McHaffie makes first ascent of Yma O Hyd (E10 7a) - north Wales’ hardest trad route

• Monday 16th September 2024

James McHaffie has just completed his summer mission in the Ogwen Valley making the first ascent of what he believes is now north Wales’ hardest trad route - Yma O Hyd (E10 7a).

Technically Yma O Hyd (meaning Still Here) is a direct start to Neil Carson’s 1996 Mission Impossible (E9 7a); however, it’s clear talking to James that Yma O Hyd is not only considerably harder than Mission Impossible it’s also much more than just a simple direct start! Located on Skyline Buttress, Gallt Yr Ogof high above the Ogwen Valley, it’s a mission even to get to the crag in the first place – and that's assuming you have a belayer! To make matters worse, there are crucial holds on Mission Impossible that remain wet long after the wall generally dries.

James was the first climber to repeat Mission Impossible back in 2009. Since then, Mission Impossible has been repeated on a number of occasions most recently by Steve McClure and Emma Twyford with both getting the tick earlier this year. Since Carsons' first ascent, Mission Impossible has gained a considerable reputation in terms of the quality and difficulty of climbing and, as such, it’s ranked as one of the very best high-end, classic mountain routes in north Wales. The difficulty of the climbing and the walk-in aside, getting a sustained dry spell such that the wall is fully dry is rare; Mission Impossible is nothing if not well-named.

To get the scale of Yma O Hyd, consider that the start alone is similar in difficulty to the critical upper climbing on Mission Impossible itself. The challenge of making the first ascent of Yma O Hyd forced James to get back into the sport climbing shape of his life – i.e. similar to when he repeated Big Bang (F9a on Lower Pen Trwyn) in 2011.

Below is what James said about Yma O Hyd, a route he considers to be the hardest in north Wales and probably physically similar to Rhapsody (E11 7a) in Scotland…

Congrats on the first ascent of Yma O Hyd; it sounds like it’s made you work for it.

It was epic yes. There was a day of great conditions early on when I thought it would go down quickly but then it became a mammoth effort.

When did you first clock the possibility of the line and how did it go when did you first start to try out the moves?

I belayed Emma Twyford last year on Mission Impossible and having a play on it then I was blown away by the rock quality, having not been up there since 2009. On lowering down the unclimbed lower wall I quickly saw it was on, but that it wouldn’t be easy. I gave it a lead attempt soon after and got into the mid-bit of Mission Impossible but was gassed as hell. I'd had good sport form in March and April but had been bumbling about doing hard and classic rock routes a lot of the summer, before finding this project. I didn’t realise how tiring the start was and at that point, it all felt a bit wiggier, strenuous and uncertain gear, but at least I had Ben Bransby and Em Twyford there as support crew.

It felt a bit optimistic attempting it into Mission Impossible at first but the Ty Pwmpty version would be the best F8b in Wales if bolted so I tried that a couple of times late last summer, lobbing out the top a bit before winter set in. I returned in June this year.

The gear for the start sounds “interesting”; having placed it you then jump off and test it. It sounds pretty fiddly to place and quite marginal. There are some DMM Dragonfly cams too?

For the start, I used a cam 1, and a Superlight red wire next to each other (the Dragonflies protect the rose moves higher). When I first went for lead attempts I sometimes put the cam in wrong and it would rip on testing which was wiggy. Later on, when I knew the route a lot better and gained form it was fine.

You describe the route as having “pretty good pro”; does the gear get easier to place and better with height?

The gear is exactly where you need it, if by no means rock 10s, you should be fine to fall off anywhere. Higher up in Mission there are also more pegs than when I led it in 2009, the top two pegs weren’t there, I placed a cam 0.0 back then. The pegs add convenience to it and are good for the mid-section of Mission Impossible but it’s good that they can both be done without too. On Yma O Hyd it's all gear apart from one peg before gaining Mission Impossible - not sure who put it in but there’s a bomber wire next to this so it’s not needed either.

The climbing alternates either side of the thin crack - first on the left then the right and there’s even a “rose move” in there too before it joins Mission Impossible; it sounds pretty intricate.

