UKH Hills - 'The Cracks'

90m, 5 pitches.

Rockfax Description
One of the finest climbs in the Pass. The final pitch has an exposed 4c mantel, though it can be avoided if required.
1) 4a, 30m. Pull steeply onto the well-worn ledge and follow the groove leftwards to ledges. Stride left and climb diagonally leftwards up a thin corner to a short crack. Climb this to belay below an overhang. A sparsely-protected pitch.
2) 4a, 10m. Traverse right under the overhang to a chimney and climb this to a ledge.
3) 4b, 15m. Climb the thin crack in the slab on the left. Pass a ledge, step up onto another ledge and walk right to belay beside a large pinnacle.
4) 4a, 15m. Climb the pinnacle, move right onto a ledge. Climb the crack in the left wall of the corner above to another ledge.
5) 4c, 10m. Go up and right to a ledge. Make a well-protected, but extremely exposed and slippery mantel onto a rounded ledge. Move left and climb the wonderful arete to the top. © Rockfax

Ticklists

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User	Date		Notes
Emile.swain	2 Sep	Show βeta βeta: Did pitches 2-3, 5. Learned that a week of prior rain makes the first pitch a slimy mess of a river. Horrific. We zigged and we zagged and prussuped the zigs and zags and eventually made the 2nd pitch to dry land, after which it was a really nice climb. Stephen did well. The step off the pinnacle was fun, though hard cold shoes made the rest a touch painful. The final pitch mantel and move was a nice sequence.	βeta?
Show beta βeta: Did pitches 2-3, 5. Learned that a week of prior rain makes the first pitch a slimy mess of a river. Horrific. We zigged and we zagged and prussuped the zigs and zags and eventually made the 2nd pitch to dry land, after which it was a really nice climb. Stephen did well. The step off the pinnacle was fun, though hard cold shoes made the rest a touch painful. The final pitch mantel and move was a nice sequence.
THE.WALRUS	19 Jul, 2022	Show βeta βeta: Great route. The gear is quite spaced on the first pitch, there's no gear in the 'chimney' (pitch 2 or 3, depending on how you've climbed it), and the notorious final pitched is extremely polished....so feels hard for the grade.	βeta?
Show beta βeta: Great route. The gear is quite spaced on the first pitch, there's no gear in the 'chimney' (pitch 2 or 3, depending on how you've climbed it), and the notorious final pitched is extremely polished....so feels hard for the grade.
Evak	16 Sep, 2020	Show βeta βeta: Found it very greasy
Show beta βeta: Found it very greasy
Fraser kid	12 Aug, 2020	Show βeta βeta: Simply superb. Some water at start at second pitch but didn’t detract. Seems like everyone else climbs the twin cracks on pt 3 and not what was described in the book.
Show beta βeta: Simply superb. Some water at start at second pitch but didn’t detract. Seems like everyone else climbs the twin cracks on pt 3 and not what was described in the book.
OCDan1	12 Oct, 2019	Show βeta βeta: Very greasy rock due to rainfall previous day. Seconded the first pitch then we decided to abseil down.	βeta?
Show beta βeta: Very greasy rock due to rainfall previous day. Seconded the first pitch then we decided to abseil down.
tsmilton	1 Sep, 2019	Show βeta βeta: Can ab down the eastern fully with a 30 metre rope if done stacked
Show beta βeta: Can ab down the eastern fully with a 30 metre rope if done stacked
Pete_Frost	8 Jul, 2019	Show βeta βeta: The mantleshelf move is almost impossible for the shorter climber, especially now the footholds are so polished. It can be overcome by using the crack and a polished foothold to the left to reach a brilliant pocket near the top of the wall, also to the left of the crack. That\'s a powerful move requiring good balance plus precise footwork and is probably harder than VS. If you use a medium nut in the obvious, polished placement in the crack, you\'ll block the finger hold required for this move, so carefully seat a small nut in the crack above that placement, and back it up with other gear below.	βeta?
Show beta βeta: The mantleshelf move is almost impossible for the shorter climber, especially now the footholds are so polished. It can be overcome by using the crack and a polished foothold to the left to reach a brilliant pocket near the top of the wall, also to the left of the crack. That's a powerful move requiring good balance plus precise footwork and is probably harder than VS. If you use a medium nut in the obvious, polished placement in the crack, you'll block the finger hold required for this move, so carefully seat a small nut in the crack above that placement, and back it up with other gear below.
PastyBoy84	11 May, 2019	Show βeta βeta: Well worth the effort. A "cracking" climb. The in-situ gear (slings and cord/rope) is mostly good and /or backed up with newer looking stuff. A large nut is currently jammed in the crack on the belay ledge of pitch 2-3. The scramble/abseil descent is definitely best done as a stacked abseil. 60m ropes will see you to the bottom. 50m ropes leave you on a generous ledge still 5m off the floor with an often wet and steep down climb, or a quick ab down off a small rounded spike (obvious groove worn around it). The down climb of the gulley is a horrifying prospect. Perhaps someone could take a new bit of tat to back up the descent abseil anchor soon?	βeta?
Show beta βeta: Well worth the effort. A "cracking" climb. The in-situ gear (slings and cord/rope) is mostly good and /or backed up with newer looking stuff. A large nut is currently jammed in the crack on the belay ledge of pitch 2-3. The scramble/abseil descent is definitely best done as a stacked abseil. 60m ropes will see you to the bottom. 50m ropes leave you on a generous ledge still 5m off the floor with an often wet and steep down climb, or a quick ab down off a small rounded spike (obvious groove worn around it). The down climb of the gulley is a horrifying prospect. Perhaps someone could take a new bit of tat to back up the descent abseil anchor soon?
oldmanofmow	1 Jan, 1970	Show βeta βeta: Bob Caulkwell led, I found the top pitch rather trying while undoing a runner on the ledge before mantelshelf I dropped a Mars bar, it didnt touch until near the bottom. Led it several times since And enjoyed it every time but still find the top pitch hard even though I am nearly 6ft tall	βeta?
Show beta βeta: Bob Caulkwell led, I found the top pitch rather trying while undoing a runner on the ledge before mantelshelf I dropped a Mars bar, it didnt touch until near the bottom. Led it several times since And enjoyed it every time but still find the top pitch hard even though I am nearly 6ft tall