| Rhapsody | |
|---|---|
 The northwest face of Dumbarton Rock.Rhapsody andRequiem follow the thin diagonal crack in the middle of the face;Requiem veers to a new crack on the right when the crack begins to disappear. | |
  Location of Dumbarton Rock | |
| Location | Dumbarton Rock, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°56′14″N4°33′54″W / 55.93722°N 4.56500°W /55.93722; -4.56500[1] |
| Climbing area | Dumbarton Rock |
| Route type | Traditional climbing |
| Vertical gain | 35 m (115 ft)[1] |
| Pitches | 1 |
| Grade | Rhapsody:E115.14c (8c+)R/X Requiem:E85.13b (8a)R |
| First free ascent | Rhapsody:Dave MacLeod 9 April 2006[2] Requiem: Dave Cuthbertson 6 July 1983[3] |
Rhapsody is a 35-metre (115 ft) longtraditional climbingroute up a thincrack on a slightly overhanging verticalbasalt rock face onDumbarton Rock, in Scotland. When Scottish climberDave MacLeod made thefirst free ascent in 2006, it became Britain's first-everE11-graded route, and at the grade of5.14c (8c+),Rhapsody was the world's hardest traditional route. It set agrade milestone in traditional climbing that stood for over a decade until the ascent ofTribe at grade E11-125.14d (9a) in 2019 and ofBon Voyage at grade E125.14d (9a) in 2024.
Rhapsody shares the same central crack-line as another notable traditional climbing route calledRequiem (the two routes deviate for the last 10 metres near the top as the crack-line peters out). Scottish climber Dave Cuthbertson made the first free ascent ofRequiem in 1983, creating Britain's first-everE8-graded route. With subsequent ascents, the consensus grade settled at E8 6b or5.13b (8a), andRequiem is now recognized as being one of the world's hardest rock climbing routes—of any format (i.e. traditional orsport climbing)—at the time it was first ascended in 1983.
In 1983, Scottish climber Dave "Cubby" Cuthbertson free climbed the central crack on the northwest face of Dumbarton Rock and called itRequiem.[4] It was speculated at the time that thetechnical grade could be British7a[4]—that is international5.13c (8a+)—and which would have been a newgrade milestone in rock climbing afterTony Yaniro's 1979 ascent ofGrand Illusion at5.13b (8a).[5] With subsequent repeats, the consensus grade ofRequiem settled at E8 6b, or circa5.13b (8a), making it the first-ever British E8-graded route.[4][6] It means that at the time of Cuthbertson's ascent,Requiem was one of the hardest climbing routes in the world of any type,[6] as it was only in 1983 thatJerry Moffatt set a new grade milestone withThe Face5.13c (8a+), and in 1984 thatWolfgang Güllich set another milestone withKanal im Rücken5.13d (8b).[5]
In 2006, Scottish climberDave MacLeod completed a 2-year project to continueRequiem's thinning central crack to the top, creatingRhapsody.[2] MacLeod's route featured a largerunout, and he took several 'bone crushing' 20-metre (66 ft) falls from itscrux at the top onto tinywire nuts for protection.[2]Rhapsody was the first-ever British E11-graded climbing route, and at the international grades of5.14c (8c+), was a new grade milestone in traditional climbing making it the "world's hardest 'traditional' climb".[5][2][7][8] In 2008, Canadian climberSonnie Trotter made the first repeat ofRhapsody and added a variation between it andRequiem calledDireqium that he graded5.14a (8b+).[9] A few weeks after Trotter, British climberSteve McClure made the third repeat.[10]
In 2014, British climberJames Pearson made the fourth ascent ofRhapsody.[11] Pearson had caused controversy in 2008 when he dismissed MacLeod's proposed grading despite not being able to complete the route. MacLeod had in turn repeated Pearson'sWalk of Life, which he had proposed at E12 7a, but which MacLeod downgraded to E9 6c.[11] After the controversy, Pearson left for France, but his wife, French climberCaroline Ciavaldini [fr], urged Pearson to return toRhapsody.[12] Pearson said of his ascent: "I couldn't take it back, but perhaps I could do something to make up for it? A gesture of goodwill, or perhaps even a peace offering to the UK climbing community?".[13] Just after his ascent, Ciavaldini made thefirst female free ascent ofRequiem.[14]
In 2016, Italian traditional climberJacopo Larcher made the fifth repeat ofRhapsody, while his partnerBarbara Zangerl made the second female ascent ofRequiem, and the first repeat—and first female ascent—of Dave MacLeod's 2001 Dumbarton route,Achemine at E9 6c.[15]
While in the years after MacLeod's first ascent, other traditional climbing routes were established atRhapsody's climbing grade milestone of8c+ (5.14c) (e.g.Beth Rodden'sMeltdown inYosemite),[16][17]Rhapsody's grade milestone in traditional climbing was only surpassed with the 2019 ascent ofTribe by Jacopo Larcher, which is considered to be at9a (5.14d),[18] and at the British E-grade of E11 to E12, and also with the 2024 ascent ofBon Voyage by James Pearson, which was also considered to be at9a (5.14d), and most likely at the British E-grade of E12.[11][18]
