Dateline Wall RoutesThis is a featured page


***Route Name Grade (Please use bouldering grades for routes to the left of Bermuda Triangle. Please don't just swipe grades from existing guides. Use your best judgment. If you think a grade is wrong then make an edit and provide an edit note)
Route Description (written by you please. Don't steal descriptions from rockfax).

* One of These Days Direct Start 6a
Not worth bothering. Always manky

** One of These Days E3 5c
Used to be solo'd (no gear!) but can be very wet and dirty. Start to right at large pocket and climb diagonally left to corner. Fingery. Then an excellent technical exercise in wide bridging.

** One of These Days Direct Finish E4 6a
An excellent route but which needs cleaning first. Fingery climbing (as for main route) leads to niche. Old peg and friend 11/2 protect crux - wide bridging and undercutting to poor pockets and sprint for top.

* The Famous Alto Sax Break NL?? 6C
An old top rop problem of Phil Davidson? Could be the first E8 at pex? providing you can solo up the grip-less wall to the break. Take your Black & Decker strimmer to clean the break!

* Padarn Dance 6b Led?
Originally called "Dance of the Flaming Arsehole" after a strange custom carried out in the Padarn Pub in Llanberis. Immediately left of crack (no touching!) First ascent (top rope) Steve Tonks @2000. May have been led with gear in crack. Needs cleaning.

Dateline by Jamie Light***Dateline E2 5c
The strenuous crack will be found to be arduous by the weak. The crack will take gear so the grade is for a lead ascent. The crack needs a long time to dry out as its recesses in the top section are often covered in a thick green slime. I always found this climb to be awkward and off balance but it seems that once you slab the ledge at about 1/2 or a 1/3 height then a sprint finish to the top isn't so difficult (or for the sensible take big Hex's and/or friends for crack at 2/3 height - Pekkie!). Belayers and climbers should be vigilant to rockfall which has become problematic recently. Please don't put top ropes in the crack as this is a cause of rockfall.
FA. Rick Newcombe and Geoff Ashton, 1960s

** Sinbad E5 6b
A very good route which wanders around immediately right of the crack (no touching!) but which can be protected with gear in the crack. Very hard move to reach top break (often dirty)

** Depression 6b NL?
Only became possible when old bolt removed in mid nineties. Two pockets to the left of Black Magic show the way. Smeary and fingery crux to reach top break. First ascent (top rope) Pete & Buzz (which one's the dummy?) late 90's. 6B (If you want to live dangerously try to on sight solo a not led on this wall).

***Exit On Air E7 6b?
Start to the left of Black Magic, at a large pocket. Climb up to a dark ripple band (Needs cleaning) and then contrive a tenuous sequence to traverse right and up to arrive at the slot on Acid Test. Do the crux of this route to reach the break, Breathe a sigh of relief and make a couple of 5c moves to exit. Gear: F1 in slot and in situ threads in the break protect. The top may need some cleaning/gardening?

***Black Magic E5/6 6b
6b (This used to be the grade but maybe it has been altered due to chipping?). A vague right to left trending line to the right of "Dateline" (the obvious crack!). Note : British technical grade and not a bouldering grade. As a route, solo, it used to be given E6 6b (sometimes 6a) - see photo in David Jones "Rock Climbing in Britain" (if you can find a copy!). Reasonable pockets / flat holds lead to the crux move at about 4m (just a bit too high to jump off, especially without a mat and the slightly sloping ground below) - a high step with the left foot and a pull / press with the right hand leads to a small pocket for the left hand (if my memory serves correct!). Trend left on small footholds but reasonable finger holds to a good pocket and shakeout. Easier climbing on good but spaced holds leads directly up the wall to a sometimes sandy finish. Start breathing again if you've arrived here after your first solo of the route! It seems that the tales of threading nuts over the bolts were in fact relaible! Rumour has it that the route was attempted and protected in this way and, on falling off, the leader did not hit the floor!

* Black Magic Direct E6 6c?
Rumor has it, that it's not been led? Anyone know otherwise?
After Black Magic's crux, trend right where the good holds (on Black Magic) go left!

** Acid Test E5 6a/6b
An excellent route with a well protected crux. Friend 1 in slot. Threads in top break may need replacing. Oh, and needs cleaning.

* Parkers Mood 6b
A one move 6b wonder.

Euphoria 6b NL
In the jungle now

Never Mind The Acid E4 5c
A good route which can be led but gear is very fiddly.

Treadmill 5b



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Pekkie
Latest page update: made by Pekkie , Oct 20 2009, 6:34 PM EDT (about this update About This Update Pekkie Edited by Pekkie

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boggy Old bolts??? 3 Jan 21 2008, 3:16 PM EST by auldpexal
Thread started: Apr 4 2007, 9:32 AM EDT  Watch
Just seen your addition to the description - nice one! But I don't remember seeing any old bolts (I remember there was one very low down but that was on the traverse of the back wall.....and was used as a sneaky finger hold by the less capable ;-)......maybe I was just concentrating too much on the climbing - I never thought of it as a lead....
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Pekkie Dareline Wall routes - further thoughts 0 Apr 18 2007, 5:17 AM EDT by Pekkie
Thread started: Apr 18 2007, 5:17 AM EDT  Watch
One of These Days Direct Start - not worth bothering with - always manky
Exit on Air - rarely climbed these days. Probably led by Phil Davidson
Black Magic Direct - not sure if this has been climbed let alone led
Parkers Mood NL as far as I know
Euphoria - again NL and now returned to jumgle
TreadMill - I think this was solo'd in the old days

I cleaned up the top of Dateline and Sinbad and Never Mind the Acid earlier this year. Black Magic looks OK. Will try and clean others - any help appreciated!
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Pekkie Dateline Wal routes 0 Apr 15 2007, 4:09 PM EDT by Pekkie
Thread started: Apr 15 2007, 4:09 PM EDT  Watch
First - well done lads for publicising this wall which has some of the best routes in the area - though being north facing it tends toi be green and needs regular cleaning.
One of These Days - a super route (fingery wall climbing then thin bridging) which used to be solo'd regularly but is now a tougher proposition - at least E3.
One of These Days Direct Finish (also called Nightride) - a great route which can be led (old peg under overhang). The crux involves undercutting and wide bridging. E4.
Alto Sax Break - only climbed by Phil Davidson on rope
Padarn Dance - also known as Dance of the Flaming Arsehole. May have been led with runners in c rack.
Dateline. E2 is a bit mean for a sight lead.
Sinbad - a great route which can be led with runners in crack
Depression - beacme possible when old bolt removed. Crux moves are very fingery and smeary. NL as far as I know.
Black Magic - harder than it used to be. E6 for sight lead?
Acid Test - bomber F1 in slot and threads in top break. E5?
Never Mind the Acid - can be protected but very fiddly. E4?
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