UKH

Lots of threads on most failed on routes.  Which route at each grade is most succeeded on?  Some arbitrary rules:

- more than 100 lead ascents recorded in logbooks

- lowest proportion of dogged and dnf (for any reason)

Is there a route VS or up that has not had a logged fail in over 100 successes?

There's probably a cheaty way to find this out, but guess routes and look them up.  I started well with Amorican (7 dnf in 1087)

Gangplank at Mod?

Black Slab at Diff?

Nea at VS?

Seacliffs are definitely the place to look. Failure sometimes isn't an option.

I thought Lundy might be a good place to look: it's expensive and awkward to get to so people are less likely to give up. Focusing on VSs and above, Albion has 2 dnf and 1 dog in 845 records, about half the failure rate of Amorcian. Diamond Solitaire is even better with one dog in 603: someone admitting to grabbing the abseil rope when it rained, which is admirable honesty. Devil's Slide has one dnf in 1472 records but isn't quite VS so I'm not sure if it fits your criteria. 

Devils Slide was going to be my guess. A trip to Lundy is typically by people climbing in the E grades, but no one is going there without clambering up the Devils Slide. 

At E1

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/california-627/californian_arete-1...

Just a few dnfs

Lavaredo, 955, 2 dnf

Edit. I took the opposite idea of lavaredo and looked at blankist thinking retreat isn't so easy, but sadly only 77 logged ascents.

I reckon Sunset Slab must be in with a shout but I’m not sure I can be arsed to count dnf/dog from 4500 ascents…

Sunset Slab (HVS 4b)

The problem with this sort of exercise is that with generally accepted “easiest at the grade anywhere” routes there’s always one or two poor bastards that didn’t quite make it. The shame and public humiliation may be too much for some!

Ctrl F. Type "dnf" press enter

There won't be any 'dogged' ascents.

Except the frequent seconds and TRs, which likely outnumber the leads.

I've seen the start dogged and several rescues.

Cheers. Seems to be about 16 dnf in 4517 entries. So a ratio of 1 in 282.

edit: surprisingly there are about 8 dogged accents too so ration down to 1 in 188.

Persuasive logic...but 9 dnf in 457 leads

Wtf did they do if they didn't finish? Is there a small community living at the foot of the route off gull eggs and seaweed?

If you’ve got as far as the top of the first pitch can’t you then escape up the grass on the right?

I suspect if you are dogging the start you still won't make a dogged ascent.

Just in case you aren't being humorous: You lower off and your mate leads?

People log their fails?!

One of the ukc database admins should be able to knock this up in a few minutes.

Yes, they could.

But where is the collective joy in that?

Nobody cares about the actual answer.  It's just a device to get like-minded people chatting about routes

You don't? Cheat.

On Sunset Slab, it was VS for a long time so when it was I would imagine many people have done what I have, stroll out the crux solo, decided I didn't like the feel of the move, go back to the start put a rope on and grabbed some micro cams, went back out to the crux found what everyone says is really true - can't get any gear to fit there - decided I still wasn't going to 'solo' it, so went back to the start and give up. Still one of the very few VSs I've failed on (if it is VS as opposed to HVS).

I must have done hundreds, if not a thousand plus VSs, and I can only remember backing off Sunset Slab and falling off Plumb Line (VS 4c) - although it was very cold and I cleaned it and did it properly second go.

A red Black Diamond X4 fits, not sure I would have been overly eager to try falling off on it though!

Sounds familiar. I was on it (it was HVS at the time and only my 2nd ever I think) and spent 5 minutes trying to get something into that pocket. Eventually thought sod it, left a cam in and somehow got to the top in one of those out of body experiences (I think I've had 2 or 3 in my climbing). My second didn't even have to pull the trigger to get the cam out! I was buzzing for about a month after. 

Interesting.  I wonder also if routes known to be on the easy end attract more "first go at the grade" attempts - TPS for example on the days when it's E1 

Trophies For Everyone! There's a nice generosity to this kind of analysis, because now if someone dogs / dnfs a popular and interesting route which no-one else has ever dogged & logged, they can pride themselves on being the first person on ukc to claim the streak-wrecking title. A consolation of sorts.

TPS has two finishes.... standard HVS going back left above the technical crux or very bold 4c padding straight up the right side. You would need to be pretty technically able to reverse that padding once started. The idea it’s an easy first E1 only applies to HVS leaders with a very good boldness head (Ditto for SS as an easy first HVS as Toby made clear).

Several cams fit the big pocket. We chose the best we knew and drop tested an old rucksack onto it .... and it popped. It's also a useful half rest foothold before the still tricky top out. Gear masters have got some small stuff in the groove....would it hold a fall...who knows?

I'd be utterly astonished if anyone genuinely believed the top half of Sunset Slab was protectable in any way shape or form 

Ah, I was thinking about a spot just underneath the bottom of the flake. I mostly placed it to provoke disgust from some of the old boys that were there!

This is a fair point - because when I tried it was in 2000 and I think the smallest cam I had then was a Friend 0.5 perhaps? Anyway, not modern small. I wonder if now it's normal to get something in, even if you don't trust it. 

I seconded it last week and took the dragonflys with me for a laugh. Was very gentle and didn't play too long for fear of wearing the 'placement' even more but I got one of them to support its own weight if not touched.

Well that changes the game entirely!

HS anyone?

There's also a place slightly higher where you can rotate a brassie in in such a way that it'll stay there until you blow on it.