British climbing maverick Johnny Dawes is a self-described “long-term friction addict.” He was also the first climber on the planet to break into the E8 and E9 (extremely severe) climbing grades in the 1980s. Johnny enjoys pioneering climbs on grit, slate, rhyoilite, granite and, if he must, limestone. On-site ascents (climbing a route sight-unseen without weighting or falling on the rope) are his specialty. He has made a number of films and claims to have evolved into “a metaphysical explorer,” on-siting, as it were, in the next dimension. He loves racing cars, dancing, fluffy toys and black beans.