Indian Face

Indian Face is a 45-metre (148 ft) rhyolite rock climbing route on the "Great Wall" of the East Buttress of Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, in Wales. When English climber Johnny Dawes completed the first free ascent of the route on 4 October 1986, it was graded E9 6c or (5.13a X), the first-ever E9-graded route, and was considered one of the hardest traditional climbing routes in the world.[4][5]

Indian Face
Crag of Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, Snowdon, Wales
Map showing the location of Indian Face
Map showing the location of Indian Face
LocationSnowdon, Wales
Coordinates53.0792°N 4.0939°W / 53.0792; -4.0939
Climbing AreaClogwyn Du'r Arddu
Route TypeTraditional climbing
Vertical Gain45 metres (148 ft)[1]
Pitches1
GradeE9 6c (British)[1][2]
5.13a X (American)[2]
First free ascentJohnny Dawes
4 October 1986[lower-alpha 1]

Indian Face is still considered one of the world's most intimidating traditional climbs, and even decades after its first ascent, it is rarely repeated.[6] The ascent was an historic moment in the transition from traditional climbing as the dominant form of extreme rock climbing (in Britain, and elsewhere), to the safer form of sport climbing, which became the main focus for the leading climbers.

History

Clogwyn Du'r Arddu has long been considered a "crucible" of British traditional climbing, with many of Britain's leading climbers creating iconic routes on its buttresses; and the most challenging section is the sheer and imposing "Great Wall" on the East Buttress.[5][7]

In 1980, enigmatic British climber and artist, John Redhead,[8] who freed Britain's first-ever E7-graded route, The Bells The Bells (E7 6c),[9] attempted to onsight a new route on the blanker right-hand side of "Great Wall". After a number of very serious, and nearly fatal falls, he later abseiled down to drill a bolt at his high point of 80-feet, and called this route Tormented Ejaculation, and left it ungraded.[10]

In 1983, British climber Jerry Moffatt chopped the bolt while abseiling; and then climbed past it,[11] but avoided the blanker groove to the left (what would later become Indian Face), and veered right to create Master's Wall,[lower-alpha 2] which he graded E7 6b.[lower-alpha 3][10] Moffatt found the climb terrifying,[12] later saying: "At that time to be respected, you really had to be putting up really scary new routes. That was where it was at, in Britain at least. Master's Wall is probably where I risked most."[15]

In 1984, Redhead repeated Master's Wall and told the authors of Welsh Rock (1986) that he felt Tormented Ejaculation was the crux of Master's Wall, and ".. the placement of the bolt was solely to protect moves leftwards into the finest unclimbed groove on the Great Wall [Indian Face] and NOT to go right [Master's Wall] which was merely an escape."[16] In 1984, Redhead freed Margins of the Mind (E8 6c),[17] further left of Master's Wall, which is considered the first-ever E8-grade.[16][18]

On 4 October 1986, Johnny Dawes followed up the first half of Master's Wall, but before the (then removed) bolt of Tormented Ejaculation, entered the lefthand groove to make the first free ascent of Indian Face, the first-ever E9-graded rock climbing in Britain.[5] Dawes' ascent of Indian Face was considered to be the hardest and most dangerous traditional route in the world, and his feat was reported by the wider non-climbing media.[5] The 1989 guidebook described it as: "A pitch of such appalling difficulty as to be almost beyond the realms of human comprehension".[4] In 2011, Dawes said: "As you set off it's best to consider yourself already dead. You just do it".[19]

Shortly after Dawes' ascent, a key flake came loose while John Redhead was cleaning the route.[10] Redhead presented the flake to Dawes, who refused it, and Redhead painted a picture of dueling climbers on the scarred rock that the broken flake had left behind.[10] The event caused an uproar in British climbing, and the painting was removed, and repairs were made to the rock face.[10] Redhead was openly critical of the "headpointing" techniques employed by Dawes, Moffat, and other ascensionists, notwithstanding criticisms of his own placement of a bolt at Clogwyn.[11]

