UKC

Lucy Ellis Onsights Darkinbad the Brightdayler E5 6a at Pentire

© Darren Holman
Women and climbing are a popular topic down the UKClimbing.com forums. You can read discussions about Notable first ascents by women, here, Women...strength...campus boards, here and even the condescending, Why are women happy to be 2nd?, here

But apart from the big hitters like Lucy Creamer (website), Karin Magog (website), Silvia Fitzpatrick, Katherine Shirrmacher and Jude Spancken we don't hear much from the rank and file.

Here's one.

Last Saturday (11th August) Lucy Ellis (35) of Epsom onsighted the imposing Darkinbad the Brightdayler E5 6a at Pentire in Cornwall first established by Pat Littlejohn in 1972 and free'd by Ron Fawcett in 1976. Lucy has been climbing E5 since she was 18 but recently has been on a bit of a roll including a first redpoint of Chiselling The Dragon a 7c sport route at Malham Cove, as well as numerous hard trad and sport routes all over the UK.

The photograph up and left by Darren Holman is of Lucy on White Slabs Blunt, an E3 6a at Wilton in Lancashire.

Lucy took her time on Darkinbad, there were no chalked holds and she said she spent a lot of time standing around placing gear. She has her sights set on Raindogs, an 8a sport route at Malham Cove, previous attempts have seen her a couple of moves from the belay chains as well as hard trad climb objectives.

If you hear of any women doing hard extremes, drop us an email.

Also see the thread associated with this news item to read more about women and hard ascents.


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15 Aug, 2007
bon effort though on a point of pedantry, surely you wont hear much from the 'rank and file' since stuff we/they as the standard punters do wont be news..?
15 Aug, 2007
Well done to Lucy! However ... am I the only one who finds this sort of reporting rather condescending and even (dare I say it) chauvinistic? I just can't see that this is "news" - Darkinbad must have had numerous female ascents since the early 1990s. I'm not against reporting hard climbs by women - perhaps as part of a wider review of what top women climbers are doing - but "Woman does E5" really should not warrant a headline. Or maybe I am just in bad mood this morning ;)
15 Aug, 2007
I'm more in agreement with Lucy Creamer. "One British climber, Lucy Creamer has suggested that more achievements of women climbers are reported, not just the achievements of the "superwomen ", but what would be considered everyday ascents by men. The theory being that, whilst many climbers may not be able to achieve the dizzy heights of V15 and 5.14, they may be encouraged to put the extra effort in and gain the extra rewards, if they see more reports of women doing V7 and 5.12."
15 Aug, 2007
Ah, the great Wilston, majestic and imposing, yet mysteriously absent from the encyclopaedic clutches of The Brick...
15 Aug, 2007
Nice one Lucy, pretty impressive since I didn't think she'd been getting out much.
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