Two to three red-points a day, twice a week, McClure cranked slowly upward. Paranoid that the British summer would eventually suspend his efforts, the cold, but dry weather continued and the lower-off got closer. Finally, after a change in the bolt-clipping regime and numerous 10m falls from high on the route, McClure topped out on Wednesday 19th July. After 15 days of continuous effort, McClure joined that elite band of climbers in the world, now thought to number five (Clem Loskot, Fred Rouhling, Alex Huber and Fred Nicole), to climb two or more 9a's (or harder) route.

OK, so what of the route itself? Northern Lights is about 17m in height, and overhangs a total of 7m. McClure explains that although it lacks any stupidly hard moves, there are several 7a moves scattered about. A rest, of sorts, exists at about two-thirds height after the first super-sustained 8c+ link. From here another 7m of climbing, worth 8b in its own right, proves the key and contains the red-point crux, a vicious crank to, and then from, a two-finger, half first joint, crimp. Failure on this move arrives in the form of an 8m plus fall! Success, on the other hand, brings an undercut at full stretch and then, following an easy (6b) romp, the lower-off and happiness in the form of a 9a tick, one of only three here in the UK.

McClure, when pressed, admitted that it was probably harder than Mutation, though not by much and therefore didn't, in his opinion, merit 9a+. McCure believes it is 'just' another 9a! Whilst he remains 'well chuffed' at his ascent, he admits that he was nearly thwarted by a long reach high on the route. At only 5' 6", McClure's height made the upper section particularly difficult, though he was able to 'find' a different sequence from that which (so he believes) Ben and Malcolm were using, replacing the long powerful moves with shorter, crimpy moves which played to his strengths rather than to his lack of height.

And what of the future? Well Kilnsey's got several bolted lines left and Malham's has more 'major' projects left above the cat-walk than possibly any other crag in the UK. McClure remains as lean and mean as ever and the season is only half way through. Expect more from this man - he as the capability to re-write the British record books and is well on his way to the international credit he deserves.

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