Page: 335 Alt: 350m GR: 245 165 Direction: North East
Graham Hoey
03/08/2008 00:03:15
Graham Hoey writes: Goat Crag Borrowdale Praying Mantis - New ab tape on tree at top. Single ab to ground. Tumbleweed Connection - the second pitch moves left onto the arête lower than shown in the diagrams (the next 'notch' down). Mirage - now cleaner. Second pitch much easier than first (E3 6a cf E5 6b). If the pocket on Mirage first pitch is the obvious one (takes a Friend 2) then it is more like 1m left of Bitter Oasis rather than 2m. Bitter Oasis - second pitch. After climbing up the left-hand side of the downward pointing spike you don't step left to an old bolt, you just continue directly up the pockets which are straight above you. Note - at the top the right-hand of the twin Birch trees is now a rotten stump. The ab point is now the left-hand tree. Ab in one to the ground. Footless Crow - description seems wrong. Surely it means to say clipping the sling on the peg of Trojan Horse reduces the grade to E5! The peg on the direct variation is way off to the left. Also the peg on Footless Crow (just below the crux) is now a corroded stump with tape attached (can be backed up by a Rock 1).
Editor
02/08/2008 23:53:05
Peeler, April Fool, Rat Race, Manpower and Alone in Space: several reports to say that these routes are very overgrown and not worth the stars in the guide.
"Arguably the best route of its standard in the valley. Having said that we feel the first pitch is pretty serious, the peg hasn't got long left...it moves and certainly wouldn't take a fall from the end of the traverse. A poor sideways RP just above is the only backup. Relatively clean now, although all routes to the right of Praying Mantis look unclimbable in their current state. " Graeme Read, Dave Rudge 02/08/2008 23:57:03
"Some routes to the right of Praying Mantis have had ascents this year (2010) and Mirage has had tat replaced and Bitter Oasis is clean." Matt de Vaal 12/07/2010 11:16:13
First ascent: (14/10/2008)
"When I interviewed Les Brown for the Scafell book, he came up with a comment that could go in the Borrowdale guide: "One thing that really pisses me off is about Praying Mantis, and the story that has grown up that I spent all winter cleaning the thing, it's absolute b*ll*cks, that! It was Mac that pointed out this route to me, he had tried it and said 'It all overhangs, this route, all overhangs; go and have a look, Les, I can't do it.' So the first time I went there I got up to the last pitch, and that was really vegetated, so I went back a few weeks later and abseiled down the top pitch, you know how it's pocketed, well I pulled out the vegetation from the pockets. I never cleaned anything normally, the first crack was OK and where you traverse across left and up a slab, that was just all grass. It was Bonington who cleaned that bit off, the big cleaning surge on that crag came later when Rossy started on it. So somebody, somewhere; and I think it came from Paul Nunn's article in Hard Rock, said I did all this cleaning, and it's all absolutely b*ll*cks!" " Al Phizacklea 14/10/2008 17:15:18
*** E6
Essentially a link between Footless Crow and Trojan Horse and not a new route but gives an excellent line.
(6b). Climb either The Thieving Magpie or Athanor into the niche and follow this right to gain the rightward-trending ramp above to the bolt and pegs below the roof. Climb directly up the undercuts of Footless (PR) and continue directly up (PR) to the undercut fang. Continue directly to the top.
First ascent: (03/07/2003) Chris Hope