Mono

	Country	Contributions	Between	Climbers	Crags	Climbs	Ascents
1	United Kingdom	11146	22nd May 2025 – 12th September 2026	114	13	586	1083
2	France	3430	22nd May 2025 – 29th August 2026	32	13	172	326
3	USA	1770	30th July 2025 – 14th August 2026	26	56	167	88
4	Japan	1478	19th July 2025 – 14th August 2026	14	25	107	73
5	Spain	319	31st July 2025 – 14th August 2026	3	9	35	13
6	Switzerland	229	31st July 2025 – 9th August 2026	2	5	21	15
7	New Zealand	216	19th August 2025 – 14th August 2026	1	1	17	13
8	Canada	170	10th September 2025 – 14th August 2026	1	9	25	3
9	Italy	166	12th August 2025 – 16th August 2026	2	7	19	7
10	Germany	151	8th November 2025 – 6th August 2026	4	6	10	5

	Date	Time	User	Type	Name	Attribute
141	18th August 2026	11:54:13 UTC	Mono	ascent	John Redhead's ascent of Master's Wall	notes_pretty
Before `<blockquote> <p><a href="/climb/1034">Margins</a> is more strenuous and technical but Master's is a much harder lead. The crux and substance of the route done in 1980 by myself.</p> </blockquote>` After <p>Redhead:</p> <blockquote> <p><a href="/climb/1034" rel="noopener noreferrer">Margins</a> is more strenuous and technical but Master's is a much harder lead. The crux and substance of the route done in 1980 by myself.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="/climber/742/dave-towse" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dave Towse</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>I slept on the rocks in the sunshine by the lake whilst John abseiled and cleaned the winter from Master's Wall. He awoke me in the evening and I thought it was time to go home. Ten minutes later I was paying out the rope on Master's Wall which Johnny dispensed with easily in his new Fire boots. My turn saw me without a chalk bag (we only had one between us) but moving quickly, still in that semi state of sleep, Master's Wall flashed past me with slate-like ease. We smiled and spoke little, packed our things and headed down to Llanberis. At the Halfway House we stopped for lemonade and chocolate. Two climbers sat opposite. "Wow, that was really something"; the comment came in our direction. I sat back, leaving Johnny to feed his ego in praise. A pause: The follow-up was stunning; "I've never seen anyone move so quickly, or make something hard look so easy as when you seconded that route." I nearly chocked with laughter; Johnny's face dropped momentarily, and suddenly I was there beside him with a monstrous ego!'</p> </blockquote>
142	18th August 2026	11:54:13 UTC	Mono	ascent	John Redhead's ascent of Master's Wall	notes
Before `> [Margins](/climb/1034) is more strenuous and technical but Master's is a much harder lead. The crux and substance of the route done in 1980 by myself.` After Redhead: > [Margins](/climb/1034) is more strenuous and technical but Master's is a much harder lead. The crux and substance of the route done in 1980 by myself. [Dave Towse](/climber/742/dave-towse): >I slept on the rocks in the sunshine by the lake whilst John abseiled and cleaned the winter from Master's Wall. He awoke me in the evening and I thought it was time to go home. Ten minutes later I was paying out the rope on Master's Wall which Johnny dispensed with easily in his new Fire boots. My turn saw me without a chalk bag (we only had one between us) but moving quickly, still in that semi state of sleep, Master's Wall flashed past me with slate-like ease. We smiled and spoke little, packed our things and headed down to Llanberis. At the Halfway House we stopped for lemonade and chocolate. Two climbers sat opposite. "Wow, that was really something"; the comment came in our direction. I sat back, leaving Johnny to feed his ego in praise. A pause: The follow-up was stunning; "I've never seen anyone move so quickly, or make something hard look so easy as when you seconded that route." I nearly chocked with laughter; Johnny's face dropped momentarily, and suddenly I was there beside him with a monstrous ego!' Diff --- before +++ after @@ -1 +1,5 @@ -> [Margins](/climb/1034) is more strenuous and technical but Master's is a much harder lead. The crux and substance of the route done in 1980 by myself. +Redhead: +> [Margins](/climb/1034) is more strenuous and technical but Master's is a much harder lead. The crux and substance of the route done in 1980 by myself. + +[Dave Towse](/climber/742/dave-towse): +>I slept on the rocks in the sunshine by the lake whilst John abseiled and cleaned the winter from Master's Wall. He awoke me in the evening and I thought it was time to go home. Ten minutes later I was paying out the rope on Master's Wall which Johnny dispensed with easily in his new Fire boots. My turn saw me without a chalk bag (we only had one between us) but moving quickly, still in that semi state of sleep, Master's Wall flashed past me with slate-like ease. We smiled and spoke little, packed our things and headed down to Llanberis. At the Halfway House we stopped for lemonade and chocolate. Two climbers sat opposite. "Wow, that was really something"; the comment came in our direction. I sat back, leaving Johnny to feed his ego in praise. A pause: The follow-up was stunning; "I've never seen anyone move so quickly, or make something hard look so easy as when you seconded that route." I nearly chocked with laughter; Johnny's face dropped momentarily, and suddenly I was there beside him with a monstrous ego!'
