Nick's cleaned the lot on more than one occasion, including one with Chipps iirc.

The other thing is some people don't know their Jacobs Ladder from their elbow. And some take the footpath, don't know how hard that 'Jacobs Ladder' is?

this thread has made me want a doughnut

I've done it in sections once, but i recon a fs with a high bb, short forks, fliped stem and flat bars (old marin maybe) would be needed to clean the whole lot.

For those of us who have never ridden or walked up there, where can we find out about the definitive Jacobs Ladder? It sounds tremendously epic from the threads of this discussion and I'm intrigued.

Surfr – just go and ride/walk it, finding it isn't the hard part! and there is nothing you can read or photos that do justice to the personal challenge.

We need BWD here, his mate Guy Kestaven has a minor obsession about cleaning the ladder, and has done a couple of articles about it in WhatMB, I think one or two cleaned in in one go, could be wrong though

I'm no authority on it, but two people did clean it from top to bottom on that What Montain Bike article, the one where Miller was lurking in the background. I seem to remember Crazy Legs was actually there.

The bottom line is that it's cleanable, but you need to be prodigiously strong and fit, have the right bike, right set-up and conditions and, ideally, trials-type skills for the top section as well, there's a really nasty step right at the very top.

Just because it's beyond you, doesn't mean really top riders can't do it.

For those of us who have never ridden or walked up there, where can we find out about the definitive Jacobs Ladder? It sounds tremendously epic from the threads of this discussion and I'm intrigued.

Buy August's MBR 🙂

Never been there, can anyone compare it to a tough lakeland climb? Steep + trialsy? like up from watendlath on borrowdale bash? or long, like Garburn from kentmere? Any comparisons welcomed!

Cheers

If you buy August's MBR it'll send you to the wrong end of Jacobs Ladder for a start!

Ach it's just a bridleway. If anyone fancies tackling it in the snow and ice as a night ride give me a call. I'll be the one on the unicycle……

…….in that nice cafe that sells full breakfasts in a mahoosive bap. 😮

certainly longer than watendlath tomb more technical too I'd guess. Not climbed garburn, I rode sadgill up to gatesgarth recently and it reminded me quite a bit of jacobs ladder.

a few people pointed out that MBR have a reputation for not riding their routes

They once did a 'classic/epic/killer/whatever' route around Gower which took them from breakfast time til dark on a winter day. The last time I rode it, it took me 2 and a half hours. When I was fit it would be under 2 hours.

MBR don't strike me as MTBers just mag journalists who write about bikes.

Ach it's just a bridleway. If anyone fancies tackling it in the snow and ice as a night ride give me a call. I'll be the one on the unicycle……

Funny you say that:

The picture linked below shows my unicycle, at the top of Jacob's Ladder, in the snow & ice.
http://www.unicyclist.com/index.php?page=gallery&g2_itemId=135595

I camped out in Edale a few years back in April, and it snowed overnight, quite a lot. Going up Jacob's Ladder was crazy, covered in sheet ice with a bit of snow on top, and I was wearing smooth soled vans – I was using the unicycle on it's side with the pedals* biting into the ice as an ice axe and kicking steps in the snow where it was deep enough. It was well worth the climb for the ride down and round Roych Clough, Chapel Gate, Mam Tor and back to Edale. I managed to ride approximately 50 feet of the bottom section of Jacob's Ladder that time and none of the steep, ice covered bit.

Joe

*It occurs to me that this might be part of why the bearings in those pedals failed soon after!

Not wanting to slate mbr but I really do get confused with their ride guides. Especially Helvyln. I don't understand which route/direction is best.

Then theres the full sus shootout where the review text read that the giant Reign had won it on all counts but it was the Meta (flexy rear-end) 5 that won it. I couldnt understand- the reason they gave was 'the Meta had that oooo feeling' at the end of the day (or something similar). WTF.

I once cleared it all but the last 5 yards at the top, riding a lightweight FS bike 🙂 It was quite some time ago in the days when I was winning the odd trailquest. I reckon the lower half has got more rubbly since then.

The only time I've been there I saw someone go otb 1 foot from the gate at the bottom (they were attempting to clean the climb)! Pretty funny 🙂

The picture linked below shows my unicycle, at the top of Jacob's Ladder, in the snow & ice.
http://www.unicyclist.com/index.php?page=gallery&g2_itemId=135595

Ach that's nae snow and ice. That would pass for a fine spring day round here 😀

After trying to ride up this, and failing, it has now become an ambition of mine to ride it. I will defeat this… Ive only had one attempt so far…

A couple of years ago, Nick Craig and a few others (Paul Oldham, a chap called Martin Brookes (aka dibley off here) and a guy called Neil from Hope Technology) did it for What MTB. I was also there with them and witnessed Nick, Martin and Neil clear it in one go from bottom to top, no dabs. Paul gave it a damn good shot but didn't quite make it. I came no-where close!

The MBR article was basically a rehash of that and as richpips said, they all did it in sections but by the end of that were too knackered to do it all in one go.

The first part of the climb from the bottom to the sharp RH bend is the most difficult. It's mostly luck as to whether you clear that or not. the middle third is "easy" (relative term!), the final bit from the gate to the summit has a couple of easy flattish bits and the brutal cobbled climb at the end. Do-able but you need to be technically VERY good and have an exceptional level of fitness.

I take any forum claims of people clearing it with a hefty dose of scepticism seeing as even Nick Craig has only ever cleared it in one go on about 3 occasions.

I've made it (clean, in one go) from the bottom to the mid-way gate on 2 occasions out of dozens of attempts over the last 12 years. Both times it's left me too dead to finish the rest off in one go although in small sections it is (mostly) do-able with suitable rest in between!

crazy legs what you doing on this forum?
That was a both clear and an informative summation of it all.
We dont need your types on here we need more uninformed opinionated ranters….. there are hardly any of those on here anymore.

IdleJon wrote:

MBR don't strike me as MTBers just mag journalists who write about bikes

I don't know them but they seem to be riding pretty well here

north downs MBR session

Actually, scratch that, I know and have ridden with Roo who does the photography on many of their trips and he is one hell of a rider and would hand most people's arses to them on a plate.

Roo will outride most, and I also refer IdleJon to my first post on this thread 😆

Top thread guys – I read it all (normally on STW some plum comes on & starts ranting within 30 secs & I give up). But that was a good read, its given me something to aim for. 😉

Dibley(Martin Brookes) is our local hotshot. he has cleared Jacobs Ladder,but he is incredibly fit and skilfull.
I'm a decent climber,but my balance and general bike handling skills are shite,so I always fall off…..Doesn't stop me from trying though.

I really think we should have a singletrackworld attempt on this.

i went up there yesterday.. i think i managed a few yards..

time to start a new thread… …What ty…

A local guy from Chinley Scott Rowland Cleaned it on two seperate occasions. The gate half way up was open on the second climb so it really was from bottom to top. This is what started the many Nick Craig mag articles.