Jack Pearce has developed a superb new boulder up in Cwm Gwern Gof above the Gwern Gof Isaf Campsite in Dyffryn Ogwen. The boulder is perched on the north west flank of Gallt yr Ogof at 53.1129474, -3.9653285 and can be reached by walking up the ridge above the west side of the campsite, passing above Animal Magnetism for 20 minutes before heading leftwards across the cwm to reach the eye-catching boulder (around 40 minutes in total).
”I'm so glad I finally went and had a look up in the Cwm! Really feel like I stumbled across a gem, so I called it Wal Seren. It is made up of the same rough rhyolite that the Smackhead boulder is composed of. Perhaps slightly rougher. Rock quality is subjective but I've never climbed on anything better.” said Jack.
The lines are as follows:
1. The Celestial Bricklayer 6A ”The left aręte taken from a sitting start is absolutely phenomenal. A decent length with amazing rough flat holds. Cost of Living is the only 6A I've climbed that is any better.” [Jack Pearce]
2. The Lost Comet 7B+ ”The hardest line starts sitting, hands on crimps between The Celestial Bricklayer and Cosmic Dust and climbs up to some juggy edges above. The only problem - there isn't much in between. There are two methods. No.1 requires you to go statically to a small three finger crimp up on the right before jumping out to the jugs. It is crucial that you keep your foot on and this will likely be MUCH easier for the very tall. I'm 6 foot with average reach and it felt about 7B+ to me. I imagine Tim Blake could do it with his eyes closed...
The other method is to Dyno straight to the jug. This felt harder and comparable to Diamond Eyes. I reckon 7C is fair. It may be the only viable method for some of the shorter folk. The good news is you don't actually need to jump too far. A lot of the difficulty is getting your hand into the slot while minimizing how much you swing out. The Lost Comet Dyno could be a fun thing for people to try even if they've sent the other method." [Jack Pearce]
3. Lodestar 7B "Start as for The Celestial Bricklayer and traverse rightwards into Cosmic Dust. There are some delightful small crimps on this one. The crux is a tough bump to get you Cosmic Dust. An excellent and worthwhile extension of the central line. It can also be done the other way starting sitting at Cosmic Dust and traversing into The Celestial Bricklayer to end. Also 7B.” [Jack Pearce, R-L: Gwil Tossell]
4. Cosmic Dust 6C "The central line, taken from a sds, uses a number of flat crimps and one deep jug to get you to the top. Getting over the lip is surprisingly tricky. There is an essential small crimp to be found. 6B+ from a standing start." [stand: Gwil Tossell, sds: Jack Pearce]
Jack has made an entertaining film showing the first ascent action:
