We are pleased to announce that Jamie Finlayson sent Silent Menace aka Smell the Glove (5.14c) yesterday. Jamie had been working the route along with Dreamcatcher throughout the summer despite some very hot weather. Here is Jamie’s instagram post after the send.
Silent Menace was originally a Jim Sanford bolt line that was later completed by Sonnie Trotter. At the time, the climb involved a huge dyno across a gap to a big jug to start the problem and rumour has it Sonnie didn’t even pre-clip the first bolt on the first ascent.
The route went through a dramatic change one summer when the jug flake at the beginning of the route fell off. The break substantially changed the route and was then re-climbed relatively quickly by Ben Harnden and dubbed Smell the Glove (the reference came from the movie ‘Spinal Tap’ if anyone is interested!). There has been much debate as to whether the breaking of a hold can change the name of a route.
Since then, the name seems to have reverted back to its original form. The route itself has now been sent by Ben Harnden, Sean McColl, Mike Foley, Jesse Warren, Adam Ondra, and Jamie Finlayson.
Here is a video of Jim Sanford explaining the first ascent and Mike Foley climbing on the rig.