1,000 Routes 5.13b or Harder for Steve McClure
One of the most legendary British rock climbers shows no signs of slowing down. Watch a short film below
British rock climber Steve McClure, 53, has been one of the world’s leading climbers for over 20 years. He recently climbed Let The Tribe Increase in the Peak District for his 1,000th ascent of a 5.13b or harder route.
McClure has had a legendary climbing career. He has put up many of the U.K.’s hardest sport climbs, including Overshadow 5.15a in 2007 and Rainman 5.15b in 2017. He has also repeated the country’s hardest trad lines including Dave MacLeod’s Rhapsody 5.14c R/X and Neil Gresham’s Lexicon 5.14aR.
In a conversation with McClure about how he approaches hard trad, he told Gripped here, “Absolutely case by case. I’m certainly no expert in this field and have a lot to learn. I’ve realized that perhaps the key skill in this kind of climbing is judgment; to know when is the time to try. Too much caution and you’ll never set off, too little, and you could die. I’m very analytical as a climber, and I’m not a really bold climber. I’d say my main strategy is to analyze the danger and realistically be able to decide if its ‘for me’ or not. If I determine the danger is really high, I’ll walk away.”
McClure shows no signs of slowing down as he recently onsighted a 5.14a and 5.13b on the same day. Watch a video of his 1,000th 5.13b or harder route below.
Steve McClure’s 1,000th
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