Rhapsody (climb)

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Coordinates: 55°56′12″N 4°33′48″W / 55.93674°N 4.56335°W / 55.93674; -4.56335
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For other uses, see Rhapsody (disambiguation).
Rhapsody
The northwest face of Dumbarton Rock. Rhapsody and Requiem follow the thin diagonal crack in the middle of the face; Requiem veers to a new crack on the right when the crack begins to disappear.
Map showing the location of Rhapsody
Map showing the location of Rhapsody
LocationDumbarton Rock, Scotland
Coordinates55°56′12″N 4°33′48″W / 55.93674°N 4.56335°W / 55.93674; -4.56335[1]
Climbing AreaDumbarton Rock
Route TypeTraditional climbing
Vertical Gain35 metres (115 ft)[1]
Pitches1
GradeRhapsody: E11 5.14c (8c+) R/X
Requiem: E8 5.13b (8a) R
First free ascentRhapsody:
Dave MacLeod, April 2006.
Requiem:
Dave Cuthbertson, 6 July 1983

Rhapsody is a 35-metre (115 ft) long traditional climbing route up a thin crack on a slightly overhanging vertical basalt rock face on Dumbarton Rock, in Scotland. When Scottish climber Dave MacLeod made the first free ascent in 2006, it became Britain's first-ever E11-graded route, and at the grade of 5.14c (8c+), Rhapsody became the world's hardest traditional route and set a grade milestone in traditional climbing that stood for over a decade until the ascent of Tribe at E11-12 5.14d (9a) in 2019 and of Bon Voyage at E12 5.14d (9a) in 2024.

Rhapsody shares the same central crack-line as another notable traditional climbing route called Requiem (the two routes deviate for the last 10 metres near the top as the crack-line peters out). Scottish climber Dave Cuthbertson made the first free ascent of Requiem in 1983, creating Britain's first-ever E8-graded route. With subsequent ascents, the consensus grade settled at E8 6b or 5.13b (8a), and Requiem is now recognized as being one of the world's hardest rock climbing routes — of any format (i.e. traditional or sport climbing) — at the time it was first ascended in 1983.

History[edit]

In 1983, Scottish climber Dave "Cubby" Cuthbertson free climbed the central crack on the northwest face of Dumbarton Rock and called it Requiem.[2] It was speculated at the time that the technical grade could be British 7a[2] — which is international 5.13c (8a+) — which would have been a new grade milestone in rock climbing after Tony Yaniro [fr]'s 1979 ascent of Grand Illusion at 5.13b (8a).[3] With subsequent repeats, the consensus grade of Requiem settled at E8 6b, or circa 5.13b (8a), making it the first-ever British E8-graded route.[2][4] It means that at the time of Cuthbertson's ascent, Requiem was one of the hardest climbing routes in the world of any type,[4] as it was only in 1983 that Jerry Moffatt set a new grade milestone with The Face 5.13c (8a+), and in 1984 that Wolfgang Gullich set another milestone with Kanal im Rücken 5.13d (8b).[3]

In 2006, Scottish climber Dave MacLeod completed a 2-year project to continue Requiem's thinning central crack to the top, creating Rhapsody.[5] MacLeod's route featured a large runout, and he took several 'bone crushing' 20-metre (66 ft) falls from its crux at the top onto tiny wire nuts for protection.[5] Rhapsody was the first-ever British E11-graded climbing route, and at the international grades of 5.14c (8c+), was a new grade milestone in traditional climbing making it the "world's hardest traditional climb".[3][5] In 2008, Canadian climber Sonnie Trotter made the first repeat of Rhapsody and added a variation between it and Requiem called Direqium that he graded 5.14a (8b+).[6] A few weeks after Trotter, British climber Steve McClure made the third repeat.[7]

In 2014, British climber James Pearson made the fourth ascent of Rhapsody.[8] Pearson had caused controversy in 2008 when he dismissed MacLeod's proposed grading despite not being able to complete the route. MacLeod had in turn repeated Pearson's Walk of Life, which he had proposed at E12 7a, but which MacLeod downgraded to E9 6c.[8] After the controversy, Pearson left for France, but his wife, French climber Caroline Ciavaldini [fr], urged Pearson to return to Rhapsody.[9] Pearson said of his ascent: "I couldn't take it back, but perhaps I could do something to make up for it? A gesture of goodwill, or perhaps even a peace offering to the UK climbing community?".[10] Just after Person's ascent, Ciavaldini made the first female free ascent of Requiem.[11]

In 2016, Italian traditional climber Jacopo Larcher made the fifth repeat of Rhapsody, while his partner Barbara Zangerl made the second female ascent of Requiem, and the first repeat—and first female ascent—of Dave MacLeod's 2001 Dumbarton route, Achemine at E9 6c.[12]

