Steve McClure gets second ascent of Yma O Hyd (E10 7a)
- Thursday 17th October 2024
Steve McClure has snatched the second ascent of James McHaffie's Yma O Hyd (E10 7a) in the Ogwen Valley, North Wales as the season for mountain trad comes to a close.
When James 'Caff' McHaffie got the first ascent of Yma O Hyd a month ago he was fighting the onset of the dreaded UK winter conditions – click here for our report on Caff’s first ascent. Given the high mountain environment, it seemed likely that Caff’s FA would be just about the last of the action up there for the year. Not many would have the enthusiasm and the skill set to even think about getting involved with Yma O Hyd for a possible second ascent in what remained of the year. However, that is exactly what Steve McClure has just achieved.
As soon as Caff got the FA Steve McClure got straight on the case and arranged time to get down to north Wales as a priority. His first proper try on Yma O Hyd saw Steve get painfully high before dropping the final moves and forcing another return visit. Making no mistakes on his latest visit, and in just three days, Steve has managed to get the coveted second ascent of Yma O Hyd. Just after Steve's ascent, the weather turned sour once again; it seems highly probable that Steve managed to get the repeat at the very end of the mountain trad season.
When Caff did the first ascent of Yma O Hyd, he reckoned it was the hardest trad route in north Wales; certainly, it joined Lexicon and Rhapsody at the very top of the hardest, but relatively safe, trad routes in the UK. The three routes now form one hell of a trilogy of hard/safe trad climbs; once Steve ticked Yma O Hyd he became the first to climb all three.
It’s just over a decade ago that Steve first hiked up to Skyline Buttress for Heart of Stone and a quick look at look at what was then a wet Mission Impossible. This year Steve was back for an ascent of Mission Impossible before returning to repeat Caff’s Ty Pwmpty. Now, Steve has ticked the hardest routes on the crag.
Reporting on this important repeat for Climber, Keith Sharples got in touch with Steve for his thoughts on his second ascent of Yma O Hyd and how that compares to Lexicon and Rhapsody.
An amazing effort repeating what must be one of the finest mountain trad pitches in the UK.
I’m really psyched to get this one! In recent years there have been two routes that have stood out head and shoulders above the rest, routes where as soon as I saw them I was instantly sucked in. They had everything that inspires me these days, which is maybe different to when I was younger, or rather in the middle of my climbing life when difficulty was such a motivator.
In my young days I began psyched on mountains and trad, and that’s what seems to really motivate me now. The mountain environment and all that goes with it; the fresh air, the views, the smells, the rolling clouds, the long boggy walk-ins and the silence away from everyone. The two routes were Lexicon a few years back, and now Yma O Hyd. Both routes were clearly absolutely amazing, as well as seemingly at a level that was gonna be a real challenge but one I could actually see myself doing. And both also had an extra dimension that top climbers I hugely respect were actively trying to bring them to life, giving the routes character, and it was awesome to watch their journey unfold, and then have my chance to get involved.
It must be the very end of the season for mountain trad. Weather conditions sound pretty horrific - what was the hardest aspect?
The cliff of Gallt Yr Ogof is a proper mountain cliff, high up there with very little sun ever, and one of the most incredible sheets of overhanging rock anywhere. But it’s tricky to get it right, for myself it was freezing and seeping, for caff it was midgey and humid all summer… and still seeping with the poor weather we had. Still, this kind of stuff adds to the experience!
It must have been a real balance between climbing quickly enough to stay warm but still having to take the rests on-route etc?
The absolute key to climbing stuff in the cold is to go through a proper warm-up. This can feel like quite a job, and not much fun, but you have to just tell yourself it's crucial and it has to be done thoroughly. So running around, getting really warm all the way through, so your hands are hot even without gloves and in the wind. This may take like 15 minutes. Then little bits of intense climbing, recruiting up the fingers, more running around. We all know that feeling of falling off freezing and then 5 minutes later you are red hot and feel perfect (except now pumped!). If you warm up right then you should feel like that before you start, not after! You have to remind yourself this is what it takes, and if you cut corners you’ll be frustrated!
How many days of effort in total has this taken you?
As you remember, my first visit to the cliff was over a decade ago, We climbed the E7 Heart of Stone, and then I had an on-sight go on Mission which was clearly wet but I wondered if I’d get away with it - which I didn’t. After falling I lowered off, vowing to return someday soon!
But it took a while to come back, and this year it’s been quite a journey. With a proper look at Mission Impossible, I was hooked! That was back in May. I had an abseil inspection by myself, where I thought it looked utterly nails, and wondered if I had the beans for it. On that day I spotted the line of chalk that was to become Yma O Hyd (and Ty Pwmpty) and instantly thought ‘That’s the line, that’s what I want to do one day’.
Then a few days later I was back with Caff who was trying his counter to Mission, Ty Pwmpty. By total surprise I ticked Mission, the abseil had helped way more than expected! The climbing was fantastic… I wanted more of it in this amazing place. Belaying Caff he fell off the very last move of Ty Pwmpty, but clearly, this was a warm-up for what was to become ‘Mission Direct’. In the end, I was following Caff, he ticked Ty Pwmpty straight after that day and I came back in July to get the second ascent in a day, and then after he ticked Yma O Hyd I came back again with Zippy. We had an awful freezing day where we could barely do more than a move or two before fingers froze off, but that was enough knowledge to get ‘oh-so-close’ the next day.
Then a week later I ticked it. So if you want an actual number of days to tick all 3 of these mega routes it's 6 days (not including the short effort way back).
How much harder is this than Mission Impossible?
It’s a big chunk harder! Mission and Yma O Hyd meet at a shake-out. However, on Mission it's fairly OK to that junction, you arrive feeling fine and don’t really even stop to rest. But after the start of Yma O Hyd you are pretty blown after some intense climbing and burning a bit of nervous energy! It's trad, very definitely! Small micro cams protect and falls would be ground sweeping. Big long physical moves, at least 8a+ climbing (at least for my height). It was an awesome effort from Caff to make this work, the line is not obvious, the gear is complex, the moves nails! I’ve had it easy compared to the first ascent which is often forgotten about.
The shake-out is what it’s all about for me. Probably my strongest physical asset as a climber is my recovery, I tend to sketch through hard moves as I’m not ‘strong’ but then rely heavily on recovery. I think this route suited me perfectly. Starting the upper section of Mission tired would not be good! So either you need to have good recovery or somehow manage that bottom section without getting tired!
How does Yma O Hyd compare to Lexicon and Rhapsody in terms of the climbing and quality?
I think I’ll get asked that a lot! It’s like they are the BIG THREE really, with very good climbing, but also very hard climbing. Lexicon is the easiest, though not by tons, and has for sure the biggest danger element. Rhapsody might be a tad harder physically, I can’t remember. Whatever, all three are amazing routes and I feel incredibly lucky to have them as beautiful experiences to look back on.
Isn't it time you headed to Spain for some easy sport ticks next?
Yes…