[andy_e]

It's a shit-hole, wallis.

[Ru]

I think Huber just did Om redcross style.

[Kingy]

I've just found this Supertopo article on google about Om:

The 15-meter crux section begins at 22 meters (5.13a up to here), opening with one of the climb's three crux moves, on bad sidepulls and pockets. More unrelenting bouldering worked up to an undercling, then the holds ran out and the next stretch shut him down cold. It was a body-length blank section in the middle of 50 feet of continuous 5.12 and 5.13 moves....after over two weeks on just this move, figured out the precise foot smears and body position that would allow him to use every centimeter of his arm span, and hit the next poor hold with an explosive undercling throw. "If you see this in action it is hard to believe," says Zak. No rest, bad holds, and 10 more moves led to the final crux, a high-step dyno between sloping edges. On redpoint, it was impossible for Huber to chalk or clip on the crux section. He waited for cool, dry conditions, and accepted the repeated 40-foot falls. Huber finally linked all this together in 1992, along with the final 12 meters of8a to the anchors and, after 30 days of work, redpointed Om. He's since done four other routes of 8c+, or German XI, and feels that Om is hard for the grade.

[robertostallioni]

Martha Focker.

[jwi]

I was talking about the way Huber climbed some of his FA's as he described it in the mags at the time.

Redcrossing only caught on in Preston. I'm fairly sure Ondra isn't from Preston.

Are you absolutely sure?  I red every issue of Rotpunkt at that time, and Huber was quite active in the debate about what constitute a redpoint, but he never mentioned this practice.  Klem Loskot, on the other hand, did a few topropes a bit later.

[shark]

Pretty sure. It was a feature in I think OTE at the time - a round up of Huber's achievements - which . I have had a quick look thru my old mags but can't find it. Its the only time I have seen or heard reference to redcross and so I can't think I imagined it.

[Ru]

I'm pretty sure it was just Om that was redcrossed. It would be pretty much impossible to red cross stuff like Weisse Rose as it starts up White Winds a a steep 25m 8a+, has a rest on a ledge then climbs out of a roof to a crux on the lip. Same with Open Air.

[shark]

But that contradicts Heinz Zaks' report that Ted (Kingy) pasted above. Wish I could get my hands on that article. Its an annoying tune in my head.

[Kingy]

But that contradicts Heinz Zaks' report that Ted (Kingy) pasted above.

Hi folks, here is the source of my pasted text above, to avoid confusion: 

Climbing Magazine #154 – August/September 1995
Power To Waste
By Jeff Achey
Photos by Heinz Zak

It appeared in an article entitled 'Power To Waste - Huber Frees The Salathe' which was embedded within the Supertopo climbers forum. a Yankee site. As you can see, the author was a Jeff Achey and Heinz Zak merely took a few photos and commented briefly. Here is the web link:

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=670752

Looking forward to this OTE article Simon!

Kingy (Ted)

[Ru]

But that contradicts Heinz Zaks' report that Ted (Kingy) pasted above. Wish I could get my hands on that article. Its an annoying tune in my head.

Yes, I have that article. OTE 45. It says that he redcrossed Om.

[Kingy]

The 15-meter crux section begins at 22 meters (5.13a up to here), opening with one of the climb's three crux moves, on bad sidepulls and pockets.

Intriguing stuff. Thinking about it, I don't think the OTE and Climbing article necessarily contradict each other. If Huber redcrossed the first 22 meters of 7c+ then, as I said above, I don't really give a damn as a 9a/+ climber would have been more than capable of downclimbing that kind of ground...Christ, I could probably downclimb it!! However, if he had higher bolts than this pre-clipped then we might have to get the ethics committee to look into it!  I don't have the OTE article to hand so I don't know what it says but if it does say that he had bolts pre-clipped above the crux section(s) then I really don't know whether to believe this Jeff Achey chap or OTE....

[stevie haston]

hello, theres a bit more detail on the breakdown of the route in a mini interview on Kairn. Sounds very hard, very surprised that this could be done so long ago. route looks good. Kingy are you in germany? Stevie.

[Kingy]

Yeah agreed it was a stellar performance for 1996, I remember reading about it in the mags at the time and I think on t'interweb, which had just been invented!

Kingy are you in germany? Stevie.

No, I just have a rather obsessive interest in hard routes like this....just wish I could climb 'em!!