[Johnny Brown]

From Dense the 'how long to climb 8A thread:

I couldn't think of a single person who weighs 82kgs who has climbed 8A, at that weight. Apart from willenburg, lamprecht but they're massive human beings. I'm sure there are others but very few and far between so for the general populous I refrained from adding

Strikes me as complete bollocks, at 5'8" I'm 76kg and don't get called out for being fat. What if I was tall? But I'll admit Dense 'handicapped only by my normality' Loner may know more than I do.

So Jimmy Webb is obviously neither frail nor a midget. Dolph must be over 80kg? Any more? Or are they all anorexic freaks under there?

[dave]

82kg is about 12st 11lb, which isn't especially heavy for a six footer, let alone above six foot. I've certainly been close to that weight when I've done 7c+s and Im shit.

[r-man]

Polish Dave is 13.5 stone, whatever that is in kilograms. I know this because whenever he rips a hold off a problem (usually some limestone estoterica), he crashes to the ground, curses, then moans sadly "Oh me and my 13 and a half kilograms, breaking the holds again."

[rosmat]

1.) Jimmy Webb (8C)
2.) Jan Hojer (8C)
3.) Klem Loskett (8C)

4.) Fred Nicole?
5.) Alan Cassidy?
6.) Rob Sutton?
7.) Mike Owen?

And Malc obviously!

etc etc etc

[rginns]

Polish Dave is 13.5 stone, whatever that is in kilograms. I know this because whenever he rips a hold off a problem (usually some limestone estoterica), he crashes to the ground, curses, then moans sadly "Oh me and my 13 and a half kilograms, breaking the holds again."

This sounds like Wallis.

[galpinos]

1.) Jimmy Webb (8C) - 80kgs
2.) Jan Hojer (8C) - 79 kgs

[T_B]

As an aspiring Font 8A boulderer (done a couple of soft ones), I kind of agree with Dense (obviously there are a couple of exceptions). There really aren't that many 80+Kg folk crushing Font 8A and above I don't reckon, Polish Dave being the obvious one (and my hero  ). I'm 6'3 and 85Kg.

[Monolith]

I vary from 74 - 77kg but have this week seriously been considering going to weight watchers to get to mid 60s. As a basic experiment, I often stand with one foot on the scale and one off to 'feel' what it's like to be 11 stone. It'd be life changing.  Dense instilled the fear of God into me after his 80kg = shit threat.

[tomtom]

<Selective quoting alert>
I vary from 74 - 77kg but have this week seriously been considering going to weight watchers to get to mid 60s.

Dense instilled the fear of God into me after his 80kg = shit threat.

Maybe Dense could start a climbing version of WeightWatchers?

Some combination of Clockwork Orange aversion therapy and a line of low calorie muesli bars?
Dead horses head delivered to the doorstep along with a packet of rice cakes?

(in case anyone ever thought I was being serious...)

[GCW]

Polish Dave is 13.5 stone, whatever that is in kilograms. I know this because whenever he rips a hold off a problem (usually some limestone estoterica), he crashes to the ground, curses, then moans sadly "Oh me and my 13 and a half kilograms, breaking the holds again."

This sounds like Wallis.

The rock has been safe for over a year, but not for much longer.

Weak Sam is well over 82kg and has done various things over 8A. As long as there are no slopers.

[a dense loner]

Yes Polish Dave was obvious. Mike is much skinnier than he looks, I'd be shocked if he weighed 82kgs. So we have one British guy so far, honorary, at about 6'2 ish.
Fred or Klem don't/didn't weigh that much. I can't see malc weighing 82 kg either. So I apologise if the obvious list has been shown as bollocks. You're tall Dave you don't weigh 82kgs and don't climb 8a, so I don't mind sitting here being told I'm talking bollocks when my outrageous statement has pulled up one name so far.
Kooks the only other big guy I can think of who climbs 8a but I think he's pretty far off 82kgs as well.
Would be interesting to hear of the bigger British guys, Colorado will have a few. Let's do an r-man type list.
I in no way said over 80kgs was shit! I respect the heavier guys more since I think lifting more weight up a rock is harder than lifting a smaller amount of weight up a rock. Obviously a generalised statement.

[Monolith]

Damage is done Lee, you've terrified us all.

