Ignacio Mulero Big Send of U.K.’s The Meltdown 5.14d
Spanish sender Ignacio Mulero has grabbed the second ascent of The Meltdown 9a in Twll Mawr, Llanberis Slate Quarries.
The 28-year-old’s climb comes six years after the first ascent by James McHaffie of the technical slab.
The Madrid climber is a powerhouse with hard V15 climbs, 5.14d first ascents and climbs of the world’s hardest slabs, including his Territorio Comanche 5.14c in Spain.
The Meltdown is a bolted line under the famous Quarryman groove and takes the slab right of the first pitch of The Quarryman.
The line was bolted by Johnny Dawes back in the 1980s, but he could never link the moves.
In an interview with UKclimbing.com, Mulero said, “I wanted to compare it with the slabs in La Pedriza but as soon as I watched the video of The Meltdown this idea just went out of my head.
“The grade didn’t matter anymore, nor did comparing it. The day I tried it with Caff and Johnny it blew my mind and I wanted to come back ever since then.
“Slippery slate slab, weird moves…perfect! There are not too many places in the world to climb on rock like slate.”
Twll Mawr, which translates to Big Hole,is home to many hard routes such as The Quarryman E8 7a and Coeur de Lion E8 7a and was first explored by Joe Brown and friends in the early 1970s.
Watch McHaffie on The Meltdown
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