[abarro81]

Must be all the Powerball and juggling ARC finally paying off  (says something about my boredom threshold that that could be true!)

[crimpinainteasy]

UKB denizen Barrows has onsighted Momento Payaso at Otnar in Spain, weighing in at a hefty 8b+.

Anyone other than him and Steve Mac in the brits who've onsighted 8b+ club?

Pretty sure Jim Pope has onsighted 8b+ and Buster Martin may have too although I'm unsure.

[remus]

Haha, that was quick Remus, we're not even back to the house yet!

Gotta keep that finger on the 8a.nu pulse 

Other possibles in this list:

https://climbing-history.org/list/10/hard-flash-or-onsight-ascents-by-brits


 

 

[Pope B]

Think Franco did Greatness Wall today

[edshakey]

If so, that's an absolutely incredible start to the year. Good on him

[kingholmesy]

Boy’s on fire.

[andy moles]

The Sandman is a better name than Greatness Wall, however... 

[spidermonkey09]

The Sandman is a better name than Greatness Wall, however... 

Should just be a direct/LH finish to the original really, but i can see why hes done it this way round given the Prow! Seems no different to the LH/RH finishes to, say, Resurrection? Obviously way harder.

[cheque]

He did some sort of variation on The Meltdown last week too. Just cleaning up other trad wads’ unfinished projects every few days at the moment   

[Pope B]

Apologies,

I amend my earlier comment to "think Franco did something similar to Greatness Wall"  .

[remus]

Waddage, man's on a tear!

[andy popp]

Waddage, man's on a tear!

Yup, fantastic stuff. And for what it's worth, I love the Greatness Wall name (The Sandman is great too).

[remus]

Luke Dawson joined the 9a club today with an ascent of Rainman.

[Nike Air]

Raindogmanshadow?

[remus]

Doh, yes that should read Rainshadow. Rainman would be an impressive jump.

[Duncan campbell]

So psyched that Luke has managed Rainshadow - it had to happen sooner or later with a pyramid like his!!

Probably not be long before he does another!

[duncan]

Matthew Wright has done the fifth ascent of Achemine at Dumbarton Rock. E9 or 8b R with a big but safe (?) fall he says.

[Adam Lincoln]

So psyched that Luke has managed Rainshadow - it had to happen sooner or later with a pyramid like his!!

Probably not be long before he does another!

Haha a skyscraper shaped 8cish pyramid. Certainly not falling over anytime soon.

[andy moles]

Matthew Wright has done the fifth ascent of Achemine at Dumbarton Rock.

Claim that Achemine was probably the hardest trad route in the UK in 2001.

Is this just that Insta thing of communicating in accolades (the first, the most, the best), or is this an opinion held by those who have actually done a lot of the early E9+ stuff?

I mean, at 8b with a massive runout it might well be.

[Kingy]

TBF I think Mat's post says it was the hardest trad route in Scotland in 2001, not the UK. I think he is probably right.

[remus]

TBF I think Mat's post says it was the hardest trad route in Scotland in 2001, not the UK. I think he is probably right.

Hardest in Scotland sounds like it could be in the right ballpark. Not totally sure when Neil Carson did Mission Impossible but pretty sure it was pre-2001, and that's ~8b on trad gear. Sean Myles' Captain Invincible is another hard one in the UK, ~8b/+ apparently and FA in 1991, maybe felt a touch less spicy at the time as the pegs were in better condition.

[andy moles]

TBF I think Mat's post says it was the hardest trad route in Scotland in 2001, not the UK. I think he is probably right.

Look again...

[andy moles]

Hardest in Scotland sounds like it could be in the right ballpark. Not totally sure when Neil Carson did Mission Impossible but pretty sure it was pre-2001, and that's ~8b on trad gear. Sean Myles' Captain Invincible is another hard one in the UK, ~8b/+ apparently and FA in 1991, maybe felt a touch less spicy at the time as the pegs were in better condition.

Mission Impossible did have a lot of pegs. Fewer now.

[Kingy]

Oops, my bad, I don't think Achemine was the hardest trad route in the UK. Can't think of another Scottish route harder in 2001.

As a general comment, seems very difficult to assess 'hardest', what are we talking about specifically, boldness, difficulty or both? A bit of a woolly area!

[Felix14]

Equilibrium done in 2000. Is that 8b as well? And is a touch bold.