Johnny Dawes

Quick Info ˅

Nationality:	GB
Date of birth:	9th May 1964
Hardest Boulder (Worked):	7C
Hardest Sport (Worked):	8b+
Hardest Trad (Worked):	E9
Hardest Trad (Onsight):	E7
Hardest Trad (Flash):	E7
Social Media

Johnny Dawes is very influential in British climbing, particularly in the 1980s and particularly in the Peak District and North Wales. Alongside contemporaries such as Jerry Moffatt and Ben Moon he helped take over the mantel from the likes of Ron Fawcett and pushed the standards in trad climbing to new levels, culminating in his ascent of Indian Face on Clogwyn Du'r Arddu (Cloggy).

Whilst Johnny's trad climbing was cutting edge he did not embrace sport climbing in the way that many did in the early 90s, though he did still climb up to 8b+, a very respectable level for the time.

References

[1] Interview with Niall Grimes and Nick Dixon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU

[2] Features in 80's Birth of Extreme

[3] Interview for the film Stone Monkey, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q

Quick Info

Nationality:	GB
Date of birth:	9th May 1964
Hardest Boulder (Worked):	7C
Hardest Sport (Worked):	8b+
Hardest Trad (Worked):	E9
Hardest Trad (Onsight):	E7
Hardest Trad (Flash):	E7
Social Media

Johnny Dawes is very influential in British climbing, particularly in the 1980s and particularly in the Peak District and North Wales. Alongside contemporaries such as Jerry Moffatt and Ben Moon he helped take over the mantel from the likes of Ron Fawcett and pushed the standards in trad climbing to new levels, culminating in his ascent of Indian Face on Clogwyn Du'r Arddu (Cloggy).

Whilst Johnny's trad climbing was cutting edge he did not embrace sport climbing in the way that many did in the early 90s, though he did still climb up to 8b+, a very respectable level for the time.

References

[1] Interview with Niall Grimes and Nick Dixon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU

[2] Features in 80's Birth of Extreme

[3] Interview for the film Stone Monkey, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q

Podcasts

Jam Crack Podcast, October 2018

Pics + Vids

Added at 16:01 on 19 January 2021

Added at 17:01 on 19 January 2021

Added at 08:09 on 11 September 2022

© Simon Nadin

https://www.climbing.com/news/the-full-johnny-dawe...

Added at 19:03 on 22 March 2023

The Tesseract (E7)

Added at 20:07 on 25 July 2021

La Abuela Carmen (8a)

Added at 09:01 on 21 January 2023

Inuit (8b+)

View this post on Instagram

Added at 12:02 on 10 February 2021

Inuit (8b+)

Added at 09:01 on 21 January 2023

Gaia (E8, FA)

Added at 10:03 on 08 March 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5416X0ID1zU

The Meltdown (9a)

Added at 16:01 on 19 January 2021

The Quarryman (E8, FA)

Added at 17:01 on 19 January 2021

Dawes of Perception (E7, FA)

Added at 08:04 on 11 April 2021

The Medium (8a, FA)

Added at 08:04 on 19 April 2021

Conan the Librarian (E7, FA)

Added at 08:04 on 19 April 2021

Conan the Librarian (E7, FA)

Added at 09:04 on 19 April 2021

Conan the Librarian (E7, FA)

Added at 09:04 on 19 April 2021

Windows of Perception (E6, FA)

Added at 09:04 on 11 April 2021

The Salmon (E7)

Added at 13:09 on 16 September 2021

Indian Face (E9, FA)

Added at 17:01 on 24 January 2021

https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,106...

Indian Face (E9, FA)

Added at 17:01 on 24 January 2021

https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,106...

Indian Face (E9, FA)

Added at 17:01 on 24 January 2021

Indian Face (E9, FA)

Added at 17:01 on 24 January 2021

https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,106...

Indian Face (E9, FA)

Added at 17:01 on 24 January 2021

https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,106...

