Stanage - The best 50 routes

What a route to start the list with! Brutal jamming up the overhanging crack.

A pleasant exercise in laybacking and jamming. The crux is low down.

The perfect jamming crack. Strenuous. The extension Harvest (E4, 6b) has repulsed many people

A classic route with two very different parts that can be climbed in one pitch. The first is technical bridging up the corner, well protected with small wires. The second, the crux, is pure strength and jamming technique through the roof crack. One of the hardest routes in Britain at the time it was done.

A contender for the only 5 star route on Stanage, combining the best parts of Orang Utang and Lamia, both classics in their own right. A long, sustained and strenuous route, with no obvious crux. Double ropes advised. Climb the arete/crack of Orang Utang until it is possible to traverse right towards Goosey, Goosey Gander. "Escape" up the roof crack before getting involved in that route.

The obvious crack line on the right hand side of the marble wall is strenuous, technical and well protected, if you can hang around long enough to place the gear. E5 for effort.

Climbs the arete, starting on the left. A scary lead that can be protected if you know how.

A good introduction to harder roof climbing, and a classic in it's own right. Start up the corner to reach the roof and make imaginative moves right to reach better holds and finish up the short slab

Climb the hanging groove to reach the slab underneath the big overhanging crack. Placing runners carefully, climb on big holds to the lip, and before strength runs out, work out the best way to get over the roof. Then put your theory to the test. Brilliant.

Climbed by John Allen at the age of 14, this route marked a step up in standards after the Joe Brown /Don Whillans era. Brave, strenuous and technical. Start in the corner and head up and left to reach the flake. Get a cam in here, which may or may not hold (but note they did not exist in 1973), then launch up and right (crux) to reach the break and finish more easily.

On an isolated buttress 300m right of High Neb. Climbs an obvious corner to a roof, then moves right to an exciting finish up the arete.

From the right hand side of the cave climb up to the arete, then move back left to finish up the crack

Route 13, unlucky for some. The perfect arete can be climbed on both sides. Starting on the left, facing right is the easiest and most popular. If you must do the right hand variant, it is called Don (E4 5c). Either way, commit yourself, and keep repeating the first move until you reach the break where the difficulties ease, but don't finish. A cam in the break is useful.

The corner crack separating Archangel from Ulysses Bow. A complete test of corner climbing techniques. Davids will of course bridge it, Goliaths use strength to layback it.

Often "snowballed", when the E grade is considerably less, Ulysses has claimed several victims during the warmer months. Climbed first by Jerry Moffat who allegedly demonstrated the power of the new sticky rubber "Fire's", but more probably his considerable talent, drive and bravery. Start up the arete right of Goliath's Groove and layback with increasing difficulty until you fall off, or reach the ledge. Falling off is not recommended.

The third of the trilogy of aretes is harder than Archangel, but more feasible than Ulysses. Climb the arete!

Debatedly a higball boulder problem, the ramp is worth its E grade when done in it's purest form, and always worth a photo. A hard start leads to a committing finish

Despite relatively poor quality rock (by Stanage standards), Tower Face remains ever popular. Start in the gully, reach the flake and continue up to the second flake

Another committing arete, not quite as fine as its nearby neighbours, but very good all the same, and with the added bonus of some gear. Climbs the left arete

On Paradise Wall 50m to the left of Calvary. Climb the wall on the right hand side of the buttress, moving right to the arete.

A hard mantelshelf commits you to the route, when you either bottle it, or arrive very pleased at the top. A bold lead with (just) adequate protection. Starts up a crack, moves left to the hard move, then trends right, hopefully to the top

The left hand of this pair of classics. Climb the initial crack, place some good gear, and then continue in the same line to the top. Beautiful line, beautiful climbing.

Start as for the Left Unconquerable but move right at the break to the right hand flake and follow this to the top and a difficult pull over. Also a beautiful line and beautiful climbing, although the flake was damaged by someone removing a stuck friend.

An entertaining climb. Gritstone fun at its best. Climb creatively from the boulder to reach the slot and then to the upper wall.

Naming routes is part of the fun of first ascents, what else would you call a route that the Guillotine cuts through? Start at the bottom as for the Guillotine, but continue straight up, over the overlaps. A soft touch 6b, but still a hard route.

The steep crack is a lot easier than it looks and lives up to it's name. Great value, metre for metre. Please don't top rope it, believe me, one day you will be able to lead it

Starts left of Congo Corner and where that route goes right, continue direct up the wall, with a hard committing move.

Not quite as perfect as the direct variation, but a tad easier. Climb the corner, move left to avoid the roof, and then back right to an exhilirating move to a good spike

Climb direct where Congo Corner and Dark Continent come in from the left, deciding when to go for it, and when to waste strength and place gear. At the youthful age of 18 we watched in amazement and admiration as the locals climbed Congo Corner Direct. That night in the pub, someone asked "What do you want to to when you are 60?". One member of our group replied, "I want to be dead. Life just will not be worth living. Your joints don't work, you are always ill, and you have to rely on relatives to keep you alive." I disagreed. "When I am 60 I want to be climbing HVS, you know, those routes we saw those guys do today". And sure enough, 42 years later I returned to an almost unchanged Stanage, and led the route. An emotional trip down memory lane. Climbing may not get easier over the years, but, with its mix of sport, the outdoors and friendship it always gives just as much pleasure as before.

A tremendous climb at the grade. Climb the obvious line to reach the top, enjoying the moves all the way up

The snake like crack has a nasty bite

A great balancy, bold, slab route with nice bridging moves to get established on the face. Starts up the chimney on the right and moves left along and up the front face of the buttress

Excellent. Climb up to the right hand cave via the thin crack (Cave Innominate) , and then climb over the roof using undercuts and big holds to finish up the wall above (Hardings Direct Finish)

A classic jamming testpiece traversing out to and then climbing the exposed arete

A contender for the longest name on Stanage, but it describes the route well. The clean crack is visible from a long way away, and needs big runners.

Gain the slab from the left by a pendulum to some big jugs, and then continue up the lovely slab

Another beautiful VS slab. Take some cams

A steep well protected crack

The delightful crack. Guess when it is most popular?

The lovely crack, thankfully without a hollybush

Delightful climbing up the wall right of Hollybush crack, with an interesting mantle half way

One of the classics of the crag. Starts leftwards up the slab, then moves into the groove, and finally climbs the exposed slab above

A bold lead that climbs the slab and then pulls through the overlaps. One of the most popular routes on Stanage, low in the grade, but nevertheless an exciting route

The bulging wall on the left hand side of the Tippler Buttress is bold, sustained and tricky to protect (small wires and cams)

Another testpiece roof crack. Climb to the cave, and then simply said, climb the roof crack.

The direct on Tippler requires a long reach, a strong lock or a little dynamism. Oh, and then you need to do the crux of Tippler.

Climb the right hand side of the buttress and then make a bold traverse right to reach the crack in the roof. Pull over the roof before strength fails and finish more easily.

Hard moves up the leaning prow. Good wires

The arete, crack and wall to the right of The Chameleon. Excellent climbing

Climbs the arete of the buttress, moving left and back right to avoid the overhang