The North-West Climb – Pillar Rock
By Fred Botterill
We have made it our rule for some years to spend Whitsuntide somewhere amongst the Lakeland Fells and Whit-week, 1905, found us at Wasdale Head with a large party, but owing to a Man-hunt on Bow Fell, a day on the Pillar, and another on Great Gable, it was not until the Thursday that I was able to carry out a project that had been in my mind for quite a year, that being to explore the magnificent faces of the Pillar Rock between the North Climb and the Old West Climb.
Williamson, usually the second man in our party, was not climbing that year. Others had returned home and our party had dwindled down to two – W. Palmer and the writer. On the Thursday we arrived on The Terrace, the broad grass ledge which runs round the Pillar Rock from Walker’s Gully to the Waterfall in the Western Gully at a height of about 2,000 feet above sea level. We walked round to the Waterfall and returned for 30 yards to a huge slab of rock leaning against the face; this appeared to offer the least resistance to our ascent and we roped up and started at 1-15 p.m. We had with us two 80-feet lengths of rope and some sandwiches, the latter as provision for a lengthy siege. Just after starting we entered a series of short chimneys divided by grass ledges affording excellent resting places. These chimneys, however, soon ended and we traversed to the right; but although the traverse was easy enough the rocks above resisted all our efforts to scale them, returning we tried the way to the left over what was then a very awkward stomach-traverse, where we had to rely for hold upon the friction our waistcoats provided. This traverse led us to the foot of a chimney 40 feet in height, in the middle part of which back and knees were used. The top of the 40 feet chimney brought us out on the arête of the Buttress where, upon the left hand, we could look down a vertical wall on to the Terrace. The arête afforded scrambling similar to that on the Arrowhead Ridge, and at 2-30 p.m. we arrived on the top of the Buttress, a fairly large place with “ample floor space” – as the estate agents say. Here we had our lunch and built a cairn which can easily be seen from the eastern end of the Terrace.
Surveying the rocks above us, it required little consideration to decide there was no way for us to the top of the Low Man on our right; but to the left, which looked more broken, there might be a way, therefore at 2-50 p.m. we quitted the Buttress and walking over sloping slabs reached a short grass-grown chimney, after partly ascending which we strode to the left on to a ledge where we erected a second cairn. This second cairn is just above the one we built on the Buttress and can easily be seen from it. Here we manufactured a ‘belay’ by chipping the rock, but a natural hitch has since been found quite in the corner of the ledge. We looked above us with a view to a direct ascent, but the rock at this point appeared hardly trustworthy so the leader advanced to the edge of the ledge, passed out of sight round the corner to the left, traversed ten feet or so, and then proceeded upwards to two V-shaped corners, one above the other. Reaching the higher one of these, which we called “Le Coin,” a fine grass ledge could be seen 20 feet above us; but the walls of “Le Coin” – in its angle at all events – were quite smooth: a shoulder would have been welcome here, but it was not the sort of place for the other man in a party of two. On the right hand the rocks were more broken, and it was on that side we eventually succeeded in attaining the next ledge where we found a fine belaying-pin which should ensure safety to all except the leaders of future parties. We then scrambled easily on to another ledge a few feet higher, where there was another useful belaying-pin, though this one was cracked horizontally across. At first I was afraid of trusting to it on this account, but it withstood all my efforts to break it and on our subsequent attempts on this climb it was curious to note how each new man declared the pin unsafe, and yet it withstood all efforts to dislodge it. [1]
Now looking up from the ‘Second Belay Ledge,’ we had, immediately above us, a poorly defined chimney which I believed would not go. Throughout this first attempt it was interesting to note how Palmer, who was on the Rock for the first time, declared easy things to be difficult, and rocks quite impossible he pronounced easy. There is little doubt that one of the benefits derived from experience on the rocks of any district is a faculty for judging from careful observation whether given rocks there are easy or difficult. On the right of the poorly defined chimney was one, much better marked, which we called the ‘V’ Chimney because of its resemblance to the one on Almescliff Crag so familiar to many Yorkshire Ramblers. Palmer thought I ought to ascend this, but seeing that its continuity was broken and it did not seem to lead to any practicable route, I demurred. Palmer therefore asked permission to lead up it. He climbed it splendidly and, stopping on a small ledge, invited me to join him. I found the chimney very difficult, and the ledge it led to hemmed in by overhanging rocks. We therefore descended, Palmer coming down last, to the Second Belay Ledge, and after a short rest I made one last attempt to find a route by traversing again to the left.
