James McHaffie has continued his summer trad siege by making the 3rd ascent of Nick Dixon's Face Mecca (E9 6c) E9 6c at Clogwyn Du'r Arddu (Cloggy) in a day and finally ticking off all the E9s in North Wales - adding a few of his own along the way. First climbed in 1989, Johnny Dawes made the second ascent in 1995.
The route leaves the first stance on Great Wall and moves out right and up onto the face of the East Buttress via sustained, technical moves.
James told UKC:
"I went up to Cloggy on Sunday and did Great Wall then spent a couple of hours on my ab rope working out the moves and where it goes and cleaning some of the smears. We were packed up ready to go as it was quite midgey and warm but a light breeze arrived about 17.00 along with friends Pete Hurley and Rob Clifton so thought I'd give it a go.
"The moves out right onto the face felt harder to link together than I expected. After about fifteen metres you get a flake with a rurp and peg in it but you can't get a very good rest there, I got stood on a crimp two metres above and spent ten minutes getting prepared for the final few moves."
James described the line as technically a lot harder than Indian Face E9 6c, but safer, adding:
"It's a fantastic bit of climbing, very Nick Dixon, I used about five thumb spraggs on it and it has quite knacky manoeuvres. Glad I never tried to onsight it as I wouldn't have got very far and the finish would be gnarly if you didn't know it as the peg and rurp would rip in a fall which would give a very big fall."
Summing up the climb, he commented:
"I was happy to do it in a day. Pete Hurley had brought up a spare beer as well."
James is sponsored by: DMM, Boreal, Rab, Sterling Rope and is a BMC Ambassador.
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