Alex Barrows Repeats Pilgrimage (8B+)

by Jack Geldard - UKC Chief Editor Mar/2013
This news story has been read 4,277 times

Chris Doyle reports on his blog that Alex Barrows has made the long awaited second ascent of Pilgrimage (Font 8B+ or F9a) in Parisella's Cave, North Wales.

This is a huge link-up boulder problem through the famous limestone bouldering cave on the Ormes.

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+The epic Parisella's Cave, 210 kb
The epic Parisella's Cave
climberjames, Aug 2010
© James Mason

Chris reported: "Alex Barrows has made quick work of Malc Smiths Pilgrimage in Parisellas. Pilgrimage (or The Big Link as it was always referred to) is a historic piece of Welsh climbing. In the early 90s long before the Cave was a popular and recognised bouldering destination an in-form Ben Moon got close to making the FA. The problem was written up in the first Northern Soul despite being a project and its legend grew in Cave circles. In 2004 legendary strong man Malcolm Smith invested considerable time and money (1000 pounds worth of fuel driving down from Scotland) and made the first ascent of the link at 8b+ or F9a..."

Alex Barrows is sponsored by Blox
* Forums ( Read More... | 31 comments, 11 Mar 2013 )
I meant the latter and the latter, but yeah, I probably wouldn’t have used that term if I wasn't replying to the posts above. Most of the best UK climbers have spent time trying McClure's routes - some of the very best...
Nemo - 11 Mar 2013

I guess it's relative. The better climbers of the day might have bouldered in there but there's 100s of climbers who visit the place now and the testpieces are much coveted ticks. I was wrong in saying that it wasn't...
doylo - 11 Mar 2013

Most coveted in sport climbing, or counting all-comers? 'Coveted' is a slippery term, of course. Does it mean 'will be the most impressive if it happens', or 'being most actively competed for by Britain's hard...
johncoxmysteriously - 11 Mar 2013

No, they went and lived there for the summer! But anyway I don't think nearly so many people travelled 100 miles to go bouldering for the day anywhere, did they? That's my point - bouldering itself wasn't so popular,...
johncoxmysteriously - 11 Mar 2013

Since the news article hasn't been updated I feel I kind of have a responsibility to point out that whilst I did Pilgrimage, I did NOT do 8B+ or F9a. My method is significantly easier than the original sequence. The...
abarro81 - 08 Mar 2013

In Reply to JCM That's because for most of the last 20 years hardly anyone in the UK (McClure and to a lesser extent a few others aside) has been climbing at the level Ben, Jerry and Malc were climbing in the early...
Nemo - 08 Mar 2013

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