[Sasquatch]

Heavy climber, likes his beer, new problems, big grades, remote locations, no witnesses.... seriously -  I'd strongly recommend you make a habit of videoing.

Ouch   Maybe I shoulda kept my trap shut. 

Oh well, bought a new camera rig for next season.  We'll see what I can get on video now that my phone won't keep dying

[Danny]

Interesting stuff re: Gaskins. I think this is all far too retrospective to turn out anything more than conjecture regarding what John did, or did not, climb. Interestingly, I have heard capable folk voice doubts about Darkness Before Dawn over here in Ireland. Nothing strident, however, because most keen climbers here are still focussed on development rather than repeats. Not that it really matters now, the line still stands as a challenge regardless of grade, and whether it's a first ascent or a second. Any climber would doubtless get the credit they deserve for an ascent, should they want it.   

Much like Haskett-Smith, I don't think much productive will come of any debate now, other than to say that some kind of evidence is a must in modern times. Maybe this is a sad thing but, on balance, I think not. I dread to think of how much of history in general has already been written by the bullshitters. The modern world is a little less romantic, but slightly more capable of ousting its Lance Armstrongs.

From now on, history shall be written by the victors, so long as they remembered to press play.   

[Doylo]

Traci sit 8A+ walk away sit 8C make sense to anyone?

I think it does make sense, he did Traci and Pill Box both in a sesh hence the lowly incorrect grades.  The stuff he gave 8c took 50+days so obviously felt harder.  I don't bum him that much, i don't find his climbs particularly inspiring and i wished he travelled to some good crags more but i do believe him.   

[Danny]

From now on, history shall be written by the victors, so long as they remembered to press record.

Shit, that's what I've been doing wrong all this time!

[a dense loner]

Chris you bum the shit out of johnny n always have.

Dan you seem to say things pretty definitively like ure the second coming.

Dave what are u talking about johnny never claimed anything like si o', have u forgotten his 8b prob at thorn crag which is massive or his 8b stanforth slab.

It's doing no good for anyones case if people keep bringing up g probs as the definitive shit when no ones seen him do a thing. This isn't to say he's done them or not, can we just keep things real (or if that term offends, known)

[Moo]

G's big thing at thorn crag was 'a moment of clarity', the big arete to the right of last temptation. I think this one went under a few peoples radars, as at the time it would have been the worlds first E11 but there wasn't much said about it. I don't think he reported it until a year or so after the ascent, but people in the know please feel free to enlighten me if I've got any of this wrong.

[Tom de Gay]

It's a sad day when Gaskins is getting compared to Si o Connor

+1

Lets not gaskins never claimed E8s hanging above the sea with an 6ft 8a crux dyno off razor blades to a credit card edge in a roof, 30ft above a rotting RP and a tied off guillemot's egg. Or posted blatantly photoshopped photos of himself holding positions on alleged 8d+ roofs.

What Dave said. 'Enigmatic lone wolf' and 'outright fantasist' are different cases.


Don't know if it's widely known but in the late 90's Si claimed routes up to E9 on Mull (accompanied by the soon to be customary vivid descriptions) on crags which turned out not to exist. Around 2001, accompanied by a local wad, I went for a look at one of his claimed hard problems in Glen Nevis, which turned out to be a lone boulder similar in height and difficulty to my kitchen table. There're prouder lines on the orange circuit at Diplodocus, but it wasn't an issue of quality: this piece of rock to was just too small to climb. The only surprising thing about the later claims on Skye was that they seemed to involve actual rock.


Interesting to revisit the Gaskins Appreciation Thread.

[Doylo]

Chris you bum the shit out of johnny n always have.

A mans allowed to change his affections. You should know that. Moffatts more my tipple really...

[shark]

Chris you bum the shit out of johnny n always have.

A mans allowed to change his affections. You should know that. Moffatts more my tipple really...

Look forward to the next video in the series holy man

[Jaspersharpe]

I think this thread is worth revisiting too with regard to grade inconsistencies and other (Shadowplay) related stuff (Smiths puns excepted):

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,9484.msg154247.html#msg154247

[benpritch]

ok, just to re-iterate - I saw John Gaskins climbing on Brandenburg Gate. He was doing all the moves, some links etc. He looked like he could do it. Brandenburg Gate makes Hubble look like a juggy warm up. I have seen a lot of good climbers climbing but i have never seen anything like that before.

[petejh]

As long as he doesn't start telling people he's a contender for a place on the olympic boxing team for Rio 2016 then gets shown up by a complete beginner in varsity boxing, he should be alright.

[jwi]

Off on a tangent here, but climbers who have such bad case of competitive anxiety that they cannot stand climbing or training in front of others (IRL or via a camera-lens) should work on that weakness.

After a few years of climbing I started to be uncomfortable when climbing with climbers I did not know and felt a weird self-inflicted pressure to preform.  It took away quite a lot of the enjoyment I got out of a day of climbing if "strangers" tagged along, and when I realised how limiting and unfortunate this was I decided to do something about it.  Luckily, it was not that hard to get out of that pattern, and after being able to happily climb with anyone anywhere again I got much more enjoyment out of climbing.

