Owen Glynne Jones

In conformity with its deserts as the grandest mass of crags in Lakeland, the Pillar Rock has, of recent years, received most attention from those in search of new routes and variations. So numerous and intertwined are some of the latter that it would be difficult to say by how many different ways the top of the famous rock can now be attained. There are certainly a score that possess the merit of individuality. However, though there is one important exception, that of the New West Climb, the old routes still monopolise the bulk of the traffic. With the development of the craft of rock-climbing the once popular, easy routes, such as the Old West Climb or the Pendlebury Traverse, have become less used than formerly. For a moderate party with an expert leader the North Climb is now the favourite course, though the ‘New West’ has become recognised as the finer climb. This recognition will, probably, in due course make the latter outrival in popularity its older compeer. But the ‘Slab and Notch,’ with the finish up the left wall of the Great Chimney, still takes most Pillarites to the goal of their ambition. In the other extreme stands the New North West Climb, and fortunately so. It is too difficult and dangerous to attract those climbers who truly realise that they have a life to lose. Famous experts—one of whom made the descent alone—declare the New North West Climb to be unjustifiable. For the descent of the Rock, especially after reaching the top by one of the longer climbs, the Central Jordan Crack is most generally used. Even under the worst conditions of storm, ice, or snow a rope looped around the top retaining wall of the crack allows downward escape to be made with comparative ease and safety.

The Pillar Rock from the West Side

A The Low Man.
B The High Man.
C Pisgah.
D The top of Easy Scree Gully.
PP New Pisgah Routes.
aa The original old West Route.
bb The New West Climb.
dd The West Jordan Gully leading up to Jordan Gap.
ee Screes bounding the base of Pisgah.
ff Scree-slopes leading down to the Waterfall.
s The Slingsby Crack. Old West Climb Variation.

The New West Climb.—Taken chronologically in this section, if for no other reason, this course demands first attention. Its outstanding features are sound, clean rocks, sensational situations with magnificent views, and secure belays at each section where they are really required. The climbing begins about 20 yards down the screes from the foot of the West Jordan Gully; the exact point is just below some large boulders which abut against the base of the main rock. Large hand- and footholds enable the steep lower rocks to be easily climbed, though at one point, about 60 feet above the start, there is a smooth place that gives trouble when ice is present. About 20 feet higher, a well-marked ledge leads to the right and out of the groove up which the climb has thus far run. Some turfy ledges then soon conduct the climber up to an impending nose of rock. After struggling up a short, steep pitch in the base of this, it becomes obvious that a traverse to the left is advisable. The place is vertical, but bulky and numerous holds enable the passage to be made in comfort. The traverse finishes abruptly on a steep buttress, with turf ledges at its foot. On the right a convenient crack provides means of upward progress for about 30 feet; then an all too short scramble up a steep arÊte gives access to two small ledges with accommodation for one climber only on each. The rocks directly ahead overhang threateningly, and a traverse to the left into the base of a steep chimney—the key to the climb—becomes advisable. This movement is sensational, but the handholds nowadays are ample for the swing across. Yet it is advisable to take the precaution to hitch the rope over the splendid belay at the beginning of the traverse, especially if the conditions are adverse. Once across this section, a large chock-stone in the foot of the chimney can be utilised as anchorage whilst the leader moves upwards. The upper part of this 30 foot chimney is probably the most awkward part of the whole climb. If the back be kept on the left wall throughout, numerous small, but sufficient, excrescences can be found on the confronting side of the chimney. It would seem advisable to keep as much as possible in the narrow cleft.

A secure resting-place, with room for three or more climbers, is shortly gained, and the chimney, which becomes loose and repulsive-looking higher up, should now be deserted in favour of an interesting traverse to the right. The passage around the vertical corner is impressive, but careful use of the feet prevents the awkward attitudes so often seen here. The movement across the face to the right is still continued over capacious ledges in a slightly upward direction to some prominent shattered rocks. Good anchorage is available here. The final section begins above the shattered rocks, and lies up a small, shallow crack which closes in about 15 feet higher and necessitates a delicate step across a smooth slab on the right. A well-marked, grassy recess is thus eventually gained. The ascent finishes up this, and emerges within a few feet of the summit of the Pillar Rock.

