All climbs

The first 8c+ in the USA.

References

[1] https://open.spotify.com/episode/30qPube60E0HHtsSacKlHF

Around 8a+ to 8b difficulty wise, protected by pegs and small wires. The in-situ gear has changed since the first ascent:

Rhoslyn Frugtniet:

Today, however, the route feels quite different from what Neil, Caff, and Oli would have experienced. Tied-off and equalised bomber pegs now provide the majority of the protection, requiring very little necessary additional gear. Good cams at the bottom and top then cover the pegless sections of rock. [1]

James Taylor re-equipped the route in 2021:

Just a historical note. It has far fewer pegs now than it ever did. I replaced the top cluster of 4 pegs with two new ones and the cluster of 3 pegs that were just below that with 2 new ones. All the old pegs are in my mantlepiece. So 7 pegs were replaced with 4, two pairs of two, this was done in 2021 and now it's common to have the pairs equalised. I didn't replace the 5 lower pegs, 2 of which have now come out. The lower pegs are next to good gear and inconsequential to the route, just artifacts of Twid. [2]

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2026/07/mission_impossible_the_most_possible_e9_in_the_uk-74180

[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/ukc/mission_impossible_the_most_possible_e9_in_the_uk-791770?v=1#x10157604

Alex Megos's contribution to the legendary School 50. A modern classic.

A psychological breakthrough hailed at the time as one of the most difficult routes in the UK. Whilst clearly a step-up from the Brown-Whillans era, with the benefit of hindsight, there were already a number of harder routes by the time of its first ascent. Nonetheless it possessed a considerable cachet until attaining trade-route status by the mid-1980s.

The Nose is one of the most monumental and iconic rock climbs in the world, taking the most prominent line up the middle of El Capitan.

Prior to its free ascent, it had a long and storied history as an aid route, still the most popular way up El Cap today. The free ascent was an obvious longstanding challenge, with sections were freed by many different people, not always formally recorded, before Lynn Hill's completely free ascent in 1991.

Much of the route is climbed by pitches from fairly moderate up to 5.12d. However, the burly Great Roof (5.13c/8a+) and notoriously technical Changing Corners (5.14a/8b+) pitches, both high on the route, have stopped even some of the best climbers.

The Stoveleg Cracks were first freed by Jim Bridwell in June 1967 after attempts in 1965 partnering Frank Sacherer, who originally conceived they might be climbable without aid.

In 1975 John Bachar, Dale Bard and Ron Kauk had climbed ~85% free, all but 120m, at ~5.11+.

In Spring 1980 Ray Jardine spent 4 months working the route, fixing ropes, managing to climb as far as the Great Roof free, but only after chipping four holds on the Jardine Traverse to avoid the King Swing pendulum. So far (as of 2025), all subsequent free ascents have taken this traverse.

In Fall 1990, Brooke Sandahl and Scott Franklin climbed all but four pitches free, the remaining aided sections were the Great Roof, the pitch above Camp 5, Changing Corners, and the final Harding bolt ladder. Working top-down, Sandahl freed the Harding bolt ladder in 1991 (5.12c/7b+) and, with Dave Schultz, freed the pitch above Camp 5 in 1992 (5.12d/7c). They prepared the route for a free ascent, including bolting a variation just to the left of the aid line on the Changing Corners pitch, but were unable to climb this.

Lynn Hill partnered by Simon Nadin, first free climbed the Great Roof on a ground-up attempt in 1993, but they were unable to completely free the Changing Corners by either the original line or the Sandahl/Schultz variation. All but ten feet of the route had now been free-climbed.

Hill and Sandahl joined forces later in the summer of 1993 and began working the Changing Corners pitch top-down, Sandahl focusing on his left-hand variation, Hill on the original aid line. Hill was able to climb all the moves on the latter, with two falls.

In September 1993, Hill made a completely free ascent of the route from the ground, leading all the hard pitches. She returned the following year to climb the whole route in a day – an astounding achievement.

Notable repeats include Keita Kurakami's rope solo, Sébastien Berthe's ground-up, and Connor Herson's rapid ascent in just nine and a half hours.

References

[1] https://alpinist.com/features/birds-eye-view/

[2] http://www.edhartouni.net/nose-in-a-day.html

[3] https://www.rayjardine.com/Papers/Magazine-Articles/index.php?StoryPage=7

[4] https://www.rayjardine.com/Avocations/Rock-Climbing/index.php

[5] https://climbingzine.com/brooke-sandahl-beginnings-freeing-nose/

[6] https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199404100/El-Capitans-Nose-Climbed-Free

One of the most compelling single pitch lines out there, Divided Years tackles a 55m prow at Buzzard's Roost in the Mournes. It was the first route to be given E10 in the world in 1994, and was said to feature 8c climbing. It now rates E9, with climbing around 8a+.

James McHaffie and Ryan Pasquill made ground-up ascents with minimal beta and prep in 2015. Robbie Phillips made a well-prepared flash of the route in 2026.

Jack Geldard, UKC:

The route is one of the most inspirational lines in the UK, tackling a huge overhanging bastion of rock in a beautiful and remote setting.

Dave MacLeod describes it as: "This is one of the best single pitch routes I've ever seen or done"

The sport grade would weigh in at around F8a+ (possibly F8b) and the route is known to be well protected. Both John Dunne and Dave Birkett are thought to have had a few pre-placed runners on the most difficult section, whereas Dave MacLeod and Ricky Bell placed all gear on lead. Ricky took some 30ft falls on to hand-placed bird beak runners during his ascent.

One of the eight ‘last great problem’ projects listed in the Derwent Grit guide. [1]

Jerry Moffatt did all the moves, Johnny Dawes top roped it in a oner, Ron Fawcett was hovering, but it was Andy Pollitt who tied into the sharp end, jumped through the crux and wobbled through to the top – narrowly avoiding a disastrous fall when he slipped on the final sloping ledges.

The route was first climbed on the 2nd of March 1988 by Andy Pollitt and graded E9. The pre-clipped 'hand-held' peg used on the first ascent was later discovered to have actually been placed with a 'hand-held' hammer. [2]

The grade of a given ascent depends on the particular gear placements used. The first ascent and early repeats used a peg in a slot high on the left. Later repeats used a cam in a good slot at half height, though this requires a traverse to access. Some people have combined the cam and the pegs, some people have used neither!

References

[1] The others were Dharma, Gaia, End of the Affair, Kaluza Klein, Soul Doubt, The Screaming Dream and The Groove.

[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/10/ryan_pasquill_flashes_knockin_on_heavens_door-58563

Originally put up as 8B+, the consensus seems to have shifted to 8B.

A new sequence with kneebars has significantly reduced the difficulty compared to the original sequence.

The 'Mona Lisa of bouldering', according to Niccolò Ceria, this stunning arête is one of the quintessential problems of Fontainebleau.

Jacky Godoffe and Marc le Menestrel vied for the first ascent:

Who, Jacky or Marc, conquered the boulder first? In a spirit of brotherhood, both climbers blur the lines, each valuing the other’s effort. That day, they decided to share the first ascent, thus linking their names to the story of the boulder they would together call ‘Partage’. [1]

In 2009, a ‘finger jug’ snapped off, revealing a characteristic hole. This may have made it a little harder.

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/C09aKQQtBaT/

Initially given 9a which would have made Adam Ondra's 2012 ascent the first onsight of the grade. However Adam felt the route was more 8c+ and Daniel Woods, who flashed the route on the same day, agreed.

Named after John Allen, a prolific force in the Peak District, who sadly died shortly before the first ascent.