Johnny Dawes

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.

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu2b4P6-IcY

References

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

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

Pre-1991. [1]

[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!

https://youtu.be/S_SmgaASssw?t=616

Originally climbed without pads at E8.

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.

An impressive effort after minimal top rope practice.

Originally given E6!

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

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.

References

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

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

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

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] 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 thought E6 6c.

Reclimbed after the loss of an important pebble.

References

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

Without the skyhooks.

References

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

Johnny tried the line ground up for a long time.

Johnny tried the route in 80's Birth of Extreme.

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.

References

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

Johnny fell of the last move on the onsight but remarkably walked away unscathed!