GBP
USA
In the summer of 2019, Jöttnar’s John Thornton linked together two existing hard sport climbing routes in Malham to create Groovyfied (8c). With imagination, skill and perseverance, John shows that the new-routing potential here which has tested generations of climbers is still very much alive.
Watch the film below:
"Malham is an iconic sport climbing crag in the Yorkshire Dales, which I’ve been climbing at for years. It comprises multiple hard test pieces and has a reputation of being steep and unforgiving. I thought I saw the possibility of linking up two established lines - Unjustified (8b+) and The Groove (8a+) - which had never been done before. If successful, the likely grade would be 8c - a grade I’d never climbed at before."
"Of course that feeling of being your best on rock is a huge part of it. Trying hard, persisting and overcoming your project is hard to beat. However, it’s also about the excitement of trying something new and something different. In a place where the world’s best have been establishing routes generation after generation, it feels special to be able to add my own little addition."
John Thornton
JÖTTNAR PRO TEAM
JOHN'S ESSENTIALS
John Thornton is a member of the Jöttnar Pro Team. Read more about him here.
