Alex Barrows

Instagram.com | 8a.nu | alexbarrowsclimbing.blogspot.com

Quick Info

Nationality: GB
Date of birth: 25th February 1987
Hardest Boulder (Worked): 8B+
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: remus (30 contributions since 15 May 2021)
Added on 14th November 2020. Last updated on 25th September 2024.

Quick Info

Nationality: GB
Date of birth: 25th February 1987
Hardest Boulder (Worked): 8B+
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: remus (30 contributions since 15 May 2021)
Added on 14th November 2020. Last updated on 25th September 2024.

Lists


Podcasts


Pics + Vids

The Last Nacho (9a, FA)
Added at 19:08 on 21 August 2023
The Last Nacho (9a, FA)
Added at 19:08 on 21 August 2023
Kaa'bah (8c+)
Added at 12:12 on 22 December 2020
Preposterous Tales (9a, FA)
View this post on Instagram

Added at 15:05 on 08 May 2021
Le Souffle du Ragga (8b+)
View this post on Instagram

Added at 20:10 on 25 October 2021
Pilgrimage (8B+)
Added at 09:04 on 03 April 2022
Stamina Boys (8c+)
Added at 09:04 on 03 April 2022

Ascents

53 recorded ascents.

Year Climb Grade Style Date
2010 Bricktop 8b Lead | worked 5th Sep 2010

Third ascent.

2011
2012 Mecca Extension 8c Lead | worked 6th Apr 2012
Director's Cut 8A+ Boulder | worked 10th Nov 2012

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

References

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

2013 Pilgrimage 8B+ Boulder | worked 5th Mar 2013
Kaa'bah 8c+ Lead | worked 1st Jun 2013
2014 Stamina Boys 8c+ Boulder | worked 19th Apr 2014
2015 Era Vella 9a Lead | worked 3rd Apr 2015
Progress 8c+ Lead | worked 21st Jun 2015
Freakshow 8c Lead | worked 16th Aug 2015
Second ascent.
Epic Adventures 8c Lead | worked 19th Aug 2015
Second ascent?
Keen Roof 8A+ Boulder | worked 26th Sep 2015
2016 Groove Train 8c Lead | worked 23rd Apr 2016
The Wheel of Life 9a Boulder | worked 28th May 2016
Mooiste Meisie 8B Boulder | worked 5th Aug 2016
Bad Girl's Club 9a Lead | worked 19th Sep 2016
2017 Belly of the Beast 8B Boulder | worked 5th Aug 2017
Belly's Gonna Get Ya 9a Lead | worked 17th Sep 2017
First ascent.

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

Ixeia 8b+ Lead | onsight 8th Oct 2017

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 ;)

2018 Dreadnaught 8c Lead | worked 12th Aug 2018
Second ascent.
Mortal Immortal 8B+ Boulder | worked 6th Sep 2018
Fat Lip 8B Boulder | worked 10th Dec 2018
2019 Gravity 8b+ Lead | flash 10th Jan 2019
Accelerator 8b+ Lead | worked 26th May 2019
2020 30 is the New 40 8c Lead | worked 25th May 2020
First ascent.
2021 Preposterous Tales 9a Lead | worked 6th May 2021
First ascent.

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/COnZ92XjA0p/

Ultimate Sacrifice 8c+ Lead | worked 14th Oct 2021
Le Souffle du Ragga 8b+ Lead | flash 24th Oct 2021
2022 Momento Payaso 8b+ Lead | onsight 2nd Apr 2022
Malcolm In The Middle 8c+ Lead | worked 6th Aug 2022
Queimada 8b+ Lead | onsight 22nd Oct 2022
Babylon Sistem 8b Lead | flash 25th Oct 2022
2023 The Hatchlink Extension 8B Boulder | worked 22nd Jan 2023
First ascent.

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...

La Fabela 8c+ Lead | worked 21st Feb 2023
La Fabela por la Enmienda 9a Lead | worked 28th Feb 2023
Belly Full of Nachos 8B+ Boulder | worked 25th Jul 2023
The Last Nacho 9a Lead | worked 20th Aug 2023
First ascent.

