Joe Sterling has been busy picking off lines in the Milestone Buttress satellites area of the Ogwen Valley. Hardest of the bunch is Sheep Thrills, a small but perfectly formed 7B with some lovely slopers. This can be found down and left of the Lunar Block on the edge of a jumble of boulders. Start sitting, right hand: really good edge, left hand: side pull/undercut. Quest up and left on perfect dolerite. Nearby is Slab and Tickle 6B+, a standing start line with right hand vague sloper and left hand on left arête to start; compress your way up the slab.

Further into the boulder jumble and not far from UFOrb block (See page 231 in the North Wales Bouldering guide.) is Bounty 7A+. This starts sitting, right hand: low slopey pinch, left hand: low part of the arête. Also on the right side of the block is and old problem called Crash Happy 7A. [editor’s note: I failed to find this when researching the new guidebook, but it can be seen at 5.26 in the video link shown below the news item.] Joe reports that this is a good problem and well worth seeking out, along with his neighbouring line.

Between Sheep Thrills and the Lunar Block Joe found Heartbreaker 7A+. This starts sitting, right hand: side pull/undercut, left hand: high on the sloping lip. Pull on dirty crimps, following the curve rightwards then up.

And last but not least there is Never Pat a Platypus 7A. This is near the roadside, where there has been a recent land slide. Start sitting in the middle of the pillar, left hand: good hold, right hand: ok-ish slopey gaston. Bosh out right to the slopey, pinchy aretey goodness and follow the curve left. Brilliant rock and a slightly scary top out.

Relevant links:
      Crash Happy film