Dawes' ascent, his rivalry with Redhead, and the repeats, are the subject of documentaries, including E9 6c (1997),[20][21] Johnny Dawes and the Story of Indian Face (2006),[6][4][22] and Return to the Indian Face (2011).[23]

Legacy

Indian Face retains an intimidating reputation amongst climbers.[6][4][24] In 2012, Climbing described it as "Indian Face, E9 6c, 150 feet of technical, 5.13a death".[25] The 2013 North Wales Climbs guidebook says: "Indian Face has established itself as the route of the 1980s. Seven repeats in the quarter of a century since it was first climbed and no onsight ascent, despite routes with bigger E-grades receiving more attention, tells you all you need to know."[1] In 2004, Nick Dixon said of his first repeat ascent in 1994: "The upper wall is really hard, the gear now too far away, death real and looming, and it's too much to remember";[11] and Neil Grimes said of his second repeat, also in 1994: "For a split second of complete tranquility, I actually don't mind giving in. I resign myself to defeat and prepare for the unimaginable".[11] In 2020, Britain's strongest climber, Steve McClure, who had climbed Rhapsody (E11 7a), said: "Routes like Harder Faster, Indian Face, The Bells The Bells and Meshuga just fill me with dread, and I have absolutely no drive to do them at all."[26]

Indian Face marked the twilight of traditional climbing as the main focus for the best British climbers; many were moving to sport climbing, with pre-fixed bolts for climbing protection.[15] Jerry Moffatt, and climbing partner Ben Moon, would abandon traditional climbing and set major new worldwide grade milestones in sport climbing, becoming two of the world's strongest climbers of the late 1980s to early 1990s.[15] Dawes was unwilling to undertake the intensive plyometric training techniques (e.g. the campus board) that Moffatt and Moon adopted,[25] but he would still free further iconic traditional climbs, such as Gaia (E8 6c), End of the Affair (E8 6c) and The Quarryman (E8 7a).[19] Climbers like Dave MacLeod would create even-harder traditional climbs, such as Rhapsody in 2006, the world's first-E11,[27] but the focus on traditional climbing had forever passed to sport climbing and also bouldering.[19][24]

Ascents

Indian Face has been ascended by:[6]

Filmography
  • Short documentary on the rivalry between John Redhead and Johnny Dawes on the Indian Face: Dominic Clemence (director) (1997). E9 6c (Motion picture). BBC Productions. Retrieved 10 February 2023.[20][21]

Notes
  1. The exact date is per the official guidebook to Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, and also used by the British Mountaineering Council.[3]
  2. Moffatt called it "Master's Wall" in honour of British climbing pioneer Joe Brown, for whom that part of Cloggy's East Buttress was commonly referred to.[12]
  3. In 2018, James 'Caff' McHaffie, repeated Master's Wall (2nd person to do so after Leo Houlding in 1996), and said of it: "'I'd done more than 200 routes of E7-9 [including Indian Face in 2013] and this bastard felt amongst the most serious few leads I'd ever done", and "From reading into Jerry's account of his ascent I'm pretty sure this is where he went and I'll just throw it out there and say I think he did an E9 in 1983".[13][14]

