Climbs

A very long boulder problem. Around 8c+ to 9a as a sport route depending on how many knee bars you find.

Chris Doyle:

Pilgrimage (or The Big Link as it was always referred to) is a historic piece of Welsh climbing. In the early 90s long before the Cave was a popular and recognised bouldering destination an in-form Ben Moon got close to making the FA. The problem was written up in the first Northern Soul despite being a project and its legend grew in Cave circles. In 2004 legendary strong man Malcolm Smith invested considerable time and money (1000 pounds worth of fuel driving down from Scotland) and made the first ascent of the link at 8b+ or F9a.

References

[1] https://doylosblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/pilgrimage-2nd-ascent.html

Free version of the Muir Wall with some variations in line.

Eneko Pou:

The first part consists of seven pitches (about 300 m) with difficulties that do not exceed 7b, but many of them either do not have bolts, or only have one or two, meaning that you’re tested physically and psychologically since, in many places, falls are potentially very dangerous.

Iker Pou:

The second part consists of another seven more difficult pitches, very vertical and without rests, past continuous difficulties that peak with an 8c. As in the first section, bolts are runout and the pro needs backing up with trad gear. This was by far the crux. [1]

References

[1] https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/alpinism/new-picos-de-europa-8c-multi-pitch-by-pou-brothers-kico-cerda.html

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

Originally led but now typically done above a big pile of mats at about 7C+. On the first ascent Jerry Moffatt took a fairly direct line at the top, whereas people typically traverse round to the right before topping out when climbing the line above pads.

Initial attempts at a sit start to Sleepwalker were coming in from the left, but after shifting a boulder out of the way a line coming in from the right was made possible.

The climbing in to the stand is around 8B.

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

So named because first ascentionist Dave Graham was recovering from a nasty hand injury when he established the problem.

The route had previously been climbed in two parts: the bottom half as One Step Beyond Direct by Ron Fawcett, and the top as Homeward Bound by Peter Beal. Johnny combined the two to complete the natural line up the middle of the wall.

It masqueraded as an E7 for a decade or two, but the combination of sustained hard climbing and hard-to-place small gear led to an upgrade.