Stake pass - contour round the top of it, or drop down and climb up?
Discuss.
Stake pass - contour round the top of it, or drop down and climb up?
Discuss.
most people seem to favour the down and up
I tried the run round recently just to see - the run down was very nice, but the way back up starts with a poor broken/boggy path not v.good for running, plus it's not obvious when/if to strike back onto the edge
so I'm going with the down/up
Scramble the rock face through the glare of morning sun — to run
Langdale Horseshoe race route passes not that far away from Rossett Pike. You'll never see anyone going roundOriginally Posted by Mark L
Drop in and climb out under Black Crags.
Fastest way and reasonable enough underfoot.
The only one who can tell you "You can't" is you. And you don't have to listen.
I've wondered the same on this before. The going across Martcrag moor is very wet underfoot and so no so quick aand then you have to make the climb over rough ground to Rosset Pike. The extra distance looks to be just short of 1 km and climbing saved about 100m?
The Langdale Horseshoe covers this ground too and I can see the point when racing but in the BG I guess it depends on how economically you can cover the type of terrain.
The beauty of the Langdale race route traverse is that it never feels a steep climb. It's a very smart line
Poacher turned game-keeper
Very true. Martcrag Moor is a bit wet, but it's still runnable... and the path round after Stake Pass is pretty wet and can be slow going anyway. As DT says, it really is an easy line if you pick up the trod the where the Langdale to Stake Pass path crosses the stream. Minimal effort and much shorter.The beauty of the Langdale race route traverse is that it never feels a steep climb. It's a very smart line
measuring on the map teh direct route is 2kms to rosset pike, stake pass is 2.8kms
ascent is around 100 metres difference, the stake pass path has been improved, so is my choice, minimal impact on legs is the main benefit I think
huge amounts of rain recently will mean Mart Crag Moor is now very wet
I’ve also tried both ways, but favour the direct line every time. In principle the lost elevation / extra distance should approximately cancel each other out but the underfoot conditions around stakes pass are pretty pants, and the best line to Rosset Pike across the back of black crags is not 100% obvious. An extra advantage of going down and up is that you have plenty of distinct navigational features to keep you on track in poor visibility.
Interestingly, I’ve not found Martcrag Moor that bad when on the BG route, certainly compared to the Langdale race line which just sends you a little more through the middle on a direct line from TK. On the BG I tend to bypass the fist boggy depression on the right as you leave the main path, then aim direct for a point about 50m to the right of the knoll.
The race line has got to be the optimum one. The first part of the ascent under Black Crags is steep but the rest is easier.
ydt
The other advantage of the direct line on a BG is the good water supply at the Stake Beck crossing .
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