Durorband

Another King line goes down. Donald King’s second tip off of the summer was the big traverse project at Kentallen. I blogged about it a while back. It was looking like F8c until last night I found a couple of killer tricks at the crux and Donald found another kneebar right where you need it.

Feeling light after the diet, I went for a link attempt and got 20m along, right above where I’d peerched my brand new compact camera and proceeded to rip an undercut off, land right on my back on my camera, and roll about in pain for a while.

After a rest and regaining my dignity. I dispatched it next go. Classic 8b+/ Font 8a if you are good at undercuts and kneebars. It reminds be of a burlier, and longer (35 metres) version of the classic staminaband at Raven Tor. But with a rather more impressive outlook as you can see, and minus the polished holds of course.

The outlook from Kentallen crag, across Loch Linnhe to Ardgour. Nice eh?

Description:

If you fancy a go, it’s a good place to know about, stays dry in mild rain, and ten minutes south of the Ballachulish Bridge. There are lots of nice straight up problems too from easy to V6. From Ballachulish head south on the Oban road for five minutes or so and drive through the village of Kentallen (you can see the crag on the hillside directly above the village). Just out of the village, as the road goes uphill a bit, park in a layby in the trees. Walk up a ridge going diagonally back up the hillside to avoid slaving through the deep bracken directly below the crag.

Durorband 8b+ish

Start bridged in a small corner at the right end of the crag. Swing round left on a rail and drop under to big undercuts and start burling leftwards (be a little strict here and don’t use the little back wall at the bottom). Continue past a couple of knee bar rests for some way to increasingly hard and technical moves pulling up into a corner before the crags breaks up at the left end. 35 metres of great steep climbing.