Mat Wright repeats Rhapsody (E11 7a)
- Wednesday 1st May 2024
After a lengthy battle, Mat Wright has succeeded in repeating the hard test piece Rhapsody (E11 7a) at Dumbarton in Scotland.
First climbed by Dave MacLeod in 2006 it was the world’s first route at the grade and it is said that Dave took around a hundred sessions to make this groundbreaking ascent. Since then the route has been repeated by Sonnie Trotter (2008), Steve McClure (2008), James Pearson (2014), Jacopo Larcher (2016) and Gérome Pouvreau in 2018.
Mat is no stranger to hard trad climbing, his ascents include a repeat of Lexicon (E11 7a) on Pavey Ark in the Lake District (see news here) and adding his own new route there, Magical Thinking (E10 7a) (news here).
Writing on Instagram after his Rhapsody repeat Mat said; ‘Well, where do I begin? This two-year journey has finally been concluded. My story began during the summer of 2022, shortly after climbing Lexicon, my first E11 and Rhapsody’s neighbour Achemine, which was my first E9. I remember rocking up to Dumbarton with this smug grin. I was ready to take on the world. My entry to trad had so far been smooth. But, Rhapsody would stop me dead in my tracks. I was forced to hold my hands up and admit that I may have bitten off more than I could chew.’
Commenting further he added;
‘Over the next few years, I would find my trad apprenticeship being steered by one goal in particular, to climb Rhapsody.
This insane route is iconic for its immensely difficult headwall that’s guarded by an exposed runout. What people don’t mention is the logistical nightmare that accessing the top of the crag is too. This only adds to the huge challenge!
My commitment to Rhapsody has taught me to respect challenge. I’ve had to be mentally disciplined, and remain focused at all times. It’s been hard for me, and I’ve never had to work this hard before. It’s been a roller coaster ride and I doubted myself many times. But the beautiful thing is when these things pay off, you believe in yourself that little bit more. Imposture syndrome must sound crazy given the circumstances…
Anyway, the good times on this line have been really good. I’ve met some really great friends and it’s given me a great excuse to spend a lot of time in one of the most awesome countries in the world, Scotland.’
During his time trying Rhapsody, he took falls from the route's upper section including a monster fall that can be seen on his Instagram feed at @matwrightclimber
After the fall he posted; ‘My arm is bruised, and my initial thoughts of this being a safe but runout bit of climbing was nothing other than fiction. There’s serious risk of injury here! The exciting thing is I’m still loving it, and I can’t wait to continue chipping away, making these small bits of progress whilst scratching ever closer to my dream. 🙏💪👌 thank you all for the amazing support!’
And of course, Mat's patience and tenacity paid off with his successful ascent of this iconic test piece.
You can watch Dave MacLeod's first ascent here: