Strong Steve flashes Mandela

Earlier today Steve Mclure has made a very rare repeat of Mandela, Mark Leach´s test piece which breaches the top roof of Kilnsey, North Yorkshire. First climbed in 1988 by Leach, all but one subsequent attempts had all been unsuccesful – Tony Mitchell´s being the exception, prompting some to speculate a possible grade of 8b+ for this horizontal pumpfest. Steve knew little about the route before setting off, knowing that there was a “tricky” move near the lip of the roof (isn´t there always!), he apparently climbed very fluidly, with apparent ease to make a fantastic flash of the route, feeling that 8b was a fair asssesment of the grade.Following on from Steve´s other notable ascents at Kilnsey in recent weeks, one only hopes he can find a way to continue as a full time climber and keep producing truly world class results.

QuellePlanetFear