UKC

Now we are getting towards the end of the trad climbing year (I know that there will be opportunities still) I've already started thinking about next years goals.
Having had a really good year I am hopeful that if next years as good I will have bagged my first E1.
I know it's not all about chasing grades, but there is something magical about that grade.
So, what was your first E1, and how did it feel (as good as I would imagine, or a bit of a damp squib).
When it happens for me (which I'm sure it will) I intend to go to the nearest pub (which will likely be the Square and Compass at Worth, or the Millstone Inn at Hathersage) and attempt to drink my own bodyweight in beer.

In reply to Ciderslider:

My first was left unconquerable, and it didn't seem as bad as I thought it would be.

In reply to Ciderslider:

The first route I led which gets E1 in a guidebook was the slightly ironically named Better Late Than Never at Rivelin. I got to the top feeling quite pleased, but also quite cheated, since it didn't feel very hard at all. I subsequently climbed a few more E1s, none of which felt like they were actually E1 either, until I led Fireball at Fairhead. I had to put in a proper E-point's worth of effort, so I tend to think of that as my first actual E1. I was over the moon when I got to the top of that (not least because it meant I could relax and enjoy the travails of my jamming-phobic second). I celebrated by getting a tiny bit drunk in Ballycastle that night...

In a similar vein I did Lucky Strike at the weekend, which gets E2 in the definitive guide. It was a brilliant route and I had to try quite hard, but it definitely didn't feel like an E2.

In reply to Ciderslider:

I did my first 'E1' lead this year - 'South Buttress Arete Direct' at Windgather.

At the time I was pretty happy with it but looking back now it's a pretty crap route really. My goal for next year is to do a 'proper' E1

In reply to Ciderslider:
Haven't done one yet but when I do it's got to be Cenotaph Corner!

In reply to Ciderslider:
or the Millstone Inn at Hathersage) and attempt to drink my own bodyweight in beer.

It's got to be Embankment 3 then...

In reply to Ciderslider: providence at stanage was my first e1. felt alright i supose. i hadnt been climbing trad very long so i wasnt really sure what the fuss was about. my first proper northumberland e2 was a much bigger tick to me, damp slopey crimps are hard to stick!

In reply to Ciderslider: my first e 1 was corrugation in twynau gwynion , brilliant climb, haven't climbed it since but for me it was the day as a whole. A HS to start, VS, then a HVS and then I looked at the E1 and thought , screw it I'm going for it and I did. Man that felt sooo good. The thing for me was that I chose thet day, everything was I'm place, I had no intention of bagging my first E1 , I took myself by suprise which I guess helped because I didn't have time to build it up in my head .

In reply to Ciderslider:
my first E1 was Gogarth, and i had no intention of leading the hard pitch... a whopping fall from my mate who attempted the hard pitch resulted in him turning into a gibbering wreck and so i got handed the sharp end and gave it a go. i can still vividly remember the tussle and the pump that resulted from those moves, but getting the gear in and finishing the pitch off was an absolutely outstanding feeling. the cigar which i carry with me in case of a big win was most enjoyably smoked by the pair of us!
i stil count my first real E1 as superdirect though, as i actually wanted to climb it in advance; the elegance of the moves and the continual (if slightly small and dubious) pro placements really made for a special experience.
good luck with your first one, i hope you get the same sort of buzz from it that i did.

In reply to Ciderslider:

My first was Sinecure in N.Pembroke. It is a really good choice, as you can protect it well and take your time.

In reply to Ciderslider:

My first "proper" E1 was Crypt Direct on Quayfoot Buttress in Borrowdale. Felt pretty good, but I was also kind of relieved to get over the perceived hurdle! I had already led Barbarian at Tremadog and the top pitch of Agony on Castle Rock, both of which were HVS at the time (and have since been upgraded) and both of which I found harder than Crypt Direct.

In reply to Ciderslider:
My first E1 was Haggis at Haytor. It was only given HVS in the Guidebook so I merrily jumped on it. Didn't actually find it that hard and was a bit suprised to find it had been upgraded, but the technical crux (unprotectable slab to start with) was my style.
Actual first E1 I intentionally chose was The Quaker at Sennen, just looked really appealing. Felt good - happy to have done it and relished in the moves. Good luck with yours!