143	18th August 2026	11:50:11 UTC	Mono	ascent	John Redhead's ascent of Master's Wall	Partner
Before `None` After `742`
144	18th August 2026	11:48:06 UTC	Mono	ascent	Dave MacLeod's ascent of Indian Face	notes_pretty
Before `<h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/06/dave_macleod_repeats_indian_face-56039">https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/06/dave_macleod_repeats_indian_face-56039</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7oYTRdj5I">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7oYTRdj5I</a></p>` After <blockquote> <p>I had previously had a play on the Indian Face in 2007 but in the end decided to do something else on that trip. It was quite interesting for me to do that, and also afterwards to experience a lot of questions from people at lectures and comments etc.</p> <p>I decided not to lead Indian Face on that visit for a few separate reasons. First of all, a hold snapped on me while toproping it which made me acutely aware of an objective danger issue not under my control. …</p> <p>The other reason was that my feet are, in general, very weak and I seem to suffer more than most from foot cramp and always have a painful first month of the trad season. … My feet were bloody killing me on Indian Face. So I figured a trip later in the trad season would be a better idea (which I never got round to). …</p> <p>The third reason was a bit more subconscious and not necessarily about the Indian Face. I’d just had a year in which things had changed a lot for me, I’d just opened the first E11, repeated two E10 graded routes, done my first 8c+ and gone from beavering away by myself on these projects to talking about them to hundreds of people on lecture tours. I got a bit worried about all this. I worried that I might not be able to keep in tune with the inner voice that keeps you safe and making good decisions on cliffs and routes without much gear. Whether I had anything real to worry about or not is irrelevant, the point is it’s a healthy thing to think if you spend your life sketching about a long way above gear. </p> <p>I thought it would be a good idea to see if I could be a bit more relaxed about climbing routes and be able to just walk away and leave them. My concern was that I might slip into an unthinking routine of doing one after another, without taking time to reflect, and in so doing, walk blindly into a climbing accident. So my decision was to leave Indian Face alone until further notice. [3]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/06/dave_macleod_repeats_indian_face-56039" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/06/dave_macleod_repeats_indian_face-56039</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7oYTRdj5I" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7oYTRdj5I</a></p> <p>[3] <a href="https://davemacleod.blogspot.com/2010/06/indian-face.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://davemacleod.blogspot.com/2010/06/indian-face.html</a></p>
145	18th August 2026	11:48:06 UTC	Mono	ascent	Dave MacLeod's ascent of Indian Face	notes
Before `### References [1] [https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/06/dave_macleod_repeats_indian_face-56039](https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/06/dave_macleod_repeats_indian_face-56039) [2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7oYTRdj5I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7oYTRdj5I)` After > I had previously had a play on the Indian Face in 2007 but in the end decided to do something else on that trip. It was quite interesting for me to do that, and also afterwards to experience a lot of questions from people at lectures and comments etc. > I decided not to lead Indian Face on that visit for a few separate reasons. First of all, a hold snapped on me while toproping it which made me acutely aware of an objective danger issue not under my control. … > The other reason was that my feet are, in general, very weak and I seem to suffer more than most from foot cramp and always have a painful first month of the trad season. … My feet were bloody killing me on Indian Face. So I figured a trip later in the trad season would be a better idea (which I never got round to). … > The third reason was a bit more subconscious and not necessarily about the Indian Face. I’d just had a year in which things had changed a lot for me, I’d just opened the first E11, repeated two E10 graded routes, done my first 8c+ and gone from beavering away by myself on these projects to talking about them to hundreds of people on lecture tours. I got a bit worried about all this. I worried that I might not be able to keep in tune with the inner voice that keeps you safe and making good decisions on cliffs and routes without much gear. Whether I had anything real to worry about or not is irrelevant, the point is it’s a healthy thing to think if you spend your life sketching about a long way above gear. >I thought it would be a good idea to see if I could be a bit more relaxed about climbing routes and be able to just walk away and leave them. My concern was that I might slip into an unthinking routine of doing one after another, without taking time to reflect, and in so doing, walk blindly into a climbing accident. So my decision was to leave Indian Face alone until further notice. [3] ### References [1] [https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/06/dave_macleod_repeats_indian_face-56039](https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/06/dave_macleod_repeats_indian_face-56039) [2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7oYTRdj5I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7oYTRdj5I) [3] [https://davemacleod.blogspot.com/2010/06/indian-face.html](https://davemacleod.blogspot.com/2010/06/indian-face.html) Diff --- before +++ after @@ -1,5 +1,17 @@ +> I had previously had a play on the Indian Face in 2007 but in the end decided to do something else on that trip. It was quite interesting for me to do that, and also afterwards to experience a lot of questions from people at lectures and comments etc. + +> I decided not to lead Indian Face on that visit for a few separate reasons. First of all, a hold snapped on me while