John Dunne
Quick Info ˅
| Nationality: | GB |
| Hardest Boulder (Worked): | 8A |
| Hardest Sport (Worked): | 9a |
| Hardest Trad (Worked): | E10 |
| Hardest Trad (Onsight): | E7 |
| Social Media |
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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)
Wellington Crack (E4)
Oedipus! Ring Your Mother (E4)
Total Eclipse (9a, FA)
The New Statesman (E8, FA)
The New Statesman (E8, FA)
Ascents
22 recorded 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 |
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| 1986 | ||||
| 1987 | The New Statesman | E8 (Lead) | ✓ | October 1987 |
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https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/933538446712331 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 1990 | ||||
| 1991 | ||||
| 1992 | ||||
| 1993 | ||||
| 1994 | Divided Years | E9 (Lead) | ✓ | September 1994 |
| 1995 | Total Eclipse | 9a (Lead) | ✓ | 1995 |
| Careless Torque | 8A (Boulder) | 1995 | ||
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Second ascent? Date is a guess, the ascent was made 'some time in the mid nineties'. |
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| 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 |
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| 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'. |
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| 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 |
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| 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) | |||
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Third ascent. |
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| The New Statesman | E8 (Lead) | ✓ | October 1987 | |
|
https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/933538446712331 |
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| 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 |
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| Strawberries | E7 (Lead) | |||
| Oedipus! Ring Your Mother | E4 (Solo Repeat) | 1988 | ||
| Wellington Crack | E4 (Solo Repeat) | |||
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Late 80s? |
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| Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
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