[Ged]

I know all the books say 8a+, but it seems general consensus amongst everyone else is 8b.  Tried it last night for the first time, and thought it was brilliant.  I'm about 6ft, and can do some of the harder moves with my feet on decent holds.  Seems like it would definitely be harder for those under about 5 ft 10.  It's only the second route of 8a+ or harder I've tried, so not much to compare it to.  Whats the consensus on grade from taller folk who've done it?  How does it compare to other 8b's?

Cheers

Ged

[Duma]

Ken Palmer's pretty short...
but shirley

thought it was brilliant.

Is all that matters?

FWIW I didn't even realise it was ever given 8a+, so prevalent is the 8b opinion.

[Ged]

Yeah I know that's motivation enough. But I have a "first to do an 8b" bet on. 

What a route though.  I was expecting the holds to be a lot nastier. 

[Pitcairn]

I think you need to be a fair bit taller than 6ft to really avoid the hard moves.  Im 188cm (6ft 1.5 in backward imperial money) and on the main upper crux could reach to within 5-6cm of the good hold statically with low feet.  But to do the move I either had to jump or do it the high-feet drop knee method.

Great route.

[Three Nine]

Yes its 8b, which is what it was originally given by Ken (correct me if im wrong). Went down to 8a+ for the Nick White Guide, Dorset Rockfax and back to 8b in West Country Climbs Rockfax, which incidentally has Brian down as 8c+. Tuppence is a stack harder than any of the 8a+s i've been on.

[tomrainbow]

Ken's not that short actually. it's just when he had big hair it was so big people thought his body must be tiny....oh and he can't grade for toffee, being far too modest and brought up in Plymouth.

Tuppence certainly feels much more than one grade harder than Cider Soak, so it has to be 8b.

[boulderingbacon]

my friend whos been on it a few times thinks soft 8b.  he made as close a copy of it on the training board to practice, which he thought was slightly harder and one of the lads does laps on it and puts it on the end of link up traverses.

[TobyD]

Yes its 8b, which is what it was originally given by Ken (correct me if im wrong). Went down to 8a+ for the Nick White Guide, Dorset Rockfax and back to 8b in West Country Climbs Rockfax, which incidentally has Brian down as 8c+. Tuppence is a stack harder than any of the 8a+s i've been on.

I would agree that it is 8b, though i have only had two very quick goes at the moves. It is an odd route, though, with very hard moves seperated by some reasonable shakeouts. Despite the proximity, it is pretty different to Cider Soak , which is more of a pure power endurance sprint (not that I've ticked that either, but...)

Ken P undergrades everything, or used to, probably due to suffering 'Vickers syndrome' ie failing to realise how handy he is. Rockfax opinions on grades are worth ignoring in the case of Ansteys; they give Empire and the Lynch the same grade. I know one of them i can lap at the end of a hard session; a clean ascent of the other once in a session is decent going....
So anyway after all that waffle, Tuppence seems very much 8b to me, though i am shit at power routes (or PE with more P than E)

[Ged]

Tuppence certainly feels much more than one grade harder than Cider Soak, so it has to be 8b.

Cider soaks only 7c+ though really isn't it...

[DanD]

Cider soaks only 7c+ though really isn't it...


Oi wash your mouth out