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21414

Current Streak

13

Longest Streak

26

Contributions Map

Contributions by Country

Country Contributions Between Climbers Crags Summits Climbs Ascents
1 United Kingdom 10115 22nd May 2025 – 26th June 2026 106 13 0 547 986
2 France 3310 22nd May 2025 – 25th June 2026 30 13 0 166 318
3 USA 1660 30th July 2025 – 26th June 2026 24 56 0 156 82
4 Japan 1433 19th July 2025 – 23rd June 2026 14 25 0 98 70
5 Spain 314 31st July 2025 – 25th June 2026 3 9 0 33 13
6 New Zealand 214 19th August 2025 – 26th June 2026 1 1 0 15 13
7 Switzerland 194 31st July 2025 – 26th June 2026 2 5 0 20 12
8 Canada 146 10th September 2025 – 10th June 2026 1 8 0 23 2
9 Italy 146 12th August 2025 – 17th May 2026 1 7 0 16 6
10 Norway 126 6th September 2025 – 16th June 2026 1 4 0 9 6

Recent Contributions

Date Time User Type Name Attribute
141 25th June 2026 08:09:41 UTC TdG crag Pissevache rock_type
Before
Limestone
After
None
142 25th June 2026 08:08:47 UTC TdG climb Buddha crag_location_breadcrumb
Before
None
After
Switzerland / Valais / Saint-Maurice District
143 25th June 2026 08:08:47 UTC TdG climb Buddha crag_id
Before
None
After
34634
144 25th June 2026 08:08:47 UTC TdG climb Buddha crag_name
Before
None
After
Pissevache
145 25th June 2026 08:08:47 UTC TdG climb Buddha crag_location_breadcrumb_pretty
Before
None
After
<a href="/crags/location/Switzerland" class="text-muted">Switzerland</a> / <a href="/crags/location/Switzerland/Valais" class="text-muted">Valais</a> / <a href="/crags/location/Switzerland/Valais/Saint-Maurice District" class="text-muted">Saint-Maurice District</a>
146 25th June 2026 08:08:23 UTC TdG crag Pissevache longitude
Before
None
After
7.02242
147 25th June 2026 08:08:23 UTC TdG crag Pissevache crag_name
Before
None
After
Pissevache
148 25th June 2026 08:08:23 UTC TdG crag Pissevache rock_type_id
Before
None
After
7
149 25th June 2026 08:08:23 UTC TdG crag Pissevache latitude
Before
None
After
46.143158
150 25th June 2026 08:04:36 UTC TdG climb Buddha notes
Before
A route in Wallis bolted by Cyrille Albasini. There is some ambiguity about the name. Albasini seems to have called the line L'Ouevre, but Raboutou called the route Buddha.
After
A route in Wallis bolted by Cyrille Albasini. There is some ambiguity about the name. Albasini seems to have called the line L’Œuvre, but Raboutou called the route Buddha.
Diff
--- before

