[cowboyhat]

I remember watching a couple the UK National Bouldering champs that he won, late 90's?

Anyway he was on his own. Flashed every problem, looked like he was warming up.

Which makes me think of a question, how into competitions was he and bearing in mind how apparently easily he won the domestic comps why does he think he didn't do better on the world stage?

[Doylo]

I'd like to know more about his 9a in Scotland. I know nothing about it.

[SA Chris]

I can fill you in with this if you didn't know it already;



http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=56373

Where

He's more a fan of the Gaskins way of marketing.

Is a remarkable prophecy!

https://www.scottishclimbs.com/wiki/The_Anvil

I don't think there's a vid of the route, but this gives an idea of the crag

[Doylo]

Ta. Not much info there, just says it's more sustained than Blood Diamond.

[Cassidy]

Hunger=

Do all the hard part of this (maybe about 7C?):

Then do an 8A

then do the bit at the end of the Metalcore video 7B+?

[Doylo]

Nice one Alan

[Sloper]

Ok here's a question for you guys - what specifically has impressed you about Malc ? what do consider to be his biggest achievements ? And why ?

If my memory serves and he did do the FA, Monk's Life. Having stood under that, it really pushed the boundaries.

How to maintain the discipline to work on something like that amazes me, I'm far too lazy and easily bored to work on anything for an extended period.

[roddersm]

Which makes me think of a question, how into competitions was he and bearing in mind how apparently easily he won the domestic comps why does he think he didn't do better on the world stage?

Didn't he come second at some comp in the states to Chris Sharma?

Read somewhere way back that he was at some international comp where he did this one arm pull up on this really bad hold - Yuji Hirayama I think was the route setter and couldn't believe it, so he kept the hold and every strong climber he asked to try and do a one armer on it but no one else ever managed it so he called it the Malcolm smith hold. No idea where I read this now...
   

[standard]

Which makes me think of a question, how into competitions was he and bearing in mind how apparently easily he won the domestic comps why does he think he didn't do better on the world stage?

Didn't he come second at some comp in the states to Chris Sharma?

[Kingy]

Interesting to compare Smith with Gaskins with regards to the Monk's Life. It took Malcolm 10 years of effort and then Gaskins did it in 2 sessions. Not taking away anything from Malcolm but just goes to show that perhaps the aura of a FA can be the hardest part of doing a particular problem.

Take also the Story of 2 Worlds, which has now had a relative slew of ascents after many years of none; this might also have a lot to do with this FA effect on the difficulty of a problem

[lukeyboy]

Which makes me think of a question, how into competitions was he and bearing in mind how apparently easily he won the domestic comps why does he think he didn't do better on the world stage?

Didn't he come second at some comp in the states to Chris Sharma?

Read somewhere way back that he was at some international comp where he did this one arm pull up on this really bad hold - Yuji Hirayama I think was the route setter and couldn't believe it, so he kept the hold and every strong climber he asked to try and do a one armer on it but no one else ever managed it so he called it the Malcolm smith hold. No idea where I read this now...
 

Yeah I remember reading something along these lines, I think it was an Arco comp. Don't think it was Yuji Hirayama though.

[Stubbs]

Interesting to compare Smith with Gaskins with regards to the Monk's Life. It took Malcolm 10 years of effort and then Gaskins did it in 2 sessions. Not taking away anything from Malcolm but just goes to show that perhaps the aura of a FA can be the hardest part of doing a particular problem.

I didn't know Gaskins had done Monk's Life, is there any footage of that?

[Nibile]

He absolutely dominates it.

[Kingy]

Interesting to compare Smith with Gaskins with regards to the Monk's Life. It took Malcolm 10 years of effort and then Gaskins did it in 2 sessions. Not taking away anything from Malcolm but just goes to show that perhaps the aura of a FA can be the hardest part of doing a particular problem.

I didn't know Gaskins had done Monk's Life, is there any footage of that?

