Lucy has been in fine form already this autumn with ascents of Top Loader E7 6c and Janus E7 6b already under her belt. Her headpointed ascent of Slab and Crack is an outstanding effort and it's fantastic to see a British woman break through the E8 barrier.

Slab and Crack is a Dawes classic testpiece from 1986 and features sustained, technical climbing in a bold position that is particularly hard for the short (which Lucy is). Her ascent today took place on a near perfect grit conditions day being cold, crisp and clear. Lucy first attempted the headpoint lead yesterday (Sunday) but in far less ideal conditions, taking the fall onto the single RP2 placement.

Lucy becomes the second woman to climb E8 after Lisa Rands ascent of Gaia in 2006.

Keep an eye on Lucy Creamer's website, www.lucycreamer.com for a more detailed report in the near future.