[petejh]

Obviously Carson 'voted' for 9a, it's his route! First ascensionist with no 8c+ routes experience (afaik) doesn't exactly guarantee the 9a grade does it. He's quoted as saying he had no idea really, just that it felt a lot harder than Infanticide (a soft 8c?). There hasn't been a consensus by climbers with a pedigree of 9a's on either of the 9's in Wales - there being a dearth of climbers who've actually climbed confirmed 9a's in the UK to be able to give a consensus. A pity Megos had such shit conditions in Wales, he's probably been put off for life.

[JackAus]

http://www.nickfletcherphotography.com/2013/08/being-alex-megos/

Interview with Megos by Control Freak.

Can Nick's blog be added to the blogpile?

[miso soup]

Thanks JackAus.  Garth did climb 9a at some point, didn't he?  I just searched and couldn't find it but I'm sure I remember hearing about it at the time.

[Kingy]

If Caff confirmed The Big Bang as 9a I would have thought it would remain confirmed at that grade until someone else repeats it and downgrades it.

[petejh]

If Caff confirmed The Big Bang as 9a I would have thought it would remain confirmed at that grade until someone else repeats it and downgrades it.

Of course. And I think it's very likely that Caff would be well psyched for somebody with a pedigree of climbing confirmed 9a's to climb either of the ones in Wales and confirm that they are indeed 9a.

[Jaspersharpe]

Of course Big Bang is 9a, stop being silly.

[JackAus]

Thanks JackAus.  Garth did climb 9a at some point, didn't he?  I just searched and couldn't find it but I'm sure I remember hearing about it at the time.

Not sure... On his old 8a profile the hardest he did was 8c+ (in only 3 attempts too...)
http://www.8a.nu/user/Profile.aspx?UserId=4373

[r-man]

Obviously Carson 'voted' for 9a, it's his route! First ascensionist with no 8c+ routes experience (afaik)

Not exactly a route, but he did do Going Down at Longridge, which is 8c+ - never heard of anyone suggesting a downgrade.

[petejh]

Of course Big Bang is 9a, stop being silly.

There's nothing silly about being open minded. Quote from Neil Carson for the history section of NW Lime:
'As for the grade, I felt it must be a lot harder than the 8cs that I'd done and it was a route that suited my style.....so why not give it 9a and let the future ascentionists down-grade it?'

At the time he hadn't climbed 8c+.

The only 'future ascentionist' to date would probably happily say he isn't well qualified to say whether it's 9a or not.

So what's silly about me wondering based on that?

[JackAus]

http://www.verticallifemag.com.au/2013/08/alex-megos-new-grampians-problems/

After making short work of The Wheel of Life (WOL; which he thought was 9a/35) a few weeks ago – and with foul Victorian winter conditions restricting the amount of dry rock on offer – Alex Megos set about establishing a few new link-ups in Hollow Mountain Cave. And in so doing could have put up both the hardest route and the hardest boulder problem in the country.


Alex proving he is a long way from needing one on Wheelchair (9a+). Dorothea Karalus

Wheelchair (9a+/36) starts as for the WOL, but halfway through Sleepy Hollow traverses into Stimulation and climbs the whole of Stimulation (with the exception of the first move) till its end, which is also the finish of Silverchair – hence Wheelchair.

Of the grade Alex writes, “It’s hard to give it a grade. I think it’s not possible to give it a boulder grade, although it’s more a boulder then the Wheel of Life because it has no rest. Everyone calls the Wheel 9a and I think Wheelchair is harder then the Wheel, I would call it 9a+. But it would be nice to see someone repeating it to give his opinion on the grade.”

The second link-up begins as for Stuck South of the Border (V12) and climbs the rest of the WOL. Stuck South of the Border starts at the starting hold of Stimulation and climbs into Sleepy Hollow. Alex says, “I basically did an extension to Stuck South of the Border as I climbed after the end of Sleepy Hollow the rest of the Wheel. This link is probably as hard as the Wheel (9a). I called it Stimulating Cartwheel.”

Alex also established a new V13 by cleaning up a project at Caves Club. Starting on the right side of the cave, Alex describes it as “a sit start with a pocket for the right hand and the arête for the left hand. Then you do a big move up with the left hand, place your right heel at the right starting hold and do another big move out right to gain a shoulder grimp. Then just follow the obvious line (kind of an arête) to the top. I called that one “Sultans of Swing” and I would give it V13.”

If Wheelchair is confirmed at 9a+, and Retired Extremely Dangerous holds it lofty grade of 35 (the big route in the Bluey’s we reported last week here) that would mean that on his trip to Wide Brown Land, Alex has put up both the hardest route and the hardest boulder problem in the country. An impressive contribution from the German phenom.


Big move out right to the ‘shoulder grimp’ on Sultans of Swing (V13). Dorothea Karalus

[Wood FT]

He's bloody good

[JackAus]

I looked at the V13 thing when I was down a few months ago. Usually on hard problems, I can generally see how to do it but this... After the horrible shoulder move, the holds just ran out completely... It was chalked up abit and still nothing... Very impressed with that.
The links in the cave, not so much. Maybe when someone manages to reverse Simulation, that will open up a bunch of harder links (Krusty>reverse Simulation>Stuck South>and out... etc.)

[r-man]

The links in the cave, not so much. Maybe when someone manages to reverse Simulation, that will open up a bunch of harder links (Krusty>reverse Simulation>Stuck South>and out... etc.)

Nevermind links. There are little holds coming out of the left side of the cave. Using those would be super impressive.

[JackAus]

The links in the cave, not so much. Maybe when someone manages to reverse Simulation, that will open up a bunch of harder links (Krusty>reverse Simulation>Stuck South>and out... etc.)

Nevermind links. There are little holds coming out of the left side of the cave. Using those would be super impressive.

The line left of American Pie? Agreed, that would be amazing...

[Control freak]

White Ladder - Nowra 2004 (thought it was 06!)
Mr Pink - Blueys 2006
Too Hot To Handle - Blueys 2007
Sneaky Old Fox - Blueys 2009
Southern Delight - Gramps 2012 (Forgot Killian had done this)

White Ladder whilst undoubtably hard is only a few extra moves on an existing 8b+ which in itself is an extended boulder problem. Mr Pink could possibly be 9a from what I hear.

The problem with hard routes on sandstone is that good conditions are so hard to come by - finding that ideal balance between being cold but having enough humidity so that the holds dont get glassy

[holgerman]

A pity Megos had such shit conditions in Wales, he's probably been put off for life.

I don't think he will be back at LPT in a hurry, he thought Liquid Amdet was a vertical carpet of Algae with the odd bolt stiking out of it...

[Doylo]

Such a shame....