toproping it which made me acutely aware of an objective danger issue not under my control. … + +> The other reason was that my feet are, in general, very weak and I seem to suffer more than most from foot cramp and always have a painful first month of the trad season. … My feet were bloody killing me on Indian Face. So I figured a trip later in the trad season would be a better idea (which I never got round to). … + +> The third reason was a bit more subconscious and not necessarily about the Indian Face. I’d just had a year in which things had changed a lot for me, I’d just opened the first E11, repeated two E10 graded routes, done my first 8c+ and gone from beavering away by myself on these projects to talking about them to hundreds of people on lecture tours. I got a bit worried about all this. I worried that I might not be able to keep in tune with the inner voice that keeps you safe and making good decisions on cliffs and routes without much gear. Whether I had anything real to worry about or not is irrelevant, the point is it’s a healthy thing to think if you spend your life sketching about a long way above gear. + +>I thought it would be a good idea to see if I could be a bit more relaxed about climbing routes and be able to just walk away and leave them. My concern was that I might slip into an unthinking routine of doing one after another, without taking time to reflect, and in so doing, walk blindly into a climbing accident. So my decision was to leave Indian Face alone until further notice. [3] + ### References [1] [https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/06/dave_macleod_repeats_indian_face-56039](https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2010/06/dave_macleod_repeats_indian_face-56039) -[2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7oYTRdj5I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7oYTRdj5I) +[2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7oYTRdj5I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7oYTRdj5I) + +[3] [https://davemacleod.blogspot.com/2010/06/indian-face.html](https://davemacleod.blogspot.com/2010/06/indian-face.html)
146	18th August 2026	11:38:17 UTC	Mono	ascent	Johnny Dawes's ascent of Indian Face	notes_pretty
Before <p>Dawes' first ascent account: </p> <blockquote> <p><a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">Johnny</a>, frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "<a href="/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tormented Ejaculation</a>" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained … <a href="/climber/131/jerry-moffatt" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jerry</a> arrived, chopped the bolt and the <a href="/climb/713/master's-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Master's Wall</a> remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. <a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Redhead</a>'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... </p> <p>Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … </p> <p>Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>. His face spoke volumes ... </p> <p>I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. <a href="/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arthur Birtwistle</a> on <a href="/climb/2043/diagonal" rel="noopener noreferrer">Diagonal</a>, I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. <a href="/climb/5434/longland's-climb" rel="noopener noreferrer">Longland's</a>, the Drainpipe Crack, <a href="/climb/3144/the-troach" rel="noopener noreferrer">Troach</a> Troach, <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>; and <a href="/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream" rel="noopener noreferrer">Midsummer's</a> smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA</a></p> <p>[3] Photos from the first ascent by <a href="/climber/2063/jonathan-reti" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jonathan Reti</a>. Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold.</p> </blockquote> <p>[4] <em>Mountain</em> Issue 112, page 17 <a href="/library/11111/mountain-112" rel="noopener noreferrer">/library/11111/mountain-112</a></p> <p>[5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon</p> After <p>Dawes' first ascent account: </p> <blockquote> <p><a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">Johnny</a>, frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "<a href="/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tormented Ejaculation</a>" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained … <a href="/climber/131/jerry-moffatt" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jerry</a> arrived, chopped the bolt and the <a href="/climb/713/master's-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Master's Wall</a> remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. <a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Redhead</a>'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... </p> <p>Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … </p> <p>Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>. His face spoke volumes ... </p> <p>I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. <a href="/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arthur Birtwistle</a> on <a href="/climb/2043/diagonal" rel="noopener noreferrer">Diagonal</a>, I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. <a href="/climb/5434/longland's-climb" rel="noopener noreferrer">Longland's</a>, the Drainpipe Crack, <a href="/climb/3144/the-troach" rel="noopener noreferrer">Troach</a>, <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>; and <a href="/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream" rel="noopener noreferrer">Midsummer's</a> smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA</a></p> <p>[3] Photos from the first ascent by <a href="/climber/2063/jonathan-reti" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jonathan Reti</a>. Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold.</p> </blockquote> <p>[4] <em>Mountain</em> Issue 112, page 17 <a href="/library/11111/mountain-112" rel="noopener noreferrer">/library/11111/mountain-112</a></p> <p>[5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon</p>
