Big Day at Main Face (part 1)

[chameleon]

Recently, I convinced Rich that we needed to put in bigger days at Main Face. Normally when I’ve been to that mossy pile of choss, I’ll get 6 pitches in at best…sometimes as little as 3. I’m not sure why – maybe the moss just lulls people into a semi-comatose state or maybe it’s a function of excessive lichen inhalation. Either way it’s often difficult to get a full day in.

So, inspired by the Huber Bros., we donned our leather pants and grabbed a brief weather/bug window earlier today. The goal? 10 moderate classics in a day. Not quite the Nose in sub 3 hours but it’s a start?!

8:58 am top of e-gully.

1) Mine was the first lead…Enchantment (5.9) in the E-gully. Sweet line that finishes up the ear-shaped flake at the top. A little committing, lots of exposure but very do-able:

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And here’s a shot looking down from just above the flake:

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2) Next up was the top pitch of Mainline (5.. Short but fun:

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..........continued

[chameleon]

..part 2

3) Itchy Scratchy (5. follows the left-leaning mossy ledge and then heads to the top through those stepped corners – steeper than the photo looks. It was great to get on this one again – specially since the bottom is open again (a tree had blocked the first half for awhile). Steve P and I established this line ground up, on site, cleaning on lead – what’s the point in cleaning when grows back so fast! It’s actually clean but could use a bit of scrubbing. The gear is a little funky but it’s all there – looks like Peter (who has probably logged more ascents of this route than anyone I know) has dug out some placements all along the way – Thanks Peter. Seriously, the climbing is great on this route.

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4) This one’s a little shorter but still good. Good face climbing around a thin crack. Oskar (5.9+). Bomber gear.

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This is a close-up of Rich at the crux of Oskar:

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....continued

[chameleon]

5) And Rich on the next one over, a steep wide crack called Meatgrinder (5.9). I avoided this route for years but it’s actually really fun and quite clean.

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6) Rich’s next lead was on Grim Up North (5.9+). Our breakneck Huber-speed slowed up a little here but we picked it up after this one. Notice in this shot that the gear is actually attacking Rich’s shoulder – that’s how grim it really was.

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But look, Rich fights back and throws the pieces into the woods! Good one Rich.

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....continued

[chameleon]

7) Next up was Epitaph (5. – which is a little wiggy for the grade but I really enjoyed it today [I was whimpering the last time]. Kind of scrambly but exposed with some interesting rock features.

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The pitch directly above Epitaph is an old-school classic: Point of View (5.. Here’s Rich starting up the left-facing corner. Just to the left of this is an excellent (and fairly recent) sport line called Skinny Dipping (5.10/5.11) put up by Keith Swyer I think.

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At this point we weren’t sure if we’d make it to 10 since a few drops of rain had started and the clouds were closing in. But luckily the sky held off.

9) Route 9 was the classic NS sandbag (formerly 5.7, which I judiciously bumped up to 5.9): Mr. Puff. The photo sucks but the route is truly amazing. Steep and littered with positive holds. One of my favourites.

10) No rain yet and Rich still had energy to burn. His next lead was on a newish trad line put up by Steve P and Mitt to the right of the Sleeper Ledge. Can’t remember what it’s called but it’s about 5.8. Steve/Sean what did you guys call that line?

And that was it.

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3:08 pm top of E-gully.

10 routes in just over six hours. A Big(-ish) Day at Main Face. Rich figures a big day at Main Face would be 20 routes. Any takers?

- Sean

Ps. Sorry about the quality of the photos. Dirty lens.
pps. bugs were biting but not unbearable

[martha]

You must come to Welsford and do '1000m' in a day. There are a number of us who have tried these days for fun to see what we get on.

Cheekbone corner counts as no more than 300M and take a about an hour and half (unless you are climbing with Chris Hennigar - sorry heni!) so that leaves you the rest of the day to get the other 700m.

[*Chris*]

You must come to Welsford and do '1000m' in a day. There are a number of us who have tried these days for fun to see what we get on. Cheekbone corner counts as no more than 300M and take a about an hour and half (unless you are climbing with Chris Hennigar - sorry heni!) so that leaves you the rest of the day to get the other 700m.

Sweet spray Martha... but I'm pretty sure you should divide those numbers by 3.28. Cheekbone might be 300'... but it's certainly not 300m. I'll keep that scale in mind the next time you claim to have lead a 5.26.

Nice work though at Main Face. I hope to climb there again sometime this year. Epitaph, Meatgrinder, and Enchantment look pretty nice from the photos.

[sand]

Looks like you had an awesome day out there with all my favorites (Mr Puff and Itchy and scratchy)
the short 5.8 you did (your last one) is called : The last hurray, it was my first trad lead last summer
I wish the forecast for this weekend wasn't so bad, I want to go climb!!

[martha]

You must come to Welsford and do '1000m' in a day. There are a number of us who have tried these days for fun to see what we get on. Cheekbone corner counts as no more than 300M and take a about an hour and half (unless you are climbing with Chris Hennigar - sorry heni!) so that leaves you the rest of the day to get the other 700m.

Sweet spray Martha... but I'm pretty sure you should divide those numbers by 3.28. Cheekbone might be 300'... but it's certainly not 300m. I'll keep that scale in mind the next time you claim to have lead a 5.26.

Nice work though at Main Face. I hope to climb there again sometime this year. Epitaph, Meatgrinder, and Enchantment look pretty nice from the photos.

AHAHAH.. Yeah... I OBVIOUSLY Meant 300 ft... hahahaha. whoops! It was early when I posted that... not even 8am yet!

[peter]

If it was me who climbed those routes with you, I would call the day "Spankee's Revenge". I have climbed fewer than half of those routes, but tried and been spanked on more than half (no names will be offered here, to protect the innocent). Well done boys!

[seanT]

Sounds like a fun day perhaps a replacement activity for the "BIG STUPID"?
For anyone wanting to thrash themselves with a high mileage day i would recomend the next time your on Dover to try and do 100 problems. I did it a few years ago nothing harder than V3 and by the end of the day i was totally and utterly destroyed.
SeanT

[the kydd]

100 problems, 1 day!

Sign me up!

[chameleon]

The "Big Stupid" was infinitely more tiring - I think that day we went for about 12 or 15 hours didn't we Sean?

This recent day at MF was probably akin to doing about 70-80 problems in the V0-V1 range - with rope logistics of course.

Sandrine, I think I was actually on the Sleeper ledge during your first lead of the Lost Hurrah! The route Rich and I finished our day on was a couple of lines to the right...in behind the tree and it finishs on "Shiver Me Timbers".

- Sean C

[The Mitt]

Great day guys. It is called Banjo Crack. While we were putting it up some guys was playing a banjo below. It was right out of deliverance. lol

S

[sand]

You're right , the lost hurray is on the sleeper ledge