In reply to Tamarside:
Which was mine too! (excluding grade creep). It's brilliantly protectable and a bit polished, but you'll never forget or regret, so go for it.

In reply to victim of mathematics:

>I subsequently climbed a few more E1s, none of which felt like they were actually E1 either, until I led Fireball at Fairhead. I had to put in a proper E-point's worth of effort, so I tend to think of that as my first actual E1.

I had a similar experience on Fireball. I had done a few E1s before this and none of them felt like fireball! Topped out and downed 2 litres of water in celebration! A Fairhead E1 is a real mans E1!

In reply to Ciderslider:

Sirplum was my first one.

It was certainly memorable!

In reply to Ciderslider:

Why are we approachig the end of the trad climbing year? I see this as the season for it, can't wait to get out on grit routes wrapped up and benefiting from genuine friction. This is where it all begins!

In answer to your question I did "Better late than never" at Rivelin as well and, although it felt easy, it had a runout in the middle where the tricky climbing was so it felt 'Extreme' enough for E1 to me. I loved it, felt relieved at the top that I'd finally got one more than anything.

My next goal is to get an E2 climbed by the end of the year.

Whichever route you pick good luck!
Chris

In reply to Ciderslider:

My first E1 was 'Incursion' at Stanage End. It's only really E1 for the runout and whilst I broke into the grade with it, and was mighty relieved at the top, it wasn't as satisfying as any of my Pembroke E1s. 'Be Brave' at Barcud felt like proper E1 for a hard finishing move above a micrwire and 'Cool For Cats' felt E1 for the effort and length of the pitch.

In reply to Ciderslider: Millsom's Minion, a few weeks after my first leader fall which ended in hospital and crutches.

Felt intense, and was really pleased to have not let the injury get in my way.

Now, however, I think that the route is soft at HVS.

In reply to naffan:

The Gary Gibson line up the slab on tiny crimps? Good effort, I think that's worth E2, and it's a good, overlooked route. More exciting climbing but less of a line that Cragg's version which takes the crack.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

The version that takes the crack is only HVS. I climbed it in mistake for the Burgess Variation and thought it was a bit hard for Severe!

In reply to Ciderslider:

My first was Nuke The Midges at Stanage. A really nice route. Don't know that I would have actually done it, if my belayer had told me that I'd kicked my gear out when making the crux mantle!

When I topped out a friend said "I didn't think you'd do it when your gear came out", so I called down to my belayer and asked where my cam was, she quietly held it up and said "Here!"

In reply to MarkH:

First E1 was Indy 500 on Lundy about 13 months after I started leading trad and with only 3 or 4 HVS under my belt. Totally onsight at about 9am with no warm up on 5th day of trip.

Finale of the route felt absoltely at my limit and was pumped silly. Topped with v v little to spare and was rushing my head off for about 5 mins before I could even set up a belay. Belayed in the sun enjoying watching my second in that rare glow. It was as good an experience as a first extreme could be.

Was buzzing for about a month afterwards. No idea how hard Indy 500 is for the grade. Had done Formula One a couple of days earlier and felt that almost as hard.

In reply to Ciderslider:

Mine was Om at Stoney Middleton. IK choice, I thought at the time. Bar, of course, any HVS that have since been upgraded. Like The Plum at Tremadog, which was HVS when I couldn't do E1.

In reply to Ciderslider: I've only seconded it (twice), but if you are looking for a reasonable E1 at Swanage then Eskimo Nell at Cattle Troughs is a good choice. Decent gear and a shortish technical groove crux, not the major pumpfest you will get from most Swanage routes at the grade.
http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=14491

In reply to Ciderslider:

Pick a classic. I picked Cent. Which was forgettable.

In reply to Ciderslider:
Mine was a double. I was at Froggatt with a friend who didn't trad climb but was a good sport climber.

