Video: Robbie Phillips climbs bold highball 'Dead on Arrival' at Back Bowden Doors, UK

Bowden Doors is one of the best crags in Northumberland, and among its finest — and boldest — routes must be the ominously named Dead on Arrival. First ascended by Tony Lickes in the early 2000s, it had seen only one repeat — on the very same day, as it happens — until Scotland’s Robbie Phillips mustered the courage a fortnight ago.

The slab essentially has no holds, and after practising the moves on toprope, Phillips decided to solo it. Lickes had originally climbed it as a trad route, placing gear low down on the side and without any crash pads, which Phillips believes is an even bolder style. Following his ascent, the Scot remarked, "On the wall, I was in a state of flow and bliss. It was wonderful! I have rarely felt so calm and so focussed."

Phillips had already repeated two other nearby climbs in the same style, Peak Technique (E6 6b) and Savage Slab (Direct Finish) (E6 6b), but felt Dead on Arrival was significantly more committing. In any case, he concluded, "the grade doesn’t do it justice either, as it’s pure friction climbing."