John Redhead

Quick Info ˅

Nationality:	GB
Hardest Sport (Worked):	8a+
Hardest Trad (Worked):	E7

Features in E96c and Clown Ascending.

On E96c:

It was from my warehouse home here that my involvement with E9 6c was filmed and recorded. This happened within the last few weeks of my departure from this special perch. John Mortimer’s son, Jeremy, produced an excellent piece for Radio Three called, ‘Between the Ears’. Dominic Clemence produced and directed the film for BBC2. This was the attempted story of The Indian Face, a fierce route on the cathedral of rock, Clogwyn Du Arddu, on the flank of Snowdon. I liked the bit where I am sat under my climbing wall in the studio flippantly explaining the image I painted on the scar where the flake had been. This small granite flake had come away in my arms whilst testing the peg that had been smashed into its side. I drew a quick sketch on the wall of ‘the hunt‘, something that had stayed with me from viewing the Lascaux Caves in France. Only two people had seen it. Paul Williams had photographed it and Johnny Dawes had scraped it off (or rather, an acolyte had scraped it off). One had died and the other had seemingly gone mad! [1]

[1] http://footlesscrow.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/sacred-ground.html

Quick Info

Nationality:	GB
Hardest Sport (Worked):	8a+
Hardest Trad (Worked):	E7

Features in E96c and Clown Ascending.

On E96c:

It was from my warehouse home here that my involvement with E9 6c was filmed and recorded. This happened within the last few weeks of my departure from this special perch. John Mortimer’s son, Jeremy, produced an excellent piece for Radio Three called, ‘Between the Ears’. Dominic Clemence produced and directed the film for BBC2. This was the attempted story of The Indian Face, a fierce route on the cathedral of rock, Clogwyn Du Arddu, on the flank of Snowdon. I liked the bit where I am sat under my climbing wall in the studio flippantly explaining the image I painted on the scar where the flake had been. This small granite flake had come away in my arms whilst testing the peg that had been smashed into its side. I drew a quick sketch on the wall of ‘the hunt‘, something that had stayed with me from viewing the Lascaux Caves in France. Only two people had seen it. Paul Williams had photographed it and Johnny Dawes had scraped it off (or rather, an acolyte had scraped it off). One had died and the other had seemingly gone mad! [1]

[1] http://footlesscrow.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/sacred-ground.html

Podcasts

Jam Crack Podcast, September 2016

Pics + Vids

Added at 16:07 on 09 July 2021

Added at 16:07 on 09 July 2021

Indian Face (E9)

Added at 16:07 on 09 July 2021

© Paul Williams

Bananas (E5, FA)

Added at 00:03 on 20 March 2021

The Wrinkled Retainer (E5, FA)

Added at 00:03 on 20 March 2021

The Sexual Salami (E5, FA)

Added at 00:03 on 20 March 2021

Barbarossa (E6, FA)

Added at 00:03 on 20 March 2021

The Bells! The Bells! (E7, FA)

Added at 00:03 on 20 March 2021

The Big Sleep (E6)

Added at 17:03 on 20 March 2021

Fingerlicker Direct (E6, FA)

Added at 17:03 on 20 March 2021

A Midsummer Night's Dream (E6)

Added at 17:03 on 20 March 2021

Stiff Syd's Cap (E6, FA)

Added at 09:04 on 11 April 2021

Manic Strain (8a, FA)

Added at 09:04 on 11 April 2021

Released from Treatment (E6, FA)

Added at 22:04 on 11 April 2021

Stroke of the Fiend (E7, FA)

Added at 22:04 on 11 April 2021

Flower of Evil (E7, FA)

Added at 22:04 on 11 April 2021

Menopausal Discharge (8a+, FA)

Added at 08:04 on 19 April 2021

Dawes of Perception (E7)

