[chris j]

After everything else that has been written in the past few weeks you really would have thought he would have gone out of his way to ensure there was some evidence this time around.

I was down at Ansteys on the Weds and met Ellis and Dom who had been camping down there under the Lynch the night before. Ellis has some funky little wireless mini-camera on a built-in gorilla pod type tripod so I imagine there must at least be footage of him working the route. I doubt it would have built-in nightvision so probably wouldn't have recorded much at 10pm!

[shark]

On the UKC thread Natalie Berry said she contacted the belayer Dom Taylor who said:

"Yes I can vouch for Ellis's ascent. He spent Tuesday afternoon working the route but the ascent was done in the dark. We did look at filming for all the reasons mentioned but nothing was showing up on the camera.
Hope this helps,
Dom."

I don't know who Dom Taylor is but he has a logbook on UKC here http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/showlog.html?id=203398 and is clearly a handy climber ie knows what he is seeing as opposed to a non-climbing belayer who might not.

Unless there is anything else factual I am missing can we leave it there   

[Doylo]

On the UKC thread Natalie Berry said she contacted the belayer Dom Taylor who said:

"Yes I can vouch for Ellis's ascent. He spent Tuesday afternoon working the route but the ascent was done in the dark. We did look at filming for all the reasons mentioned but nothing was showing up on the camera.
Hope this helps,
Dom."

I don't know who Dom Taylor is but he has a logbook on UKC here http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/showlog.html?id=203398 and is clearly a handy climber ie knows what he is seeing as opposed to a non-climbing belayer who might not.

Unless there is anything else factual I am missing can we leave it there   

That's good enough for me.

[a dense loner]

I thought rich's action directe video was pretty conclusive too

[macca7]

Have you seen dom taylors metoric rise through the grades in the last few months his logbook is there for all to see on tother side? 

[nik at work]

Fuck All this  shit.
Nice one Ellis.

[a dense loner]

For those people with a sense of humour bypass Doylo filmed rich's action vid, really good vid, which was seen as proof of an ascent by some people. Just for a bit of background info

[Mumra]

Fuck All this  shit.
Nice one Ellis.

Ironic backing

[r2d2]

Fuck All this  shit.
Nice one Ellis.

Ironic backing

I don't get it?

[a dense loner]

Its quite simple, and very funny

[r-man]

No.

[r2d2]

Its quite simple, and very funny

I'm sure it's really funny, but I still don't get it? 

[Oldmanmatt]

On the UKC thread Natalie Berry said she contacted the belayer Dom Taylor who said:

"Yes I can vouch for Ellis's ascent. He spent Tuesday afternoon working the route but the ascent was done in the dark. We did look at filming for all the reasons mentioned but nothing was showing up on the camera.
Hope this helps,
Dom."

I don't know who Dom Taylor is but he has a logbook on UKC here http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/showlog.html?id=203398 and is clearly a handy climber ie knows what he is seeing as opposed to a non-climbing belayer who might not.

Unless there is anything else factual I am missing can we leave it there 

+1

Anstey's is a pretty busy place. Ellis all but lives there and plenty of locals have seen him climbing. It's starting to look like he's developed a "fuck the old wankers" attitude to UKB in particular.
I don't know Dom, but putting 2 and 2 together, I'd guess he's a student (like Ellis) at Plymouth? So, young lad hit's Uni and rapidly progresses in his climbing because he's suddenly:-
Free to do what he wants.
Has mates who do the same thing.
Has a car/access to transport.
Lots of time.
Is ~18-20 years old and right at his peak.

Just a guess of course.


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[ferret]

He's a professional climber, so he has at least contractual responsibilities to his sponsors. If every time he reports a hard ascent, there is no evidence and it creates a 50 post forum debate about whether he's lying, sponsors will be having words you would think.

[Moo]

I'm really lost at sea with this whole ellis situation now, what can we assume at the moment 

[Johnny Brown]

It's starting to look like he's developed a "fuck the old wankers" attitude to UKB in particular.

You could hardly blame him.

[tomrainbow]

Absolutely.

[andy popp]

Indeed. This thread hasn't been our finest hour.

[lagerstarfish]

Indeed. This thread hasn't been our finest hour.

Apart from that bit where Slackers embedded that pic from the guidebook. That was cool

[SA Chris]

True, I for one wish he would go back and video it, to silence us doubters.

[Sasquatch]

Indeed. This thread hasn't been our finest hour.

Apart from that bit where Slackers embedded that pic from the guidebook. That was cool

True, I for one wish he would go back and video it, to silence us doubters.

Agreed.  I'm not sure I believe that slackers actually did the imbedding.  I think it may have a been someone else.  I'd really like the video proof. 

[Doylo]

Toby D makes a good point on the other channel. The sport crags round here (also coastal) tend to gop out as it gets dark. There's no way you could climb something hard on LPT at 10 pm. Maybe it's different in the southern climate 

[Stu Littlefair]

It's also quite different in winter. Evening gop is more common in the summer months. Seems a poor reason to doubt an ascent with a belayer witness.


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[masonwoods101]

Thought it was dark? How did his belayer witness anything? 

[shark]

I think it is fair to say that the anomalies surrounding EBB's claims have been well aired now.

Despite the frustration I think that further speculation is going to be increasingly unsavoury nor achieve anything in weighing up the veracity of his claims. I also specifically think that it is unfair and undeserved at this point to drag his belayer through the mud and would amount to bullying. 

Any big unsubstantiated claims from EBB going forward are going to increase the level of doubt and number of doubters and treated with contempt and derision by some. The spotlight is on EBB now and I hope he responds by delivering hard ascents backed by hard evidence.

Remember that a youthful and exuberant Moffatt and Pollitt over-reached in claiming the first free ascent of Mayfair but went on to better things.