A big rockfall has been reported at the Cheyne Weares area of Portland over the Bank Holiday weekend.

The rockfall occurred during a day when the weather was calm which just goes to show that these big collapses don’t always happen during big winter storms. John Alcock reports, “I was climbing on the Road Rage area of Cheyne Weares on Sunday afternoon, when at around 3pm there was a sound like a major quarry explosion and a huge rockfall came from the Coralized area nearby. It was so big that rocks bounced into the sea.

I estimate that several hundred tonnes of rock had fallen from the cliff just left of Drowning on Dry Land, the scene of a smaller collapse a few years ago. The overhang at the top of the photo didn't exist before. Everything from the new corner on the right leftwards collapsed, perhaps 20 vertical metres of rock. The blocks at the bottom are the size of vans and the debris extends from the cliff all the way to the sea. Some very unstable looking pillars remain below the roof. The boulder field under the cliff is still passable though unstable and dirty. Personally I would move quickly through the area, given that there is still unstable rock above.”

Given the amount of unstable rock that is likely to remain in this area, it would certainly be worth giving this part of the crag a wide berth for the time being. Anyone who does venture onto or underneath the crag should be aware that there is substantial unstable rock still on the crag and further rockfall is a distinct possibility.

This serves as a good reminder that even though sport climbing can seem safe, you always need to make your own judgement on the state of the crag in general and the bolts you are clipping. Just because there is a bolt to clip, doesn’t always mean it’s been placed in solid rock and it’s up to each climber to make their own judgement on whether a route is safe to climb.

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