While in the years after MacLeod's first ascent, other traditional climbing routes were established at Rhapsody's traditional climbing grade milestone of 8c+ (5.14c) (e.g. Beth Rodden's Meltdown in Yosemite),[13][14] Rhapsody's grade milestone was only surpassed with the 2019 ascent of Tribe by Jacopo Larcher, which is considered to be at 9a (5.14d),[15] and at the British E-grade of E11 to E12, and also with the 2024 ascent of Bon Voyage by James Pearson, which was also considered to be at the technical grade of 9a (5.14d), and most likely at the British E-grade of E12.[8][15]

Route[edit]

Rhapsody and Requiem are essentially crack climbs with bouldering cruxes close to their very tops; they both break into three parts, the first two of which they share.[16] The first section is an easier circa 7a (5.11d) graded (depending on the specific route taken up the slab)[a] 10-metre (33 ft) slab that gets to a ledge that is shared by several routes on the face.[17][12] The second part is a 15-metre (49 ft) narrow left-leaning diagonal 5.12d (7c) graded crack[a] up the centre of the face that both Requiem and Rhapsody follow. The climbing protection is considered to be thin (e.g. the crack will only take the smallest wire nuts) but with solid placements, which is important given the potential falls to come.[12][5]

The final section starts from a resting jug 10 metres (33 ft) from the top where the crack starts to peter out.[12][5] From here, Requiem moves directly right to another crack system that leads directly to the top.[5] Rhapsody moves directly left on delicate 8b (5.13d) holds[a] before following the diminishing line of the original crack via a 14-move V11 (8A)[a] bouldering problem near the top.[5][16] There is no additional climbing protection available in the third section, and with the hardest moves at the very top, any fall will be a 'swinging fall'[16] (i.e. because the climber has moved horizontally from the second section) of up to 20–25 metres (66–82 ft) in length.[5][19] Several climbers reported falls where they bounced off the slab of the first section.[12]

Sonnie Trotter noted that Rhapsody felt like an eliminate, and that there was a more direct line between Rhapsody and Requiem that he called Direquiem at 5.14a (8b+), which he felt was a more natural finish.[6] Trotter noted that a climber on the final stages of Rhapsody had to deliberately keep themselves from reaching out to grab the arete that was on their left side, which Trotter dubbed Cop Out,[6] and graded it at 5.13b/c (or 8a/a+).[20]

Legacy[edit]

Rhapsody retains an intimidating reputation,[19] starting with MacLeod's 2006 announcement of his ascent where he said that he had taken nine 20-metre (66 ft) falls from the crux that were only held by 'RP nuts' (the smallest nuts sold), and that: "I injured myself badly on some of my failed attempts. As far as I know, there aren't other traditional routes around with this combination of danger and high difficulty".[19][21] In April 2024, Norweigan climber Magnus Midtbo visited Dumbarton for his social media channel to try Rhapsody on a top rope, belayed by Dave MacLeod, and called it "possibly the most dangerous route in the world", noting the distance of the falls from the crux that need to be held by tiny protective wire nuts.[18]

Requiem and Rhapsody made Dunbarton Rock an important place in rock climbing history, with two routes that at the time of their first free ascent, were the hardest traditional climbs in the world.[3][16] MacLeod's ascent of Rhapsody received media attention outside of the world of traditional climbing and was part of a resurgence in interest in traditional climbing as new grade milestones were established such as Trotter's Cobra Crack.[22][23] When Jacopo Larcher made the 5th ascent he said of seeing E11, the film of MacLeod making the first ascent: "I remember at that time it seemed completely crazy, absolutely incomprehensible... For me it was something unimaginable. I never thought that one day I’d go an try it. Let alone repeat it!".[12]

Ascents[edit]

Rhapsody has been climbed by:

Requiem has been climbed by:

Filmography[edit]

  • Documentary on MacLeod's 2006 ascent: Paul Diffley, Dave Brown (2006). E11. Hot Aches Productions.[37]

See also[edit]

  • Indian Face, British E9-graded traditional climbing route from 1986
  • Separate Reality, American 5.12a-graded traditional climbing route from 1978
  • Prinzip Hoffnung, Austrian 8b/+ graded traditional climbing route from 2009

