UKC

Can anyone tell me some of the climbs that Joe Brown and Don Whillans tried that were too difficult for them (ie they backed off) and have now been climbed.

We hear all about their success in pushing the barriers, but surely there must have been some climbs that were even beyond their skills

Chris

In reply to chris fox: Masters Wall/ Great Wall on Cloggy.

In reply to chris fox: I heard they did all the moves on Rhapsody on top rope but couldn't link it on the lead...

In reply to chris fox:

what about the E3 on cloggy - bloody slab? someone did that before them no?

In reply to Al Evans:

Knew i could count on you to come up with something.

Cheers Al

ALN - that true about Rhapsody? If so thats bloody good work by them

In reply to Wilbur:

Don't think they'd tried it .

In reply to aln: Oh, and Left Wall, Joe told me a couple of years ago that he had still never done it because 'Ron was so good that if he needed all that aid on it I wouldn't have a chance'
I tried to persuade Joe to go and do it, to no avail.

In reply to chris fox: Called Masters Wall at the time because only 'The Master' would be able to do it, until PC came on the scene and changed the name!

In reply to chris fox: He's extracting the urine Chris.

There's a route at Froggatt that Whillans "invented" but couldn't quite manage. Can't remember the name but its noted in the current Eastern Grit.

In reply to chris fox:


Apparently they also looked at the line now taken by Overshadow at Malham, but decided against it as they didn't have enough skyhooks for protection...

In reply to Al Evans: Didnae have the arms for it.

In reply to michael lawrence:

I know he is Michael, i'm not that gullable, and wasnt going to bite!!!

I was really hoping that it would there be a sensible replies to the topic

In reply to chris fox: ramshaw crack

In reply to chris fox:

Insanity at Curbar.

In reply to michael lawrence:

Found something in the guide about "The Big Crack" that Whillans used a machine nut for aid and FFA by John Syrett in '73

In reply to chris fox:

The machine nut is still there if you know where to look!


Chris

In reply to chris fox: Small Brown at Crookrise. Brown used tension in 1958, freed by Fawcett in 1973 (if not before)(admittedly not backing off, but not perfect style either.

In reply to chris fox: It's a stupid topic. Climbs people didn't do? WTF Do you have a list of climbs you haven't done that you've put on the net? It'd be a boring and pointless list.

In reply to chris fox: JB fell out of the top of Giggling Crack at Brimham in 1958. Finally done by Jerry Peel and Tony Barley in 1976. graded E6 6c.

In reply to aln:

I disagree. It's an interesting subject, which climbs were projects of previous generations and which not.

Apart from Great Wall, Insanity, Gigglin' Crack and various routes JB/DW did with aid but were later freed, I don't know of any projects they didn't do, though there must have been some. JB was beaten to the FA of Rat Race and DW of White Slab, but that's a slightly different thing.

jcm

In reply to chris fox: Isn't there something in his autobiography about Joe falling off Zero Gully?

In reply to johncoxmysteriously: John, the history of Rat Race is far more complex than that.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Yes, the main point that emerges from the history was that there was a fantastically low failure rate.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Is that because they didn't talk about them in the pub afterwards or they couldn't afford to fail?

In reply to aln:
Looks like you are alone there with your opinion aln, but thats the joy of having an opinion. And yes, i have projects that i have bolted wich i can not do.
One i originally thought would go at Aussie grade 23 (7a/a+) then it got bumped up to 25 which still didnt go. Then a friend who climbs 8b tried it and ripped off the crux hold, so he now thinks it will go at 28/29 which is 8a/a+

So yes aln, i have climbs that i have tried which are still projects. I am interested in finding who eventually climbs it and i am sure the people in question would be interested when future generations climbed routes that they thought were too hard.