On Friday Jack Geldard added an impressive route with his completion of the long standing project in Cwm Idwal, now named Spinal Crack at E8/9 6c. Anyone with an eye for a route walking on the path around Llyn Idwal to the Slabs, will have noticed the enticing finger-crack on the buttress a few hundred metres to the right of Sub-Cneifion Rib.

Over the years the project had become widely known and interest in it goes back to the eighties and Johnny Dawes. Mark Katz had previously climbed the lower section before but moved out towards the right arete to give Hamartia E8 6c. Local strongman, Neil Dyer, had attempted the line but fell off reaching the crack and snapped the sling on the spike, breaking his back in the process.

Full report with photos by Ray Wood at www.dmmclimbing.com/news.

You can read more North Wales news, and there is a lot: new E5's, new sport routes on slate and a repeat of an E7 at www.groundupclimbing.com