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

Viernes 13 Buena Suerte 8b Lead | flash 7th Oct 2023
Le Blessé BG 8b Lead | flash 10th Oct 2023
Autoengaño 9a Lead | worked 12th Oct 2023
Sur La Route De Madison 8b Lead | onsight 17th Oct 2023
Trasnochando 8b Lead | onsight 31st Oct 2023
Rock Fucks 8b+ Lead | flash 5th Nov 2023
La Ruta del Sol 8b Lead | onsight 7th Nov 2023
La Travesia de los Gladiadores Total 8b Lead | flash 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.

2024 Travesía de la Enmienda 8c+ Lead | worked 11th Feb 2024
Ingravid Extension Pa La Enmienda 8c+ Lead | worked 21st Feb 2024
Blomu R2 8b Lead | flash 27th Feb 2024

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

The Pirate 8c Lead | worked 4th Aug 2024
Third ascent.
Fleeting Youth 8c+ Boulder | worked 17th Aug 2024
First ascent.
Ecstacy 8b Lead | flash 31st Aug 2024
Pretence of Youth 9a Boulder | worked 20th Sep 2024
First ascent. Harder than Mortal Immortal.
Nunca Mais 8b Lead | onsight 24th Sep 2024
Los Robavias 8b+ Lead | onsight 28th Sep 2024
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Belly's Gonna Get Ya 9a Lead | worked 17th Sep 2017
First ascent.

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

Preposterous Tales 9a Lead | worked 6th May 2021 8c+/9a
First ascent.

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/COnZ92XjA0p/

The Last Nacho 9a Lead | worked 20th Aug 2023 9a
First ascent.

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

Era Vella 9a Lead | worked 3rd Apr 2015
Bad Girl's Club 9a Lead | worked 19th Sep 2016
La Fabela por la Enmienda 9a Lead | worked 28th Feb 2023
Autoengaño 9a Lead | worked 12th Oct 2023 9a (soft)
Malcolm In The Middle 8c+ Lead | worked 6th Aug 2022
Kaa'bah 8c+ Lead | worked 1st Jun 2013
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)
30 is the New 40 8c Lead | worked 25th May 2020
First ascent.
Mecca Extension 8c Lead | worked 6th Apr 2012
Freakshow 8c Lead | worked 16th Aug 2015 8c (soft)
Second ascent.
Epic Adventures 8c Lead | worked 19th Aug 2015
Second ascent?
Groove Train 8c Lead | worked 23rd Apr 2016 8c (hard)
Dreadnaught 8c Lead | worked 12th Aug 2018
Second ascent.
The Pirate 8c Lead | worked 4th Aug 2024 8b+ (hard)
Third ascent.
Ixeia 8b+ Lead | onsight 8th Oct 2017

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
Le Souffle du Ragga 8b+ Lead | flash 24th Oct 2021
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
Bricktop 8b Lead | worked 5th Sep 2010

Third ascent.

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
La Travesia de los Gladiadores Total 8b Lead | flash 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.

Blomu R2 8b Lead | flash 27th Feb 2024

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
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Pilgrimage 8B+ Boulder | worked 5th Mar 2013 8c+
Mortal Immortal 8B+ Boulder | worked 6th Sep 2018
Belly Full of Nachos 8B+ Boulder | worked 25th Jul 2023 8B (hard)
The Hatchlink Extension 8B Boulder | worked 22nd Jan 2023
First ascent.

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...

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
Director's Cut 8A+ Boulder | worked 10th Nov 2012 8A+

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
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Pretence of Youth 9a Boulder | worked 20th Sep 2024
First ascent. Harder than Mortal Immortal.
The Wheel of Life 9a Boulder | worked 28th May 2016
Fleeting Youth 8c+ Boulder | worked 17th Aug 2024
First ascent.
Stamina Boys 8c+ Boulder | worked 19th Apr 2014 8c+