Factor Two

In part one of this story we saw how Duncan Critchley's quick judgment of his partner for The Nose resulted in a piece of big wall history. Despite his good judgment, he was left with the regret that they never climbed together again. In part two Duncan's judgment isn't so good, but it leaves him with few regrets and some firm friendships. What do you do when you've just set the speed record on The Nose? For Duncan the answer was to set out alone. First with a free solo ascent of the Steck-Salathé route on Yosemite's Sentinel, a route that had become a speed testpiece for the likes of Royal Robbins and Henry Barber in the 1970s. His next goal was a big aid route on El Capitan - Sunkist. The route had only seen two ascents and no-one had tried it solo. In the heat of a Californian summer Duncan set off and made good progress until he met one of Yosemite's infamous offwidths. What followed cemented his place in the hearts of the climbers in the valley at the time and resulted in an unlikely business proposition. Photo: Wet Denim Daydream (c) Lydia Bradey Factor Two is brought to you by UKClimbing.com Music credits: Dark Fog Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Very Low Note Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Luminous Rain Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Ghost Processional Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Porch Blues Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Nose on El Capitan is perhaps the most iconic rock climb on the planet. Its been big news even outside of the climbing world since its first ascent by a team led by Warren Harding in 1958. The crowds in El Cap meadow became so unmanageable that the park rangers asked Harding to halt his work on the route until the autumn when the tourists had left. Today a major first ascent or speed record is news even in the mainstream media. Back in 1984 mild-mannered British climber "Sir" Duncan Critchley set out for Yosemite with a picture book dream and made his mark in the history of Yosemite climbing. With Swiss guide Romain Vogler he made the third "In a Day" ascent of The Nose, setting a speed record which stood for a further six years, at nine and a half hours. It seems surprising enough that the "mini Ernest Shackleton of Yosemite" made the ascent in such good style, but the details of the story paint a picture of a climber with a love of his sport and a deep respect for the man who shared his dream. This is the first part of a two part story. Climbing The Nose in record time might have impressed the dirtbags in the valley, but in part two we'll hear what really secured his reputation. Photo: The Changing Corners (c) Duncan Critchley Factor Two is brought to you by UKClimbing.com Music credits: Porch Blues Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Odyssey Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Mysterioso March Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Ghost Processional Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Silence Kai Engel Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Every generation of climbers looks to improve on the performances of the last. The saga of the Great Wall on Clogwyn Du'r Arddu provides one of the best examples of this in British climbing.The climbers looked to improve the style and the difficulty of the lines: Joe Brown abandoned his efforts with a peg at his high point. Pete Crew surpassed it using pebbles for aid in the thin cracks of the top pitch. A young John Allen freed the line in 1974.

In the early 80s the eyes of the best were drawn a little rightwards - The new line would eventually become Dawes masterpiece the Indian Face, but before that John Redhead famously tumbled from its upper reaches. He marked his highpoint with a bolt.

Jerry Moffatt was making a name for himself as a bold and strong climber at the time. He inspected the line and, offended by the bolt, chopped it and headed rightwards to create Master's Wall, one of the boldest and hardest routes around. The next step in this progression? To onsight the line. In 2000 a 19-year-old James McHaffie attempted the feat. It's an experience which has lived with him ever since.

Factor Two is brought to you by UKClimbing.com

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Twitter - @treasurewild

Music credits:

Dark Fog Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Spirit of the Girl Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Night of the Owl Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Very Low Note Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Aftermath Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Morning Walk Lee Rosemere Brooks Kai Engel Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Factor Two is a climbing podcast with impact, brought to you by Wil Treasure and UKClimbing.com. It brings you the best climbing stories straight from the people at their heart - and the best climbing stories are always about a little bit more than just climbing.

Find Factor Two on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/factortwopod/

Twitter - @treasurewild