Immediately above the Second Belay Ledge is another small ledge, also with belay, which may well be called the ‘Third Belay Ledge,’ and it was from this ledge we traversed to the left. At the time this traverse seemed very difficult, but on subsequent ascents it naturally became, or seemed to become, easier. After traversing a few feet We were able to ascend some 20 feet from this point, and, although it seemed quite possible to go still another 20 feet higher, making in all 40 feet from the traverse, beyond that point progress seemed impossible. It never occurred to us that we might traverse back to the right again to a point above the Third Belay Ledge, though this has since proved to be the solution of the difficulty. At 5-45 p.m., being rather fatigued with our 4½ hours of hard work we mutually decided to abandon the climb and commence the descent.
Now I have always maintained that providing one has previously ascended rocks well within one’s powers, the descent (within a reasonable time, of course) should be, even with the added fatigue of the ascent, slightly easier. There is, however, and always will be to those climbers who do not accustom themselves to descending their climbs, a moral reluctance to overcome, amounting almost to a fear of descending. Experience in descending will, in time, dispel this reluctance, until the climber will be able to descend in the afternoon with equal facility a route he has ascended in the morning-providing he has not passed that imaginary line which separates the difficult from the risky.
There is one instance, however, in rock-climbing where the ascent will be found less difficult than the descent, and that is, where the climber passes from a very poor and insecure hold to a perfect one. In descending such a place the climber will have to pass from a good hold to a poor one, which most men will admit is a more difficult thing to do. In this particular instance we found the descent no exception to the rule suggested above, although previous experience in descending was of infinite value to us, and by 6-30 p.m. we had reached the second cairn ledge just above the Buttress, and by 7-30 p.m. the Terrace at the foot of the climb, after 6¼ hours of arduous but most enjoyable scrambling.
In comparing notes with Mr. L. Oppenheimer at the hotel that evening we found we had been within a few feet of the foot of a chimney which he had descended some time before, and it was this news which persuaded us to go again to the Rock on Saturday, June 17th, 1905. On this occasion our party was augmented by another member, Dr. H. Taylor, of Manchester, while Mr. Oppenheimer with five of his friends very kindly arranged to go to the top of the Low Man to point out to us from above the chimney they had discovered.
We reached the second cairn ledge without effort; but at that point the rain, which had been threatening for some time, commenced to fall and the surface of the rocks
became coated with a thin film of slippery mud. I tried for some 15 minutes to get out of “Le Coin” but had to ask Palmer to come along to give me a shoulder. Instead of doing so, however, Palmer led up with miraculous ease and reached the First Belay Ledge, where we joined him. The party on the Low Man having lowered a rope from the top of their chimney, we ascended to the Second Belay Ledge and were able to touch the rope which came down the ill-defined chimney to the left of the ‘V ‘ chimney.
I was about to traverse round the corner to the left, the route I had previously thought would go, when Palmer suggested that it would be more sporting to go straight to the top without deviating. I thought the ill-defined chimney would not go and said I should not care to lead up it. Palmer however wished to attempt it and against my judgment I consented, on condition that he attached himself to the rope lowered by the Low Man party. Palmer climbed bravely and arrived at a belaying-pin on a ledge where he asked me to join him. This ledge is narrow and it is only possible to stand upon it, but the pin is an unusually good one. Having reached Palmer I tried the part beyond, but with all my best efforts it would not go. Palmer, however, was still confident, but in spite of strenuous effort he failed and was hauled to the foot of Oppenheimer’s Chimney. I did not attempt to climb this part, but, putting on another rope, allowed myself to be hauled up. When it came to Dr. Taylor’s turn I shouted down to him to try the traverse to the left, the way I still thought might go. Dr. Taylor attached himself to the rope of the Low Man party, traversed to the left and, traversing back to the right when about on a level with the Chimney Ledge, came up without any trouble. Dr. Taylor had found the correct route. Nothing now separated us from the Low Man but Oppenheimer’s Chimney, a short overhanging one with a projecting chockstone. Palmer went first, I followed, then Dr. Taylor, each finding the chimney fairly difficult, although of the kind one would think little of at the commencement of a climb.