Indian Face (E9, FA)

Added at 16:01 on 19 January 2021

Indian Face (E9, FA)

Added at 17:01 on 19 January 2021

Avoiding the Traitors (E7, FA)

View this post on Instagram

Added at 11:12 on 26 December 2022

Ascents

46 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
1982	Downhill Racer Direct	7A+ (Boulder)	✓	1982
1982	Downhill Racer Direct	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116578176465735/116579446465608
1983	Monopoly	E7 (Lead)	✓	1983
1983	Monopoly	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116578176465735/116580406465512
1984	Adam Smith's Invisible Hand	E6 (Lead)	✓	1984
	The Salmon	E7 (Lead)	✓	1984
	Ulysses' Bow	E6 (Solo Onsight)		April 1984
1985	The Meltdown	9a (Lead Did not finish)		1985
	The Meltdown	Johnny put in some excellent links (estimated to be in the 8c/+ range) way back in the day, when 9a would have been the hardest climbing in the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu2b4P6-IcY
	A Fist Full of Crystals	E6 (Solo Onsight)		1985
	A Fist Full of Crystals	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
	Offspring	E5 (Lead)	✓	24th April 1985
	Offspring	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.150023826454503/150024366454449
	Perplexity	E6 (Lead)	✓	9th July 1985
	Perplexity	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.150023826454503/150024903121062
	Dawes of Perception	E7 (Lead)	✓	23rd October 1985
	Dawes of Perception	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117799383010281&set=a.117799293010290
1986	Come to Mother	E7 (Lead Onsight)	✓	1986
	Come to Mother	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149995939790625
	Slab and Crack	E8 (Lead)	✓	1986
	Beau Geste	E7 (Lead Flash)		1986
	Beau Geste	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 [2] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,31629.msg649897.html#msg649897
	Piece Of Mind	E6 (Solo Did not finish)		1986
	Piece Of Mind	Johnny fell of the last move on the onsight but remarkably walked away unscathed!
	Art Nouveau	E6 (Solo Onsight)		1986
	Gaia	E8 (Lead)	✓	March 1986
	Gaia	An impressive effort after minimal top rope practice.
	Coeur de Lion	E8 (Lead)	✓	12th March 1986
	Coeur de Lion	Originally given E6! https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149997203123832 https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149997303123822
	Conan the Librarian	E7 (Lead)	✓	21st July 1986
	Conan the Librarian	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117802133010006&set=a.117799293010290 https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117802409676645&set=a.117799293010290 https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117802443009975&set=a.117799293010290
	The Medium	8a (Lead)	✓	24th July 1986
	The Medium	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117802186343334&set=a.117799293010290
	Janus	E7 (Lead)	✓	27th July 1986
	Janus	Johnny initially graded it E7 7a because he thought the groove looked like two 7s.
	End of the Affair	E8 (Lead)	✓	7th September 1986
	The Quarryman	E8 (Lead)	✓	10th September 1986
	The Quarryman	Johnny climbed the first 2 pitches on the 10th september and the second two pitches on the 11th september. He alter climbed the route in a single push. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLyF8zcP674 https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149995749790644
	The Fire Escape	E7 (Lead)	✓	22nd September 1986
	The Fire Escape	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149995929790626
	The Hollow Man	E8 (Lead)	✓	2nd October 1986
	The Hollow Man	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149996006457285
	Indian Face	E9 (Lead)	✓	4th October 1986
	Indian Face	I went for the crux, the motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put the other in. The finger-holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot-changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come to mind. There is no resting. I must go and climb for the top. I swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold stays under mistreatment and then I really blow it. Fearful of a smear on now-non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall fatal, but the automaton stabs back through, wobbling, but giving its all and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward. The ropes dangle uselessly from my waist. Arthur Birtwistle on Diagonal, I grasp incuts and the tight movement swerves to a glide as gravity swings skyward ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149996096457276
	Windows of Perception	E6 (Lead)	✓	24th October 1986
	Windows of Perception	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117799339676952&set=a.117799293010290
1987	Rupert Road	E6 (Lead Onsight)	✓	29th April 1987
	Rupert Road	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149997903123762
	Llanberies	E7 (Lead)	✓	5th May 1987
	Llanberies	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149997963123756
	Clap Please	E7 (Lead)		8th May 1987
	Clap Please	Johnny thought E6 6c.
1988	Hardback Thesaurus	E8 (Lead Ground up)	✓	15th May 1988
1989
1990	The Very Big and the Very Small	8b+ (Lead)	✓	1990
1991	Tabou Zizi	8b (Lead)		Before 1st January 1991
1991	Tabou Zizi	Pre-1991. [1] [1] The Power of Climbing (1991) by David Jones, page 192
1992
1993
1994	Jumpin' on a Beetle	E6 (Solo)	✓	1994
	The Angle's Share	7C (Boulder)	✓	19th June 1994
	The Angle's Share	Originally climbed without pads at E8. https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.115413049915581/115414339915452
1995	Face Mecca	E9 (Lead)		1995
	Avoiding the Traitors	E7 (Lead)	✓	1995
	Avoiding the Traitors	https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl1gyH2Drnd/
	The Salmon	E7 (Lead Repeat)		1995
	The Salmon	Reclimbed after the loss of an important pebble.
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003	Zen Boy	E7 (Lead)	✓	September 2003
	Zen Boy	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.143839010406318/143839717072914
	Drummond Base	E8 (Lead)	✓	23rd October 2003
	Drummond Base	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.143839010406318/143839717072914
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018	Inuit	8b+ (Lead)		10th November 2018
2018	Inuit	Second go! https://youtu.be/S_SmgaASssw?t=813 https://www.instagram.com/p/BqAZqOZlLbF/
2019
2020
2021	The Salmon	E7 (Lead Repeat)		2021
2021	The Salmon	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyGwXaPl3As
2022

