[El Mocho]

Saw new route book this morning in Outside and Pete Whittaker has done the direct start to Braille Trail. Sounds hard and bold
(also see http://www.climbmagazine.com/BulletinBoardNewE9.aspx)

Bunch of new E7s, plenty of E7 repeats, new E9 and only 17 but what I am most impressed by is the range of facial expressions.

[r-man]

Better report here:

http://hotaches.blogspot.com/2008/03/dynamics-of-change-e9-another-last.html

Impressive indeed!

[dave]

cheer up mate, you're doing a new grit E9.


looks like a good un.

[Kingy]

That looks friggin nails!! Awesome effort Pete!!! Effectively soloing Braille Trail after that brutal encounter aint no walk in the park. Nice one.   

[Shy Ted]

good effort peter   you're going well at the moment

[Idol eyes]

We had a go on this, and the direct to the wall, the expression on his face is valid, the mantle on the foot hold is painfull... a great effort!

[Bonjoy]

Looks amazing. Pretty out there leading it without having done it in a oner on a TR!

[Johnny Brown]

Looks amazing - full marks to the yoot!

[dave]

Looks amazing. Pretty out there leading it without having done it in a oner on a TR!

I always wonder wether to be impressed by this type of thing or just regard it as sloppy! something inside me says if you're going to headpoint it, at least get it wired. On the other hand, it is "better" style. sets the bar pretty high for repeaters, i.e. unless they do a poorly rehearsed redpoint then its a step backwards, like all ascents of Gaia these days.

[Johnny Brown]

The less rehearsal the better. End of.

The mantra 'don't practice until you get it right, practice until you can't get it wrong' (as espoused by a wierd kids choir on calendar last night) seems to me to be taking all the adventure out of grit.

[lagerstarfish]

That is well impressive 

I got gripped just reading that report and looking at the photos.

[cofe]

what a line. burbage south is quite a crag. good effort.

[Paul B]

amazing effort 

The less rehearsal the better. End of.

The mantra 'don't practice until you get it right, practice until you can't get it wrong' (as espoused by a wierd kids choir on calendar last night) seems to me to be taking all the adventure out of grit.

But with the risks being so high I don't see this as necessarily being a bad thing. Grit will get really messy one day.

[chappers]

holy crap that looks amazing! the photos on the hotaches blog are truly terrifying. the line looks like the most impressive thing i have seen. effort!

[slackline]

  That rock over looks heinous, a damn fine effort 

[lagerstarfish]

What scared me about reading the report was the thought that he is so young and he might really hurt himself just for the sake of doing a new route - if not on this route then maybe the next one - I never used to think like this.
Oh no! I am getting older  (wish I was 17)

[Idol eyes]

Tis a fuckin grand effort!

[Idol eyes]

wonder how he did the slab? I found you were unable to place the peg post crux, but your belayer or buddy could place it for you once stood on the sloper, This too is a great effort!!!

[r-man]

Sounds like no pegs...

“Braille Trail Direct. Burbage South Some one will do it! Straight up the arete to the horizontal break (small Friends) then some hideously difficult climbing to gain the 'rest' on the arete of Braille Trail. Take in the rock-over crux of this but without those pegs!”

[Bowie]

full on sweaty palms reading the report. fantastic and inspiring stuff. 

[andy popp]

Brilliant effort. I too applaud the return to a 'just get on with it' style of headpointing. I've always maintained there can be a world of difference covered by the term. At little as possible is always better in terms of style.

[Jim]

The less rehearsal the better. End of.

The mantra 'don't practice until you get it right, practice until you can't get it wrong' (as espoused by a wierd kids choir on calendar last night) seems to me to be taking all the adventure out of grit.

You can't keep preaching to people to play to their own parameters and then telling them to jump

[Drew]

What scared me about reading the report was the thought that he is so young and he might really hurt himself just for the sake of doing a new route - if not on this route then maybe the next one - I never used to think like this.
Oh no! I am getting older  (wish I was 17)

Hey... I'm only 23 and my first thought was "what would his mother think about that?!"

Chuffing hell!!!



Now I'm quite flexible, but that's taking the piss!

[fatdoc]

is this not E10???

looking the other super routes around there........

and the chance of death off way hard *on offy* moves I'd suggest it's harder than E9....

awesome effort.

[SA Chris]

I think that's implied in the

As for the grade. It would be hard for Pete to give a bigger grade to a route with so little experience under his belt.

bit.