+++ after

@@ -1 +1 @@

-A route in Wallis bolted by Cyrille Albasini. There is some ambiguity about the name. Albasini seems to have called the line L'Ouevre, but Raboutou called the route Buddha.
+A route in Wallis bolted by Cyrille Albasini. There is some ambiguity about the name. Albasini seems to have called the line L’Œuvre, but Raboutou called the route Buddha.
151 25th June 2026 08:04:36 UTC TdG climb Buddha notes_pretty
Before
<p>A route in Wallis bolted by Cyrille Albasini. There is some ambiguity about the name. Albasini seems to have called the line L'Ouevre, but Raboutou called the route Buddha. </p>
After
<p>A route in Wallis bolted by Cyrille Albasini. There is some ambiguity about the name. Albasini seems to have called the line L’Œuvre, but Raboutou called the route Buddha. </p>
152 25th June 2026 08:03:44 UTC TdG climb Buddha Other Name
Before
None
After
L’Œuvre
153 24th June 2026 21:21:28 UTC TdG climber Sibylle Hechtel climber_name
Before
Sibylle Hetchel
After
Sibylle Hechtel
154 24th June 2026 20:55:57 UTC TdG climber Johnny Dawes Climbing Partner
Before
None
After
740
155 24th June 2026 20:54:17 UTC TdG climber Johnny Dawes Climbing Partner
Before
None
After
613
156 24th June 2026 20:48:06 UTC TdG climber Johnny Dawes notes_pretty
Before
<p>Johnny Dawes made an indelible contribution to British climbing in the 1980s and ‘90s.</p> <p>Whilst contemporaries such as <a href="/climber/130/ben-moon" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ben Moon</a> and <a href="/climber/131/jerry-moffatt" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jerry Moffatt</a> pushed physical standards forwards, Johnny took a swerve sideways (probably getting the vehicle on two wheels in the process), bringing his restless innovation in movement to bear on some of the country’s most spectacular lines. </p> <p>Dawes’s teenage years were spent honing his skills on the buildings around his school, but it wasn’t long before he made his presence known on the grit: the bold friction slab <a href="/climb/6009/jugged-hare" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jugged Hare</a> (E6), climbed in EBs in 1983 was an aperitif for what was to come. </p> <p>Jerry Moffatt had climbed <a href="/climb/881/ulysses'-bow" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ulysses' Bow</a> (E6) in 1983 after extensive top rope practice. Just one year later Dawes soloed it onsight. He made the route look easy, but as those who tried to follow him <a href="/climb/922/ulysses-or-bust" rel="noopener noreferrer">found out the hard way</a>, it was anything but. </p> <p>A host of hard gritstone classics followed: <a href="/climb/3475/braille-trail" rel="noopener noreferrer">Braille Trail</a> (E7), <a href="/climb/5798/benign-lives" rel="noopener noreferrer">Benign Lives</a> (E7), <a href="/climb/1450/the-salmon" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Salmon</a> (E7); <a href="/climb/2973/sad-amongst-friends" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sad Amongst Friends</a> (E7) and <a href="/climb/5782/silk" rel="noopener noreferrer">Silk</a> (E5) were climbed ground up. </p> <p>In 1985, the North Wales slate beckoned, where Dawes found an affinity with its slabby style, slightly unhinged sparse bolting ethic, and social scene of misfits and miscreants. <a href="/climb/1167/dawes-of-perception" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dawes of Perception</a> (E7) set a benchmark for difficulty and boldness that came to define the medium, whilst his best link on <a href="/climb/52/the-meltdown" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Meltdown</a> project was worth at least 8c. </p> <p>But the best was yet to come. 1986 was Dawes’s <em>annus mirabilis</em>. The highlights included: <a href="/climb/585/gaia" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gaia</a> (E8), <a href="/climb/586/end-of-the-affair" rel="noopener noreferrer">End of the Affair</a> (E8), and <a href="/climb/622/slab-and-crack" rel="noopener noreferrer">Slab and Crack</a> (E8) on the grit; <a href="/climb/1187/conan-the-librarian" rel="noopener noreferrer">Conan the Librarian</a> (E7) and <a href="/climb/1003/come-to-mother" rel="noopener noreferrer">Come to Mother</a> (E7) on Gogarth; <a href="/climb/700/coeur-de-lion" rel="noopener noreferrer">Coeur de Lion</a> (E8) and the majestic <a href="/climb/699/the-quarryman" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Quarryman</a> (E8) on the slate. </p> <p>But it was <a href="/climb/601/indian-face" rel="noopener noreferrer">Indian Face</a> (E9) that topped them all, a harrowing quest up the Great Wall of <a href="/crag/457/clogwyn-du'r-arddu" rel="noopener noreferrer">Clogwyn Du'r Arddu</a> and the country’s first E9. The route established a level of boldness that still may not have been surpassed, and it has become a near-mythical part of British climbing lore.</p> <p>The eighties was a time of conflicting styles as climbing evolved. The Indian Face was pre-inspected, but to a level that would be considered minimal by today’s standards. Although the more accessible classics such as <a href="/climb/586/end-of-the-affair" rel="noopener noreferrer">End of the Affair</a> (E8) and <a href="/climb/585/gaia" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gaia</a> (E8) are now regularly headpointed, few have matched the spirit and style of Dawes’s first ascents: End of the Affair was attempted ground-up with a terrifying fall, whilst the bold final moves on Gaia were climbed onsight. </p> <p>The ground-up approach reached a new high watermark in 1988 when Dawes succeeded on the first ascent of <a href="/climb/1648/hardback-thesaurus" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hardback Thesaurus</a> (E8) on Gogarth, but not before taking gear-ripping falls that were enough to make you feel sea sick. It remains one of the hardest ground-up first ascents. </p> <p>The eighties also saw trips to <a href="/crag/778/sròn-uladail" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sròn Uladail</a> to free climb <a href="/climb/3047/the-scoop" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Scoop</a> (E7) and <a href="/climb/7131/moskill-grooves" rel="noopener noreferrer">Moskill Grooves</a> (E6), multipitch monsters winding their way through the crag’s 50m-overhanging girth. </p> <p>The 1990s saw the bar for slab climbing raised further with <a href="/climb/797/the-very-big-and-the-very-small" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Very Big and the Very Small</a> (8b+) on the slate and <a href="/climb/4123/smoked-salmon" rel="noopener noreferrer">Smoked Salmon</a> (E8) and <a href="/climb/900/the-angel's-share" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Angel's Share</a> (7C) on the grit, the latter taking a harder line, above a harder landing, than is usually climbed today. A one-handed solo of <a href="/climb/920/downhill-racer" rel="noopener noreferrer">Downhill Racer</a> was a typically Dawesian antic – he rated his effort E8. </p> <p>In 1993, an attempt on Himalayan big wall <a href="/summit/52/meru-peak" rel="noopener noreferrer">Meru Shark’s Fin</a> was abandoned when Dawes dropped a boot at 6000m. </p> <p>In 1995 he repeated his friend <a href="/climber/540/nick-dixon" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nick Dixon</a>’s masterpiece <a href="/climb/647/face-mecca" rel="noopener noreferrer">Face Mecca</a> (E9), taking a parallel line to Indian Face. This marked the end of the superbold era. </p> <p>The following years were spent conjuring up futuristic projects such as <a href="/climb/6959/wizard-ridge" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wizard Ridge</a> and <a href="/climb/5479/promontory-scoop" rel="noopener noreferrer">Promontory Scoop</a>, whilst exploring ever-more inventive approaches to movement. In 2018 he pulled an ascent of an 8b+ slab in <a href="/crag/2660/la-pedriza" rel="noopener noreferrer">La Pedriza</a> out the bag. </p> <p>Dawes was captured climbing at his best in the 1986 film <em>Stone Monkey</em> by Alun Hughes, a cult classic that was shown on terrestrial television several times. In 1996 Dawes made <em>Best Forgotten Art</em>, a film about gritstone crack climbing that was the easy listening antidote to Ben And Jerry’s techno-energised <em>The Real Thing</em>, released around the same time. Like a tweed jacket in a Sheffield nightclub, the contrast between the two films perhaps encapsulates Dawes’ place in his era: a climber who stood alongside the sport’s leading performers, yet always seemed to be playing a different game.</p> <blockquote> <p><a href="/climber/3087/jon-barton" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jon Barton</a>: Do you think you ever shocked anybody Johnny?</p> <p>Well I'd been at this mad party over in Wales. I left in the early hours to drive over to Sheffield, I like driving at night when the roads are quiet. I could tell you about the Snake Pass first thing at dawn, but that's boring hippy stuff. I got to Sheffield, and broke into the back of <a href="/climber/1215/alan-rouse" rel="noopener noreferrer">Al Rouse's</a> house. I was in the kitchen making coffee, admiring Al's new decorating efforts, I went up stairs and jumped into his room and onto the bed, to be faced by two worried looking strangers hiding under the duvet. Al had moved out some weeks earlier.</p> <p>JB: No Johnny, did you ever shock anybody with your climbing? [5]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] Interview with <a href="/climber/702/niall-grimes" rel="noopener noreferrer">Niall Grimes</a> and <a href="/climber/540/nick-dixon" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nick Dixon</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU</a></p> <p>[2] Features in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkj3Buhfi2k" rel="noopener noreferrer">80's Birth of Extreme</a></p> <p>[3] Interview for the film <em>Stone Monkey</em>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q</a></p> <p>[4] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88mEgfHJ-I" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88mEgfHJ-I</a></p> <p>[5] Interview with <a href="/climber/3087/jon-barton" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jon Barton</a>, On The Edge 63 (1996) <a href="/library/11066/on-the-edge-63" rel="noopener noreferrer">/library/11066/on-the-edge-63</a></p> <p>[6] <em>What Climbing Has Taught Me</em> (2025) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_uSJH7-30" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_uSJH7-30</a></p>
After
