Earlier this week, Tim Miller and Jamie Skelton made the First Winter Ascent of Stone Bastion, a 255 metre, seven pitch, X 10 route at Shelterstone Crag.

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Great work guys. What an ordeal! Looking forward to the longer write up.

Inspirational

Wow amazing Tim and Jamie. Very inspiring.

Out of interest, was the top-pitch top-roped during the inspection trip? It kind of looks that way in the pic but it isn’t 100% clear in the text.

I don’t mind what people get up to (each to their own, it’s way beyond my abilities & it is being honestly reported…) but it’s always interesting to note when top Scottish winter climbers bend even a little away from the prevailing ethics of the day. I feel like advance abseil inspection, or winter redpointing, has tended to cause a bit of a stir in the past. eg Garthwaite on Logical Progression (although that involved loads of in-situ gear too). Maybe not so much any more?

Regardless, it’s certainly an amazing achievement. It must have taken a lot of grit to keep going back. Looking forward to the long article.

D.

My inference from the article was that they abbed in and climbed the top pitch in normal style to see if it would go. The photo presumably shows the leader belaying the second?

The top level of Scottish winter climbing is outrageous at the moment, so far beyond what I'll ever manage it almost feels like a different game. Hugely impressive.

I initially read it that way too, but then wondered due to the photo showing what looks like a single rope with no obvious gear placed above the seconder. But you may well be right and it could just be bold. Anyway, I’m sure their longer article will detail the approach taken. 

Hey Danny. Yeah sorry, I was a bit sloppy in the way I wrote that. To be exact we walked round to the top, lowered the other person down the top section of the last pitch and they top roped back out. Hope that clears things up. 
we had failed from the bottom several times at the same obstacle and just needed to know it was possible before we had another big outing on it again. 

No need to apologise. The photo you shared kind of indicated the crux pitch had been head-pointed anyway. All the best for the rest of the winter, D. 

Thanks for clearing that up and good question from Danny. Think quite a few of us assumed it had been led in isolation after a quick ab inspection.

Can I just ask, when you say "...lowered the other person down..." you mean Jamie?  And Jamie then led that pitch on your final ascent?  Thks

On the day when we walked round to the top we both took turns at being lowered down and top roping back up. On the final ascent I lead that pitch.