Savage Gully.—The direct ascent of this great rift, the aspect of which is familiar to all who visit the Rock by way of the North Climb, is too risky and dangerous to deserve serious attention from rock-climbers. Yet from a historical and topographical point of view the description of the first ascent by Mr. P. A. Thompson may prove of interest. Though this indefatigable pioneer was finally safeguarded by tying on a rope lowered from near the ‘Nose,’ the party who made the second ascent—Messrs. Barton—conceded the honour of precedence to Mr. Thompson, saying that the rope thus held could not be considered any aid. On the lower 110 feet, resting-places have since been found, and at no point is it necessary for the leader to take out more than 60 feet of rope. Under the date June 3, 1909, Mr. Thompson wrote:—

‘Savage Gully was climbed right through by me to-day after I had examined the route, held from the top of the Nose by Mr. L. J. Oppenheimer. The almost vertical portion immediately beyond the point where the ordinary North Climb diverges is by far the hardest part of the climb. The leader must run out 110 feet of rope, and there are no hitches or convenient resting-places on the way. The gully is divided by a narrow rib of rock, between which and the right-hand wall the climb starts. The first 25 feet present no great difficulty, but beyond this point the climbing becomes severe. Backing up does not appear to be possible, and the holds lie sometimes on the right and sometimes on the left of the rib, which was crossed in all five times. These crossings were always sensational, and, one from right to left, about half-way up, was greasy. At the top of the pitch a platform was reached, and an excellent holding ground found in a small cave between the continuation of the rib and the left-hand wall of the gully. Here I sent my boots down, and unroping, waited while Mr. Oppenheimer climbed by the ordinary route to the top of the crack leading down into Savage Gully, from which point he threw down a rope. With a second man in the cave to give a shoulder the best route would probably lie directly up the crack on the left of the rib, but this was too difficult to try alone. On the right the gully was comparatively easy for some distance, and climbing up for 30 feet I reached the rope and tied on. This branch of the gully then became too steep and narrow to follow, and another traverse had to be made across the rib, here expanded to a considerable buttress, on a shelving ledge, wide enough to kneel on, and with small handholds. This traverse is the only serious difficulty in the upper part of the climb. The moral support of the rope was inconsiderable, as 10 feet of slack had to be taken in before the traverse could be made. On reaching the left-hand branch of the gully 30 feet more of climbing up slabs which, in stockinged feet, proved easy led to the foot of the crack. The final steep little chimney was wet, but otherwise not very difficult. Mr. Oppenheimer came up over the Nose, rejoining me in two hours after the start from the foot of the gully.’

The New North West Climb.—This exceptionally severe course was first climbed on the 8th of June 1906 by Messrs. F. W. Botterill, L. J. Oppenheimer, A. Botterill, and Dr. J. H. Taylor. It is only suitable for experts, who, moreover, would be well advised to come to it in perfect form after a lengthy climbing holiday. Success depends on the skill of the leader. He can receive scanty support from his companions at the places where such aid is really required. Absence of a dependable belay for the long lead up the difficult upper section of the face militates against any claim for safety the expedition may be said to possess.

The course starts from the westerly end of the Green Ledge. This is marked g on Mr. Jones’ line drawing facing p. 254. By a curious error he named it the Nose. The rocks are comparatively easy at the outset; some short chimneys lead up to a sloping slab, where a traverse to the left is made into a more obvious chimney. This gives about 45 feet of interesting back and knee work until it is possible to work out to the right, and then up easy rocks to the crest of the buttress, where stands a prominent cairn. Broad, grass-covered slabs lead to the base of the nose of the Low Man, where the real difficulties begin.

The route at first bears away to the west up some slabs, and then returns around a corner to a good ledge several yards long, whereon stands a prominent cairn. Anchorage is available at this point. The ledge is traversed to its extreme easterly end, and, after rounding a projecting rock, an ascent of about 10 feet allows a V shaped recess to be gained. This has been called ‘Le Coin.’ Above this important stance there are three distinct ledges to be gained. The first of these entails about 15 feet of difficult ascent from ‘Le Coin’; probably the best way lies up the right wall. The first ledge possesses a sound belay, and the second is recognizable by a larger belay, which is cracked, but safe at present. A party of three might foregather here. An ascent of quite 35 feet then leads to a ‘triangular’ ledge, possessing practically no dependable belay. The key to further progress here is the negotiation of a sensational stride around a corner to the left and thus into an open, exposed chimney nearly 50 feet high. Above this there is a difficult and risky traverse back to the right, mostly on a small, grassy ledge. A broad recess slightly higher soon gives ample resting space. From the second ledge above ‘Le Coin,’ whereon stands the ‘cracked belay,’ to this point entails a lead out for the first man of about 90 feet. The difficulty and danger of this section will undoubtedly militate against the North-West Climb ever becoming ‘an easy day for a lady.’ The ascent to the crest of the Low Man is made up a conspicuous cleft, Oppenheimer’s chimney, which is reached after crossing some broken rocks to the right. Two projecting chock-stones facilitate the ascent.

