[cofe]

Right kids, which problem epitomises the best of british bouldering? Don't just name some shitty 8a cos its the hardest thing you've done - think about quality of line, moves, if its pleasently burly/delicate, shit scary blah blah.

Think of it like if we had to submit a problem as 'Miss Boulder Problem UK' to the 'Miss Boulder Problem World' competition in Kuala Lumpur or summert. It has to be good looking and want to work with disadvantaged children....

being a peakie local type i nominate Crescent arete - only B3 but always gets the heart going.

others could be - caseg groove etc...you get the idea

[Avoiding the Traitor]

enjoyed doing Jerry's traverse - good for stamina and lovely line.

[dave]

Not To Be Taken Away.

No contest!

[Scouse D]

elephantitus....sorry not really, but it's proper flavour. For me it's got to be the Nose. I do it more or less every time I'm in the burbage valley and never get bored of it- a nice bit of flutter too if you sketch at the top.

[Adam Lincoln]

Not To Be Taken Away.

No contest!

Ditto, the best boulder problem in the UK, full stop!

[Stu Littlefair]

I know no-one's going to back me up on this, but the definitive british boulder problem has to be deliverance.

That's the line that all visiting climbers want to tick, so it seems to be our flagship, kind-of like the british midnight lightning. Of course, this pisses me off on two counts

1) It's not as good as West Side Story, which should really be miss UK,
    if it weren't for...

2) Why does it have to be in the peak? Why can't we have Caseg Groove, or Jerry's Roof, or The Yorkshireman?

[AndyR]

Horror Arete at the kebs.

[ian h]

i am with ntbta

[Pantontino]

NTBTA V4
Horror Arete V5
Caseg Groove V5
Made in Heaven V4
The Braichmelyn Ramp V2
The Crack (Bowden) V10/11
John's Wall (Thorn Crag) V9
High Fidelity V13?
Careless Torque V11
Brad Pit Vwhatever it is nowadays

[cofe]

er, mr panton, we can only send one problem in a bikini over to miss world, so which will it be. crunch decision time. :?:

[Greg C]

Seen as Limestone always gets a raw deal when it comes to the talk of classics, I'm going to hang my hat on the white venom and nominate my top three as...

New Rose V8+ (Farleton)
Angel Deelite V6/7 (Woodwell)
Shallow Grave V7 (Trowbarrow- Not a great line but a good line with awesome climbing)

P.S. NTBTA is well over rated, sorry Peakies!  :twisted:

[Big Frank]

Lacking in Smack at Sypeland.

described as one of the finest problems known to Man!

This is the start to it and the aother fine problem Breaking out.

http://www.needlesports.com/acatalog/ymcwild.JPG

[Pantontino]

Okay, I'll try and narrow it down:

John's Wall can be dropped because it finishes in a break rather than a traditional top out.

High Fidelity and CT are borderline routes - so they can be dropped (but if our criteria was 'high and hard' these two would be fighting for the top position.

The Braichmelyn Ramp has some sharpish holds - so bye-bye.

Brad Pit is a bit dark and gloomy - bye-bye

MIH has a painful hold if you don't jam the pod - bye-bye.

Caseg Groove is hard to fault, but the line could be visually stronger - bye-bye

HA and The Crack are flawless classics, but I guess NTBTA is the most classic line of all: a low technical crux on proper sloping holds, but an airy psychological crux higher up the ramp. What a beautiful soaring feature, and accessible to most reasonably fit climbers. I have a vivid memory of the day when I did this and Crescent Arete for the first time, even though it was over 15 years ago!

So NTBTA it is.

[Kim]

I know no-one's going to back me up on this, but the definitive british boulder problem has to be deliverance.

Not To Be Taken Away.

No contest!

Toss-up between these two I reckon. Only done them once, and on the same day, but it was probably the best days bouldering I've had!

[tom]

MIH is horrible, it looks good the starting moves are nice then you either have to hand jam on very painfull rock or pull down on a sharp mono pocket it's not even the best problem on the block, let alone in contention for the best problem in britain.
i recon t crack and trackside deserve a mention perhaps not as classic as ntbta, but quality problems none the less

[northern yob]

ditto
    horror arete,world class and high enough to make youy think.and its an amazing line
sums up british climbing

[Stu Littlefair]

except that it's piss easy, and crumbly.

Come to think of it, that does sum up british climbing rather well, doesn't it.

[Johnny Brown]

I think you would have to choose a problem that represents the UK as opposed to the world. So it has to be grit. Everything else we have is done better somewhere else.

Then it has to sum up what grit offers that other rocks don't.
So firstly - a stunning natural line,
secondly - a bit highball/ micro-route in nature
and thirdly - relying on wierdness and friction to climb a feature (rather than just pulling from one hold to the next, or God forbid, dragging arse sideways from one hold to next :wink: )

There are plenty that fit, but the closest to the ideal (and dead hard) has to be careless torque. Even that isn't ideal as the top bit is on little crimps. Ideally the finish would be something like Ulysses or Kaluza klein   . That'd get the Miss World sash permanently in situ

[Percy B]

Adam is right - it has to be grit as its all we have that makes us special. The french have way better sandstone, septic tanks have the best granite and volcanic bouldering, New Zealand for limestone, etc. but only we have grit - and thank God that we do otherwise there would be very little quality bouldering in the UK at all!

Careless Torque is a true classic, as is NTBTA and things like West Side Story. However, I'm going for Spare Rib on Stanton Moor, just cause its a bit obscure (like the Grit itself), a bit highball, a truely perfect line, and can't be bullied into submission by muscle-laden freaks straight out of a cellar somewhere. You have to climb it with what the french call 'feeling', you can't beast it. An all round test of whether or not you can climb grit.
(and I've got it wired) :wink:  :roll:

[Johnny Brown]

Spare rib was pretty high on my list too, but not having done it :shock: I couldn't be sure there wasn't some mingin crimp move.

[Doylo]

I'd have to go for Spare Rib too, slightly high, superb line, and awesome technical moves and a nice level of difficulty.

[Percy B]

No minging crimps on it really, although there is a edge about half way up. Weird moves are in abundance on this problem, with an odd section where you clamp the rib using very bad footholds leading to a condition I can only describe as 'pumped' buttocks. Lovely 'mauling' moves higher up lead to a nice heart-in-mouth slap for the top, which is slopey as hell if you get the wrong bit. A true must-do, if ever there was one.

[hongkongstuey]

I know no-one's going to back me up on this, but the definitive british boulder problem has to be deliverance.

i'm with you on this one Stu - its the first problem that sprang to mind, kind of the UK's version of Midnight Lightning (in respect to its classic international status etc, not style of climbing)

[Jim]

morrell's wall, I think is a cracking line and problem, easy, but thats not in the criteria is it?

[dave]

i'm always puzzled when everyone goes on about morrell's wall - i mean its OK but its not that special. Its not even the best thing at the crag, nevermind the country.

ALthough spare rib is striking and i assume very good, it is at the arse end of nowhere, which really should rule it out. Midnight Lightening didn't get to be Miss USA by being at a crag no-one visits.