Yesterday was the day Dan Varian described as 'probably my best climbing day ever'. Northumberland got a new hardest route and Back Bowden got a new hardest boulder problem.
Empty The Bones Of You goes up the north wall between The Dark Side and Mordreth on very poor holds. Even the holds that look ok from the ground are bad.
I'm sure Dan will go into detail on the Beastmaker blog, but he reckons highball 8a+, or F8c if it was bolted. Although he intended to lead it, he actually ended up soloing it.
Considering the time and effort he put in, and his fearsome ability (he's currently 'on form'), I would tentatively suggest that 8a+ might be a little soft.
How does it compare to The Dark Side E9 7b? Dan had quite a few sessions on the new route, and many attempts to lead it. He also left it alone for a while as he got frustrated at the difficulty.
If you've read my previous blog post, you'll know Dan did The Dark Side in about 15 minutes, which really puts things in perspective.
Here are a few photos of Dan working the new line:
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| Dan Varian attempting the route |
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| Dan Varian attempting the route |
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| Dan Varian attempting the route |
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| Taking the fall |
I'll have the photos for you very soon.
Ok, that's not all. That was just the morning!
Another project that he's been trying is the right hand finish to The Bitch, Andy Earl's classic 8a+. It was a little too warm and he was getting frustrated, but after the sun dropped behind the trees and the temperature started falling, it was game on. Conditions got better and better and it got nailed. Grade? Solid 8b.
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| Dan Varian on his new 8b at Back Bowden |
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| Dan Varian on his new 8b at Back Bowden |
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| Dan Varian on his new 8b at Back Bowden |
Then I went and slept on the beach.
As I said, I'll update soon and I have lots of new County photos to share.
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