Pete Robins has made the second ascent of Neil Dyer’s inspiring problem, Silk Cut V13/14/8B/+ in Parisella’s Cave. Silk Cut is the logical highball V8/7B extension to Director’s Cut, a top end V13/8B in itself. (NB. The highball upper groove, featured on the front cover of the recently released Parisella’s Cave guide is named Upper Cut and graded V8/7B+ if you approach via the Parisella’s Overhang rail)

Last week Pete made it to the top of Director’s Cut, but fell from the highball finish. Back on the ground he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He’d just done his first V13/8B, but had dropped his true goal of finishing the line with a proper top out on the upper ledge.

Last night Pete returned and brought the whole epic to an end, completing the full line of Silk Cut.

“I’m absolutely made up – what a struggle!”

Commented Pete after the ascent, before adding:

“I’m not sure about the grade, except that it is way harder than anything I’ve ever done before. It’s definitely harder than Director’s Cut, but probably not by that much. It’s certainly not a foregone conclusion once you reach the top of Director’s Cut. It’s still hard up there. I don’t know, maybe it is just very hard V13/8b, but at some point you have to draw the line and you cross into a different grade.”

Jack Geldard has produced a cool film of the ascent; see it on ukclimbing.com.

Also on the repeat front, Ned Feehally made the 2nd ascent of Blokesmoker Low V11/8A at the Gop. Chris Doyle captured this on film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5K_I4_ufrI. Ben Thompson then got the 3rd ascent and Dave Mason got the 4th. All three then repeated Push the Button V11/8A too. Ned also did the 2nd ascent of The Menace V11/8A at the Sheep Pen boulders a few weeks ago.

And lastly, Steve McClure and James McHaffie repeated the Barrel Reverse – Groove link V11/8A at Dinas Mot in the Llanberis Pass. These are believed to be the 2nd and 3rd ascents of this line, first climbed by Mark Katz.

Relevant links:
      Silk Cut news item
      Blokesmoker Low news item
      The Menace news item