See also

References
  1. Reeves, Mark; Glaister, Mark; Geldard, Jack (2013). "Clogwyn Du'r Arddu East Buttress". North Wales Climbs (PDF). Rockfax. p. 140-141. ISBN 978-1873341827. Retrieved 10 February 2023. Indian Face, E9 6c, FFA J. Dawes, 4.10.1986. Indian Face has established itself as the route of the 1980s. Seven repeats in the quarter of a century since it was first climbed and no on-sight ascent, despite routes with bigger E-grades receiving more attention tells you all you need to know. We haven't really included this route so you should actually go and climb it, more to show you where it goes. If you are keen to make an ascent, track down one of the previous ascensionists to get their beta.
  2. Campbell, Duncan (17 July 2013). "Ullrich and Muskett Climb Indian Face (E9 6c/5.13a X)". Climbing. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  3. Grimes, Niall (30 July 2021). "Hold the line". British Mountaineering Council. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  4. Editorial (3 June 2020). "Johnny Dawes and the Story of Indian Face: the UK's First E9 Climb". Climbing. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  5. Nelson, Richard (22 December 2011). "25 October 1986: Johnny Dawes climbs the Indian Face". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  6. "The Indian Face by Johnny Dawes, the story of Britain's first E9". PlanetMountain. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  7. Rubin, Alan. "Clogwyn Du'r Arddu: The Black Cliff". American Alpine Journal. 18 (47): 534. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  8. Appleby, John (24 August 2012). "John Redhead: portrait of a climbing artist". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  9. "Gogarth rock climbing in Wales". PlanetMountain. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2023. The controversial but undeniably brilliant John Redhead left his mark on the infamous North Stack Wall during the 1980's, creating a series of life-threatening routes; his worrying "The Bells The Bells" E7 6b was Britain's first E7, and it waited a staggering 6 years for its first repeat at the hands of Andy Pollitt
  10. Millett, Katherine (15 March 2001). "It's How You Play the Game" (PDF). Climbing. No. 201. p. 72-79. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  11. Grimes, Niall (6 November 2004). "Big Issues 2: Ethics (Case Study of Indian Face)". British Mountaineering Council. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  12. Grimes, Niall (12 January 2009). "Jerry Moffatt?s Revelations - Master's Wall". UKClimbing.com. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  13. Berry, Nathalie. "James McHaffie becomes The Master". UKClimbing.com. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  14. Burnside, Peter (8 June 2021). "Caff completes Extreme Rock". British Mountaineering Council. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  15. Hobley, Nicholas; Grimes, Niall (26 February 2009). "Jerry Moffatt Interview". PlanetMountain.com. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  16. Jones, Trevor; Milburn, Geoff (April 1986). Welsh Rock: One Hundred Years of Climbing In North Wales. Pic Publications. ISBN 978-0951111406.
  17. Holoby, Nicholas (23 August 2008). "On sight by Alastair Lee". PlanetMountain. Retrieved 26 February 2023. Neil Dickson on John Redhead's masterpiece 'Margins of the Mind' E8 6c, belayed by Redhead himself
  18. Berry, Nathalie (23 November 2017). "Andy Pollitt & John Redhead - Who Shot JR?". UKClimbing. Retrieved 26 February 2017. So, Margins of the Mind. So-called first E8.
  19. Hobley, Nicholas (23 December 2012). "Johnny Dawes - the rock climbing interview". PlanetMountain. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  20. Geldhard, Jack (18 January 2013). "Dave MacLeod climbing the Indian Face E9 6c". UKClimbing. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  21. "E9 6c, the video of John Redhead and Johnny Dawes". PlanetMountain. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  22. Hughes, Alun (2 June 2020). "The Story of the Indian Face: The UK's First E9". Rock & Ice. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  23. Brown, Nick (29 March 2019). "Dave MacLeod climbing the Indian Face E9 6c". UKClimbing. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  24. McHaffie, James (8 September 2013). "Return to Indian Face". UKClimbing. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  25. Samet, Matt (28 February 2012). "The Full Johnny Dawes Interview". Climbing. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  26. Sterling, Sarah (4 October 2020). "Interview: Steve McClure, the second ascent of Lexicon E11 7a and that fall". British Mountaineering Council. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  27. "The Indian Face repeated by Dave MacLeod". PlanetMountain. 29 June 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  28. "James McHaffie repeats The Indian Face at Cloggy". PlanetMountain. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  29. "The Story of Britain's First E9 by Johnny Dawes". Gripped Magazine. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  30. Berry, Nathalie (6 July 2018), "Indian Face E9 6c by Angus Kille", UKClimbing, retrieved 10 February 2023
  31. White, Xa (17 August 2023). "Morus Sanderson climbs Indian Face, E9 6c". UKClimbing. Retrieved 2 October 2023.

Further reading
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