[Sloper]

I've always thought that Font grades in the UK were well, generous to the point of dishonesty and no more so than in the peak.

I can't think of anything that is under graded and virtually everything that is sub 7a is just silly, I know it's a stuck record but does anyone think that strawberries is within a grade of l angle jean luc?

What would Science Friction get if it was at the plantation?

Well, come on let's be having you and your opinions.

Personally I've spent over a year climbing in the forest.

[tc]

A year being what? A whole calendar year living there or 52 one-week trips?

[Sloper]

Trips ranging from 3 days to 3 months.

Most of it climbing in the 5 & 6, though in the glory days a wee bit harder.

[tim palmer]

The basic things in the forest which i have done i think are soft compared to the uk.  The vert/slabs are hard compared to here i agree.  Cres arete isn't that much easier than marie rose (?bench mark 6a) so 5 i guess.

[tc]

I had a similar discussion with Neil H while I was in Fontainebleau over the last few weeks, actually. We were ruminating on the fact that plenty of people turn up in the Forest with a long cv of big numbers in the UK to their credit and a copy of the 7s + 8s guide clutched in their sweaty hands, only to get comprehensively spanked and depart without even a single old school 7a tick. Well, schadenfreude makes me larf, anyway 
I first bouldered at Bas Cuvier in 1977 and have been going to the Forest regularly (i.e. once or twice a year on average) ever since, which makes me a fucked up, opinionated old gipper and right about everything. So there.

[Sloper]

The basic things in the forest which i have done i think are soft compared to the uk.  The vert/slabs are hard compared to here i agree.  Cres arete isn't that much easier than marie rose (?bench mark 6a) so 5 i guess.

Tim, crescent arete is shed loads easier than Marie Rose, if you compare CA to the 12bis at 91.1 5+, or that big 5+ arete at l' elephant( can't remember the name), or the one at the back of Isatis on the red curcuit you'd find it impossible to justify CA at 5+.

Anyway, how many people have you seen fail on CA as opposed to Marie Rose?

[Stubbs]

Who are these mythical beasts that are wads in the UK but fail in Font?  If you are strong and completely technically dense there are plenty of problems to pick that don't require you to have Golden Feet to get by.

Font is way more conditions dependent than the grit, Prawn Marie Rose feels as piss as anything else in the best conditions, whereas CA feels about the same in a larger variety of conditions.  5+ vote for me.  Sloper you must just be a weak punter with good footwork.

[Sloper]

I'll take that as a compliment 

Anyway a quick bit of research

http://bleau.info/elephant/7843.html

Mrs Sloper stops play.

[tim palmer]

Who are these mythical beasts that are wads in the UK but fail in Font?  If you are strong and completely technically dense there are plenty of problems to pick that don't require you to have Golden Feet to get by.

Font is way more conditions dependent than the grit, Prawn Marie Rose feels as piss as anything else in the best conditions, whereas CA feels about the same in a larger variety of conditions.  5+ vote for me.  Sloper you must just be a weak punter with good footwork.

 

[tc]

I can't be arsed arguing 

[slackline]

I can't be arsed arguing 

You've not quite got the hang of the "internet" yet have you tc

welcome to the internet where people tend to disagree with each other.

[tc]

I'm only just getting the hang of the gramophone record and the wireless.

[neil h]

personally I don't think you can compare font to the grit, 2 different types of rock in 2 different climates

like anywere if its your local rocks you will climb well whatever the conditions.

I climbed fairly well when I lived in Sheffield, and always got spanked in font, now I climb well in font whatever the weather, and generally get spanked at every other venue in Europe.   

[neil h]

I'm only just getting the hang of the gramophone record and the wireless.

so your car made it home then 

[Sloper]

Indeed Neil, that's life it does take a while to get used to a new area.

As for the question who are the was who get spanked in Font?

Didn't Malc Smith reputedly fail on a 4+?

[neil h]

As for the question who are the was who get spanked in Font?

in eglish please

[Bonjoy]

Utter utter drivel!
I did start writing a comprehensive rebuttal, but after a line or two I was loosing the will to live. After line three, with a pencil up each nostril ready to headbutt the desk I decided to stop.
Crappity, crap, crapkins, in a napkin. That’ll have to do.

[nik at work]

I too have started to write a lengthy essay that disputes the "Peak is softly graded" stance.
However, whilst I didn't quite reach the point of sticking pencils up my nose, I did suffer a crisis of motivation and had to abandon the venture.
I am in agreement with the napkin to which Jon so eloquently refers.

[dave]

oh great, another sloper thread about how strawberries is piss, no doubt to be followed up about how early doors is easier than GW too. change the fucking record.

[slackline]

Bonjoy & Nik at Work : For the right price Sloper will write the essay for you 

[Bonjoy]

I am in agreement with the napkin to which Jon so eloquently refers.

Not surprising as I was blatantly plagiarising your turn of phrase. 

[BenF]

 

I've just joined the ranks of those who started typing out a reasoned reply and gave up.  Who cares about this really?  A grade is supposed to be a useful guide to the difficulty of the problem, that's all.  All I can be bothered to add really is...   if anything, most places outside of Font appear to have a more evenly graduated grading scale.  Lower grade problems in Font often appear to be harshly graded but above say 6c, the scale seems to even out a little and each progressive grade step feels more even than under 6c.  This will inevitably mean that when climbing in other areas, the lower grades may feel soft.  They are not soft, they are in line with the scale applied in that area.

