Trad climbs

A classic County frightener, and the first route to tackle Bowden's unique wave formation.

The first ascent was made by Steve Blake, described in the 1999 guide as 'his best achievement'. It opened the gates for more hard contributions on the wall from the likes of John Earl and Bob Smith.

Jumping off from the break with no pads became somewhat of rite a passage for aspirant ascentionists, upon discovering that there was no way out but to climb up or plunge down!

Possibly the second E7 new route climbed onsight in the UK, after Hardback Thesaurus. Better protection was subsequently found, reducing the seriousness.

References

[1] https://www.commonclimber.com/pen-llyn.html

Calum Muskett:

Redhead was known for limiting himself to two bolts per pitch. I asked him why it was he did this:

“[Joe] Brown’s dictum before had been two pegs! It seemed reasonable. I never did like bolts anyway!” […]

When I asked Redhead about what he would consider to be his magnum opus on slate he replied:

“Possibly Raped by Affection, for the name, yes, but also for the three 30ft falls from the single badly placed 2nd bolt! I persevered a third time thinking if I fall again the bolt would pull. On the first fall, I broke a little finger but taped it up. Prancing about in lycra tights pissing off the CEB (Central Electricity Board) corporate oppressors, throwing stones at the guards – never a better time to climb…”

Raped by Affection is on the Rainbow Slab, which is, perhaps, the premier sheet of slate in the quarries. 160 feet high and 300 feet wide; its smoothness is accentuated by the lack of cracks and features. Climbers have often wondered, awestruck, what exact combination of blast charges were used to create such a perfect shear. ‘Raped…’ tackles the central line of the slab and is protected by two bolts, the first of which is at 80 feet and an excruciatingly long reach off poor footholds. [1]

References

[1] https://www.muskettmountaineering.co.uk/writing/slate-of-the-art/

R 'n' S stands for the Rock and Slime club, a loose collection of 1970s Lakes climbers, a parody of the Rock and Ice club of Brown and Whillans.

References

[1] https://www.xcflight.com/the-climbing-years/

5.13a

One of THE classic routes in Yosemite, winding up the sponymous dike feature all the way to the top of Half Dome. The route was established ground-up and very sparsely bolted, with some full rope-length pitches having no gear at all. In 2026 the route was subject to much controversy when 16 bolts were added to the first three pitches by Erik Sloan, significantly changing the character of the route. These were later chopped, putting the route back to something like it's pre-existing state. [3]

References

[1] https://www.yosemiteclimbing.org/campaigns/view-campaign/4WGnZYF4LpZvzz9jeYx5C_sNQ_V_LDbYMNOP77mCQJKdVfco0YOSu5j2FO7rF3MLUXGbpSAJPQyV1tGL5xBaSl128_AeUa3p

[2] https://www.climbing.com/community/john-long-responds-to-new-bolts-on-snake-dike/

[3] https://www.climbing.com/news/the-controversial-snake-dike-bolts-have-been-chopped/

[4] https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/203127636/half-domes-snake-dike-is-being-retrobolted-get-involved