Clandestine Affair  5.9

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Type:  Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet Consensus:  5.9 [details] FA:  Robin Barley, Peter Shackleton, 1981 Submitted By:  Peter Spindloe on May 1, 2007 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (22) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

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Description 

This is the crack left of The Yorkshire Gripper. It starts with a few good finger locks, then some good hand jamming until an obvious traverse to the left. The traverse is the crux, but if you just stick in a good piece and launch into it, whether you see a sequence or not, you shouldn't have too much trouble.

There are two additional variations:
1. Start from the ground and go directly up to the crack by passing a rotten roof. Now listed in the guidebook at 10d, although I had done it prior to the book's publication and had noted 10c in my previous edition. 10d sounds good since the second time I tried it, while it was seeping, I couldn't commit to the moves. The crumbly rock in the roof will keep the grade a moving target.
2. Instead of doing the upper traverse, go straight up the face. Bold 11c apparently.

Location 

This climb starts as for Quarryman, but then traverses the obvious ledge under Popeye and the Raven (place a piece at this point) and then under The Yorkshire Gripper to the crack a few feet left of the Gripper. There are chains at the top.

Protection 

Aside from the traverse to the base of the crack, the protection is excellent throughout. A standard rack up to a 3" cam will suffice.