The grit season continues. Last Friday, top boulderer Mina Leslie-Wujastk turned her hand to trad climbing, making a ground-up ascent of Unfamiliar (E8 6c) as her second-ever trad lead. David Mason finds out more.
It’s only a few weeks into the grit season, and we have already seen some impressive ascents from Nathan Lee, Oli Grounsell, Ethan Walker and Katy Whittaker. Now joining that list, with her ground-up ascent of Unfamiliar at Stanage, is Mina Leslie-Wujastyk.
Unfamilar – if you’re, er, unfamiliar with it – is a striking route up the frontal arete of a freestanding tower in the Stanage Plantation area. Given E8 6c (or, more like, highball Font 7c/+), there is small gear at two-thirds height.
Is this your first ever trad route?
MINA: Um, no but not far off! I did some trad when I was at university, but maybe only one lead and a few seconds. Traditional climbing has never been my thing really; I’m not very experienced in it and have tended to lean towards bouldering or sport climbing.
What inspired you to try Unfamiliar?
MINA: Unfamiliar is such an inspiring line. I have often looked up at it whilst bouldering and thought "maybe one day...". To be brutally honest, it was always something I wanted to climb at some point but, deep down, thought I probably wouldn't. I guess that's because it was a trad route and I thought that wasn't something I could or would do. When I thought of it as a highball boulder problem with some gear at the top that somehow changed things!
You did it ground up above pads, why did you choose this style?
MINA: I considered putting a rope down it initially but decided to see how it went first. I was thinking of it in the context of bouldering so it seemed normal to try it above pads. In my first session, I was struggling to commit higher up and so I wondered again about headpointing it, but I wanted some time to mull it over and another session of attempts from the ground.
I was nervous about the top section, above the gear (after all, I’m much more used to bolts…). I got a bit obsessed with it! In the three days between my first session and the session I did it, I dreamt about it, visualised it to death, all the time committing in my mind. When we went back, I was in a much better frame of mind and had no intentions of trying it on a rope; I knew I could do it if I just went for it.
How did the ascent go?
MINA: Haha, um, not the smoothest piece of climbing! The first section actually did go smoothly, and then there is a committing move where you have to work your foot high into a pocket and pull through to gain the break and clip the gear. This was followed by a lot of foot slips! The route had actually still been wet when we arrived at the crag but we had waited it out and David had put some chalk on the holds for us...but some of the top footholds were still a bit on the damp side. They were making that unnerving scrittley sound under my boots and at one point, just as I was pulling over the top, both my feet popped at once!
Any thoughts on women and hard grit?
MINA: Great stuff all round! I live with a grit kid (Katy Whittaker) so I have to try and keep up!
Any future plans for more gritstone antics? Or is it back to Raven Tor and training?
MINA: Yeah maybe! Training is still on for sure, David and I are off to the US in the New Year and I want to feel strong for that. If Raven Tor stays in good nick, I could definitely be tempted back there too. Lots of having cake and eating cake if I can get away with it!
How did the foray into something new go? Did you enjoy it?
MINA: I did. I thought I would be more scared than I was actually, but it was more exciting than anything! :)
« Back