Steve McClure has repeated Mission Impossible (E9 6c) at Gallt Yr Ogof in the Ogwen Valley.The mountain trad route is perched high above the valley beside the classic E7 Heart of Stone (E7 6b). It is estimated to be around 8b in difficulty andis protected by old pegs interspersed with small runners or cams.
The route was first climbed by Neil Carson andsubsequent repeats have been made byJames McHaffie(2009), Oli Grounsell(2016), Angus Kille (2020), Hazel Findlay (2020), James Taylor (2022) and Dave MacLeod (2022).
Steve wrote a short account of his ascent for UKC:
Mission Impossiblehad been on my mind for years. In fact, for this year, it was number one on my list. It ticks all the boxes; proper mountain crag, big walk in, totally isolated, amazing view, hard climbing and pretty safe for a trad route.
The in-situ gear was even inviting enough to give it an onsight burn. That was about a decade ago. I got fairly into the route, about as far as 'the flat poor rest triangle hold' for those interested, but was denied due to wet holds. I liked to think I was close, as the topwasrelatively close… but having now been on the route I was absolutely nowhere near an onsight, with the moves getting more and more difficult and complex. You'd need a hell of a lot in reserve to figure that lot out on the fly! Since then the ducks never aligned for a re-match.
Fast forward to last week, as all of North Wales basked in sunshine. I was at PYB for RCI training (Rock Climbing Instructor), but managed a few hours at the crag alone on abseil looking at the moves on this incredibly overhanging face. To be honest, I was overwhelmed with the difficulty and gave myself no chance of a quick tick and resigned myself to needing plenty of work. Plus a few important looking holds were wet. A workaround was possible but hard.
There were good scenes on the RCI training, with Caff (James McHaffie) teaching Emma Twyford and myself and others from the Petzl crew. After a sunbaked day, Caff was keen to stay outside; it was too nice to end the day. And so we headed up, with my mind relaxed that this would be 'money in the bank' for maybe an effort later in the year. But Caff was psyched and his motivation was giving me that 'let's just go for it!' vibe.
After a quick warm-up I was on redpoint. I call it redpoint, since with low gear placed from good holds and the crux on mainly pegs, you can attack like it's a sport route. Still, the upper section is run-out and the final hard last move protected by a much-needed cam.
As is so often the case, familiarity brings speed and in no time I was shaking out before the crux thinking: 'Well I might as well go for it, nothing to lose'. Small crimps and pin-point footwork on tiny flakes lead to the half-rest triangle hold, which would be good if there were any footholds.
Then the real crux, and a truly awful hold to avoid the quite awful wet hold. Feet on micro edges and a slap to a tiny crimp, uneven and staggered with an exact spot for each finger. My body separated from the wall, expecting to head downwards, but somehow I was still on, engaging full try-hard mode with my aging fingers creaking under max crimp level. More slaps with both hands, and then I was through it, left hand undercut and a reach over to a decent hold… I even congratulated myself: 'Wow, I didn't expect that, but I'll take it'…. And then my foot blew whipping me off the wall, totally unexpected! A big lob into space. Then I sat on the rope wondering 'what happened?'
Maybe in the past I'd have been pretty pissed off. But these days, especially with routes as good as this, I actually don't mind falling. It means I get to try again, to keep the experience going. I mean really, I'd like to come back here again for a few more days. But after Caff had climbed there was still enough light for another burn. Why not?
Less psyched this time, and not expecting much, suddenly I was up there again, more tired but more slick. The finishing line came into view again, and this time I watched my feet like a hawk, no winging it even though I was red-lining reaching for the decent hold. Awesome! Totally unexpected as I frantically shook out before the final finishing moves… and where is that cam for protection… Oh yeah, there it is sat on the ground!
The last move involves a reach onto a nasty shallow finger jam which you have to pull hard on. It can be used with the left or right hand, one way is easier than the other.. sh*t, which hand do I use? Caff offered a sequence (he's done the route already), but I wasn't sure, neither was he, and I felt a panic rise as forearm recovery stalled and began sliding rapidly backwards towards the irretrievable pump. The last gear looked a mile away. Man, I actually would be gutted to fall off here. Time to go, commit to a method, toss the coin and go with…. I think I chose well, and the finishing jugs were mine.
What a route. As good as any hard mountain route I've done, stacked with character. Cheers to Petzl for the RCI course, PYB for organising, Dave Evans and Caff for the training (in which I learnt a lot) and Caff for the psyche that made it happen when it really looked like it wouldn't!
