Ascents by Ben Dickson having Trad CPR

After I think maybe 5 sessions of working on this, finally and slightly unexpectably managed this. Lots of tricky blind footwork after the crux moves. Quite a bit harder than Kev - hard V4 or maybe v5 boulder-wise, not sure what that would translate to in Ewbanks grade as I haven't done any routes in this grade range for comparison.

Climbed with the left-hand-to-sloper beta pretty much first attempt. Was drastically easier than other way I was trying (maybe easy V2), but less fun movement than RH-to-sloper and veering left (which feels hard V4). The veering-left way may be separate route maybe - feels distinc and significantly harder, as it doesn't go to the good undercling adding several dynamic moves. Top out is straight forward, more secure than Trev or Nev (would be pleasant but for the slightly thorny bush at 3/4 height)

Really excellent climb. Good sustained climbing with decent-enough rests, and easy to place really good gear. I didn't take quite enough quickdraws so ended up protecting the last section with contrived C4 #0.1 cam placement direct-clipped, but other than that, climb all went really smoothly and felt pretty easy. Long arms probably help on the roof traverse (I could reach directly to the good side-pull, whereas Amy had to balance over first). Marking as onsight although I did briefly see someone climbing it sometime last year while we were setting up an abseil.

Don't think this climbs too nicely compared to Desperate Living - the first section is easy if you climb it poorly and just yard up the slopers, the cruxy part through the underclings is nicer. Didn't link this today as it was impossible to see the footers in dark even with head-torch, but felt marginally easier then DL

This climbs really excellently, just shame the gear isn't better. Soft for the grade.. soft as in sand.. in a bag. Feels probably closer to 22 (edit: assuming ELV is probably 21) - harder on toprope than ELV was to lead. Quite comparable climbs: about same height, both quite bouldery, but ELV is less sustained.. and has bolts.. and rock that probably wont kill you

Working on top-rope. On maybe third attempt managed to get up through the roof using handjam in the crack instead of grabbing hold on arete which works better for my wrist. Just need to work out how to get feet onto the lip and rest seemed relatively easy.

With bouldering pad. Seems very easy for grade (although it's mostly just a weird mantle and I like weird mantles) - and all the climbing is over in the first 2 moves before it links up into Eau D'ear

Think I did this year or two ago but almost definitely went too far right at the start and skipped crux. Did properly this time, nice climb. Felt leadable although didn't look too closely at gear around the two cruxy parts

Top-roped in dark with shonky head-torch as I lost mine earlier that day. Really nice climb. Went to try leading it next day until torrent of rain bucketed as we were walking to the cliff. Next time!

With Uni Club. Think this is the line on the arete just left of Digital Input, kind of similar to Mt Olive

Lower part felt quite easy, only vaguely stressful part was the top out which required standing on a big still-damp block of mud/moss, but not too bad with a fairly decent hand hold

Not good conditions for slopers, but slightly better than when I tried it last week in the 30+ temperatures last week. Doing right-hand-to-sloper variant - just need to work out one more move and should be done. I also trimmed back a bunch of the blackberry bushes earlier in week - were getting very out of control and starting to block the path, never mind making the falls sketchy. Everything from about Nev through to Nati Beast should be comfortably climbable for now

Testing MicroTraxion with 120cm sling as chest-harness. Worked nicely. Need to work out better backup than stopper knots as they are a pain to tie one-handed

On first attempt. Fun strange climb. Loose feeling hold after mantle and lots of sand on upper part made this feel quite hard

First attempt at the harder left route. In the dark, without using head torch, for some reason.. Wasn't too bad, hardest bit was I kept losing ability to find one specific hold with my left hand near the top - three goes later, finally found it..

Looking at gear placement. Not much. Uselessly low purple cam, probably some microcam I don't have at half height which might protect crux, so.. maybe not

Nice move. Forced way up as slightly ill-advised warmup, worked out much easy sequence on second try later. Indirect start up left onto face is nice, makes route a bit longer. Would make for good lead, assuming there is gear higher up (last ~1.5 metres before top are easy but fairly thin balancewise

"Solo" although with boulder pad, doesn't have much gear. Not too sure about the grade of this; I assume the crux is still the start, and the mossy direct line didn't look difficult (I just didn't feel like spending ages scrubbing lichen of every hold I wanted to use) which would imply the grade is similar to the original.. but didn't feel close to an 18 - 16 still feels a little high but maybe about right

Excellent climb and impressive looking route. Looking forward to leading this next time.

Last climb of day. Felt mostly nice except some probably unnecessary feet-cut of handjam-and-poor-hold 3/4 of way up

Second attempt, got past pumpy beginning this time, and rest of climb is good. Beginning is more sequencey than it first looked, much unhelpful chalk

Good climb. One move which might have been quite hard were not for a very high step

Reclimbed in the dark with no light. A good challenge. One small slip where I stood up with only a tiny right-foot hold, and found no further hand or feet holds..

Not Tiptoe Ridge Direct start.. and 10 grades higher.. with about 8 metres before first reasonable gear placement, I get the feeling this was more enjoyable for me seconding..

On mostly pre-placed gear (added one cam through the cruxy section). Felt quite hard, crux on this felt stronger than anything else we climbed this week, although I climbed this non-optimimally (using a ~3 finger crimp to get over onto wall instead of any bridging)

Closer to photo-opportunity than climb, but still really fun

Not sure if this route or 'So Where Have All the Bandicoots Gone?', felt fairly easy for a 16-17, but nice climb, would be interesting lead towards top

Good climb. Was very warm day and climb pleasantly in shade whole way. The scrambling on the first pitch seemed perfectly fine, and had decent gear protecting the any of the tricky parts (including opposed nut placement in horizontal before the choss-crux up the big sloping rock about half way up). Amy led the rest well, after a bit of encouragement to lead the last pitch. Aided through the chimney on last pitch to avoid faff with backpack

Off-line top-rope setup made this feel more awkward than I recall last time.

