UKC

Ian Vickers - Going Down - F8c+

© Kendal Wall
Ian Vickers has climbed Going Down (F8c+) at Craig y Longridge in Lancashire. This huge right to left traverse is thought to have been unrepeated since Neil Carson's first ascent several years ago.

Although technically a boulder problem, the length of the climb means that a French sport grade is more descriptive of the difficulties involved than a bouldering grade.

Gaz Parry described the intricacies of the line:

"When you reverse 'Bend of the Rainbow', you continue at the same height via some dirty crimps and hard moves to join 'Big Marine'. Then you keep going left until there is no more left to go. The ultimate is to do it left to right with the hard bit at the end!"

Ian Vickers is one of the UK's top rock athletes, with first ascents of hard routes (both sport and trad) throughout the UK. He is ex-European climbing champion and made a very fast, single session ascent of True North (F8c) at Kilnsey some years ago. Several of his harder routes still remain unrepeated, such as the two pitch E8 What Grot Got at Goredale Scar, Yorkshire. He co-owns the bouldering wall BoulderUK in Blackburn with Gaz Parry.

Craig y Longridge (UKC Database) is a superb gritstone outcrop that was recently purchased by the BMC. Although short in stature, the crag is long and very steep, offering superb bouldering and fore-arm bursting traverses.

Thanks go to 'Gelder' for flagging up this ascent.


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6 Feb, 2009
Good effort!
6 Feb, 2009
Effort! Maybe the ultimate tick is a cider assisted 'descent'.
6 Feb, 2009
What happened to Neil Carson??
6 Feb, 2009
He moved to France years ago. Not sure if he still climbs....
6 Feb, 2009
I was flicking through old OTE's the other day and there was pic of him looking very happy with his tiny baby. He doesn't seemed to have done anything in the public eye since. Interesting how some people get to such a superb standard and then just seem to stop.
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