[Johnny Brown]

Just seen the pic in Climber as it happens, Ryan does look to be making every inch count.

[Will Hunt]

Maybe we are at the mercy of Climb playing the 'exclusive' game again.

i can see simmonite at the top of the crag now, cigar in corner of mouth, canon in one hand, sniper rifle in the other, taking potshots at any chavs turning up who look like they've got a cameraphone.

Can somebody who is better with photoshop than I please create a picture of a youthful and confused looking Keenus with Simmonite and M.Ryan whispering in his ears a la Wormtounge and King Theoden?

[David S]

Hi everyone, sorry to disappoint but no exclusive, no nothing, with no pressure or anything. Just a nice chilled day out and some nice pics to boot. I've only just had chance to get to a computer and sort them out. You never know, I may even stick some on t'web.

An awesome effort from James and then we went to Shipley Glen.

Oh yeh and smoking's bad for you

[SA Chris]

Oh yeh and smoking's bad for you

Not as bad as actually being on fire though.

[Bonjoy]

Good work yoot. Monster!

[JohnH]

Effort! 

[emily]

http://jamespearsonclimbing.blogspot.com/
a few words from jp on what its like to be on top of a fiesty yorkshire lass. 

[chillax]

Ooh err....
Good work!

[craic-head]

Great effort JP.

'To pad or not to pad'.
Who cares? It's a blind alley.
You can't un-invent pads. They are a fact of climbing life- you might as well argue against chalk these days.

[grimer]

James' pads thing is reminiscent of another old route. Years ago, Andy Pollitt was trying to resist the onset of redpointing in Britain as it threatened the established British yo-yo method. When he did the first ascent of Chimes of Freedom at the Tor, every time he fell off, he lowered back down to the ground. I think it took him about seven days to eventually do it in this style. After, Jerry and Martin Atkinson worked it and did it in a session.

Is this true, any of you older timers out there?

[Jaspersharpe]

Yeah I remember that story. Seems totally bonkers now!

[dave]

I think the not-using-pads thing is a lot more valid than most people give credit for. its not like just saying you're not going to use cams. big pad stacks assume that you're climbing in a big team. lets not forget everyone owns a set of cams and they fit in your bag. most people only own 1 or 2 pads, so generally all the talk of "these routes are safe with pads" assume that whenever you want to go and do your route you've also got a dozen mates all with the same idea. this ain't always going to be the case, and hence its just not practical to carry a dozen mats to the crag on your own or with one mate, not forgetting that owning a dozen pads is going to cost you the top side of a grand. headpointing new routes mat-free is still going to have a place.

[nik at work]

If people want to do mat free ascents, ground-up sport routes then they can. In just the same way as people can headpoint, use stacks of pads and dog routes. It doesn't matter, people should just be honest about what they have done.
To discount one or two of these different styles as ridiculous is, well, ridiculous. They are all equally silly and pointless. After all "there's an easy path to the top round the side here mate"....


And back on topic, bon effort James.

[Stubbs]

When a good friend of mine decided he was ready to throw himself off the top of Snap Decision, me and another friend managed to collect 8 pads together for the landing with not too much bother on the morning of the ascent (or descent).  I find it hard to believe that peeps in Sheff couldn't ring around and secure the lend of as many pads as they thought they required for a project without too much sweat.

Amazing bit of rock, great effort James.

[north_country_boy]

You make the most of what you have. If you have access or mates have access to lots of pads, you use them.......if not you don't. simple.

Jerry was doing this years ago on stuff, its just that he happended to own a shit load of big blue mats!! Technology changes, move with the times. I for one find it exciting and inspiring to think what is possible in the future with pads....


Great effort on the route James!

[cofe]

was talking to jerry briefly about pads the other day in the context of ulysses. can't remember specifically what he said but the gist was that if he was doing ulysses now he'd use pads. times are changing. you still couldn't pad out indian face though. it's horses for courses. 

echo that NCB - if you want to get hold of some extra pads for something you certainly can, no bother. 

great effort ryan and james.

[northern yob]

can everyone get a grip re- not using pads.... if a new bit of gear comes out everyone will use it! ( or we really are stupid) any non brit reading this is going to think we have lost it!! perhaps we have!! at this rate they are going to be changing our grading system for us!! lets use all available equipment to make dangerous routes as safe as possible, since that is the whole concept of trad climbing. And maybe even start giving things realistic grades, then all these sport climbig chumps will stop trying to fuck with us.

[Pantontino]

James' pads thing is reminiscent of another old route. Years ago, Andy Pollitt was trying to resist the onset of redpointing in Britain as it threatened the established British yo-yo method. When he did the first ascent of Chimes of Freedom at the Tor, every time he fell off, he lowered back down to the ground. I think it took him about seven days to eventually do it in this style. After, Jerry and Martin Atkinson worked it and did it in a session.

Is this true, any of you older timers out there?

I think it was longer than seven days - I recall something ridiculous like 13. He was wearing bad (as in so bad, they were good) tights too. I've got an old copy of High packed away somewhere with the pics.

[grimer]

I remember a pic of Basher repeating it in an awful pair of black lycra with patterns on them.

Andy wrote a couple of amazing articles at the time, one was about a summer he had doing lots of limestone at Pen Trwyn, Raven Tor, Malham, Castell y Gwynet and routes on North Stack wall. He seemed to do shit loads of really high standard stuff.

Someone point an Off Topic gun at me.

[dave]

[grimer]

Ahhh got me...

[Baron]

I still fill my trousers above pads. A ground fall is a ground fall. Well done boys.

[Johnny Brown]

Amen to that Baron. The most sense spoken in a long time.

[shurt]

there is some interesting footage of JP on gerty b on the hotaches blog...

[Fiend]

of him falling off a lot practising - good reference video to see what it's like.


P.S. I fill my pants a *LOT* more without pads down.