Climbs

Ted Kingsnorth on hold deterioration:

Regarding holds changing, there are 2 key holds that have altered a bit since the FA in 95. Firstly the crux sidepull/ pod between the second and third bolt for your left hand has got smaller due to it crumbling. Apparently it used to be significantly bigger. Secondly the slopey pod for your right hand used to have more of a lip on it in the 90's and this broke off making this bit harder. Its the redpoint crux now - this broke agin majorly last summer but was repaired back to its former state as the piece that broke was retained and put back exactly how it used to be.

Thirdly, there were some holds between the 6th and 7th bolt that broke about 8 or 9 years ago [2015/16] but a repair was done to a key crimp so this section is about the same as what it used to be (the old holds can be seen in the Chris Savage video or the Malc pics).

I understand that this year [2024] the jug by the kneebar rest higher up has crumbled plus some other sika has decayed (not sure where) but I don't have any knowledge of this as haven't been up there to look. [1]

On balance it is not possible to know whether the route has gotten noticeably harder since the first ascent because no one has tried the route in it's previous state vs. it's current state to know if the difficulty has changed.

References

[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,33869.msg697741.html#msg697741

Previously a Dave Graham project before Daniel Woods made the first ascent in 2007.

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHveI852h0M

References

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Rambla_(climb)

References

[1] https://fanatic-climbing.com/il-etait-une-voie-once-upon-a-line-les-voillage-faurmes-la-jenaice-aka-le-voyage/

Originally given E8.

Sleepwalker is a boulder problem in Red Rocks in the USA. Nalle Hukkataival first cleaned and tried the line, and was then joined by Jimmy Webb and Daniel Woods in trying it. Jimmy Webb made the first ascent, shortly followed by Daniel Woods. After a prolonged battle with skin and conditions Nalle was able to make the third ascent.

It has become one of the most popular hard boulders in the world, in part due to relatively reliable conditions and ease of access, with 15 ascents at the time of writing.

Originally climbed as an easier variation of Salathé Wall, avoiding the hard crack pitches on the headwall, Freerider is now one of the most popular free routes on El Capitan.

There are two common variations that make up the crux of the route, The Boulder Problem at around 7c+ sport or 7B/+ boulder or The Teflon Corner at around 7c sport. The boulder problem is short, technical and crimpy while the teflon corner features extremely technical smearing. While the rest of the route is seldom easy the other notable hard pitches are The Monster Offwidth and The Enduro Corner.

Dan McManus on The Monster Offwidth:

Left side in! The first time I climbed this pitch I had been told that it was crucial to climb it with a specific side in the crack, but I couldn’t remember which side. I guessed right side, I was wrong, but I did miraculously manage to chicken-wing my way up by the skin of my teeth. In doing so I removed the skin on my tricep which oozed for the next few days and made further offwidths very painful. [1]

References

[1] https://danmcmanus.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-guide-to-freerider.html

The first 8c+ in the USA.

References

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

Originally given 8C but due to a chipped hold, some soft rock and vigorous brushing holds have changed and it is now more like 8B/+.

Known as Peaches before Ron Fawcett made the first ascent in 1980, due to its proximity to the route Cream (peaches and cream, strawberries and cream etc.).

In other trivia, the route was featured on the cover of the 1978 Tremadog and the Moelwyns Climbers Club guidebook making it a rare example of an unclimbed route on the cover of a guide. [2][3]

References

[1] Jack Geldard on the history of the route https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/strawberries_-_a_british_on_sight-1117

[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/photos/dbpage.php?id=411731

[3] https://www.ukclimbing.com/photos/dbpage.php?id=411732