As a Llanberis resident for several year now I have climbed more than my fair share in Vivian Quarry, as the closest piece of rock to my home, it is possible to be there within minutes from the hub of the modern climbing world, the ground up coffee bar in V12.
As part of Padarn Country Park, and home of the Slate Museum, and Lakeside Railway, Vivian quarry is a focal point in the village. Dog walkers, tourists and local families wander around here and often look up at sight of a climber scaling the seemingly blank rock.
Vivian Quarry moved into climbing folk law when Stevie Haston stole that fabled knife from Pete’s Eats and cleaned his way up Comes The Dervish, one of the most famous of all slate routes and one that is attainable by many. This route has been attributed to starting the Slate Boom of the 1980’s, and you can’t mention the history of this route without bringing up Tom Jones’ immortal words to a security guard, ‘Its Ok man, we’re experienced rock cats’, as he was about to make the third ascent.
What Vivian has become known for is some stellar climbs that are quick and easy to access from Llanberis. Often people climb a route and lower off in a pseudo sport climbing fashion. However, during re-equipping some of the routes I realised that there was an overlooked enchainment that I dubbed the West Face of Vivian and having linked all the pitches over two days believe it to be better than White Slab on Cloggy, mainly because it is sunnier, drier and right next to the road! It has since received and in a day ascent, and is probably better that way.
The route starts up Mental Lentils which is often one of the first routes people climb on Slate; easy, reasonably well protected and approximately 30 seconds from the car park make it suitably popular. The route was first ascended by Paul Barbier, aka The Mental Lentil, a name acquire due to his eating habits during the early years of the development of the quarries. Paul once told me he only ended up living in Llanberis because he miss the bus to Bangor, and ended up stranded in the village.
After the warm up you are faced with the diagonal crack of Monster Kitten, a few years ago I had an day of climbing easy extremes in the quarries, and went to finish the day off by climbing this route. I had become particularly cocky and nonchalant during the day, and knowing the route well I cruised up to the long step to a good hold. Missing the foothold completely I felt like a right twat as I rocketed down the slab!
Topping out here you are on the long forgotten Dwarf in the Toilet level, interestingly this route is named after a particular accommodating small person in the toilet of London Pub, and further conformation of Redhead’s depravity and humour. The exit from here is the slab is Too Bald to be Bold, and is one of the poorer pitches on this outing, however with the addition of a bolt on a ramp above the hard climbing allows easy access to one of the great and forgotten pitches of the quarry, Turkey Chant where a memorable hanging belay above a seemingly bottomless groove gives a true feeling of exposure, something of a rarity in the quarries.
Lowering off onto the conscience level gives the feelings of a big wall route, where pendulums and abseils are used to link the path of least resistance. If you feel particularly fresh at this stage then you can take in a couple of the routes on this great slab. Its developer Mike Raine had a challenge of his conscience when bolting this slab originally, however some of the run-outs will have you questioning more than your conscience. Two routes that are good and echo the general feel of the West Face is Is It a Crime? and Mike’s newer addition The Full Monty.
Most peoples calves will be on fire by here, and will opt instead to head straight to the Dervish slab to tackle that uber classic route. Where if your calf muscles aren’t pumped they soon will be such is the way of ‘The Dervish’. The only new climbing on this enchainment is The Missing Link pitch above the belay of the Dervish, and is pretty scrappy, and I would recommend that you only climb it if there is no one below, as traversing to the pitch will often dislodge some loose scree. Despite its scrappiness it does open up the whole west face link, turning a series of single pitch routes into one long multi-pitched outing.
A random lower-off in the middle wall allows another pendulum/traverse across to the Ritter Sport Level and the final pitch of the West face of Vivian. Now you can climb one of the classic slabs here like The Madness or Two Tone/One Step beyond. However to give a suitable finale then I recommend Ritter Sport a steep crack that gives the calves a suitable rest, before a final thin slab leads to the final lower off.
I often choose to linger on this level and absorb the last of the evening sun, as the highest point it gets a good half hour more sunshine than the lower levels so in its own right it makes a great after work venue when the clocks change, similarly the whole of the west face is tucked away, so is often sheltered from the wind blowing down the pass and the afternoon sun can make it a very pleasant place to climb even in the middle of winter.
The West Face of the Vivian E3 6a
P1 – mental Lentil HVS 5b. The well worn slab to the right of Dawes of perception proves to be a popular outing. Start blow the right arete of the slab, and climb up the wall to a ledge a step left lead up to a crack below the arete and the first protection. Moves up and left to gain the first bolt. Follow the crack past another bolt and then past lower off and continue on to the belay at the base of Monster Kitten.
P2 – Monster Kitten E1 5c. Another of slate’s minor test-pieces, following the obvious crack (either hand traverse the crack, easy to protect but pumpy or foot traverse it easier but hard to protect?) until a ‘step’ right can be made to ledges and a lower-off on top of monster kitten, continue up to the old chain belay on the Dwarf Level. When on the level a 15 metre walk left leads to the base of Too bald to be Bold
P3 – Too bald to be Bold E2 5c. To the left of the obvious invert V slab of dwarf in the toilet, past the steep corner is the start of a slab. Near the right arete of the slab is a rightwards rising diagonal crack, climb this to a pedestal, where interesting moves lead past a bolt, head up and right to a broken ramp, and a second bolt, before descending the ramp to the hanging triple bolt belay below Turkey Chant.
P4 – Turkey Chant E2 5c. Make some bold moves directly up above the belay, easier than it appears, then step left to the first bolt and continue up and left towards the second bolt, a final hard move leads to single bolt on the wall, and a second bolt over the top of the route. Lower off to the Conscience level, and scramble across to the base of Comes the Dervish
P5 – Comes the Dervish E3 5c. The splitter crack of the slab is one of the greatest lines in North Wales let alone on slate. The crack was originally cleaned with a knife nicked from Pete’s Eats, and justifiably graded E5. Over the years the route has cleaned up and the gear has improved to give one of the most sustained and enjoyable E3s in the quarries. Start at the foot of the crack, and make committing moves (possible nut key placement!) to reach the first proper gear Cam at 8m. This section is extremely polished by the numerous attempts as well as ascents. Once at the gear the climbing eases to a difficult swerve right. A foot ledge below the overlap allows respite before climbing over the step and continuing up the bold but easing finish. Turn round and take you bow, the whole of Llanberis could be watching you! Bolt and chain belay.
P6 – The Missing Link E2 5c. From the Dervish Belay, make a very committing walk left to below the first bolt, lasso this and make you way up over some very friable ground, passing a second bolt and a cam one and a half placement, to make a final hard move to the lower off. Pendulum/traverse onto the Ritter sport level on the left
P7 – Ritter Sport E3 6a. This takes the steep right face lay-back crack, up the large flake. A problematic start to the route leads to more straight forward lay-backing past two bolts to get established on top of a pedestal. Bold but juggy moves up and right lead to a slabby crack that eventually dog legs back left. Follow this (small wires) to the lower off.
West Face Direct E5 6b
P1 Moving Being E4 6b
P2 Teliffant E4 6a
P3 Flashdance E5 6a
P4 Missing Link E2
P5 General Odours E4 6a
West Face Super Directissima E7 6c
P1 Dawes of Perception E7 6c
P2 Dwarf in the toilet E6 6b
P3 Gin Palace F7c
P4 Tribal Blow E6 6b
P5 Private Smells E5 6b