Nail-biting moment British rock climber reaches 'improbable' peak despite slip

Edinburgh's own rock climbing sensation Robbie Philips, 34, has conquered the 'notorious' Great Arch on Pabbay in the Outer Hebrides, becoming only the second person to do so after Scottish climbing legend Dave McLeod.

Philips, one of the UK's elite climbers with a history of remarkable ascents globally, tackled the daunting 100m high steep rock face, which had previously been scaled just once before. Describing his epic ascent, Philips said: "The Great Arch lies on the edge of possibility for climbers."

He added: "The striking feature is the focal point of the island. It's also just improbable as a climb - that there's just enough holds to grab hold of and that the easiest way up is directly through the roof of the arch. When you climb through it, you're upside down looking out at the Atlantic towards North America."

The formidable climb was first attempted back in 1996 by Scottish climbing "pioneer" Dave Cuthbertson and the legendary Lynn Hill, who had conquered The Nose in Yosemite just a few years prior. Their attempt, part of the BBC documentary Extreme Climbs, ended dramatically when they fell, leaving viewers on a cliffhanger.

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Philips had initially planned to take on the challenge in June, but was thwarted by adverse weather conditions. The rock is notorious for its tricky conditions, including condensation and sea spray, making the climb even more treacherous, reports Edinburgh Live.

Phillips shared his climbing strategy saying: "You need the long days in the height of summer to give you the biggest window of daylight to attempt the climb.

"You also need the warm weather and sun to burn off any moisture on the rock. Due to the timing of our trip, we weren't able to start climbing until 2pm, leaving us only six hours to climb the entire wall before we lost the light."

Robbie Phillips and his climbing partner Jamie Lowther tackled a race against time as they aimed to summit before darkness descended. Despite numerous difficulties, Robbie triumphantly made it to the top in the dying light.

Capturing every pulse-racing moment of his climb on camera, including a terrifying slip where he was suspended above the ocean, Robbie described the critical junctures, expressing: "It's moments like this that can make or break a climber."

Recounting his cliff-hanging experience just before reaching the apex, he said: "By this point I was only 5m from the top of the climb, but the moves to get there were going to be exceptionally challenging. I was hanging off a colossal hollow flake of rock, that if it fell could cut my rope and take me with it."

"But if I was going to get to the top, I needed to give it my all without worrying about that."