The High Man from above the Nose on the North Climb.—This ascent can be made in several different ways, some of which were made in the earlier days, but, like many variations on the Pillar Rock, never recorded by the pioneers. Yet Stony Gully, which gives the usual route from the Nose up to the Low Man, is best avoided should the climbers find themselves ‘under fire’ from another party who have thoughtlessly gone on in advance. There have been several narrow escapes from falling stones hereabouts. At such times knowledge of the alternative ways up the High Man may be useful. After surmounting the Nose, Stony Gully should be crossed and left immediately. Easy grass and rock ledges then afford rapid upward progress to be made to the base of the steep rocks of the High Man. All the way up the sharp, rocky, north-east arÊte of the peak is conspicuous overhead, and the point to aim for is a deeply cut chimney somewhat to the left of a line directly below the summit of the arÊte. This chimney was climbed some years ago; its recesses are narrow and steep below, but higher up there is a broad ledge on the right, whence the pull over the dominating chock-stone can be taken. The climber emerges on the great, sloping slabs which slant down the upper right-hand wall of the Great Chimney. They are an unmistakable feature in the view of the east side of the rock from the Shamrock. The slabs may be crossed more easily than their appearance would indicate, and thus the usual upper section of the Great Chimney entered on a level with the ledge leading around and below the Notch.

On the other hand, these slabs can be avoided by climbing upwards to the right to a broad ledge and then around the prominent perpendicular nose of the High Man to join the easy, ordinary route from the Low Man. There is yet another way to the top of the Rock, which was used by Mr. Botterill’s party in 1909. This runs almost directly up the nose of the High Man from the broad ledge previously mentioned. The place is steep and sensational enough to warn off novices, but the rock is firm and yields sufficient hand and footholds, though these are awkwardly spaced. The same party reached this nose from below by climbing up the outer right-hand wall of the chimney first mentioned. This is probably the easier of the two routes, for the rock is deeply split into convenient clefts for hands and feet. Incidentally it might be mentioned that those ascending the Rock by the Old Wall Route, from near the top of Walker’s Gully, pass below these more difficult climbs and take a slanting course up to a small square-looking chimney, above which the usual way from the Low Man is gained. This was one of the earliest ways up the Pillar Rock, and the ascent involves less real hand and footwork than any other route.

The Curtain and ArÊte.—This forms the left-hand wall of the Great Chimney, and may be climbed from bottom to top. At the beginning there is a variation which slants up to the crest of the Curtain from a point a few feet below the beginning of the fine pitch in the Great Chimney. A still more interesting method of attack lies up an unmistakable cleft behind a huge detached obelisk on the south or left-hand side of the Curtain. Above the cleft a narrow crack affords a very pleasing exit. Once on the crest of the Curtain the work is straightforward, the ordinary tracks from the east side being crossed en route. The final stretch of the arÊte, which lands the climber on the top of the rock, involves some exhilarating arm-swings on capacious holds.

The West Jordan Crack and the Far West Jordan Climb were discovered in 1909 by Messrs. H. B. Gibson and W. B. Brunskill. A poised block, which stands a few feet west of the foot of the old West Jordan Climb, marks the base of operations. From this the ‘Crack’ route slants upwards to the left over the top of a steep slab to a diminutive ledge at the foot of a vertical corner, up which rises a narrow crack. The ascent of this 20 foot corner is the crux of the climb; above it the summit cairn is only a few feet away. The Far West Jordan Climb is somewhat the easier of the two problems. From above the poised block previously mentioned, the route diverges at once to the left, and, after crossing a grass-floored depression, it makes for a detached spike, about 5 feet high, close to the left sky-line. This affords good anchorage for the second climber whilst the leader tackles the ensuing somewhat exposed section from the top of the detached spike. This consists of a passage up a crack to the right of an overhanging block. Above this a fine arÊte is gained which leads to the summit.

