UKC

"...As I climbed higher I got a deep pit-in-my-stomach feel that something wasn't right... The next thing I knew I was on the ground, spitting blood, struggling to breathe..."

Will Stanhope rips the flake from Parthian Shot and writes the newest chapter in the epic saga of one of gritstone's most iconic routes.

This article explores the history, and the future, of this bulging prow of perfect gritstone.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=3828

In reply to UKC Articles:

A really good read. Thanks guys. Hope Will gets better soon.

In reply to UKC Articles:

This is a fine read and a good bit of UKC Journo magic.

Get well soon Will.

Interesting to see such an in-depth piece about this famous route and it truly puts into context the whining, the speculation and utter nonsense that was spouted when word first hit the forums that the flake on Parthian Shot was broken. Some of the comments were utterly ridiculous.

So, round again. If the hardest problem on grit didn't exist then we would have to create it. Perhaps this has now happened.

In reply to UKC Articles:
Grimer needs to write more magazine articles.
The debate you're trying to start has been done and is seen as a fairly conclusive no-brainer not to reattach the flake. Trying to rile up the UKC fools with half-promises of the 'bolts on grit' variety is a pretty cheap way of generating interest in an article.

In reply to Will Hunt: It's called evolution. the climb has altered and awaits a new ascent in it's new form. might have to wait for the next generation, but it truly should.

In reply to UKC Articles:
"An on-form John Dunne made the first ascent back in 1989, grading the route HXS 7a and suggesting the flake was too poor to hold. As far as we know he remains the only person to date to have climbed the route without taking 'the' fall."

Jack - why persist with the anti-John Dunne campaign? Whilst forum users are at liberty to say what they like (within reason), it is not entirely professional for the UKc editor to make such blatent insinuation and fuel/encourage unnecessary debate.

Jim

In reply to jameshiggins:


Where is the insinuation in the line you quoted?

In reply to jameshiggins:

Eh? Where does it suggest that JD is a fat pig that couldn't climb the stars to bed?

In reply to Mike Highbury:

Or stairs and I see above that Coel is as puzzled as me

In reply to jameshiggins:

What on earth are you talking about? That sentence actually states that JD actually established the route with a cleaner ethic than most of the repeat ascensionists?

In reply to Mike Highbury: I see no insinuation there, merely an acknowledgement that someone as well as big JD may have quietly and unassumingly done the route without taking the fall.

That said, I was a little disappointed to see the big man slagging off Seb Grieve for his tactics 14 years after the event...I remember his quotes as being a lot more positive about that second ascent in 1997. Also, I'm pretty sure I remember him testing the gear on 'Carmen Picasso' at Gorple using a rucksack loaded with rocks on his 'Big Issue' video.

In reply to Monk:

Nah, read between the lines folks. It is the same old "JD didn't really climb Parthian Shot" view that has been spouted by the Peak boys for years.

Jim

In reply to jameshiggins:


You mean read into it something that is neither said nor insinuated.

In reply to Coel Hellier:

I say insinuated. My view. You may beg to differ.

Jim

In reply to jameshiggins:

No it isn't. You have some how got the wrong end of the stick I am afraid. Not quite sure how, but I hope with a re-read you might understand that I was merely pointing out that I am not 100% sure that everyone else who has climbed Parthian Shot has taken a fall. I couldn't find anyone that hadn't, but you never know and these things are quite hard to research 100%.

Thanks again to John for all his help with the article and well done on making the first ascent back over twenty years ago.

Also thanks to everyone else who helped with the piece.

Best,

Jack

In reply to jameshiggins:
>

How is anything insuated? I knew nothing about this until I read the article and to me it just says he climbed it and cleanly. I can't see how it can be read in any other way.

In reply to Jack Geldard - UKC Chief Editor:

Good call Jack.

In reply to Jack Geldard - UKC Chief Editor:

Many thanks for clearing up Jack and apologies for getting the wrong end of the stick!

Jim

In reply to UKC Articles:
Great article.
Best wishes to Will on a full recovery.

Terrifying but great account from Niall Grimes.

Thanks

In reply to UKC Articles:


So i seem to remember that we were not 'allowed' to talk about this fall a few months back and now its a news article.

Why is that?

Can somebody explain the reason we couldn't discuss it before.

In reply to Pylon King:
Because UKC hadn't got an article written and his holiday insurance hadn't paid out?

In reply to Reach>Talent:

Whats it got to do with holiday insurance? did he tell porkies then?

In reply to Pylon King:
I have no idea, I was meerly providing a possible reason and should have added italicised text, smily faces and <wild speculation> </wild speculation>.

In reply to Pylon King: That seemed to be the online rumor at the time...insurance that didn't cover rock climbing.

In reply to UKC Articles: Has anyone abbed it to look at the gear placements? They may actually be better now if a bulge in the flake was obstructing some ultra-deep placements.
<troll outfit on>
I'm sure it would take a knifeblade peg
<troll outfit off>

In reply to Reach>Talent:

So, in a 'wild speculation-possible nutshell', he got away with 'insurance fraud' and now its ok to have an article written about it?

