This week's Friday Night Video is from Moon Climbing documenting Ben Moon revisiting his classic LPT route Statement of Youth, 8a, 30 years after having made the first ascent as a 17 year old in 1984.
To celebrate Statement's 30th birthday Ben travelled back to LPT to re-climb the route, Ben commented on making the first ascent of Statement of Youth on the Moon Climbing Website:
"It seems hard to believe but it was 30 years ago back in 1984, aged just 18 that I made the first ascent of the UK's 2nd 8a Statement of Youth. At the time it caused quite a stir in the climbing world not because of it's difficulty but because I had used 7 bolts to climb it. To those not familiar with climbing in the 1980s this might seem pretty strange but back then sport climbing in the UK didn't exist. Although it would take a few years this was all going to change and Statement played a big part in this change. During the past 30 years I have made several 1st ascents around the world but there are none that I am more proud of than Statement of Youth. Located at Lower Pen-Trwyn (LPT to most people) on the Great Orme in North Wales the route takes a line up the right-hand side of the steep left hand section of the cliff. With no particular crux section but very sustained at the grade it's a right of passage for the sport climber aspiring to the magical 8th grade."
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