Fell & Rock Climbing Club

As the spring rock season gets underway it is a good idea to remind climbers that last year there was a rockfall on the traditional Split Blocks descent route, the area has not yet stabilised and this descent can no longer be recommended. An abseil descent has been established. Details are as follows, guidebook references are to the definitive Langdale (2013) and Lake District Rock (2015). The Langdale guide has photodiagrams on pages 153 and 160 that show the traditional Split Blocks descent. In Lake District Rock this descent is shown on the photodiagrams on pages 69 and 70. On the Revelation Area view in the definitive guide (page 160), a skull and crossbones symbol will be seen above the finish of Kneewrecker Chimney (route 24). In Lake District Rock (page 70) the symbol is an exclamation mark and Kneewrecker Chimney is route 11. These symbols mark the start of the even more unsafe scrambling descent warned about in these guides and it is now exactly where the abseil station is located. Likewise on the main frontal view of the crag, these symbols will be seen above the line marking the traditional descent route. To find the abseil station the general instruction is; From the top of the main buttress head up and generally rightwards for a few metres (vague path) and the abseil strop/station will be seen around a huge flake-block. A 30m abseil takes you to easy ground. However, this abseil can be done on a single 50m rope to reach ledges at 25m but care is required not to go past these and run off the end of the rope – tie knots in the ends of your rope!