[SEDur]

No real sports participation before I started climbing. Also note that I only started in October of 2011.

Bouldering:
2011 6B+
2012 -
2013 - 7B
2014 - 7B+
2015 - -

Sport
2011 -
2012 - 6a
2013 -
2014 - 7C
2015 -

My biggest problems have been summer jobs and confidence/volume.
The 7c sport routes I have done and tried (2 of which) have not felt all that hard outside of the psychological weight of being above a bolt (which I am still dealing with, but getting better at).

[webbo]

1972 to 1983 diff to E5 6B
1990 to 1996 nothing to 7C and E5 6B
2001 B6
2002 B8 and V7
2003 V7
2004 V8
2005 V8 and 7b+
2006 to 2015 7a/7a+

From 2001 these are bouldering grades, people keep changing the systems.
I stopped climbing in 1983 after moving to Dull to work took up cycling and later triathlon. Stopped again in 1996 due to injury and returned to cycling.
I'm now trying desperately not to get any shitter.

[andy popp]

Webbo, are you the Steve Webster I used to see photos of in Crags?

[Fiend]

So everyone seems to be old fuckers who did E5 in 1980-1990 and then have been plateauxing at a "mere" 7C/F8b for 20 years, or young fuckers who started climbing in 2008 and are already doing 7C/F8b 

Basically I hate you all. Apart from the injured people (and no setting fire to yourself doesn't count, shoulders elbows and pulleys only)

[cheque]

   Can we stop having these threads that remind me how fucking awful at climbing I am please? 

Started climbing in 2008. Trad E1 within a year.

Got into sport in 2011- onsighted 6c that year, got into redpoiting in 2012- did my first 7a.

Bouldered 7A early 2013.

Did my first E2 November last year.

[webbo]

Webbo, are you the Steve Webster I used to see photos of in Crags?

Probably I can't remember anyone else with same name at that time.

[webbo]

What staggers me is the number of people who boulder 7a and above. Sport climb 7a and above, yet only are climbing E1/2s. In the mid to late 70s people were climbing  E4 and E5 and would have needed a ladder to boulder 7a in a lot of cases.

[Will Hunt]

You're all complete punters. I mean, real rank amateurs.

Please bear witness to Jacob's latest blog:
http://jacobclimbsthings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/moonlight-buttress.html

And note that Bronwyn has freed Moonlight Buttress. She has been climbing fewer than three years.

Just let that sink in for a moment.

[jwi]

So everyone seems to be old fuckers who did E5 in 1980-1990 and then have been plateauxing at a "mere" 7C/F8b for 20 years, or young fuckers who started climbing in 2008 and are already doing 7C/F8b 

Self selection in action

[slackline]

Basically I hate you all.

It sounds like your satisfaction with your own performance is relative to others which is very strange. 

I hope you can get over it some day. 

[Rocksteady]

My long period in London was essentially characterised by sideways drift, especially as leaving town for full weekends started to become too much fuss, and I began limiting myself to daytrips to either Portland or the Peak ... though even those were at least 2 hours drive each way.

Uh oh, this describes my life almost exactly!

Still, I'm sort of enjoying the 'sideways drift'. I think if I keep my hand in there will come a time when I can focus on climbing a bit more (aka move out of London) and crank through the grades... 

I hold out hope with the fact that my dad climbed quit climbing in 1980 and picked it back up in 2005 aged 55, and is now climbing 7c/7A+ aged 62 and still improving.

[tomtom]

All my best gains have been on my early 40's :p

[petejh]

Basically I hate you all.

It sounds like your satisfaction with your own performance is relative to others which is very strange. 

I hope you can get over it some day. 

Isn't this a well-known phenomenon and the biggest predictor of how happy/satisfied *most* people (the ones who aren't buddhas or zen students) feel with any particular facet of thier life ? It's all about keeping up with your peer group for most people.

Carry on.

