Classic Rock Summer Challenge - Great Langdale

Climbing Northwest Arete VS 4b, Gimmer Crag, Great Langdale. Credit James Gibson

To celebrate the 55th Anniversary of the Joe Brown Shops in Snowdonia, The International School of Mountaineering (ISM), The Climbers Shop, The Joe Brown Shops and UKC have teamed up to offer you a fantastic summer rock climbing challenge right here in the UK.

This rock-climbing challenge has been born out of thumbing through the late Ken Wilson’s iconic coffee table book ‘Classic Rock’ during Covid restrictions and lockdown! If you’re not familiar with the book; ‘Classic Rock’ has received iconic and legendary status over the years, detailing Ken’s collection of some of the best easy to moderate rock climbing routes here in the UK. You can read more HERE or buy your own copy HERE.

Throughout the summer, we will focus on some of the key routes and crags in the challenge but climbing is not just about ticking the classics - we are blessed with thousands of world class routes both in Snowdonia and The Lake District so while you’re out enjoying the Challenge don’t forget to explore those too!

Great Langdale Valley, nr Ambleside – Lake District

 Gimmer Crag

Gimmer Crag is the obvious huge sweep of grey Rhyolite volcanic rock standing out as the jewel in the crown at the head of the great Langdale valley. This big multi-pitch crag sits high above Mickleden in-between both Harrison and Pike ‘o’ Stickle also known as the Langdale ‘Pikes’. Its profiler can be seen on the east side of Lake Windermere some 10 miles away standing out on the steep Langdale fellside. The quality of rock and the traditional style of climbing, blended together with the huge range of low and moderate grade routes makes this one of the best crags of its kind in the Lakes. Coupled with the fact that it’s south facing gaining the warmth from much of the sun in any given day and consequently dries very quickly makes this a must for any climber visiting the Lakes.

Ash Tree Slabs*** (VD) – Gimmer Crag (UKClimbing)

 First Ascent – G.S Bower & A.W Wakefield in June 1920

 Extract from Classic Rock – ‘One of the compensations of getting older is that memory holds the door wide open to the past. You have only to mention a person, a place, or a combination of the two, for a scene and it’s surrounding circumstances to spring up in sharp relief, complete with sounds and smells’ – Lord Hunt

© Rockfax - An all-time favourite taking the line of least resistance up the long slab, down and right of Northwest Arete. Start a grassy ledge below a large left-facing corner.

Pitch 1) 15m. Move up the corner for a few metres before striking out on a leftwards line up and across the slab to its edge. Make a delicate move up to a ledge and belay.
Pitch 2) 30m. Gain another ledge above and take a groove-line on the right to slabs that eventually lead to the finishing ledges.

Bracket and Slab*** (VS 4b) – Gimmer Crag (UKClimbing)

 First Ascent – H.B Lyon, J Herbert & party in August 1923.

 Extract from Classic Rock – ‘To the hill farmer ‘Gimmer’ means a two-year-old ewe lamb, but to the Lakeland climber it spells exposure, small holds, open climbing, quick drying rock and a sunny aspect……By modern standards it is hardly fierce, but one must remember that at the time it was first climbed, 1907, there were two techniques that were regarded as supremely strenuous and committing, the hand traverse and the layback. And it is certainly a great feeling as you haul yourself out at the top’ – Tom Price

 Laybacking in ‘hobnail’ boots must have been strenuous and hard!

© Rockfax - On approaching the crag, the first towering rib is the setting for this classic expedition. The climbing is sustained and intricate but reasonably protected. The line is described here with the direct start. Start at a well-defined leftward-slanting crack.

Pitch 1) 4b, 25m. Climb the slanting crack past a small overhang and continue before moving leftwards to a belay beneath an overhung corner.
Pitch 2) 13m. The Bracket. Move up and then traverse awkwardly rightwards for 6m passing blocks, until a weakness can be followed back left to a stance and belay.
Pitch 3) 25m. Climb rightwards up easy ground to the right-hand side of a steep corner (Amen Corner). Move up rightwards until a crack leads to easy-angled ground (The Gangway). Traverse right to a stance below a steep chimney/crack.
Pitch 4) 4b, 8m. Climb the chimney/crack with difficulty to a good ledge and belay.
Pitch 5) 20m. Move out leftwards from the chimney to the face on its left and follow this to the top

C Route*** (S) – Gimmer Crag (UKClimbing)

 First Ascent – A.P Wilson, G.H Jackson & A.Brundritt in August 1918

 Extract from Classic Rock – ‘You are now on very steep ground and climbing becomes sensational: up a groove, move right onto good holds, and up again to Green Chimney in 35ft. At the foot of this chimney is the next stance and belay, both of them satisfying in this airy spot’ – Lord Hunt

© Rockfax - The most direct of the classic multi-pitch lines on this face. The hard start of the second pitch can be avoided.

