Nationality: | GB |
Hardest Boulder (Worked): | 8A |
Hardest Sport (Worked): | 9a |
Hardest Trad (Worked): | E10 |
Hardest Trad (Onsight): | E7 |
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.
[1] Interview with Adrian Berry March 2005 https://web.archive.org/web/20061022044419/http://www.planetfear.com/article_detail.asp?a_id=466
[2] John Dunne - The Big Issue 1996 film by Sid Perou
28 recorded ascents.
Year | Climb | Grade | Style | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1980 | Wellington Crack | E4 | Solo | repeat | 1980s |
References |
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1981 | ||||
1982 | ||||
1983 | ||||
1984 | ||||
1985 | Marrow Bone Jelly | E7 | Solo | onsight | 1985 |
Strawberries | E7 | Lead | yo-yo | 1985 | |
|
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1986 | ||||
1987 | The New Statesman | E8 | Lead | worked | Oct 1987 |
1988 | Oedipus! Ring Your Mother | E4 | Solo | repeat | 1988 |
Austrian Oak | 8b | Lead | worked | 1988 | |
First ascent.
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Totally Free | 8b | Lead | worked | 1988 | |
First ascent.
|
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Magnetic Fields | 8b | Lead | worked | 1988 | |
First ascent.
|
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Predator | 8b | Lead | worked | 1988 | |
First ascent.
|
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The Groove | 8a+ | Lead | worked | 1988 | |
First ascent.
|
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Breach of the Peace | 8a | Lead | worked | 1988 | |
First ascent.
References |
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Well Dunne Finish | 8b | Lead | worked | 1st May 1988 | |
First ascent.
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1989 | Careless Torque | 8A | Boulder | worked | 1989 |
Second ascent.
References[1] Email exchange, September 2023 [2] On The Edge, issue 114 |
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Cry Freedom | 8c | Lead | worked | Aug 1989 | |
References[1] The Power of Climbing (1991) by David Jones, page 192 |
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Parthian Shot (Pre 2011 Break) | E9 | Lead | worked | 19th Sep 1989 | |
First ascent.
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. References[1] John repeating the route on top rope for John Dunne - The Big Issue around 1996 https://youtu.be/3D0Mp0RrQRA?si=O0-K0PQ0XcHj-U7e&t=1448 |
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1990 | Gerty Berwick | E9 | Top Rope | did not finish | 1990s |
References |
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1991 | ||||
1992 | ||||
1993 | Militia | 8a+ | Lead | worked | 1993 |
First ascent.
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1994 | Divided Years | E9 | Lead | worked | Sep 1994 |
First ascent.
References |
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1995 | Eternal | E6 | Lead | worked | 1995 |
First ascent.
|
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Total Eclipse | 9a | Lead | worked | 1995 | |
First ascent.
|
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1996 | The Big Issue | E9 | Lead | worked | May 1996 |
First ascent.
References |
||||
1997 | Gribin Wall Climb | E9 | Lead | worked | Between 24th May 1997 and 1st Sep 2016 |
Third ascent.
|
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Loaded | E8 | Lead | worked | Jun 1997 | |
First ascent.
|
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1998 | Widdop Wall | E10 | Lead | worked | 1998 |
First ascent.
|
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Carmen Picasso | E8 | Lead | worked | 1998 | |
First ascent.
|
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1999 | ||||
2000 | Breathless | E9 | Lead | worked | Jun 2000 |
First ascent.
|
Climb | Grade | Style | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total Eclipse | 9a | Lead | worked | 1995 | |
First ascent.
|
||||
Cry Freedom | 8c | Lead | worked | Aug 1989 | |
References[1] The Power of Climbing (1991) by David Jones, page 192 |
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Austrian Oak | 8b | Lead | worked | 1988 | |
First ascent.
|
||||
Totally Free | 8b | Lead | worked | 1988 | |
First ascent.
|
||||
Magnetic Fields | 8b | Lead | worked | 1988 | |
First ascent.
|
||||
Predator | 8b | Lead | worked | 1988 | |
First ascent.
|
||||
Well Dunne Finish | 8b | Lead | worked | 1st May 1988 | |
First ascent.
|
||||
The Groove | 8a+ | Lead | worked | 1988 | |
First ascent.
|
||||
Militia | 8a+ | Lead | worked | 1993 | |
First ascent.
|
||||
Breach of the Peace | 8a | Lead | worked | 1988 | |
First ascent.
References |
Climb | Grade | Style | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
Careless Torque | 8A | Boulder | worked | 1989 | |
Second ascent.
References[1] Email exchange, September 2023 [2] On The Edge, issue 114 |
Climb | Grade | Style | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
Widdop Wall | E10 | Lead | worked | 1998 | |
First ascent.
|
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Parthian Shot (Pre 2011 Break) | E9 | Lead | worked | 19th Sep 1989 | |
First ascent.
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. References[1] John repeating the route on top rope for John Dunne - The Big Issue around 1996 https://youtu.be/3D0Mp0RrQRA?si=O0-K0PQ0XcHj-U7e&t=1448 |
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Divided Years | E9 | Lead | worked | Sep 1994 | E10 |
First ascent.
References |
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The Big Issue | E9 | Lead | worked | May 1996 | |
First ascent.
References |
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Breathless | E9 | Lead | worked | Jun 2000 | E10 |
First ascent.
|
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Gerty Berwick | E9 | Top Rope | did not finish | 1990s | |
References |
||||
Gribin Wall Climb | E9 | Lead | worked | Between 24th May 1997 and 1st Sep 2016 | |
Third ascent.
|
||||
The New Statesman | E8 | Lead | worked | Oct 1987 | |
Loaded | E8 | Lead | worked | Jun 1997 | |
First ascent.
|
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Carmen Picasso | E8 | Lead | worked | 1998 | E9 |
First ascent.
|
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Tolerance | E8 | Lead | worked | E7 | |
First ascent.
|
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End of the Affair | E8 | Lead | worked | ||
Marrow Bone Jelly | E7 | Solo | onsight | 1985 | |
Strawberries | E7 | Lead | yo-yo | 1985 | |
|
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Eternal | E6 | Lead | worked | 1995 | |
First ascent.
|
||||
Wellington Crack | E4 | Solo | repeat | 1980s | |
References |
||||
Oedipus! Ring Your Mother | E4 | Solo | repeat | 1988 |
Climb | Grade | Style | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
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