New 5.15a Slab Route Climbed in the U.K.
Franco Cookson climbs a direct start into The Meltdown and a direct finish to The Meltdown to make The Dewin Stone
Franco Cookson has climbed a new 5.15a slab route at Twll Mawr in the U.K. called The Dewin Stone. The climb was an old project known about by locals for years.
This crag is famous for the route The Meltdown, a 5.14d first climbed by James McHaffie. Climbers first started to work on The Meltdown in 1985 – watch below. The Dewin Stone adds a direct start to The Meltdown before climbing through The Meltdown into The Meltdown Direct, a 5.15a finish added by Cookson in 2022.
“For years now, I’ve been completely obsessed with the idea of pushing slab climbing as far as it will go,” Cookson said. “James McHaffie’s The Meltdown (9a) opened my eyes to what sustained slab climbing entailed and hinted at what the future could hold. I went abroad to try and get benchmarks on other hard slabs, but found the best stuff was right on my doorstep, here in North Wales. What we have here is world class – in terms of difficulty, but also quality. I just love it so much.”
Cookson is one of the leading route developers around his home region of the North York Moors, establishing dozens of new routes and areas. He’s documented his climbs in his guidebook to the North York Moors – find it here. Some of Cookson’s other hard sends include The Sandman E10, Immortal E11 and bold highballs.
The Meldown FA
The Meltdown 1985 Attempts
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