We determined to try the whole climb again as soon as opportunity offered, but the fates were unwilling before Whitsuntide, 1906, when H. Williamson and I reluctantly tore ourselves away from the exploring party at Gaping Ghyll to join Messrs. Oppenheimer, Taylor and my brother at Wasdale Head. We arrived there on Wednesday evening, after a day’s scrambling on Pavey Ark with a lady climber of undoubted skill on rocks, and found ourselves in excellent condition, thanks mainly to recent exercise on the rope-ladders at Gaping Ghyll. Before venturing on our climb it was thought advisable that the members of the party should spend the day together on rocks of some known difficulty.
On Thursday, 7th June, therefore, we ascended the Eagle’s Nest Ridge by the ‘difficult way.’ It was then desirable to test the descending powers of the party lest it might be necessary again to descend the Pillar climb, and for this test we chose the Arrowhead Ridge ‘difficult way.’
The weather on the morning of Friday, 8th June, 1906, was as fine as one could wish for, but unfortunately Williamson was obliged to return home. Great Gable looked hazy, foretelling another hot day. Our opportunity had at last arrived and with joy we packed up our sandwiches and ropes.
There were many parties on the Pillar that day, including Gaspard, the Wasdale guide, who was going up with his “Monsieur ” to do a climb. At 12-25 p.m. the foot of the climb was reached and it was decided to go over the easy part in two parties.
We soon reached our former stomach-traverse, and by keeping a little lower down we found to our astonishment all difficulty gone; it was merely three strides across. This place we renamed the ‘Three Steps Traverse.’ Then came the 40 feet chimney where the two parties joined together, and shortly afterwards the Buttress, where we built a huge cairn – labour in vain as we were shortly to find out.
We passed the second cairn and “Le Coin” without effort, and then we all gathered together before attacking the difficulty. The leader went round to the left and advanced steadily, at first easily, and then with greater effort until opposite a suitable traverse. This traverse was found to be extremely difficult and when accomplished, alas! was found to lead to the belay where Palmer and I had rested the year previously and under the part up which we were hauled. There was nothing for it but to traverse back again and try higher. The climb was then continued upwards until a small grass ledge was reached, where the leader rested. This grass ledge was 5 feet too high, so, after descending, the correct traverse to the right was reached from which the leader could see the Chimney Ledge. This traverse was found difficult, being grass-grown, and although the, leader spent ten minutes trying to unearth new holds none were discovered.
From the traverse a pull-up on to a narrow grass ledge ended that difficulty – but it was the greatest difficulty of the whole climb.
When the top of the climb was reached the leader cleared away some loose stones; a rather large one bounded out and, without touching anywhere, struck the apex of the cairn on the Buttress, scattering it in all directions. Perhaps the next party to visit the Buttress will rebuild it. Thus finished one of the best, and, together with the climb from the Low Man to the High Man, one of the longest rock-climbs I have enjoyed in the Lake District. It will not interest the reader to know of our dinner and conversation in the hotel that evening, but these little things are dear to the heart of the climber, and June 8th, 1906, will stand out as a happy day in the recollection of all who took part in the first ascent of the North-West Climb of the Pillar Rock.[2]
Click on items below to highlight the route
| A – Three Steps Traverse. B – 40 ft. Chimney. C – Top of Buttress (1st. Cairn). D – 2nd Cairn Ledge. E – “Le Coin.” F to G – Dr. Taylor’s Route. G – Oppenheimer’s Chimney. H – Low Man. |