Autumn and Winter Bouldering

THE PHAROS BOULDERS:

Standing on the road looking at the Pharos the thing that stops you seeing the weirdos dogging the fuck out of Punks is a couple of really nice boulders. Well, if you stand at the right spot. These are the Pharos boulders and have become possibly even more popular than the Slime area (Central  Gully).

MICROCLIMATE:

An excellent place to catch the sun  on Autumn days. Nice (but popular) late on warm afternoons. Entrenched can be  cold or a haven on a hottish afternoon. The Ministry is a good sheltered dry/cool problem.

ORIENTATION:

The  boulder closest to the road is the Superman boulder. Behind this is a large double boulder; the left one holding Round the World and the right Monkey Puzzle.

Superman  boulder has a steep roadside face. The face has a low  traverse, a high traverse and problems on the left. There is a no hands traverse called Velodrome. And three leaps of faith on the right, Superman 1, 2 and 3  from respective launching blocks. There is also an up problem on the right above where Superman hits (and/or) misses.

Around to the left (south) is an arete left of crack. On the back (west) wall, taking the centre is a tall problem called Heartstopper. Left of  this again is a classic easy high problem.

Right of the Superman boulder  is a small boulder with a traverse on two sides.

The Round the World  boulder and Monkey Puzzle boulder have squillions of problems on them. These  include the self titled problems and a good traverse inside the split wall (on the left facing the Pharos)  called Entrenched.

Behind these boulders  (close to back of RTW boulder) is another, with Finalgon written on it. This is, surprise, Finalgon (The name of a good genital rub. Ha Ha.), a traverse L-R on  half a side. There are some up problems on the camp face including Chunder at 31. James' problem continues Finalgon to the right completing that face. There  is a problem (up) at the end of this and an up problem in the middle of Finalgon  (2 & 3 moves). There is a bum start problem starting at the beginning of  Finalgon, exit left.

There are good problems on boulders behind and further up in the trees.

Underneath the Pharos, where the big block leans against the cliff right of Trojan (underneath Dazed and Confused) is a problem by Jon Muir and Mark which has again been discovered recently.

Up in  Yesterday Gully, behind Running on Empty on the wall with Zub on it, is an excellent long pumpy traverse called The Ministry of Fig Pluckers by Gordon.  Well worth finding.

On the red wall on the left of Pharos Gully (Baker's Route Wall) is a blob with an excellent traverse. PG

PROBLEMS

Superman Boulder

1. Superman .  Jump off nearest rock to jug
2. Superman 2. Jump off next rock back to  jug
3. Superman 3. Running jump off rock third rock to jug
4. High trav.  L>along top of boulder to 11. then back again. M
5. Low trav. to 11.  Ditto. PG
6. Velodrome. No hands trav. of 1/2 the wall to 8. X!
7. Desperate up off poor locks to wee undercling then jugs. X
8. Sharp edges lead to some spaced ones M
Var. better. Come in from 9. M
9. Up smooth edges at wee corner PG
10. Up just L of 9. (6) ***G?
11. Descent
12.  Elim. up L arete of crack (R)
13. Heartstopper. Up mid. of face (scary)  X
14. Classic up over bulge on jugs PG
14a. Descent down short juggy wall then to 11.
15. Environs. Low trav. on two sides of boulder. Both directions M

Around the World/ Monkey Puzzle

16. Nice low trav. up hill from 17. M to big layaway
17. Up slabby start to jugs PG
18. Next line R Up prob. PG
19. Around the World. Trav.  R on lip to corner. Up and L along break
then down to start M. Can be done  footless
20. Miller's Tale. B/S in mid. of 19. to lip X and Andy's Prob. goes up again to break from razor hold X
21. Straight up corner of 19. and wall above M B/S (R)
22. Undone trav. high and low from 21. to 23.
23. High prob. Step off boulder chockstone and up arete (R)
24. Scoot under boulder  chockstone to Entrenched PG
25. Monkey Puzzle. Classic traverse at many  levels from G to X Can be continued to 4 sides of boulder. Slopey version R of  main faced called Dink.
26. Up prob. using some large holes PG
27. grade 26 with 2 bolts??
28. Up line. Easy  but scary X
29. Up rounded arete PG
30. Descent
31. Up and L M
32.  Up wall with interest at small
 roof M
33. Up overlap and crack (R)
34.  Trav. along break L to arete M ABA
35. Entrenched. Trav. R around to pass above 38. G **
36. Mossy up prob. M
37. Jump the gap
38. The Final  Chapter. Near the end of 35. nip under arete using pinches and trav. low to join  35. again X

Finalgon Boulder
39. Classic high up prob. with big spaced holds  M
40. Finalgon. Trav R to 42.  M  Can continue , the whole boulder is possible.
41. B/S's up and L or R M - X
42. Easy juggy way to  top of boulder G
43. Continuation of Finalgon.  M
44. Undone up  prob.
45. Descent and no hands up prob.
46. Dignan's Up ramp and L to horn X
47. Chunder at 31. Up ramp and slabby groove X
48. Anthonus. B/S beside flake up layaways  X
49. Undone. Left of arete.
50. Up prob. with slopey exit. Undone
51. Up prob. PG
52 . Up Prob. PG
53. Low traverse PG  around arete, ABA
54. Descent
55. Cool wall with Sweet F.A
56. Up problem PG
57. Welcome to Future World. Flake up mid. of wall X tall and bad  landing