He spotted Two Sided Triangle (now HVS) and anoyed me by climbing it and beating me to e1 when he didn't even trad climb. I did it after him & then decided to solo TPS (now HVS) to show him up. Wow was I shaking on those slab moves. Infact I was shaking so much he declined to follow me.

Moral of the story make sure you climb at least three e1s just in case two get down graded. and if you want a memorable experience (mine is only memorable because I didn't gear up) go for a line (second super direct on the mot) and not the grade.

In reply to Ciderslider:

Engineer's Crack on the Buachaille, boo-ya.

In reply to naffan:

*wince*

In reply to Ciderslider: left unconquerable was mine, although the day before that I'd climbed straightsville (e2) so e1 didnt really feel like a big deal anymore.

In reply to Ciderslider:
First E1 lead was Easy Over at Logie Head. Really well protected and a couple of rest points. small fingery holds but all very possitive. You kind of need the blinkers on as its a bit of an artificial line but I really enjoyed it. Lovely climbing and felt very safe. Theres another E1 next to it that apparently is quite similar aswell which Im keen to get on. Great venue if you've not climbed there. Just start at one end and work your way along!

In reply to Ciderslider:

Mine was Strapiombante at Froggatt. I just saw the line and really wanted to do it. It felt like a battle, and I was pumped stupid at the top, but the gear was better than I expected. It was a very memorable experience. Like some others on this thread, I hadn't gone out with a plan. In fact, it was a few weeks after doing this that I lead my first HVS...

In reply to jonny2vests:

I agree. My first was Limbo at Avon - good route - but my first on grit was the utterly forgettable Chalked Up at Yarncliffe. I can't even remember if I also succeeded on Zapple on the same visit, which is far better and probably harder.

In reply to David Kirsfelds: There's an E1 at Windgather!!!!!

I didn't even think there was a HVS...

In reply to Ciderslider:
Hi, mine was Long Tall Sally at Burbage North. Really great route and not a soft touch at all. I'd recommend Left Unconquerable though, more gear than LTS and a bit easier. Possibly Easter Rib too, but again that's a little bolder. So in short i'd recommend Left Unconquerable, even though it wasn't my first i feel it would be a good one.
But most importantly rather than listening to other people get on a line that impresses you and do it!! Good luck to you, it's a great feeling!

In reply to Goucho:

It's quite tough I hear. Not done it. Someone had a nasty accident on it recently.

In reply to GrahamD:

Well, apart from the first 8m. Which I think would feel spicy to someone on their first E1.

In reply to leon:


Actually, the easiest way to lead an E1 is to do loads of VS and wait for one to get upgraded. On that scale, I have no idea what my first E1 was.

In reply to jonny2vests:

I think you mean HVS, don't you? Remember, it's always been a completely separate grade (not like HS or H V Diff).

In reply to Ciderslider:

My first E1 was Wrong Hand Route at Bamford. In my (so far very limited) experience of the grade, I've found them to be less brutish than many a HVS I've been on, but I'm sure that's just by luck.

I would recommend something well protected and try not to get too hung up on 'bagging' the grade. Sure there are E1s with easyish moves and bags of danger but why risk injury just for a grade increment? (unless of course it's a beautiful line that you just have to climb)

The day I led Wrong Hand Route, I was on a quick visit to the crag with no particular targets and spotted a route that looked fun and do-able and had gear, then I looked it up in the guide and saw it was E1 5c and thought 'why not have a look'. It felt like the hardest I've ever tried on a lead. Good moves but not the best quality route I've done. I quietly congratulated myslef at the top. The most significant thing is that I feel more routes are now open to me and there are some really quality climbs at E1.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Well, yeah, but there are plenty of examples of old VS routes that now get E1. But I know how the saying is supposed to go.


Eh?

In reply to Ciderslider:

"Motorcade" at Froggatt, shortly followed by a certin climb at froggatt which creates a good amount of controversy, grade-wise, but was E1 in my book when I did it. Was on a high for ages

In reply to Dom Whillans:

I'm quite impressed by that, Dom. I thought that it was quite tough for E1. If you are going to break into a new grade, what better place than Gogarth!