147	18th August 2026	11:38:17 UTC	Mono	ascent	Johnny Dawes's ascent of Indian Face	notes
Before Dawes' first ascent account: > [Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained … [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... >Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … >Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... >I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References [1] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE) [2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA) [3] Photos from the first ascent by [Jonathan Reti](/climber/2063/jonathan-reti). Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/) > That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold. [4] Mountain Issue 112, page 17 [/library/11111/mountain-112](/library/11111/mountain-112) [5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon After Dawes' first ascent account: > [Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained … [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... >Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … >Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... >I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach), [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References [1] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE) [2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA) [3] Photos from the first ascent by [Jonathan Reti](/climber/2063/jonathan-reti). Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/) > That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold. [4] Mountain Issue 112, page 17 [/library/11111/mountain-112](/library/11111/mountain-112) [5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon Diff --- before +++ after @@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ >Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... ->I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] +>I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach), [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References
148	18th August 2026	11:35:04 UTC	Mono	ascent	Johnny Dawes's ascent of Indian Face	notes
Before Dawes' first ascent account: > [Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained … [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... >Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … >Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. >'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References [1] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE) [2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA) [3] Photos from the first ascent by [Jonathan Reti](/climber/2063/jonathan-reti). Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/) > That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold. [4] Mountain Issue 112, page 17 [/library/11111/mountain-112](/library/11111/mountain-112) [5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon After Dawes' first ascent account: > [Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained … [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... >Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … >Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... >I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References [1] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE) [2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA) [3] Photos from the first ascent by [Jonathan Reti](/climber/2063/jonathan-reti). Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/) > That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold. [4] Mountain Issue 112, page 17 [/library/11111/mountain-112](/library/11111/mountain-112) [5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon Diff --- before +++ after @@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ >Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … ->Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. +>Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... ->'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] +>I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References
149	18th August 2026	11:35:04 UTC	Mono	ascent	Johnny Dawes's ascent of Indian Face	notes_pretty
Before <p>Dawes' first ascent account: </p> <blockquote> <p><a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">Johnny</a>, frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "<a href="/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tormented Ejaculation</a>" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained … <a href="/climber/131/jerry-moffatt" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jerry</a> arrived, chopped the bolt and the <a href="/climb/713/master's-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Master's Wall</a> remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. <a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Redhead</a>'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... </p> <p>Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … </p> <p>Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>. His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. <a href="/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arthur Birtwistle</a> on <a href="/climb/2043/diagonal" rel="noopener noreferrer">Diagonal</a>, I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. </p> <p>'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. <a href="/climb/5434/longland's-climb" rel="noopener noreferrer">Longland's</a>, the Drainpipe Crack, <a href="/climb/3144/the-troach" rel="noopener noreferrer">Troach</a> Troach, <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>; and <a href="/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream" rel="noopener noreferrer">Midsummer's</a> smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA</a></p> <p>[3] Photos from the first ascent by <a href="/climber/2063/jonathan-reti" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jonathan Reti</a>. Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold.