Climbs

The route takes the sole weakness in one of the UK's largest sweeps of granite.

John Dunne:

I was stunned at the scale and quality of the wall and it is a fantastic piece of rock, technical and bold with the huge flake feature on the main pitch. The route is awesome and world class.

John's first ascent was not without controversy, as Dave MacLeod made a competing claim at around the same time, having found the top pitch dirty and unchalked.

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2016/05/mchaffie_and_dunne_on_the_great_escape-70475

Alternative finish to Cry Freedom.

Adam Ondra:

Aidan used a different starting position. He started from a crouch start in wide compression, using a different sequence for the first 2 (3) moves. All following ascents were done starting from sitstart on the right, which is arguably a more logical start. [...] This has probably resulted in Aidan's perception of difficulty 8C/C+. [2]

There is some footage of attempts on the line in March 2022 here [1].

References

[1] https://youtu.be/H0HMSamy-AI?t=52

[2] https://www.adamondra.com/celestite-8c-flash-and-lion-s-share-8c-flash/

One of the hardest slab routes around (unless you think it’s more of a vertical wall…), featuring some truly unique movement. Bolted and named by Johnny Dawes in 1985, he came close to success before breaking a hold, his best link perhaps being 8c. James McHaffie made the first ascent in 2012.

Dawes vividly described the route as follows:

Slate is famous as the rockover capital of British climbing, yet the Meltdown barely has one. Off the top of my head I can remember ten unique moves I've never come across elsewhere. In '86 I was able to link large sections together, one combination representing the hardest link I've ever done at that point except perhaps for the pre-scarred crux of Scritto's Republic in '82. On Meltdown eight 6c moves up a dynamically-climbed rib are sandwiched between an ankle-height drop down involving precise rotation of the whole body and a highly compressed mantle. This link I repeated in '90. It was my best achievement of the year alongside The Very Big and the Very Small, but this time complete with the substance of the start and clipping two bolts.

This meant I'd linked up to the second crux traverse right. The technicality of these cruxes is such that any limb's contact can fail which is unusual. The top crux is the harder, powerful-like Hubble, subtle like Shirley's Shining Temple yet at the end of an horrendous sequence. Lovely. The trouble is the sequence has disappeared.

While yarding like mad at the edge of the overlap the overlap broke, the weight of a satchel full of gold, I fumbled it then watched as it rotated slowly, accelerating swiftly onto obscure bits of disappointment. Some 11 years have passed since the convoluted ripples right of the first pitch of The Quarryman first attracted me. What to do now? One idea I hit upon was to remodel the hold out of bronze. Like a gold cap on a gangster's tooth the cast would gleam on the smooth purple overlap. I have a friend who casts bronze. His skills combined with a strangely clear image in my mind (plus High8 video evidence from a Stone Monkey pilot) should allow a meltdown to remould the moves of my memory.

Meltdown is unique, though only 80' high it has two crux traverses of 20' each. Each move is different to any other, tiny slivers of slate as sidepulls manifested in spookily appropriate positions, rounded micromounds for feet, set in natural perfection to limit the sweep of the hand. Clusters of three holds where three are necessary to swap hands. There is a rest before the crux which takes six moves to establish and use three footholds to enable a heel standing/hands off, possible by starring out your body. The second crux involves using the bronze cap; this will be for six moves. A dyno into a left hand finger pointing layback (fingers straight, hand palm at 90 to them) with the right knee resting on top of the left hand. A slap into an undercling and then a leg flag move where it would be ideal if you could take off your left calf muscle. Then a full foot smear, toe pull and footless dropdown after a low, long slap onto a pinch in front of your face. Extended, a big beautiful slopy foothold comes just within reach, legs and arms all crossed up, a hand off is sequentially possible. A few deft un-weightings, a set up and a sideways double dyno (the easiest move on the route) and the Meltdown is complete. [2]

References

[1] Jerry Moffatt and Johnny Dawes trying Meltdown in the 80s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu2b4P6-IcY

[2] On The Edge, 'The Slate Issue' (no 66?)

There is some confuision around whether Alex Sharpe and Brian Hall or John Allen and Steve Bancroft made the first free ascent in 1974.

Adds an 8B on top of Blood Meridian before a spicy 7C+ sequence at ~20ft to gain the slab.

Since the first ascent the problem has broken a couple of times and has been glued back together both times.

There is some variation in the line taken by each of the ascenionists so far. Andy Earl climbed a line very close to the arete, Dan Varian and Will Bosi ended up slightly more on the right face at the top and Franco Cookson moved on to the right hand face earlier still, avoiding a couple of moves up the prow [1]. Franco amusingly named his variation Varian the Librarian.

Regarding the grade, Andy Earl didn't offer a grade and Steve Crowe wrote it up for the guidebook as E9 7a. It is now more commonly climbed above a big pile of pads at ~8A.

References

[1] Franco Cookson discusses the controversy around the line on UKClimbing.com, 9th Feb 2022 https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/opinions/the_blurry_line_-_when_does_a_sequence_become_a_line-14240

[2] On The Edge 128, page 18

Free version of Muir Wall with some variations in line including final pitches of The Shield.

A pioneering 'very high highball' with V5 climbing, done ground-up in 1961 by John Gill. It is alternatively considered as a route which probably makes it the first 5.12 in the USA. The car park fence originally extended into the landing zone but has since been removed. The climb is now usually attempted above a large stack of pads.

Ironically, the climb is somewhat outside Gill's normal style: it is thin, technical and high whereas John would more typically focus on large gymnastic moves.

The rock is somewhat fragile and it is likely the route has changed since it was first done. Most notably a large hold around half height seems to have broken off. [2]

References

[1] https://americanalpineclub.org/legacy-series

[2] Kris Hampton talks about trying the line in 2026 https://open.spotify.com/episode/1P4yKmMiwDLWXdJ2ka2VR4

A slab masterpiece, first climbed by Johnny Dawes in 1990 and still one of the hardest true slab routes around.

Nick Harms:

This was originally my project. I'd spent a while working on it, eventually doing it with one fall. I had a bunch of projects on the go, some of which were bolted, others just in my head. I got mightily fed up with it, I couldn't get the right shoes, was fed up with the weather and seeing as almost everyone had lost interest in the quarries it was incredibly difficult to get anyone to come up and belay, so in the end I let Johnny do it. I've regretted it ever since. [1]

References

[1] Llanberis Slate. United Kingdom: Ground Up, 2011.