Destination Guide My Favourite Route: Pete Whittaker - The Vice (E1 5b), Stanage North
There are some climbs that etch themselves into your memory for the raw, humbling lessons they dish out. For me, that climb is The Vice (E1 5b) at Stanage North.
This August, 'Wideboyz' Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker broke the Staffordshire Nose Challenge record, knocking two and a quarter hours off the previous record and finishing in 2 hours 44 minutes. The challenge, also known as the Brown-Whillans Day Out, originally involved completing each of the Joe Brown and Don Whillans routes at The Roaches, Hen Cloud and Ramshaw in under 24 hours, but since Tom and Pete set the first record, it has become, much like The Nose on El Capitan, a test of speed, efficiency and insanity.
UKC were present throughout each stage of their journey, and can vouch for how exhausting just keeping up with Pete and Tom on foot was, let alone actually climbing the routes! A video has just been released by Dark Sky Media of their valiant effort...
- Read a full UKC account of their challenge here.
Tom is also a part owner of The Climbing Station, a Director of Sublime Brushes, and a Director of Lattice Training.
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