In reply to jonny2vests:

Nope that Wingather E1 is technically easy (NCC 5a) moves on jugs, its just bold and a bit reachy. The HVS variant just right on sloping holds is by contrast quite scary.

At Froggatt both TST and TPS are still E1 in the definitive guide, despite the other posters comments above (although both can be climbed at HVS by avoiding the main challenge).

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Unless you think of it as the MVS/VS/HVS family !

In reply to Ciderslider: My first was The Plum at Tremadog; led both pitches and was very happy with things. I'd previously led Central Buttress at Avon when it was HVS; that's now given E1 but I still count The Plum as the first.

T.

In reply to Ciderslider:

Cemetery Gates - very easy for E1 but incredible position/history etc...

In reply to Ciderslider:
My first E1 (or at least first route I climbed with an E1 grade) was Arms Race at Forbidden Head (a Gary Gibson wide fist crack- it looked OK so I did it!), not a recommendation for anyone else though.
In the Peak if you just want the E1 tick without the real grip and commitment go to Bamford and do Back Flip (easier than Transcript Direct) or The Crease (5a slab climbing with footholds!) Left Eliminate is much more like a proper E1.
At Swanage, Stroof is a great first E1, easy to read the route, great gear and a safe fall from the crux (and no-one will say that is really HVS!). For a meatier route look at Billy Pigg, the crux is one hard pull, again well protected and a safe fall, the corner above is a fine piece of 5a climbing.

In reply to Ciderslider:

Sadly, though I'd like to say it ain't true, my 1st E1 was Three Pebble Slab. I was at the time into grit and all things slabby. I think Long Tall Sally, Strapiombante and Namenlos (another one downgraded to HVS in some guides) all followed pretty quickly. Strapiombante is by far the pumpiest but LTS probably the hardest and not terribly well protected. I don't recall going out specifically to bag any of them; they were just climbs that appealed on the day.

In reply to Ciderslider:

First route I led clean at E1 was Skerryvore on Clogwyn y Oen which now gets E2. I was terrified as it seemed to involve 30ft of unprotected 5B climbing at the start
First route I led ascended at E1 was Nice 'n Sleazy on North Stack but had to take a rest on a sling to sort out gear. Again I was terrified

I had previously led quite a few HVSs which now get E1, Mythical Wall near Aberdeen sticks in the memory, I wasnt terrified on this but I remember thinking it was hard for HVS, which the upgrading shows

In reply to Ciderslider: Grandmas Grove at Subliminal, fell off once or twice!. First clean one was The Arrow at Pembroke.

In reply to Goucho: It's best soloed time you place the gear your already at the top!

In reply to Ciderslider: Thin red line at heptonstall. pumpy with good gear

In reply to Ciderslider:

Strapiombante was mine too. I'd lead 2 or 3 HVS at that point and felt good on the day. I followed a few weeks later with TPS and another slab E1 both solo which felt so easy by comparison.

In reply to silo: I must have soloed every inch of windgather, and I've yet to find anything harder than VS 4c.

In reply to Goucho:

Every inch? I take it you disagree with the grade of the crag classic then? Plus, you really ought to know the route in question - it's over the big overhang on the south buttress. Definitely harder than 4c and it's a stiff pull just a little too high for comfort. It's certainly not a classic E1, but it's not VS either.

In reply to Monk: I remember that route and felt like a right 'wad' [cough] for onsight soloing the hardest route at the crag. Not often that happens.

To be fair though, it is a V0+ boulder problem, so maybe I shouldn't spend too much time showing off about it.

In reply to Monk: Know it well, and it's no more than awkward and a bit strenuous 4c - mind you, with some of the grade creeps I've seen, i'm amazed Portfolio isn't now E3.

In reply to Ciderslider:

I actually can't remember which E1 was my first...! Probably a Dales limestone pitch, maybe feeling The Pinch at Crumackdale, but I'm sure that I'd led at last one other E1 beforehand... that was a long time ago now...

PP.

In reply to Goucho:

5a then?!

In reply to Pursued by a bear:

And I've now found that The Rack at Pexhill is given E1 and I soloed this a couple or three years prior to doing either of the two climbs above. But even so, The Plum still counts as the first.

