Hardest 'Truly Traditional' Lead?

What ascent (either a single pitch or big wall) do you think qualifies as the hardest traditional style send (NOT the hardest route done on gear)? There's many sources keeping track of the hardest leads done on gear, but TR soloing a line into submission for months before a lead burn hardly fits the character of 'trad climbing' in the stylistic sense. I'm talking trad routes (not glorified highballs) done ground up with limited pre-inspection and negligible hangdogging.

What, in your book, takes the cake for most impressive lead in this style? Big wall? Single Pitch?

Funnily enough, I bet a lot of hard DWS sends qualify unless you explicitly require the use of trad gear, which for the sake of discussion let's impose.

Whichever trad lead is having the most fun

Is your question the hardest onsight on gear or do ground up ascents of El Cap count despite hangdogging during the push?

Adam Ondra nearly onsighting the Salathe Wall is probably up there even if he fell.

One definition of "truly trad" is first ascent, ground up.  

Israel R wrote:

Is your question the hardest onsight on gear or do ground up ascents of El Cap count despite hangdogging during the push?

Adam Ondra nearly onsighting the Salathe Wall is probably up there even if he fell.

Either onsight or a few goes, especially if there was no rehearsal (IE no plugging a bomber piece at the crux, yelling take, and rehearsing the move).

I'd wager some of Will Moss's recent sends must be up there...barely college age and already on a tear. 

The Eternal Flame OS from Jacobo and Babsi is probably the best style of any big wall ever, right? 2000' 13a alpine big wall completely onsight by both parties? 

If you are talking ground-up first ascent, "Live at Leads" .13a (Big Green, NC) by Jeep Gaskin comes to mind as an east coast option

Connor Herson's OS 2nd ascent of Prayer for a Friend, 14a, in the Enchantments, summer 2024. Hasn't seen much hype or reporting, but 5.14a crack onsight in a backcountry alpine environment is fairly unmatched. 

https://www.instagram.com/connor.herson/p/DBE9fPOTmZ3/?hl=en

----

See also this list:

https://climbing-history.org/list/29/hard-trad-onsights-and-flashes

Yuji on the Salathè was pretty BA

Rob Dillon wrote:

Yuji on the Salathè was pretty BA

X2

Jim Reynolds’s solo of Cerro Chaltén. 

Kevin DeWeese wrote:

You're searching for a pure trad style climb when your definition of pure involves words like, "negligible" and "limited"? Enjoy the results of shooting your own thread in the foot from the jump.  

I’m plenty happy with people's responses so far, but thanks for the negativity. “Pure” is putting words in my mouth. I left wiggle room because IMO it’s more so a continuum of style in many regards (hell, yo-yoing was kosher for like 20 years before hangdogging and it wouldn’t even count as a valid lead today).

Maybe this question, though fundamentally the same as my original post, makes you happier:
“What's the hardest climb on (non-preplaced) gear that wasn’t rehearsed to death first?”

Amity and Brett doing Pineapple Express (13b/c, 25 pitches) ground up deserves mention. 

Mari flashing Belly Full of Bad Berries was also sick.

Hi Matt,  I just wanted to say I think your OP is pretty well done, and this is an interesting topic. I am not trying to argue with Kevin DeWeese. I never met him, but I do, or did know some of the people he has climbed with. He is obviously very skilled and very accomplished over a long period of time. I respect his opinion. I was familiar with many Valley top climbers that preceded him, and even climbed with a few of them. Even the hard core purist  TRADitionalists of that time sometimes, somewhere along the way, allowed themselves some "wiggle" room. Or at least the ones I knew best. During my 25 year active period I was very conscious of style and had my own rules of engagement. That is, or at least was, one of the great beauties of mountaineering activities. I also on a few occasions broke my own rules.  It is personal. It can be a statement. It should be what feels right. 

I also have no problem with people having different rules of engagement. But when people are disrespectful of the rich traditional history most of the major rock climbing areas in the US have, that kinda gets my hackles up. Respect is a 2 way street. 

I hope to see more examples of top flight trad climbing performance here. It will fill in the big blank area of history that developed for me the last 25 years. Just curious, that's all. 

Peter Croft's onsight first ascent of The Shadow (13a) isn't the hardest or biggest route, but I love the style and the story of the FA. Plus, I'm not sure if anyone else has onsighted it, although I know plenty of pros have tried.

Not too hard, but Greg Cameron's FFA OS solo of Pipeline (1979) in Squamish always seemed impressive, if we're counting gear-less trad climbing.

Does Lynn Hill freeing The Nose count?

I mean it was pretty rehearsed but also one of the most groundbreaking moments in climbing history.

I have trouble not thinking of it as truly traditional at least.

Who knows, but I know most of us will never be able to do it no matter how many times we could practice.

No even close to the hardest but Derek Hersey’s fa of to rp or not to be was pretty rad 

Anything happening on Czech sandstone 

Bachar Yerian on west face

Joseph Noble wrote:

Bachar Yerian on west face

Obviously untrue. Bacher drilled while hanging on hooks, which makes it an aid climb. He said himself the grade should be 5.11 A0 or whatever

Maybe not the hardest ever, but Babsi just flashed Freerider and that seems about as legit as hard bigwall free climbing can get. 

https://gripped.com/news/babsi-zangerl-makes-history-with-flash-of-el-cap/