Johnny Dawes

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Paul Pritchard writing in Mountain magazine:

Johnny Dawes succeeded on Nick Harms's old project right of Poetry Pink. This slab has become harder since Nick broke what he thought was the crucial hold and so lost interest. Johnny made the route after six days and feels it may be French 8c, the second in Wales this year. This tip-ripping, groin­ wrenching horror is now called The Very Big And The Very Small (E9 7b). Which one are you Johnny? [1]

References

[1] Mountain Issue 135 (1990), page 15 /library/11120/mountain-135

References

[1] https://youtu.be/S_SmgaASssw?t=813

[2] https://www.instagram.com/p/BqAZqOZlLbF/

References

[1] The Power of Climbing (1991) by David Jones, page 192

After redpointing it Johnny lowered off and then climbed it no handed on top rope!

References

[1] https://youtu.be/S_SmgaASssw?t=616

Straight up the centre of the slab, Dawes reckoned the climbing would be worth 8A. Climbed without pads – after top-roping but with no falls – and graded E8 7a.

References

[1] https://youtu.be/5416X0ID1zU?t=676

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 ...

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA

[3] Photos from the first ascent by Jonathan Reti. Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/

That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold.

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

[5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon

Fearsome, snappy, technical and sustained - scared myself to death. E9, 6c. Good grade, great route, the best experience for years. [1]

References

[1] Dixon, N. (2004). Clogwyn Dur Arddu: Climbers' Club Guide to Wales, page 187. United Kingdom: Climbers' Club.

An impressive effort after minimal top rope practice.

References

[1] Mountain Issue 109, page 19 /library/11131/mountain-109

Originally given E6!

Johnny attempted the route ground up in 1984 taking two sketchy falls from high on the route – saved from injury by one of his two belayers jumping off a small cliff below the route to take in slack. After a restorative beer, he set off for another go.

In 1986, sensing that someone else might do it first, he top roped the line before leading it on a sweaty late summer evening.

For god's sake, are you a foothold or not?! [2][3]

Johnny climbed the first 2 pitches on the 10th september and the second two pitches on the 11th september. He later climbed the route in a single push.

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLyF8zcP674

[2] Llanberis Slate. United Kingdom: Ground Up, 2011.

[3] Mountain Issue 112, page 18 /library/11111/mountain-112

Probably the first to top-rope the slab, but relied on a crumbly foothold, so passed on the lead.

References

[1] Correspondence, October 2025

References

[1] https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116373369819549

Originally climbed with side-runners, then again with a low peg runner.

Johnny dossed below the crag for three days trying the route.

References

[1] Mountain Issue 103, page 18 /library/11124/mountain-103

References

[1] Mountain Issue 107, page 10 /library/11129/mountain-107

[2] https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122114554959064984&set=pcb.122114556345064984

[3] https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122114555319064984&set=pcb.122114556345064984

Without the skyhooks.

On an onsight attempt, Dawes was unaware that Redhead had used a long sling on the bolt above the Rainbow at 80ft, as well as two pre-placed rurps – none of which were left in situ. Unable to retreat, Dawes dyno-clipped the bolt.

References

[1] Mountain Issue 107, page 11 /library/11129/mountain-107

References

[1] Mountain Issue 107, page 11 /library/11129/mountain-107

References

[1] Mountain Issue 112, page 18 /library/11111/mountain-112

References

[1] Mountain Issue 109, page 19 /library/11131/mountain-109

References

[1] Mountain Issue 109, page 19 /library/11131/mountain-109

References

[1] A record of ground-up and on-sight climbing on Peak, Yorkshire and Lancashire gritstone

[2] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,31629.msg649897.html#msg649897

[3] On The Edge Issue 107, page 48

Johnny initially graded it E7 7a because he thought the groove looked like two 7s.

References

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

References

[1] Mountain Issue 112, page 18 /library/11111/mountain-112

Johnny thought E6 6c.

Climbed peg to peg then redpointed.

Climbing the arête à cheval.

Dawes became committed and had to make powerful moves on dubious holds whilst facing a 20-meter deck-out. [1]

Said to have been climbed with a minimal rack and a maximal hangover. [2]

References

[1] https://www.commonclimber.com/pen-llyn.html

[2] JCPC 189 Pritchard Wainwright Trango part 1

[3] Mountain Issue 135 (1990), page 15 /library/11120/mountain-135

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl1gyH2Drnd/

Reclimbed after the loss of an important pebble.

I did it on a whim really. We got to the top of the Quarryman groove and I thought what can we do? I’ve done all the existing lines before so I thought I would just go for the traverse line. I got across and suddenly found myself bridging on poor smears, hanging on an edge and having to dyne (sic). At one point I had to sort of layback on the cheek of my face so I could swap hands on a hold. It was very tricky. [1]

Neil Dyer:

It was desperate, we couldn’t really do the moves on the crux. Fair enough we had a sneaky beer on the belay which always takes your edge off, bt still; it was so hard and then run-out after the hard bit was outrageous. Johnny clipped the Fire Escape bolts and then that was it, all the way to the Blockhead belay!”

References

[1] Slate Historical Section

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyGwXaPl3As

Johnny had previously climbed it on top rope with one hand, though potentially not in a oner? [1]

References

[1] Comments on this post https://www.instagram.com/p/DFilTFBNN5g/

In EBs

Climbed just after his onsight solo first ascent of Silk.

He had previously attempted to top rope the easier lower part of the route on a school trip, but the top section – the crux – was climbed on sight.

After repeated falls from the crux at 7m

References

[1] A record of ground-up and on-sight climbing on Peak, Yorkshire and Lancashire gritstone

Iwan Arfon Jones:

On the first ascent day Johnny had problems sorting out the bolt placement for the crux, so he clipped a loop positioned at the same height on the ab rope. It seemed like a fair solution. [1]

References

[1] Llanberis Slate. United Kingdom: Ground Up, 2011.

[2] Mountain Issue 107, page 11 /library/11129/mountain-107

Simon Nadin aided the route, tieing off the lightning conductors, then brought Jerry Moffatt and Johnny Dawes up on a top rope.

Johnny had previously top-roped the route in 1991 with a couple of rests on pitch 3, accompanied by Noel Craine.

Dawes onsighted Ulysses straight after

After a fall onto spotters and rucksacks

References

[1] Mountain Issue 107, page 10 /library/11129/mountain-107

References

[1] Mountain Issue 107, page 11 /library/11129/mountain-107

One-handed solo ascent. The top section turned out to be the crux and was climbed onsight.

References

[1] https://youtu.be/NfhZFGQv7Ew?t=51