T.

In reply to Bulls Crack: No, 4c - but then again I do have a rather long reach

In reply to Ciderslider:try tufted crack at Ilkley.

In reply to Ciderslider:
The Crease at Bamford. It was the scariest thing I had done at the time, but I think it may have been downgraded since. I then picked off easy E1s for a while, like long tall sally and left unconquerable until I did Embankment 3. That was the first route I did that I KNEW was E1.

And it was excellent

Cake

In reply to Cake:

Good effort on The Crease, a scary groundfall route if you fluff it, much the same as my first E1 (and my first few HVSs). Having since fallen off a couple of E1s and HVSs, I'm now more inclined to go for harder but better protected routes.

God only knows because half of the HVSs and even a couple of the stiffer VSs i climbed back in the 80s seem to be getting E1 in the newer guide books.

In reply to Cammy: That's because they were sandbags, check out the real grade markers, the popular three star classics, and look at the graded lists: they have moved no more on average than half a grade. In the period from 1960 to 1980 routes that became protectable (like most cracks and break to break routes) effectively drifted two grades due to improvements in pro, ropes and other kit.

In reply to Offwidth:

Surely this would mean they would come down in grade. How the hell can improvements in protection put a route up from HVS to E1.

In reply to Ciderslider:
The grit trad season isnt over yet, for me it's just started! There's still a few weeks for you to get it done before the temperature is better for bouldering

My first E1 was, according to the BMC, Lucy's Slab at High Neb. However in reality it's a one-move winder HVS (which is what rockfax give it and what I thought it was when I set off).
My first proper E1 was Kirkus' Corner at Stanage Popular. It felt great, although was really quite straightforward after one pull through the steep bit, so felt slightly anticlimactic by the top. I think it's probably best to pick on that's hard all the way, that way you'll get a real rush when you hit the top hold! Left Unconq might not be a bad choice, just got to keep moving.

In reply to Tamarside: The corner is not one i'd say makes a good first e1, it's big imposing and fighty towards the top and hard for the grade.

In reply to Si dH:

Indeed. In the past, I've been too quick to turn to bouldering when it's a bit chilly, and not appreciated doing routes in mint conditions. I was out at Rivelin the other day doing bold routes, and they all felt totally solid, not scary, and easy. Magic!

If I were doing my first E1 now, I'd do something friction dependent, with a run-out on slopers. Motorcade would be nice, or Dorothy's Dilemma, or Fringe Benefit (quite a popular 1st I think), or Missippi Variant Direct (but not for the short).

In reply to Cammy: The routes got adjectivally much easier to lead compared to climbs that still had no pro or could be protected (trees or chocks) but their grade stayed the same. Try climbing your average Stanage VS crack with slings and plimsoles. Hidden grade creep and significantly larger than anything since.

In reply to Jon Stewart:
Wouldn't recommend Dorothy's to an HVS leader but otherwise, yes. But almost any grit E1 is best in cold conditions.

In reply to Si dH:

I think it was graded HVS until recently. Not that that makes it right...

In reply to Ciderslider:

Another vote for Long Tall Sally at Burbage North. Not a soft touch and more than enough gear. I can still remember the last couple of moves!

Good Luck!

In reply to scott titt: Thanks again Scott, managed my first HVS onsight lead on Sat Ledgend Direct lovely route bomber gear and over too soon !!
Another step closer. I'm saving Stoof (was tempted to top rope it, but don't want to spoil it)

In reply to Ciderslider: I think stroof is quite tough, but good gear...

In reply to jezb1:

I think that Stroof is atypical of Swanage being a one move wonder which is only really popular because of where it is.

If you are going by the Rockfax grades then Spook would be a good E1 bet at Swanage (although I still think of it as tough HVS as per the CC guide)or Elysium - both of which have the benefit of of being bloody good routes.

In reply to jezb1: Cheers jez, just looking at stuff for the future (maybe end of next year)

In reply to GrahamD: Cheers mate, I think both of those are on my wish list (for if I ever get good enough)