<p>Johnny Dawes made an indelible contribution to British climbing in the 1980s and ‘90s.</p> <p>Whilst contemporaries such as <a href="/climber/130/ben-moon" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ben Moon</a> and <a href="/climber/131/jerry-moffatt" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jerry Moffatt</a> pushed physical standards forwards, Johnny took a swerve sideways (probably getting the vehicle on two wheels in the process), bringing his restless innovation in movement to bear on some of the country’s most spectacular lines. </p> <p>Dawes’s teenage years were spent honing his skills on the buildings around his school, but it wasn’t long before he made his presence known on the grit: the bold friction slab <a href="/climb/6009/jugged-hare" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jugged Hare</a> (E6), climbed in EBs in 1983 was an aperitif for what was to come. </p> <p>Jerry Moffatt had climbed <a href="/climb/881/ulysses'-bow" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ulysses' Bow</a> (E6) in 1983 after extensive top rope practice. Just one year later Dawes soloed it onsight. He made the route look easy, but as those who tried to follow him <a href="/climb/922/ulysses-or-bust" rel="noopener noreferrer">found out the hard way</a>, it was anything but. </p> <p>A host of hard gritstone classics followed: <a href="/climb/3475/braille-trail" rel="noopener noreferrer">Braille Trail</a> (E7), <a href="/climb/5798/benign-lives" rel="noopener noreferrer">Benign Lives</a> (E7), <a href="/climb/1450/the-salmon" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Salmon</a> (E7); <a href="/climb/2973/sad-amongst-friends" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sad Amongst Friends</a> (E7) and <a href="/climb/5782/silk" rel="noopener noreferrer">Silk</a> (E5) were climbed ground up. </p> <p>In 1985, the North Wales slate beckoned, where Dawes found an affinity with its slabby style, slightly unhinged sparse bolting ethic, and social scene of misfits and miscreants. <a href="/climb/1167/dawes-of-perception" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dawes of Perception</a> (E7) set a benchmark for difficulty and boldness that came to define the medium, whilst his best link on <a href="/climb/52/the-meltdown" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Meltdown</a> project was worth at least 8c. </p> <p>But the best was yet to come. 1986 was Dawes’ <em>annus mirabilis</em>. The highlights included: <a href="/climb/585/gaia" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gaia</a> (E8), <a href="/climb/586/end-of-the-affair" rel="noopener noreferrer">End of the Affair</a> (E8), and <a href="/climb/622/slab-and-crack" rel="noopener noreferrer">Slab and Crack</a> (E8) on the grit; <a href="/climb/1187/conan-the-librarian" rel="noopener noreferrer">Conan the Librarian</a> (E7) and <a href="/climb/1003/come-to-mother" rel="noopener noreferrer">Come to Mother</a> (E7) on Gogarth; <a href="/climb/700/coeur-de-lion" rel="noopener noreferrer">Coeur de Lion</a> (E8) and the majestic <a href="/climb/699/the-quarryman" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Quarryman</a> (E8) on the slate. </p> <p>But it was <a href="/climb/601/indian-face" rel="noopener noreferrer">Indian Face</a> (E9) that topped them all, a harrowing quest up the Great Wall of <a href="/crag/457/clogwyn-du'r-arddu" rel="noopener noreferrer">Clogwyn Du'r Arddu</a> and the country’s first E9. The route established a level of boldness that still may not have been surpassed, and it has become a near-mythical part of British climbing lore.</p> <p>The eighties was a time of conflicting styles as climbing evolved. The Indian Face was pre-inspected, but to a level that would be considered minimal by today’s standards. Although the more accessible classics such as <a href="/climb/586/end-of-the-affair" rel="noopener noreferrer">End of the Affair</a> (E8) and <a href="/climb/585/gaia" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gaia</a> (E8) are now regularly headpointed, few have matched the spirit and style of Dawes’s first ascents: End of the Affair was attempted ground-up with a terrifying fall, whilst the bold final moves on Gaia were climbed onsight. </p> <p>The ground-up approach reached a new high watermark in 1988 when Dawes succeeded on the first ascent of <a href="/climb/1648/hardback-thesaurus" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hardback Thesaurus</a> (E8) on Gogarth, but not before taking gear-ripping falls that were enough to make you feel sea sick. It remains one of the hardest ground-up first ascents. </p> <p>The eighties also saw trips to <a href="/crag/778/sròn-uladail" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sròn Uladail</a> to free climb <a href="/climb/3047/the-scoop" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Scoop</a> (E7) and <a href="/climb/7131/moskill-grooves" rel="noopener noreferrer">Moskill Grooves</a> (E6), multipitch monsters winding their way through the crag’s 50m-overhanging girth. </p> <p>The 1990s saw the bar for slab climbing raised further with <a href="/climb/797/the-very-big-and-the-very-small" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Very Big and the Very Small</a> (8b+) on the slate and <a href="/climb/4123/smoked-salmon" rel="noopener noreferrer">Smoked Salmon</a> (E8) and <a href="/climb/900/the-angel's-share" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Angel's Share</a> (7C) on the grit, the latter taking a harder line, above a harder landing, than is usually climbed today. A one-handed solo of <a href="/climb/920/downhill-racer" rel="noopener noreferrer">Downhill Racer</a> was a typically Dawesian antic – he rated his effort E8. </p> <p>In 1993, an attempt on Himalayan big wall <a href="/summit/52/meru-peak" rel="noopener noreferrer">Meru Shark’s Fin</a> was abandoned when Dawes dropped a boot at 6000m. </p> <p>In 1995 he repeated his friend <a href="/climber/540/nick-dixon" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nick Dixon</a>’s masterpiece <a href="/climb/647/face-mecca" rel="noopener noreferrer">Face Mecca</a> (E9), taking a parallel line to Indian Face. This marked the end of the superbold era. </p> <p>The following years were spent conjuring up futuristic projects such as <a href="/climb/6959/wizard-ridge" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wizard Ridge</a> and <a href="/climb/5479/promontory-scoop" rel="noopener noreferrer">Promontory Scoop</a>, whilst exploring ever-more inventive approaches to movement. In 2018 he pulled an ascent of an 8b+ slab in <a href="/crag/2660/la-pedriza" rel="noopener noreferrer">La Pedriza</a> out the bag. </p> <p>Dawes was captured climbing at his best in the 1986 film <em>Stone Monkey</em> by Alun Hughes, a cult classic that was shown on terrestrial television several times. In 1996 Dawes made <em>Best Forgotten Art</em>, a film about gritstone crack climbing that was the easy listening antidote to Ben And Jerry’s techno-energised <em>The Real Thing</em>, released around the same time. Like a tweed jacket in a Sheffield nightclub, the contrast between the two films perhaps encapsulates Dawes’ place in his era: a climber who stood alongside the sport’s leading performers, yet always seemed to be playing a different game.</p> <blockquote> <p><a href="/climber/3087/jon-barton" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jon Barton</a>: Do you think you ever shocked anybody Johnny?</p> <p>Well I'd been at this mad party over in Wales. I left in the early hours to drive over to Sheffield, I like driving at night when the roads are quiet. I could tell you about the Snake Pass first thing at dawn, but that's boring hippy stuff. I got to Sheffield, and broke into the back of <a href="/climber/1215/alan-rouse" rel="noopener noreferrer">Al Rouse's</a> house. I was in the kitchen making coffee, admiring Al's new decorating efforts, I went up stairs and jumped into his room and onto the bed, to be faced by two worried looking strangers hiding under the duvet. Al had moved out some weeks earlier.</p> <p>JB: No Johnny, did you ever shock anybody with your climbing? [5]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] Interview with <a href="/climber/702/niall-grimes" rel="noopener noreferrer">Niall Grimes</a> and <a href="/climber/540/nick-dixon" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nick Dixon</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU</a></p> <p>[2] Features in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkj3Buhfi2k" rel="noopener noreferrer">80's Birth of Extreme</a></p> <p>[3] Interview for the film <em>Stone Monkey</em>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q</a></p> <p>[4] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88mEgfHJ-I" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88mEgfHJ-I</a></p> <p>[5] Interview with <a href="/climber/3087/jon-barton" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jon Barton</a>, On The Edge 63 (1996) <a href="/library/11066/on-the-edge-63" rel="noopener noreferrer">/library/11066/on-the-edge-63</a></p> <p>[6] <em>What Climbing Has Taught Me</em> (2025) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_uSJH7-30" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_uSJH7-30</a></p>
157 24th June 2026 20:48:06 UTC TdG climber Johnny Dawes notes
Before
Johnny Dawes made an indelible contribution to British climbing in the 1980s and ‘90s. Whilst contemporaries such as [Ben Moon](/climber/130/ben-moon) and [Jerry Moffatt](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) pushed physical standards forwards, Johnny took a swerve sideways (probably getting the vehicle on two wheels in the process), bringing his restless innovation in movement to bear on some of the country’s most spectacular lines. Dawes’s teenage years were spent honing his skills on the buildings around his school, but it wasn’t long before he made his presence known on the grit: the bold friction slab [Jugged Hare](/climb/6009/jugged-hare) (E6), climbed in EBs in 1983 was an aperitif for what was to come. Jerry Moffatt had climbed [Ulysses' Bow](/climb/881/ulysses'-bow) (E6) in 1983 after extensive top rope practice. Just one year later Dawes soloed it onsight. He made the route look easy, but as those who tried to follow him [found out the hard way](/climb/922/ulysses-or-bust), it was anything but. A host of hard gritstone classics followed: [Braille Trail](/climb/3475/braille-trail) (E7), [Benign Lives](/climb/5798/benign-lives) (E7), [The Salmon](/climb/1450/the-salmon) (E7); [Sad Amongst Friends](/climb/2973/sad-amongst-friends) (E7) and [Silk](/climb/5782/silk) (E5) were climbed ground up. In 1985, the North Wales slate beckoned, where Dawes found an affinity with its slabby style, slightly unhinged sparse bolting ethic, and social scene of misfits and miscreants. [Dawes of Perception](/climb/1167/dawes-of-perception) (E7) set a benchmark for difficulty and boldness that came to define the medium, whilst his best link on [The Meltdown](/climb/52/the-meltdown) project was worth at least 8c. But the best was yet to come. 1986 was Dawes’s *annus mirabilis*. The highlights included: [Gaia](/climb/585/gaia) (E8), [End of the Affair](/climb/586/end-of-the-affair) (E8), and [Slab and Crack](/climb/622/slab-and-crack) (E8) on the grit; [Conan the Librarian](/climb/1187/conan-the-librarian) (E7) and [Come to Mother](/climb/1003/come-to-mother) (E7) on Gogarth; [Coeur de Lion](/climb/700/coeur-de-lion) (E8) and the majestic [The Quarryman](/climb/699/the-quarryman) (E8) on the slate. But it was [Indian Face](/climb/601/indian-face) (E9) that topped them all, a harrowing quest up the Great Wall of [Clogwyn Du'r Arddu](/crag/457/clogwyn-du'r-arddu) and the country’s first E9. The route established a level of boldness that still may not have been surpassed, and it has become a near-mythical part of British climbing lore. The eighties was a time of conflicting