From: | United Kingdom 🇬🇧 |
Date of birth: | 13th June 1966 |
Age: | 58 years old |
Hardest Boulder (Worked): | 8B+ |
Hardest Boulder (Flash): | 8A |
Hardest Sport (Worked): | 9a |
Hardest Sport (Onsight): | 8a |
Hardest Sport (Flash): | 8a+ |
Notable Partnerships | |
Jerry Moffatt | |
Malcolm Smith | |
Contemporaries | |
Fred Nicole | |
Klem Loskot | |
Marc le Menestrel | |
Antoine Le Menestrel | |
Jean-Baptiste Tribout |
Ben pushed the cutting edge of sport climbing in the 1980s and 1990s as well as establishing hard boulder problems in the early 2000s. He made many notable ascents in the UK including Statement of Youth at Lower Pen Trwyn, one of the earliest examples of a pure sport route in the UK (previously many routes were climbed in a sport style but relied on old aid gear. Ben equipped Statement with bolts specifically to free climb it).
Ben established or repeated many of the hardest sport routes in the world at the time, most notably in the UK and the France. Agincourt at Buoux, first climbed by Ben in 1989, was one of the hardest lines in the world at the time and still has a fierce reputation featuring extremely hard moves on tiny pockets.
in 1990 Ben established Hubble at Raven Tor, at the time the first 8c+ in the world but now considered to be 9a.
Around 1995 he put considerable effort in to what would become Northern Lights at Kilnsey but despite an extended campaign couldn't get it done. This marked a bit of a turning point where he started to focus more on bouldering.
In 2005 he established Voyager an 8B boulder in the Peak DIstrict, then almost exactly a year later Ben succeeded in climbing the low start Voyager SDS to give the peak district one of it's hardest problems to date and an enduring testpiece that took 9 years before seeing a second ascent.
Ben continues to climb hard. In 2015 he climbed Rainshadow for his second 9a, 25 years after making the first ascent of Hubble.
[1] Interview with Simon Lee, September 2013 https://vimeo.com/75374593
[2] Training in the cellar with Jerry Moffatt, 1989 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LceV005nte0
[3] The Real Thing
[4] Stone Love, 2001 film by Ben Pritchard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FguueX9jM78
[5] 80's Birth of Extreme by Al Hughes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkj3Buhfi2k
[6] Statement of Youth, 2019 Film by UKClimbing and Nick Brown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeqI9axxrco.
[7] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/942618999137609
[8] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/876401569092686
[9] One Summer by Ben Pritchard, 1994 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnGf69g6Igc
[10] A Sport Climbing Pioneer: The Story Of Ben Moon, Interview with Matt Groom, 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfyU4KHvioM
[11] Interview with Adrian Berry March 2005 https://web.archive.org/web/20061022044659/http://www.planetfear.com/article_detail.asp?a_id=460
[12] https://open.spotify.com/episode/7b64enKBPgbOPR9gK7T4nZ?
[15] On The Edge Issue 84, page 40
59 recorded ascents.
Climb | Grade | Style | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
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Hubble | 9a | Lead | worked | 14th Jun 1990 | 8c+ |
First ascent.
The first 9a in the world. While working the route Ben managed to drop the french 7c upper section after climbing the start, much to the horror those watching. However he came back a few days later and finished the job. Ben originally gave it a grade of E9+ 7b/8c+. References[1] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/3419096724823145 [2] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/464271993638981 [3] https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.140838060706413/140838637373022 |
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Action Directe | 9a | Lead | did not finish | Apr 1992 | |
Ben spent 3 days working the line and 2 days on redpoints. He reached a high point moving left towards the top of the route. He then got injured and was unable to try the line any more. [1] References |
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Northern Lights | 9a | Lead | did not finish | After 1st Jan 1993 | |
Over 100 sessions.
References[1] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/458296474236533 |
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Rainshadow | 9a | Lead | worked | 8th Jun 2015 | |
Around 19 sessions.
25 years after his first 9a, Hubble. References[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdKeEk6sSD0 [2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2015/06/ben_moon_on_rainshadow_9a_-_im_over_the_moon-69776 |
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Big Bang | 9a | Lead | did not finish | ||
References[1] On The Edge Issue 100, page 55 |
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Liquid Ambar | 8c+ | Lead | worked | 1991 | |
Second ascent. 5 sessions.
|
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Sea of Tranquility | 8c+ | Lead | worked | 1993 | |
First ascent.
|
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Bronx | 8c+ | Lead | worked | 1995 | |
Done in 1995, within 2 days of climbing Le Super Plafond. |
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Le Super Plafond | 8c+ | Lead | worked | 1995 | |
Evolution | 8c+ | Lead | worked | 24th Nov 2018 | |
Le Minimum | 8c | Lead | worked | Apr 1988 | |
An early repeat. Over the space of 9 days Ben climbed the three hardest routes in France at the time: La Rage de Vivre, Le Minimum and Le Spectre du Sur-Mutant. |
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Agincourt | 8c | Lead | worked | 1989 | |
First ascent.