From what I have seen, most climbers who are not happy to climb when strangers are around soon stop climbing altogether.

[slackline]

From what I have seen, most climbers who are not happy to climb when strangers are around soon stop climbing altogether.

No, you've just not seen them climbing as they don't want to be seen!

[Wood FT]

Off on a tangent here, but climbers who have such bad case of competitive anxiety that they cannot stand climbing or training in front of others (IRL or via a camera-lens) should work on that weakness.

After a few years of climbing I started to be uncomfortable when climbing with climbers I did not know and felt a weird self-inflicted pressure to preform.  It took away quite a lot of the enjoyment I got out of a day of climbing if "strangers" tagged along, and when I realised how limiting and unfortunate this was I decided to do something about it.  Luckily, it was not that hard to get out of that pattern, and after being able to happily climb with anyone anywhere again I got much more enjoyment out of climbing.

From what I have seen, most climbers who are not happy to climb when strangers are around soon stop climbing altogether.

Dave Mc's book covers this topic a bit, good stuff

[jwi]

From what I have seen, most climbers who are not happy to climb when strangers are around soon stop climbing altogether.

No, you've just not seen them climbing as they don't want to be seen!

  If a climber falls in a forest and no one is around to hear him, does he make a sound?

[webbo]

It's a sad day when Gaskins is getting compared to Si o Connor

+1

Lets not gaskins never claimed E8s hanging above the sea with an 6ft 8a crux dyno off razor blades to a credit card edge in a roof, 30ft above a rotting RP and a tied off guillemot's egg. Or posted blatantly photoshopped photos of himself holding positions on alleged 8d+ roofs.

He also had an alto ego or other persona Big Mary or the like who threatened to rip anyone a new arse hole who doubted Si.
 

[Jim]

Comparing Gaskins and Si O' is a bit unfair. At least we know that Gaskins exsits!
Did anyone ever meet the legendary Si O'Conner?

[Moo]

I did exchange emails with him once (sadly long gone) and he claimed to have quite climbing due to a massive shoulder injury.

[Doylo]

I remember when Panton called him out in his bouldering scene in Climber. Was pretty gutsy!

[slackline]

Comparing Gaskins and Si O' is a bit unfair. At least we know that Gaskins exsits!
Did anyone ever meet the legendary Si O'Conner?

John Watson of Stone Country met him (mentioned in this interview with Dave F). There might be a write up on his blog about it somewhere that I've a vague recollection of reading at some point.

[dobbin]

If a climber falls in a forest and no one is around to hear him, does he make a sound?

I think you will find that if noone is around, he didn't fall in the first place...

[dave]

It's a sad day when Gaskins is getting compared to Si o Connor

+1

Lets not gaskins never claimed E8s hanging above the sea with an 6ft 8a crux dyno off razor blades to a credit card edge in a roof, 30ft above a rotting RP and a tied off guillemot's egg. Or posted blatantly photoshopped photos of himself holding positions on alleged 8d+ roofs.

He also had an alto ego or other persona Big Mary or the like who threatened to rip anyone a new arse hole who doubted Si.

....including logging in on a different user account to back his claims up as an alleged "friend". Albeit one that posts from the same IP address and uses an identical style of written English.....

I heard recently Si O'bullshit had reinvented himself as a fine art photographer and is claiming to work on the Hebrides lifeboats.

[carlisle slapper]

Dense im just trying to get a point across on things i have a direct experience of (trying lots of johns problems this year as i live in the lakes now, along with doing other peoples 8's) Its all nice and fresh in my mind which is why its coming across in a big sludge of numbers. You've made your mind up years ago after simply looking at a few of his problems vs looking at other peoples (and electing to do neither), yet on here you're saying bullshitting in climbing is a better situation than the horror of having to have a witness or a video if asked for it.

Ben its the massive inconsistencies that are frustrating. You can see by watching stick it he's a good climber and that Isla (despite it being too hot on that err pinch) is fine for him, lots of cuts though but then its a climbing film. Isla is a world away from ATHOIA though in terms of difficulty.
Some of G's stuff like Return of the Fly (i couldn't top out up the groove due to wetness) is amazing quality and lo and behold bob on for 7C+ (albeit with my "i am jesus" gradar, and yes i know i didnt top it out so no tick!) and yet atrocity exhibition is 1 grade harder. The guy is the worst person at grading in the UK (which i think is what JB was saying, rather than say he's as mad as o'connor) And being so inconsistent in form must be really hard for him (he said it himself that he's 3 grades stronger in the mornings, and thats why he couldn't touch gossip with bock that day). What'd help a future inconsistent lone wolf who climbs above 8A+? my vote would be providing the odd bit of proof for the really hard stuff, especially when people like Rich, si o' and many more going back years have eroded peoples ability to accept the fact that climbers never lie.

[iain]

Did anyone ever meet the legendary Si O'Conner?

He was at the launch for the original Stone Country before the bubble completely burst. He had a talent for writing, just wish it had been about something real.