Steve McClure climbs Britain's hardest climb: Rainman 9b

Where is your limit? Would you recognise it? For Steve McClure it’s an endless series of matchstick edges and nothing holds, high above the Yorkshire Dales.

If this climb was one move longer, it would still be a dream… instead it’s the UK’s hardest-ever climb.

In 2017, BMC ambassador and top sport climber Steve McClure finally climbed his seven-year mega-project at Malham, Rainman, to give the UK its first-ever 9b.

The route, at Malham Cove in Yorkshire, climbs up the classic Raindogs (8a) then climbs the bulge into Rainshadow (9a). After the crux of Rainshadow, which moves left onto better holds, Rainman blasts pretty much straight up to eventually join Bat Route. It does link existing routes but there’s a bunch of new climbing.

See what happened when Adam Ondra tried Rainman: https://youtu.be/TkdGK0d8iOk

Read our interview with Steve about his ascent: https://www.thebmc.co.uk/rainman-steve-mcclure-climbs-9b-malham

A film by Ben Pritchard.

Watch more of our climbing playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fKKsqMPBZA&list=PLTodUXkQjZwzH-vFrkBftVSwRFDt1fJ9q

#climbing #sportclimbing #stevemcclure

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