</p> </blockquote> <p>[4] <em>Mountain</em> Issue 112, page 17 <a href="/library/11111/mountain-112" rel="noopener noreferrer">/library/11111/mountain-112</a></p> <p>[5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon</p> After <p>Dawes' first ascent account: </p> <blockquote> <p><a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">Johnny</a>, frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "<a href="/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tormented Ejaculation</a>" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained … <a href="/climber/131/jerry-moffatt" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jerry</a> arrived, chopped the bolt and the <a href="/climb/713/master's-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Master's Wall</a> remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. <a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Redhead</a>'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... </p> <p>Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … </p> <p>Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>. His face spoke volumes ... </p> <p>I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. <a href="/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arthur Birtwistle</a> on <a href="/climb/2043/diagonal" rel="noopener noreferrer">Diagonal</a>, I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. <a href="/climb/5434/longland's-climb" rel="noopener noreferrer">Longland's</a>, the Drainpipe Crack, <a href="/climb/3144/the-troach" rel="noopener noreferrer">Troach</a> Troach, <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>; and <a href="/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream" rel="noopener noreferrer">Midsummer's</a> smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA</a></p> <p>[3] Photos from the first ascent by <a href="/climber/2063/jonathan-reti" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jonathan Reti</a>. Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold.</p> </blockquote> <p>[4] <em>Mountain</em> Issue 112, page 17 <a href="/library/11111/mountain-112" rel="noopener noreferrer">/library/11111/mountain-112</a></p> <p>[5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon</p>
150	18th August 2026	11:33:47 UTC	Mono	ascent	Johnny Dawes's ascent of Indian Face	notes
Before Dawes' first ascent account: > [Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained… [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top. swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References [1] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE) [2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA) [3] Photos from the first ascent by [Jonathan Reti](/climber/2063/jonathan-reti). Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/) > That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold. [4] Mountain Issue 112, page 17 [/library/11111/mountain-112](/library/11111/mountain-112) [5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon After Dawes' first ascent account: > [Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained … [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... >Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … >Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. >'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References [1] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE) [2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA) [3] Photos from the first ascent by [Jonathan Reti](/climber/2063/jonathan-reti). Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/) > That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold. [4] Mountain Issue 112, page 17 [/library/11111/mountain-112](/library/11111/mountain-112) [5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon Diff --- before +++ after @@ -1,6 +1,12 @@ Dawes' first ascent account: -> [Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained… [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top. swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] +> [Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained … [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... + +>Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … + +>Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. + +>'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References
151	18th August 2026	11:33:47 UTC	Mono	ascent	Johnny Dawes's ascent of Indian Face	notes_pretty
Before <p>Dawes' first ascent account: </p> <blockquote> <p><a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">Johnny</a>, frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "<a href="/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tormented Ejaculation</a>" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained… <a href="/climber/131/jerry-moffatt" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jerry</a> arrived, chopped the bolt and the <a href="/climb/713/master's-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Master's Wall</a> remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. <a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Redhead</a>'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>. His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top. swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. <a href="/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arthur Birtwistle</a> on <a href="/climb/2043/diagonal" rel="noopener noreferrer">Diagonal</a>, I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. <a href="/climb/5434/longland's-climb" rel="noopener noreferrer">Longland's</a>, the Drainpipe Crack, <a href="/climb/3144/the-troach" rel="noopener noreferrer">Troach</a> Troach, <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>; and <a href="/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream" rel="noopener noreferrer">Midsummer's</a> smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA</a></p> <p>[3] Photos from the first ascent by <a href="/climber/2063/jonathan-reti" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jonathan Reti</a>. Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold.