John Welford Repeats Samson (Read 11082 times)

Paul B · April 18, 2006, 11:13:11 am

full story here:

http://www.planetfear.com/news_detail.asp?n_id=5712

Fiend · April 18, 2006, 11:30:55 am

Woot! More exciting news than my poor little brain can keep up with...

Guess that's cleared up then - Jerry wasn't far off the mark doing it without cams in Goliath. Looks pretty highball to me though!

tommytwotone · April 18, 2006, 12:02:08 pm

and one of the most inspiring photos I've seen in a while as well!

Ru · April 18, 2006, 12:32:05 pm

Photos look good. Worth pointing out that this isn't the first repeat, it got done a while ago, the other ascentionist said font 7c+?

Nigel · April 18, 2006, 12:38:56 pm

Quote from: Fiend on April 18, 2006, 11:30:55 am

Woot! More exciting news than my poor little brain can keep up with...

Guess that's cleared up then - Jerry wasn't far off the mark doing it without cams in Goliath. Looks pretty highball to me though!

I thought Jerry did use cams in Goliath, despite writing an article to the contrary??? Question?

Nice one John

Nibile · April 18, 2006, 01:03:21 pm

wow.
respect to tha man.
ive met him in meschia many years ago, and by his attitude id never told he was and is top notch.
then he started climbing...

Fiend · April 18, 2006, 01:30:35 pm

Quote from: Ru on April 18, 2006, 12:32:05 pm

Photos look good. Worth pointing out that this isn't the first repeat, it got done a while ago, the other ascentionist said font 7c+.

Well that's all very well but if no-one bloody says anything....the usual secretive malarkey eh.

Some might say that if this "other ascentionist" didn't want to claim it at the time then he equally shouldn't claim it now...

Good photo though!

Dude · April 18, 2006, 02:10:06 pm

Sweet, was out a while ago having a go at Aand B and wondered when someone was going to knock the 2nd as. Nice one

account_inactive · April 18, 2006, 02:24:21 pm

Ok, I'll ask...........

who did the second ascent

tommytwotone · April 18, 2006, 02:36:08 pm

Quote from: Nigel on April 18, 2006, 12:38:56 pm

Quote from: Fiend on April 18, 2006, 11:30:55 am
Woot! More exciting news than my poor little brain can keep up with...

Guess that's cleared up then - Jerry wasn't far off the mark doing it without cams in Goliath. Looks pretty highball to me though!

I thought Jerry did use cams in Goliath, despite writing an article to the contrary??? Question?

Nice one John

could have sworn that I read in an old copy of OTE that Jerry used a cam, but in the big flared pocket. If my memory serves, the article said the cam was tested with a fall and very nearly came out.

mark · April 18, 2006, 04:08:17 pm

Quote from: Nibile on April 18, 2006, 01:03:21 pm

wow.
respect to tha man.
ive met him in meschia many years ago, and by his attitude id never told he was and is top notch.
then he started climbing...

Ah ha! Were you the guy we met wearing a Foundry shirt? I was out there with John and Bubba.

andy_e · April 18, 2006, 06:29:26 pm

waddage!

It says 1995 route... I thought he did it after Hard Grit was filmed?

Nigel · April 18, 2006, 08:47:16 pm

Quote from: tommytwotone on April 18, 2006, 02:36:08 pm

Quote from: Nigel on April 18, 2006, 12:38:56 pm
Quote from: Fiend on April 18, 2006, 11:30:55 am
Woot! More exciting news than my poor little brain can keep up with...

Guess that's cleared up then - Jerry wasn't far off the mark doing it without cams in Goliath. Looks pretty highball to me though!

I thought Jerry did use cams in Goliath, despite writing an article to the contrary??? Question?

Nice one John

could have sworn that I read in an old copy of OTE that Jerry used a cam, but in the big flared pocket. If my memory serves, the article said the cam was tested with a fall and very nearly came out.