styles as climbing evolved. The Indian Face was pre-inspected, but to a level that would be considered minimal by today’s standards. Although the more accessible classics such as [End of the Affair](/climb/586/end-of-the-affair) (E8) and [Gaia](/climb/585/gaia) (E8) are now regularly headpointed, few have matched the spirit and style of Dawes’s first ascents: End of the Affair was attempted ground-up with a terrifying fall, whilst the bold final moves on Gaia were climbed onsight. The ground-up approach reached a new high watermark in 1988 when Dawes succeeded on the first ascent of [Hardback Thesaurus](/climb/1648/hardback-thesaurus) (E8) on Gogarth, but not before taking gear-ripping falls that were enough to make you feel sea sick. It remains one of the hardest ground-up first ascents. The eighties also saw trips to [Sròn Uladail](/crag/778/sròn-uladail) to free climb [The Scoop](/climb/3047/the-scoop) (E7) and [Moskill Grooves](/climb/7131/moskill-grooves) (E6), multipitch monsters winding their way through the crag’s 50m-overhanging girth. The 1990s saw the bar for slab climbing raised further with [The Very Big and the Very Small](/climb/797/the-very-big-and-the-very-small) (8b+) on the slate and [Smoked Salmon](/climb/4123/smoked-salmon) (E8) and [The Angel's Share](/climb/900/the-angel's-share) (7C) on the grit, the latter taking a harder line, above a harder landing, than is usually climbed today. A one-handed solo of [Downhill Racer](/climb/920/downhill-racer) was a typically Dawesian antic – he rated his effort E8. In 1993, an attempt on Himalayan big wall [Meru Shark’s Fin](/summit/52/meru-peak) was abandoned when Dawes dropped a boot at 6000m. In 1995 he repeated his friend [Nick Dixon](/climber/540/nick-dixon)’s masterpiece [Face Mecca](/climb/647/face-mecca) (E9), taking a parallel line to Indian Face. This marked the end of the superbold era. The following years were spent conjuring up futuristic projects such as [Wizard Ridge](/climb/6959/wizard-ridge) and [Promontory Scoop](/climb/5479/promontory-scoop), whilst exploring ever-more inventive approaches to movement. In 2018 he pulled an ascent of an 8b+ slab in [La Pedriza](/crag/2660/la-pedriza) out the bag. Dawes was captured climbing at his best in the 1986 film *Stone Monkey* by Alun Hughes, a cult classic that was shown on terrestrial television several times. In 1996 Dawes made *Best Forgotten Art*, a film about gritstone crack climbing that was the easy listening antidote to Ben And Jerry’s techno-energised *The Real Thing*, released around the same time. Like a tweed jacket in a Sheffield nightclub, the contrast between the two films perhaps encapsulates Dawes’ place in his era: a climber who stood alongside the sport’s leading performers, yet always seemed to be playing a different game. > [Jon Barton](/climber/3087/jon-barton): Do you think you ever shocked anybody Johnny? > Well I'd been at this mad party over in Wales. I left in the early hours to drive over to Sheffield, I like driving at night when the roads are quiet. I could tell you about the Snake Pass first thing at dawn, but that's boring hippy stuff. I got to Sheffield, and broke into the back of [Al Rouse's](/climber/1215/alan-rouse) house. I was in the kitchen making coffee, admiring Al's new decorating efforts, I went up stairs and jumped into his room and onto the bed, to be faced by two worried looking strangers hiding under the duvet. Al had moved out some weeks earlier. > JB: No Johnny, did you ever shock anybody with your climbing? [5] ### References [1] Interview with [Niall Grimes](/climber/702/niall-grimes) and [Nick Dixon](/climber/540/nick-dixon) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU) [2] Features in [80's Birth of Extreme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkj3Buhfi2k) [3] Interview for the film *Stone Monkey*, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q) [4] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88mEgfHJ-I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88mEgfHJ-I) [5] Interview with [Jon Barton](/climber/3087/jon-barton), On The Edge 63 (1996) [/library/11066/on-the-edge-63](/library/11066/on-the-edge-63) [6] *What Climbing Has Taught Me* (2025) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_uSJH7-30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_uSJH7-30)
After
Johnny Dawes made an indelible contribution to British climbing in the 1980s and ‘90s. Whilst contemporaries such as [Ben Moon](/climber/130/ben-moon) and [Jerry Moffatt](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) pushed physical standards forwards, Johnny took a swerve sideways (probably getting the vehicle on two wheels in the process), bringing his restless innovation in movement to bear on some of the country’s most spectacular lines. Dawes’s teenage years were spent honing his skills on the buildings around his school, but it wasn’t long before he made his presence known on the grit: the bold friction slab [Jugged Hare](/climb/6009/jugged-hare) (E6), climbed in EBs in 1983 was an aperitif for what was to come. Jerry Moffatt had climbed [Ulysses' Bow](/climb/881/ulysses'-bow) (E6) in 1983 after extensive top rope practice. Just one year later Dawes soloed it onsight. He made the route look easy, but as those who tried to follow him [found out the hard way](/climb/922/ulysses-or-bust), it was anything but. A host of hard gritstone classics followed: [Braille Trail](/climb/3475/braille-trail) (E7), [Benign Lives](/climb/5798/benign-lives) (E7), [The Salmon](/climb/1450/the-salmon) (E7); [Sad Amongst Friends](/climb/2973/sad-amongst-friends) (E7) and [Silk](/climb/5782/silk) (E5) were climbed ground up. In 1985, the North Wales slate beckoned, where Dawes found an affinity with its slabby style, slightly unhinged sparse bolting ethic, and social scene of misfits and miscreants. [Dawes of Perception](/climb/1167/dawes-of-perception) (E7) set a benchmark for difficulty and boldness that came to define the medium, whilst his best link on [The Meltdown](/climb/52/the-meltdown) project was worth at least 8c. But the best was yet to come. 1986 was Dawes’ *annus mirabilis*. The highlights included: [Gaia](/climb/585/gaia) (E8), [End of the Affair](/climb/586/end-of-the-affair) (E8), and [Slab and Crack](/climb/622/slab-and-crack) (E8) on the grit; [Conan the Librarian](/climb/1187/conan-the-librarian) (E7) and [Come to Mother](/climb/1003/come-to-mother) (E7) on Gogarth; [Coeur de Lion](/climb/700/coeur-de-lion) (E8) and the majestic [The Quarryman](/climb/699/the-quarryman) (E8) on the slate. But it was [Indian Face](/climb/601/indian-face) (E9) that topped them all, a harrowing quest up the Great Wall of [Clogwyn Du'r Arddu](/crag/457/clogwyn-du'r-arddu) and the country’s first E9. The route established a level of boldness that still may not have been surpassed, and it has become a near-mythical part of British climbing lore. The eighties was a time of conflicting styles as climbing evolved. The Indian Face was pre-inspected, but to a level that would be considered minimal by today’s standards. Although the more accessible classics such as [End of the Affair](/climb/586/end-of-the-affair) (E8) and [Gaia](/climb/585/gaia) (E8) are now regularly headpointed, few have matched the spirit and style of Dawes’s first ascents: End of the Affair was attempted ground-up with a terrifying fall, whilst the bold final moves on Gaia were climbed onsight. The ground-up approach reached a new high watermark in 1988 when Dawes succeeded on the first ascent of [Hardback Thesaurus](/climb/1648/hardback-thesaurus) (E8) on Gogarth, but not before taking gear-ripping falls that were enough to make you feel sea sick. It remains one of the hardest ground-up first ascents. The eighties also saw trips to [Sròn Uladail](/crag/778/sròn-uladail) to free climb [The Scoop](/climb/3047/the-scoop) (E7) and [Moskill Grooves](/climb/7131/moskill-grooves) (E6), multipitch monsters winding their way through the crag’s 50m-overhanging girth. The 1990s saw the bar for slab climbing raised further with [The Very Big and the Very Small](/climb/797/the-very-big-and-the-very-small) (8b+) on the slate and [Smoked Salmon](/climb/4123/smoked-salmon) (E8) and [The Angel's Share](/climb/900/the-angel's-share) (7C) on the grit, the latter taking a harder line, above a harder landing, than is usually climbed today. A one-handed solo of [Downhill Racer](/climb/920/downhill-racer) was a typically Dawesian antic – he rated his effort E8. In 1993, an attempt on Himalayan big wall [Meru Shark’s Fin](/summit/52/meru-peak) was abandoned when Dawes dropped a boot at 6000m. In 1995 he repeated his friend [Nick Dixon](/climber/540/nick-dixon)’s masterpiece [Face Mecca](/climb/647/face-mecca) (E9), taking a parallel line to Indian Face. This marked the end of the superbold era. The following years were spent conjuring up futuristic projects such as [Wizard Ridge](/climb/6959/wizard-ridge) and [Promontory Scoop](/climb/5479/promontory-scoop), whilst exploring ever-more inventive approaches to movement. In 2018 he pulled an ascent of an 8b+ slab in [La Pedriza](/crag/2660/la-pedriza) out the bag. Dawes was captured climbing at his best in the 1986 film *Stone Monkey* by Alun Hughes, a cult classic that was shown on terrestrial television several times. In 1996 Dawes made *Best Forgotten Art*, a film about gritstone crack climbing that was the easy listening antidote to Ben And Jerry’s techno-energised *The Real Thing*, released around the same time. Like a tweed jacket in a Sheffield nightclub, the contrast between the two films perhaps encapsulates Dawes’ place in his era: a climber who stood alongside the sport’s leading performers, yet always seemed to be playing a different game. > [Jon Barton](/climber/3087/jon-barton): Do you think you ever shocked anybody Johnny? > Well I'd been at this mad party over in Wales. I left in the early hours to drive over to Sheffield, I like driving at night when the roads are quiet. I could tell you about the Snake Pass first thing at dawn, but that's boring hippy stuff. I got to Sheffield, and broke into the back of [Al Rouse's](/climber/1215/alan-rouse) house. I was in the kitchen making coffee, admiring Al's new decorating efforts, I went up stairs and jumped into his room and onto the bed, to be faced by two worried looking strangers hiding under the duvet. Al had moved out some weeks earlier. > JB: No Johnny, did you ever shock anybody with your climbing? [5] ### References [1] Interview with [Niall Grimes](/climber/702/niall-grimes) and [Nick Dixon](/climber/540/nick-dixon) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU) [2] Features in [80's Birth of Extreme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkj3Buhfi2k) [3] Interview for the film *Stone Monkey*, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q) [4] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88mEgfHJ-I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88mEgfHJ-I) [5] Interview with [Jon Barton](/climber/3087/jon-barton), On The Edge 63 (1996) [/library/11066/on-the-edge-63](/library/11066/on-the-edge-63) [6] *What Climbing Has Taught Me* (2025) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_uSJH7-30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_uSJH7-30)
Diff
--- before

