High Time 22

Approach Once on the rib followed to Sublime Time Buttress, go up a little way following cairns and then exit left into the gulley. Follow cairns up the gulley past low angle rock slabs that may be wet and slippery after rain. Once these peter out, exit left on to the next ridge and follow cairns to the base of the route

BETA: This is a long route with plenty of problem solving moves and most parties, even if fairly skilled, will take 8-10 hours to complete on-sight. It will be a tough on-sight in mid-winter even in good weather but abseiling off with torches should not be problematic. September to May when the days are longer is recommended and a weather forecast of maximum temperatures of say no less than 20 degrees C or more than 30 degrees C for Worcester and preferably partly cloudy too would be ideal. Do not climb the route if there is a strong NW front with strong wind coming in as this might get your ropes stuck on the abseil.

In good conditions 1.5 litre water per person will suffice but otherwise 2 litres each.

If climbing in a party of two or even three, time and energy can be saved by hauling up water and snacks and warm jackets if needed on the pumpy first pitch as it is less than 30m long. Thereafter there is no merit in hauling gear. As you climb, and conditions change you can leave extra water, jackets and the like at any of the stances after pitch 3 and retrieve same on the abseils.

Only pitch one is complex and pumpy to protect but it is safe enough for competent climbers.

1. 25m 22+. Climb up the grey stacked blocks and then move left a few metres on red-brown rock to climb up below the right end of the overhang. Find a sneaky tiny cam placement in an “undercling” position to protect the move. At the overhang scuttle right 2m metres on the rail. Then straight up to the next rail. Place a high large nut and lay back up the short left facing corner to jugs. Climb up 3m to where it gets grotty and place a high cam or nut to protect the second. Step down left and then make standing stance at bomber nut 7 placement.

2. 45m 20. Climb up to the off-width crack and up it past the tree to a rail. Continue up to the next rail, move right and lay back up 2m up the short right facing corner. Then step right onto the face and head up to the large right facing corner topped by an overhang. Climb up the corner and then step right into the next recess. Continue up to the square overhang above and stance on the good sitting ledge on the right after placing a bomber small nut.

3. 50m 19. Step across the gap under the square overhang and climb past the left side of the long thin overhang above. Do tricky face moves to a good ledge. Climb up past a large scary but wedged flake and then up the intimidating grey white face to the left of dark brown recess to stance on blocks at a thread point in situ.

4. 45m 19. Head up left and climb through the gap on good holds. Climb the right slanting recess crack to easier ground and up past the left side of a large pillar complex to stance on blocks just to the right of the large yellow overhang.

5. 40m 22+. Climb up to the overhang and place two tiny cams in the very thin rail. Exit awkwardly out and up left (crux). Continue up tricky moves on the yellow face overhang and then step out left. Climb easily up rightwards to the left facing corner above and then on up to the next, larger left facing corner. Then, instead of climbing in the corner, make a move up to the right and finish up the arete. Stance on the large ledge.

6. 35m 19. Avoid the smooth right facing dihedral and climb up the large lay-back flake to the right. Continue up to the bulging rib and lay back up the right side. Then step left and continue up the left side of the arete. Stance under the large overhang. Pitch 7. 20m 19. Do a tricky move up left past the lip of the overhang. Then move right on a ledge and bomb straight through the overlap above to a thread belay.

7. etc. 100m or so. If you feel like topping out or wish to descend via the Timerity Abseil or some other way, then pick a line on the broken up cliffs above.

Descent: 60m ropes are needed for the abseils. The descent is relatively save and uncomplicated an enjoys 5 abseils on threads or off a spike. There is a biner or mailon on each point. The route is very straight and you climb past all the threads on the ascent except the first (lowest one) one which is exactly 58m plumb-line below the 2nd point. It is very easy to find as it is in the left facing corner that is the continuation of the awkward off-width start to pitch 2.

Gear. No special gear is needed and like Yellowwood in general, the rock eats up small cams. Only the 2nd pitch necessitates any piece larger than 2 inches and a gold Camelot fits the bill perfectly as you enter the offwidth. So, all that is needed is a standard single set of nuts 1 to 10, (no RP’s) 12-14 slings, and a double set of cams to 1.5inch, one 2inch (red Camelot), one 3 inch (yellow Camelot) and one 4 inch (blue Camelot). The climbing is very problem solving and the first pitch especially so. So to improve efficiency avoid tricky nut placements and bang in small cams in the bountiful placements. This route is straight enough to climb with a single rope but then take 2 extra slings and a tagline to abseil off.

Belays. All the belays are super safe. The first is protected by a variety of pieces but there is a bomber nut placement that fits from size 7 to 10 and a ¾ inch cam. The second stance is on a comfy ledge with small cam belay but there is a bomber nut 3 or 4 placement just as you exit right to the stance. Your leader can use this as the first anti-death runner as he/she sets off up pitch 3. Pitch 3 you can belay off the abseil anchor and same with pitch 4 and 5 but there are other easy options. Pitch six is on a ledge with lots of easy options and pitch 7 is also at the abseil point.

The prevailing ethic for Yellowwood is tread lightly.

"Tread lightly" means no bolting of belay stances unless all possible alternatives have been completely exhausted. No placing of bolts for running belays that are not absolutely essential. No use of pitons, unless necessary. No use of power drills is accepted!

Climbers are asked to respect the prevailing ethic which is intended to preserve the aesthetic appeal of Yellowwood as a world-class Trad climbing destination.

It is essential for first time visitors to do an ascent of one of the existing classic trad routes to appreciate the committing and adventurous nature of the climbing at Yellowwood. Older routes such as Armageddon Time (and the direct), Blood is Sweeter than Honey and Time Warp are all test pieces for their grade. And newer routes such as Prime Time (and the direct) and Fantastic Time as well as "routes in progress" of which there at least 3, are no less demanding at the grade. Most, if not all the trad routes on the main wall have at least one "R" (run-out) pitch but none are "X" rated. There is minimal fixed gear and very few fixed stance

A new route on Yellowwood, Fighting The Dark Side Of Gravity, has had all its bolts removed, except for two that are essential for the leader on Pitch 3. Two non-essential pitons have also been removed.

There has been much debate about Yellowwood and the most active Yellowwood climbers have talked extensively so as to settle the ethos of this high-value cliff.

In a recent meeting Adam Roff, Jeremy Samson and Hilton Davies distilled the following:

Yellowwood is a very special Trad climbing venue and there have been some mis-steps in route development at the crag. Newborn was bolted many years ago before locals had given much thought to bolting and ethics. It is a legacy that shall remain, but should not be seen as guidance for route development at Yellowwood. More recently four new routes have been established by visitors who have made extensive use of non-essential bolting. Whilst route development is encouraged, non-essential bolting is not; and these new routes are getting their non-essential bolts removed. They will remain as good adventurous routes.

2014: There have been no less than 10 new multi-pitch trad routes established at Yellowwood in the first 5 months of this year. Together they constitute no less than 60 pitches or, combined, more than 1500m of climbing. All the routes have been free-climbed with the vast majority of the pitches of being moderate grade and only 2 pitches of grade 22 and one of grade 24. The routes are all well protected and no fixed gear was necessary.