Restricted Access

The crag is south facing for the most part and quick drying, especially with a bit of sea breeze. However, it's worth bearing in mind that traversing along the platform at the base of the crag (needed to get to most routes) can be exciting in anything other than calm seas. The traverse is generally accessible 3 hours either side of high tide for most of the crag and the base of Terrier's Tooth and Bishop's Buttress for slightly longer, although these times are significantly reduced during neap tides. During high tides or when big seas are running, it is also possible to abseil in to the upper pitches of several routes.

Seasonal Restrictions

Dates: 15 March to 30 June

Reason: Nesting Birds

The restriction applies to all routes on Bishop's Buttress - from Lacertion to The Mitre inclusive (route 82, page 153 to route 14, page 159 in the 2017 Climber's Club guidebook).

Routes within Zawn Rinny (Consolation Climb to Shark Alley) are also restricted during the same period, but the Zawn Rinny descent for the western end of Chair Ladder is fine to use. 

58m, 3 pitches.

Rockfax Description
The meat of this climb is crack climbing and only the start of the route lives up to its name. Start 6m left of the base of the Pegasus corner.
1) 4c, 30m. Climb a faint crack-line rightwards to join a large corner at 10m. Ascend the steepening corner with difficulty to its top and move right to a large ledge and belay.
2) 4b, 20m. Climb easy-angled rock to a crack in the steep wall above a right-to-left slanting break. Climb the crack and its continuation to a wide break, from where a short awkward section of wide crack above leads to a good ledge and belay.
3) 8m. Climb the easy corner on the left to the top. © Rockfax

Ticklists

100 More Classic British VS Climbs , West Country Climbs , South West VDiff-HVS , South West Classic VS's , Big Routes 2020 , Learning to Trad Climb: Cornwall , Luke & Andy's Cornish Climbathon

Feedback

User Date Notes
Iain Weymouth 30 May, 2022 Show βeta
βeta: 3 pairs of nesting herring gulls around P2. I'd give it a miss for the time being
βeta?
Show beta
βeta: 3 pairs of nesting herring gulls around P2. I'd give it a miss for the time being
mishabruml 14 May, 2021 Show βeta
βeta: Very angry and protective seagulls nesting above and right of 1st belay, near Pegasus. They divebombed me to the point we had to abandon the route and escape up another.
βeta?
Show beta
βeta: Very angry and protective seagulls nesting above and right of 1st belay, near Pegasus. They divebombed me to the point we had to abandon the route and escape up another.
Rosa M W 21 Apr, 2020 Show βeta
βeta: A huge amount of sea gull poo on the Slab (horrific smell) and dead Insekts in the cracks.
βeta?
Show beta
βeta: A huge amount of sea gull poo on the Slab (horrific smell) and dead Insekts in the cracks.

Logged Ascents

484 users have logged this

Guidebooks for Chair Ladder

Not all climbs appear in all guidebooks 91 users have this on their wishlist

Please Login to view more details on the logged ascents

Voting
High HVS
Mid HVS
Low HVS
High VS
Mid VS
Low VS
High HS
Mid HS
Low HS
Votes cast 58
High 5a
Mid 5a
Low 5a
High 4c
Mid 4c
Low 4c
High 4b
Mid 4b
Low 4b
Votes cast 56
Votes cast 53
Style of Ascent
Alt Leads
Lead
Followed
Soloed
Not Set
Onsighted
Repeated
Dogged
DNF
Not Set
Route of Interest
Wreckers' Slab

Grade: VS 4b ***
(Cornakey Cliff)

Loading Notifications...