Franco Cookson

It was in this ridiculous climate that I stumbled across this really cool arete. It looked really hard, but for me really hard was E5, so I decided it must be E5. The obvious thing to do was for me and Dave to have a go at leading it... We gradually got higher and higher up the arete. The only gear we had was a cam on the lower wall, which held just long enough to pull us in away from to drop, but always popped just afterwards. As a result we kept taking these stupid groundfalls, where we'd just be pulled in away from the really big drop and cave, but would always land in a load of brambles. Thankfully Dave decided to abseil the line and persuaded me to stop trying it from the ground. We hadn't even got to the crux. I'd have never done it ground up and it took me a good few months to do it even after working it. [1]

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/CUWsH1GDiyA/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUZOChbjeG7/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUUW7iPjzoz/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVZjfK1j5ii/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVMmK4bDNAt/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUMhNsMj9ks/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUKYdq6j3Tk/

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=2957944451124430

https://www.instagram.com/p/CU4D8jwj7JS/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUtzkQajXSB/

https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2018/08/academia_e10_repeated_by_franco_cookson-71676

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVpfhgto68G/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUO_Xhmjrl-/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CV7UZU9N2eo/

Featured in the Brit Rock film tour 2021 http://www.britrockfilmtour.com/.

The new line at Maiden's Bluff and the North York Moors' new hardest route. It's a fabulously aggressive micro route, with the difficulties being fairly short lived, all hinging on a handful of desperate micro crimps, super sketchy feet, exact body position, as well as timing for the lateral lunge. The penalty for failure is a fall onto some rubbish skyhooks on soft sandstone, with a large drop below. Right up to the point of commitment, I had no idea whether I'd summon up the required cocktail of courage and madness to actually go into the one-way tunnel. It was one of those life-defining moments. [1]

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/CX0zC6YNuAv/

[2] https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=420964812936944&set=a.229693922064035

[3] https://francocookson.wordpress.com/2021/12/23/the-immortal/

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9JkT0MiuM0

Unlike with the Young, which was a ground up 'in the first degree' (ie no ab), I cheated a bit on this one and went for the ab inspection, as the right wall needed a proper clean and I couldn't be bothered trying to get someone else to clean it (they always clean the wrong bits 😂). I'm glad I did, as it made the top moves more enjoyable and, as I also hadn't watched a video of anyone else doing it for ages, I inadvertently found a better sequence for me, taking the crux hold with my left, rather than right, avoiding some of the overhang and getting to use a load of monos! Happy days! 😁😁😁 Unfortunately the sequence I'd spied on ab didn't work as a foothold broke as soon as I tried it. But with a bit more creativity, one failed attempt at a jump, and some extreme human pyramid brushing, some new beta was found.

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/CZly0-styzY/

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeN-7D4Se4I

Unusually, you've skipped all grade 8 climbs and gone straight to 9a – which is almost certainly a first for anyone. How did this come about?

I suppose this is largely because I almost exclusively climb self-belaying, so get a lot of practice in on new routes with hard sequences, but spend relatively little time actually sport climbing. I have actually been on some sport climbing trips in the past and have climbed on Yorkshire limestone a few times, but basically I've either been just onsighting (and failing to onsight 8a), getting shut down on Yorkshire limestone, or getting very close to harder projects that I never finished off. [3]

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/Caxvc0ftguv/

[2] A clip from a previous attempt https://www.instagram.com/p/BwZTC64jYfY/

[3] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2022/03/the_meltdown_9a_by_franco_cookson-73004

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/reel/CbumMLUDlhC/

[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2022/04/hold_fast_hold_true_e10_7a_by_franco_cookson-73029

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEVf654fc1g

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb7sidmDpDl/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcH0-MrDiO5/

Unusually, Franco used a knotted rope to protect the lower section of the route (before it joins The Meltdown) as he didn't want to place any bolts.

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy3dUaztBFm/

[2] Interview with Rob Greenwood, October 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkWSzo61Lwk

[3] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,33764.msg684096.html#msg684096