+++ after

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@


In 1985, the North Wales slate beckoned, where Dawes found an affinity with its slabby style, slightly unhinged sparse bolting ethic, and social scene of misfits and miscreants. [Dawes of Perception](/climb/1167/dawes-of-perception) (E7) set a benchmark for difficulty and boldness that came to define the medium, whilst his best link on [The Meltdown](/climb/52/the-meltdown) project was worth at least 8c.

-But the best was yet to come. 1986 was Dawes’s *annus mirabilis*. The highlights included: [Gaia](/climb/585/gaia) (E8), [End of the Affair](/climb/586/end-of-the-affair) (E8), and [Slab and Crack](/climb/622/slab-and-crack) (E8) on the grit; [Conan the Librarian](/climb/1187/conan-the-librarian) (E7) and [Come to Mother](/climb/1003/come-to-mother) (E7) on Gogarth; [Coeur de Lion](/climb/700/coeur-de-lion) (E8) and the majestic [The Quarryman](/climb/699/the-quarryman) (E8) on the slate.
+But the best was yet to come. 1986 was Dawes’ *annus mirabilis*. The highlights included: [Gaia](/climb/585/gaia) (E8), [End of the Affair](/climb/586/end-of-the-affair) (E8), and [Slab and Crack](/climb/622/slab-and-crack) (E8) on the grit; [Conan the Librarian](/climb/1187/conan-the-librarian) (E7) and [Come to Mother](/climb/1003/come-to-mother) (E7) on Gogarth; [Coeur de Lion](/climb/700/coeur-de-lion) (E8) and the majestic [The Quarryman](/climb/699/the-quarryman) (E8) on the slate.

But it was [Indian Face](/climb/601/indian-face) (E9) that topped them all, a harrowing quest up the Great Wall of [Clogwyn Du'r Arddu](/crag/457/clogwyn-du'r-arddu) and the country’s first E9. The route established a level of boldness that still may not have been surpassed, and it has become a near-mythical part of British climbing lore.