Added at 08:04 on 19 April 2021

Ascents

31 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
1980	The Sexual Salami	E5 (Lead)	✓	15th March 1980
	The Sexual Salami	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.115298749927011/115299136593639 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115863236537229&set=a.115862679870618
	Bananas	E5 (Lead)	✓	30th March 1980
	Bananas	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.115298749927011/115299333260286 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115863216537231&set=a.115862679870618
	The Wrinkled Retainer	E5 (Lead)	✓	3rd April 1980
	The Wrinkled Retainer	https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115863216537231&set=a.115862679870618
	The Bells! The Bells!	E7 (Lead)	✓	30th June 1980
	The Bells! The Bells!	https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115863326537220&set=a.115862679870618
	Barbarossa	E6 (Lead)	✓	6th July 1980
	Barbarossa	First free ascent. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115863283203891&set=a.115862679870618
1981
1982	The Burning Sphincter	7b (Lead)	✓	1982
	The Burning Sphincter	Originally an E5 trad route. https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149994316457454/149994606457425
	The Tormented Ejaculation	E7 (Lead)	✓	1982
	The Tormented Ejaculation	...my own attempts from 1980 have been well wagged about. I call them The Tormented Ejaculation - not just mere climbing, but an expression of the flesh and blood of my work, the poetry of rock-movement inextricably bound up with the network of shape and colour. A last look at the line and a strange impulse took hold of me. I went for it. At 70ft I woke up. Ghastly! The aggression was dissipated and the fear gripped me. I had climbed with no protection and was now eyeballing a tiny shallow crack. I remembered it from the abseil and it had looked pathetic. It was real now. I contemplated jumping on the scree below before the situation got out of control. I fell a million times, my arms unfolding, my breath fading. A no. 1 stopper came to a halt, half-way down this crack, half in, rocking - my weight was on it...the mental preparation was becoming harder and harder. The so-called psyching up, a pain beyond reason. Out of the accquaintance grew more and more fear. Gone the initial naivety that had sparked off this terrifying enterprise. I knew the score and was unnerved by it...I distinctly felt a tiny slide on a friction move lower down and became very insecure, with my feet in canyon boots. I got to the little crack another 20 feet up and was dangerously pumped because of the extra strain on my fingers. The resin was wearing off the boots. I managed to place an RP1, clipped in, and was about to place a No 2 when my right foot shot off.The strain came on the RP, ripped it through, and I cartwheeled a long way down the wall. [3] [1] https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=115865133203706&set=a.115862679870618 [2] https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115865649870321&set=a.115862679870618 [3] Clogwyn Du'r Arddu (Climbers' Club Guides) 2004, Nick Dixon
	The Big Sleep	E6 (Lead)		7th March 1982
	The Big Sleep	Second ascent. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115864596537093&set=a.115862679870618
	Fingerlicker Direct	E6 (Lead)	✓	29th May 1982
	Fingerlicker Direct	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.115298749927011/115300946593458 https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=115864739870412&set=a.115862679870618
	A Midsummer Night's Dream	E6 (Lead)		30th May 1982
	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Second ascent. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=115864769870409&set=a.115862679870618
	The Dillusioned Screw Machine	E6 (Lead)	✓	27th July 1982
	The Dillusioned Screw Machine	With 1pt of aid. https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149994316457454/149994789790740
1983
1984	Master's Wall	E7 (Lead)		1984
	Master's Wall	Margins is more strenuous and technical but Master's is a much harder lead. The crux and substance of the route done in 1980 by myself. https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116374156486137
	Poetry Pink	E5 (Lead)	✓	1984
	Poetry Pink	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116374089819477
	Cystitis by Proxy	E5 (Lead)	✓	1984
	Cystitis by Proxy	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116373849819501
	Margins of the Mind	E7 (Lead)	✓	1984
	Margins of the Mind	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116374156486137
	Bell-Dance	E5 (Lead)	✓	19th March 1984
	Bell-Dance	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116372806486272
	The Clown	E7 (Lead)	✓	25th April 1984
	The Clown	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116373046486248
	Fishbox	E5 (Lead)	✓	2nd May 1984
	Fishbox	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116373123152907
	The Demons of Bosch	E7 (Lead)	✓	11th June 1984
	The Demons of Bosch	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116373656486187
	Raped by Affection	E7 (Lead)	✓	July 1984
	Raped by Affection	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116373986486154
1985
1986	Stiff Syd's Cap	E6 (Lead)	✓	April 1986
	Stiff Syd's Cap	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117799586343594&set=a.117799293010290
	Released from Treatment	E6 (Lead)	✓	26th April 1986
	Released from Treatment	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117800109676875&set=a.117799293010290
	Flower of Evil	E7 (Lead)	✓	May 1986
	Flower of Evil	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117800759676810&set=a.117799293010290
	Stroke of the Fiend	E7 (Lead)	✓	28th May 1986
	Stroke of the Fiend	Second pitch. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117800759676810&set=a.117799293010290
	Dawes of Perception	E7 (Lead)		June 1986
	Dawes of Perception	Second ascent. A few holds have snapped making the moves up to the bolt more tricky and the moves after the bolt less tricky. A tricky, gripping problem. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117801186343434&set=a.117799293010290
	Menopausal Discharge	8a+ (Lead)	✓	June 1986
	Menopausal Discharge	John graded the route E7. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117801186343434&set=a.117799293010290
	Authentic Desire	E7 (Lead)	✓	August 1986
	Authentic Desire	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117802873009932&set=a.117799293010290
1987	The Rite of Spring	E7 (Lead)	✓	1987
1987	The Rite of Spring	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149997603123792
1988
1989
1990
1991	Shaft of a Dead Man	E7 (Lead Unknown)	✓	1991
1991	Shaft of a Dead Man	I had just recovered from a paralysing virus, no doubt self-induced, as most viruses are, which hospitalized me for several days. The births of four paintings (titled The Shaft of a Dead Man) were no doubt the product of this alternative head space. [1] References [1] Dixon, N. (2004). Clogwyn Dur Arddu: Climbers' Club Guide to Wales, page 188. United Kingdom: Climbers' Club.
1992