Climb	Grade	FA	Ascent Date	Suggested Grade
The Meltdown	9a (Lead Did not finish)		1985
The Meltdown	Johnny put in some excellent links (estimated to be in the 8c/+ range) way back in the day, when 9a would have been the hardest climbing in the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu2b4P6-IcY
The Very Big and the Very Small	8b+ (Lead)	✓	1990
Inuit	8b+ (Lead)		10th November 2018
Inuit	Second go! https://youtu.be/S_SmgaASssw?t=813 https://www.instagram.com/p/BqAZqOZlLbF/
Tabou Zizi	8b (Lead)		Before 1st January 1991
Tabou Zizi	Pre-1991. [1] [1] The Power of Climbing (1991) by David Jones, page 192
The Medium	8a (Lead)	✓	24th July 1986
The Medium	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117802186343334&set=a.117799293010290
La Abuela Carmen	8a (Lead)
La Abuela Carmen	After redpointing it Johnny lowered off and then climbed it no handed on top rope! https://youtu.be/S_SmgaASssw?t=616

Climb	Grade	FA	Ascent Date	Suggested Grade
The Angle's Share	7C (Boulder)	✓	19th June 1994
The Angle's Share	Originally climbed without pads at E8. https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.115413049915581/115414339915452
Downhill Racer Direct	7A+ (Boulder)	✓	1982
Downhill Racer Direct	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116578176465735/116579446465608