Much as I used to find Power Club a nice to have, the issue of avoiding mass consumption of shite is a bigger one now the hill to 30s has been turned. I genuinely would answer to a daily diet log though 60000 pages of peoples dietary habits would hardly make for compelling reading for anybody other than Richie Crouch who would just see it as a breakfast menu.

[a dense loner]

Sorry forgot to mention Blackpool Sam. So far then we have
Polish Dave
Blackpool Sam
Tom (should have a place name first) Briggs

[tomtom]

Sorry forgot to mention Blackpool Sam. So far then we have
Polish Dave
Blackpool Sam
Tom (should have a place name first) Briggs

Dense - according to the poll earlier in the year:
http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=22541.0

There are 29 people of this parish who have recently climbed 8A or harder..

[gme]

Mike Adams is a big lad.
Jason Myers must have been up there when he was climbing. Still around 12 stone and hes a skinny cycling boy now.
Quent must have been.

[tommytwotone]

Ditto Willackers, surely - but does it count if all your 8as have been dynos?!


 

[rosmat]

Fred or Klem don't/didn't weigh that much. I can't see malc weighing 82 kg either. So I apologise if the obvious list has been shown as bollocks.

I'm not sure it is:

Klem Loskot - according to this interview / profile he is over 80kg (great article BTW):
http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/klem-loskot-profile

Malc is defo over 80kg. Have you seen him recently? - his shoulders must be 40kg alone.

Cassidy - would be very surprised if Alan isn't in the region of 80+ kg. I'm sure there are occasions when he is lighter (e.g. when in peak condition for hard sport / enduro routes) but on average and for bouldering.

Mike Owen can't be lighter than circa 80kg (btw massive respect Mike is a monster and an huge inspiration for older climbers like me).

There must be loads of other too, e.g. Mike Mullins, John Dunne.

I actually think that for some types of problems (e.g. compression probs) being big and all over body strong can be an advantage, but in other (most) cases it's a disadvantage for sure. i.e. problems which require massive amounts of finger strength (unless your Malc).

I certainly don't deny that in general being light is an advantage, although I think less so for bouldering than for sport routes.

[a dense loner]

Mat did you read my post on the original thread? I said it's advantageous for the poser of the question to be trying burl as opposed to other types of problem. I didn't say there's no climbers either I said there'd be very few at that weight.
Mike is skinny.

[account_inactive]

Dense is hardly saying anything controversial.....people are having trouble finding the outliers to prove a point. Who's going to train to be an outlier? Being skinny helps, what a fucking surprise

[Nibile]

Being strong helps more.
And being good even more.

[abarro81]

82kgs??? Is that about the same as a small car?
Maybe I should hang out with more boulderers, I always think of myself being at the heavy end for sport climber at 72-74kgs

[rosmat]

In general at least, it seems like climbers these days have a healthier relationship with their weight than they used to in the 80's and 90's. That can only be a good thing; especially given the explosion of climbing's popularity / participation numbers over the last 15 years.

* Apologies if this is slightly off topic?

[tim palmer]

Malc is defo over 80kg. Have you seen him recently? - his shoulders must be 40kg alone.

http://www.freakclimbing.com/modules.php?name=People&rop=showcontent&pid=18

might be a bit old but apparently 78 is the max for malc and I am sure he was unbelievably light in his late teens/early 20s (there was a profile in OTE or somewhere where he said his weight which was approaching 9 stone or something stupid but I might be confabulating)

[r-man]

Here's the article. I found it easily, by googling "malcolm smith broccoli"

http://www.planetfear.com/articles/What_Happened_to_the_Young_Ones_Malcolm_Smith_100.html

[Sasquatch]

Me - 77-80kgs, 5"10", 7C+ in a session consistantly, 8A+ max so far.

I was down in Colorado a couple of weeks ago with a bunch of crushers and we got to talking about training and getting better.  I asked what they thought I could do to improve, and the agreement was that I needed to do some "body-sculpting".  The polite way of saying I'm a bit on the big side. Not technique, not changing my training, nope-just stop being a tubby git, and only in the climbing (or biking) world would I be considered a tubby git.

I'm sure I can climb 8B at that weight, but it will take some time to build the strength and the right problem to do so.   If I drop 10-15lbs(5-8kgs), I'm sure it will be MUCH easier and take less time.