[Adam Lincoln]

Climb of the century might suit you

This is regarded as soft 8a+ now.

Since when and by whom? Most of the people I know who've done it though soft 8b. It felt a step up from the other routes up there and any other 8a+ I've been on/tried.

Mawson most recently, and quite a few others have said its not 8b. I have had a day on it also, and its never 8b. No harder than Conehead.

[Andy F]

I'd say it was harder than Conehead. Not as fierce but much more sustained and not a 'soft 8a+'.

[T_B]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Dalliance at Kilnsey? I understood this was now 8b or is it still considered 8b+, even with the easier sequence moving right at the top? I've only dogged up it once, but it was brilliant and seemed do-able by mortals i.e. no absolutely desperate moves.

I never tried the original 'redpoint heartbreaker' finish as someone at the crag that day (Gaz Parry if I remember rightly?) shouted out the sequence that takes the obvious edge with your left and heads rightwards into an undercut. I seem to remember this was the way Ste Mac did it too. Does it get done that much?

[Ged]

Re. Tuppence again:  Is this considered proper 8b, despite the 8a+ grade in the book?  Even for tall people?

[north_country_boy]

Dalliance is excellent, but would be very stiff at 8b, 8b+ seems the consensus. Smitton and Pickles have done it recently and both seemed to think hard 8b+. Not sure which sequence they used though...

[Bonjoy]

Not sure about Pickles but Smitton did it with the harder sequence

[abarro81]

Simitton's scorecard says "Top end since loss of holds at top" (at 8b+ this is). I have no idea what broke or on which sequence since I've never been on it.

[Nigel]

I also know nothing about this route, except that Smitton did it the hard way. Think it took him a while and by all accounts its the last moves that are the crux. He seemed to think it was hard and he knows what he's on about, which I guess explains the hard 8b+ comment. I do remember him saying you could avoid the hard bit at an easier grade, so maybe like that it is 8b?

[Marky]

Toby,
My goal is to tick an 8b this year before I am too old!
What did you think to Predator - I have had 2 days on it and am having a hard time with it? Thinking of sacking it off and getting on Huecool.

[shark]

Toby,
My goal is to tick an 8b this year before I am too old!
What did you think to Predator - I have had 2 days on it and am having a hard time with it? Thinking of sacking it off and getting on Huecool.

Not been on either but... 2 days on a route at your limit's not long especially a technical one which generally seem harder on first acquaintance but go down quicker.  Tactically you might as well stick at it with Predator whilst its cool and move to Gordale when it gets warmer with a view to returning to Predator in the Autumn. Well that's the sort of thing I'd do.

[north_country_boy]

Toby,
My goal is to tick an 8b this year before I am too old!
What did you think to Predator - I have had 2 days on it and am having a hard time with it? Thinking of sacking it off and getting on Huecool.

Not been on either but... 2 days on a route at your limit's not long especially a technical one which generally seem harder on first acquaintance but go down quicker.  Tactically you might as well stick at it with Predator whilst its cool and move to Gordale when it gets warmer with a view to returning to Predator in the Autumn. Well that's the sort of thing I'd do.

I'd agree with that. Huecool (certainly in its current state) feels hard than Predator to me, although much more cruxy, but very similar in style. I'd be keen to know if it is dry at the minute?

[coulster]

I was at Gordale on Sunday, Supercool was dry as was Huecool. Amazingly other stuff was not far off dry either. Chilly but good conditions.

[Marky]

I was at Gordale on Sunday, Supercool was dry as was Huecool. Amazingly other stuff was not far off dry either. Chilly but good conditions.

Nice one on Supercool Ally - magnificent route.

[north_country_boy]

I was at Gordale on Sunday, Supercool was dry as was Huecool. Amazingly other stuff was not far off dry either. Chilly but good conditions.

Good knowledge. cheers. Only wish Huecool was as good as Supercool, unfortunately its a far inferior ugly sister.

[TobyD]

Toby,
What did you think to Predator - I have had 2 days on it and am having a hard time with it? Thinking of sacking it off and getting on Huecool.

Predator is harder and better. Huecool is still a brilliant, 2- star route i thought, it suffers, as Dan was saying from being next to certainly the best UK sport route i have ever done. Predator is hard to get a sequence for the harder bits, but as a rough guide, you'd probably want to be doing it clean from the floor to the rest after a couple of days on it repeatedly, and have much of the top fairly down?

[TobyD]

Toby,
What did you think to Predator - I have had 2 days on it and am having a hard time with it? Thinking of sacking it off and getting on Huecool.

Predator is harder and better.

Having been on it again recently, I may be inclined to change my mind on that one (difficulty wise!) Huecool seemed pretty tricky, but then it was really warm with no wind to speak of, which seems to make a big difference on that wall.

[RichK]

Toby,
My goal is to tick an 8b this year before I am too old!
What did you think to Predator - I have had 2 days on it and am having a hard time with it? Thinking of sacking it off and getting on Huecool.

Its 8b Mark!!!! Flippin hard!! Stick with it, it'll come together & its class unlike Hue"ledge"cool. To give you some weak veteran perspective it wasn't until day 4/5 that I really felt I had a solid sequence on it. Its pretty complex from the rest to the 1st chain but there are many possibilities(unlike other 8b's). All sizes do it from midget to giant so no excuses there. Plus as shark says its breaking grade so will/should feel the living end initially unless you've turned into a beast lately. BTW, I haven't done it yet but have done the links a few times from floor to rest>rest to mono move at 1st chain> mono move to top. So I reckon its a goer...... on a very cool eve or more realistically with the summer temps arriving -  September. I think the biggest factor is conditions. Below 10 degrees its do-able, above feels impossible

[Marky]

Cheers Rich - looking good to crush when temps improve!

Toby - got on Huecool Sunday for 1st time and thought it was great. I was struggling with the initial move onto the top headwall after the traverse right - do you have a sequence to get up to the obvious layaway undercut you need to match in the middle of the wall?