UKC

Onsight fever hits North Wales - E8 attempts

© Jack Geldard
It is often wondered what would happen to British trad if we ever spawned a F9a climber who is willing to go for it, way above poor protection and onsight. Bring on the BMC international meet:

'Nico the Belgian' made swift onsight progress up Nightmayer E8 6c on Dinas Cromlech. He had already 'warmed up' that morning on Resurrection, Right Wall and Lord of the Flies. Gaining the crux top wall of the E8, he fiddled in a small wire. Nick Bullock watched with his jaw open from the top of Left Wall and, slightly concerned, shouted over; "Make sure that wire's good!".

"It'z Text-book" came back Nico's smiling reply and he boosted upward. Just a few feet from the top he was stopped by a baffling and desperate sequence. He slipped from the poor and dirty holds and shot down the whole length of the Cromlech - ripping out several runners and being held by his "Text Book" wire.

His climbing partner 'Sean the Belgian' is also destroying our routes in a similar fashion. I accompanied him to Gogarth yesterday and he climbed The Cad on North Stack wall as a warm up. He had a list of routes that he wanted to do that day - the next one was The Bells, The Bells, followed by Positron. We (I) dismissed The Bells and I quickly talked him out of Positron: "How do you fancy climbing 3 pitches of overhanging wet rubble?" I said, knowing that if I was to keep up with him it would have to be on something 'specialist'. "Wow!, we don't have anything like that in Belgium.." he said as we abbed in to the back of Wen Zawn and attacked Mr Softy...

With Nico and Sean around for a few more days and teaming up with Nick Bullock and James McHaffie today, we might have to be on hold for some ground breaking onsight ascents. They're heading back to Gogarth, watch this space.


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16 May, 2008
This is awesome news. Gutted i can't be over there! Have a good one guys. ED
16 May, 2008
Sounds like a very impressive attempt! Not sure if they did already but would have been nice if the BMC publicised the meet on here....esp the host program: http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=2296 i will be up there this weekend anyway....albeit as a F7a climber who is <occasionally> willing to go for it, close to good protection and onsight (with plenty of beta).
16 May, 2008
Not surprising - Nico Favresse and his mates have been putting up some impressive routes all over the place for a while now http://www.nicolasfavresse.com/
16 May, 2008
cheers Tony....i must have missed that.
16 May, 2008
Sounds like they'd fall off! Wonder what the Rich-Simpson-could-easily-onsight-Indian-Face-if-he-could-be-arsed crew think. Maximum respect for the effort, though. jcm
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