</p> </blockquote> <p>[4] <em>Mountain</em> Issue 112, page 17 <a href="/library/11111/mountain-112" rel="noopener noreferrer">/library/11111/mountain-112</a></p> <p>[5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon</p> After <p>Dawes' first ascent account: </p> <blockquote> <p><a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">Johnny</a>, frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "<a href="/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tormented Ejaculation</a>" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained … <a href="/climber/131/jerry-moffatt" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jerry</a> arrived, chopped the bolt and the <a href="/climb/713/master's-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Master's Wall</a> remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. <a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Redhead</a>'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... </p> <p>Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … </p> <p>Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>. His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top, swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. <a href="/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arthur Birtwistle</a> on <a href="/climb/2043/diagonal" rel="noopener noreferrer">Diagonal</a>, I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. </p> <p>'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. <a href="/climb/5434/longland's-climb" rel="noopener noreferrer">Longland's</a>, the Drainpipe Crack, <a href="/climb/3144/the-troach" rel="noopener noreferrer">Troach</a> Troach, <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>; and <a href="/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream" rel="noopener noreferrer">Midsummer's</a> smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA</a></p> <p>[3] Photos from the first ascent by <a href="/climber/2063/jonathan-reti" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jonathan Reti</a>. Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold.</p> </blockquote> <p>[4] <em>Mountain</em> Issue 112, page 17 <a href="/library/11111/mountain-112" rel="noopener noreferrer">/library/11111/mountain-112</a></p> <p>[5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon</p>
152	18th August 2026	09:25:01 UTC	Mono	ascent	Johnny Dawes's ascent of Indian Face	notes_pretty
Before <p>Dawes' first ascent account: </p> <blockquote> <p>'<a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">Johnny</a>, frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "<a href="/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tormented Ejaculation</a>" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained… <a href="/climber/131/jerry-moffatt" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jerry</a> arrived, chopped the bolt and the <a href="/climb/713/master's-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Master's Wall</a> remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. <a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Redhead</a>'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>. His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top. swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. <a href="/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arthur Birtwistle</a> on <a href="/climb/2043/diagonal" rel="noopener noreferrer">Diagonal</a>, I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. <a href="/climb/5434/longland's-climb" rel="noopener noreferrer">Longland's</a>, the Drainpipe Crack, <a href="/climb/3144/the-troach" rel="noopener noreferrer">Troach</a> Troach, <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>; and <a href="/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream" rel="noopener noreferrer">Midsummer's</a> smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA</a></p> <p>[3] Photos from the first ascent by <a href="/climber/2063/jonathan-reti" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jonathan Reti</a>. Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold.</p> </blockquote> <p>[4] <em>Mountain</em> Issue 112, page 17 <a href="/library/11111/mountain-112" rel="noopener noreferrer">/library/11111/mountain-112</a></p> <p>[5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon</p> After <p>Dawes' first ascent account: </p> <blockquote> <p><a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">Johnny</a>, frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "<a href="/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tormented Ejaculation</a>" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained… <a href="/climber/131/jerry-moffatt" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jerry</a> arrived, chopped the bolt and the <a href="/climb/713/master's-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Master's Wall</a> remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. <a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Redhead</a>'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>. His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top. swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. <a href="/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arthur Birtwistle</a> on <a href="/climb/2043/diagonal" rel="noopener noreferrer">Diagonal</a>, I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. <a href="/climb/5434/longland's-climb" rel="noopener noreferrer">Longland's</a>, the Drainpipe Crack, <a href="/climb/3144/the-troach" rel="noopener noreferrer">Troach</a> Troach, <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>; and <a href="/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream" rel="noopener noreferrer">Midsummer's</a> smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA</a></p> <p>[3] Photos from the first ascent by <a href="/climber/2063/jonathan-reti" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jonathan Reti</a>. Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold.</p> </blockquote> <p>[4] <em>Mountain</em> Issue 112, page 17 <a href="/library/11111/mountain-112" rel="noopener noreferrer">/library/11111/mountain-112</a></p> <p>[5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon</p>
153	18th August 2026	09:25:01 UTC	Mono	ascent	Johnny Dawes's ascent of Indian Face	notes