158 24th June 2026 18:17:29 UTC TdG climber Gary Gibson notes_pretty
Before
<p>Gary Gibson is a massively prolific first ascentionist. He started new routing in 1977 and continued to establish many new routes up until the first half of 2020, where ill-health significantly slowed his efforts. In 2021 he surpassed 5000 new routes, and at the time he had climbed approximately 17600 routes in total. [2]</p> <p>Gary has had some close calls during his time establishing new routes. In 1988 he suffered a very serious head injury when a dislodged rock chopped his abseil rope while preparing a new line at <a href="/crag/33835/ban-y-gor" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ban-y-gor</a>, necessitating a long and grueling period of recovery. [4] </p> <p>In more recent years Gary has worked extensively to equip (and re-equip) many lower grade sport climbing venues which have subsequently become extremely popular. Crags such as <a href="/crag/148/horseshoe-quarry" rel="noopener noreferrer">Horseshoe Quarry</a> and <a href="/crag/2975/masson-lees-quarry" rel="noopener noreferrer">Masson Lees Quarry</a> are prime examples of this, containing many of the most popular lower grade sport routes in their respective areas.</p> <p>Gary's new routing activities have proved controversial at times with accusations of retro-claims, unsubstantiated ascents and poor quality routes being levelled at various times.</p> <p>Alongside his new routing activities Gary also somehow found time to contribute extensively to many guidebooks to the UK.</p> <p><a href="/climber/213/mark-pretty" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mark Pretty</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>While the elite of British climbing have consistently ignored or dismissed his achievements … they cannot be so easily ignored. He is someone who, more than anybody else, has advanced easy to mid-grade sport climbing in this country — not to mention his trad routes. [3]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Blood_Sweat_and_Smears/Dvn7xAEACAAJ?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Blood_Sweat_and_Smears/Dvn7xAEACAAJ?hl=en</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2021/09/gary_gibson_climbs_his_5000th_first_ascent-72866" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2021/09/gary_gibson_climbs_his_5000th_first_ascent-72866</a></p> <p>[3] <a href="https://footlesscrow.blogspot.com/2019/10/gary-gibsons-blood-sweat-and.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://footlesscrow.blogspot.com/2019/10/gary-gibsons-blood-sweat-and.html</a></p> <p>[4] <em>Mountain</em> Issue 125 (1989), page 18 <a href="/library/11115/mountain-125" rel="noopener noreferrer">/library/11115/mountain-125</a></p>
After
<p>Gary Gibson is a massively prolific first ascentionist. He started new routing in 1977 and continued to establish many new routes up until the first half of 2020, where ill-health significantly slowed his efforts. In 2021 he surpassed 5000 new routes, and at the time he had climbed approximately 17600 routes in total. [2]</p> <p>Despite having acquired a reputation for being somewhat undiscerning in route quality, his best trad lines – particularly in Staffordshire, Pembroke and Lundy – are amongst the finest in the country. </p> <p>Gary has had some close calls during his time establishing new routes. In 1988 he suffered a very serious head injury when a dislodged rock chopped his abseil rope while preparing a new line at <a href="/crag/33835/ban-y-gor" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ban-y-gor</a>, necessitating a long and grueling period of recovery. [4] </p> <p>In more recent years Gary has worked extensively to equip (and re-equip) many lower grade sport climbing venues which have subsequently become extremely popular. Crags such as <a href="/crag/148/horseshoe-quarry" rel="noopener noreferrer">Horseshoe Quarry</a> and <a href="/crag/2975/masson-lees-quarry" rel="noopener noreferrer">Masson Lees Quarry</a> are prime examples of this, containing many of the most popular lower grade sport routes in their respective areas.</p> <p>Gary's new routing activities have proved controversial at times with accusations of retro-claims, unsubstantiated ascents, bolts on trad crags and poor quality routes being levelled at him.</p> <p>Alongside his new routing activities Gary also somehow found time to contribute extensively to many guidebooks to the UK.</p> <p><a href="/climber/213/mark-pretty" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mark Pretty</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>While the elite of British climbing have consistently ignored or dismissed his achievements … they cannot be so easily ignored. He is someone who, more than anybody else, has advanced easy to mid-grade sport climbing in this country — not to mention his trad routes. [3]</p> </blockquote> <h3>References</h3> <p>[1] <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Blood_Sweat_and_Smears/Dvn7xAEACAAJ?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Blood_Sweat_and_Smears/Dvn7xAEACAAJ?hl=en</a></p> <p>[2] <a href="https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2021/09/gary_gibson_climbs_his_5000th_first_ascent-72866" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2021/09/gary_gibson_climbs_his_5000th_first_ascent-72866</a></p> <p>[3] <a href="https://footlesscrow.blogspot.com/2019/10/gary-gibsons-blood-sweat-and.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://footlesscrow.blogspot.com/2019/10/gary-gibsons-blood-sweat-and.html</a></p> <p>[4] <em>Mountain</em> Issue 125 (1989), page 18 <a href="/library/11115/mountain-125" rel="noopener noreferrer">/library/11115/mountain-125</a></p>
159 24th June 2026 18:17:29 UTC TdG climber Gary Gibson notes
Before
Gary Gibson is a massively prolific first ascentionist. He started new routing in 1977 and continued to establish many new routes up until the first half of 2020, where ill-health significantly slowed his efforts. In 2021 he surpassed 5000 new routes, and at the time he had climbed approximately 17600 routes in total. [2] Gary has had some close calls during his time establishing new routes. In 1988 he suffered a very serious head injury when a dislodged rock chopped his abseil rope while preparing a new line at [Ban-y-gor](/crag/33835/ban-y-gor), necessitating a long and grueling period of recovery. [4] In more recent years Gary has worked extensively to equip (and re-equip) many lower grade sport climbing venues which have subsequently become extremely popular. Crags such as [Horseshoe Quarry](/crag/148/horseshoe-quarry) and [Masson Lees Quarry](/crag/2975/masson-lees-quarry) are prime examples of this, containing many of the most popular lower grade sport routes in their respective areas. Gary's new routing activities have proved controversial at times with accusations of retro-claims, unsubstantiated ascents and poor quality routes being levelled at various times. Alongside his new routing activities Gary also somehow found time to contribute extensively to many guidebooks to the UK. [Mark Pretty](/climber/213/mark-pretty): > While the elite of British climbing have consistently ignored or dismissed his achievements … they cannot be so easily ignored. He is someone who, more than anybody else, has advanced easy to mid-grade sport climbing in this country — not to mention his trad routes. [3] ### References [1] [https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Blood_Sweat_and_Smears/Dvn7xAEACAAJ?hl=en](https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Blood_Sweat_and_Smears/Dvn7xAEACAAJ?hl=en) [2] [https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2021/09/gary_gibson_climbs_his_5000th_first_ascent-72866](https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2021/09/gary_gibson_climbs_his_5000th_first_ascent-72866) [3] [https://footlesscrow.blogspot.com/2019/10/gary-gibsons-blood-sweat-and.html](https://footlesscrow.blogspot.com/2019/10/gary-gibsons-blood-sweat-and.html) [4] *Mountain* Issue 125 (1989), page 18 [/library/11115/mountain-125](/library/11115/mountain-125)
After
Gary Gibson is a massively prolific first ascentionist. He started new routing in 1977 and continued to establish many new routes up until the first half of 2020, where ill-health significantly slowed his efforts. In 2021 he surpassed 5000 new routes, and at the time he had climbed approximately 17600 routes in total. [2] Despite having acquired a reputation for being somewhat undiscerning in route quality, his best trad lines – particularly in Staffordshire, Pembroke and Lundy – are amongst the finest in the country. Gary has had some close calls during his time establishing new routes. In 1988 he suffered a very serious head injury when a dislodged rock chopped his abseil rope while preparing a new line at [Ban-y-gor](/crag/33835/ban-y-gor), necessitating a long and grueling period of recovery. [4] In more recent years Gary has worked extensively to equip (and re-equip) many lower grade sport climbing venues which have subsequently become extremely popular. Crags such as [Horseshoe Quarry](/crag/148/horseshoe-quarry) and [Masson Lees Quarry](/crag/2975/masson-lees-quarry) are prime examples of this, containing many of the most popular lower grade sport routes in their respective areas. Gary's new routing activities have proved controversial at times with accusations of retro-claims, unsubstantiated ascents, bolts on trad crags and poor quality routes being levelled at him. Alongside his new routing activities Gary also somehow found time to contribute extensively to many guidebooks to the UK. [Mark Pretty](/climber/213/mark-pretty): > While the elite of British climbing have consistently ignored or dismissed his achievements … they cannot be so easily ignored. He is someone who, more than anybody else, has advanced easy to mid-grade sport climbing in this country — not to mention his trad routes. [3] ### References [1] [https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Blood_Sweat_and_Smears/Dvn7xAEACAAJ?hl=en](https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Blood_Sweat_and_Smears/Dvn7xAEACAAJ?hl=en) [2] [https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2021/09/gary_gibson_climbs_his_5000th_first_ascent-72866](https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2021/09/gary_gibson_climbs_his_5000th_first_ascent-72866) [3] [https://footlesscrow.blogspot.com/2019/10/gary-gibsons-blood-sweat-and.html](https://footlesscrow.blogspot.com/2019/10/gary-gibsons-blood-sweat-and.html) [4] *Mountain* Issue 125 (1989), page 18 [/library/11115/mountain-125](/library/11115/mountain-125)
Diff
--- before

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Gary Gibson is a massively prolific first ascentionist. He started new routing in 1977 and continued to establish many new routes up until the first half of 2020, where ill-health significantly slowed his efforts. In 2021 he surpassed 5000 new routes, and at the time he had climbed approximately 17600 routes in total. [2]
+
+Despite having acquired a reputation for being somewhat undiscerning in route quality, his best trad lines – particularly in Staffordshire, Pembroke and Lundy – are amongst the finest in the country.

Gary has had some close calls during his time establishing new routes. In 1988 he suffered a very serious head injury when a dislodged rock chopped his abseil rope while preparing a new line at [Ban-y-gor](/crag/33835/ban-y-gor), necessitating a long and grueling period of recovery. [4]

In more recent years Gary has worked extensively to equip (and re-equip) many lower grade sport climbing venues which have subsequently become extremely popular. Crags such as [Horseshoe Quarry](/crag/148/horseshoe-quarry) and [Masson Lees Quarry](/crag/2975/masson-lees-quarry) are prime examples of this, containing many of the most popular lower grade sport routes in their respective areas.