Climb	Grade	FA	Ascent Date	Suggested Grade
Indian Face	E9 (Lead)	✓	4th October 1986
Indian Face	I went for the crux, the motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put the other in. The finger-holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot-changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come to mind. There is no resting. I must go and climb for the top. I swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold stays under mistreatment and then I really blow it. Fearful of a smear on now-non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall fatal, but the automaton stabs back through, wobbling, but giving its all and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward. The ropes dangle uselessly from my waist. Arthur Birtwistle on Diagonal, I grasp incuts and the tight movement swerves to a glide as gravity swings skyward ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149996096457276
Face Mecca	E9 (Lead)		1995
Slab and Crack	E8 (Lead)	✓	1986
Gaia	E8 (Lead)	✓	March 1986
Gaia	An impressive effort after minimal top rope practice.
Coeur de Lion	E8 (Lead)	✓	12th March 1986
Coeur de Lion	Originally given E6! https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149997203123832 https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149997303123822
End of the Affair	E8 (Lead)	✓	7th September 1986
The Quarryman	E8 (Lead)	✓	10th September 1986
The Quarryman	Johnny climbed the first 2 pitches on the 10th september and the second two pitches on the 11th september. He alter climbed the route in a single push. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLyF8zcP674 https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149995749790644
The Hollow Man	E8 (Lead)	✓	2nd October 1986
The Hollow Man	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149996006457285
Hardback Thesaurus	E8 (Lead Ground up)	✓	15th May 1988
Drummond Base	E8 (Lead)	✓	23rd October 2003
Drummond Base	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.143839010406318/143839717072914
Monopoly	E7 (Lead)	✓	1983
Monopoly	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116578176465735/116580406465512
The Salmon	E7 (Lead)	✓	1984
Dawes of Perception	E7 (Lead)	✓	23rd October 1985
Dawes of Perception	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117799383010281&set=a.117799293010290
Come to Mother	E7 (Lead Onsight)	✓	1986
Come to Mother	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149995939790625
Conan the Librarian	E7 (Lead)	✓	21st July 1986
Conan the Librarian	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117802133010006&set=a.117799293010290 https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117802409676645&set=a.117799293010290 https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117802443009975&set=a.117799293010290
Janus	E7 (Lead)	✓	27th July 1986	E7
Janus	Johnny initially graded it E7 7a because he thought the groove looked like two 7s.
The Fire Escape	E7 (Lead)	✓	22nd September 1986
The Fire Escape	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149995929790626
Llanberies	E7 (Lead)	✓	5th May 1987
Llanberies	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149997963123756
Avoiding the Traitors	E7 (Lead)	✓	1995
Avoiding the Traitors	https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl1gyH2Drnd/
Zen Boy	E7 (Lead)	✓	September 2003
Zen Boy	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.143839010406318/143839717072914
Beau Geste	E7 (Lead Flash)		1986
Beau Geste	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 [2] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,31629.msg649897.html#msg649897
Clap Please	E7 (Lead)		8th May 1987
Clap Please	Johnny thought E6 6c.
The Salmon	E7 (Lead Repeat)		1995
The Salmon	Reclimbed after the loss of an important pebble.
The Salmon	E7 (Lead Repeat)		2021
The Salmon	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyGwXaPl3As
Teenage Menopause	E7 (Lead)
Teenage Menopause	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116373369819549
Unfamiliar	E7 (Lead Did not finish)
Unfamiliar	Johnny tried the line ground up for a long time.
The Tesseract	E7 (Lead Did not finish)
The Tesseract	Johnny tried the route in 80's Birth of Extreme.
Adam Smith's Invisible Hand	E6 (Lead)	✓	1984
Perplexity	E6 (Lead)	✓	9th July 1985
Perplexity	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.150023826454503/150024903121062
Windows of Perception	E6 (Lead)	✓	24th October 1986
Windows of Perception	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117799339676952&set=a.117799293010290
Rupert Road	E6 (Lead Onsight)	✓	29th April 1987
Rupert Road	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149997903123762
Jumpin' on a Beetle	E6 (Solo)	✓	1994
Ulysses' Bow	E6 (Solo Onsight)		April 1984
A Fist Full of Crystals	E6 (Solo Onsight)		1985
A Fist Full of Crystals	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
Art Nouveau	E6 (Solo Onsight)		1986
Piece Of Mind	E6 (Solo Did not finish)		1986
Piece Of Mind	Johnny fell of the last move on the onsight but remarkably walked away unscathed!
Offspring	E5 (Lead)	✓	24th April 1985
Offspring	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.150023826454503/150024366454449
Rimsky Korsakov	E5 (Lead Unknown)	✓

Climb	Grade	FA	Ascent Date	Suggested Grade