John Allen
Quick Info ˅
| Nationality: | GB |
| Date of birth: | 16 November 1958 |
| Date of death: | 18 May 2020 |
| Hardest Boulder (Worked): | 7C |
| Hardest Trad (Worked): | E6 |
| Hardest Trad (Onsight): | E5 |
John was a prolific and gifted climber who established a host of hard, classic routes on his local gritstone crags in the peak district.
Lines that had been eyed up by many fell to this prodigious young talent. He climbed Old Friends when he was just 14 and continued adding quality new first ascents from there, such as Hairless Heart, White Wand, Profit of Doom and London Wall which were climbed within a 2 week period at age 16!
While later climbers pushed the numbers up John added a plethora of high quality lines such as West Side Story at Burbage West.
References
[1] Obituary on UKClimbing.com by Graham Hoey, 27th May 2020 https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/the_day_the_music_died_-_remembering_john_allen-12803
Podcasts
Pics + Vids
Shirley's Shining Temple (7C, FA)
Added at 15:12 on 29 December 2020
© Paul Williams
Edge Lane (E5)
Added at 20:02 on 19 February 2021
© John Woodhouse
Ascents
14 recorded ascents.
This timeline is missing some ascents where the date of the ascent is unknown. Use the other tabs to view
these ascents.
| Year | Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Old Friends | E4 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1973 (approx) |
| 1974 | ||||
| 1975 | Great Wall | E4 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1975 (approx) |
| Profit of Doom | E4 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1975 (approx) | |
| Hairless Heart | E5 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1975 (approx) | |
| London Wall | E5 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1975 (approx) | |
| White Wand | E5 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1975 (approx) | |
| 1976 | Strapadictomy | E5 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1976 (approx) |
| Pebble Mill | E5 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1976 (approx) | |
| 1977 | ||||
| 1978 | ||||
| 1979 | ||||
| 1980 | ||||
| 1981 | ||||
| 1982 | ||||
| 1983 | Wall of Sound | E6 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1983 (approx) |
| 1984 | Shirley's Shining Temple | 7C (Boulder) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1984 (approx) |
| 1985 | ||||
| 1986 | Indian Summer | E6 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1986 (approx) |
| Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
|---|
| Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shirley's Shining Temple | 7C (Boulder) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1984 (approx) | |
| West Side Story | 7B+ (Boulder) | ✓ |
| Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wall of Sound | E6 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1983 (approx) | |
| Indian Summer | E6 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1986 (approx) | |
| Hairless Heart | E5 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1975 (approx) | |
| White Wand | E5 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1975 (approx) | |
| London Wall | E5 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1975 (approx) | |
| Pebble Mill | E5 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1976 (approx) | |
| Strapadictomy | E5 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1976 (approx) | |
| Edge Lane | E5 (Lead Onsight) | |||
| Old Friends | E4 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1973 (approx) | |
| Great Wall | E4 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1975 (approx) | |
| Profit of Doom | E4 (Lead) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1975 (approx) | |
| The Dangler | E2 (Lead) | |||
|
Age 12! |
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| Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade |
|---|