[cjsheps]

Thought this could be a curious thing to discuss. Most people's hardest boulder problems are traverses or longer power endurance pieces instead of straight-up blocs. So what's the hardest single move you've ever done on a boulder problem?

Let's start this off: I've done v5/6 bloc-style problems, but v8ish traverses. Can't touch short v8s though at all.

[Ru]

About font 7c as a single move I reckon. Even single moves I've done that are harder than that are probably just conditions dependant and felt 7c in good nick or knacky and feel 7c when I did them.

[account_inactive]

The hardest moves I've done have been on my board.....

[Kingy]

The Pinch at Rubicon, the single move at 7b+ is harder than the moves on the nearby 8a's. (Obviously the problem of linkage gives the 8a's their grade.) Also, the Young American at Stoney, double dyno, not being a natural dynoer. The crux move of Revelations (although I guess that is 2-3 moves with the LH going again).

[Stubbs]

After consulting my spray sheet I don't appear to have done any hard moves at all.  I think the crux of Demon Wall Roof Left is the closest, that took me ages;  probably about 7B on its own?

[tommytwotone]

As Ru says, a lot of factors to consider...for me, it'd be a toss-up between:

The final throw of The Horn at Caley - one of the hardest problems I've ever done but hard for me as firstly it was very claggy and humid and you're going off a sloper, and secondly it's a decent way for the modestly proportioned gentleman.

or:

The foot-swapping / crimping pebbles before reaching up for the decent crescent thing on Telli. Still my hardest trad on-sight, probably not that hard in isolation felt hard as I was fully committed and knew when I got to the break that I'd have to faff about to compensate for my lack of reach.

Of course, once I'd done them, they all felt relatively straightforward but I guess that's the way. What's the quote?

"...it's hard, but not *that* hard - I could do harder..."

[dave]

L3 - R12 on pinches wall. Felt piss on the day though.

[JohnM]

Hmmm good question!  Maybe the final move on the Sting in the pass without the heel method which is a two move 7C.  Like the op said most of the stuff I have done around this grade or harder has involved more moves and are more about the link than any of the individual moves.

[tomtom]

Good topic...

Its tricky, as:
1. there are some moves that are not super hard, but have a low success rate...
2. there are moves that are physically really hard-  you just have to use shit loads of beans to pull them off
3. there are moves that require everything to be in place and just right.. you have to squeeze just the right amount with a toe, whilst crunching the core and boning on a crimp.. get it right and its piss - one tiny thing wrong and your spat off...

I like all three!

For me its the crux of underhand, having to pull hard on the left crimp/slot, whilst doing a strange fridge hugging thing on small holds with your legs - and lobbing the right hand over your head and into a slot.. that involves 1-3 above.... (but it is the hardest problem I've done..)

[stokesy]

Agreed, good topic, erm second move of swing thing, campussin to the lip, the 'ninja kick' foot move on power allowance, holding the swing on zippy traverse when releasing the heel. Strangely these are all on 7b's, and i havent climbed harder than that, maybe i should work harder on power endurance stuff rather than being lazy...

[Fultonius]

Mine appears to be Font 7A/+! I've done a  2-move 7A, Slap Happy and Mestizo Hanging Start which about 3 moves that make it go from 6B to 7A/+.

The more traversey they get, the harder I can climb!  In fact, I think that I might have found a new winter goal - Font 7B -7C Striaght Ups!

Waaaaaaaayyyyyy of The Gaskins....

[grumpycrumpy]

My hardest was when I moved from the Peak District to London  ......

[Fiend]

Good question. What is a move though? A british tech grade move? Or a single hand/foot movement?

Trying to distill it down to the minimum movement, mine have been:

Shuffling the heel hook up mid-move on Monkey Spanking, Cambusbarron.
Lunging for the jug on Mugsy, Dumbarton.
Matching the sidepull on Hitchhikers, Kyloe.
Catching the waaaay morpho jump method on Sulky Little Boys, Slipstones.

Most of the grit ones tend to feel quite easy in good conditions so it's hard to tell with that.

[ghisino]

probably around font 7a/+

crux moves of test the turing (95.2) and lucifer (sabots. the straight eliminate beta)

these two are slabs and it is interesting that most of my hardest moves seem to be of the tricky/low percentage kind. It's not that i'm a slab master, is that at some time i was very willing to put in 100 attempts per hour and trash a pair of shoes in single a day. Maybe i had too much money for climbing shoes and resoles?

This makes me think of a funny old school french cartoon called "Shadoks". The shadoks are miserable creatures who seem to put in huge efforts only to get epic failures and eventually, on rare occasions, meet their goal by pure luck, without any relationship with their efforts.
Their motto is "success always comes after failure. so, the more you fail, the more likely you are to succeed"

[Jaspersharpe]

On rock:

Minimum crux - one move 7C+. Couldn't do it off the little shit hold so campussed between the rails off nothing foothold.