Climb	Grade	FA	Ascent Date	Suggested Grade
Menopausal Discharge	8a+ (Lead)	✓	June 1986
Menopausal Discharge	John graded the route E7. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117801186343434&set=a.117799293010290
Manic Strain	8a (Lead)	✓
Manic Strain	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117799956343557&set=a.117799293010290
The Burning Sphincter	7b (Lead)	✓	1982
The Burning Sphincter	Originally an E5 trad route. https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149994316457454/149994606457425

Climb	Grade	FA	Ascent Date	Suggested Grade

Climb	Grade	FA	Ascent Date	Suggested Grade
Indian Face	E9 (Lead Did not finish)
Indian Face	John put in a solid ground up effort before taking a big fall. He then put in a bolt at his high point and named it The Tormented Ejaculation. John pulled a flake off the route after Johnny Dawes had made the first ascent, he then painted a piece on the rock scar. This angered Johnny who then scraped the painting off.
The Bells! The Bells!	E7 (Lead)	✓	30th June 1980
The Bells! The Bells!	https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115863326537220&set=a.115862679870618
The Tormented Ejaculation	E7 (Lead)	✓	1982
The Tormented Ejaculation	...my own attempts from 1980 have been well wagged about. I call them The Tormented Ejaculation - not just mere climbing, but an expression of the flesh and blood of my work, the poetry of rock-movement inextricably bound up with the network of shape and colour. A last look at the line and a strange impulse took hold of me. I went for it. At 70ft I woke up. Ghastly! The aggression was dissipated and the fear gripped me. I had climbed with no protection and was now eyeballing a tiny shallow crack. I remembered it from the abseil and it had looked pathetic. It was real now. I contemplated jumping on the scree below before the situation got out of control. I fell a million times, my arms unfolding, my breath fading. A no. 1 stopper came to a halt, half-way down this crack, half in, rocking - my weight was on it...the mental preparation was becoming harder and harder. The so-called psyching up, a pain beyond reason. Out of the accquaintance grew more and more fear. Gone the initial naivety that had sparked off this terrifying enterprise. I knew the score and was unnerved by it...I distinctly felt a tiny slide on a friction move lower down and became very insecure, with my feet in canyon boots. I got to the little crack another 20 feet up and was dangerously pumped because of the extra strain on my fingers. The resin was wearing off the boots. I managed to place an RP1, clipped in, and was about to place a No 2 when my right foot shot off.The strain came on the RP, ripped it through, and I cartwheeled a long way down the wall. [3] [1] https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=115865133203706&set=a.115862679870618 [2] https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115865649870321&set=a.115862679870618 [3] Clogwyn Du'r Arddu (Climbers' Club Guides) 2004, Nick Dixon
Margins of the Mind	E7 (Lead)	✓	1984
Margins of the Mind	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116374156486137
The Clown	E7 (Lead)	✓	25th April 1984
The Clown	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116373046486248
The Demons of Bosch	E7 (Lead)	✓	11th June 1984
The Demons of Bosch	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116373656486187
Raped by Affection	E7 (Lead)	✓	July 1984
Raped by Affection	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116373986486154
Flower of Evil	E7 (Lead)	✓	May 1986
Flower of Evil	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117800759676810&set=a.117799293010290
Stroke of the Fiend	E7 (Lead)	✓	28th May 1986