Rhapsody andRequiem are essentiallycrack climbs withboulderingcruxes close to their very tops; they both break into three parts, the first two of which they share.[19] The first section is an easier circa7a (5.11d) graded (depending on the specific route taken up the slab)[a] 10-metre (33 ft) slab that gets to a ledge that is shared by several routes on the face.[20][15] The second part is a 15-metre (49 ft) narrow left-leaning diagonal5.12d (7c) graded crack[a] up the centre of the face that bothRequiem andRhapsody follow. Theclimbing protection is considered to be thin (e.g. the crack only takes the smallest wirenuts such as BD#3)[15] but with solid placements, which is important given the potential falls to come.[15][2]
The final section starts from a restingjug 10 metres (33 ft) from the top where the crack starts to peter out.[15][2] From here,Requiem moves directly right to another crack system that leads directly to the top.[2]Rhapsody moves directly left on delicate8b (5.13d) holds[a] before following the diminishing line of the original crack via a 14-moveV11 (8A)[a] bouldering problem near the top.[2][19] There is no additional climbing protection available in the third section, and with the hardest moves at the very top, any fall will be a 'swinging fall'[19] (i.e. because the climber has moved horizontally from the second section) of up to 20–25 metres (66–82 ft) in length.[2][22] Several climbers reported falls from the top where they bounced off the slab of the first section.[15][23]
Sonnie Trotter wrote thatRhapsody felt like aneliminate, and that there was a more direct line betweenRhapsody andRequiem that he calledDirequiem that he graded at5.14a (8b+), and which he felt was a more natural finish to the crack.[9] Trotter noted that a climber on the final stages ofRhapsody had to deliberately keep themselves from reaching out to grab the arete that was on their left side, which Trotter dubbedThe Cop Out,[9] and even graded it at 5.13b/c (or 8a/a+).[24] Trotter also avoided anchoring hisbelayer to the ground (i.e. when Trotter fell, it lifted his belayer into the air), which reduced the 'swing' on his falls and stopped him from crashing into the rock face as MacLeod had painfully endured.[25]
Rhapsody retains an intimidating reputation,[22] that started with MacLeod's 2006 announcement of his ascent where he said that he had taken nine 20-metre (66 ft) falls from the crux that was only held by "RP nuts",[b] and that: "I injured myself badly on some of my failed attempts. As far as I know, there aren't other traditional routes around with this combination of danger and high difficulty".[22][26] In April 2024, Norwegian climberMagnus Midtbo visited Dumbarton for his social media channel to tryRhapsody on atop rope, belayed by Dave MacLeod, and called it "possibly the most dangerous route in the world", noting the distance of the falls from the crux that needed to be held by tiny protective wire nuts.[21]
Requiem andRhapsody put Dunbarton Rock intorock climbing history, with two routes that at the time of their first free ascent, were the hardest traditional climbs in the world.[5][19] MacLeod's ascent ofRhapsody received media attention outside of the world of traditional climbing and was part of a resurgence in interest in traditional climbing as new "trad grade milestones" were being established such as Trotter'sCobra Crack.[7][8] When Jacopo Larcher made the 5th ascent he said of seeingE11, the film of MacLeod making the first ascent: "I remember at that time it seemed completely crazy, absolutely incomprehensible... For me it was something unimaginable. I never thought that one day I’d go an try it. Let alone repeat it!".[15]
Notable ascents ofRhapsody:
Notable ascents ofRequiem:
Fiona Russell meets the 28-year-old Scot who discovered, then conquered, the most difficult rock ascent in the world
Last year he succeeded in making what is generally recognised as the world's hardest 'traditional' climb, Rhapsody, on Dumbarton Rock: a phenomenally testing route weighing in at the previously uncharted grade of E11. It remains the only climb in the world at this level.
The world seems a lot bigger than when I was small and the important things back then now seem rather trivial. I had moved on a lot in mind, body and soul, and as far far as I was concerned I was happy. Caroline could see differently, she could see passed the smiles and knew there was still something stuck. To her the obvious answer was Rhapsody – a route that I had tried just before leaving the U.K., had failed on, and to make matters worse had openly criticized rather than accepting defeat. It was a chumps move, the act of an arrogant immature kid, but the past is the past and there is no way I can take that back.
The French climber makes the sixth ascent of a historic line, which was the hardest of its kind when Dave MacLeod debuted it back in 2006, ....
Caroline has been climbing at Dumbarton Rock with her husband James Pearson for the last two weeks and her ascent follows James' repeat of Rhapsody (E11 7a) E11 7a
