Trad climbs

Gordon Stainforth:

I was there when Johnny Dawes, Paul Pritchard and Ben Moon first did it in 1979 (I think it was) [sic. actually 1989]. The midges and mosquitos at the time were absolutely appalling, and we were all using an extremely potent Chinese repellent called ‘Moskil’. After they’d done the route we were all trying to think of a name, and I said the whole crag was a bit like Scafell Crag tipped outwards, and that the route they’d done was like an overhanging Moss Ghyll Grooves. And then I said, ‘Oh my god - Moskil Grooves!!' [1]

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/ukc/why_did_you_call_it_that-788280?v=1#x10121665

The first 11 pitches were established ground up by Leo Houlding, but when he reached El Cap Tower he couldn't find a way to continue. Almost 20 years later Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold worked out a line and took the route to the top of the crag, keeping Leo's original name. Alex and Tommy apparently placed some bolts to protect parts of the run-out pitches Leo had climbed. [2]

In an unusual quirk, on pitch 4 Leo was unable to find a way past a short blank section of wall. To make the route possible, in an aid bolt hole he bolted on an Alfa Romeo badge (which used to belong to a car owned by Tim Emmett when he worked as a sales rep. for DMM) to the wall which could be used as a hold to pass the section. Caldwell and Honnold were able to climb this free by a slightly different line.

Many pitches free the aid route New Dawn (A2+).

References

[1] https://www.climbing.com/people/first-ascent-passage-freedom-el-cap/

[2] https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IznLeZqWsit538f4uZ9zF

[3] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2019/11/new_free_line_on_el_capitan_for_caldwell_and_honnold-72123