-Gary's new routing activities have proved controversial at times with accusations of retro-claims, unsubstantiated ascents and poor quality routes being levelled at various times.
+Gary's new routing activities have proved controversial at times with accusations of retro-claims, unsubstantiated ascents, bolts on trad crags and poor quality routes being levelled at him.

Alongside his new routing activities Gary also somehow found time to contribute extensively to many guidebooks to the UK.

160 24th June 2026 18:06:26 UTC TdG climber Johnny Dawes notes
Before
Johnny Dawes made an indelible contribution to British climbing in the 1980s and ‘90s. Whilst contemporaries such as [Ben Moon](/climber/130/ben-moon) and [Jerry Moffatt](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) pushed physical standards forwards, Johnny took a swerve sideways (probably getting the vehicle on two wheels in the process), bringing his restless innovation in movement to bear on some of the country’s most spectacular lines. Dawes’s teenage years were spent honing his skills on the buildings around his school, but it wasn’t long before he made his presence known on the grit: the bold friction slab [Jugged Hare](/climb/6009/jugged-hare) (E6), climbed in EBs in 1983 was an aperitif for what was to come. Jerry Moffatt had climbed [Ulysses' Bow](/climb/881/ulysses'-bow) (E6) in 1983 after extensive top rope practice. Just one year later Dawes soloed it onsight. He made the route look easy, but as those who tried to follow him [found out the hard way](/climb/922/ulysses-or-bust), it was anything but. A host of hard gritstone classics followed: [Braille Trail](/climb/3475/braille-trail) (E7), [Benign Lives](/climb/5798/benign-lives) (E7), [The Salmon](/climb/1450/the-salmon) (E7); [Sad Amongst Friends](/climb/2973/sad-amongst-friends) (E7) and [Silk](/climb/5782/silk) (E5) were climbed ground up. In 1985, the North Wales slate beckoned, where Dawes found an affinity with its slabby style, slightly unhinged sparse bolting ethic, and social scene of misfits and miscreants. [Dawes of Perception](/climb/1167/dawes-of-perception) (E7) set a benchmark for difficulty and boldness that came to define the medium, whilst his best link on [The Meltdown](/climb/52/the-meltdown) project was worth at least 8c. But the best was yet to come. 1986 was Dawes’s *annus mirabilis*. The highlights included: [Gaia](/climb/585/gaia) (E8), [End of the Affair](/climb/586/end-of-the-affair) (E8), and [Slab and Crack](/climb/622/slab-and-crack) (E8) on the grit; [Conan the Librarian](/climb/1187/conan-the-librarian) (E7) and [Come to Mother](/climb/1003/come-to-mother) (E7) on Gogarth; [Coeur de Lion](/climb/700/coeur-de-lion) (E8) and the majestic [The Quarryman](/climb/699/the-quarryman) (E8) on the slate. But it was [Indian Face](/climb/601/indian-face) (E9) that topped them all, a harrowing quest up the Great Wall of [Clogwyn Du'r Arddu](/crag/457/clogwyn-du'r-arddu) and the country’s first E9. The route established a level of boldness that still may not have been surpassed, and it has become a near-mythical part of British climbing lore. The eighties was a time of conflicting styles as climbing evolved. The Indian Face was pre-inspected, but to a level that would be considered minimal by today’s standards. Although the more accessible classics such as [End of the Affair](/climb/586/end-of-the-affair) (E8) and [Gaia](/climb/585/gaia) (E8) are now regularly headpointed, few have matched the spirit and style of Dawes’s first ascents: End of the Affair was attempted ground-up with a terrifying fall, whilst the bold final moves on Gaia were climbed onsight. The ground-up approach reached a new high watermark in 1988 when Dawes succeeded on the first ascent of [Hardback Thesaurus](/climb/1648/hardback-thesaurus) (E8) on Gogarth, but not before taking gear-ripping falls that were enough to make you feel sea sick. It remains one of the hardest ground-up first ascents. The eighties also saw trips to [Sròn Uladail](/crag/778/sròn-uladail) to free climb [The Scoop](/climb/3047/the-scoop) (E7) and [Moskill Grooves](/climb/7131/moskill-grooves) (E6), multipitch monsters winding their way through the crag’s 50m-overhanging girth. The 1990s saw the bar for slab climbing raised further with [The Very Big and the Very Small](/climb/797/the-very-big-and-the-very-small) (8b+) on the slate and [Smoked Salmon](/climb/4123/smoked-salmon) (E8) and [The Angel's Share](/climb/900/the-angel's-share) (7C) on the grit, the latter taking a harder line, above a harder landing, than is usually climbed today. A one-handed solo of [Downhill Racer](/climb/920/downhill-racer) was a typically Dawesian antic – he rated his effort E8. In 1993, an attempt on Himalayan big wall [Meru Shark’s Fin](/summit/52/meru-peak) was abandoned when Dawes dropped a boot at 6000m. In 1995 he repeated his friend [Nick Dixon](/climber/540/nick-dixon)’s masterpiece [Face Mecca](/climb/647/face-mecca) (E9), taking a parallel line to Indian Face. This marked the end of the superbold era. The following years were spent conjuring up futuristic projects such as [Wizard Ridge](/climb/6959/wizard-ridge) and [Promontory Scoop](/climb/5479/promontory-scoop), whilst exploring ever-more inventive approaches to movement. In 2018 he pulled an ascent of an 8b+ slab in[La Pedriza](/crag/2660/la-pedriza) out the bag. Dawes was captured climbing at his best in the 1986 film *Stone Monkey* by Alun Hughes, a cult classic that was shown on terrestrial television several times. In 1996 Dawes made *Best Forgotten Art*, a film about gritstone crack climbing that was the easy listening antidote to Ben And Jerry’s techno-energised *The Real Thing*, released around the same time. Like a tweed jacket in a Sheffield nightclub, the contrast between the two films perhaps encapsulates Dawes’ place in his era: a climber who stood alongside the sport’s leading performers, yet always seemed to be playing a different game. > [Jon Barton](/climber/3087/jon-barton): Do you think you ever shocked anybody Johnny? > Well I'd been at this mad party over in Wales. I left in the early hours to drive over to Sheffield, I like driving at night when the roads are quiet. I could tell you about the Snake Pass first thing at dawn, but that's boring hippy stuff. I got to Sheffield, and broke into the back of [Al Rouse's](/climber/1215/alan-rouse) house. I was in the kitchen making coffee, admiring Al's new decorating efforts, I went up stairs and jumped into his room and onto the bed, to be faced by two worried looking strangers hiding under the duvet. Al had moved out some weeks earlier. > JB: No Johnny, did you ever shock anybody with your climbing? [5] ### References [1] Interview with [Niall Grimes](/climber/702/niall-grimes) and [Nick Dixon](/climber/540/nick-dixon) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU) [2] Features in [80's Birth of Extreme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkj3Buhfi2k) [3] Interview for the film *Stone Monkey*, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q) [4] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88mEgfHJ-I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88mEgfHJ-I) [5] Interview with [Jon Barton](/climber/3087/jon-barton), On The Edge 63 (1996) [/library/11066/on-the-edge-63](/library/11066/on-the-edge-63) [6] *What Climbing Has Taught Me* (2025) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_uSJH7-30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_uSJH7-30)
After
Johnny Dawes made an indelible contribution to British climbing in the 1980s and ‘90s. Whilst contemporaries such as [Ben Moon](/climber/130/ben-moon) and [Jerry Moffatt](/climber/131/jerry-moffatt) pushed physical standards forwards, Johnny took a swerve sideways (probably getting the vehicle on two wheels in the process), bringing his restless innovation in movement to bear on some of the country’s most spectacular lines. Dawes’s teenage years were spent honing his skills on the buildings around his school, but it wasn’t long before he made his presence known on the grit: the bold friction slab [Jugged Hare](/climb/6009/jugged-hare) (E6), climbed in EBs in 1983 was an aperitif for what was to come. Jerry Moffatt had climbed [Ulysses' Bow](/climb/881/ulysses'-bow) (E6) in 1983 after extensive top rope practice. Just one year later Dawes soloed it onsight. He made the route look easy, but as those who tried to follow him [found out the hard way](/climb/922/ulysses-or-bust), it was anything but. A host of hard gritstone classics followed: [Braille Trail](/climb/3475/braille-trail) (E7), [Benign Lives](/climb/5798/benign-lives) (E7), [The Salmon](/climb/1450/the-salmon) (E7); [Sad Amongst Friends](/climb/2973/sad-amongst-friends) (E7) and [Silk](/climb/5782/silk) (E5) were climbed ground up. In 1985, the North Wales slate beckoned, where Dawes found an affinity with its slabby style, slightly unhinged sparse bolting ethic, and social scene of misfits and miscreants. [Dawes of Perception](/climb/1167/dawes-of-perception) (E7) set a benchmark for difficulty and boldness that came to define the medium, whilst his best link on [The Meltdown](/climb/52/the-meltdown) project was worth at least 8c. But the best was yet to come. 1986 was Dawes’s *annus mirabilis*. The highlights included: [Gaia](/climb/585/gaia) (E8), [End of the Affair](/climb/586/end-of-the-affair) (E8), and [Slab and Crack](/climb/622/slab-and-crack) (E8) on the grit; [Conan the Librarian](/climb/1187/conan-the-librarian) (E7) and [Come to Mother](/climb/1003/come-to-mother) (E7) on Gogarth; [Coeur de Lion](/climb/700/coeur-de-lion) (E8) and the majestic [The Quarryman](/climb/699/the-quarryman) (E8) on the slate. But it was [Indian Face](/climb/601/indian-face) (E9) that topped them all, a harrowing quest up the Great Wall of [Clogwyn Du'r Arddu](/crag/457/clogwyn-du'r-arddu) and the country’s first E9. The route established a level of boldness that still may not have been surpassed, and it has become a near-mythical part of British climbing lore. The eighties was a time of conflicting styles as climbing evolved. The Indian Face was pre-inspected, but to a level that would be considered minimal by today’s standards. Although the more accessible classics such as [End of the Affair](/climb/586/end-of-the-affair) (E8) and [Gaia](/climb/585/gaia) (E8) are now regularly headpointed, few have matched the spirit and style of Dawes’s first ascents: End of the Affair was attempted ground-up with a terrifying fall, whilst the bold final moves on Gaia were climbed onsight. The ground-up approach reached a new high watermark in 1988 when Dawes succeeded on the first ascent of [Hardback Thesaurus](/climb/1648/hardback-thesaurus) (E8) on Gogarth, but not before taking gear-ripping falls that were enough to make you feel sea sick. It remains one of the hardest ground-up first ascents. The eighties also saw trips to [Sròn Uladail](/crag/778/sròn-uladail) to free climb [The Scoop](/climb/3047/the-scoop) (E7) and [Moskill Grooves](/climb/7131/moskill-grooves) (E6), multipitch monsters winding their way through the crag’s 50m-overhanging girth. The 1990s saw the bar for slab climbing raised further with [The Very Big and the Very Small](/climb/797/the-very-big-and-the-very-small) (8b+) on the slate and [Smoked Salmon](/climb/4123/smoked-salmon) (E8) and [The Angel's Share](/climb/900/the-angel's-share) (7C) on the grit, the latter taking a harder line, above a harder landing, than is usually climbed today. A one-handed solo of [Downhill Racer](/climb/920/downhill-racer) was a typically Dawesian antic – he rated his effort E8. In 1993, an attempt on Himalayan big wall [Meru Shark’s Fin](/summit/52/meru-peak) was abandoned when Dawes dropped a boot at 6000m. In 1995 he repeated his friend [Nick Dixon](/climber/540/nick-dixon)’s masterpiece [Face Mecca](/climb/647/face-mecca) (E9), taking a parallel line to Indian Face. This marked the end of the superbold era. The following years were spent conjuring up futuristic projects such as [Wizard Ridge](/climb/6959/wizard-ridge) and [Promontory Scoop](/climb/5479/promontory-scoop), whilst exploring ever-more inventive approaches to movement. In 2018 he pulled an ascent of an 8b+ slab in [La Pedriza](/crag/2660/la-pedriza) out the bag. Dawes was captured climbing at his best in the 1986 film *Stone Monkey* by Alun Hughes, a cult classic that was shown on terrestrial television several times. In 1996 Dawes made *Best Forgotten Art*, a film about gritstone crack climbing that was the easy listening antidote to Ben And Jerry’s techno-energised *The Real Thing*, released around the same time. Like a tweed jacket in a Sheffield nightclub, the contrast between the two films perhaps encapsulates Dawes’ place in his era: a climber who stood alongside the sport’s leading performers, yet always seemed to be playing a different game. > [Jon Barton](/climber/3087/jon-barton): Do you think you ever shocked anybody Johnny? > Well I'd been at this mad party over in Wales. I left in the early hours to drive over to Sheffield, I like driving at night when the roads are quiet. I could tell you about the Snake Pass first thing at dawn, but that's boring hippy stuff. I got to Sheffield, and broke into the back of [Al Rouse's](/climber/1215/alan-rouse) house. I was in the kitchen making coffee, admiring Al's new decorating efforts, I went up stairs and jumped into his room and onto the bed, to be faced by two worried looking strangers hiding under the duvet. Al had moved out some weeks earlier. > JB: No Johnny, did you ever shock anybody with your climbing? [5] ### References [1] Interview with [Niall Grimes](/climber/702/niall-grimes) and [Nick Dixon](/climber/540/nick-dixon) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfAxYENlmU) [2] Features in [80's Birth of Extreme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkj3Buhfi2k) [3] Interview for the film *Stone Monkey*, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdeaV_vfp5Q) [4] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88mEgfHJ-I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88mEgfHJ-I) [5] Interview with [Jon Barton](/climber/3087/jon-barton), On The Edge 63 (1996) [/library/11066/on-the-edge-63](/library/11066/on-the-edge-63) [6] *What Climbing Has Taught Me* (2025) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_uSJH7-30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_uSJH7-30)
Diff
--- before

