UKH

So, many of us may be familliar with Ben Bransby's project to try and tick every single route at stanage in the 2007 definitive guide. I was just curious if anybody knew of any updates on how he's getting on?

Last I heard was back in 2018 when he had 2 routes to do still: Marbellous and it's left hand start Mother of pearl (both E8 7a). Does anyone know if he's ticked these yet?

This is the last social media post I can find:

https://www.facebook.com/dmmclimbing/photos/if-youve-been-following-ben-bra...

Here's his logbook, which is missing both routes (which may not mean anything)

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/showlog.php?id=16901

So yeah, any news?

From what I recall he is 2 inches (and routes) off ticking Stanage, as both Marbellous and Mother of Pearl feature a big span between the breaks - spans which he's just shy of making.

That said, I've dropped him a line to see if we can get word from the horses mouth. Be interesting to hear whether it's still a priority to get it finished off, or if he has other things in mind.

The next 'big tick' is clearly Caff completing Extreme Rock, as he's only one route away from finishing. Fingers crossed that route (Revelations (8b)) has remained dry throughout the recent spell of wet weather!

Ben told be he was "1 and a half routes" off when I interviewed him in February. (The two left to do share a section). He didn't sound very hopeful of finishing due to the reachy nature.

Yes! I'd forgotten about Caff's extreme rock project. What was his approach towards routes that had collapsed? As a scotsman I think first of megaton and thor... Did he try to replace them with another route?

thanks for the info about ticking stanage - maybe we can get a climbing shoe company to make platform climbing shoes? haha

He should just dry tool 'em, he'd do the reach with axes easily

From what I recall he ended up doing most of them (unbelievable though that might seem).

He certainly did Controlled Burning at in/around E6 (up from E3), Cougar at around E5 (formerly E3), Giant (still at E3, albeit with a variation).  I have a feeling he also did Thor and Megaton, but remember (or find) what exactly went on there. I will no doubt ask him this as/when I next see him or, in the absence of seeing him, in a follow-up interview.

The only one I think has been totally wiped off the map is Return of the Natives, which he'll either have sacked off entirely or done prior to it falling down - not sure which.

Ben's response to whether or not the Stanage mission is still on was "it would be for someone less lazy 😄" - classic Bransby...

My god Caff extreme rock completion, please someone make a movie about it!

That would be brilliant film, maybe he should start again and run/cycle between all the routes!

A good friend of mine, sadly no longer with us, climbed every route on Stanage back in the 1980's all within a 12 month period.  Several of us in his peer group tried to emulate his achievement but it took us a little longer.  Unfortunately there were a few routes, 4 or 5 if I recall, that I wasn't good enough to climb so I personally failed.

Al

Yup. Sounds like they are both more like E3/4, but rumours of collapse were exaggerated. Probably always just sandbags.

I thought it might have been you that did them with him funnily enough, but couldn't find your name in the logbooks. Good to have that confirmed - yet another reason to go to Skye...

It's quite funny looking at random stanage routes in the logbook and seeing Ben's name on all of them (apart from the two).

Wasn't me actually, just asked him about them afterwards as I was curious. That face of Mhadaidh is huge and impressive but quite chaotic, none of the harder rock climbs really jump out as lines.