Before Dawes' first ascent account: > '[Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained… [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top. swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References [1] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE) [2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA) [3] Photos from the first ascent by [Jonathan Reti](/climber/2063/jonathan-reti). Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/) > That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold. [4] Mountain Issue 112, page 17 [/library/11111/mountain-112](/library/11111/mountain-112) [5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon After Dawes' first ascent account: > [Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained… [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top. swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References [1] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE) [2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA) [3] Photos from the first ascent by [Jonathan Reti](/climber/2063/jonathan-reti). Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/) > That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold. [4] Mountain Issue 112, page 17 [/library/11111/mountain-112](/library/11111/mountain-112) [5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon Diff --- before +++ after @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ Dawes' first ascent account: -> '[Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained… [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top. swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] +> [Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained… [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top. swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References
154	18th August 2026	08:56:38 UTC	Mono	ascent	Johnny Dawes's ascent of Indian Face	notes
Before > I went for the crux, the motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put the other in. The finger-holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot-changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come to mind. There is no resting. I must go and climb for the top. I swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold stays under mistreatment and then I really blow it. Fearful of a smear on now-non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall fatal, but the automaton stabs back through, wobbling, but giving its all and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward. The ropes dangle uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the tight movement swerves to a glide as gravity swings skyward ... ### References [1] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE) [2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA) [3] Photos from the first ascent by [Jonathan Reti](/climber/2063/jonathan-reti). Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/) > That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold. [4] Mountain Issue 112, page 17 [/library/11111/mountain-112](/library/11111/mountain-112) [5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon After Dawes' first ascent account: > '[Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained… [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top. swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References [1] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE) [2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA) [3] Photos from the first ascent by [Jonathan Reti](/climber/2063/jonathan-reti). Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/) > That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold. [4] Mountain Issue 112, page 17 [/library/11111/mountain-112](/library/11111/mountain-112) [5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon Diff --- before +++ after @@ -1,4 +1,6 @@ -> I went for the crux, the motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put the other in. The finger-holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot-changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come to mind. There is no resting. I must go and climb for the top. I swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold stays under mistreatment and then I really blow it. Fearful of a smear on now-non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall fatal, but the automaton stabs back through, wobbling, but giving its all and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward. The ropes dangle uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the tight movement swerves to a glide as gravity swings skyward ... +Dawes' first ascent account: + +> '[Johnny](/climber/623/john-redhead), frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "[The Tormented Ejaculation](/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation)" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained… [Jerry](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) arrived, chopped the bolt and the [Master's Wall](/climb/713/master's-wall) remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. [John Redhead](/climber/623/john-redhead)'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall). His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top. swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. [Arthur Birtwistle](/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle) on [Diagonal](/climb/2043/diagonal), I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. [Longland's](/climb/5434/longland's-climb), the Drainpipe Crack, [Troach](/climb/3144/the-troach) Troach, [Great Wall](/climb/1762/great-wall); and [Midsummer's](/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream) smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5] ### References
155	18th August 2026	08:56:38 UTC	Mono	ascent	Johnny Dawes's ascent of Indian Face	notes_pretty
