John Dunne


Quick Info

Nationality: GB
Hardest Boulder (Worked): 8A
Hardest Sport (Worked): 9a
Hardest Trad (Worked): E10
Hardest Trad (Onsight): E7
Social Media

John Dunne is a British climber who established many hard, high quality sport and trad routes in the UK in the 1980s and 1990s. In particular routes like Austrian Oak and Magnetic Fields at Malham Cove were some of the hardest in the UK at the time.

John also put up many excellent trad routes. For example The New Statesman at Ilkley included very difficult climbing in a dangerous position and was one of the hardest routes on gritstone when it was put up.

John's climbing attracted a degree of controversy with some not believing his claimed ascents, though these doubts now appear to be unfounded.

Quick Info

Nationality: GB
Hardest Boulder (Worked): 8A
Hardest Sport (Worked): 9a
Hardest Trad (Worked): E10
Hardest Trad (Onsight): E7
Social Media

John Dunne is a British climber who established many hard, high quality sport and trad routes in the UK in the 1980s and 1990s. In particular routes like Austrian Oak and Magnetic Fields at Malham Cove were some of the hardest in the UK at the time.

John also put up many excellent trad routes. For example The New Statesman at Ilkley included very difficult climbing in a dangerous position and was one of the hardest routes on gritstone when it was put up.

John's climbing attracted a degree of controversy with some not believing his claimed ascents, though these doubts now appear to be unfounded.


Pics + Vids

Strawberries (E7)
Added at 17:08 on 30 August 2022
Wellington Crack (E4)
Added at 15:08 on 30 August 2022
Oedipus! Ring Your Mother (E4)
Added at 15:08 on 30 August 2022
Total Eclipse (9a, FA)
Added at 22:02 on 06 February 2022
The New Statesman (E8, FA)
Added at 15:08 on 30 August 2022
The New Statesman (E8, FA)
Added at 18:02 on 27 February 2021

Ascents

22 recorded ascents.

This timeline is missing some ascents where the date of the ascent is unknown. Use the other tabs to view these ascents.
Year Climb Grade FA Ascent Date
1985 Marrow Bone Jelly E7 (Solo Onsight) 1985

References

[1] A record of ground-up and on-sight climbing on Peak, Yorkshire and Lancashire gritstone https://www.thebmc.co.uk/Download.aspx?id=139

1986
1987 The New Statesman E8 (Lead) October 1987

https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/933538446712331

1988 Magnetic Fields 8b (Lead) 1988
The Groove 8a+ (Lead) 1988
Oedipus! Ring Your Mother E4 (Solo Repeat) 1988
Totally Free 8b (Lead) 1988
Predator 8b (Lead) 1988
Austrian Oak 8b (Lead) 1988
Well Dunne Finish 8b (Lead) 1st May 1988
1989 Cry Freedom 8c (Lead) August 1989

References

[1] The Power of Climbing (1991) by David Jones, page 192

Parthian Shot (Pre 2011 Break) E9 (Lead) 19th September 1989

There was a lot of skepticism at the time that John had actually climbed the route but this has subsequently turned out to be baseless.

https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.115413049915581/115413303248889

1990
1991
1992
1993
1994 Divided Years E9 (Lead) September 1994
1995 Total Eclipse 9a (Lead) 1995
Careless Torque 8A (Boulder) 1995

Second ascent? Date is a guess, the ascent was made 'some time in the mid nineties'.

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/rock_talk/how_was_careless_torque_first_climbed-335185?v=1#x4944420

1996 The Big Issue E9 (Lead) May 1996
1997 Loaded E8 (Lead) June 1997
1998 Widdop Wall E10 (Lead) 1998
Carmen Picasso E8 (Lead) 1998
1999
2000 Breathless E9 (Lead) June 2000
Climb Grade FA Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Total Eclipse 9a (Lead) 1995
Cry Freedom 8c (Lead) August 1989

References

[1] The Power of Climbing (1991) by David Jones, page 192

Predator 8b (Lead) 1988
Austrian Oak 8b (Lead) 1988
Totally Free 8b (Lead) 1988
Magnetic Fields 8b (Lead) 1988
Well Dunne Finish 8b (Lead) 1st May 1988
The Groove 8a+ (Lead) 1988
Climb Grade FA Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Careless Torque 8A (Boulder) 1995

Second ascent? Date is a guess, the ascent was made 'some time in the mid nineties'.

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/rock_talk/how_was_careless_torque_first_climbed-335185?v=1#x4944420

Climb Grade FA Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Widdop Wall E10 (Lead) 1998
Parthian Shot (Pre 2011 Break) E9 (Lead) 19th September 1989

There was a lot of skepticism at the time that John had actually climbed the route but this has subsequently turned out to be baseless.

https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.115413049915581/115413303248889

Divided Years E9 (Lead) September 1994 E10
The Big Issue E9 (Lead) May 1996
Breathless E9 (Lead) June 2000 E10
Gribin Wall Climb E9 (Lead)

Third ascent.

The New Statesman E8 (Lead) October 1987

https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/933538446712331

Loaded E8 (Lead) June 1997
Carmen Picasso E8 (Lead) 1998 E9
Marrow Bone Jelly E7 (Solo Onsight) 1985

References

[1] A record of ground-up and on-sight climbing on Peak, Yorkshire and Lancashire gritstone https://www.thebmc.co.uk/Download.aspx?id=139

Strawberries E7 (Lead)
Oedipus! Ring Your Mother E4 (Solo Repeat) 1988
Wellington Crack E4 (Solo Repeat)

Late 80s?

Climb Grade FA Ascent Date Suggested Grade