Personally I've spent over a year not worrying about whether a grade is soft or hard.

[Jaspersharpe]

[neil h]

 


Its cause sloper has nowt better to do with his time

[rginns]

[/quote]

[/quote]

 

[SA Chris]

As they say in latin tedium, tedium, tedium.

Guess it's a minging day down there as well?

Seems to be from the current mood of the forum.

[Adam Lincoln]

 

[Sloper]

It is minging and there's no sign of it changing soon.

Anyway the thread was a response to the NTBTA thread in the beta section.

[SA Chris]

Meanwhile, the weather at the conference in Brighton is glorious according to my brother.

[slackline]

It is minging and there's no sign of it changing soon.

Don't know where you are, but looks quite nice outside, admittedly grey and overcast, but cool and windy, good weather for Crescent Arete/NTBTA etc.

[cofe]

If in doubt, whip the Outside webcam out!

[Sloper]

It is minging and there's no sign of it changing soon.

Don't know where you are, but looks quite nice outside, admittedly grey and overcast, but cool and windy, good weather for Crescent Arete/NTBTA etc.

Grindleford and it's still full of clagg, a fine sort of misty dampness.

[rginns]

yeah, rubbishy drizzle up Lancashire way too...

[jfw]

just to add to the tedium - as someone for whom 6a is the top end of their grade repertoire.

i have climbed marie rose (eventually) and have failed to do the last move on pebble arete (through cowardice) and failed to even get on crescent arete (through even more cowardice) - the landings make a massive difference to me - doing pebble arete made me feel i would smash into the botom more slabby bit (so i have downclimbed it more than once from the last move), and looking at CA made my ankles flinch just thinking about the landing.

to add to my own frustration i have had brief flashes of bravery - enough to climb flying arete at the 'clif and manson's wall at shipley, low pebble wall and otley wall at caley. too scared to contemplate the chant as a solo - it would seem i find yorkshire things easier than peak things.

[slackline]

It is minging and there's no sign of it changing soon.

Don't know where you are, but looks quite nice outside, admittedly grey and overcast, but cool and windy, good weather for Crescent Arete/NTBTA etc.

Grindleford and it's still full of clagg, a fine sort of misty dampness.

Been the lightest of light spotting in Fulwood, I bet Burbage/Stanage is ok though.

[lagerstarfish]

yorkshire things easier than peak things.

So what grade would CA get in Yorkshire?

and what would Pebble Wall get in The Peak?

ooohh it's so exciting   [bounce]

[nodder]

8c

[neil h]

just yo piss you all off, its 22 degrees and sunny in font, has been for the last 3 weeks now and its set to stay, I'm of to do mary rose 

[bobkatebob]

I'm of to do mary rose 

Don't tell me,  In your trainers?   

[SA Chris]

I'm of to do mary rose

Is she the prossie who hangs out at the layby near Canon. Send my regards

[butters]

...and have failed to do the last move on pebble arete (through cowardice) and failed to even get on crescent arete (through even more cowardice) - the landings make a massive difference to me - doing pebble arete made me feel i would smash into the botom more slabby bit (so i have downclimbed it more than once from the last move), and looking at CA made my ankles flinch just thinking about the landing.

I too have bottled the last move of Pebble Arete many times but I console myself with the fact that I have got higher on PA than Crescent Arete - like you say the landing on CA is not the most welcoming if you are feeling at your limit or even close to it. I probably wouldn't feel so bad if I hadn't done Pebble Arete LH though but the crux of that is low down in comparison to the RH side (not that it stopped me from falling from the last moves and screaming like a girl on the way down before I did it)... 

Sloper - for the sake of sanity on the forum do you want to get out Thursday?

[slackline]

I'm of to do mary rose 

Don't tell me,  In your trainers?   

I hope not, its polished enough already!

[tc]

looking at CA made my ankles flinch just thinking about the landing.

I broke my leg jumping off Crescent Arete. I just thought you might like to know that for next time you try it.

[Jim]

personally I don't think you can compare font to the grit, 2 different types of rock in 2 different climates

The only thing thats needs saying really... however a few points:
I have fallen off CA more than marie rose and done both about similar amount of times and only done marie rose in the stinking heat or in rain, I flashed Beurre Marga yet bent spoon failed. Strawberries is harder and more conditions dependant than all these problems.
Conditions are a myth although less of a myth on the grit.
Jo - Mansons wall is 6c+, much harder than 6a - well done, I thought is was well hard.
I really wanted to write something similar to Lovejoy but somehow didn't
Sloper - you don't half post some toss

[Drew]

Jim, are you on the sauce tonight?   


You're not making as much sense as you normally do.

[Jim]

I've had a few. Been putting a new screen in my 1000he so have been a bit tense/nervous.
Seems to make perfect sence to me

[220bpm]

Well as a punter for whom the 6's are treasured ground.....I flashed CA in admittedly perfect November conditions. Its never in a million years Font 5+. Maybe 4+ or 5 at most.

MR was during an Easter break with the beta all sorted out in advance. Got it 5th try I think. If that is 6a (benchmark?) then so be it, but I've failed dismally on harder 5's, many many many many times.

Also La Digitale is Font 5+ apparantly, although its about as hard as one of my morning after the guiness-session poos.