Johnny Dawes

 Johnny Dawes is one of the legends of British rock climbing. Arriving on the climbing scene in the early 1980's he quickly
developed a panache for stunning bold climbs in the Peak
District. Single handedly re-writing the guide books, Johnny
sought the lines that baffled the most resilient climbers of
the day. The Braille Traille (E6,6c), Committed (E6,6b), Gaia
(E8,6c) and The End of The Affair (E8,6c) all offered almost
un-repeatable routes on Grit-stone, serving as the test-pieces
for the next generation of climbers, as the lines of Fawcett/Livesey
had done for those before. "I was really into things that
didn't look possible...routes with holds on them didn't really
appeal to me at all." With his dynamic approach to movement,
the energetic Dawes quickly developed his own unique style 'a
Nureyev of the rock, dynamic and balletic'. After destroying
all in his path in the Peak District, Johnny moved on to the
Slate Quarry's of Wales. In 1986, Johnny teamed up with Paul
Pritchard to develop more astounding routes on Slate.
Quarryman (E8,7b) and The Very Big, And The Very Small (F8b+).
 

Yet it will always be his elusive line on Clogwyn Du'r Arddu
that Johnny is perhaps most associated with. The Indian Face
(E9,6c) became the first E9 in the history of UK climbing, a
route which had been seen and attempted by the likes of Joe
Brown, John Redhead and Jerry Moffett. It would take 10 years
for Neil Gresham And Nick Dixon to become brave enough to
repeat this route. The 1988 film Stone Monkey: Portrait of a Rock Climber
highlighted Johnny's grit and slate prowess. This became the
seminal climbing film for the subsequent generations. In 2006
this film has been released on DVD, along with a new film,
The Story of Indian Face. Also released on DVD for the
first time is Best Forgotten Art, Johnny's film
tracing the history of gritstone crack climbing. Johnny is
still actively climbing, and in recent years has transferred
his attention to teaching climbers to gain a better
understanding of movement on rock. Having taught over 6000+
climbers of all levels and ages, Johnny's masterclass are
firing the imaginations of a new generation of climbers. To
book Johnny for your event email us. For more information on
Johnny Dawes Masterclass click here.

images: Jim Perrin & Johnny Dawes ©