Needle Sports Market Share Analysis for June 2026

{Image:Main} Needle Sports is named after Napes Needle, a prominent rock pinnacle, some 20 metres high, situated amongst the Napes Crags on the southern flank of Great Gable, a mountain in the heart of the English Lake District. Napes Needle was first climbed (solo) by Walter Parry Haskett Smith in June 1886, an ascent considered by many authorities to mark the birth of rock climbing as a sport in its own right. Today the original route of ascent via the Wasdale Crack (as seen in the photo right) is graded Hard Severe. The Arête follows the right-hand edge and is the least sustained route of ascent, though it too ends up with some hard moves at the top (above the Shoulder) where it joins the Wasdale Crack route and is also graded Hard Severe. The final moves onto the summit block are the most trying, although manufacturing an adequate belay and descending in safety requires considerably more mountaineering acumen than the ascent (see below)! Although easy by the standard of modern test pieces, an ascent of Napes Needle will always remain a memorable day in any climber's career. {Image:Image 1} How to Get Down off Napes Needle in Ten Easy Lessons (and survive to the tale!) NB: These notes are intended to assist the climber who has already gained some knowledge of rock climbing and is fully aware of its risks but still wishes to progress further up the grades, and indeed the mountains. They are brief and not designed to be comprehensive in any way. Ultimately climbing is a dangerous sport and claims many casualties each year. One of the guiding principals of British climbing and m