Curbar Edge is the south-eastern part of the Froggatt/Curbar escarpment, the second grandest of all the Eastern Gritstone crags, eclipsed only by Stanage. Unlike the 'friendly' feel of Froggatt, Curbar has an entirely different aura to it: less welcoming, more austere, and with few of the gentle lower grade climbs of its near neighbour. What Curbar does have, however, are some of the best high-grade Gritstone climbs in the region, in particular its many superb, classic cracklines. The left-hand side of the crag is comprised of isolated buttresses, while further right it becomes more continuous, culminating in the magnificent Eliminates Wall.
Various sections of the escarpment were once quarried, leaving smooth walls with sharp, flat holds as opposed to the rounded breaks and cracks of natural gritstone. Certain routes feature an interesting and unusual mixture of both styles.
Conditions and Aspect: Other than the occasional sidewall, the whole escarpment has an orientation of west/southwest and basks in any available sunshine from early afternoon onwards. Much of the crag has an open aspect (even more so after some recent, sanctioned tree-felling) making it extremely fast-drying after rain showers, though some of the deeper cracks may need a while longer to come fully back into condition. Finally, lying somewhat lower than nearby Stanage and Burbage, the Curbar offers considerably more shelter on wilder days.
Note: although this group of topos is named ‘Curbar Routes’, we have also featured a number of the more notable boulder problems, especially those which lie on the edge itself, rather than in the boulder fields below. More detailed coverage of Curbar’s bouldering can be found elsewhere on 27Crags.
