UKC

Richard Taylor tells the story of a 24-hour climbing challenge across Stanage and Burbage in the Peak District.

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Cracking effort! I'm knackered after a handful of VSs so I can't imagine how tiring that must have been. How did the skin hold up? That's another limiting factor on the grit.

Awesome effort. For reference, what grade does Richard usually climb.

Minor point, but I think this bit is incorrect:

El Cap is around 900 m tall. ( the 2300m is the altitude at the top) so I reckon you did 4 El Caps not 2.

Many years ago, Ron Fawcett did a complete traverse of Stanage.

well done! really disappointing that you got some disparaging comments, but that's climbing now I guess, too popular...

I did a hundred routes solo on the Popular End on a sunny busy day and got nothing but positive and supporting comments. Any negativity sounds like  bad luck. It's almost impossible for Stanage to become too popular as the parking shared with walkers and the number of routes outside the honeypots mean you will always find a quiet section.

Also for the calculation El Cap is 1,100m high.

Oft quoted as 'four miles long' it is actually three miles from End Slab to the Cowper Stone,

Chris

I don't know, but if it's the one I think it is he used to be able to solo gnarly E4 new routes like Josephina (E4 5c).  One repeat in over 20 years according to the UKC log.  Certainly I never fancied it when we were doing the guide!

Brilliant, really enjoyed reading that. Thanks for sharing.

My skin was OK I have the opposite problem to alot of people as I work as a gardener,, so this makes my skin like a rhino,, I actually have to sand some off before I climb or else its a bit like polished leather.. The day after I went back and bouldered for a while, my hands when I finally stopped wouldn't function properly for a few days.. The mental fatigue was the real surprise.. So many solos.. Thank you for you kind words,, I am nothing special anyone could do what I did with the right preparation and mind set. All the best R 

Thank you 

Cheers and yes that's me

Hope your well

All the best R 

I just googled it lol sounded good while I was in the flow of writing.. Thanks for the comments and reading the article,, hopefully next year I can raise even more for the wildlife Trust!!! 

Ron is a total legend I am no way near his level of excellence. But you can't traverse without walking across a few paths along the way ( not that it matters) 

Felt like 100 that day

Thank you for reading ( bit of a fan of yours by the way)

Honoured that you have seen and read this.

Huge respect R 

Didn't matter in the end, thanks for reading it.

All the best R 

Well that's even better! thank you! 

Thanks for the thanks

Meant to say that was a hell of a day out - double respect,

Chris

Reading that the hairs on my arms are literally standing on end!!!! Thank you

Made my day. 

Great effort

Is this the most routes ever done in a day? The only other big numbers I know of are Petr Bridgewood with 600 (https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2016/06/pete_bridgwood_solos_600_routes_in_...) and Randall/Whittaker with 550 (https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2008/07/a_totally_strange_day_-_550_routes_...) and Shane Ohly/John Arran with 502/536 respectively. Suppose it depends if you count the boulder problems and alternative starts/finishes. Regardless, sounds like a great (if rather tiring!) day out.

Thank you for reading this,,,, who knows all I do know is that I could not have done more. My aim was to raise funds for Derbyshire wildlife and just to last the 24 hours. Soloing so much for so long it's not the physical tiredness that got me as much as the total mental fatigue that followed for days afterwards, like my inner life battery was flat. I wonder if other climbers get that after a huge climb or a long solo.

Also I feel that a great many climbers could do more as I am nothing special I am very average,   but determined.

All the best R 

The bouldering I did were all high ball ( previously routes) I got fed up with carrying a pad which I had used at the start of the day ( mostly to keep my shoes clean at the start of routes) I used a traditional beer mat later on 😁, I just wanted to be very honest about what I climbed ticking off in guide books as I went along to count up later ( it's a very long list).

Huge thanks again for both reading and recognition.

Next year I am doing something different

All the best R 

Sounds like an impressive day out! Well done.

I'm a little confused about the small number of downclimbed routes: did you really do over 500 routes all upwards? If so, I'm simultaneously impressed at the achievement and horrified at the tedium of having to walk round or repeatedly climb down the same descent route so very many times. That's the main reason why, when I first set myself the challenge (back in 2003!) of 500 in a day, I decided that up or down was equivalent as long as each was a different route given a full numbered listing in a current guidebook. I believe Pete and Tom took a similar approach.

