UKC

NEWS: The Final Round E9 6c by Maddy Cope

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 UKC News 08 Sep 2020

Maddy Cope has repeated Tom Randall's The Final Round E9 6c on Ilam Rock at Dovedale. This is only the third ascent after Jordan Buys' first repeat in 2016.



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 Southvillain 09 Sep 2020
In reply to UKC News:

Like the description on PlanetMountain, i.e. 

Britain’s Madeleine Cope and Emma Twyford have both repeated an E9 trad route by climbing, respectively, The Final Round at Illam Rock in England and Chupacabra at Pembroke in Wales.

E9 represents pretty much the upper echelon of British trad climbing, it’s a grade that extremely few have mastered and which sits just below what, currently, is deemed physically and psychologically possible.

Not that we needed telling how impressive these types of climbs are, but nice that the `world' gets to know.

 Dave Garnett 10 Sep 2020
In reply to Southvillain:

> E9 represents pretty much the upper echelon of British trad climbing, it’s a grade that extremely few have mastered and which sits just below what, currently, is deemed physically and psychologically possible.

> Not that we needed telling how impressive these types of climbs are, but nice that the `world' gets to know.

Well, it seems that perhaps we do need telling, because I'm really surprised by the apparent lack of interest in and response to this news. 

I think it's an amazing achievement for Maddy, especially considering this is only the third ascent in 5 years of a route "believed to be the hardest limestone trad climb in the Peak District and graded HXS 8a+/b" in the UKC database.

  

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 La benya 10 Sep 2020
In reply to Dave Garnett:

32 likes isn't insignificant for a simple 'look at the route that someone repeated' article.

E9 being very impressive, happens quite frequently.  sort of like 9a.  unfathomably hard for most, but common enough that people can be impressed without going into hyperbolic praise.

1
Removed User 10 Sep 2020
In reply to La benya:

Nevertheless, it is probably quite a short list of females to climb E9 (off the top of my head):

Hazel Findlay

Emma Twyford

Maddy Cope

Babsi Zangerl

 turtlespit 10 Sep 2020
In reply to Removed UserMGRT:

IIRC, Beth Rodden climbed some crazy hard finger crack that converted somewhere around E10.

 Red Rover 10 Sep 2020
In reply to Removed UserMGRT:

There must be a lot more women who have climbed E9 equivalent trad routes on a foreign grading system though? 

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 Dave Garnett 10 Sep 2020
In reply to La benya:

> E9 being very impressive, happens quite frequently.  sort of like 9a.  

But there's a big difference between E9 and 9a.  And 9a is still pretty remarkable.

 John2 10 Sep 2020
In reply to Removed UserMGRT:

Caroline Ciavaldini has climbed Chicama, E9, in North Wales.

 remus Global Crag Moderator 10 Sep 2020
In reply to Removed UserMGRT:

> Nevertheless, it is probably quite a short list of females to climb E9 (off the top of my head):

> Hazel Findlay

> Emma Twyford

> Maddy Cope

> Babsi Zangerl

Molly Mitchell has climbed China Doll in the US on trad gear. It's ~8b+ so I guess that'd weigh in somewhere around the E9 mark.

 Si dH 10 Sep 2020
In reply to remus:

I think Pete Whittaker's partner Mari (can't remember surname) did a trad 8b crack in Norway last year too.

 La benya 11 Sep 2020
In reply to Dave Garnett:

well... yeah...?  They're different things. Physically one is massively more difficult and one requires giant stones and a steady head. I was more comparing the relative 'wow' factor of each as a statement of 'so and so has done a route'. Each is massively impressive, but neither is cutting edge and so doesn't require fawning adulation as the previous poster seemed to be expecting.

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 Michael Gordon 11 Sep 2020
In reply to La benya:

That is a strange comment. E9 is as far as I am aware the current limit for women in the UK, similar to E11 for men. So fairly cutting edge. As someone else said, only 4 or thereabouts have climbed this grade in the UK. 10 years ago I'm not sure it had even been done. So each ascent is important in taking things forward. 

Abroad it's mainly been cutting edge crack climbs, amazing but good to hear about bolder routes too.

3
 La benya 11 Sep 2020
In reply to Michael Gordon:

I'm not differentiating between men and women. 

 PaulJepson 11 Sep 2020
In reply to Michael Gordon:

Also worth noting that Maddie had already climbed that grade, so she wasn't 'breaking into' E9, as such. She's an established wad. 

 Wil Treasure 11 Sep 2020
In reply to Michael Gordon:

> E9 is as far as I am aware the current limit for women in the UK, similar to E11 for men.

Hazel Findlay suggested that the Magic Line in Yosemite would get E10 for 8c+ climbing on awkward gear. Seems low if anything!

 Michael Gordon 11 Sep 2020
In reply to La benya:

> I'm not differentiating between men and women. 

That's fair enough, but without doing so it's very difficult to find any 'cutting edge' female ascents in history. There's arguably only things like the Nose and the aforementioned crack climbs. If you're interested in UK examples you've got to look at things differently, much the same as we view Steve McClure as exceptional despite his routes not being quite the very tip of 'cutting edge'. 

 La benya 11 Sep 2020
In reply to Michael Gordon:

Im really not trying to get into FFA and man vs woman achievements as I don't want to take away from the impressive ascent and this persons achievement. However, my statement stands.  9a and E9 are about equidistant from their respective cutting edges.


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