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Re: Limestone Advice

PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 3:01 pm
by Nanuls
From my experience, limestone comes in very many forms, varying in quality from superb to abysmal. The landforms it creates are simply wonderful and surprisingly varied. I personally like it best when the edges are sharp and the angle is steep.

Some of my local spots:

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And a non-local one, which I’m sure Mr. mattski is quite familiar with:

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Re: Limestone Advice

PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 3:38 pm
by eric-griz
My limestone advice is to start looking for some caves to explore!

Re: Limestone Advice

PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 10:31 pm
by MoapaPk
It's amazing how many little-explored limestone routes exits within 45-minute drive of a city of 1.5 million.
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(click above)

I'm not a climber, nor do I play one on TV. This was a scrambling route, though I had to use a few hand-jams and extreme mantles to get up this arête. The peak: Charleston NV, accessible by a class 1 trail. But who wants to go up a trail, when you can do this stuff?

The limestone -- that makes up most of NV peaks-- is quite frictional. But so many areas are rarely climbed, that the routes are filled with un-pruned loose rock. I found 2 small cairns on this route, and a bivy site 1/2 way up -- no cairns after that. The bivy was right below a 40' wall; I was able to find a bypass that probably wasn't obvious at nightfall.

Re: Limestone Advice

PostPosted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 2:39 pm
by MoapaPk
mattski wrote:was that up the ridge on the left of that wall moapapk?


Yes

Re: Limestone Advice

PostPosted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 3:31 pm
by Nanuls
mattski wrote:hahaha yea i rember this they put a fence in on the left to stop climbers going to spittle hill, they have since pulled it down


Didn't stop me going to Spittle Hill! What an absoutly gorgeous place though, truely world class.

Re: Limestone Advice

PostPosted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 3:46 pm
by Nanuls
I was back on the Limestone this weekend to tick off two routes that have been on my wishlist for some time.

The first was Arch Slab (Very Severe 4c), great route with one precarious, but well protected, crux move. I had to control my urges to swear like a fish wife as I had an audience of small children to consider.

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The second was the classic route of the crag, Scavenger (Very Severe 4c), which was quite wet at the time, but had reassuringly solid gear all the way. No children this time, so swearing was back in.

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Both routes are at Three Cliffs Bay, Gower, South Wales. The photos were taken back in May 2009 and show members of the South Wales Mountaineering Club, who had decided to comandeer the crag for the day. My partner and I didn't really mind as there was plenty more rock to play on in the area.

Re: Limestone Advice

PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 12:51 am
by MoapaPk
mattski wrote:what do you mean your not a climber that is climbing :mrgreen: it actually looks realy fun pitty about the trees though


Well mate, I have brain damage that prevents me from tying knots is certain high-stress situations (really). For that reason I have decided I'll stop at the occasional short class 5 wall or spire. I don't want to put other people in danger by tying a slip knot when I mean to tie something else!