Trad climbs

References

[1] Alpine Journal 1960 page 182-185 by Chris Bonnington https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1960_files/AJ%201960%20182-185%20Bonington%20Tre%20Cime.pdf

A pioneering route up Trango's Nameless Tower, encompassing hard free and mixed climbing at 6000m.

The route was established in 1989 by Kurt Albert, Wolfgang Güllich, Christof Stiegler and Milan Sykora, graded VI, 7b+, A2.

The whole route was freed by the Huber brothers in 2009, during an unprecedented spell of good weather, at 7c+.

Alexander Huber:

"There's no doubt we were extremely lucky. To be successful, so many different things have to fall into place. The weather was great which meant we could climb perfectly, up the cracks which were free of ice. I take my hat off to the achievement and free climbing instinct of the first ascenders. This route is a true enrichment for mountaineering. With "Eternal Flame" Kurt Albert, Wolfgang Güllich, Christof Stiegler and Milan Sykora have passed on the best and most beautiful free climb on the globe. We are thrilled that we could play a little part in developing this route!"

Perhaps the most celebrated and revered route in the UK, Johnny Dawes' ascent in 1986 gave the country its first E9. Although only around 7b/+ to top rope, the route is exceptionally bold, running it out way above bodyweight-only RPs in suspect placements. A fall from the precarious crux at around 40m would likely end on the ground.

A narrow resting foothold before the crux sequence allows the leader a moment's respite and an opportunity to contemplate their fate. Neil Gresham remarked that without this 'ledge' the route might only be E8.

Memorably described in Paul Williams' 1988 guidebook as follows:

Standard: E9; Exceptionally Severe (Excessively so). Rubbers.

It has been said that up the face to the right of A Midsummer Night's Dream, a pitch of such appalling difficulty as to be almost beyond the realms of human comprehension has been ascended without mechanical machinations or other insidious practices normally associated with a route of this calibre. The crux is as fearsome a piece of climbing as has yet been seen in Snowdonia; harder than the Horned Crag, or perhaps even the Gambit Climb of Crib y Ddysgl (though this may be to overstate).

A preliminary inspection on the rope is certainly advisable. Where the crux (of an obduracy to satisfy even the most advanced of ambitions) to be even so little as two feet longer, it is a matter much to be doubted whether even so much as a single man possessed of the necessary capacities of temperament, physique and moral character could be found in these islands capable of fulfilling the requirements of such an exacting ascent. Skill and confidence — and both in abundance — are required, though a greater premium may be placed upon fingers possessed of some of the characteristics of tempered steel.

The climbing is on holds unremittingly exiguous in nature — their paucity proving such a drain upon mental faculties as to daunt the heart of a would-be leader, even though he may be the stoutest of fellows.

Protection is at best illusory; the whole sweep of rock affords not so much as a single nubbin on which the thinnest line may be secured, nor a single crack in which the most vestigial of chockstones could hope to gain lodgment. Should the leader fail to negotiate the crux, or be seized by a palsy high on the pitch, disaster must be imminent — nay, inevitable, the ground below which would receive his fall being by no means accommodating to such a contingency. The second's faculties should comprehend any eventuality, no matter how dire, which may befall, though medical qualification is supernumary, spiritual rather than temporal care being of more direct assistance in the aftermath of an abrupt descent. Scatological preoccupations are most likely amongst the preliminaries to an ascent, though it is questionable whether abstinence from carnal pleasure the preceding week would prove advantageous to a man of such moral fibre as would dare to contemplate so audacious an undertaking.

The party should most conveniently number two, the compet- ence of the leader should, as has previously been noted, be of an exceptionally high order, whilst that of the second should not lag far behind.

Rope: A full 150 feet of Alpine line will be found necessary for each member of the party, though more would add to the comfort, both mental and spiritual.

...

The successful leader, even though he be of a modest disposition, may relax, and justifiably award himself a 'pat on the back'. [1]

After the first ascent there was some controversy, with a flake parting company with the route and John Redhead painting a picture in the scar left behind. This was subsequently removed and became a further source of prime beef between the pair. In 1980, John had made some extraordinary efforts to climb the line, resulting in The Tormented Ejaculation and he took umbrage with Dawes top-roping the line of Indian Face before leading it.

Johnny Dawes:

The real shame is that John [Redhead] can't accept that other people are special too. John thinks he's special. Well a lot of other people are special too John. [2]

At some point a mystery chipped nut placement appeared which would have made the route substantially safer. This was filled in with epoxy resin by Johnny Dawes in 1990. [3]

The route was repeated in 1994 by Neil Gresham and Nick Dixon. In 1996 following Leo Houlding's onsight ascent of Master's Wall, up which the route starts, there was speculation about the possibility of an onsight of Indian Face. However, once Leo discovered Yosemite, Welsh death routes no longer seemed so appealing [4] and James McHaffie's epic on Master's Wall in 2000 quenched the onsight dream, seemingly for good.

The route was then neglected for some time, its aura growing. Dave MacLeod backed off it in 2007, before returning better-prepared in 2010 to make a flawless headpoint. A relative flood of repeats in a similar style followed in the dry summer 2013, with McHaffie dispatching the route in a day. Morus Sanderson unintentionally channeled some of the spirit of earlier adventures on the wall with a harrowing repeat on wet holds in 2023. Rachel Pearce made the first female ascent in 2026.

References

[1] Paul Williams. Clogwyn Du'r Arddu. United Kingdom: Climbers' Club, 1989.

