In reply to UKC Gear: Great review. If I were young and enthusiastic and an E6 climber, I might try the ground up ascent taking 2 days going the way John and Dave Turnbull went. That is taking the Hairy Traverse from the Guillotine and continuing up the grooves to the left of Dave M’s headwall crack, before heel traversing back left to join that crack. A couple of wires would keep the grade at E6, but if you are lucky you might get the E7 tick. This was the way Ed had originally intended going before he saw the thin crack splitting the headwall. On the way up, at the top of the Vile Crack, instead of continuing up as per last 2 ascents, take the Forever Traverse into the heart of the cliff and then straight up The Unconquerable Flakes and Hospital Corner, a left up knight’s move as opposed to an up left. This was the original way. It has not been repeated and is probably no more than E4 5c, the crux of this pitch is likely to be just after where the routes join and was Ed’s second hardest pitch ever, or so he said at the time. The Limbo Traverse moving left onto the grassy slabs has probably not been repeated either, though here Dave Macleod’s way may be better. They may have traversed at a slightly higher level along a big break.
Dave’s last pitch is truly fantastic. I am so pleased he managed it. I remember well the loose blocks he trundled from the Crow’s Nest belay. That is where I started to climb with yards of slack when the ropes would not move up. Fortunately they eventually were pulled in.
My fear in the video was on the descent, a lot of time and nothing I could do. On the ascent I experienced just about every emotion possible except fear and love. When the going got tough, there were more important things to think about.