UKC

16 year-old Ellis Butler-Barker has recently been focussing on Brean Down, Somerset, and came away with a redpoint ascent of Steve McClure's Brean Topping, 8b, the crag's hardest offering, and Snakes 'n' Wankers, which at 8a+/b is Brean's second hardest route.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=68452

In reply to UKC News: so now it's had loads of ascents most suggesting 8a+. Just curious why we haven't heard about all the other people doing it??

In reply to Laurent Moseley:

Because climbing 8a+/8b isn't big news anymore? Going of the UKC 'top ascents' page, 3 people have climbed 8a+ routes in the last week, and this is just a small proportion of all UK climbers.

Presumably Ellis' ascent is considered noteworthy because he's pretty young.

In reply to UKC News: good effort Ellis, 8b at sixteen is impressive!

In reply to remus: He's young and has only been climbing a couple of years. I met him only a few months after he'd started climbing and he was already better than most of the people I know. Nice guy too.

In reply to UKC News: good on him he is a great guy but its not really news worthy!

In reply to Laurent Moseley: come on loz, stop being a bitter oldtw*t! Well done Ellis.

What's snakes and wankers then? I'm a connoisseur of rubbish brean link ups and I've not heard of this one

In reply to dead_passive: 8b after 2 years is more impressive than doing it at 16. I can't imagine many people progress more quickly than that.

In reply to GDes: if we carry on reporting this you will be on the news next and I have to stop that at all costs!

In reply to UKC News: I think theres a mistake in the news article. Ellis is 17 years old and been climbing for 3 years from his logbook. Never the less great work.