The Story of the Indian Face: The UK’s First E9
“A pitch of such appalling difficulty as to be almost beyond the realms of human comprehension,” said Paul Williams of Indian Face in his 1989 guidebook.
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The Indian Face might not be the UK’s hardest rock climb, but it’s probably its most infamous. This tenuous climb, high on the sides of Snowdon was the UK’s first E9. With hardly any protection, falling off from the upper sections is thought to be fatal.
When Johnny Dawes made the first ascent in October 1986, it made headlines for being “the world’s hardest climb.”
[Also Read John Allen, UK Legend, Killed In A Fall]
Johnny Dawes & The story of Indian Face is a documentary about rock climbing that takes place in Clogwyn Du’r Arddu. It was directed by Alun Hughes in 2006 and produced by Hughes Film. It features Johnny Dawes, Joe Brown, Nick Dixon and John Redhead.