Turquoise Classic Thunder

A nice crack with great movement, TCT is the hardest trad lead at Mentmore to date, and one of the best. Only a discontinuous start and a bit of sandy rock at the base keep it from being a four-star route. Scramble up some boulders at the base of the crack to reach the small roof. Strenuous moves get you over the roof, and a combination of face climbing and finger locks takes you to the top. This route can be climbed almost entirely as a crack climb, or with a great deal of face climbing, but at least some jamming skills are probably necessary.

The crack is deep and varnished on the inside, so the gear is good. However, the soft rock at Mentmore means that long falls are NOT a good idea. Protection every body length is a good goal to shoot for.

Be aware that after heavy rain storms, some sand may have been washed into the crack. It's not a major problem, but if no one has climbed the route in a while (likely to be the case at Mentmore), it may be worthwhile to brush the crack out on a toprope before leading it.

The attractive, jagged finger crack left of Stolen Dreams, near the right end of the Wall of Dreams, and just left of an obvious pour-off. The location is also marked, as unnamed "Crack- #14", on the black+white beta map photo available on the New Side front page.

The anchor is bolted, but cannot be rappelled from. To get down, either rap off Stolen Dreams' anchor (just to the left of the topout) or take the long walk up and left to get down off the cliffs.

Trad gear from 0.5" to 1". Nuts work, but cams are better. A double set is plenty. The crack is quite deep, so four-cam units are recommended to get as much surface contact with the rock as possible. Two-bolt anchor at the top.