In reply to UKC Articles:

Enjoyed that- thanks for featuring that classic Niall Grimes article too.

In reply to UKC Articles: are there any photos online of john making the first ascent? pretty keen to see them. will be interesting to see when a new guide comes out and what it says about parthian shot now.

In reply to al123:

Anybody know a company that could run me off a 'I Broke the Pathian Flake' Tshirt?

This season's hot climbing fashion statement, kids!

In reply to UKC Articles: has it been officially re-graded yet? - if indeed it needs to be.

In reply to CragRat_Trad:
Running a grader over it seems like an excessive step after a little bit of flake fell off!

http://tinyurl.com/68kdwa8

In reply to Reach>Talent: So sharp you'll cut yourself one day my friend haha

In reply to Pylon King: Until someone in the know is willing to enlighten us as to the real reason(s) for the initial silence, shall we hold off on the accusations?

In reply to Niall:

*Tosses up an 'r' and makes mental note to proof-read next time*

Dammit.

In reply to remus:

Will Stanhope said - 'I told a few of my British friends to keep quiet about things for a while. I was going through a rough patch and didn't want to deal with internet world for a bit.' - From the thread at the time.

In reply to metal arms:

fair enough

In reply to UKC Articles:

Well I hadn't heard about this before (I don't look at the rocktalk section) so cheers Jack for this good article. Interesting!

I presume there is now no gear to protect the crux? As Niall says it looks like it's back to being a death route where falling is not an option. One for (very bold) headpointers only!

Well done to Will Stanhope for living to tell the tale! Hope he makes a full recovery and in time will be back climbing.

In reply to UKC Articles:

just carry Ondra under the route and you will have an onsight, a ground up, and a grade for the thing

In reply to Peter Walker:

Didn't John Dunne get rescued off Parthian Shot a couple of times before he made the first ascent? Personally, I'm not sure that's better style than pre-testing the fall!

Still an amazing achievement, of course.

In reply to Jack Geldard - UKC Chief Editor:

Excellent article...For the record Toru Nakajima repeated the route without taking the fall.
On his first attempt on the lead he climbed the direct start Childs Play/Nocturnal Emission, went straight into Parthian Shot, placed gear in the flake and then topped out. I have got some video footage knocking about somewhere...

In reply to fingermind:


Only if you bolt it...

In reply to UKC Articles:

Did i misunderstand or did he said he put a micro-cam behind the flake.

I cant find a reference to it, but I thought i read that the first time. Which got me thinking if that's what made the difference as it sounds like all the other gear people used microwires instead of a cam.

In reply to Kemics: Yes unfortunately he did, it's mentioned on his blog which is referenced in the UKC article.

In reply to duzinga:

That's very surprising. You would have thought that with Emmett on belay he would have seen perhaps (the potential) possible danger in this. As i imagine Emmett has a strong and personal understanding of marginal trad placements.

Shit happens when you party naked Sounds like all ended well considering, here's hoping for a speedy recovery.

The parthian shot flake would make a great conversion piece/door stop/paper weight.

In reply to UKC Articles:

'gluing the hold back on'. That's one of the most ridiculous ideas I've ever heard. Choss is part of a route's nature. Gluing snapped gear and holds back on is changing the character of the route's natural state.

It won't be long till it's climbed in its current state.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Is anybody else forced to read Grimer's articles in a fake Irish accent?

Genius.

In reply to Will Hunt:

That's a cheap shot at a decent article, lose the chip.

In reply to UKC Articles:

It's strange that the lower gear ripped just because this piece broke off at the top, isn't it? I seem to recall from Hard Grit that Seb had wires going all the way down to the bottom. I wouldn't fancy being the next to test the fall next time, that's for sure, unless there's some obvious explanation other than the flake expanding a bit and letting all the other microwires slide out.

jcm

In reply to Papillon:

Agreed. This is a genuinely interesting episode in an on-going saga. That boy does spout some drivel at times.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously: Given that half of seb's gear fell out when he took the fall its not entirely surprising that the lower gear ripped.

In reply to remus:

Only half, though.

Maybe it's just a coincidence the top bit breaking at just the time the flexage gets enough to rip the gear. You'd think though they were independent.

Anyway, my point is that this isn't just a warning sign because one of the placements has broken; it also suggests that the flake is now flexing enough that your other gear's going to come out as well.

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Maybe a hand placed peg, if the crack's deep enough, is the way to go. Like the route just around to the left.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Great article Jack. Good to see the VS crew can shed the light on John dunne's credentials and integrity. I'm sure they would say the same to his face.

In reply to Niall:

Niall.....were you a big nerd at school?

In reply to harry spotter:

Ha ha, i like it.

The whole article is a brilliant read. Hope the Canuck gets back on his feet. I cant believe that people are still knocking john dunne, oh well i guess its the price of being famous. Parthian shot will get back its awesome rep at least and give folks like me the butterflies when we stand at the bottom and go 'one day' but only when I can really do it!