Sharp Edge

Richard Gale

18/04/2006 at 22:44

Sharp edge is a great scramble for any hill walker but be warned its lethal in the wet, the rock has been polished with thousands of pairs of boots and resembles Ice in places when its wet. So try and do it on a dry day and don't take any beginners up there if there is any possibility of it being wet.
Most people fall from the so-called chicken path trying to regain the ridge so stick to Dave's advice and avoid the bypass path.

scoobs

19/04/2006 at 00:02

Wise words.
I have done a few ridges and a bit of via ferrata, but the only time I have had a real panic was on the 'bad step' near the beginning of sharp edge. The rock was wet and my foot skimmed off easily everytime I tried to progress up the step.
In the end I had to rely on my one good hand hold and blind faith to hoist me up!

Very dangerous!

Peewiglet

19/04/2006 at 00:10

I've only done it once, and the 'bad step' scared me half to death!

<shiver...>

Rinec Blue

19/04/2006 at 05:50

Why then, only 1 out of 5 in the giblet factor stakes!?!

Edited: 19/04/2006 at 05:53

Paddy Dillon

19/04/2006 at 07:24

Sharp Edge was always a bit slippery when wet, and lethal when crusted with ice.

Last year in Mallorca, I went down through the notorious Torrent de Pareis, taking advantage of what may well have been the only dry period in the middle of winter. The rock is limestone, and there are a few short scrambles that are highly polished and very slippery. Every so often, Mallorcan outdoors folk roughen the really slippery bits by hammering the surface to allow boots to grip better.

I'm not advocating that anyone should hammer Sharp Edge, but in some parts of the world they just don't allow things to get into that state.

Alex Thompson

19/04/2006 at 12:54

Took my rather reluctant to Sharp Edge when it was wet, she hates scrambling and this really didn't help matters - especially when trying to make down to the lower "path"...

Jamie @ www.trekkingbritain.com

19/04/2006 at 14:32

I did it in bone dry conditions and was never really sure if I found the Bad Step, but I did find a large flat slightly sloped slab which I presume was probably it with a gully at the side of it. In wet conditions I can imagine walking across it must be pretty serious!

Alex Thompson

19/04/2006 at 14:37

Jeez, how did I miss the word "girlfriend" off my last posting?? I must be loosing it...

Jamie @ www.trekkingbritain.com

19/04/2006 at 14:40

I just assumed "rather reluctant" was her nickname when walking!

Dave Mycroft

19/04/2006 at 15:04

Jamie, the large sloped slab with the gully is it :) The gully is steep at the begininning, but gets easier and is, in my opinion, a better route to take in the wet but the slab is the better route when dry.

Alex Thompson

19/04/2006 at 15:07

Yeah Jamie, "rather reluctant" certainly is her middle name when it comes to bigger hills and rain... poor lass. ;-)

Bob C

19/04/2006 at 22:28

I'm not sure what this bad step thing is, we just followed the path. It wasn't wet but it certainly wasn't in the same league as Striding Edge or Jacks Rake for instance, other classic grade 1 scrambles. You've got to be careful on any rocky steps anywhere when wet.

Marcus Crompton

19/04/2006 at 22:43

I liked the optimistic editorial about "avoiding the crowds". :-)

Dave Mycroft

19/04/2006 at 22:55

I'm not responsible for that bitI don't do the one liner intro, just the rest of it :)

Edited: 19/04/2006 at 22:57

Marcus Crompton

19/04/2006 at 23:11

I guessed that Dave - it would just be nice if it were true!

Marcus Crompton

19/04/2006 at 23:14

Oddly enough I'm still to go up Blencathra via Sharp Edge - only ever been down it - so that's possibly why I met so many people on it.

Richard Gale

20/04/2006 at 09:13

I think Bob has hit the nail on the head!!!!, in the dry the edge is any easy scramble in the wet it’s a different beast, the consequences of a slip are severe. http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/men/news/s/197/197777_180ft_plunge__and_ill_hike_again.html

Peewiglet

20/04/2006 at 09:25

It wasn't wet but it certainly wasn't in the same league as Striding Edge or Jacks Rake for instance, other classic grade 1 scrambles.

Funnily enough, I found it much more scary than either of those. I think it may be a matter of how the exposure strikes a particular person. It's a long time now since I did Sharp Edge, but in my memory (which may be faulty) the Bad Step involved literally a long stride over a bit with a very big drop underneath.

scoobs

20/04/2006 at 13:17

Yeah the exposure was what caused my 'disco leg' - I shouldn't have looked down!
Also, as I recall, the step was not flat,I think it was about a 50 degree angle, which when wet is scary enough if you have no purchase with your feet.
I know it was on the right hand side of the ridge going up to Blencathra if that helps.

It was Wainwright who called it 'the bad step'

Lorraine

20/04/2006 at 14:02

If you go onto the Keswick Mountain Rescue website you'll see a special section for Sharp Edge - it's under Rescues.

www.keswickmrt.org.uk

I was chatting to one of the KMRT guys the other night about Sharp Edge and his advice is to avoid it like the plague in the wet and to stick to the ridge. He said that most accidents occur when people try to avoid the ridge by using the path to the side and they end up falling down into the "usual" gully.

Edited: 20/04/2006 at 14:04

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