18m.

Rockfax Description
A Roaches' classic and a good test of your jamming technique. Climb into the groove then thug up the polished corner crack to the overhang and exit rapidly rightwards to easier ground. The crack is renown for eating poorly placed gear, care required lest you lose your prized possession. © Rockfax

FA. Joe Brown 1947.

Ticklists

The Roaches - Routes Graded List , Steve Ashton's 100 Classic Gritstone Climbs , ROCKFAX Western Grit Grade List , The Pearson-Tanner Roaches Expedition , World Graded List , Staffordshire Grit Challenge - Brown-Whillans Day Out , Peak Rock/6/ The Emergence of Joe Brown and Don Whillans , Joe Brown's Three-Star Grit-List , Roaches HVS Challenge , Joe Browns Shops 50th Anniversary Celebration Routes List , The V.S.+ Ticklist , The Roaches 3 Star Extravaganza , The Ultimate SUMC Ticklist , The List , An attempt at a definitive list of Joe Brown's FA/FFA in the Peak District , Definitive *** Peak Grit , Wired Peak District Grit Graded List , Wired Peak District Grit (2020) *** List , Ultimate List of Peak District Crack Climbs , Roaches Cracks , I’ve climbed a thousand VDiffs but I wanna be a HVS climber , Peaky , *** HVS on Peak Gritstone , Roaches 2024 Sends

