Andy Pollitt

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After long and frustrating but ultimately successful siege Andy gave up climbing.

References

[1] Mountain Issue 137 (1991), page 37 /library/11318/mountain-137

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/photos/dbpage.php?id=391050

Freed two days after the first aid ascent! [1]

References

[1] Peak Limestone North, First Ascents Supplement /file/bc3fd0e4-a3ee-a736-1cbf-d68af9f0910e/peak_lime_north_first_ascents.pdf

References

[1] Mountain Issue 140 (1991), page 11

References

[1] Mountain Issue 112, page 17 /library/11111/mountain-112

Pollitt had a ‘mare on the first ascent when his foot slipped on some lichen on the exit ramps, far above the peg. He rated it as harder and bolder than his South Stack routes. [1]

Climbed from the right with a pre-placed peg. The peg was seated within the slot using the butt of a hammer, which proved controversial, as did the extensive top rope practice. Pollitt repeated the route four times for photos.

References

[1] ‘Peak Rock’, Vertebrate Publishing, 2013.

[2] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/3416013038464847

Again with Paul [Williams], the second ascent of Pete Livesey’s Zero – a genuine frightener on Idwal’s Suicide Wall. On my first attempt, facing a ground fall from about seventy feet, my left index finger ended up in the pocket that my hex 3 needed to be in. Committing to the ‘dead-point’ principle, I pulled my finger out with a ‘pop’ and hurriedly stacked the little nut upright to cam it in the pocket, then grabbed it and clipped my rope in. On reaching the ground after a rapid but gentle lower-off, the nut must’ve come out of tension so slid all the way back down to the bottom … along with my rope a second or two later! [1]

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/andy_pollitt_-punk_in_the_gym-_exclusive_extract-8314

It had been top roped a few times since John [Redhead] led it and as far as I knew only one person hadn't fallen off. They were three Peak E5 leaders whose comments on the route were something like, 'utterly ridiculous', 'think I only spotted one poor RP placement' and 'death on a stick'. Three of the top rope falls were due to a 'crucial' finger flake and two footholds snapping off so I wasn't even sure if the route was still climbable. That intrigued me and I began psyching up for it and when Johnny, Pritch and Nick Dixon starting checking it out two years later it became, in my mind, a 'now or never' situation and I went for it! [2]

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/publications/other_publications/the_bells_the_bells__an_extract_from_andy_pollitts_punk_in_the_gym-12110

[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/mark_zippy_pretty_and_andy_pollitt-9762

Andy made an early repeat of the line.

References

[1] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/3454948037904680

References

[1] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/4520398724692934

With Steve Andrews.

First all free ascent.

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/gogarth_north_stack_and_main_cliff-598/mammoth-4286