[The Aaronator]

I would. Anyone else?

[Jim]

definately me but that would mean a vast amount of weight loss which isn't going to happen.
boo

[Serpico]

I'd like to, but I'm not happy about the amount of effort required, so I'm going to pass.

[JohnM]

I'd like to, but I wanted to climb 8b+ this year and put a load of effort (for me) into that and came close(ish) but still ultimately failed.  I can't maintain a high base level for long periods and seem to have to peak to do hard things.  My peak this year coincided with 5 sessions in a row of horrible humid conditions and getting midged off the crag.  My motivation was destroyed and now i'm not in good condition *sob*.  Therefore 8c is lot further away then I thought.  Maybe if I could move to Spain for 6 months.

[Robl]

I'de be happy to climb 8a.

[shark]

I would. Anyone else?

Me, me 

[Joepicalli]

Is this a trick question and if I say yes will my in box be flooded with offers to buy patent training programmes from Nigeria?

[chris_j_s]

I'd love to but as I'm struggling to do 7c currently it might be quite a long term ambition! 

[ShortRound]

I'd love to but as I'm struggling to do 7c currently it might be quite a long term ambition! 

I'd love to be able to climb 7c

[Doylo]

I'd like to, but I wanted to climb 8b+ this year and put a load of effort (for me) into that and came close(ish) but still ultimately failed.  I can't maintain a high base level for long periods and seem to have to peak to do hard things.  My peak this year coincided with 5 sessions in a row of horrible humid conditions and getting midged off the crag.  My motivation was destroyed and now i'm not in good condition *sob*.  Therefore 8c is lot further away then I thought.  Maybe if I could move to Spain for 6 months.

Not acceptable John, think of those prime conditions in September.  I'm stuck with Infanticide if i'm ever climbing well enough and i'm not sure its my bag

[nik at work]

Surely all halfway keen climbers would like to climb 8c (or 9a, or 9b or...)??
I would certainly like to, I'm not convinced I will though.

[GCW]

Either I'm not halfway keen, or your theory is guff.   

[nik at work]

Surely all halfway keen SPORT climbers would like to climb 8c (or 9a, or 9b or...)??
I would certainly like to, I'm not convinced I will though.

Is that better?

(although I imagine you'd quite like to climb 8c if you're honest, you just would like to do it with no input of effort)

[SA Chris]

Pink Anasazi.

[TobyD]

Yes.

Difficult if you restrict yourself to projecting in this country though, as a combination of conditions and limited choice of route style means that available options are not that many.

Although if Pickles' ascent of True North yesterday is anything to go by, we should all just MTFU and get on with it!

I wonder which the most 'doable' 8cs in the UK would be? for a) boulderers b) fit but weak-ies ?  Please noone start banging on about the grade of unjustified at this point! 

[Johnny Brown]

Judging by the percentage of 8as I've tried which I'd like to do, I'd say almost certainly not.

To rephrase the original question, do folk want to climb 8c, or to have climbed 8c?

[Doylo]

Going by the stats Make it Funky for boulderers. True North for stamjunkies. Pete and Caff thought Infanticide soft 8c so thats the Welsh option.  Neil Carson thought it could be 8c+ (different sequence maybe?)

[Doylo]

Judging by the percentage of 8as I've tried which I'd like to do, I'd say almost certainly not.

To rephrase the original question, do folk want to climb 8c, or to have climbed 8c?

You tried any outside of the peak JB?

[Johnny Brown]

No.

[Doylo]

That'll be why then, they're not the most inspiring

[shark]

To rephrase the original question, do folk want to climb 8c, or to have climbed 8c?

I think striving towards something is more enlivening than having already suceeded at it.

[TobyD]

That'll be why then, they're not the most inspiring

  agreed. Get yourself on The Bulge / Zoolook / The Thumb / The Cider Soak / (probably Statement but haven't been on it...) They are inspiring.

I think striving towards something is more enlivening than having already suceeded at it.

Now that is PHILOSOPHY; and a good point. I couldn't agree more.

[Neil F]

Not me.

I find projecting pretty unappealing, hence even at my fittest, a few years ago now, I never really went on a sport route that I didn't think I could do in a day (or perhaps a couple of visits).  The exception was a certain route at the Tor, which is the one 8a on my CV.

The other thing which makes climbing 8c so unappealing, is that my body tends to fall apart when I try hard moves (and the fact I last bouldered in 1983 probably doesn't help).

