West End Buttress

From South Wales Bouldering Guide Wiki

Description

West End buttress is a quarried sandstone wall around three hundred meters from the town of Abercarn, West End facing in an Easterly direction. It sits at around a thirty five degree overhang which is very rare in its location and offers some of the best bouldering in the area. The flat, clean wall is around three and a half meters high, offers high quality, flat landing, routes from V0 to around a V8 can be found here. 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 routes using the more difficult pockets, slopers, micro crimps or have BIG dinos! There’s something to suit everybody here, if its for the beginner, technician or the power based climber.

Directions

Grid Reference: 51.6546, -3.1352

Just past the town of Abercarn West End, Gwent. Heading north is a large muddy pull in, on the left western (uphill) side of Celynen Road, in which to park. Walk in a Southerly direction towards Abercarn West end for approx two hundred meters to reach a medium road side quarry on your right. On the right side of the quarry you will 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 beech woodland, 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 the wall is then 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:

All of the problems finish when you are stood on top of ledge 20. Use the top of the wall to rock up onto the ledge. Use only the hand holds mentioned in the topo of each problem as foot placements.

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.

2. Brutal Force V2 Foothold 1, hands on flat holds 1 and 2, move to pinch 6, flat 11, 13, 20

3. Brutal Entertainment V4 Foothold 1, hands on flat holds 1 and 2, move to pinch 6, flat 7, foot 10, crimp 9, Finish Ledge

4. Leap of Faith V4 Foothold 1, hands on flat holds 1 and 2, move to 11, 12 or 13 then finish on the far right side of ledge 24.

5. PROJECT Guess on V8. Foothold 1, hand on flat hold 1 and 2, move to micro 21, 18, 19, 22, 25, 20

6. That’s Cool Bro V5 Foothold 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 the ledge, as far right as possible on ledge 24!!

TRAINING - Hang from 11 and 13, move up and back down from sloping hold 14 and 23. Do this until failure or challenge your climbing partner at the end of your session!

First Ascents

1. Brutal Warmup - Mathew Wright Augst 2015 2. Brutal Force - Mathew Wright Augst 2015 3. Brutal Entertainment - Mathew Wright September 2015 4. Leap of Faith - Mathew Wright October 2015 5. PROJECT 6. Thats Cool Bro - Mathew Wright October 2015

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 Mathew Wright and he will post the route name, grade and first ascentist on the website.