Before <blockquote> <p>I went for the crux, the motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put the other in. The finger-holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot-changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come to mind. There is no resting. I must go and climb for the top. I swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold stays under mistreatment and then I really blow it. Fearful of a smear on now-non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall fatal, but the automaton stabs back through, wobbling, but giving its all and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward. The ropes dangle uselessly from my waist. <a href="/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle">Arthur Birtwistle</a> on <a href="/climb/2043/diagonal">Diagonal</a>, I grasp incuts and the tight movement swerves to a glide as gravity swings skyward ...</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA</a></p> <p>[3] Photos from the first ascent by <a href="/climber/2063/jonathan-reti">Jonathan Reti</a>. Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold.</p> </blockquote> <p>[4] <em>Mountain</em> Issue 112, page 17 <a href="/library/11111/mountain-112">/library/11111/mountain-112</a></p> <p>[5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon</p> After <p>Dawes' first ascent account: </p> <blockquote> <p>'<a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">Johnny</a>, frustrated but proud, placed a bolt like a dog pissing to mark his territory and retreated to recover, an 80-foot cameo "<a href="/climb/1089/the-tormented-ejaculation" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tormented Ejaculation</a>" graded E8, 7a, a small Matisse sketch, fresh but perhaps unfinished, rests in his Portfolio; but the line remained… <a href="/climber/131/jerry-moffatt" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jerry</a> arrived, chopped the bolt and the <a href="/climb/713/master's-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Master's Wall</a> remained ... The climbing itself is hard and with eight bolts would rate about E6, 6c but there is only half a bolt and that stares at you while you laugh at your runners, a tribute to both a man's vision and his shortsightedness. <a href="/climber/623/john-redhead" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Redhead</a>'s voyages on the wall deserve special praise ... Imagine the wall. It is a random woven wire mesh tilted so that it steepens towards the top. At the base of the wall the two thick cables disappear in the turf. The lights in the town flicker as you touch the rock. Each move forms an electric circuit between your hands, you see. As you move, you worry about the outcome of that move. The tension at present resides in a dull "Dinorwig Power Generator" hum. Then I make a false move and the rock barks out a spark, a whip sizzles down my arm and fades to a sickly warmth in my shoulders; I try another hold but which one to use, use the wrong one and retreat may be impossible. The gear is poor and a bad mistake could mean a death jolt full across the heart. So you move taking note of your position and the holds, but as you move higher the voltage grows, and amongst the myriad connections there lie false trails that can kill ... I went up with sticky rubber soles which do not conduct electricity and two friends who knew the score … Hundred foot up, out above the last gear, I'm faced with the first of the hardest moves, my anxiety has made me enter the moves before reflection and the rock is all in the wrong place. My body feels heavy and lumpy. I slapped out right, a move that should be static and was committed to the crux; a precarious mantel onto a rounded boss. If I fell off this move the gear would rip as it was off to the left and the gear was only in downward-pulling placements. Once on this you can rest and clip the tied-off rurp, which is most comforting. You stand on your heels, your hands by your side. At this point I noticed a friend who l'd met while on holiday in Verdon, on the belay of <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>. His face spoke volumes ... I went for the crux. The motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put my other in. The finger holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come into my mind. There is no resting, I must go and climb for the top. swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold holds under mistreatment and then I really blow it; fearful of a smear on now non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall now fatal. But the automaton stabs back through, wobbling but giving its all, and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward, the ropes dangling uselessly from my waist. <a href="/climber/1385/arthur-birtwistle" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arthur Birtwistle</a> on <a href="/climb/2043/diagonal" rel="noopener noreferrer">Diagonal</a>, I grasp incuts and the vectors recede. 'Indian Face' is climbed and I can rest and feel proud. <a href="/climb/5434/longland's-climb" rel="noopener noreferrer">Longland's</a>, the Drainpipe Crack, <a href="/climb/3144/the-troach" rel="noopener noreferrer">Troach</a> Troach, <a href="/climb/1762/great-wall" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Wall</a>; and <a href="/climb/1075/a-midsummer-night's-dream" rel="noopener noreferrer">Midsummer's</a> smile in me again, but like fine antiques in the gallery. [5]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMX4NAw0NSE</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNb5_PYRhQA</a></p> <p>[3] Photos from the first ascent by <a href="/climber/2063/jonathan-reti" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jonathan Reti</a>. Jonathan was the only person at the crag that day with a camera. Later pictures of Johnny in white vest were not of the actual ascent. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.flickr.com/photos/30814373@N02/albums/72157712866661618/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>That top crux was difficult for him and his method was pretty snatchy, which is why I moved out of the fall line in case he fluffed it. Shockingly bold.</p> </blockquote> <p>[4] <em>Mountain</em> Issue 112, page 17 <a href="/library/11111/mountain-112" rel="noopener noreferrer">/library/11111/mountain-112</a></p> <p>[5] Clogwyn Du’r Arddu Climber’s Club guidebook by Nick Dixon</p>
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