The Hobo Rides Again

Written by LakesBloc Sunday, 13 December 2009 18:30

After a couple of reports of flummoxed climbers being rebuffed by Patterdale's joint standout boulder problem, Jungle Hobo on the Rolling Rock, Threshthwaite Cove, Greg Chapman thought it a good excuse to visit this awesome boulder, and see if the stories of hold breakage were correct.

On reaching the boulder Greg soon discovered that the right hand crimp, used in conjunction with a left hand diagonal edge, to clamp yourself to the arête, had indeed snapped off. After trying a couple of dead-end sequences, it soon became apparent that the best course of action was to use the short, thin, vertical crack on the arête, as a stacked/jammed crimp. This offers an almost identical sequence to the original, however, the crack is far harder to hold and as such a little more finger strength and tension are required. With this accounted for it seems likely that the revised grades of 7b+/V8 for the original direct version, and 7b for the left hand variant would be appropriate. Interestingly, using the crack, rather than the now diseased crimp, allows for easier access from the sitter (Grand Unification), and as such the grade for this (7c+/V10) remains the same.

To make for an even more convoluted story, there is yet another method of climbing both versions of the problem: a jump-start. This starts with your left hand on the diagonal edge, and then jumps off the ground straight to the pinch high on the arête. You can then climb either variant at the original grades of 7a/V6 and 7a+/V7, respectively... but could you sleep at night?

There is a video showing the new method here.

Image: Jungle Hobo (7b+/V8)