I’ve created a Sport section on Dumby.info if anyone is interested. Nothing too fancy, just an intro and a few topos but should give a good overview of the sport routes down at Dumby. You can find the new Sport section HERE.

Let me know if you spot any errors in any of the topos and I’ll get them sorted.

Once Scotland’s hardest trad route back in 1983 when it was established by Dave Cuthbertson, Requiem and its newer variations have played an important part in Scottish climbing for nearly three decades now. At E8, 6b (around F8a+) it’s had a fair number of repeats but until today it hadn’t had a ground up ascent. Well, it has now, courtesy of Will Atkinson.

 

Will commented on his UKC log book:
Get in!, first ground-up ascent since it was put up in 1983!, probably the most physically and mentally challenging thing I have ever done. I didn’t think it was going to happen before I had to move back down to Yorkshire but it all came good in the end. Has to be one of the best routes in the UK without a doubt, now who’s going to on-sight it?

 

Having first tried last summer in the heat, he’s been back on it this spring and made relatively quick work of it. After each fall Will pulled the rope but left the gear in situ from the following attempts but is still it’s best ascent to date. This gets Will into the triple 8 club too!

 

Is six weeks enough for a second ascent of Achemine, E9 6c, before Will moves back to Sheffield??? Only time will tell. Awesome work Will.

Here’s a couple photos I took of Chris Everett on King Kong, 8a, last Friday. He went on to send it on Saturday. King Kong is one of the best lines at Dumby and climbs the steep over hanging prow on the bottom of the Eagle boulder. Good work Chris! Click the images to enlarge.

So, I’ve not really been doing much blogging here of late and some people have been asking what’s going on with it, okay one person (thanks Mike), so with the Scottish spring almost upon us if the past weekend is anything to go by I thought I’d start back posting again.

 

I don’t know everything that goes on a Dumby so if I’ve missed anyone or anything apologies but here’s a very quick mention of a few of the more notable ticks claimed at Dumby over the winter.

 

Rob Sutton, Alan Cassidy and Dan Walker all made quick ascents of Saboteur, Font 8a+. With Rob Sutton also repeating Dave Mac Leod’s Hokku. Nic Duboust did Tolerance, the meandering and currently hardest sport route at Dumbarton at 8b.

 

Will Atkinson’s put a a few new problems over the winter too. First, aptly named Ladderman, is a dyno from a big jug at the start of Dressed for Success and straight to the lip of the boulder where you find a very slopey top-out. Sent second go, Will reckoned it’s around the Font 7c mark and is still waiting a second ascent.


Ladderman 7c by Will Atkinson

He also put up a new Font 8a called Spam Dagger on the Home Rule boulder. It starts by climbing Spam to the jugs, goes into Malky and finishes in headbutt. Although only put up a couple of weeks ago has already seen a few repeats from Chris Everrit and a couple of strong climbers from the Lakes who were up here last week.

 

Only this week Will added one more. Sabotaged, is another alternative finish to Sabotage. His new problem climbs Sabotage and finishes by climbing BNI direct which is essentially a very hard couple of move mantle onto the slab. Hard 8a is Will’s proposed grade for this and he reckons it is harder than both Sabotage and Saboteur which really confuses things as Saboteur was given 8a+ by Malcolm Smith when he put it up last year. Having only done Sabotage myself and only one other 8a I’m not in a position to comment on the grade so come and try them yourself and see what you think!


Sabotaged 8a by Will Atkinson

In a bid to not just put up one post and then forget about this again for 7 months again I thought I’d decide on a few changes I’d make to the site to get myself motivated again.

 

Things I’ll more than likely do include: Adding a Sport climbing page with topos to the dumby.info site; update all the of the topos; and put on a top 50 or hardest problems list.

 

Things I’d like to do but might not include: adding ratings polls to the topos pages; adding a trad section; make a Facebook page; possibly create a forum; and make a mobile version of the site (I may at least create a highly optimised pdf topo that at least won’t use up all your data allowance when viewing it down at the crag).

 

If you have any more requests for features or things you’d like to see on the blog or site post a comment and I’ll see what I can do.

 

See you down there.

Mr Atkinson is back doing what he does best, namely, jumping a very long way between very bad holds. On Saturday he repeated Chris Graham’s test piece dyno at Kyloe in the woods , Catapult, which weighs in at 8a+.

 

It’s thought that this is it’s first repeat having stood up to attempts from some very strong climbers, although there does seem to be a repeat logged on UKC from a hidden user but no-one seems to know or can confirm anything about this.

 

Will managed to send the problem on his 3rd go, second session and under 20 attempts in total which is pretty quick making his own dyno at Dumby, Mr Tickle, 8a, seem pretty stiff for the grade as it took him a good few weeks to get done!

 

Here’s a video of the send, although you really need to have seen the holds and distance between them to appreciate how impressive this really is!

And here is Will’s very own unrepeated extended start to his dyno Mr Tickle, which also goes at 8a+.