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1. Achemine E9 6c Dumbarton Rock
FA: Dave MacLeod 2001
Repeats: unrepeated
Toprope grade: F8b
Danger: 60ft fall onto good gear which was taken 11 times before
the first ascent. Injury potential on the swing-in though with long
term injuries to feet and ankles already experienced. One fall was
a head first dive due to an ankle catching in the rope.
Comments: It's not hard to declare this as Scotland's hardest trad
route as it's the only E9. The route features super thin wall climbing
with big fall potential. It took over one year of work before a
successful ascent on a toprope!
2. Requiem E8 6b Dumbarton Rock
FA: Dave Cuthbertson 1983
Repeats: Dunne, Laughlan, Mackenzie, MacLeod
Toprope grade: F8a+
Danger: None, as long as the old in situ RP2 on the crux last move
continues to hold your inevitable falls. If it did snap, the resultant
fall would be 40ft onto an old insitu wire behind a flake which
is rumoured to flex a little.
Comments: Clearly one of the most inspiring lines anywhere, but
few take up the challenge due to the fact that it's a crack, it
requires immense reserves of stamina and a very good head for exposure.
3. The Great Escape E8 6b, 6c, 6b The Bastion, Arran
FA: John Dunne 2001
Repeats: MacLeod (just days after the first ascent)
Toprope grade: F7b+ for the crux pitch.
Danger: 40ft fall and pendulum across a rough granite slab from
the crux move, or a 20ft drop onto a big flat ledge from a wobbly
no-hands rockover on the top pitch. Take your pick!
Comments: A long route on a proper mountain cliff, thus requiring
that good old attribute of 'a good head' more than anything else.
Originally given HXS by Dunne, perhaps an expression of Dunne's
feeling (a rumour I heard) that he thought it might be soft E9 for
an onsight ascent.
4. The Nose E8 5c 6c An Sgurr, Eigg
FA: Ben Bransby, James McHaffie 2002
Repeats: unrepeated
Toprope grade: F7c+
Danger: 40ft fall onto two small RPs from the crux. The RPs are
thought to be dubious but have been tested by Bransby.
Comments: A good ability to read the looseness of the rock will
definitely ease what sounds like a scary piece of climbing.
5. Impulse E8 6c Steall, Glen Nevis
FA: Dave MacLeod 2001
Repeats: Tom De Gay (ten minutes after the FA)
Toprope grade: F7c
Danger: 35ft fall onto a bunch of shallow cams and a sideways skyhook
in quartz. This has not been tested but the crux move is very difficult
to predict. Gear failure would result in a long tumble down rocky
ledges after 40ft groundfall.
Comments: This route is not to be sniffed at due to the poor gear
and quirky, dynamic crux.
6. Symbiosis E8 6b Tunnel Wall, Glen Coe
FA: Dave Cuthbertson & Paul Thorburn 1995
Repeats: Dave Birkett (following some toprope practice and with
some preplaced gear)
Toprope grade: F7b+
Danger: Considerable. 45ft groundfall possible if you pump off while
fiddling in some poor, tiny RPs above the crux. 50ft fall onto a
bombproof slider (contradiction in terms?) if you pump off near
the top of the pitch.
Comments: "Well I only thought I was going to die once or twice"
- Dave Birkett. Has been onsighted past the crux and down climbed
by MacLeod more than once in a determined (ten attempts) effort
to make the first Scottish onsight of an E8. Considerably scarier
still since the in situ nut snapped off. Very sustained climbing.
7. Femme Fatale E8 6c Whale Rock, Glen Nevis
FA: Dave Cuthbertson 1986 Repeats: MacLeod Toprope grade: F7c
Danger: The crux is really just scary bouldering but once established
on the route, the danger increases off the scale. An RP2 has to
be blindly pushed into a seam before the second crux rockover off
a one finger crimp. On both ascents, post ascent inspection has
revealed that the RP was not sitting correctly in the seam.
Comments: Definitely at the soft end of E8, so long as the RP holds.
8. Dalriada E8 6b The Cobbler
FA: Gary Latter 1995
Repeats: MacLeod (reducing the number of pegs from nine to two)
Toprope grade: 7b or 7b+
Danger: With the reduced pegs, a 30 foot fall from the base of the
headwall onto a small peg. A 40 foot fall onto a short knife blade
is possible from the final moves. If both pegs rip, the result would
be a 40 metre fatal fall.
Comments: The climbing is easy for a route at this level but falling
off near the top is a big gamble.
9. Black Silk E8 6c Inverfarigaig
FA: Paul Edwards 1999
Repeats: unrepeated
Toprope grade: unknown
Danger: A peg protects the route but little more information is
available.
Comments: Edwards made little comment about the route after his
ascent and stories of its poor quality have put off any repeat attempts.
Either this route will be edged out of the list by harder routes
or someone will drag themselves to the crag and repeat it.
10. Dance of the Hoppy Lads E8 6c Mull
FA: Si O'Connor 1998
Repeats: unrepeated
Toprope grade: F8a
Danger: Again, a peg protects the route but little more is known.
Comments: Yet another mystery route this time from Mr O'Connor.
Apparently even 'Mr Mull' Colin Moody among other Mull regulars
couldn't even find the crag despite persistent attempts to do so.
As usual Si has refused to provide interested parties with any more
information or a more accurate grid reference.
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