UKC

British climber James Pearson has made the first trad ascent and second ascent overall of A Denti Stretti (8b+) at Balma1 in Northern Italy.

Balma1 is a small granite crag found in Valle d'Ossola, near to the Swiss border in Northern Italy.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=68043

In reply to UKC News:

Well played, sir.

Is he wearing some sort of crack gloves in that picture, or does he just have naturally blue hands?

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

You can see his fingers so I guess it's just tape maybe?

In reply to johncoxmysteriously: was about to ask the same thing! Another class act from James

In reply to UKC News: "There is only you, making moves, and you just have to make enough of those moves in a row, and don't let go!"

Like it! That is in essence what it's all about!

In reply to UKC News: That's pretty cool.

Obviously Italy has a totally different ethic to the UK, but would it ever get to the point where someone removed the bolts because they thought they were unnecessary? Presumably 8b+ on trad gear, even if well-protected (it's a crack so I guess it is) must be about E9(?), so hardly a pushover...

In reply to Mr Fuller:

Revelations 8a+/b ( http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=15490 ) has been solo'ed at Raven Tor..in 1985.....perhaps one of the hardest UK headpoints by Antoine Le Menestrel and only a year after Moffat's first ascent of this old aid line.

Does that mean that the bolts should be removed because of the 'British ethic' (what is that ethic exactly, where retro bolting of trad routes is now accepted).

There is a bit of a trend, in the USA and other places, where routes protected by bolts, are climbed without, usually the bolts stay in.

M

In reply to Mr Fuller:

Tom Randall could tell you a lot more about this, but I understand some Italians are getting well into climbing their cracks trad-style and one or two routes have indeed been debolted, and not always in an entirely consensual way

jcm

In reply to Mr Fuller:

Watch this: vimeo.com/23823477

In reply to jon: Yes - that's exactly what I meant. As the guy points out, there must be hundreds of climbs like that which are bolted, but far fewer done on trad gear. I understand that some routes might never have been climbed if it weren't for bolts, but when it's a crack, it makes sense to try it on natural gear!

In reply to jon:

JCM could use one of those for his trip to the SW.

In reply to Jonny2vests:

Ah yes, The Crusader!

In reply to UKC News:

Good effort James! Hardest trad crack in Europe at moment I reckon. Certainly a step up from Greenspit.

Would comment on the bolting thing..... but just looked at the weather outside