Neil Gresham


Quick Info

From: United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Hardest Sport (Worked): 8c+
Hardest Trad (Worked): E11
Notable Partnerships
Rachel Farmer
Tim Emmett
Airlie Anderson

Neil Gresham is a British climber who is notable for his had trad ascents, including early repeats of notable test pieces such as Johnny Dawes' Indian Face E9 and Neil Bentley's Equilibrium E10 as well as making his own contributions to hard trad in the uk with routes such as Lexicon E11 and Final Score E10.

As well as his trad climbing Neil was an early adopter of deep water soloing in the UK, establishing some of the harder DWS lines in the UK such as

References

[1] Interview with Dave MacLeod 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2wgXc_blao

[2] Interview with Niall Grimes part 1, 2024 https://open.spotify.com/episode/4H9lcr8Fp4lR6lMMmJa8Yt?

[3] Interview with Niall Grimes part 2, 2024 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cac0uPMB1TYDaUF8XN06f?

Contributors
35 contributions since 6th January 2021.
1 contribution since 22nd October 2024.

Quick Info

From: United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Hardest Sport (Worked): 8c+
Hardest Trad (Worked): E11
Notable Partnerships
Rachel Farmer
Tim Emmett
Airlie Anderson

Neil Gresham is a British climber who is notable for his had trad ascents, including early repeats of notable test pieces such as Johnny Dawes' Indian Face E9 and Neil Bentley's Equilibrium E10 as well as making his own contributions to hard trad in the uk with routes such as Lexicon E11 and Final Score E10.

As well as his trad climbing Neil was an early adopter of deep water soloing in the UK, establishing some of the harder DWS lines in the UK such as

References

[1] Interview with Dave MacLeod 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2wgXc_blao

[2] Interview with Niall Grimes part 1, 2024 https://open.spotify.com/episode/4H9lcr8Fp4lR6lMMmJa8Yt?

[3] Interview with Niall Grimes part 2, 2024 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cac0uPMB1TYDaUF8XN06f?

Contributors
35 contributions since 6th January 2021.
1 contribution since 22nd October 2024.

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No pics or vids yet.


Ascents

27 recorded ascents.

Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Sabotage 8c+ Lead | worked Oct 2016
First ascent.
Freakshow 8c Lead | worked Aug 2015 8c
First ascent.
Premonition 8b+ Lead | worked 2015
First ascent.

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m55m6MfgxQ

Labyrinth 8b Lead | worked Apr 2010
First ascent.
La Rose et le Vampire 8b Lead | worked 1990s
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Lexicon E11 Lead | worked 4th Sep 2021
Final Score E10 Lead | worked Sep 2020
Equilibrium E10 Lead | worked 12th Dec 2002
Second ascent.
Fearless E9 Lead | worked 15th Jun 2008 E9
First ascent.
Indian Face E9 Lead | worked 1994
Third ascent. Belayed by Airlie Anderson.

Just days after Nick Dixon made the second ascent.

I was locked in this world and the only way I could release myself was by climbing this route.

...

The reason it was particularly fatalistic was Airlie [Anderson] was coming over to North Wales to belay me, and it was obvious it was gearing up towards her belaying me on the route when I did it, which she did. She was with Rachel [Farmer] when she died, and we never really discussed this and I don't know why it played out this way, but in the end I went for the lead and she was belaying me and I really sketched. I was not steady on it. I started really shaking on the crux part, and I can remember hearing her in tears belaying me, because if you fall off that top part that's almost certainly it. You're like 100ft up and you've got an RP2 that's miles below you and that's probably going to rip. And Airlie lost it, she was in tears, and I was fighting for my life climbing up this thing. [1]

References

[1] https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cac0uPMB1TYDaUF8XN06f?

Gribin Wall Climb E9 Lead | worked Between 24th May 1997 and 1st Jan 1998
Second ascent.
Meshuga E9 Lead | worked 2000
Second ascent.

Prior to making the second ascent Neil took a nasty ground fall and banged his head resulting in severe vertigo.

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/Co_4j5SNocT/

[2] On The Edge Issue 97, page 28

Gravediggers E8 Lead | worked Jun 1997
First ascent. With Patch Hammond.

My ascent of Gravediggers turned into a tale of friendship of rivalry. Having spotted a great looking line on the Gravestones in the Llanberis Pass in the summer of 1997, I was somewhat put out to hear that a young climber called Leo Houlding who was emerging on the scene was keen to step on my toes. I had mentioned to Leo that I'd been trying the route but he didn't seem too interested in respecting 'the code'. In the end, Leo ended up leading the route one evening, unaware that I had snatched an ascent at lunchtime on the same day. He returned jubilantly to record his ascent in the new routes book in Pete's Eats in Llanberis, only to realise that he'd been pipped at the post. We shook hands over the affair and became great friends subsequently. I conceded that this would be the first and last time that I would ever have the upper hand over someone who went on to become one of Britain's most prolific and accomplished climbers. [2]

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/DBEH3D5tyuw/

[2] https://www.neilgresham.com/climbing/first-ascents/traditional-climbing/uk

[3] On The Edge Issue 71, page 73

Airdrawn Dagger E8 Lead | worked 2004
First ascent. Belayed by Tim Emmett.

Whilst foraging around the cliffs of Pembroke in the summer of 2004 with Charlie Woodburn, I spotted an unclimbed line on the back wall of Box Zawn through the middle of the roof and up the capping headwall. It was clearly going to be at the upper limit of difficulty for me, so I abseiled down to check the gear options, place a couple of pegs and practice the moves. However, greasy conditions thwarted my initial advances and frustration started to set in. When the good day came I was so eager that I leapt on it without warming-up and took a 50 foot fall from the finishing jug! I only just managed to get it second try, just as the tide came in to submerge Tim Emmett's belay platform. [1]

References

[1] https://www.neilgresham.com/climbing/first-ascents/traditional-climbing/uk

San Simian E8 Lead | worked May 2004
First ascent.
San Simian E8 Deep Water Solo | repeat 2007
First ascent.

First DWS ascent.

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6o6QnoO6ZA

Way Out West E8 Lead | worked 2020
First ascent.
Minaret E8 Lead | worked 1999
Groove Rider E7 Lead | worked 31st Aug 1998
The Flying Dutchman E7 Deep Water Solo | worked 2006
First ascent.

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcsKGFAR3TE

Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Olympiad 8b Deep Water Solo | worked 27th Jul 2012 8b
Hydrotherapy 8a+ Deep Water Solo | worked Aug 2011
The Wizard 8a Deep Water Solo | worked 21st Jun 2004
First ascent.
Cutlass 8a Deep Water Solo | ground up 2007
First ascent.

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgO9WXiiMU

Excalibur 8a Deep Water Solo | worked 14th Aug 2010
First ascent.
Occam's Razor 7c+ Deep Water Solo | worked Sep 2011
First ascent.

References

[1] Photos of Neil on Route https://www.instagram.com/neil.gresham/p/DBWCO2VNDFW/?img_index=1

Ejector Seat 7c Deep Water Solo | ground up Oct 2001
First ascent.