Stroke of the Fiend	Second pitch. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117800759676810&set=a.117799293010290
Authentic Desire	E7 (Lead)	✓	August 1986
Authentic Desire	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117802873009932&set=a.117799293010290
The Rite of Spring	E7 (Lead)	✓	1987
The Rite of Spring	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149995619790657/149997603123792
Shaft of a Dead Man	E7 (Lead Unknown)	✓	1991
Shaft of a Dead Man	I had just recovered from a paralysing virus, no doubt self-induced, as most viruses are, which hospitalized me for several days. The births of four paintings (titled The Shaft of a Dead Man) were no doubt the product of this alternative head space. [1] References [1] Dixon, N. (2004). Clogwyn Dur Arddu: Climbers' Club Guide to Wales, page 188. United Kingdom: Climbers' Club.
Master's Wall	E7 (Lead)		1984
Master's Wall	Margins is more strenuous and technical but Master's is a much harder lead. The crux and substance of the route done in 1980 by myself. https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116374156486137
Dawes of Perception	E7 (Lead)		June 1986
Dawes of Perception	Second ascent. A few holds have snapped making the moves up to the bolt more tricky and the moves after the bolt less tricky. A tricky, gripping problem. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117801186343434&set=a.117799293010290
Barbarossa	E6 (Lead)	✓	6th July 1980
Barbarossa	First free ascent. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115863283203891&set=a.115862679870618
Fingerlicker Direct	E6 (Lead)	✓	29th May 1982
Fingerlicker Direct	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.115298749927011/115300946593458 https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=115864739870412&set=a.115862679870618
The Dillusioned Screw Machine	E6 (Lead)	✓	27th July 1982
The Dillusioned Screw Machine	With 1pt of aid. https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.149994316457454/149994789790740
Stiff Syd's Cap	E6 (Lead)	✓	April 1986
Stiff Syd's Cap	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117799586343594&set=a.117799293010290
Released from Treatment	E6 (Lead)	✓	26th April 1986
Released from Treatment	https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=117800109676875&set=a.117799293010290
The Big Sleep	E6 (Lead)		7th March 1982
The Big Sleep	Second ascent. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115864596537093&set=a.115862679870618
A Midsummer Night's Dream	E6 (Lead)		30th May 1982
A Midsummer Night's Dream	Second ascent. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=115864769870409&set=a.115862679870618
The Sexual Salami	E5 (Lead)	✓	15th March 1980
The Sexual Salami	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.115298749927011/115299136593639 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115863236537229&set=a.115862679870618
Bananas	E5 (Lead)	✓	30th March 1980
Bananas	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.115298749927011/115299333260286 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115863216537231&set=a.115862679870618
The Wrinkled Retainer	E5 (Lead)	✓	3rd April 1980
The Wrinkled Retainer	https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=115863216537231&set=a.115862679870618
Poetry Pink	E5 (Lead)	✓	1984
Poetry Pink	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116374089819477
Cystitis by Proxy	E5 (Lead)	✓	1984
Cystitis by Proxy	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116373849819501
Bell-Dance	E5 (Lead)	✓	19th March 1984
Bell-Dance	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116372806486272
Fishbox	E5 (Lead)	✓	2nd May 1984
Fishbox	https://www.facebook.com/rockarchivist/photos/a.116371059819780/116373123152907

Climb	Grade	FA	Ascent Date	Suggested Grade