The New Routes Thread

[Rónán K]

A lot of people have been quite active putting up new routes recently so it's time for one of these. I of course mean outdoor routes, not new routes at the PEC!

Anyway, here's what I was involved with on Gola:

Machaire na nGall

You Forgot The Battery Mummy (VS 4c) * 8m
Rónán Kernan, Conor Gilmour 5/6/12 (ground up on sight)
(may have been climbed before but not reported)
About 20m left of DidEye and Chinface is a large roof with a chimney at its left-hand end. Left of this chimney is a short overhanging route following a series of flakes to a green v-groove between the wall and a block. Climb these, finishing in the groove left of the block. Pumpy.

Northwest Zawn

The Ubiquitous Blue (E1 5b) ** 20m
Rónán Kernan, Conor Gilmour 6/6/12 (ground up on sight)

On the far side of the zawn from Ghost Road is a prominent leaning pinnacle, slightly detached from the main wall. This route takes the corner crack on the northern side of the pinnacle, passing through a small roof at one third height. Good protection and solid rock (at least for your right foot anyway) Belay well back.

Feels like a Fair Head route on Gola. Grade approximate as I was kacking myself on lead

Inland Crag

Early Bird Gets the Clap, Second Mouse Gets the Cheese (E3 6a) ** 12m
Rónán Kernan, John Monkey king of babylon (cleaned on abseil, fallen off repeatedly on lead with 2 rest points)

Takes the (formerly) green wall between Days of Wonder and Winds of Change. Bridge or Chimney up between the wall and the detached pillar to a stance on top of the pillar. Arrange solid gear then make a big (read dynamic) move up to the next break. Continue to the top on good gear, finishing up the fist-sized vertical crack right of the arete.

Hard to grade that one, would be interested to hear a second opinion. The gear is solid though and can be arranged from the ledge. I'm surprised it was never cleaned and climbed before, the breaks are good, although they are farther apart than they look. The name resulted from stupid conversations in the tent during the 36hrs straight rain preceeding the day of the ascent...

[McCloy]

Newry to Newcastle via Hilltown and Slieve Donard

I woke up in the morning and felt EPIIIIIIC!

5k reps to meelmore lodge.
12km to Newcastle via Trassey Track, Hares Gap and the Brandy Pad, Slieve Donard and Glen River.

Road shoes and mountain shoes required.

Must start no earlier than 12am and finish no later than 5.10am

[Rónán K]

Does that count as a new route?

[bojo]

North West Zawn
Holographic Universe HVS 5a 20m
FA Thomas Prebble, Conor Gilmour 10/Jun/2012
This route takes the thin crack to the right of the black dyke. Move up the thin crack on steepening ground to gain the ledge. Continue up on positive crimps as the crack widens.

Smuggling Raisins HVS 5a 20m
FA Thomas Prebble, Conor Gilmour 09/Jun/2012
This takes the steepening ramp on the left side of the pillar, opposite Ghost Road. Move awkwardly over the bulge to the base of the ramp. Continue up the right side of the ramp on increasingly delicate moves, traversing left at the top to avoid a loose top out. Belay far back on the right.

Easter Wall
The Immaculate Conception of Benoit* HVS 5a 16m
FA Thomas Prebble, Niall Browne 06/Jun/2012
Starts on the large step left of ‘Gadaffy Duck’. Climb directly through the Z shaped breaks on small holds. Gain the sloping ledge (crux), continuing to for a furry finish.

The ICB was originally given VS 4c in an effort to completely sandbag Alek. This worked causing Alek to 'dynamically downclimb' the crux and nearly getting cut into 2 smaller Alek's by the rope. Agreed that it was HVS 5a after that. current on sight ratio of 1 in 3 after Benoit also decked off it last year

[Duckfeet]

So the summer first ascents, with me and Thomas dedicating this soaking wet day to crag testing.

First we went to Camlough Quarry. After much googling by our friendly neighbourhood web-master, it looked very promising. Turns out that it's a chossy pile of shite! Thomas climbed up a severe looking line, nearly took me out a few times with loose rock, got to the top to be met by a blank 3m finish. He immediately decided it was pointless and leaving the top peice in for safety, down climbed. I wanted my cam back so I climbed up to the same blank slab. Spent an hour moving up and down on shitty holds before a nice man in a high vis vest arrived. He was teh owner and had no qualms with us climbing as long as we land at his with some written "I won't sue" statement. This decided it and realising it was out of my league, down climbed on lead, taking gear out as I went. Oh I also caused a massive rockfall and near killed O'Hagen. So all in all, Camlough's a fail don't go there.

Lislea however . . .


Took a daft walk in, eventually found the correct one and got two lines climbed. Slightly put off by lashing rain we aimed low.

[Still to be named] Mod/Diff [Still to decide on grade, hard to compare in lashing rain and when its that low]
Thomas got the first ascent so he has to decide the above. We both soloed up it but importantly, him first

Thunder Thighs S 4b
Odd grade, not used to this grading craic. Excellent climb up an off width craic that will accept a standard leg but an arse won't fit, making bridging or anything other than daft non graceful moves possible. Feels too strenuous and awkward for severe but having an entire leg jammed/ass cammed at any time makes it feel very safe. Crappy gear until top of crack where you get a bomber sling but like I said you don't need gear in the crack. Photos below.

Straight up the crack, then continues straight up a couple of metres of severe climbing that you can't see.

[thomasohagan]

Yes Camlough was daft, so so loose, got hit twice belaying. Michael suggested I could escape by abbing of this huge block it was a good job I didn't as when he tried to use a sidepull on the block it shattered and gave my rucksack (with sandwhiches) a proper beating. Anyhow there is soliding looking stuff at one point but I would say it would need bolting to do it safely.

My route
easy pessie Diff
Thomas O'Hagan (Solo)
Start on the arete 1m right of a Hawthorn tree on left part of the main face. Interesting moves at the start which soon give way to easier ground. Can be topped out to the right or left being carefull of loose rock.

Thunder Thights is a class route star worthy, I agree that it is hard to grade. Seeing campbell going enitrely upside down over the spike at the top with his two legs almost vertically up in the air made my day.

Anchors at the place are bomber but far away so creativity is the name of the game.

Not sure of rock type, not as frction loving as mournes granite but tends to be move positive.

[bojo]

Nice stuff. How high are the routes? Much potential for Lislea? also its crack not craic!

[Duckfeet]

Lots of potential and I suck at height estimation. Would say 20m?

[thomasohagan]

Another FA at Lislea

The Futtery Integral S 4a Thomas O’Hagan/Tom Prebble

Named after The Peuterey Integral as it is a miniaturised alpine ridge. Intergral is appropriate as it can be shortened by starting higher up.

Going right from Thunder Thighs go to the front of the large arête with the separate block at the bottom. Climb this over the top and move onto the arête by bridging or downclimbing and make delicate moves on the right protectable by small/micronuts. Continue up the arête with good sling placements until a juggy top out. A good sling anchor can be made with the use of blocks out of sight over the gorse bush.

[bojo]

New route at the head!
Fairhead - Small Crag

Screeboar the Omniscient - E2 5b/c - Thomas Prebble, Owen Largey 02/03/2013

This line takes the groove and overhang above the start of Santana. Start as for Santana , continuing up to a ledge at the start of a blank groove. climb the groove (poorly protected) to the base of the overhang. Arrange gear (small, medium wires) and pass the ove/rhang on the right (crux) and continue to the top.

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