Alex Barrows


Quick Info

From: United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Date of birth: 25th February 1987
Age: 38 years old
Gender: Male
Hardest Boulder (Worked): 8C
Hardest Boulder (Flash): 8A
Hardest Sport (Worked): 9a
Hardest Sport (Onsight): 8b+
Hardest Sport (Flash): 8b+
Notable Partnerships
Ella Russell
Eddie Barbour

Alex Barrows is a British sport climber and boulderer. He specialises in onsighting and longer, endurance style routes.

References

[1] https://vimeo.com/user11693449

Contributors
219 contributions since 15th May 2021.

Quick Info

From: United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Date of birth: 25th February 1987
Age: 38 years old
Gender: Male
Hardest Boulder (Worked): 8C
Hardest Boulder (Flash): 8A
Hardest Sport (Worked): 9a
Hardest Sport (Onsight): 8b+
Hardest Sport (Flash): 8b+
Notable Partnerships
Ella Russell
Eddie Barbour

Alex Barrows is a British sport climber and boulderer. He specialises in onsighting and longer, endurance style routes.

References

[1] https://vimeo.com/user11693449

Contributors
219 contributions since 15th May 2021.

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Ascents

70 recorded ascents.

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Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Era Vella 9a Lead | worked 3rd Apr 2015

Dumb but fun, and most importantly something hard at the Tor that doesn't break my fingers!

La Fabela por la Enmienda 9a Lead | worked 28th Feb 2023

I guess it must be the hardest piece of climbing I've done to date, though unfortunately it's not the most classic 😂.

References

[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,10607.msg681196.html#msg681196

[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2023/09/alex_barrows_establishes_new_raven_tor_9a-73444

Autoengaño 9a Lead | worked 12th Oct 2023 9a (soft)
All Too Familiar First ascent. Harder than Pilgrimage and The Hatchlink Extension. 9a Lead | worked 4th Aug 2025 8c+/9a
Progress 8c+ Lead | worked 21st Jun 2015
Ultimate Sacrifice 8c+ Lead | worked 14th Oct 2021
La Fabela 8c+ Lead | worked 21st Feb 2023
Travesía de la Enmienda 8c+ Lead | worked 11th Feb 2024 8c+ (hard)
Ingravid Extension Pa La Enmienda 8c+ Lead | worked 21st Feb 2024 8c+ (hard)
Futurama 8c+ Lead | worked 9th Mar 2025
King of Thieves 8c+ Lead | worked 4th May 2025
A Familiar Atrocity 8c+ Lead | worked 27th Jul 2025
Odin's Eye 8c+ Lead | worked 31st Aug 2025
Mecca Extension 8c Lead | worked 6th Apr 2012
Freakshow Second ascent. 8c Lead | worked 16th Aug 2015 8c (soft)
Groove Train 8c Lead | worked 23rd Apr 2016 8c (hard)
Street Fighter 2 sessions. 8c Lead | worked 20th Aug 2016
Dreadnaught Second ascent. 8c Lead | worked 12th Aug 2018
30 is the New 40 First ascent. 8c Lead | worked 25th May 2020
The Pirate Third ascent. 8c Lead | worked 4th Aug 2024 8b+ (hard)
Aladdin 8c Lead | worked 27th Apr 2025
Brunhilde L2 8c Lead | worked 9th Sep 2025

Close on the flash.

Epic Adventures Second ascent? 8b+ Lead | worked 19th Aug 2015 8b+

Hell yeah!! Fought hard from bottom to top, and climbed well apart from nearly pumping out and punting off trying to get a knee in low down. Down to 8b/+ in the new guide, fuck it, consensus rules! Plus Siegrist took the + and he downgrades all my hard stuff ;)

Gravity 8b+ Lead | flash 10th Jan 2019
Accelerator 8b+ Lead | worked 26th May 2019
Momento Payaso 8b+ Lead | onsight 2nd Apr 2022
Queimada 8b+ Lead | onsight 22nd Oct 2022
Rock Fucks 8b+ Lead | flash 5th Nov 2023
Los Robavias 8b+ Lead | onsight 28th Sep 2024
Nordic Flower L1 8b+ Lead | flash 4th Sep 2025
Bricktop Third ascent. 8b Lead | worked 5th Sep 2010
SatanX 8b Lead | flash 16th Oct 2021
Babylon Sistem 8b Lead | flash 25th Oct 2022
Viernes 13 Buena Suerte 8b Lead | flash 7th Oct 2023
Le Blessé BG 8b Lead | flash 10th Oct 2023
Sur La Route De Madison 8b Lead | onsight 17th Oct 2023
Trasnochando 8b Lead | onsight 31st Oct 2023 8b (soft)
La Ruta del Sol 8b Lead | onsight 7th Nov 2023

Questing sideways for 50m on greasy choss in the golden sunset, occasionally looking back and realising the last few death-trap in-situ slings still had their gates stuck open. Brilliant and terrible in equal measure depending on what you want from it! Maybe doesn't feel so tricky if clean and brushed? Had flashed the intro back in 2010 (when it was 7b+, definitely 7c in its current state) and knew a rest where you cross Fabela, the rest was onsight.

Not a pure flash as Alex had onsighted Blomu R1 13 years previously.

Ecstacy 8b Lead | flash 31st Aug 2024
Nunca Mais 8b Lead | onsight 24th Sep 2024
Akelarre 8b Lead | flash 24th Oct 2024
Nautilus 8b Lead | onsight 31st Oct 2024
Mandela 8a+ Lead | flash 3rd Aug 2015
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Pretence of Youth First ascent. Harder than Mortal Immortal. 8C Boulder | worked 20th Sep 2024 8C
Mortal Immortal 8B+ Boulder | worked 6th Sep 2018
Belly Full of Nachos 8B+ Boulder | worked 25th Jul 2023 8B (hard)
Fleeting Youth First ascent. 8B+ Boulder | worked 17th Aug 2024 8B+
Mooiste Meisie 8B Boulder | worked 5th Aug 2016
Belly of the Beast 8B Boulder | worked 5th Aug 2017 8B
Fat Lip 8B Boulder | worked 10th Dec 2018
Overtime 8B Boulder | worked 4th Aug 2020 8B (soft)

The Hatchlink into Upper Cut - full back to top through the middle. Tight line (no going out to no handers to the sides) but a good one. Harder than Pilgrimage but probably still 8B? I don't really know...

Sean's Roof Right Hand 8B Boulder | worked 22nd May 2025 8B

Anyone using knees and taking 8B should hang their head in shame.

References

[1] http://vimeo.com/53279856

Keen Roof 8A+ Boulder | worked 26th Sep 2015
El Matador 8A Boulder | flash 25th May 2025
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade