Ben Cossey

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Lee Cossey:

What seemed important about soloing Gaia, given that no one had done it before?

Ben Cossey:

Oh just because it was a route from way back. A Johnny Dawes route, from Stone Monkey, and just because...tying a little bow around it. It was unique for me, for my experience. [1]

References

[1] https://youtu.be/Eu8kTmfv9mI?t=1039

[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2007/04/another_unconventional_ascent_for_ben_cossey-36306

First ascent.

References

[1] https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/british-trad-extremes.html

Second ascent.

References

[1] https://youtu.be/M94V4uqmY1U?t=1172

First ascent.

Fuck, I'm the fucking best. [1]

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-PsXKda6JU

What a rad thing.

First ascent.

I first saw this line when I was 15. Sean Myles had bolted it and he, Jerry Moffatt, Garth, Nick Sutter, Zac Vertrees and Fred Nicole had all had a play. I have a memory of sitting staring at it as we drove home when I was 15, the sun rising over it and thinking to myself “I’m gonna do that route”…Time goes by and life happens but this line was still there unclimbed in the forefront of my mind. It’s a connies dependent route, which bakes in the sun all day and is 1,000kms from home which added to the trickiness of getting it done. It’s in the most beautiful place on earth overlooking the Wimmera and Punks in the Gym, up where the wind whispers “Wolfgang”. I feel super proud to have done the FA of a line that typifies the Arapilisian style. Climbing, and the process of climbing a project doesn’t get better 💘 Grade-wise, I feel 34 best reflects the difficulties of the line, which’d make it the first at Arapiles, personally I think that is pretty cool. [1]

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/C64vOwmyaMT/

[2] https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7OgGjaSrhE/

[3] https://open.spotify.com/episode/1WzQ26Tf6jtcWzrh18wTRN?