Dún Briste sea stack, second ascent by Iain Miller and Paulina Kaniszewska

The Dún Briste sea stack is one of the most famous landmarks in Ireland. Located approximately 80 meters off Downpatrick Head on the island’s north coast, the sea stack became detached from the rest of Ireland in 1393 as a result of high seas. Dún Briste means The Broken Fort and remains of a building dating back to 1300's are still situated on the summit. While a helicopter landed on it in 1980, it was first climbed in 1990 by Nikki Duggan, Mick Fowler and Steve Sustad and since then it is believed to have no repeats due to the extremely rough North Atlantic Ocean.

After studying the swells on three separate occasions, on 27/08/2016 Ireland’s Iain Miller teamed up with Paulina Kaniszewsk, paddled across the calm seas in small inflatable dingy and then climbed the 63m high stack. Although the plan had been to repeat the original route up the north face, they opted for a new line up the West Face which was climbed in two difficult, dangerous and adventurous pitches.

For a complete report about the ascent check out www.uniqueascent.ie