[Jonboy]

Not that I'am taking any notice of grades too much but I was flicking through this months coppy of the Edge, and saw a route this guy was doing, a f8b+, it was not technical climbing but he was using just a rope and extenders goin up a bolted route.
Is this called sport climbing or soloing?  and are the routes graded by bouldering grades (f8b+)?, do alot of boulderers do these routes as they may seem as an extension of problems?
Dont want sound like a freak but when i was having a look at the bouldering grades (sport grade traverse,font bouldering grade etc) :? it just confused me a bit  as the grades seem similiar to the route I just explained above (f8b+).
   Sorry if this is a stupid question but I'am still quite new to this game.

[Bubba]

Not seeen the photo in question but an 8b+ route is well hard and would probably involve some pretty technical climbing somewhere along the way!

This would be sport climbing - ie climbing routes for the sport as opposed to the adventure, and virtually always relying on fixed protection (pegs/bolts/in-situ threads/etc) as opposed to using nuts/friends etc.

Soloing is just the act of climbing on your own. This could either be free climbing or aid climbing, and it may or may not involve being protected by ropes and gear. That said, most of the time in the UK, soloing refers to free-climbing with no ropes.

Although the sports grades appear similar to Fontainbleau bouldering grades (and the rather daft traversing grades), they are not related.

Many boulderers climb routes too, though personally I've not done a route myself for years. You're right though, some sport routes are just extended boulder problems.

[Jim]

Not forgetting that some boulder problem traverses are given sport route grades, just to confuse you even more

[dave]

jonboy, i don't get what you're on about (not having seen the mag) but f8b+ is a french sport grade, not a font grade.

[dobbin]

now then dave lad! jonboys must be new to the 'oldest game in the world' and not have realised that Font8a and F8a are succinctly different. Bubba's explanation is concise and explains the differences between sport climbing and other forms, I think jonboy means that he's seen the route graded as F8b+ and taken that to mean Font 8b+ - which it doesn't!

The difference between F8b+ and Font8b+ is that the latter is a grade relating to a boulder problem and the former a route.

[dave]

Aaaay-men to that brutha! Testify!

[dobbin]

oh and routes are evil and only werthers original touting stamina freaks actually do them. Believe

[hongkongstuey]

The difference between F8b+ and Font8b+ is that the latter is a grade relating to a boulder problem and the former a route.

and which ever way you look at it, they're both bloody hard!

[Jonboy]

Nice 1 lads, your right dobbin, Bubba gave me the answers I was looking for in the different forms of climbing and grades in which I got slightly mixed up.
The picture in question is a sports climb, and yeah it looks solid

While we are on the subject, after comming back from some bouldering last weekend down in  Rothersalde on the Gower, I was doing some problems by the cove around to the right.  When I got back I had a look at the website www.swbg.co.uk and it showed 1 of the problems i was doing continueing where i was stopping and carrying on to a greater height of easierly 20foot plus.
A long way to drop if you slip and I thought although I might have a crack at it I would prefer a bolted route up it (as it would only suit fixed protection) with rope and extenders just to be safer and give me more confidence.
Now would that still be bouldering or would it be classed as sport climbing?
  :?:

[Bubba]

The line between boulder problems and routes can sometimes get blurred....is it a very high boulder problem or a small route? The term that has been coined for such problems is the American term "Highball".

On gritstone (mainly because of the height of the edges) there are many such climbs. What could be lead with gear as a route could be bouldered out as a highball if you had a few pads and good spotters.

Regarding the Gower problem you're talking about - if you're going to go for it use a mat and spotter if you can to stop you busting your ankles if you blow it! If it's too scary then leave it for another day....

[dobbin]

you should write a book Bubs...

[Bubba]

I know, I'm just wasted in IT <sigh>