There are exhausting slab routes around the globe, however solely a handful have been given 5.14d or tougher. These traces are simply off vertical and, whereas many have tried them, have solely been redpointed just a few instances.
The Meltdown 5.14d: The Meltdown was first tried and bolted by Johnny Dawes within the Nineteen Eighties, however wasn’t freed till 2012 by James McHaffie. Dawes was one of many world’s finest slab climbers on the time and got here near climbing The Meltdown, which was graded 5.14d by McHaffie. It was repeated in 2018 by Spanish climber Ignacio Mulero. After his ship, Mulero mentioned, “Slippery slate slab, bizarre strikes, excellent! There usually are not too many locations on this planet to climb on rock like slate.”
Veteran climber Steve McClure has additionally tried it, and mentioned it’s “a world of no holds.” It’s discovered at Tyll Mawr close to Llanberis in North Wales subsequent to the the well-known Quarryman. Watch McHaffie climb The Meltdown under, and Johnny Dawes try it within the Nineteen Eighties.
The Dewin Stone 5.15a: Final fall, Franco Cookson climbed a brand new 5.15a slab at Twll Mawr within the U.Ok. referred to as The Dewin Stone. The climb was an previous venture recognized about by locals for years. The Dewin Stone provides a direct begin to The Meltdown earlier than climbing by The Meltdown into The Meltdown Direct, a 5.15a end added by Cookson in 2022. “For years now, I’ve been fully obsessive about the thought of pushing slab climbing so far as it should go,” Cookson mentioned. “James McHaffie’s The Meltdown opened my eyes to what sustained slab climbing entailed and hinted at what the long run might maintain. I went overseas to attempt to get benchmarks on different exhausting slabs, however discovered one of the best stuff was proper on my doorstep, right here in North Wales. What we now have right here is world class – when it comes to issue, but additionally high quality. I simply adore it a lot.”
Cosmic Vitality 5.15a: In 2018, Alessandro Zeni made the primary ascent of Cosmic Vitality at Bilico within the Italian Dolomites. The route took 62 makes an attempt earlier than he bought the redpoint. “The route is about 25 meters excessive and is specific in many various methods,” he advised Planet Mountain after his FA. “The crux is positioned within the center, 4 actually small crimps which require excellent footwork. The route doesn’t let up and at 3/4 peak there’s one other finger crux. Regardless of being quick, there are nonetheless 52 strikes. The bolting respects the opposite climbs on the crag, so it’s pretty runout and though it’s by no means harmful, it’s not potential to assist AO your manner up. The route is attention-grabbing additionally as a result of, in contrast to the opposite climbs, once I bolted it I made a decision to not place an abseil chain on the high. As an alternative, it’s a must to mantle over the lip, untie and stroll simply again all the way down to the bottom of the crag.”
Cryptography 5.15b: In January 2020, Zeni was again at it with the primary ascent of Cryptography at Saint Loup, Switzerland. He spent a number of days travelling to Saint Loup to venture the technical line, which is a linkup of Bain de Sang 5.14d (established in 1993 by Fred Nicole) and Bimbaluna 5.14d/15a (climbed by Fred’s brother François Nicole in 2004). It’s probably the toughest slab on this planet.
