User:Griff1973/Indian Face

Indian Face is a 48 metre rock climb situated on the East Buttress of Clogwyn Du'r Arddu on the northern flank of Snowdon in North Wales. Described as one of the best lines in the world, it was first climbed by Johnny Dawes in October 1986 and was graded at E9 6c, the highest grade climb in the UK at the time. Due to its difficulty and danger the route has only seen three repeat ascents, the most recent being by Dave MacLeod in 2010.

Early Attempts

Climbers had been attempting to find lines up the almost blank face of the Eastern Buttress since the 1950's. In 1962 Peter Crew led the first route up the face and named it Great Wall. Routes such as A Midsummer Night's Dream and Spreadeagle followed over the years, but all avoided what was an obvious, but seemingly impossible line up the middle of the face.

Starting in 1980 John Redhead explored the line that was to become Indian Face. By 1982 he had climbed the first 25 metres of the route before coming to an impasse. He placed a bolt at the high point of the route, intending to return the next year. He named his efforts Tormented Ejaculation and graded it at E8 7a.

In 1983 Jerry Moffatt, who disagreed with the ethics of placing bolts on mountain crags chopped the bolt that Redhead had placed then found a way past his highpoint. Moffatt's route strayed to the right of the line that was to become Indian Face but it was still a celebrated acheivement and was graded E7 6b. He named the route Masters Wall in honour of the climber Joe Brown who had first attempted to forge a route up the Great Wall.

First Ascent

By the Autumn of 1986 Johnny Dawes had established himself as one of the top climbers in the UK with routes such as The Quarryman (E8 7a), Gaia (E8 6c) and End Of The Affair (E8 6c). Due to the seriousness of the route Dawes used the headpoint technique,cleaning the holds and rehearsing the moves in advance. After three days of preparation Dawes returned to The East Buttress on October 4th 1986 to make his attempt:

It had all these challenges that epitomised what I liked about climbing and a lot of history and a lot of people that I really respected had played out their efforts on the cliff.

I went for the crux, the motion startling me like a car unexpectedly in gear in a crowded parking lot. I swarm through the roundness of the bulge to a crank on a brittle spike for a cluster of three crystals on the right; each finger crucial and separate like the keys for a piano chord. I change feet three times to rest my lower legs, each time having to jump my foot out to put the other in. The finger-holds are too poor to hang on should the toes catch on each other. All those foot-changing mistakes on easy moves by runners come to mind. There is no resting. I must go and climb for the top. I swarm up towards the sunlight, gasping for air. A brittle hold stays under mistreatment and then I really blow it. Fearful of a smear on now-non-sticky boots I use an edge and move up, a fall fatal, but the automaton stabs back through, wobbling, but giving its all and I grasp a large sidepull and tube upward. The ropes dangle uselessly from my waist. Arthur Birtwhistle on Diagonal, I grasp in cuts and the tight movement swerves to a glide as gravity swings skyward.

Repeat Ascents

After Dawes' first ascent there were no further successful climbs until 1994 when Nick Dixon made the second ascent. Several days later Neil Gresham, who had practised the route with Dixon became the third person to complete the route. In June 2010 Dave MacLeod led the route after first top-roping it in 2007.

External links

• Johnny Dawes Official site

Category:British rock climbers