User Comments
Cool shot, cheers Russell!
Flavio - 10/May/17
Now correct me if I'm wrong but didn't this used to be HVV 5a in the 70's and with all that crap boots and gear?
Sean Kelly - 12/May/17
Carnage Left Hand is E1 5b (with a point of aid!), it's possible that being limestone holds or fixed gear has fallen off but wasn't everything in the 70's HVS?
Flavio - 14/May/17
Yes, the top grade on Yorkshire Limestone in 1971 was HVS. I was one of the climbers who worked on the new edition of the Yorkshire Limestone guidebook, which came out that year, and there were some ridiculous gradings then, even by the standards of the day. Wombat was HVS and, even more ridiculous was Crossbones, which was given ordinary VS, as was the first pitch of Rebel/Jenny Wren at Gordale, even though it had no protection in 70 feet of climbing on poor rock. I had a big row with the editor of the book who did not want to introduce the Extremely Severe grade. (He was so pissed off with my "modern" views that I was not even given a free copy of guide when it came out.)
John Stainforth - 16/May/17
Yes I remember hard Yorks grades I once called in at Almscliffe and decided to solo Yorkshire pudding at HVS Found it quite hard for the grade
rocksol - 19/May/17