Feedback

User Date Notes
sofia_1997 9 Mar Show βeta
βeta: Hard af and only did it cause I needed to collect gear. Hated it until I worked out some super cool beta for the crux using the LHS jugs to gain a heel hook rock over ?
Show beta
βeta: Hard af and only did it cause I needed to collect gear. Hated it until I worked out some super cool beta for the crux using the LHS jugs to gain a heel hook rock over ?
Roxyclimbs 21 Jun, 2020 Show βeta
βeta: Straight forward up the first overhang. Wide feet up onto a sloping ledge underneath a low roof. Try not to get too comfortable here! The slab to the left is pretty featureless but grippier than it looks! Hand and foot jams come into their own on this climb! Then to an even bigger overhang at the top of the slab, really nice jug to the left but couldnt reach it unfortunately so had to do the short person method with crimps, an elbow and a quick reach up to a jug 'ish' on the right with a swift foot up onto a solid ledge. Some easy climbing for a few metres but then when you think it's over, theres one last big sloping boulder to haul yourself over! Awesome climb, but very pumpy! Tonnes of places to put some bomber gear especially where you may want it!
Show beta
βeta: Straight forward up the first overhang. Wide feet up onto a sloping ledge underneath a low roof. Try not to get too comfortable here! The slab to the left is pretty featureless but grippier than it looks! Hand and foot jams come into their own on this climb! Then to an even bigger overhang at the top of the slab, really nice jug to the left but couldnt reach it unfortunately so had to do the short person method with crimps, an elbow and a quick reach up to a jug 'ish' on the right with a swift foot up onto a solid ledge. Some easy climbing for a few metres but then when you think it's over, theres one last big sloping boulder to haul yourself over! Awesome climb, but very pumpy! Tonnes of places to put some bomber gear especially where you may want it!
TGHB 7 Jul, 2019 Show βeta
βeta: Pretty polished
βeta?
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βeta: Pretty polished
Shaw Brown 24 Sep, 2006 Show βeta
βeta: Great route. Was initially disappointed when arriving at the slab under the overhang and found it wet and thought about backing off. Decided to give it a go and found my feet stayed on the smears without problem.
Show beta
βeta: Great route. Was initially disappointed when arriving at the slab under the overhang and found it wet and thought about backing off. Decided to give it a go and found my feet stayed on the smears without problem.
Offwidth 1 Jun, 2006 Show βeta
βeta: The jamming crack was hard work but easier than Wise Crack, The Crank and quite a few other VS cracks in the guide. Unusually the overhang did for me (normally one of my strengths but I seem to have a problem pulling on jugs after jamming) I couldnt quite reach the next jug up and left. I tried to reverse and recover the jams below but failed and had to rest on gear. Seems now a lot of climbers pull out right so maybe I missed the easier way? Whatever, HVS 5a seems right.
βeta?
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βeta: The jamming crack was hard work but easier than Wise Crack, The Crank and quite a few other VS cracks in the guide. Unusually the overhang did for me (normally one of my strengths but I seem to have a problem pulling on jugs after jamming) I couldnt quite reach the next jug up and left. I tried to reverse and recover the jams below but failed and had to rest on gear. Seems now a lot of climbers pull out right so maybe I missed the easier way? Whatever, HVS 5a seems right.
Jon Greengrass 17 Oct, 2005 Show βeta
βeta: The grade of the crack below the roof will depend on the size of your hands.
βeta?
Show beta
βeta: The grade of the crack below the roof will depend on the size of your hands.
Si dH 16 Oct, 2005 Show βeta
βeta: I heard the crack below the roof was supposed to be the crux on this, what a load of rubbish, it was straight forward VS climbing. However, I found the overhang tough and closer to 5b - very reachy off the jam to the good hold up right and knees came in useful (the ignominy!). The crack was also lined with slime which didn't help.
βeta?
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βeta: I heard the crack below the roof was supposed to be the crux on this, what a load of rubbish, it was straight forward VS climbing. However, I found the overhang tough and closer to 5b - very reachy off the jam to the good hold up right and knees came in useful (the ignominy!). The crack was also lined with slime which didn't help.
drcorbasisgod 7 Oct, 2005 Show βeta
βeta: Found a great way to gain the (polished) crack: push up with the palm of your right hand until you can get your right foot on the left-facing wall. Brilliant!
Show beta
βeta: Found a great way to gain the (polished) crack: push up with the palm of your right hand until you can get your right foot on the left-facing wall. Brilliant!
thebigfriendlymoose 16 May, 2005 Show βeta
βeta: Sustained and strenuous stuff. I could not find a way to use the well-chalked hold at the LHS of the overhang and had to resort to an udging semi-mantel off poor holds with judicious use of the knee. Topped out a gibbering mess... brilliant fun.
βeta?
Show beta
βeta: Sustained and strenuous stuff. I could not find a way to use the well-chalked hold at the LHS of the overhang and had to resort to an udging semi-mantel off poor holds with judicious use of the knee. Topped out a gibbering mess... brilliant fun.
mark s 8 Sep, 2003 Show βeta
βeta: easy hvs if not vs,try a ramshaw hvs
βeta?
Show beta
βeta: easy hvs if not vs,try a ramshaw hvs
bone 28 Jul, 2003 Show βeta
βeta: Jamming technique made all the harder thanks to loss of friction. though leaves your skin better in tact.
βeta?
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βeta: Jamming technique made all the harder thanks to loss of friction. though leaves your skin better in tact.
Nick Smith - Climbers 20 Feb, 2002 Show βeta
βeta: Beware of the gear-eating monster that lives at the top of the initial groove - it's well known for eating small cams and nuts.
βeta?
Show beta
βeta: Beware of the gear-eating monster that lives at the top of the initial groove - it's well known for eating small cams and nuts.

Logged Ascents

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Guidebooks for Roaches Upper Tier

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Voting
High E1
Mid E1
Low E1
High HVS
Mid HVS
Low HVS
High VS
Mid VS
Low VS
Votes cast 271
High 5b
Mid 5b
Low 5b
High 5a
Mid 5a
Low 5a
High 4c
Mid 4c
Low 4c
Votes cast 266
Votes cast 240
Style of Ascent
Lead
Followed
Toproped
Alt Leads
Soloed
Not Set
Onsighted
Dogged
Repeated
DNF
Flashed (β)
Redpoint
Ground Up
Not Set
Route of Interest
Hen Cloud Eliminate

Grade: HVS 5b ***
(Hen Cloud)

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