[roddersm]

Great thread -

Year Trad Sport Bouldering

1997 HS                     
1998 VS    6b                 
1999 E1    6b+               
2000 E2                       
2001                         
2002                         
2003 HVS                     
2004 E1                       
2005 E2   6b                 
2006 E2              6A+         
2007 E2              6C           
2008 E3   6c+     7A       
2009 E3   6c+                 
2010 E1   6c                 
2011                  7A+         
2012                  7A+           
2013                  7A+         
2014                  7A+

Route grades are for on-sight as have never really redpointed although led E4 and 7a+. Have bouldered at least 7B indoors but only included outside grades.     

No climbing from 2001-03 and elbow tendonitis in 2010 led to a big drop off. Hoping for big gains over the next few years, especially in routes.       

[slackline]

Isn't this a well-known phenomenon and the biggest predictor of how happy/satisfied *most* people (the ones who aren't buddhas or zen students) feel with any particular facet of thier life ?

No idea, not particularly well read up on psychology and that which I have read seems far from scientific.

Neither Buddhist nor Zen student myself.

It's all about keeping up with your peer group for most people.

Carry on.

Switch peer groups then you're happier with your life

[MischaHY]

Hum. I'm going to start this from when I started climbing properly, as I'm pretty sure toprope bumbling from the ages of 7-19 doesn't really count. Had been bouldering indoors more regularly since the February of 2013.

So.

April 2013 - learnt to lead properly, started climbing outside.
Two weeks in - Trad VS onsight, Sport 6b onsight.
Three weeks in - Trad E1. Sport 6c redpoint.
May 2013 - Trad E2 (Near death experience).

Then I actually consolidated for a bit so as not to die.

Sooo -

August 2013 - 7a redpoint, E3 headpoint. BRING ON THE HEADGAME FEAR.

September-April 2013/14 - FEAR OF DEATH PERSISTS. FALLING OFF SPORT AND INDOORS AND CRYING TEARS OF WEAKNESS.

May 2014 - E4 headpoint. Several. Headgame lessened slightly, but still shit on sport. 7a+ redpoint.

Plateuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuae

September 2014 - Fear of death fucks off. 7b+ redpoint, then 7c two weeks later.

October 2014 - 7b onsight.

December 2014 - E4 onsight, E6 GU.

BRING ON WINTER OF ACTUALLY TRYING

March-May 2015 - 8a redpoint. Several. SQUEEEE. E5 onsight. MEGA SQUEEEE. Also more E5/6 headpoints.

Then I look on 8a.nu and realise I'm still shit.

[Duma]

note that Bronwyn has freed Moonlight Buttress. She has been climbing fewer than three years.

Just let that sink in for a moment.

 

[SA Chris]

So who was appointed to correlate the data again?

[Teaboy]

May 2014 - E4 headpoint. Several. Headgame lessened slightly, but still shit on sport. 7a+ redpoint.

Plateuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuae

September 2014 - Fear of death fucks off. 7b+ redpoint, then 7c two weeks later.

I'm not sure a six month period in which your redpoint grade goes up three grades can be considered a Plateuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuae

[slackline]

So who was appointed to correlate the data again?

Whoever can be arsed transcribing all of the responses into a usable format (i.e. not me).

[andy popp]

note that Bronwyn has freed Moonlight Buttress. She has been climbing fewer than three years.

Just let that sink in for a moment.

 

This! Hugely, hugely impressive.

