Kim Carrigan

Kim came tantalisingly close to making the first ascent

Yeah, The Ring Route aka Serious Young Lizards really proved a bridge too far. The astounding thing was, that I'd bolted this route in 1982, long before anyone thought this would even be possible, which meant that I spent a long time learning the moves and developing the strength and fitness needed for a route like this. There was a complete lack of other routes of this difficulty from where this fitness could be gained. Despite being able to climb every move in my sleep, I could never quite bring it together. I still remember my best effort. I'd been shopping in Horsham for the weekly groceries and my fingers were already strained from carrying the shopping bags, but I thought I'll just pop up and give it a go. It had been drizzling, but because the wall was so steep, the route remained basically dry. First shot, I managed to redpoint straight to the last hold, but promptly slipped off mantling onto the wet slab above. That was it. [1]

On failing to do it:

I think I learnt that the more time you spend on a route the less likely you are to do it because you become so stupid at it. You lose the ability to believe you're ever going to climb it...The more you try it and fail, all you learn is how to fail, you don't learn how to climb it...I learnt that really, really well on The Ring Route. I learnt how to fall off that on every possible move, there was not one move I did not learn how to fall off. In fact one day I even climbed it! ... It had been raining...I climbed the thing straight through, got up on to the slab, it was all slippery and wet and I fell off! [2]

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/kim_carrigan_and_andy_pollitt-9629

[2] The Layback Podcast Ep1, December 2018, from ~60mins https://soundcloud.com/thelaybackpodcast/episode-1-kim-carrigan-get-out-of-your-castle

References

[1] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/546409015425278

One of the ones I'm still most proud about is Ethiopia...I bolted it in the morning then gave it one shot at about 1 o'clock and got through to the second bolt [ed: from where the route leaves India?], fell off, came back down then packed up and thought I'd go home. But then I decided "Stuff it, I'll have another go" and then did it next shot.

I'd done India like a million times so it wasn't challenging having to do India first.

Date is a guess but likely some time in the 1980s.

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/kim_carrigan_and_andy_pollitt-9629

First free ascent.

Carrigan initially suggested an Australian grade of 30 which would have made it one of the hardest in the country at the time.

Kim abbed the line to place a peg and then did it first go. [1]

References

[1] The Layback Podcast Ep1 from ~50mins, December 2018 https://soundcloud.com/thelaybackpodcast/episode-1-kim-carrigan-get-out-of-your-castle

The first all free ascent.