UKC

I been catching up with Niall Grime's excellent, often hilarious, Jamcrack podcast while on holiday (well worth a listen especially episodes with John Redhead, John Allen and Tommy Caldwell).

Anyway - John Redheads style of new routing E8 ground up-with minimal pre-inspection and no pre-practice strikes me as a probably the true highpoint of the UK trad climbing.

Has this style of ascent, at that grade level, ever really been applied to new routing in the post-headpoint era? The only comparable examples I can think of are the likes of maybe John Arran abroad, and/some other big wall climbers.

In reply to Removed User:

James Mcaffee's recent exploits on Skye Wall seem pretty similar in that he pushed on into the unknown beyond all reason at whcih point he abbed for a peek. That was on what turned out to be an E9.

Not too long ago the agreed approach for new routes on the Llyn and Range West was on-sight only* but I'm not sure if that's still the case.

*I'm aware that not all routes were on-sight but I think that was the aspiration.

In reply to Removed User:

I think it's important to recognise that trad is about more than boldness as well. I'm just as, if not more impressed by a really hard, sustained, naturally protected line, as I am about 6b moves over a death fall. One of them is a lot more inspiring personally.

In reply to MischaHY:

Agreed - but what about in the specific context of a new route on-sight?

In reply to Removed User:

Saw a few Jules Lines routes in the Scottish Rock guidebook, E7 slabs climbed on-sight. Would also imagine that many of the harder routes on the big Scottish mountain crags have been climbed ground up, the logistical challenge of headpointing on Beinn Eighe or the Shelterstone would (I assume) be far harder than on smaller, drier crags south of the border.

In reply to Removed User:

It would have been more impressive without manufacturing gear slots and placing bolts.

In reply to Removed User:

Not UK as such, but some of the Favresse' multipitch stuff must be up there in the "best" new route style. The last real rock film showed the questing up some pretty out there big walls off a boat. Amazing stuff, and as far as I can tell, as on sight as it gets.

In reply to radddogg:

It would have been more impressive without manufacturing gear slots and placing bolts.

You might need to clarify this.

In reply to FactorXXX:

Is it not obvious? His ventures onto the Indian Face wall.

In reply to FactorXXX:

The bolt on Tormented Ejaculation (E8 7a) and the carved out nut slots on Indian Face (E9 6c) (I know they are the same route but the timing of the damage coincides with the names).

Watch the youtube video E9 6c for evidence.