[2] E9 6c

[3] Mountain Issue 134 (1990), page 14 /library/11317/mountain-134

[4] https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/jam-crack-the-niall-grimes-climbing-podcast/id1065991509?i=1000637614429

Rhapsody is a trad route at Dumbarton Rock in Scotland first climbed by Dave MacLeod in 2006. It was the hardest trad route in the world at the time and maintains a substantial reputation, featuring 8c+ climbing, and potential for huge falls onto tiny gear from the 8A crux at the top of the route.

The route starts by climbing the majority of Requiem (around 7c+ to here) to a poor rest before an intensely technical sequence up the headwall above. The line is somewhat eliminate at the top, forcing a line of maximum difficulty to the very top of the crag rather than reaching out to an arête. [2]

The route has become a test piece for sport climbers who want to test their mettle, with repeats coming from an international cohort.

Around the time that he made the second ascent, Sonnie Trotter also added a variation called Direquiem which takes the headwall but finishes left, rather than going to the highest point of the crag.

References

[1] E11 2006 film by Paul Diffley

[2] https://davemacleod.blogspot.com/2008/12/home-in-winter-wonderland.html

~8a+ on ok-ish gear.

One of the most famous routes in the dolomites.

A historic gritstone king line, which was solved well ahead of its time by Jonny Woodward in 1982, in non-sticky boots.

The route relies on a crucial pebble to leave the half height break and enter the seam above. In the early 2000s half the pebble shattered and fell off, making the crux harder but still possible.

John Allen:

It seemed to me that it's ascent was a moment of inspiration fired by desire. A classic natural sculpture made to be climbed, but only by the best. [1]

References

[1] Extreme Rock (1987) Rear Cover /library/collection/1/extreme-rock

Perhaps the most famous and celebrated trad route in Britain, taking on the obvious challenge of the open-book corner of Dinas Cromlech.

The route was named by John Menlove Edwards, prior to the first ascent. Around 1948 Peter Harding, one of the most talented and bold climbers of the day, was repelled by its initial hard section at 20ft.

Next up was Joe Brown. Joe was operating at a different level, and he made it most of the way up, before retreating from the niche before the crux, having dropped his peg hammer on his unfortunate belayer Wilf White. He was back in 1952 to complete the route with two points of aid, and it is his name that remains most associated with the route today.

He recounts the first ascent struggle in The Hard Years:

In August 1952, Doug Belshaw and I left the hut and went to Cenotaph Corner for another attempt. Compared with the first attempt I now had superlative equipment and a keener eye for running belays on which to protect myself. I avoided using pegs up to the point I had reached before, but pulled on a sling to overcome the first hard move at 20 feet. I found the climbing just as difficult as ever and tore my trousers from knee to ankle in the crack at 70 feet. Getting into the niche at 100 feet was absolutely gripping - very much harder than I remembered it from the previous occasion. The exit crack jutted out above. I tried an assortment of pegs; none seemed the right size for the crack. I buckled half of them and thought, Oh, damn it, you’ll have to bridge up across the bulge to gain a little height and bang one in higher up, where the crack appeared to be more regular. To make this move I stuck a peg loosely into the crack and pulled sideways on it. This movement was as hard as any I had done in my life. The last thing I expected was to be able to stay suspended in so fantastic a position and hammer in a big wrought-iron peg above the impending rock. The peg remained there for eight years. I leaned away on the crack and pressed my feet against the left wall to raise myself. I pivoted up almost horizontally. In this shattering position I knew that I would be down in seconds. I was climbing in socks and vainly tried to hook my feet on to rugosities below a large patch of moss, oozing with water. Until then I had forgotten that the conditions on the cliff were bad and the corner was very damp. There was a large jug-handle hold above. If I used it, releasing a hand from the crack would swing me off. But I had to use it or fall off in any event. Grabbing the jug-handle I swung back into a vertical position. the wrench drained the strength from my overworked arm. I got another hand on the jug and pulled with all the strength I could muster. I shot up like a missile from a catapult and thrust a foot firmly on the big hold. The exclamation “Phew” was never more appropriate at that moment.

It is not recorded who made the first free ascent.

By the 1960s, the character of the route had changed significantly, with good cracks appearing which had once been blocked by debris:

For those who did the route in the following years what they experienced was nothing like climb that it had been in its first 10 plus years. The route is the natural drainage line from the grassy bay above and soil and mud had been washed down into the crack. This over the ages had become solid like mortar. The crack that Joe climbed was shallow, only allowing the first inch of the finger’s entry, and the easy protection was not available in the same way - and was not the manufactured nuts until well into the 60's and certainly not the camming devices that followed in the 70's. I think it was after this ascent that Chris talked with Joe Brown who had just made his second ascent of the Corner. Joe said even at this time (1963) the route had changed drastically from when he first did it. [7]

A piton above the niche, possibly Brown's, survived until July 2024.

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BdWj3qmu5M

[2] Harding, PJR (1950). Llanberis Pass. UK: Climber’s Club

[3] https://climbing-history.org/library/7288/llanberis-pass

[4] https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/rock_talk/ron_moseley_and_left_wall-127598

[5] https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/dinas_cromlech-4/cenotaph_corner-3195

[6] https://www.climbing.com/culture-climbing/cleaning-up-climbing-history/

[7] https://theclimbersshopjoebrownblog.co.uk/blog/cenotaph-corner-70th-anniversary-of-the-first-ascent

[8] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/destinations/the_wishlist_cenotaph_corner_e1_5c_dinas_cromlech-16579

Formerly an aid route.

Ed Drummond climbed the first pitch at a slightly lower level than the current line, top-roping it first, placing a bolt, pitons and using skyhooks (a total of 5 points of aid) on the 8th July 1973. This was omitted from the 1976 guide on ethical grounds although other routes of the time had employed similar amounts of aid.