Latest News & Events Diary

Dave MacLeod

As usual Dave has written extensively on his blog in an entry entitled 'Therapy'.

Nursing a tendon injury, Dave and his wife Claire headed south to take a look at what had been called the hardest trad route in the world, the first route in the UK to have a proposed grade of E12.

The Walk of Life is a direct start to an Ian Vicker's route Dyer Straits (given E8) that was peg protected. Over a 4 year period James Pearson cleaned the route, took the pegs out, practiced it on a top rope and after 13 lead attempts led the whole route on 29th September this year. This ascent was filmed by Hot Aches and can be seen in the DVD Committed 2.

MacLeod made short work of the route, getting all the moves on his first top rope and finding 25 runners on the 50m slab. On his third day he linked the entire route.

"On the third day I linked the entire route first try for my warm-up."

He made a quick trip to Bristol to buy more gear, then Dave imagined what energizer bunny Tim Emmett would say, 'Get it led mate!!!'

Then the next day he did just that.

THE GRADE

Grades are what rank the top climbers and most now talk extensively about them on their blogs. Dave MacLeod is no different and if grades are your thing, Dave has delivered.

"Lets start with the bottom line;

In my opinion The Walk of Life is solid E9 6c. Why is it not harder? Well basically it's just nowhere near hard enough to be E10, never mind E12.

The Walk is definitely not as hard as the benchmark E9 from way back in 1992, If Six Was Nine. It's about the same difficulty and character to my own route Holdfast in Glen Nevis, but much easier than To Hell and Back and a couple of grades easier than Rhapsody to lead."

You can read Dave's full blog entry here: davemacleod.blogspot.com

One question to ask is why was The Walk of Life given E12 7a? James gives his explanation here: jamespearsonclimbing.blogspot.com

Ray Wood reports at the DMM website,

"Climbing a sustained 25 metre ice pitch only a few yards from the road, with bolts for protection and a lower-off, isn't your everyday Welsh winter outing.

Sometimes we don't even notice what is right under our noses. But not Adam Wainwright. During this continuing cold spell (minus 10C around Capel Curig last night) Adam had been watching a glistening line of ice steadily thicken on The Rippled Slab at the back of Bus Stop Quarry, barely two minutes walk from the road. "

Full report with photos at www.dmmclimbing.com

Blogging on his Beastmaker Site, Dan said:

"...To me the crux of this is harder than any move on: Superman, The Ace, Voyager, Bloodsport, A Bigger Belly, and any foreign problem I've ever done a move on, it probably just doesn't suit me though and I didn't even need to diet or train too specifically. A big thanks to Gaskins for leaving such testing blocs which really make me push myself..."

Dan completed the problem by the standard start. There is an unrepeated right hand version also climbed by John Gaskins. Greg Chapman has a full report with photo on his LakesBloc site and commented:

"Dan has yet to comment on the grade but it is obvious, from the evidence so far, that Little Women must be around the Font 8B mark, if not harder?"

However after going back on the problem Dan sugested that hard Font 8A+ would be appropriate, and would keep the grade in line with other Gaskin's problems. Second time around Dan didn't find the moves too bad, and has also come extremely close to the harder RH start - watch this space.

You can see more photos on the Beastmaker Flickr account.

Liam Desroy has made the second ascent of Bonnie (Font 8A) in Parisella's Cave. The line was first climbed by Gaz Parry and is renowned for being "hard for the grade" according to some cave regulars.

More info and photos on NorthWalesBouldering.com

Soloman's Seal is an 8A problem at Stanage.

Reported on Chris Doyle's Blog is a 8B+ repeat in Cresciano by British climber Micky Page. This is the fourth ascent of The Dagger. Micky Page is mentioned in this year's bouldering round-up on UKC by Tyler Landman.

After five days on the Eiger's Harlin Route Andy had had enough, this attempt. Too much snow, too much gear, fatigue and emails from his son made him decide to retreat.

Now back in the UK, inspired by questions asked on a UKClimbing.com thread he explores his decision to attempt the Harlin in winter and his reasons for climbing.

