Ascents in Europe as various tick types by Ian.Grabowski

The culmination of my self-imposed week-long Font Arête school. A strikingly beautiful must-climb highball line. Psyched to get my first Font 7a in Font - Legit.

Hmmm. TR onsite. I kind of wish it had been a savage struggle! Now I have to decide whether I should lead a 21m slab with the only gear being 2 marginal sky-hooks and a blown out micro-wire.

Went in with a fresh pair of kicks and no expectations, came away with the flash after watching carefully as a buddy sent it. An incredible route, brilliant moves, trust the friction of those tiny tiny feet and embrace the inner slate-ninja! Not sure about all this bolts/trad thing...the grade is conflicting everywhere!

Had to work various beta before finding the best for me. Another great problem.

2nd shot.

Super varied sustained hard climbing. Got to climb the grade in multiple styles to get the clean tick - smeary funky crimpy dihedral, tech crimp slab traverse, steep pockets, bold...just awesome.

I laughed at the famous supposed RP4 placement rather than waste effort placing it. 4/10 RP3 and a 6/10 RP1 are somewhere there for the taking.

1st E5 lead O/S outside of the quarries. Great and not too hard. No chalk on it so was a real exploratory journey up the left face. Sequency, technical, a tad pumpy searching for holds and getting gear right, bold. Just so good.

Nothing too crazy for E5. Brilliant route and amazing rock though.

First E4 and got it onsight - pretty stoked. High first bolt but steady to that point. Gets tricky from the 1/2 way mark on.

P1 - 6a - O/S lead P2 - 5c - 1/2 TR, 1/2 O/S lead when my partner whipped and came back to the belay. I tied in to his ends of the rope and TRd to his highpoint and led on o/s from there. I also went a much harder thinner direct line from left edge of ledge after crux traverse direct up the pillar, missing the vs-grade traverse far right. Probably same grade once it's cleaned up but felt hard with all the grub on the rock.

Ultra-classic. All pitches incredible.

Followed Dan up to clean. Got to go down as one of my top-10 ever lines climbed. The cruxes just keep coming...all the way to the very end. Probably more like E4...it's a classic sandbag.

Woof. That was a wild climb. A big rockover....and then another big rockover on a blemish/dyno - I didn't envisage there ever being that combo.

Sustained, varied difficulties but amazing climbing. I had to fight for this one. Lace it up ladies and gentlemen...but don't pump out doing so! Haha

Didn't want to let this one go despite the thin bold start. Straight back on the horse and got it clean.

Crux past the first bolt but a fairly soft 6a in comparison to the others I did today.

Loved this problem. LHS is way easier although graded harder apparently. RHS is a decent challenge and more realistic at 6a. Did the climb from both sides as part of self imposed Arete school Day 1.

Arête school cont. ...Although not much of an Arête. Still a good club though!

Beauty of a route, balancey, slabby, crimpy.

Traversed in from left as first bolt section was wet.

Great highball...Said in book it was 6B. I agree with the 5c on here though.

Soft.

Cruised it seconding my mate and then went for the lead. Clean first shot.

Awesome climbing - stiff for 5c OR I'm not as powerful as others....

Rapped down for Callum to climb LSSL but it started raining on lead so he escaped up this.

Incredible line. Historic. Deserves it's rep.

As part of 'The East Face of the Vivian Direct' link up from pool level to Ritter Sport Level swinging leads.

Excellent route, loved every move and eventually token used my sky-hook. Lol.

As part of 'The East Face of the Vivian Direct' link up from pool level to Ritter Sport Level swinging leads.

Good gear if you're creative - cluster and go approach worked well. Loved the technical crux well above good gear and the airy 6m runout to next reliable pro. A cool head will see you through.

Led crux pitch

Led crux P2. P3 not a giveaway either.

A bit sketchy almost all of the way. All gear in vibraty big flake you also use to climb and then the last 10m has no pro (but is thankfully only maybe Brit 4c/5a climbing). A fall would most likely be life changing from anywhere up there onto ledges.

P1 Mega classic, P2 V.Good

Excellent route. P2 - O/S FA - Climbed direct/slightly right up cracks above belay , stepped left 2m at break, committing climbing up steep thin crack and into hanging v-groove. Left at capping roof and up broken ground to top.

P1 - mega-classic - committing climbing straight off the hanging belay, 1m above the ocean. P2 - Good but not the same standard.

My first attempt I was caught in a heavy downpour at 2/3rds height and continued for the send but the green slimy lichen at the top turned too slippery for the send and I took a giant whipper! Exciting. Easy 2nd shot. Soft.

Linked with Turkey Chant as one pitch.

As part of 'The East Face of the Vivian Direct' link up from pool level to Ritter Sport Level swinging leads.

Linked with 'Too Bald...' As one pitch.

As part of 'The East Face of the Vivian Direct' link up from pool level to Ritter Sport Level swinging leads.

We lassoed the bolt to make it a bit safer...with a gorse runner as back-up

As part of 'The East Face of the Vivian Direct' link up from pool level to Ritter Sport Level swinging leads.

As part of 'The East Face of the Vivian Direct' link up from pool level to Ritter Sport Level swinging leads.

Stiff little crux, then beautiful climbing. Gets E2 everywhere else - not E3.

P1 - 2nd clean P2 - Lead Onsite

I'd say the crux was slab P1, pitch 2 was super fun, great climbing... probably only E1 5b for that one.