[Rocksteady]

This is absolutely legendary. I cannot conceive how hard an 8c+/9a slab must be. Sounds like teering and dynoing up a featureless brass slide might not be far off.

 

[jdal]

The Man's posted a sort of topo/instruction book thing on his facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=262941957152264&set=a.147468465366281.31958.100003093850233&type=1&theater

It's got a "massive jug" and a "good foothold" on it, so can't be too bad then...

[Grubes]

any chance some one could copy and paste? can't access farcebook at work.

[Bonjoy]

Legend! 

[ducko]

Very impressive!

[slackline]

An audioboo interview by Ray Wood with James and his thoughts on the route on the DMM news section.

[nai]

Audio at the bottom:

http://dmmclimbing.com/news/2012/07/first-ascent-of-britains-hardest-slab-climb/

[Baron]

Amazing. Still no moves harder than English 7a though? Can't see that.

[fried]

Once upon a time there were no moves harder than 6c . Fantastic news in these conditions just fkin amazing.

[Baron]

Mythical project, mythical English 7a. Perfect match.

[Robsons]

Happy about this! Awesome effort...who else (other than Bobbins) has been trying this line?

[Doylo]

Amazing. Still no moves harder than English 7a though? Can't see that.

Sounds sustained though. Successive 7a moves most probably..

[Probes]

Audio at the bottom:

http://dmmclimbing.com/news/2012/07/first-ascent-of-britains-hardest-slab-climb/

Wow   

should that not say "first ascent of worlds hardest slab climb"...?

[r-man]

Hardest slab in the UK/World? Perhaps, but given that a certain Gaskins E8 7b / 8B has still had no repeats, who knows...?

That said, this is flippin amazing!

[Tommy]

Cool to see a tiny bit of footage. Weird, weird moves going on on that thing!

[Kingy]

can anyone think of a harder slab route as opposed to a boulder problem? E.g. Bain de Sang is 9a but is probably more of a wall climb

[Johnny Brown]

I imagine a lot of these 'slabs' are more like walls. Walk on by is considered a slab by some guidebook writers.

[nik at work]

The Stanworth slab is definitely a slab IMHO.

[Fiend]

can anyone think of a harder slab route as opposed to a boulder problem? E.g. Bain de Sang is 9a but is probably more of a wall climb

I did ask and the answer was "probably not": http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,19730.msg354318.html

[T_B]

I wonder if there's a film of the whole route? I'd love to see that - steep slate seems to conjure up some of the weirdest moves ever. I can see why it's hard to put a grade on something like this. Anyway, fine effort from Caff - legend.

[north_country_boy]

can anyone think of a harder slab route as opposed to a boulder problem? E.g. Bain de Sang is 9a but is probably more of a wall climb

Caff has good experience of this kind of thing, and considering that this thing seems to be considered 8c+ and is essentially a slab, he must think Meltdown is harder???



http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web08s/newswire-madagascar-super-route

[Pantontino]

Meltdown is on the Quarryman Wall - the clue is in the name. 

[Johnny Brown]

this thing seems to be considered 8c+ and is essentially a slab

Essentially here meaning what? Its not overhanging?

[Fiend]

We need some SCIENCE, bitches. And by science, I mean a protractor at the very least.

I'd love to see a film too....or just more photos n stuff.

[north_country_boy]

this thing seems to be considered 8c+ and is essentially a slab

Essentially here meaning what? Its not overhanging?

In that its a multi-pitch, but the 8c+ crux pitch is apparently a slab....according to the article.

SCIENCE required: When does a wall become a slab?



McHaffie redpointing the crux 10th pitch (8c+) on his second day of effort. McHaffie commented afterwards that it was “a whole grade harder” than Johnny Dawes’s Welsh masterpiece The Very Big And The Very Small (8b+/c) on Dinorwig slate, of which he made the 3rd ascent.