Iain Small climbing the initial pitch of The Prentice Pillar (VII,8) on Church Door Buttress in Glen Coe during the first ascent. This pitch was partially detached from the rock face behind so the route was named after the intricately carved pillar in Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh. (Photo Helen Rennard)
On January 14, Iain Small and Helen Rennard made an excellent addition to Church Door Buttress in Glen Coe. They climbed the obvious fault on the lower front (west) face, just right of last season’s route Hoargasm (VII,8) climbed by Greg Boswell and Uisdean Hawthorn.
“It gave a good steep pitch before a ropelength of easier ground led to the headwall,” Iain told me. “A stiff corner then led to a fractured fault and finish. The main corner of the first pitch was helpfully cracked. Maybe too cracked though as daylight could be seen through the left wall, which was actually a semi-detached pillar!
I thought The Prentice Pillar would be a good name and the grade possibly VII/VIII,8. It is low in the grade although I’m feeling a bit rusty on grading given the lack of activity this season. Quite tellingly, there was more snow on the slopes below the crag a couple of summers ago when I was up doing rock routes!”
