Emma Twyford Climbs Spicy 5.13d Trad
Her send is the the ninth ascent of Mission Impossible (E9 7a) at Gallt Yr Ogof in Gwynedd, Wales
Emma Twyford has made the ninth ascent of Mission Impossible, which is graded E9 7a or 5.13dR, on Skyline Buttress at Gallt Yr Ogof in the Ogwen Valley, U.K. It was first climbed in 1997 by Neil Carson, but wasn’t repeated until 2009 by James McHaffie.
“Pretty psyched to finally knock this route off the project list, I’ve not had something test my perseverance like this in a while,” said Twyford. “Throw in the fact that a crux hold often seeps, trying it when it’s hot makes it feel nails and I’d turn up tired from route setting, this made it hard work.
Twyford said she spent several days working on the route this year, noting, “Last session I arrived at the crux to a wet hold, in anger I sussed out new beta to avoid the wet hold. It worked better for me, today we turned up to pissing rain and almost bailed but decided it was worth the effort.”
This is Twyford’s fourth E9 redpoint, with the three previous being Rare Lichen (E9 6c), Once Upon a Time in the South West (E9 6c) and The Big Issue (E9 6c). Last year she made the first ascent of Deux Mauvais Melons 5.14a.
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