Alex More seconding the first ascent of 4 Months, 3days and still missing you...
After spying the upper wall from the top we traversed to the foot of the slab and looked up at the upper wall again, only this time with some trepidation. It could be anything from Severe to E3! The beauty ‘on-sight’ new routing is that you do not know the nature of the difficulties that you are going to encounter, and it is this quality of uncertainty that adds a certain intensity to the experience. The innocuous groove turns out to be a nervy struggle with slabby rock and poor friction, while the imposing crack ends up to be festooned with hidden jugs. Disturbingly, the holds on the easy looking lower slab are of the variety that are most unwelcome: sloping and unhelpful! A difficult and intimidating rock-over and shuffle around the corner lands you on the slab proper and a chance to assess the difficulties ahead. Awkward to place wires gives some measure of confidence for the delicate moves to the fault-line. Place your foot high and lever up and you are there. The wall above is steeper, so load that break with large wires and tentatively test the frozen coral-like face. An examination at this point with a rack of wires will reveal that the flutings make a delightful impromptu xylophone! Stand up and place more gear behind one of the more substantial flutings so that a standing position can be gained. From here a well-placed tree-branch hole allows a pleasingly long move to a thin horizontal break. Another good wire protects the final moves up to a clean-cut finish, which turns out to be a false summit. A heave over a final bulge gains horizontal ground and a stake belay and wires in the wall above.
In a way, the Amphitheatre Roofs epitomises the breadth Dorset climbing, with its mixture of sport and traditional climbing, however, rarely are these two styles juxtaposed quite so closely and in such a complementary way.
History:
The history of climbing at the Amphitheatre Roofs can be divided into 3 discreet periods.
Early explorations included some of the easier slabs at the western end of the crag, and the inevitable accomplishments of the fishermen who frequent the area (members of the angling fraternity have been known to ‘free-solo’ up to VS standard with a rod in one hand and a bucket of black-lug in the other!). A notable documented route, ‘Traverse of the Fossils’, climbs (if that is the word!) the horizontal break that runs the full length of the crag.
Then came the sport climbing explosion of the early nineties, and it is during this period that Pete Oxley added the majority of the climbs, with occasional contributions from Jon Biddle and the brothers Cook, Joff and Damien. During this initial period top quality lines such as ‘Eye of the Storm’, ‘Mirrorball’, ‘Monolith Monster’ and ‘A Storm in Heaven’ were climbed. Later Oxley completed some of the more notable gaps with ‘Granny Lifts Car’ (Apparently this route requires a feat of strength similar to ‘lifting the car from the baby’!), and ‘Ramases Cubed’.
More recently the emphasis has been placed on filling the naturally ‘protect-able’ gaps with traditional climbs, using an 'on-sight' first ascent ethic.
Guidebooks:
Rockfax (Dorset Edition) (does not include any of the newer Traditional climbs or more recently bolted routes)
Climbers Club Guides (Portland edition) Due out 2007. Previous editions only mentioned the obvious traverse of the fault line, ‘Traverse of the Fossils’ HVS 5a.
Download the DCWEB Topo here >>
Dorset Bolt Agreement:
This crag is designated as being ‘bolt-free’, so chastise yourselves roundly after completing any of the excellent sport climbs! Devotees of this crag have found that a ‘horses for courses’ approach is best: Sports climbs tackle the blank roofs, while the slabs and overlaps are taken by traditional climbs.
Access:
Officially, the Weld Estate bans climbing at this crag. (As it is at the nearby Stair Hole and Church Rock.) It would also probably be prudent to avoid the area when the MOD is conducting live firing exercises, since the Range Patrols may take a dim view of your activities. The descriptions of the routes are, therefore for historical purposes only, however it has been known that a low-key approach has been rewarded with some fine climbing…
Lulworth Cove in high Summer
Getting There:
From the Lulworth Cove Visitor Centre car park (the impecunious will park up the road near the church in the village), head towards Lulworth Cove, passing a series of ‘temptations’. (Note: if there is a ‘sea-running’, waves can be seen breaking at the mouth of the Cove. Save yourself a walk and climb somewhere else!)
At the beach traverse around the cove until you can ascend a steep track that is next to an obvious steep slab of rock. At the summit go down to a sign that says “danger unstable cliffs”, head eastwards until a flat area near the cliff-edge comes into view (this is the Amphitheatre). Continue eastwards until a descent and traverse back will allow the ‘Amphitheatre’ to be gained. A short abseil (excellent threads) or down climb (a tricky Diff) accesses the foot of the cliff. Routes are approached from here via a ledge at low tide, or a tricky traverse at high tide. Alternatively, for direct access to routes at the eastern end of the cliff continue along the cliff-top footpath, where an abseil stake can be found 10m above the path and 50m from the MOD fence. This abseil is down the line of 'Welds Mother'. There is also a bolt and poor stake belay directly above 'Monolith Monsters'.
The Roofs in less than friendly conditions!
Do not climb here if there is a Swell!
The danger from the sea at this crag is probably greater than at most cliffs in Dorset. A combination of deep offshore water, a submerged rock shelf and a slippery access route at the foot of the cliff all combine to create a unique hazard.
Getting your gear out:
Anyone who has undertaken a substantial roof climb will appreciate the difficult and potentially energy-sapping manoeuvre involved in retrieving quick-draws, so here is the low-down. Most routes at the roofs don’t have double bolt lower-off's, with good reason: it is extremely difficult to retrieve your gear from the top-down!
Essentially you have to back-aid the roof. Either climb down the upper, vertical, wall (or thread the single bolt to get to the same point), until you can lower onto the first bolt in the roof. From here, lower to the next bolt, and clip directly into it. It should now be possible to slacken off the lead-rope so that you can lean out and remove the uppermost bolt. Using another quick-draw as a handle release yourself from the ‘direct’ karabiner and begin the process again. Once back to vertical territory either down climb to the sea, or lower off (bolts on the vertical walls tend to be 'staples').
Disclaimer:
Climbing is a potentially VERY dangerous activity! Any person reading these pages is responsible for getting the proper instruction in the techniques and equipment necessary for climbing, and assumes all responsibility for injuries incurred to yourself or to third parties.
This site makes no attempt to offer instruction of any kind, nor should you assume that information you read here is accurate, or indeed is an adequate substitute for instruction or experience.
