where it was rather than the overall quality of climbing.

 ross 27 Jan 2020
In reply to Exile:

Hiya, agree with comments about the traverse looking steep and unlikely. We found that ok but then instead of moving left along easy ledges for a decent way, I went up a groove very soon after the traverse. This was poorly protected and quite hard. From it's top it was obvious where I should have gone. I later found reference to it being climbed before at tech 7/8.

Cheers, Ross. 

 French Erick 31 Jan 2020
In reply to ross:

Aye, the traverse almost feels like cheating as the obvious challenge is a direct cracked groove crying to be climbed. I never went up that groove as it looked improbable at the grade. Even if only looked short over the scale of the climb I bet you could easily spent 2 hours on that!


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