The Jim Grin Top 50

USER COMMENTS

The first ascent: The truth!

Joyce Parkinson was my non-climbing girlfriend who I dragged in to belay me. One of the wires on the lower crack fell out and was obstructing her belay device. She called up "Can I take this metal thing off, it's getting all tangled?" I paniced , thinking she meant the stitch plate, clipped into a peg to look down and coach her. I declared this as a rest point. At the time I should really have lowered off and called it a yo-yo but the pitch really was at my limit. Next week I took Paul to show him my wonderful new route. He climbed up to below the top overhang but could'nt clip the peg. He lowered off I climbed up and clipped the peg, then Paul led it.

So the true first ascent would really be the third ascent, which was probably me anyway. It was a time of change. Although The Jim Grin was climbed as a trad route it was really one of the first sport routes and an early example of the red pointing ethic.

I had hoped that someone would have come along and eliminated the pegs and threads to make a better ascent rather than add six bolts and make a worse ascent! I suppose it's becoming a polished horror now.

Mike Raine
Mike Raine - 20/Feb/02

Still a great route, and the 'polished horror' Mike feared has defnitely not materialised - the holds are generally too big for the polish to matter!
Paul Giddings - 15/May/08

Now very well bolted, and a bit polished, and all the better for it. Very good jug-hauling with a slightly shocking finish. The Barguest is it's equal I think.
Fiend - 10/Jul/09