[hstmoore]

mainly for my own records and ego:

2012 Started climbing indoors in the latter half of the year.

2013 First outdoor lead at HVS.
         E2 GU, and then E1 O.S at Tremadog in June.
         E3 - seconded and then lead, also June.
         E3 Onsighted end of June.
         E4 flash (Debateable, Wings of Unreason) August.
         7a RP Sept (my first bit of outdoor sport, and first RP, at Gay Lands in Cham)
         f7a First proper 7a boulder in Nov, Whiskey Galore at Brimham

2014 f7a+ March
         E4 Feb - first 'proper' E4, the Strangler at Stanage. Ground up, 2nd go.
         f7b April - Crimpy Roof at Brimham (awesome)
         E4 O.S June, CFK at Helsby - had done about 5 e4s by now, all other ground up
         7a+ RP June, Sandstone Trail at Frogsmouth
         E5 June - first E5 and first E5 Onshite. Flake Wall at Helsby.
         E6 HP. First ever HP and first E6. Brush off direct at Helsby. I led it first after top roping it, placing two cams. My mate then lead it after me. When he got to my cams he gave them a         tug to check they were OK and they both ripped out immediately as the rock was so loose. Great times.
         7b RP June Seventh Aardvark at Malham.
         E7 RP August - Magic in the Air at Highcliffe nab
         E5 solo O.S Heartless Hare at Froggatt. Was super psyched with this.
         Moved to Sheff September

2015 7b O.S Feb (Chulilla)

No new grades to report yet this  year, although becoming more consistent at onsighted E4s and 5s. Time to get on some peak sport.

There should definitely be a 'dick swinging' emoticon on this forum. Nearly every post in this topic would use it.

[petejh]

There should definitely be a 'dick swinging' emoticon on this forum. Nearly every post in this topic would use it.

If so, it'd only be there to signify that we're all wank and not doing anything of much significance ('cept Alex maybe) compared to the current standard in the UK: 9a+ rp / 8b+ os, E11 hp / E9 os, 8C.

Those guys onsighting E7s and redpointing 8s in the 80s and early 90s however - swing away!

[slackline]

There should definitely be a 'dick swinging' emoticon on this forum. Nearly every post in this topic would use it.

If so, it'd only be there to signify that we're all wank and not doing anything of much significance ('cept Alex maybe) compared to the current standard in the UK: 9a+ rp / 8b+ os, E11 hp / E9 os, 8C.

Thats one way of quantifying 'dick swinging', the other is to look at how far away from the population average (mean/mode/median) the ascents are.

In those terms those posting are in the tails of the distributions, albeit not at the very extreme end of the tail (where by definition only a few will reside).

I guess it depends on what grade your peers climb though.

[Jaspersharpe]

OK this is going to be depressing but....

1984 - Age 10: Started climbing, seconding VDiffs in the Lakes and bumbling on Southern Sandstone.
1985 - 11: Lead trad VS, 5a's on SS.
1986 - 12: HVS trad (now given E1), 5c on SS.
1987 - 13: E1 trad (now given E4), 6a on SS.
1988 - 14: E4 trad, 7a+ sport, 6b on SS.
1989 - 15: E5 trad, 7b+ sport, 6c on SS, 7A in Font. Actually did Second Generation the day before my 16th b'day and that's probably 8a but anyway.
1990 - 16: 8a sport, 7B in Font (now given 7B+), nearly every 6c on SS, did some E5's on grit but not really into trad any more.
1991 - 17: 8b sport, 7C.
1992 - 18: Almost 8c sport (split finger on Minimum = ruined trip  ), 8A, 7C flash.
1993 - 19: Trained loads, did some hard stuff on boards, comps, started working, got fed up.
1994 to 2006 - 20 to 32: Fuck all. Partying grade 9a.
2007 - 33: 7B
2008 - 34: 7C
2009 - 35: 7C and almost 7C+..... injuries start mounting up.
2010 - 36: 7B
2011 - 37: 7B motivation and injury taking it's toll but still able to get psyched for annual Font trip....
2012 - 38: 7A then smashed my foot to bits in Font.
2013 to present - Struggled with motivation. Climbed / trained in sporadic bursts and then got annoyed with general uselessness and foot pain. Anyway, trying to get back on the horse properly now. From today's efforts at the Works I reckon I am climbing about 6C. 

Onwards!