"Was I in a fit state to try? Well no, but then I have never been in a fit state to try any climb (When I climbed the Lesure route on the North Face of the Dru - scottish VI/VII, and a dam site harder then the Eiger Direct - I hadn't climbed for over a year!!!!). I'm not like Bracey, Powell, Cross etc who are genuinely full time climbers (athletes if you wish), and would race up a route like the direct in a few days. I'm an utterly normal person who finds fitting in even a days climbing in the 'gorms difficult, juggling kids, ex wife and girlfriend, many jobs and commitments - just like about 90% of climbers in the UK.

Call me selfish? It's because I've always striven no to let climbing make me a heartless climbing obsessed bastard that gets me into these scrapes in the first place. What I have in my favor is not a six pack and a marathon physique (since when did being skinny make you a good mountaineer?), but a stubbornness, and willingness to both try something difficult with as big a safety margin as possible, and most importantly be willing to fail. My book and website may have the word psycho in it, but I think if you ask anyone who's climbed with me, and you'll find I'm probably one of the most paranoid climbers around."

You can read his full blog entry at andy-kirkpatrick.com

This is reportedly the first clean solo ascent of Cerro Torre, without the use of the bolts of Cesare Maestri's Compressor Route. On the steep pitches of the route Walter self-belayed, the rest he climbed ropeless.

For his ascent Walter Hungerbühler set out from El Chalten on Sunday Dec 7th, approaching via Passo Marconi and the icecap.

After the long walk in he reached the Circo de los Altares and the base of the West Face. He started the Ferrari route at 2pm on Dec 8th by climbing up to the bivy below The Helmet. There he met a team of four climbers from Argentina who were very happy to see him as they had forgotten to bring their stove. Walter loaned them his stove and before sunset self-belayed up the Helmet pitch, leaving a fixed rope for the next day.

After a happy bivy-night with the Argentinians Walter set out for the summit at 5 am. He climbed the mixed pitches leading to the headwall. On the two steep ice pitches of the headwall he self-belayed, abseiling after each lead and jumaring back up with his backpack.

Above the headwall follows a spectacular pitch up a 30 meter long ice-tube. A few easier steps lead to the scary crux of the route. This was in excellent condition after the previous ascents by strong teams from various countries.
Walter reached the summit at 13:50 in perfect and windless weather, shortly after a team of four French climbers. Curiously the French had taken a nude group picture on the summit. Due to the previous ascents the rappels were in good condition.

Having left his stove to the Argentinians, Walter was treated to dinner by the French at the bivy below the route. He reached the village of El Chalten after the long walk via Paso Marconi and a night at Piedra de Fraile on Dec 11th.

Report by Michi Wyser and Cedric Larcher.

His finest climbs include the first ascent of Cima Ovest di Lavaredo in 1935, the first ascent of north-east face of the 3,308m Piz Badile in 1937, the Cassin Route, and a year later the Walker Spur of the Grandes Jorasses on Mont Blanc. In 1961 he reached the summit of the 6,178m Mt. McKinley (Denali) in the Alaska by what is now known as the Cassin Ridge, which was acknowledged by President John F. Kennedy in a congratulatory telegram to Cassin.

Back in the 1930's just getting to the start of a climb was epic, Cassin remembers:

"I had to work Monday through Friday at a steel factory, so I could only climb on the weekends. I had no choice but to reach the top before dark, because I had to go back to work the next day. And there weren't airplanes at the time, but trains, bicycles, and lots of walking. To get to Mont Blanc to climb the Grand Jorasses, I had to take a train to Pre Saint Didier, bike until Courmayeuer, and then walk to the Col du Gigante, do half of he Mer de Glace uphill until the Rifugio Leschaux, and then get to the Tavola [Plateau] of the Grand Jorasses and start the climb. So I was already warmed up to go up by then! "

You can read an interview with Ricardo Cassin at Climbing.com: Riccardo Cassin - The Full Interview: Compiled by Federica Valabrega