References[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkj3Buhfi2k @ 53mins [2] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/289577857775063 |
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Maginot Line | 8c | Lead | worked | Nov 1989 | |
First ascent.
|
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Cry Freedom | 8c | Lead | worked | Jun 1991 | |
An early ascent. Used in the media at the time to extol the benefits of bouldering for climbing stamina routes! |
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Make it Funky | 8c | Lead | worked | 1993 | |
Third ascent.
|
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Macumba Club | 8c | Lead | worked | 1995 | |
Mecca Extension | 8c | Lead | worked | 15th Oct 2013 | |
|
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La Rage de Vivre | 8b+ | Lead | worked | Apr 1988 | |
An early repeat. Over the space of 9 days Ben climbed the three hardest routes in France at the time: La Rage de Vivre, Le Minimum and Le Spectre du Sur-Mutant. |
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Le Spectre du Sur-Mutant | 8b+ | Lead | worked | Apr 1988 | |
An early repeat. Over the space of 9 days Ben climbed the three hardest routes in France at the time: La Rage de Vivre, Le Minimum and Le Spectre du Sur-Mutant. |
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Mecca - The Mid-life Crisis | 8b+ | Lead | worked | Between 1st Sep 1988 and 1st Dec 1989 | |
Second ascent. 2 sessions.
|
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Eugenics | 8b+ | Lead | worked | 2020 | |
Fifth Dimension | 8b+ | Lead | worked | 20th Jun 2020 | |
First ascent.
|
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La Rose et le Vampire | 8b | Lead | worked | 1986 | |
Third ascent.
|
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Zeke the Freak | 8b | Lead | worked | 4th Aug 1987 | |
First ascent.
|
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Lockdown | 8b | Lead | worked | 3rd Jun 2020 | |
First ascent.
|
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Revelations (Pre-1999) | 8a+ | Lead | worked | 1985 | |
Chouca | 8a+ | Lead | worked | 1985 | |
Third ascent.
|
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Chimes of Freedom | 8a+ | Lead | worked | 1990 | |
First re-ascent after the block had come off. |
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Menopausal Discharge | 8a+ | Lead | flash | 1990s | |
Early 1990s. References[1] Llanberis Slate. United Kingdom: Ground Up, 2011. |
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Statement of Youth | 8a | Lead | worked | 25th Jun 1984 | |
First ascent.
References |
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Hot Fun Closing | 8a | Lead | worked | 1986 | |
First ascent.
|
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Kleptomania | 8a | Lead | onsight | 1991 | |
The Dillusioned Glue Machine | 8a | Lead | flash | ||
At the time one of the hardest flashes on peak district limestone. |
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Hate | 6c+ | Top Rope | worked | 1982 | |
Ben's first english 6a, just two years later he'd make the first ascent of Statement of Youth! References |
Climb | Grade | Style | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
Superman SDS | 8B+ | Boulder | worked | 1994 | |
First ascent.
|
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Voyager SDS | 8B+ | Boulder | worked | Nov 2006 | |
First ascent.
References |
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Monk Life | 8B+ | Boulder | did not finish | ||
Pilgrimage | 8B+ | Boulder | did not finish | ||
Before Malcolm Smith made the first ascent Ben came close to doing it, falling off near the end. |
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Black Lung | 8B | Boulder | worked | 2000 | |
First ascent. 3 sessions.
References |
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Cypher | 8B | Boulder | worked | Mar 2002 | |
First ascent.
References[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2002/03/slipstones_project_completed-3016 |
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High Fidelity | 8B | Boulder | worked | 2005 | |
Second ascent.
References |
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The Ace | 8B | Boulder | worked | 2005 | |
Second ascent.
References[1] Confirmed Ben made the second ascent via email correspondence, 30th November 2023. |
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Voyager | 8B | Boulder | worked | 16th Nov 2005 | |
First ascent.
|
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Pinch 2 | 8A+ | Boulder | worked | 1994 | |
References |
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8 Ball | 8A+ | Boulder | worked | 2000 | |
First ascent.
References[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/C3qPcrdIOMD/ [2] On The Edge Issue 103, page 10 |
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Dominator | 8A+ | Boulder | worked | Before 1st Jan 2001 | |
References[1] On The Edge Issue 99, page 73 |
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Karma | 8A+ | Boulder | worked | ||
References |
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Dominator | 8A+ | Boulder | worked | ||
Second ascent.
|
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The Thing | 8A | Boulder | worked | 1989 | |
First ascent.
References[1] On The Edge issue 114, page 44 |
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The Joker | 8A | Boulder | worked | 1998 | |
References[1] On The Edge Issue 73, page 9 |
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Diaphanous Sea | 8A | Boulder | flash | 2000 | |
Ranieri's Reach | 8A | Boulder | worked | 2004 | |
First ascent.
|
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Déviation | 8A | Boulder | worked | ||
References[1] On The Edge Issue 84, page 21 |
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Walk on By | 7C+ | Boulder | worked | Before 1st Jan 2000 | |
Second ascent.
References |
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Jerry's Traverse | 7C+ | Boulder | worked | ||
References |
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Brad Pit | 7C | Boulder | worked | 1997 | |
With the toe on the rail method. [1]
References[1] Hard Grit [2] On The Edge Issue 67, page 10 |
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Ben's Roof | 7C | Boulder | worked | ||
First ascent.
|
Climb | Grade | Style | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
Equilibrium | E10 | Top Rope | worked | 1993 | |
First ascent.
|
Climb | Grade | Style | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pump up the Stamina | 8c+ | Boulder | did not finish | 1994 | |
Ben got close but never quite managed to finish it off. [1] References[1] Confirmed via email with Ben |