+++ after

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@


In 1995 he repeated his friend [Nick Dixon](/climber/540/nick-dixon)’s masterpiece [Face Mecca](/climb/647/face-mecca) (E9), taking a parallel line to Indian Face. This marked the end of the superbold era.

-The following years were spent conjuring up futuristic projects such as [Wizard Ridge](/climb/6959/wizard-ridge) and [Promontory Scoop](/climb/5479/promontory-scoop), whilst exploring ever-more inventive approaches to movement. In 2018 he pulled an ascent of an 8b+ slab in[La Pedriza](/crag/2660/la-pedriza) out the bag.
+The following years were spent conjuring up futuristic projects such as [Wizard Ridge](/climb/6959/wizard-ridge) and [Promontory Scoop](/climb/5479/promontory-scoop), whilst exploring ever-more inventive approaches to movement. In 2018 he pulled an ascent of an 8b+ slab in [La Pedriza](/crag/2660/la-pedriza) out the bag.

Dawes was captured climbing at his best in the 1986 film *Stone Monkey* by Alun Hughes, a cult classic that was shown on terrestrial television several times. In 1996 Dawes made *Best Forgotten Art*, a film about gritstone crack climbing that was the easy listening antidote to Ben And Jerry’s techno-energised *The Real Thing*, released around the same time. Like a tweed jacket in a Sheffield nightclub, the contrast between the two films perhaps encapsulates Dawes’ place in his era: a climber who stood alongside the sport’s leading performers, yet always seemed to be playing a different game.

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