La Chacal Area

La Chacal area topo

1. Kitten’s Paws (6c+)
A bizarre route touching the right-hand side of the detached flake and making hard moves from its top. The flake has been well tested.

2. Was it Stew (6c+) ★
A good route on the gleaming white pillar at the left end of the face. Exit left and up from the break after the hard move.

3. The Fall and Decline (E3 5c, 5a) ★
Steep and satisfying on a strong line. Start below a prominent square-cut corner.

  1. 25m Climb the wall to reach a leftward-trending flake. Follow this to an overlap and swing left and up to gain a groove. Follow this, moving right onto the arête and then up to a ledge.
  2. 12m Climb the overhangs via a break.

4. La Chacal (E2 5c) ★
Another classy pitch with strenuous climbing on a good line.

  1. 25m
    From the foot of the leftward-trending crack on Fall and Decline, move right and up a square-cut corner to a roof. Swing out right in a fine position and then gain the yellow-flecked wall above. Good holds on this lead upwards before a traverse right gain a small ledge.
  2. 12m
    Climb the flake right of the stance moving right and then up an easy groove.

5. A Touch of Class (E2 5b, 5b, 5a) ★★★
A classic expedition finding a way across the face in typical 80s style.

  1. 25m From the first horizontal break on La Chacal, move right and climb the compact wall to a PR on the left-hand side of a white wall. Traverse carefully right across this, PR, to reach a ramp/slab. Belay below the roofs at the top of this.
  2. 15m Continue the traverse right to reach a steep groove line. Follow this to a TR, then swing right to the shattered arête, PR. Climb this and a short wall to a tree belay.
  3. Traverse back left along the ledge to a rounded arête and finish via this.

6. Front of House (6c+) ★
Takes a direct line from the blunt rib and through the overlaps to the belay of La Chacal.

7. Back Yard Holiday (6c+) ★★
A fine single pitch route with plenty of climbing trending rightwards across the wall with a fingery lower section and a difficult move through the overlap.

8. Swelling Itching Brain (7b+) ★
A tough technical section low down with easier climbing once it has gained the upper section of the last route.

9. One Continuous Picnic (7b) ★★
A fabulous pitch with sustained hard climbing but good gear. Start at the right-hand end of the slim wall preventing entry to its upper section. Move up to the break (prickly bush) and follow a series of thin flakes and cracks direct to a respite below the right-hand side of a large overlap. Pull up and leftwards on good holds to gain easier climbing leading to a ledge and easier ground above.

10. Three Dimensions (E2 5b, 5b) ★★
Another classy pitch on the right-hand side of the wall. Start below a leftwards-trending flake line.

  1. 27m Climb a short corner and overcome the overlap in favour of the flake line. Follow this to a small ledge, PR, then move right and up into a crackline. Avoid the large overhang above for a bottomless groove on the left (junction with Touch of Class) and follow this exiting right at a TR onto the right-hand arête, PR. This leads to a ledge and belay.
  2. 12m Move left into a corner and follow this via its upper roof.

11. Sugar Sweet (6c+) ★
The difficult lower bulge leads to a fine upper section.

11a Mon Miel (6c)
A short route with a difficult bulge.

12. A Bitter Pill (6b)
A pleasant warm up straight through a small mid-height bulge.

13. A Cunning Plan (6b+) ★
Take a direct line through the lower bulge and then up the left-hand edge of the slabby face above. A good pitch.

14. The Marsh Flower (7a) ★
An interesting pitch on the open gray slab with a short tricky (desperate) section. From below the centre of the slab, climb straight up heading for an obvious blank-looking section. Climb this and continue fairly direct, gradually easing off, to a break. Finish more easily via a crack above.

15. Stratagem E2 5b ★★
A fine route. From the start of Legacy, climb pleasantly up the slab to a bulge at its top, PR. Move carefully leftwards to reach a break, then move back right and continue up a tree and the large blocks on Legacy. Finish up the crack above.

16. Manikins of Horror E3 5c ★★★
A classic. From just right of the small yew tree, gain a break and move left into a small corner, PR. Continue carefully leftwards around the blunt rib onto a steep slab at the foot of a crack. Climb the crack, PRs, to the girdle break. Move left and finish straight up.

Swlabr Link (E3 6a, 5a) ★★
A fine but wandering lower pitch.

  1. 24m
    Follow Manikins past its first PR, then continue straight up to the break, a little contrived. Traverse right along the break, 2PRs to gain a crack leading more easily to a large ledge and tree belay.
  2. 15m
    Climb the prominent steep crack above.

17. Masquerade (7b+) ★★
A fine direct line up the left-hand side of the buttress with a very technical move at half height and sustained climbing above. Harder for the short?

18. Dance of the Puppets (7b) ★★
A fine hard direct route, low in the grade. Climb the shallow groove just right again to gain a good pocket and bold moves leftwards to reach a break. Tackle the difficult and fingery bulge above to reach another break. Continue delicately rightwards into a scoop and swing left from a niche exiting rightwards.

19. Hand in Glove (7a+) ★
A good new addition straight up the right-hand side of the wall with a technical lower bulge and sustained climbing above and keeping out of Swlabr. Move left and up to the belay.