This is the "article to the contrary" that I meant. It is in an old OTE and in it he claims to have done it with just that naff looking flared cam, but I swear blind someone who was there has told me he had a high bit of gear in Goliath itself? Can't remember who it was though. Woooo, chinese whispers! Not that it matters anyway. I agree with Welford's solo, these days it makes more sense to pad stuff out and highball it, in the end you can achieve more stuff in better style, with less faff.

dave · April 18, 2006, 10:05:26 pm

Quote from: andi_e on April 18, 2006, 06:29:26 pm

waddage!

It says 1995 route... I thought he did it after Hard Grit was filmed?

it was done years before hard grit, hence why it appeared as a route with a name and grade and not as a project. he was only toproping it as understandably he probably didn't want to go back and lead it again for the vid.

effort to welfizzle. who got the 2nd ascizzle then Rupizzle?

tommytwotone · April 18, 2006, 10:11:08 pm

Quote from: dave on April 18, 2006, 10:05:26 pm

Quote from: andi_e on April 18, 2006, 06:29:26 pm
waddage!

It says 1995 route... I thought he did it after Hard Grit was filmed?

it was done years before hard grit, hence why it appeared as a route with a name and grade and not as a project. he was only toproping it as understandably he probably didn't want to go back and lead it again for the vid.

effort to welfizzle. who got the 2nd ascizzle then Rupizzle?

plus he ties up his laces midway through the crux on hard grit and all.

bugger i'm sad.

dave · April 18, 2006, 10:35:02 pm

yeah he clearly had it wired. in the same way katz changed his boots for the topout on mr fantastic.

dobbin · April 18, 2006, 10:57:28 pm

who was that? is this a 3rd ascent?

jonas · April 19, 2006, 08:10:57 am

I must say that these adjective grades are way confusing. For a well rounded experienced climber, which is harder to onsight/flash: "End of the Affair", E8, or Samson, E7, say? Or am I comparing apples and oranges?

Fiend · April 19, 2006, 08:50:05 am

Well given the relative danger of climbing EOTA as is, and Samson with cams in Goliath, EOTA would be considered harder overall as it's more dangerous so a lot more confidence / self-belief / etc would be required, and the consequences of screwing up are a lot more serious.

Nibile · April 19, 2006, 04:04:32 pm

Quote from: mark on April 18, 2006, 04:08:17 pm

Quote from: Nibile on April 18, 2006, 01:03:21 pm
wow.
respect to tha man.
ive met him in meschia many years ago, and by his attitude id never told he was and is top notch.
then he started climbing...

Ah ha! Were you the guy we met wearing a Foundry shirt? I was out there with John and Bubba.

heh,
if i remember clearly, i was wearing a cragX.com shirt!!!!!!
anyway, if its you ive met, nice to hear from you again!!!!
you remember that problem down the hioll called "aspettando che..." that i couldnt finish...well i was thinking it will still be here next time, but then...the owner shut down the place, and my tick is lost...
you have to send when youre there.
there can be no other time...

mark · April 21, 2006, 01:02:36 pm

Yup, I remember Aspetando Che. I remember flailing at the finishing jug many times but never hitting it. Great shame it's now off limits.

LongMonkey · April 22, 2006, 11:44:26 am

John is certainly on fire at the moment! Amazing effort

cowboyhat · April 23, 2006, 01:57:01 pm

So, who did the second ascent then?

Buoux 8C · April 27, 2006, 07:01:44 pm

Just been persuaded by young Rupert (whom, coincidentally, is training to become a barrister) to confirm that i made the 2nd ascent of samsom approximately 12 months ago. It was bouldered with 2 pads, unfortuanately after top rope practice (it is easily ground upable for those with sufficent talent). i thought font 7c+, Welford thinks 8a. So theirs a guideline.

Just goes to show how media speculation can make a route sound un-onsightable (is their such a word), when, in fact it's fairly straight forward.

Pantontino · April 27, 2006, 08:33:24 pm

Nice one Rich, you've just won me Â£100! I managed to get the bookies on Llanberis High Street to give me 5-1 odds with a Â£20 bet on it being you.

Shame about the Â£10 I bet on Grimer, but the 10,000,000-1 odds were hard to resist (and he told me had been training hard and had stopped eating crisps).