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d In a 2024 interview with Magnus Midtbo for Midtbo's climbing video channel, MacLeod said that the grade of the slab was about 7a [first section], the central crack [second section] was about 7c, the move into Rhapsody [third section] was about 8b, and the final bouldering problem at the top [third section] was Font 8A; he graded the overall route at E11 or french 8c+ if it was a bolted sport climbing route.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Rhapsody". theCrag. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Berry, Nathalie (27 August 2017). "Niall McNair & Requiem - Persistence of Vision Interview". UKClimbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e McDonald, Dougald (10 April 2006). "Hardest Trad Pitch in World?". Climbing. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Caroline Ciavaldini Requiem video at Dumbarton Rock". PlanetMoutain. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i McDonald, Dougald (1 November 2007). "Dumby Dave". Climbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d Pass, Will (10 June 2008). "Trotter Fires Second Ascent of Rhapsody". Alpinist. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  7. ^ a b Ord, Audra (19 June 2008). "McClure Bags Third Ascent of Rhapsody (E11 7a)". Climbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Potter, Stephen (11 April 2024). "James Pearson's Fraught History With the World's Hardest Trad Grade". Climbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  9. ^ "James Pearson climbs Rhapsody E11". Gripped Magazine. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2024. The world seems a lot bigger than when I was small and the important things back then now seem rather trivial. I had moved on a lot in mind, body and soul, and as far far as I was concerned I was happy. Caroline could see differently, she could see passed the smiles and knew there was still something stuck. To her the obvious answer was Rhapsody – a route that I had tried just before leaving the U.K., had failed on, and to make matters worse had openly criticized rather than accepting defeat. It was a chumps move, the act of an arrogant immature kid, but the past is the past and there is no way I can take that back.
  10. ^ a b Berry, Nathalie (25 September 2014). "Rhapsody E11 7a repeat for James Pearson". UKClimbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Video: Caroline Ciavaldini – First Female Ascent of Requiem (E8 6C)". Climbing. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g "Jacopo Larcher repeats Rhapsody in Scotland". PlanetMountain. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  13. ^ "Top 16 Hardest Trad Climbs in the World". Gripped Magazine. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  14. ^ "The World's Hardest Trad Routes by Winter 2021". Gripped Magazine. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  15. ^ a b Potter, Stephen (29 March 2024). "Did James Pearson Just Establish the World's Hardest Trad Route?". Climbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d e Ryan, Mick (10 April 2006). "Dave MacLeod, The Modern Traditionalist ? E11". UKClimbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  17. ^ Ryan, Mick (20 May 2008). "Sonnie Trotter on Rhapsody E11 .. steps to success". UKClimbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Is Rhapsody (E11) the most dangerous route in the world?". LaCrux. April 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  19. ^ a b c "This Scary 5.14R Ascent Pushed the Limits". Gripped Magazine. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  20. ^ Ryan, Mick (15 June 2008). "Steve McClure Climbs Rhapsody, Trotter Does It Again!". UKClimbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Dave MacLeod frees Rhapsody E11 7a at Dumbarton Rock in Scotland". PlanetMountain. 12 April 2006. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  22. ^ Russell, Fiona. "The 10-minute climb that took two years". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 May 2024. Fiona Russell meets the 28-year-old Scot who discovered, then conquered, the most difficult rock ascent in the world
  23. ^ "Mountain People: Living on the edge, Dave MacLeod". BBC News. 16 October 2007. Retrieved 28 May 2024. Last year he succeeded in making what is generally recognised as the world's hardest 'traditional' climb, Rhapsody, on Dumbarton Rock: a phenomenally testing route weighing in at the previously uncharted grade of E11. It remains the only climb in the world at this level.
  24. ^ "Sonnie Trotter Sending a Bold E11 (5.14c) in Scotland". Gripped Magazine. 29 January 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  25. ^ "Rhapsody E11 second ascent by Sonnie Trotter". PlanetMountain. 10 June 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  26. ^ Ord, Audra (15 June 2012). "Rhapsody (E11 7a)". Climbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Pearson repeats Rhapsody E11 7a". Climber. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Watch Jacopo Larcher on Rhapsody 5.14cR in Scotland". Gripped Magazine. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  29. ^ Pohl, Bjorn (7 May 2016). "Rhapsody, E11 7a, repeated by Jacopo Larcher". UKClimbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  30. ^ "Extreme trad climbing in Scotland: Gérome Pouvreau and Florence Pinet repeat Rhapsody and Requiem". PlanetMountain. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  31. ^ "Gérome Pouvreau repeats the legendary Rhapsody E11 7a at Dumbarton Rock" [es]. Desnivel (in Spanish). 21 September 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2024. The French climber makes the sixth ascent of a historic line, which was the hardest of its kind when Dave MacLeod debuted it back in 2006, ....
  32. ^ "Mathew Wright wrestles with Rhapsody in Scotland". PlanetMountain. April 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  33. ^ While, Xa (30 April 2024). "Mat Wright climbs Rhapsody, E11". UKClimbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  34. ^ "Mat Wright Climbs Rhapsody 5.14+ Trad". Gripped Magazine. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  35. ^ Crockett, Ken (15 January 2019). "Requiem Revisited - Ken Crocket on Dave 'Cubby' Cuthbertson Article". UKClimbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  36. ^ Berry, Nathalie (29 September 2014). "Requiem E8 6b for Caroline Ciavaldini". UKClimbing. Caroline has been climbing at Dumbarton Rock with her husband James Pearson for the last two weeks and her ascent follows James' repeat of Rhapsody (E11 7a) E11 7a
  37. ^ Ryan, Michael (19 October 2006). "E11". UKClimbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  38. ^ Berry, Nathalie (4 November 2014). "Redemption: The James Pearson Story". UKClimbing. Retrieved 28 May 2024.

Further reading[edit]

  • Hutchinson, John (July 2020). The Climber's Complete Guide to Dumbarton Rock. Stone Country Press. ISBN 978-0992887629.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rhapsody_(climb)&oldid=1226466727"