In reply to Grinning Donkey:
> Wow - top effort, (again), by Steve.
> He must have the most Incredible fitness, both physically and mentally, .... I bet it was almost unbearable to watch.
Completely agree. Using world class sport ability to take big-fall-potential trad to a new level. Nice one Steve - again!
And to those quibbling about onsightness, you have to remember that, unlike in most sport climbing, the line between onsight and flash in trad is fundamentally and inescapably blurred. Without bolts to show the way, simply knowing where a route goes often requires some degree of advance knowledge, not to mention that critical gear (and sometimes even hidden holds) is often mentioned in guidebook descriptions. Far better to recognise a fantastic achievement by a great climber who almost certainly knew so little about the route in advance as to make it feel as onsight as any other, than to try to enforce arbitrary lines in the definitional sand.