It follows the crack via the only holds there on the bottom wall so makes a lot of sense when on it. The start has changed a bit though. You used to climb directly past the first pro via a desperate gaston move, a hold came off (I was gutted) but luckily the groove to the left can be climbed off the same gear. The climbing to gain Mission Impossible is outstanding; really varied and cool moves and rock.

Just for reference how hard would you say the start is up to the point at which it joins Mission Impossible?

I guestimated F8a+ at first to gain Mission Impossible but it’s quite power endurance orientated and needs to feel easy to have any chance on the hard version.

Earlier in July of this summer, you linked the start into the finish of Heart of Gold to add Ty Pwmpty at E8 6c/F8b. Presumably, this was as a “stepping stone” or training link rather than your original intention.

It was a stepping stone, yes, but also a brilliant route in its own right, it is pumpy as sin, as I wasn't using a kneepad at first. I was also uncertain if I'd be able to do the start into Mission but as I sussed the start I really wanted to get to the top of the crag. I think most people will feel it’s more on the soft E9 side than E8 too, a bit like Big Issue in Pembroke.

After the start, you join Mission Impossible and then there’s a kneebar shakeout; presumably, this is pretty marginal but essential – even more so than on Mission Impossible.

I wasn't going to try a kneebar but I belayed Steve McClure in April on Mission Impossible and he used it. It is marginal and strenuous in its own right, and I needed hands-on for it but gave a little bit extra.

So can you tell us about how your attempts on Yma O Hyd unfolded?

The hard version was a rollercoaster and also sometimes felt hard to imagine, just incredibly pumpy. In July I crept higher and higher and it looked like it could go any session, we used tin foil over the 'always' wet hold but it would often become damp so it was far from a perfect solution.

I was living on mackerel and salmon salads all July; totally hate the stuff now. At first, I was only fit enough for one go, then eventually two good goes. July left, then August and I started to accept I might not do it this year and perhaps not at all, but I looked on the bright side of it getting me in the best shape I'd been in since 2011, the year I did Big Bang.

I eventually managed three good goes doing about an F8c three times, trained afterwards and felt steely, but the one good go eluded me for a few more sessions, partly due to shit conditions and I became uncertain if I'd do it. I always hit such a wall a bit beyond the flat hold on Mission right beneath the crux. As it was when I latched the crimp which had eluded me on my three best attempts I was super close to dropping the next two moves too. It felt f**king desperate.

Overall you’ve suggested an E10 7a trad grade given it has F8c+ sport climbing. That’s a considerable increase from MI which was originally suggested to be around F8b. That must make it north Wales's hardest trad route then and by quite some margin.

I'm confident it’s the hardest trad route in Wales and will give one of the two physically hardest in the UK next to Rhapsody, although I'll wait for the traffic to confirm. I think E10 and being the physically hardest E10 in the UK is fair. I think the gear being good makes it even more brilliant, if it was bolted it would be a surefire contender for the best F8c+ in the UK. But the lead cruxes on MI after doing the start and having piss-poor shakes, feels horrendous. It’s a total stamina fest, hard from the first move, and droppable to the very end.

I did think about doing it without the pegs but as I wasn’t going to take them out (I wouldn’t make any friends with people trying Mission Impossible) it seemed contrived. It’s worth mentioning that overall the route is pretty safe but people should take a lot of care at the start.

You have a long-standing history with Skyline Buttress, Gallt Yr Ogof does your first ascent of Yma O Hyd mark an end to this era or is there something else up there to draw your attention going forward? 

Yma O Hyd will be the hardest trad route of its type I'll ever do for sure and is a homage to Wales, a place I love. I tried it in every weather, rain, cloud, and belayer with midge nets on, mostly with my friend Darren, an engineer from DMM who designed the Dragonflies and who is close on Mission Impossible, it was really great having a regular partner for the crag. I'll be back up there to give him a catch for sure, I owe him and to be fair, it's an amazing place to hang out.

There is a new route to do at a much more amenable grade and I'm keen to check George Ullrich's route Cool Runnings (probably E9 but was given E8) and Jack Geldard's Aftershock (E6 6b). After that, unless friends want a catch, I'll just look at the crag from the road or in pictures, as much as I've enjoyed the walking and falling this summer.