James McHaffie: secrets to climbing E5 plus top 100 E5s ticklist

Runouts have to be embraced and ‘reasonable’ sized falls accepted as a possibility. Don’t get me wrong, there are some exceptionally protected E5s: Barbarella, Chemin De Fer, London Wall. But some E5s can be harder than E6s.

When I was climbing one of the first E5s put up in Britain the other day, Jenny Wren, it felt more serious and a bigger lead than many E6 6as I've climbed. Pete Livesey, who brought this standard into fruition, excelled at this bold style, which is often lost on the more recent generation used to climbing walls and 'bouldering’.

The physical standards can be very high as well. On a weekend in Pembroke last month we climbed three E7s, an E6 and an E5: the E5 had the hardest, most insecure climbing moves.

With all this in mind I’ve made a list of ten tips, plus a list of 100 good or great E5s with a * next to the ‘softies’, although even these should be regarded as big leads. Some on the list are weird or burly but have great gear like Cobalt Dream, which is an esoteric climb giving lots of fun.

Caff's top 10 tips to climbing E5

1. Build up a ‘platform’ of routes before climbing an E5, do a few E3s and 4s of different styles and don’t worry if some which aren’t your style feel nails.
2. Read up on the history of the climb/s you’re after, it can build up psyche and being ‘pepped up’ can give you a good head start.
3. Get loads of microwires and offsets and the like, they weigh nothing and can go in lots of handy places.
4. On any pitches of 30m plus where you are very comfortable on the climbing low down extend the pro with slings or longer draws to reduce drag higher up.
5. If you are struggling to commit and you’ve a clear fallout zone, focus on breathing slowly, warn your belayer and commit to a sequence fast. Using a 3,2,1 countdown can help.
6. Speak to people who have done a lot at the grade to recommend a good one to start on or else risk listening to horror stories.
7. If you don’t like sport climbing start doing a little bit, most E5s are in the lower F7s and 50 % of climbing them is knowing you’re capable of getting up them. If you can’t climb F7a+ then stick to the slabby ones.
8. Go to Pembroke, there are so many down there, often with good or reasonable gear you’ll find one that inspires you. If you can’t do it look at another great one right next to it.
9. Go to Pembroke.
10. Be careful of Pete Whillance E5s

Caff's 100 Ace E5s

(* indicates a 'softie' - in Caff's eyes!)

The Risk Business

Peels of Laughter

First Night Nerves

Space Walk

*Trilogy

Pandoras Box

Cosmopolitan

Fear and Fascination

*Goosey Goosey Gander

Mirage

El Coronel

White Wand

Supernatural

*Rebel

London Wall

Shere Kahn

Adrenaline Rush

Green Death

The Almighty

Left Wall (Brimham)

Edge Lane

The Cumbrian

Wicked Willie

Strapadiotomy

Moonshine

Caricature

Track of the Cat

Long Kesh

*Right Wall

Cockblock

Red Ring

Bananas

Mangoletsi Direct

Sexual Salami

*Crimson Cruiser

King Wad

*The Cow

*Citadel

Groove of Horror

Central Sadness

Slipstream

Barbarella

Darkness at Noon

White Heat

Sachenring

*Creeping Flesh

Il Duce

Ziggurat

Evil Eye

West Face

Darkinbad the Brightdayler

Widespread Ocean of Fear

Pistolero

The Mask (Fairhead)

Supernova (Lundy)

High Performance

Womb Bits

Wall of Prey

Wrinkled Retainer

Supersonic

Golden Mile

Heart of Gold

Schittlegruber

Penal Servitude

Obelisk

Raging Bull

Trouble in Toytown
Cruise

*Bat out of Hell

Luke Skywalker

Shining Path

Poetry Pink

*Warpath

Hammerhead (stackpole)

Hunger

Dinosaur

*Connies Crack (crafnant)

**Bloodbank

Esk Ape

R'imsky Korsakov

*Run Fast, Run Free

Just Klingon

Ships that Pass in the Night

*Headhunter

*John Wayne

Cystitis by Proxy

Life in the Fast Lane

*Central Wall (blue scar)

Deliverance

Doubting Thomas

Chemin de Fer

Marathon Man

Cobalt Dream

Atomic Hot Rod

Cullinan (scafell)

*Tales of Yankee Power

Yellow Pearls

Minotaur

*Get Some In

Mother of Mercy