Nowadays, because I am running out of routes to do, I have started to try working some routes, but it definitely doesn't appeal to me in the same way on sighting does.

I consider myself as keen and ambitious a climber as the next person (albeit with less time, and rather less commitment), but climbing 8c is pretty much the antithesis of what climbing means to me.

Do you think I'm on the wrong board...? 

Neil

[Bonjoy]

Not me. The effort required would be a ridiculous waste of personal resources. I'm fairly certain I'd get more out of doing a lot of other fun stuff instead.

[rodma]

Not me. The effort required would be a ridiculous waste of personal resources. I'm fairly certain I'd get more out of doing a lot of other fun stuff instead.

Fun Stuff!

What is wrong with you 

[Paul B]

I'd love to climb True North.

[cjsheps]

Ready to sweat blood in the process.

[nik at work]

Ah, I see people are looking at this in a slightly different way to me.
Seems to me there are two questions:
"Who would like to put in the tremendous amount of work and focus their efforts purely on climbing an 8c to the detriment of all other aspects of their climbing?"
or
"Who would like to climb 8c as a part of their well rounded collection of climbing endevours (bouldering 8C, trad E11, on-sighting the Nose etc etc) without making any changes to their current attitude to climbing/training/life balance?"

My answer changes depending on which question I'm being asked...

[nodder]

bouldering 8C

Now your talking. 

[Doylo]

I love epic multiple day grinding down affairs that you hate when its happening and just want to be over but are sad when it finally is. This tends to happen on 8a+/b though so long way to go 

[Paul B]

"Who would like to climb 8c as a part of their well rounded collection of climbing endevours (bouldering 8C, trad E11, on-sighting the Nose etc etc) without making any changes to their current attitude to climbing/training/life balance?"

Although I realise the above is a little flippant, the truth is that for most, it'd take a concerted effort in that direction to achieve said grade so by definition it can't be part of a well rounded life in general.

[dave]

So we're agreed then, F8c is for losers.

[boulderingbacon]

id love to one day climb 8c but i know a lad who will probably do it soon and the amount of effort and training he puts in is something i could never be able to do due to time/work plus lack of motivation.

[lagerstarfish]

When I was 27 I thought I had a reasonable chance of climbing 8c by the time I was 50, not least because I expected that by that time there would be plenty of routes at that grade to choose from.

Whilst my laziness is not so extreme that I could justify leaving 'draws in place wherever I like, it has caused me to fail to move to a country with lots of good sport climbing or do enough training to maintain any fitness.

At 41, playing with my kids seems to provide most of the satisfaction I need out of life, so I doubt I'll be putting in the effort required over the next 9 years to even get to 8b, let alone 8c.

I'd still like to climb 8c - especially if I can do it before Jasper does.

[Jaspersharpe]

Well that gives you forever to do it then so get your finger out fatty. 

[corniceman]

I basically gave up climbing when I realised that I was not ever going to crack 8C. I spent 5 years trying and failing on one at Raventor and it eventually eroded away my enthusiasm for climbing as well. However I replaced that obsession with another and with probably greater success in running on the fells, so I kinda feel now that I have done my 8c all be it by running ridiculous distances and amounts of time in the mountains!!

[Fiend]

No.

Don't give a shit about climbing a particular grade....unless there's routes around that grade that inspire me in themselves. There are probably 8cs that look cool but given 1. I could never climb them and 2. There are millions of equally inspiring easier routes, why on earth would I have any desire to climb "8C"??

[shark]

No.

Don't give a shit about climbing a particular grade....unless there's routes around that grade that inspire me in themselves. There are probably 8cs that look cool but given 1. I could never climb them and 2. There are millions of equally inspiring easier routes, why on earth would I have any desire to climb "8C"??

Difficulty and achievement is inspirational for most people - though maybe not you. Hard climbs are generally more absorbing, more dramatic and out-there. 8c might be just a number (and a letter) but as an aspiration it's a goal to work towards and you have to improve yourself as a climber to get there.

[nai]

Sounds a bit

Inspirational for most people, difficulty and achievement is.   Though you maybe not.  Hmmmmmm.
Generally more absorbing, hard climbs are, more dramatic and out-there.
just a number (and a letter) 8c might be 
as an aspiration, a goal to work towards it is
Improve yourself as a climber to get there, you must. Yeeessssssssssssss.

[ShortRound]

Sounds a bit

Inspirational for most people, difficulty and achievement is.   Though you maybe not.  Hmmmmmm.
Generally more absorbing, hard climbs are, more dramatic and out-there.
just a number (and a letter) 8c might be 
as an aspiration, a goal to work towards it is
Improve yourself as a climber to get there, you must. Yeeessssssssssssss.

