[Stu Littlefair]

It can’t be 8b with the shorty beta.

Pah. That’s not the shorty beta. She can even reach the LH crimp with her foot on the ledge. Yet another hard climb lanked.

[shark]

Reckon you could do the Oak in sub 2 mins Shark?

I’m uncertain I can do the Oak at all but yes it’s around the 2 minute mark for doing it in two halves

[ali k]

It can’t be 8b with the shorty beta.

Pah. That’s not the shorty beta. She can even reach the LH crimp with her foot on the ledge. Yet another hard climb lanked.

Is it an all-points-off dyno to the LH crimp for true shorties?

[abarro81]

Looks better than Mecca

It is!

[Duma]

Reckon you could do the Oak in sub 2 mins Shark?

I’m uncertain I can do the Oak at all but yes it’s around the 2 minute mark for doing it in two halves

Interesting, I'm not familiar with the oak but its not dissimilar in length isn't it? Roz looks really smooth and fast in that footage, and you get lots of stick for climbing slowly so that surprises me

[ali k]

Reckon you could do the Oak in sub 2 mins Shark?

I’m uncertain I can do the Oak at all but yes it’s around the 2 minute mark for doing it in two halves

Interesting, I'm not familiar with the oak but its not dissimilar in length isn't it? Roz looks really smooth and fast in that footage, and you get lots of stick for climbing slowly so that surprises me

The Oak doesn't have a rest at half way to slow him down like Tuppence does (unless Shark is strong enough to shake at the horn?). That probably accounts for the timings?

[abarro81]

Also worth noting that Malham is a harder place to climb fast on the whole than somewhere like ansteys, at least from my memory

[shark]

Interesting, I'm not familiar with the oak but its not dissimilar in length isn't it? Roz looks really smooth and fast in that footage, and you get lots of stick for climbing slowly so that surprises me

I’ve worked at climbing faster but some  people are slow to change their preconceptions. Roz looks faster though looks like there are a lot less foot moves

[Wood FT]

Much easier to climb fast as Ansteys. Apples and Oranges.

[remus]

Jim pope has done The Boss, Ned's 8B+ that he put up last year.

[moose]

Interesting, I'm not familiar with the oak but its not dissimilar in length isn't it? Roz looks really smooth and fast in that footage, and you get lots of stick for climbing slowly so that surprises me

I’ve worked at climbing faster but some  people are slow to change their preconceptions. Roz looks faster though looks like there are a lot less foot moves

Rest assured that no matter how slow people think you climb, I climb even slower!  I don't climb my ascents as I lack the necessary mastery of time-lapse photography. 

[monkey boy]

Jim pope has done The Boss, Ned's 8B+ that he put up last year.

James Noble also did this on Saturday.

[Duncan campbell]

Is it still considered the hardest problem on grit? Getting a right smashing in at the moment!

[Ross Barker]

I think there's some beta Ned didn't use, which coincidentally uses a hold on softer part of the rock that seems to have improved a bit. That's the gist I got from one of Nathan Phillips' posts and I think Ned made a post here at be some point with a few similar words

[remus]

Thought I’d add my bit on The Boss, for the sake of clarity.

I’m so pleased it’s seen some attention, repeats, and generally good feedback from people.

I went up there the other day for the first time since I climbed it. I was intrigued to see this “spike” undercut, and look at the sequence that uses it. I remember that hold to be a poor 2-and-a-bit finger tooth that faced in a pretty unhelpful direction. Ben Bransby and I discussed using it when we were figuring out the moves. But we sacked it off as it was such a poor hold. As well as nasty and quite friable. 



I was surprised to find the “spike” hold has become a fair bit better since then.  Now it’s possible to fit 4 fingers behind it, and the good bit of the hold points in a much more useful direction - as Dan noticed, it allows compression between the arête and the spike, which wasn’t really possible before. Hence the odd backwards toe hook and tension sequence that I came up with and Billy also used.

Just to be very clear, I’m not pointing any fingers here. The rock in that roof is pretty crappy in places and it would only take some scrubbing, or prodding around with the end of a bush to excavate some of the soft bits of rock, opening up the handhold. But the hold is definitely different to when I climbed the problem last year.

Of course it’s a bit disappointing that hold has changed. I think it spoils the character and the quality of the climbing on that problem. But that is unfortunately the nature of living in Britain and having to sometimes climb on some average quality rock.

I can’t really comment on the grade of The Boss beyond what I originally said. It felt hard. Regarding grades in general though, grit is a funny one. I don’t think we have a benchmark for “8b” on Peak grit. Do we?

The Ace - Holds have improved, generally considered a bit easy.
Voyager - Was considered a bit easy, but now it’s broken and harder.

There are a few others but they can’t really be considered benchmarks as they don’t get done much. It’s all very confusing.

That’s all,
Ned

[shark]

Couple of Boss snippets.

The improved undercut that Ned didn’t use has been reinstated/repaired so it’s now the original size and also less likely to snap off.

James and Jim used the (smaller) undercut for their ascents. Jim’s ascent only took him an hour 

[Teaboy]

If trad headpointing is your thing then this E9 repeat by a 15 year old in the N York Moors is pretty interesting (and terrifying) sounding. Here’s the ascent:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CNp2GA8jWG5/?igshid=1wen0z3adausu
And here’s the route:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/kay_nest-8400/divine_moments_of_truth-151271#overview

[Wellsy]

Faaaackin ell that's quite the horrific looking route, what an effort

[remus]

Bit of sleuthing based on UKC logbooks so not 100% sure, but I think Jim Pope has onsighted Nick Dixon's Une Jeune Fille Quatre Vingt Dix Ans (E8) at Nesscliffe. I think this is the first onsight of the route.

[Wood FT]

What an all-rounder. I wonder if he has flashed/onsighted all the 8s? (8A,8a and E8)

[Fiend]

Calling of the sandstone!!

[ali k]

I think Jim Pope has onsighted Nick Dixon's Une Jeune Fille Quatre Vingt Dix Ans (E8) at Nesscliffe. I think this is the first onsight of the route.

A flash would be impressive, but if this is a proper onsight then that's amazing. IIRC it's really techy and easy to fluff at the top.

[shark]

I think Jim Pope has onsighted Nick Dixon's Une Jeune Fille Quatre Vingt Dix Ans (E8) at Nesscliffe. I think this is the first onsight of the route.

Is that the one in his recent video?

[tomtom]

Calling of the sandstone:

Grit: Lime: Sandstone = more than three 😱😱😱

Does not compute Does not compute Does not compute

The Cheshire sandstone has been in great nic since restrictions lifted. Bracken has not come out yet (cold weather must be delaying it).

[ali k]

Bracken has not come out yet (cold weather must be delaying it).

I've been to Caley a few times recently and noticed this. That and the trees not leafing up yet means it feels really open and sunny. Everything's chalked and clean...it feels like font!