Jo Neame has made an ascent of True North (8c) at Kilnsey.
The route, first climbed by Tony Mitchell in 1993, is an extension of Full Tilt (8b) and was the first route at Kilnsey to be graded 8c.
Jo climbed Full Tilt back in 2023 on her fourth redpoint attempt, and began looking at True North shortly after. However, the journey to True North was bumpier than expected.
Sharing the news on Instagram, Jo said:
'Two years ago I had a quick play on the route after getting a quick send of Full Tilt. Within a handful a goes I had linked True North in two overlapping halves, and was confident it would go down without too much drama'.
'However, as I left it late in the season, it wasn't until last year that I could return. With a large hold, which had been very useful for both hands at feet, coming off at the crux early in 2024, the route felt significantly harder when I returned, and it took me another couple of sessions to figure out new, much more powerful, beta. Once again, I had left it until late in the season, so I was forced to leave the route again'.
'By far the hardest move on the route for me involves pulling through a vertical undercut on the left, from a fully extended arm, meaning that, when I ruptured by left bicep tendon, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to return to the route at all. Nevertheless, I decided to test the waters a couple weeks ago, and was surprised to find the move easier than I did last year'.
'Clipping the chains today, I really felt like I'd showed myself what hard work, passion and self-belief can do. A quick tick a couple years ago would've been satisfying, but to have stepped up to this challenge with the added obstacles and still come out successful feels so much more rewarding, and makes me confident that I have so much more to give!'
Jo's ascent of True North is just the second female ascent of the route, after Anna Wild made the first female ascent back in 2023.
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