South Coast - Herpin Rock Area - Excalibur Buttress Gorgon 75m (246ft)

A R to L traverse of the cliff following the obvious break. Each pitch is harder than the last. Downclimb the nose to the south of Gorgon to a ‘pink splattered ledge’ 1) 18ft 4a Traverse along a near-horizontal break to a good belay ledge on Gorgon. 2) 50ft 4c/5a Follow the break across the wall to belay at a good ledge on Pegasus/Mercury. About VS/HVS so far. 3) 40ft 5b/c Swing wildly across the lip of the Cabachon/Guinevere roof to a ramp and follow this to belay at the stepped flake on Desecration. About E1 so far. Pitches 2&3 can be run together if you’re careful to avoid ropedrag. 4) 50ft 5a Break out the big guns and follow the ramp around the arête and across the leaning face where it becomes a rising crack/flake line. Finish up the vegetated gully under the Excalibur belay boulder. Ferociously committing steep & sustained E2 climbing though E6 territory, on good but sometimes suspect holds. Plenty of gear if you can hang on long enough to place it! Escapes are possible up any of the climbs between Desecration and Icarus – the move onto the slab on Desecration is a precarious 5a and not 4c, and there’s potential to land on the belayer if you come off it (micros needed). Originally climbed as pitches 1-3 on 23rd May 2010, with pitch 4 being added on the 19th June. First ‘no stops’ ascent by Steve Le Feuvre and Paul Davis 18-10-10.