Curbar Edge
V6 – V8 · 4 routes · sandstone · V-scale
- Approach 10 min — gently uphill path from the Curbar Gap car park, then along the edge
- Best season October to early March. Cold, windy, dry days; avoid anything above 10 °C.
- Published
- Updated
Curbar Edge is the gritstone crag for people who like their problems steep and their landings honest. The bouldering is concentrated at the northern end, on big rounded blocs with hard, physical lines in the V6 to V8 range.
The climbing
Curbar problems tend to be steeper and longer than at Stanage, with more roof climbing and more moves. The rock is coarse grit that rewards dry, cold conditions more than any other crag in the Peak.
Several of the classic lines here were originally climbed as routes with a rope, which is why the top-outs feel exposed. Read the descent before you start.
Conditions
Curbar faces west and takes the full force of the weather. It dries fast in wind but can be unclimbable in a wet westerly. Check the webcam at the car park before driving out; if the tops look black, stay home.
The best conditions are cold, dry and windy — the combination that makes gritstone feel like sandpaper.
Safety
The landings are the crux of the crag: heather over rocky ground in several places, with a real chance of a bad ankle. Bring two pads and a spotter, and walk the landing before you pull on.
Routes · 4
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Hold types traverse · sloper · heel-hook
Open beta
Thirty-move traverse at the base of the edge. Almost entirely about pacing and conditions rather than strength.
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Hold types mantle · sloper · smear
Open beta
Gross mantel out of a scoop with nothing to press on. A heel hook is the only realistic solution.
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Hold types roof · toe-hook · gaston
Open beta
Long roof on gritstone. The toe hook in the first break is the whole problem; without it you will cut loose and lose the swing.
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Hold types crimp · lock-off · sloper
Open beta
Powerful face climbing on tiny grit edges with a sloper finish. Two or three quality attempts per session is realistic.
Crag ethics
Crag ethics
Some of the harder problems have fragile edges. Brush gently, never wire-brush, and do not reinforce holds.
