Tea and Scrumpet

Taken outside, near the grassy banks of a small river, on a glorious spring day, with plenty of butter and raspberry jam, few things in life are nicer than tea and crumpets. Congruently, there are few boulder problems on the Carderock schist that can compare to the delight that is known as Tea and Scrumpet. Yet, what – you may ask – is a scrumpet? The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "an elegantly awkward rock climbing move executed with one's genetalia an uncomfortably short distance from the rock."

This route traverses (left to right) from the front side of X-face, past Buckets of Blood Arete and onto the back wall with one important rule: you are not allowed to use any holds on or above the one inch roof on the Impossible Face (the face just left of Buckets of Blood Arete, shown in the center of the beta photo). The crux is the "scrump" move: getting both hands established on the arete. Kicking a foot across to the back wall is a harsh test of groin flexibility and may require substantial pre-game stretching.

A bouldering mat placed near the arete saves the butt from damage, but is considered by many to be "unsporting."