Franco Cookson establishes But Nothing Is Lost, E12 trad at Ben Loyal in Scotland

Eclectic British climber Franco Cookson has made the first ascent of But Nothing Is Lost, an extremely technical - and dangerous - two-pitch trad climb high on Ben Loyal, a beautiful 764m peak also known as the Queen of Scottish Mountains.

While the second pitch is no walkover at E5, it is the first pitch that packs the punch: a tenuous line leftwards protected with a mix of single mirco cams and skyhooks, past sketchy moves - read sidepulls, underclings, crimps, pockets... basically the entire repertoire in one natural, 35-metre sweep of pristine granite. The 32-year old has suggested E12 7a, making it the first E12 on British soil. Currently the only confirmed E12 is Bon Voyage, located at Annot in France and established by James Pearson in 2023.

Cookson started working the route 4 years ago and managed to link most of the climb while working it on a fixed line prior to the lead. Immediately after his successful ascent, he stated "The route is perfect, pure and simple and I struggle to think of many lines worldwide that are its equal", adding "This line was extremely harrowing, surpassing even the intensity of experience I had on Nothing Lasts 9 years ago - both in terms of the process of working the route beforehand, but most of all the lead, which was like nothing else I've ever experienced."

After finding the time to process the life-threating climb, Cookson eloquently elaborated on the intensity of the experience as follows "And as my body takes over once again, I know that this could go either way. The next holds are the biggest on the route, but they’re spread apart in powerful moves and my arms are zapped. Inside me the slurry of residual fear and lactic acid mix together with every ounch of rage I’ve ever felt, exploding from deep inside my lungs. To make noise whilst climbing is an afront to the climbing gods, but this time it feels right to shout in the face of this wall, at all the injustices this project has thrown my way, at all those moments of self hatred in the past, and at all the love I feel for this wall, and now perhaps, even for myself. I am alive on this face and in this moment. All that matters is this move, as easy as it normally is, this is now my absolute limit. This is as far as I could have gone: in Britain; in the mountains; in the months here; in the journey to a world of compelte isolation. But I am connected too. Things are not as they seem here and whilst I should be falling, my body is still moving upwards. Before I know it, I’m at the overlap, the ropes once again tearing out into the abyss in great arcs. I realise that perhaps that was the flow state, but now I am back. My feet are seventy moves in and still scrittling about, screaming for rest, swapping on dishes I cannot see. I can feel the great air below me, a certain fifty footer onto a single micro cam awaits even the slightest error and I know this, as I juggle the smallest cams on my rack into the first micro crack of the route. The placement is blind and I have to readjust my feet on improbable stemming smears to sneak a look. The cams take an age to seat and I’ve fallen off this gear placement many times on top rope. I know my only hope is to keep a constant force through my left leg, but the foothold is miniscule and out to the side. It demands confident movement, but confidence is the last emotion on my mind and I have to fake it well enough to trick myself. Thank god I’m a nutter, I think to myself on the fourth level of consciousness above my dancing body, with the third level aware that the second is lying to the first."

The first ascent was documented by Alastair Lee and will features in the annual Brit Rock Film Tour.

Cookson is sponsored by: Petzl, Montane, La Sportiva, Gekco Chalk

 

 

 

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