Pitch 1) 17m. As for pitch 1 of 'A' Route.
Pitch 2) 4b, 22m. 3m left of 'A' Route's curving crack is a flake at head height. Make hard moves past this and up, to gain a large ledge (or gain the ledge using the curving crack of 'A' Route which is more in keeping with the rest of the route). Above the ledge is a groove. Enter the groove using a flake, climb it to a small ledge and belay below an overhang.
Pitch 3) 17m. Climb up to the left of the overhang and continue up a groove to a flake. Move right and finish direct.

Bowfell

Bowfell Buttress can be seen high up on the north side of Bowfell, which is the sixth highest summit in the Southern Lake District looking up from the heart of the Great Langdale valley. The crag sits high above the Mickleden Valley floor at an altitude of 750m in altitude, facing north and directly across the valley from Gimmer Crag and the rest of the Langdale ‘Pikes’. It’s a tall crag with all the routes multi-pitch in length and the classic ‘Bowfell Buttress’ striking the central line up the middle. The crag is again Rhyolite rock which is volcanic and part of the Borrowdale volcanic group. The approach to this striking triangular shaped high mountain crag is via the iconic ‘Band’ up from the head of the Great Langdale valley close to the Old Dungeon Ghyll, and then by traversing a narrow ‘Climbers Traverse’ high on the mountainside and across to the base of the buttress and climbing routes.

Bowfell Buttress*** (VD) – Bowfell Crag (UKClimbing)

First Ascent – T Shaw, G.H Craig, G.R West, C Hargreaves & L.J Oppenheimer in May 1902

Extract from Classic Rock – ‘It had been a rough night in the Wall End barn. One of the Fylde lads had won a piglet in a raffle the night before, and insisted on it sharing the accommodation, which was already overcrowded……..So Dave and I were fairly bog-eyed when we tramped up the Band next morning on the way to Bowfell Buttress’ – Walt Unsworth

© Rockfax - A classic long mountain route. The climbing is predominantly around VDiff with only one short hard section that can be well protected. Start at a slight rib just left of the long crack-line of The Central Route.

Pitch 1) 13m. Climb up the slight rib and then up and right to a belay with a smooth-looking wide crack/chimney on the right.
Pitch 2) 10m. Tackle the smooth wide crack/chimney to emerge on a good ledge and belay.
Pitch 3) 12m. Climb leftwards up the wall to a belay on spikes in a wide crack-line.
Pitch 4) 17m. Continue up the chimney/crack-line to a long grassy ledge on the right. Go slightly down along this ledge for around 8m to a belay under a steep crack.
Pitch 5) 4b, 16m. Ascend the steep and well-worn crack with difficulty to easier-angled ground. Follow this leftwards to a belay at a pinnacle leaning against the crag.
Pitch 6) 22m. Traverse left along the grassy ledge and up a crack system to a short chimney. At its top, move up a slabby wall before traversing left, past a corner to a good ledge and a belay.
Pitch 7) 24m. The corner/groove on the right is followed until an exit can be made leftwards giving access to easier ground and belay. Scrambling remains to the summit of the buttress.

UKC Logbook Description

One the of great classic buttress routes of the Lakes. Starts just left of the foot of the buttress below a chimney. 1) 25m. Climb an open groove then a narrow off-width chimney to a big ledge. 2) 30m. Make a tricky move up off the ledge then move left into the open groove line until an exit back right can be made onto a good ledge below a steep crack. 3) 30m. Climb the steep crack followed by some bold moves across the slab on the left and a traverse into a steep right facing corner (possible belay). Thin moves up the corner and the chimney above lead to a stance. 4) 25m. Move either left or right and climb easier ground to the top of the buttress.

 Descriptions compiled by British Mountain Guide Adrian Nelhams

White Ghyll Traverse VS 4c, Great Langdale. Credit James Gibson