Anne Arran's Climbing

Traditional climbs (UK): the first steps

I started climbing in 1985 aged 17, totally mad for it and finally allowed to do it after having been inspired by someone on Idwal slabs in Snowdonia when I was 7.

"Cauchemar de l'Elephant" F8a Buoux

Since then I have led several E5s including The Cad E6 6a, Positron E5 6a, Get Some In E5 6a, Right Wall E5 6a and King Wad E6 6b, sea cliffs being the most fun.

Sport Climbing

I have climbed extensively around Europe, the US and Thailand including onsighting 7b+, and have climbed Cauchemar de l’Elephant (Fr 8a), the second 8a to be climbed by a British woman.

Competition Climbing

•  British Competition Climbing Team 1992-2000 and 1997 British Champion
•  Best international performance: 5th UIAA World Speed Climbing Championship, France

Alpine Climbing
home to the holdless slab and devious crack

Six Alpine seasons from 1988, including an ascent of Mont Blanc (4800m), the highest mountain in Western Europe.

North Face of l’Aiguille de Chardonnay - '16 hours of fun at the limit for me right now - big jump across crevasse!’

Contamine route, South Face of the Midi, Le Bon Filon and L’eau Rance d’Arabie. - ‘crack climbing is hard, must get better at it’

Tofana di Rozes, full day routes in the Dolomites

	British Bouldering Championships 2002/3

Expedition Big Wall Climbing
funky places and interesting people

Kyrgyzstan Ak Su Valley 1999 A land of wild horsemen, precipitous granite walls and yak

Evading capture by the Taliban we climbed ‘The Philosopher’s Stone’, E6 6a (1000m).

'We then had to leave the area as risk of kidnap was becoming too high. The following year a team of Americans were not so lucky!'

Venezuela 2002, 2003 and 2005 Rumble in the Jungle - a Journey into the Lost World

Jungle rock climbing, making first free ascents of big unclimbed walls on ancient tepuis.

‘It's tough being on a wall for 6 or more days when you have to carry all your own food, water and sleeping kit, but really exciting to plan your own way up the cliff and to step on ground where no one else has stood.’

• Cerro Autana West face, Amazonas (fabled to be the sacred tree of life!) (700m) 12 days on the wall
• Acopan Tepui, Gran Sabana, ‘Pizza, Chocolata y Cerveza’ (600m) 6 days on the wall
• Angel Falls, ‘Rainbow Jambaia’ (1000m) 19 days on the wall

	Bouldering in Egypt

Exploration
hot and cold adventures

• New routes in hot and exotic Thailand
• New routing and Eco adventure projects with the Sinai Bedouin
• Journey into the West Caucuses with a Russian ‘Snow Leopard’
• Climbing and coaching women in the Islamic Republic of Iran
• Grand Canyon multi-day new routing
• New 5000m peaks in Western Sichuan, China, by technical rock routes

Ice climbing

Ice climbing leading up to grade WI IV in Cogne and the Argentière basin as well as following X-Files and Nuit Blanche