UKC

Mina Leslie-Wujastyk has recently made a ground-up ascent of Unfamiliar, E7/8 6c, at Stanage Plantation. Unfamiliar takes the left arete of the pinnacle overlooking the Plantation boulders. Mina climbed the line on her second session, climbing the lower section above pads, before clipping a pre-placed runner in the break.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=68547

In reply to UKC News:

Well done Mina.

Does anyone know if this is this the one that chap fell off at the end of Shock of the New?

In reply to Mutl3y:

No, that's Weather Report.

In reply to Dave Warburton:

Thanks Dave.

In reply to UKC News:

Good climbing and well done to Mina for climbing hard rock.

But why is this a "ground up repeat of E7/8"? That's crap. It's a highball ascent of a Font 7C with preplaced kit at the top. To call it anything else is manipulation. Mina doesn't deserve that.

In reply to CosaNostra:

True, I don't see how getting somebody else to do the abbing/prechalking/preplacing makes it a ground-up ascent. No problem with the style either way (solid effort!), just the reporting.

In reply to UKC News:

Reading that I felt the need to say what a shame it is that people find it necessary to go into so much detail to justify their style of ascent these days. Then I read the replies above and you can see why.

Fwiw (which isn't much) I reckon it's fair to call this ground up.

P.S. well done to Mina.

In reply to Matt Vigg:

Fair enough, although I was talking about the UKC headline rather than Mina's report. It seems to me that when danger is factored into the grade, as it is in the UK, the style of the ascent (and particularly how it relates to the danger) is always going to be a part of the news story... Ground-up or not is only interesting when the route is dangerous. Anyway, congrats to Mina.

In reply to CosaNostra:

I find it strange the length that people like Mina feel they need to go to explain the style they did the route in. I guess folk have been burned before where they have been economical with the truth, but it be a bit of a strange situation when e.g. Mina has to lay bare her motivation and thought process for every route she does.

In reply to Max factor:

I find the reporting of these ascents quite strange too - it's all justification, sometimes seems quite contrived and they never read well.

I s'pose it's the sponsorship issue.

In reply to Max factor:

If people had speculated on what UK women might achieve by the end of 2013 from a few years back not many would have said we would be seeing route after route like this. Exceedingly well done Mina (yet again) and please ignore those who don't understand the basic needs of honesty in method of ascent and argue about trivia in the face of wonder.

In reply to Offwidth: Don't you think you only need to be honest about your ascent if you court publicity for it? And if you court publicity, people are going to talk about the 'trivia' of the ascent. It sounds like you're making a public apology to Mina for this discussion?

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I think theres enough truth in your first Assertion. Article ends with:

"Mina's ascent was captured by Nick Brown of Outcrop Films and will be featured in the Stone Kingdom Series

Mina Leslie-Wujastyk is sponsored by: Arc'teryx, Beta Climbing Designs and Five Ten"

In reply to Choss: I didn't even see the bit about Outcrop Films. I just figured, if you're sponsored and the story appears on UKC with pictures...

In reply to Choss:
It must be sad to be so cynical in the face of such ascents. Being sponsored is hardly unusual for our top climbers irrespective of gender. I'd suggest you need to spend some time with high performers and talk to them about exactly how much hard work goes into their prep and the calculated risk involved in such climbs (its possible as I did this myself with Mina at Kendal having not met her before), but I guess that involves effort compared to spouting shite from an armchair. You can't manufacture performance on demand but you can get a chance of recording such when experts know they are close to something important after working really hard. You can also talk to Nick or other film makers or all the climbing photographers about the times they go and film with no result and about why they are struggling to make ends meet. There is money in the gear companies but as companies go those involved in climbing seem to have much better ethical standards than most.

In reply to Offwidth: Has anybody said anything derogatory about Mina? I imagine everybody who's posted has the greatest respect and admiration.

In reply to Offwidth:

Easy there.

I just agreed she was courting publicity. That is Obvious.

Didnt Spout any shite as you put it. Didnt even pass Judgement on her ascent or her courting of publicity.

You read that into it yourself.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

That's easily dealt with... just say it (or say it first then speculate on why she does or doesn't wear socks). Its like watching Sheldon on the Big Bang sometimes on here. Honest celebration is OK you don't need to gush: she may be sponsored and thoughtful about style but when placed against such ascents its not the first thing in most normal climbers's minds.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

As I've pointed out many times, there is no rule making body in climbing like the Royal and Ancient. So what you might describe as an on-sight ascent might be different to my definition, which might be different to someone operating at a much higher level.

Furthermore there are so many variables that it become difficult to pigeon hole every ascent in to neat little categories - far better to do what's practical than worry abou what cynics on the internet will say after the event.

It ironic that being honest about your tactics is now being criticised !

In reply to Offwidth: People don't like the media/sponsors misrepresenting events, in the climbing world or wherever. I'm not saying they did, but that's the objection. Maybe Mina explains her the details/thinking behind her ascent because she doesn't want to be misrepresented? You seem to be saying we can't criticise the reporting of an event without criticising the subject of the report?

In reply to Chris the Tall: Nobody has criticised Mina have they?

In reply to Chris the Tall:


No it's not.

In reply to UKC News:

Well done Mina but......

Surely doing a route like this in this style is only a couple of steps better than top roping?

hardly news worthy IMHO

In reply to The Pylon King:

Very odd view: it seems highly newsworthy to me having helped on the BMC guide, knowing the line and some of those who've tried it and the fact that the ascentionist is a woman. Women in other countries seemed in the recent past to be much closer to the performance of the top men and so its great news to me what has happened in the UK over the last few years and of course mainly in the main UK games of trad and bouldering; all as reported in a two page spread in the Observer today (so well done to them as well). I'd go so far as to argue that news reports like this even at a level of performance below this ascent would be useful for generating future role models: there are way too few female climbers despite a growing proportion of participants and there is nothing much in theory why the old huge average performance gap should have been there.

In reply to The Pylon King:


Yep. Kudos. I couldnt do that Shit. Good work with CAC, etc.


People at the cutting edge who court publicity have always had their ascents, and styles of ascents Questioned and Criticised since i can Remember. I dont see why Mina should be any different.


Maybe is as a Female ascent, in the the increasing air of female Accomplishment in the UK. That still wouldnt Render her style of ascent Free From questioning Though.

In reply to UKC News:

Bunch of whinging bastards. If you think the reporting/style/grade/sex of climber (or anything else for that matter) isn't newsworthy or deserves criticism why do you keep reading it? Be proactive and change the friggin channel.

Well done Mina, it's a great line that sticks out a mile.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Courting publicly eh? I wouldn't mind courting Mina publicly...

In reply to Dave Foster:

There's actually very little whining on the thread, not really sure where you are picking that up from?

For me, she climbed the route in the style she was comfortable in, with the level of risk that was acceptable to her. Same considerations as of any of us weigh up when getting on a route. No need to justify that to the rest of us, but I understand why she had to (otherwise it will be picked all over on the these forums). Bit of a sad state of affairs really.

In reply to UKC News:

Didn't see anything wrong with the reporting and good effort on the route.