Hubble undercuts move - Not as hard as Minimum crux but total percentage move (unless you were Malc and could static it ten times in a row). Plus harder if you have long legs.

Agincourt rockover - only move on a route that I've ever failed to do (it was a bit warm).

Harder but not real:

Foundry wave features problem - move after the pinches between two features. Did once and could never repeat it. More knack than hard though I think.

Malc's 8B on my board - 3 move problem, second move was a huge lock. That's actually probably the hardest move I've ever done as it didn't really suit me. And was hard.

Plus various other board stuff that I can't remember. Oh and Kudos easy way.

[Eddies]

The first and last move of the day are usually the hardest for me!

I felll off the last move of 'Bizarre' dozens of times before it actualy went on the link, but I could do it 9 times out of 10 on its own!

The hardest single move Ive done is probably the dirty crimper move on 'Stump Hole Cavern Start'

[Monolith]

How strange that this thread arise! I've literally just stepped back through the door from a bus journey where I spent most of it pondering exactly just this question! So strange.

Personally, my entire climbing career has thus far been based around singular moves and deadhangs. It's tragic but what can you do when you can't leave the house. Like Dylan, my likeliest hardest move is on the board and certainly my hardest maximal deadhang of any notable duration is on rung 4 of a homemade fingerboard.

A little poster that now sits next to the clock by the fingerboard:

[andyd]

My hardest was when I moved from the Peak District to London  ......

easy mate. try leeds to birmingham

[Scouse D]

Hurricane at curbar. Took a lot of goes and everything had to be just right to do it. Probably 100+ goes for that one sweet moment of success.

[Richie Crouch]

I don't think I've ever done a hard move! Just lots of low percentage ones which are ok when done or long links. Probably the crux move on a challenging v8+ in the crypt at Liverpool that took 2 months.

[GCW]

There's so many variables on this it's very hard to say one specific move.  And there's a difference between the hardest move and the one that took the longest to do.

The ones that took me longest were on my own projects.

[ShortRound]

Having only done 7b routes my hardest move has to be a boulder problem.

I think crimpy roof at brimham outlying has the hardest single move I've done. Big big throw off a crimpy rail that I never bothered trying to repeat after doing the problem. Every other yorks grit problem I've done I tend to add to a circuit and repeat often, not crimpy roof though.

[Nibile]

on rock I think it must be a little one move problem that I did ages ago, at 7b+. it's like a scaled down version of La Proue, two diagonal crimps, a bad left foot and a dyno. tried it again after years and could not leave the ground... hard or low percentage?
otherwise I'd say the pinch move on the Roof Direct, that Michele reckons 7c.

[Pebblespanker]

Crux move on Rock Around the Block in Glen Lednock is around soft eng 6c according to Kev Howett's guide (so soft 7A??) is the hardest I have done as a single move and remains a full half grade harder than anythinbg else I have managed. Took approx 80+ attempts over a half a dozen or more visits. Still can't link the whole traverse yet either  , I think I need to stop buggering about and just MTFU! 

Good thread, and question!

[shark]

Outside - probably the 3rd move on Overnite Sensation 

[Three Nine]

Crux move off the pocket on beginner's wall.

[clgladiator]

for me definitely the last move of powerband

[Doylo]

Probably Diana at Roadrunner, one move 7c+ RIP 

[Doylo]

On rock:

Minimum crux - one move 7C+. Couldn't do it off the little shit hold so campussed between the rails off nothing foothold.

Hubble undercuts move - Not as hard as Minimum crux but total percentage move (unless you were Malc and could static it ten times in a row). Plus harder if you have long legs.

Agincourt rockover - only move on a route that I've ever failed to do (it was a bit warm).

Harder but not real:

Foundry wave features problem - move after the pinches between two features. Did once and could never repeat it. More knack than hard though I think.

Malc's 8B on my board - 3 move problem, second move was a huge lock. That's actually probably the hardest move I've ever done as it didn't really suit me. And was hard.

Plus various other board stuff that I can't remember. Oh and Kudos easy way.

Was Malc's 8b school grades 8b? You've done more hard moves than everyone Jasp

[Moo]

cutting loose on art of self destruction and slapping for the blind pocket around the lip (original sequence).

[Hoseyb]

This kind of brings out the inner nerd in me....

Knack move- might have been the crux of My Secret Garden (see forth coming slate guide next week!!) pulling round a 2ft roof on slopers, palming the lip and putting your foot next your hand at nipple height and rocking over...

Weird power- toe barhttp://www.northwalesbouldering.com/newsitem.asp?nsid=464 2 poor crimps, toes wedged between blocks, and lever off toe jams to latch a sloper whilst locking off by the waist.