Rhapsody, Infamous for Epic Falls, Climbed in 2025
U.K. climber Billy Ridal has sent Rhapsody 5.14R trad in Scotland. Ridal had previously climbed The Nose on El Capitan and The Big Island.
Rhapsody is a 35-meter (115 ft) traditional climbing route on a slightly overhanging vertical basalt face at Dumbarton Rock, Scotland. First freed by Scottish climber Dave MacLeod in 2006, it was the world’s hardest traditional climb at the time, graded E11 7a (5.14c/8c+). It held this milestone for over a decade until surpassed by Tribe (E11-12, 5.14d/9a) in 2019 and Bon Voyage (E12, 5.14d/9a) in 2024.
The route follows the central crack-line of Requiem (E8, 5.13c/d, first climbed by Dave Cuthbertson in 1983) for the first 25 meters before splitting left for a direct finish. It breaks into three sections: A 10-meter slab (7a/5.11d) to a ledge. A 15-meter diagonal crack (5.12d/7c) with thin protection (small wire nuts, e.g., BD #3). A final 10-meter crux with delicate 8b (5.13d) moves and a 14-move V11 (8A) bouldering problem near the top, offering no additional protection and risking long, swinging falls. MacLeod endured nine 20-meter falls from the crux, held only by tiny “RP nuts,” and injured himself badly during his two-year, 70-day project. He described it as combining extreme difficulty with significant danger.
Canadian Sonnie Trotter made the second ascent in 2008, calling Rhapsody somewhat forced due to an avoidable arete (“The Cop Out,” 5.13b/c). He established a variation, Direquiem (5.14a/8b+), which he felt was more natural. Trotter took 24 50-foot falls and avoided anchoring his belayer to reduce swing impacts, unlike MacLeod’s “bone-crushing” falls. Steve McClure (2008), James Pearson (2014), Jacopo Larcher (2016), Gérome Pouvreau (2018), and Mat Wright (2024) made subsequent ascents, totaling seven known repeats.
Rhapsody’s reputation remains intimidating due to its technical headwall, long runout, and fall potential. It’s iconic in trad climbing, featured in the 2006 film E11 by Hot Aches Productions. Despite debates over its forced nature, it’s a benchmark for high-end trad, requiring precision, endurance, and mental fortitude. For guidebooks, check Scottish Mountaineering Club publications or Scottish Rock Volume 1 for detailed route info.
About his climb, Ridal said: "I started climbing in 2006, the same year that @climbermacleod made the first ascent of Rhapsody, suggested at the time to be the hardest trad climb in the world. The film ‘E11’ was released not long after, immortalising the route and the process that Dave went through to complete it. That film had a big impact on 9yr old Billy making his first steps in to climbing. I didn’t exactly take a straight path since then to climbing it, but it’s always been a source of inspiration.
"19 years later the route has stood the test of time, arguably still the hardest pitch of trad climbing in the UK, though I’ll leave it to pub chat to debate that. It’s been a pleasure being up on that headwall, having my own experience with a position and sequence that in some ways I already felt familiar with. The tempo of the route makes it feel really special, it builds through the initial draining crack to a decent rest and your final pieces of gear before questing in to the headwall, where unrelenting but never stopper moves allow you to fight against your fatigue, and your fear, as the lip gets closer and the gear farther away. It came together for me quicker than I anticipated, but not before the route inflicted its full weight, taking the whip right from the top floor and snapping one of the key nuts for good measure.
"The UK has something unique in this kind of trad, it adds bags of character to a route. Rhapsody demanded something new from me because of that character, and that made the process so much richer. A huge thank you to @francesbensley for supporting me in things like this, and for having to go through the stress of being on the other end of the rope, I appreciate it! Thank you also Dave for the vision back then and the source of inspiration for me."
