Britain's Got Guts

As much as it pains me to say it, England beats New England for sheer guts; they climb such scary stuff that they literally had to invent a new grading scale–the “E scale”–to describe it.

So here’s to Britain’s fearless climbers. May I one day have half the guts you do.

Neil Bentley headpoints The New Statesman

Climbing films don’t get more classic than Hard Grit, Slackjaw Films’ 1998 profile of the edgy, dangerous culture of Peak District climbing. This scene, of Neil Bentley leading the frighteningly unprotected route The New Statesman (E8), is one of my favorite in the film.

George Ullrich attempts Bachar-Yerian without bolts

After onsighting Bachar-Yerian (5.11c R/X), one of Yosemite’s most run-out and dangerous routes, George Ullrich decided that it wasn’t exciting enough. His solution was to try it again without the bolts, instead only using metal hooks and wire loops slung around pebbles to protect against a fatal fall.

Dave Macleod climbs The Walk of Life

First climbed by James Pearson, this seaside slab is a magnificent slice of rock, and sparsely protected enough to make for a genuinely scary-looking climb. While the route’s since gotten caught up in a squabble over its grade, that doesn’t make it any less impressive.