As it turned out, I got to 500 by mid-evening, while my partner Shane was still a fair few behind, so I slowed down but kept pottering up routes until he'd got his own 500 in the bag. I've often wondered whether 1000 in 24 hours would be possible, and my instinct tells me that it would be, though it won't be by me, not least because I no longer live nearby. It would take an enormous amount of preparation, and a chunk of luck with the weather and with your body holding up, but it certainly would make a great challenge for a climber with a suitably perverted sense of a worthy goal!

Edit: Just looked up notes from the day, and the cumulative total length of climbing summed to 5,144m, according to guidebook pitch lengths, although I'm aware that many of the quoted lengths were notably generous.

Thank you for reading and huge praise coming from someone like you too, I did alot of down climbs but not really routes the only place I found awkward was the popular end for both crowds and ways down. I think 800 may be possible if I were to do this again it would have to be for charity ( which I hope others now do the same), and probably before May on a good dry coolish day. The heat stopped me a bit.

Thanks again R

and yes 500+  I had been done 425 in a day in training up to the day on easy well practiced routes. 

Great effort, and feat of mental and physical endurance.

You might want to consider reopening your JustGiving page while this is topical news. I'd happily chip in a few quid.

Thank you!

I closed it a while back when I thought it wasn't going to get any press coverage,, but if you want to donate to The wildlife Trust ( any of them) that's what I did it for and it all helps.

All the best R 

In the interests of correctness, in case this thread is ever referenced in future, I just looked again at my spreadsheet from 2003 and realised that the 5,144m I quoted early wasn't correct, as that column also included routes that Shane did and I didn't. My personal total was 4,897m.

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/complete-traverse-of-stanage

I hope people enjoyed reading this article as its a very personal account.

I did this to raise awareness and funds for protection of wildlife and nature. 

To secure wild places for all time. 

Hopefully people didn't get wrapped up in the statistics and other numerical aspects ( only mentioned at the start and end.

This story is about the total immersion in nature, the intensity that solo climbing brings plus the total meditation it produces.

I would recommend to everyone to go out into nature and spend an entire sun up to sun down to see it rise  experience, you won't come back the same person you set out as. 

Wildlife and nature are so important this was my way of helping protect it with the limited skills I have.

I did my best.

And I will return to do yet more.

All the best and thank you all for Reading. 

Nice one. I managed about 90 routes + down climbs at stanage today before I ran out of light, water and my toes gave in! The first 50 went quickly then I slowed down. Defo not up for 400 or 500 yet!

My favourite part of my 100 was early morning with the ring ouzels 'doing their thing' whilst being only other creatures on the part of the Popular End where I started.

Thanks again for reporting your adventure and for the money you raised for a good cause. I was exhausted at the end of my day, so chapeaux.

Mind boggling effort sir!!

To climb that much rock in a day is hard to even comprehend (and I’ve climbed the full Stanage traverse! 😅)

Cap well and truly doffed 

A traverse of every part is much harder, so hat off to you that's massive endurance.

Would love to work out the lines taken for that as I dismissed it because of all the breaks in the rock. How many sections does it consist of and does the traverse stay at one level or wander..

I think what I did is much easier.

All the best and thanks for reading.

That's a brilliant start, just choose your routes carefully keep going back and finding easy ground that's not over taxing, and before you know it you could do the same.

If you do, do it for a good cause!!

The touch is lit,, keep the flame alive. 

Perfect and finally someone who understands,,, yes nature is the thing that makes this special those shared moments, small details and observations.

When I was last at high neb a ring ozel hopped up to me not bothered about me with a beak full of worms,, magical.

Huge respect to you R 

Yes, will definitely get out earlier next time, choose shorter shorter routes and drop the grade level a bit. I don't know how your feet handled 24 hours in rock boots though!

Excellent! And I’m sure the badgers would be pleased too - has the Just Giving page closed? I hope you’re not too bothered by any lack of friendliness, you’re definitely part of my tribe. Maybe you were just giving off focused ‘doing my thing’ vibes. You get in a zone doing long enduro things.

Funnily enough I measured my own little challenge in Half Domes when I started soloing a few routes either side of a bivi night. Doubt I could find 100 eligible routes now 🤣

Flat shoes not too small and I actually climbed around 10% or more barefoot.

So no modern down turn etc.

So find a shoe that is comfortable.

5.10 anastz moccasins are great. 

Thank you for your kind words and including me in your tribe.

Yes just giving page closed a while back but next year I will be doing more now I have made a bit of a name ( a huge sacrifice for a recluse).

Maybe others will start doing things for charity too.

Plus you could join the Trust or donate if you want it all helps massively.

Many thanks R 

Good article. 

Thank you