Fun challenge. Despite having done it like 3 times in past, took a minute to remember how to do the crux move (i.e the entire climb). Shame the top backs of so significantly - tried to make it more interesting by sticking to the slab right of crack, but impressive amount of birdpoop made that somewhat unappealing

A climb I tried and failed on a few moves into when I last tried it a long time ago when here with David (maybe a year ago). Reassuringly quite easy this time, probably could have led it without much issue (except the mantle top-out would have been an unpleasant surprise, is much easier to the right)

Didn’t have any plans to climb much on this trip, fingers had almost zero skin left and fatigued from climbing lot during week. Led it comfortably to before the crux first time before bailing. Second attempt with previously placed gear, fell on reachy move in crux section. Glad I tried, definitely doable next time if bit better rested

Finally led crux pitch after an eventful bailing of it last time. Bit of faffing having to clean first half of pitch as we didn't bring enough slings, and rested on gear once before final attempt at crux section.. but, still very pleased! Matt lead last pitch for time and to avoid hanging rope flaking. Was in hanging belay for what seemed like a very long time, not comfortable.. Will probably feel extremely easy next time, had completely forgotten movement from when I seconded this ages ago.. so can hopefully lead this all cleanly next attempt.

Felt relatively easy but think I went a bit of route at the top (too far left, only narrowly avoiding finishing as for Puff Pastry)

Fun climb. Crux is near the top and is pretty interesting and exposed - was quite glad the top out involves the several of the worlds largest jugs. Would make for a good lead as has plenty of gear (unlike the other two routes)

Totally doable, but over ambitious for first climb of trip with someone I hadn't climbed with before - wasn't feeling confident so bailed from below the roof

Working from ground as boulder problem. Hard to find holds; bumping right-hand up the Disjointed Illusion crack as side-pull seemed most successful, but couldn't see much for left hand above there

Exceptionally boring climb name. Fun awkward chimneny. The dwindling light may have helped, as I'm pretty sure there was a lot of spiders in that cave bit..

Good. Somewhat climbed the top of this detouring on Walking on Sunshine to avoid a large loose rock so not entire onsight

Lower part was easy once I started using the right face for footers. Got up to the jug below the easy climbing but couldn't be bothered with the top-out as it was getting hot. Shall probably finish this next time I'm there

Since "first ascent using unnecessary bat-hang" isn't an option on TheCrag, nor is "Novelty photo lead attempt".

Really good, varied climbing. 1st pitch of runout slab, second of awkward traverse, 3rd really nice traverse finishing with a chimney, last two pitches of steep juggy face. Few drops of rain while belaying at third pitch but mostly perfect weather otherwise.

Really akward top-out onto mostly mud - ended up with all weight on one hand, pulled out a dead plant trying to find holds and used the divit in the mud it left behind to adjust my hand, hand-foot match and didn't fall to last cam about 1.5m below..

Attempted this in dark last time and it seemed easier not being able to see.. Second or so attempt managed to get out of the awkward body-wedging, but move of the big block seems quite powerful; even with some assistance from the toprope it was pretty pumpy getting to the top

Top-roped a few weeks previously, then led with no warmup which wasn't the best idea - tired arms and some of the holds had reaccumulated sand. Nice climb, well protected.

Picked without guide book ("that looks nice, lets try that"). Was feeling really crappy this morning; devoid of energy I got up to the crux before bailing, but is a really nice climb, want to try this again next time. Got up to the crux with one rest, including a quite unnerving placement before the crux moves (awkwardly unclipping nut-binner with wrong hand while balancing on somewhat-positive undercling). Section before the main crux can be done easily with a really high step. Lowered and Amy led it with a few rests and a decent fall through the crux (resulting in a very stuck DMM offset nut - couldn't budge it with just nut tool and carabiner, but hopefully someone can persuade it free with a rock or something). Shame the top 1/3rd backs off so drastically, and the section between the ledge and the main cave is largely unprotected - would probably be better climbing this to the first ledge, belaying, then traversing and finishing up Dracula or something.

Interesting heel-hook mantle move. Steep walk to get to The area

With Michael seeing if his arm was indeed strained after trying Shaolin, with some kind but probably-unhelpful-for-a-slab-fall crashpad shuffling below by Max. Also climbed loop up the start of Rule Brittia and back down the start of this which was good

Really fun climb. Almost forgot to put in gear at one point because I was comfortably settled in the cozy stem in middle of climb. Move at top was definitely felt like hardest part, but found reasonable gear before it. Jules had brief panic on way up because two nuts got stuck got stuck - Jackson joined us on the rappel, and used his climbing-arborist-skills to swing over and get one, and the couple climbing after us kindly dislodged the second and returned the nut that evening!

Fun climb. Did as eliminate not using upper lip as hold to make it slightly more challenging

An okay climb. Was going to climb Hornpeice but faffed around too much and several other people queued up to climb it. Saw someone climbing Tannin at top, definitely want to try that soon, looks excellent.

Good test of new approach shoes. Crux is nice couple of moves, although doesn't seem like it'd be too fun to fall from

Warmup. Climbed in approach shoes and without chalk, realised the top needed one small footer so reversed down, and acquired both of those and back up