West End Buttress
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| − | West End butress is a quarried sandstone wall around 300m from the town of Abercarn, West End facing in an Easterly direction. It sits at around a thirty five degree angle which is very rare in its location and offers some of the best bouldering in its area by far. The flat, clean wall offers high quality, safe bouldering with both easy (V0) and hard routes (up to V7 I believe) The holds are sharp in places as its only had me climbing on it so far. However, the climbing is still very pleasant and enjoyable. Many of the routes have large flat holds and pinches. With the harder using the more difficult pockets, slopers, micro crimps and BIG dinos! There’s something to suit everybody here, if its for the biginner, technician or the power based climber. | + | West End butress is a quarried sandstone wall around 300m from the town of Abercarn, West End facing in an Easterly direction. It sits at around a thirty five degree angle which is very rare in its location and offers some of the best bouldering in its area by far. The flat, clean wall is around three and a half meters high, offers high quality, safe bouldering with both easy (V0) and hard routes (up to V7 I believe) The holds are sharp in places as its only had me climbing on it so far. However, the climbing is still very pleasant and enjoyable. Many of the routes have large flat holds and pinches. With the harder using the more difficult pockets, slopers, micro crimps and BIG dinos! There’s something to suit everybody here, if its for the biginner, technician or the power based climber. |
==Directions== | ==Directions== | ||
Revision as of 21:27, 21 October 2015
Contents |
Description
West End butress is a quarried sandstone wall around 300m from the town of Abercarn, West End facing in an Easterly direction. It sits at around a thirty five degree angle which is very rare in its location and offers some of the best bouldering in its area by far. The flat, clean wall is around three and a half meters high, offers high quality, safe bouldering with both easy (V0) and hard routes (up to V7 I believe) The holds are sharp in places as its only had me climbing on it so far. However, the climbing is still very pleasant and enjoyable. Many of the routes have large flat holds and pinches. With the harder using the more difficult pockets, slopers, micro crimps and BIG dinos! There’s something to suit everybody here, if its for the biginner, technician or the power based climber.
Directions
Grid Reference: 51.6546, -3.1352
Just past the town of Abercarn West End, Gwent. There is a large muddy pull in, on the western (uphill) side of Celynen Road, in which to park the car in. Walk in a Southerly direction towards Abercarn West end for approx 200m to reach a medium road side quarry on your right. On the right side of the quarry you should find a steep muddy banking with two steps at just over a foot high. Climb this with difficulty before it flattens out onto the upper tier of the quarry (To the right the trail will run into the beach wood land, follow this to Tyle Y Coch quarry). To reach West End Buttress stay in the upper tier of the quarry but follow it left to drop down off a two foot step to have the wall obvious on your right. Enjoy!
Conditions
The face of the wall its self is very clean. The large ledge at three quarter height has a bit of dirt at the back, however this makes no difference to the climbing it’s self. Also the top out hold often gets a light covering of sticks, dist and beach nuts and may need dusting off. The wall seeps hours after rain which is very frustrating and continues to do so for several days unfortunately.
Problems:
1. Brutal Warmup V0 Foothold 1, with hands on the flat holds 1 and 2,move to 3, pinch 6, flat 8, flat 11, ledge 20. F.A. Mathew Wright
2. Brutal Force V2 Foothold 1, hands on flat holds 1 and 2, move to pinch 6, flat 11, 13, 20 F.A. Mathew Wright
3. Brutal Thinking V4 Foothold 1, hands on flat holds 1 and 2, move to pinch 6, flat 7, foot 10, crimp 9, Finish Ledge F.A. Mathew Wright
4. Leap of Faith V5 Foothold 1, hands on flat holds 1 and 2, move to 11, 12 or 13 then finish on the far right side of 20 ledge F.A. Mathew Wright
5. PROJECT Guess on V8. Foothold 1, hand on flat hold 1 and 2, move to micro 21, 18, 19, 22, 23, 20 PROJECT
6. That’s Cool Bro V6Foothold 1, move to pinch 6, flat 11, 13, using some cool footwork, use only the Holds used as handholds in the problem and reach for an obvious two/three finger pocket on the right after a break And finish on the far right side of ledge, as far as possible on 20! F.A Mathew Wright
TRAINING - Hang from 11 and 13, move up and back down from sloping hold 14 and the risen part above hold 13 on ledge 20. Do this until failure or challenge your climbing partner at the end of your session!
This crag is brand new and has much more potential on the lower tier. Offering slabs, roofs, vertical; everything you can think of this crag has it. Much cleaning is needed though as the crag is quite overgrown. Let me know of any activity please as I’m a local and happy to help.
Also, any new routes found, made up, or walls cleaned, email me and I will post the route name, grade and first ascentist on the website.
Email: Mathewwright1998@yahoo.co.uk
