New British Dry Tooling record set by Emma Powell

Ice climber and dry tooler, Emma Powell, has set a new record by becoming the first British woman to complete a D12 graded climb in the UK, after she successfully navigated the ‘Guardians of the Underworld’ route at renowned dry tooling venue The Works, at Hodge Close Quarry in the Lake District.

Yorkshire-based athlete Emma Powell successfully ticked her ongoing project, Guardians of the Underworld, on Sunday 29th May after months of working the route. The climb, which is located at The Works, Hodge Close Quarry, is one of the hardest routes at the venue, and indeed in the U.K. In completing it Emma has become the first British woman to have ever climbed the grade D12 in the U.K.

Emma cut her climbing teeth on Yorkshire Grit with her Dad when she was seven, going from strength to strength, and over the past eight years transitioned into ice climbing and dry tooling too. Dry tooling is a form of mixed climbing, using specialised axes and crampons to gain purchase on often steep or overhanging rock. It requires a tremendous amount of strength and is also an effective means for training technique and stamina for arduous ice and rock routes. The once-esoteric climbing discipline has increased in popularity in recent years, and numerous indoor dry tooling venues and clubs have sprung up across the UK.