Matt Helliker makes first ascent of Race (E9 7a)
- Friday 28th June 2024
Matt Helliker has made the first ascent of Race (E9 7a) at Priest Cove, Kernow in Cornwall.
Nearly a year after making the first ascent of Anapanasati (E9 6c) at Dotdon Point, Cornwall, Matt – an IFMGA Guide – is back with another hard and serious addition to the Cornish coast.
Due west of St Just, Priest Cove is one of a small collection of venues known as Carn Gloose. Priest Cove has a handful of boulders the hardest of which are Race against Death (F8A) and A Reason to Live (F8B), the first ascents of which were made by Solly Kemball-Dorey within the last five years. Matt’s latest addition, Race, climbs Race against Death before continues up the wall above.
Matt believes Race is the hardest trad route he’s ever done combining the boulder of Race Against Death (RAD) with a second (unprotected) boulder before a big run-out above questionable gear on what he describes as “unpredictable” rock. Matt deliberating chose not to place a sling for protection on the finishing block of Race against Death believing that a fall onto this from the hard moves above would break that hold and so ruin that boulder itself.
Describing the difficulty of Race on his Instagram page Matt comments; ‘Technically I guess you could say it’s the hardest trad route I’ve done, adding in the 8a/V11 boulder start to then move on up and left away from the safety of the pads and the raised block they’re are sat on.
Next another committing boulder to the first gear placement, a small number 2 wire placed horizontally and a 0.3 Z4 in a broken quartz vein, which I can’t say is bomber! I ripped off so many holds and feet working this thing that my trust in the rock above ‘RAD’ was definitely lacking.
I also chose not to sling the finishing hold of ‘RAD’ as honestly that would explode on impact and why damage a perfectly good boulder! So yes it’s a bold undertaking above ‘RAD’ that said it’s brilliant, it’s committing, it’s a HYBRID.’
So what is Matt’s thinking about the grade?
‘About the grade, well to be honest I think it’s all got a bit confusing so I honestly don’t really know, all I can do is to draw on 25+ years of trad climbing experience and to be as transparent as possible about my experience and take a good guess.
If you dropped the second boulder without any gear the ground fall could be bad as you could miss the “floating” pads and crater into a bad landing, if the gear ripped, which is possible in the broken vein it would be death as the run out above is big and you would hit the ground, with all of this combined with the unpredictable nature of pillow lava rock and its snappiness and high tech moves, maybe this grade feels about right, but then also maybe not? The E grade could be more and could well also possibly be less in all honesty.’
Finally, Matt paid tribute to Solly Kemball-Dorey, adding: ‘Thanks so much to Solly, it meant a lot to me for him to be there, holding my ropes, as I ran it out above his boulder.’
Watch a video of Sam Blackwell, Airlie Borlase and Solly Kemball-Dorey bouldering at Priest Cove below. Video: Solley Kemball-Dorey.