Scotland's first ground up grade X mixed route

Alan Mullin and Steve Lynch have climbed what is arguably the hardest traditional mixed route in the world of modern Scottish mixed climbing.

The route climbs the summer version 'Crazy Sorrow' on Lochnagar. This E3 was first climbed in 1982 and had not been repeated until recently when it was thought to be E4. The route was climbed ground up style on the 2nd attempt, nine days after the very first attempt at climbing it.

All protection was placed on lead, with the crux consisting of a free hanging roof problem leading into steeply iced grooves and slabs. The technical difficuties included several dynos, a heel hook and the use of one arm pull ups. There was a high level of risk due to the possibilty of an horrendous landing onto a huge block just below the roof. Although the roof was protected by a solitary upside down peg, there was little scant protection in the iced groove above. Mullin and Lynch have graded the route X.11, the first of it's kind in Scotland.

This post has been read 1,592 times

Return to Latest News

UKC Advertising

Comments

MJH

19 Nov, 2002

Lochnagar, up an E3 called Crazy Sorrow....sounds absolutely mental

MJH

19 Nov, 2002

alan mullin and steve lynch (?)...there's a bit on the UKClimbing News page Mike

Mark Stevenson

19 Nov, 2002

Whatever happened to the good old days of hard grade V? Is it just me or is the Scottish climbing tradition of reserved understatement now sadly waning? Are the 'good' old days of activists describing desperate new routes as 'nae too bad' or at worst 'a wee bit tricky' now long gone? Am I the only one to appreciate the slight irony of top climbers modestly underplaying their hand? We all know that if Mick Fowler had climbed it, he would proabably have graded it as something like hard grade VII,8 and made a couple of off-hand comments about a couple of powerful moves. Good effort to the lads in question - but they are leaving themselves wide open to critism by trying to give it an accurate grade. If they want massive publicity (and undoubtedly a lot of adverse comments) then grading it X is the way to go. However if they would prefer the long term respect of the British climbing community and a little less hassle, a bit of tactical modesty might not go amiss. This probably shouldn't be the case but climbing isn't really a logical pursuit and has stacks of ethical and historical baggage. Mark

Paz

19 Nov, 2002

It'd be great if he did but isn't Muillin sponsored?

James Edwards

19 Nov, 2002

well grades are only ever apporximates anyway. it took a while for the VI/VII/VIII boundr to be sorted (and the VII/VIII boundry is still a bit weh-hay) (actually as is the VIII/IX). (and probably all the rest come to think of it). i think that youve got to have a stab and then it can be adjusted in a few years (decades?) or become the bench mark that other are judged on. its quite an interesting symbolic threshhold, X., perhaps like the F9a and the 4minitue mle (well actually nothing like the four minute mile come to think of it as nobody argued with Norris McWerter) anyone know if the winter ascent has a name?

More Comments

Add Comment