The West Ridge of Pisgah.—The Pisgah problems have never been considered seriously by climbers, but this longer course up the whole length of the west side of the prominent little peak is worthy of passing mention. The route shows to advantage on the line drawing of the west side of the Pillar Rock. At the point of divergence, about 45 feet above the screes, the left-hand way is the easier of the two; it regains the direct route by way of a detached rock-pinnacle.

Walker’s Gully.—Since it almost seems customary nowadays to become benighted in this magnificent gorge, a few notes may be given as to altered conditions. Those who pay their first visit to this exceptionally severe course would be well advised to avoid the ‘watery’ first pitch on the left. If abnormally dry it may be overcome direct, but this probably involves more severe climbing than anything encountered in the higher main bed of the gully. The best course for those who wish to add this initial pitch to their laurels is to start up the buttress a few feet to the right of its foot. About 30 feet higher a grass ledge is reached, where a short traverse can be made to the left, and then the way lies up a narrow sloping scoop for nearly 25 feet. At the top of this the holds are rather deficient, but it is soon possible to step across on to the upper part of the big chimney and thence struggle up directly over the capstone.

The great cave below the mass of tumbled boulders in the upper part of the gully has recently given serious pause to at least two parties of experts. The hole at the back of the cave is blocked by fallen rocks, and considerable difficulty has been encountered in making the upward way on the exposed outside edge of the jammed boulders. It may be mentioned that the blocking of this hole is probably only temporary; it has occurred before, and been removed by wary experts. During the first ascent the hole required considerable enlargement.

The fact that the final obstacle can be overcome by first climbing up the right wall until the left wall can be reached to assume a backing-up attitude would seem to be unknown to many parties. Even a moderately short man can utilise this method. Failure to realize this has resulted in more than one party spending a night in the damp recesses of the gully. Yet they would probably find the magnificent scenery ample reward for the discomfort involved. The great black walls of the gorge loom gloomily on either hand. To watch the moon’s rays casting a pervasive gleam athwart the distant peaks is indescribably beautiful. But this is only ‘moonshine,’ especially to those who have watched and waited.

The Shamrock.—The climber who emerges safely from Walker’s Gully may be glad to know that there is a pleasant scramble thence to the lower peak of the Shamrock. This acts as a welcome muscular sedative after the previously severe exercise in the gully. Just to the left of the top of the great upper pitch a crack will be noticed slanting to the left up the wall of the Shamrock. This yields about 30 feet of ascent, and then, turning to the right, the climber mounts, first on clean rocks, and later over grass-crowned ledges, to the summit. After a short descent across the head of the Shamrock Gully, it is possible to mount the opposite wall and emerge quite close to the cairns which mark the downward path by the Shamrock Traverse.

The Shamrock Buttress, by the original route, affords a pleasant excursion in winter time, when the gully and greater climbs close at hand are scarcely approachable. The course starts up a small but well-defined gully a few yards to the right of the wide entrance to the Shamrock Gully. It continues straight up the Buttress, until a high slice of smooth rock suggests a slight descent and traverse to the right to the foot of an obvious chimney pitch with prominent chock-stones. Above this another short pitch gives the approach to the foot of a steep rib of rock which is crowned by a loosely wedged stone. The easy bed of the Shamrock Chimney is now entered and followed beyond the short, final pitch which, except under snowy conditions, possesses a ‘through route.’ To avoid this pitch an interesting variation can be made up the steep crack on the right-hand wall, from the summit of which there is a short traverse to the left to the foot of the usual arÊte finish of the Shamrock Chimneys Climb. Curiously enough this latter course is seldom visited nowadays, yet it is by far the finest expedition on the Shamrock.

In 1909 a party led by Mr. H. B. Gibson made a variation on the Shamrock Gully side of the buttress in its upper part. After ascending a 25 foot slab and some easier rocks, they entered the gully above the great pitch. From a pile of loose boulders, since swept away, they continued up the right wall of the gully, bearing at first to the right, and finished at the top of the original Shamrock Buttress course. An extensive fall of rock has taken place on this final stage of the climb; the place is now decidedly unsafe, and should be avoided. It might be noted that the falling masses and previous natural weathering have altered the structure of the great pitch of the Shamrock Gully. The left-hand route may now be considered the easier of the two ways of overcoming the obstacle.