Ha!

[rodma]

Sounds a bit

Inspirational for most people, difficulty and achievement is.   Though you maybe not.  Hmmmmmm.
Generally more absorbing, hard climbs are, more dramatic and out-there.
just a number (and a letter) 8c might be 
as an aspiration, a goal to work towards it is
Improve yourself as a climber to get there, you must. Yeeessssssssssssss.

Too old you are, and too bitter, never the ways of the 8c will you achieve

[SA Chris]

Hard climbs are generally more absorbing, more dramatic and out-there.

That's not really true though is it. Many hard sport routes are in uninspiring locations, but you can get routes at just about any grade which are dramatic, out there and totally absorbing.

I can see where Fiend is coming from, the question is open to interpretation, as Nik pointed out earlier.

[shark]

[SA Chris]

If you want to use Cartman, I would have thought his would be more appropriate;

[TobyD]

Hard climbs are generally more absorbing, more dramatic and out-there.

That's not really true though is it. Many hard sport routes are in uninspiring locations, but you can get routes at just about any grade which are dramatic, out there and totally absorbing.

inspiration is in the eye of the beholder... I am totally inspired both by huge natural lines up El Cap, or huge mountain ridges, or a row of f**king tiny little crimps, which form themselves into a beautiful series of moves i can only just do. It's just a bit different, that's all. I'd love to climb 8c as much as I'd like to walk among the Himalayas, or run a marathon.

[Fiend]

Difficulty and achievement is inspirational for most people - though maybe not you. Hard climbs are generally more absorbing, more dramatic and out-there. 8c might be just a number (and a letter) but as an aspiration it's a goal to work towards and you have to improve yourself as a climber to get there.

Yeah I agree with all that, I like improving too, and pushing myself at my level cos I too find it more absorbing. But "8c" is a pretty empty concept to me.....although if I was an 8b/+ climber and had seen some super-rad looking 8cs that were currently just beyond my grasp, the question "Would you like to climb super-rad route xxx (8c)??" would have a lot of meaning 

Errr so maybe the point is that I'm a complete punter 

[SA Chris]

Hard climbs are generally more absorbing, more dramatic and out-there.

That's not really true though is it. Many hard sport routes are in uninspiring locations, but you can get routes at just about any grade which are dramatic, out there and totally absorbing.

inspiration is in the eye of the beholder... I am totally inspired both by huge natural lines up El Cap, or huge mountain ridges, or a row of f**king tiny little crimps, which form themselves into a beautiful series of moves i can only just do. It's just a bit different, that's all. I'd love to climb 8c as much as I'd like to walk among the Himalayas, or run a marathon.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, you can draw your inspiration from wherever you fancy.

If you read what I said I was just responding to Shark saying that harder climbs are generally more dramatic, out there and absorbing, which just isn't true.

[rodma]

I'd love to climb 8c as much as I'd like to walk among the Himalayas, or run a marathon.

So, not very much then   

[TobyD]

I'd love to climb 8c as much as I'd like to walk among the Himalayas, or run a marathon.

So, not very much then   

 

speak for yerself 

[PATRuL]

Paul B you could easily climb True North if you set your mind to it ... do not doubt.

I breeze
Cut detritus
No thought
Of action
Just flow.

I've seen so many wads fail on stuff they could easily crush, only the little thing called the ego gets in the way, wanting it tooo badly, oh sooo badly .... its a sure fire set up
Then there's the whole contention of 'the scene' to deal with.
Its a curious thing the British mindset, how 'we' are supposed to love a failure ... another set up.
Better not look or be too good, the giggly boys at the back of the class won't like me.
Then there's our so called humour, which is little more than self putdown, and it another socially accepted norm ... another set up to failure.
Then there's i'm so great ....
... apparently some bubbles just can't be burst?

[PATRuL]

Paul B ... i think i saw you do Comedy with your folks ... it was a right laugh x
7c/8c
What's the difference?
Get a good diet and you're there!
Cut out the crap, lots of greens, broccoli, as Mr Smith will testify.
Coffee enema's are the way forward ... check it out.
Just relax and all is coming ...
I'll re-iterate, just relax man ...
Peace

[petejh]

 

[andy_e]

I wouldn't, 8c is a rubbish grade. I'd hope to wake up one day as Ondra and flash an 8c+ though.

[Paul B]

you and me both.