Grand Unification

Written by LakesBloc Wednesday, 11 October 2006 00:00

With October half expired and fresher conditions afoot, the winter season is beginning to blast off. We begin our autumnal roundup with that wily young buck Adam "Hockstack" Hocking, who has obviously being overdoing the pop star life style and caning one to many pies, as, on a recent jaunt to the Bowderstone, the Stack blasted clean off the second pinch of Power Pinch, with the result of this piece of impromptu stone masonry being a much more positive crimpy gaston. Our sources claim the problem has been reduced in grade to around 7a+/V7 mark. In an effort to bring a balance back to the Stone's karma Hocking did us all a favour by adding a direct finish to that Stone classic Picnic Sarcastic, with the grade being a bit harder than the original - 7b+/V8. Staying with the Stone visiting Polish strongman Mariusz Motyka last week ticked a rare a send of XXXX (8a/V11), good work that man!

At the southern end of Patterdale on the Rolling Rock Greg Chapman has climbed the "ready-made-classic" sit start to the already excellent arête of Jungle Hobo. The sitter (Grand Unification) is started on the left from a matched position on an inward facing slopey edge, a tricky egyption is then employed to reach the good(ish) hold on the face. From here move up rightward via a poor pinch and sharp crimp to eventually reach a superb triangular pinch on the arête. As with the stand up version, Grand Unification can be finished direct at 7c+/V10, or at a slightly easier grade (7c/V9ish) by trending left on to the face to finish up Rolling Rock Wall .

Image Right: Grand Unification (7c+/V10)