Sadly not. It was in the mags over 10 years ago. Around the time Gaskins repeated stuff like 8 Ball

[moose]

Micky Page reportedly did laps on Monk Life,
http://marksavagephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/monk-life-gets-15-repeats-in-one.html

[rodma]

I remember watching a couple the UK National Bouldering champs that he won, late 90's?

Anyway he was on his own. Flashed every problem, looked like he was warming up.

Which makes me think of a question, how into competitions was he and bearing in mind how apparently easily he won the domestic comps why does he think he didn't do better on the world stage?

If i recall correctly, He came 2nd overall in the boulder world cup in 2002 (i think that was the year), marginally missing out on winning the whole thing due to poor judging

Difficult to do much better than that on the world stage

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

[rodma]

Ok here's a question for you guys - what specifically has impressed you about Malc ? what do consider to be his biggest achievements ? And why ?

Most impressed by the following:

No power screams......ever

Didn't get sucked in to trying what other people were doing when down the wall.

Every hard move I've seen him do he made look piss, no monkeying around footless on buckets or showboating.

Happy to share training advice

Being able to pick up a full sheet of ply one handed by pinching it in the middle of its long edge

Monks life.  Ok it's had its share of repeats,  but let's face it, people know that "the move" goes now.

[bendavison]

It took Malcolm 10 years of effort and then Gaskins did it in 2 sessions.

I don't think it was 10 years of effort at all. I get the impression that he barely tried it for most of the time, it was just a project for that long. Then once Earl started trying it seriously he pulled his finger out.

Ok here's a question for you guys - what specifically has impressed you about Malc ?

His single minded determination.

[roddersm]

Which makes me think of a question, how into competitions was he and bearing in mind how apparently easily he won the domestic comps why does he think he didn't do better on the world stage?

Didn't he come second at some comp in the states to Chris Sharma?

Read somewhere way back that he was at some international comp where he did this one arm pull up on this really bad hold - Yuji Hirayama I think was the route setter and couldn't believe it, so he kept the hold and every strong climber he asked to try and do a one armer on it but no one else ever managed it so he called it the Malcolm smith hold. No idea where I read this now...
 

Yeah I remember reading something along these lines, I think it was an Arco comp. Don't think it was Yuji Hirayama though.

OK great at least I didn't imagine it all then - Hans Florine?

I'd be interested to know what he thinks about the current crop of top boulderers - Woods, Robinson etc. and how far he feels things have moved on from his peak - were he seemed a cut above the rest in terms of power.

Also what motivated his return to high end sport climbing a few years ago after so many years and does he feel he reached his full potential in bouldering and sport climbing?

I remember meeting him briefly at bas cuvier 7 or 8 years ago, a friend of mine, who knew him, introduced him but I was too awestruck to speak....muttering a brief "how's it going" or something lame like that... legend.

Any time frame on this Interview?

[rodma]

my memory was correct

http://egw.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php?page_name=ranglist&cat=ICC_MB&cup=02_WC

[cowboyhat]

Right, well i was totally wrong about that.

Memory no good, consult the oracle before posting.

[Duma]

If i recall correctly, He came 2nd overall in the boulder world cup in 2002 (i think that was the year), marginally missing out on winning the whole thing due to poor judging

What was the poor judging issue?

[r-man]

Yes, 2nd overall - best british male result ever? Maybe you could ask him about that year, and then also why he stopped competing (I vaguely remember reading it was because he didn't like the pressure of comps, but could be wrong.)

Does he follow the comps these days? Does he see any differences between then and now?

[slackline]

Which makes me think of a question, how into competitions was he...?

... why he stopped competing (I vaguely remember reading it was because he didn't like the pressure of comps, but could be wrong.)

From the interview that miso soup linked to a few days ago...

Why after taking part in the Bouldering World Cup did you disappear from the circuit?
I wasn't enjoying it really! Even if I got good results and I'm a kind of shy person I don't really have a competitive and exhibitionist personality to enjoy climbing in the crowd so much. I think that most of the best competitor climbers also like to stay in the show!

[T_B]

What about Mark Croxall?! Won in Brum, 2005. Oh right, overall...

How many Brits have won rounds in the bouldering world cup? Andy Earl la Reunion in 2007.