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What's the hardest move you've ever done? (Read 14769 times)

cheque

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What's the hardest move you've ever done?
October 30, 2019, 09:53:08 am
This post mentions James Squire doing a new problem with the what he says is the hardest move he's ever done.

Made me wonder what the hardest move I've ever done is. Like Ben Moon in One Summer, I don't think I've ever done a really hard move.  ;) 

Anyway, I also thought it would make a good thread. What's the hardest move you've ever done?

tommytwotone

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Of moves I've done, statistically speaking it's move no.1 of Not To Be Taken Away. I tried it loads of times, the one time I succeeded I topped the problem and despite numerous attempts to repeat it I've never managed to do it since!

Of moves I've very, very nearly done it's the pop of Deliverance. Literally had my fingers over the top a couple of times and still no tick. I fear that ship may have sailed for me as the advancing years take effect.



Andy F

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On a route: the crux of Gwennan (Dinbren) before it broke.
Bouldering: I've never bouldered hard because I'm piss weak.

tomtom

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Fun question Cheque.. I've broken it down

Strongest I've pulled: I really don't know - felt like Klems on sunday!
Most tricky/awkward: Fridge Hugger SS, Blackstone
Lowest percentage: Jericho Road

Hoseyb

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This one.


Move one of my Old Man Logan project.

Dexter

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This is very interesting indeed. It also depends on whether it's a hard move for you or just a hard move in general. For me on paper, the two hardest moves I've done are the joker and first blood, both being one move 8A's but neither of them felt like I was pulling that hard for them. In comparison for me, the cut loose and swing on teatime felt like I was pulling as hard as possible even in isolation but that's probably because I'm pretty heavy and suck at tiny holds.

Oh and I'm assuming this is outdoors otherwise it's probably some horrific move I made on a board somewhere

Fiend

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What is a move??

(serious question and one of the first things i ever posted on UKC 18 years ago, without, iirc, a satisfactory answer - it was inspired by then doing Green Death original start which gets 6b but felt like 3-4 6a hand/foot movements in a row)

teestub

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Hmmm a quick review suggests that all the ‘hard’ problems I’ve done have just been a sequence of moderately difficult moves! Ones that stick out as actually tricky moves though:
- Getting my bum off the ground on Impropa Sit
- Using the sloper thing on Tourniquet
- First move of Paroxysm
- Move to lip on Second Base (RIP Whitehouses)
- Move off poor pinch on The Nowist

As per the Moon quote, it often seems that once you’ve learned to put your body in the right place, apply the right amount of force in the right direction, these things don’t feel that hard any more and are more readily repeatable. For the ones I’ve chosen I’ve tried to think about how unlikely they seemed initially compared to actually doing them. 
« Last Edit: October 30, 2019, 12:59:05 pm by teestub »

T_B

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Pretty much every move at cragx, though the 3rd move of The Pinch is probably the hardest move I've ever done.

remus

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Probably this esoteric little number near bristol. Took 6 or 7 sessions and it's basically a single move. As others have said, it seems pretty morphology dependent. I reckon if you had long arms and stubby little legs it'd feel easier.


dunnyg

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Either Jack's arete at woodhouse.
or
Doing the keel just taking the swing and campusing. (not one move but there you go)

Bradders

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Fun thread, I like.

Presuming we're talking on rock, probably one that springs to mind for me is the crux throw to the lip on Sole Fusion at Crookrise. Something like 5 sessions over 3 seasons and I've done the move once, then sadly fell off the next move.

Few other candidates;

- technically two or three moves, but the left hand deadpoint to the arete edge, matching right hand, then holding the cut on Zoo York felt like the hardest climbing I'd ever done when I first did it. Such a cool sequence. Can only imagine how it feels to do the whole thing!
- right hand dyno variant of Frank at Ilkley Rocky Valley. Match the slot, getting left on a terrible crimp, then flick right hand and catch an awkwardly angled jug, holding a big cut.
- crux deadpoint to the mono on The Lash at Birk Gill (I normally climb in silence, but I let out an involuntary power scream sticking this!).
- not actually all that hard in hindsight, or in the grand scheme of things, but I remember the first time I tried Inaudible Vaudeville at the Stone and feeling like I'd never be able to hold the move. I now do it on almost every visit and it's always awesome.

cheque

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Fun thread, I like.

Cheers. Seems a thread about doing hard rock climbing moves can’t compete with talking about politics on here these days :rolleyes: but I’m glad some people are interested in such a niche topic.  ;)

Of moves I've very, very nearly done it's the pop of Deliverance. Literally had my fingers over the top a couple of times and still no tick. I fear that ship may have sailed for me as the advancing years take effect.

Very, very nearly done doesn’t count I’m afraid Tommy.  ;) Also, what kind of an attitude is that?!  :jab:

I reckon my hardest move of the “pull hard and gurn” type must be the crux of The Pinch at Pleasley Vale. It’s certainly the only lime 7A I’ve done. There’s a move on Obscene Toilet at Raven Tor that I could only do once (in my session of playing on the route  on a toppy) that felt just as hard but I was definitely lighter, stronger and climbing better when I did The Pinch.

In the “how am I not falling off, there’s nothing connecting me to this slab?!” category I reckon it would be something on Over the Moors Direct at Ravenstones which I flashed on a toprope as Mark20 told me exactly what to do move-by-move. Couldn’t believe how tenuous that felt or that I was successfully moving up it. C3PO at the Roaches is definitely harder but I don’t think I can really claim to have done any of the moves on that- just carried through the momentum of standing up on the first smear slightly further than usual on a few goes. :lol:
« Last Edit: October 31, 2019, 09:40:44 am by cheque »

TobyD

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Good thread Mike, and a tricky question.  Numerically,  the sit start to silk, though I don't remember it being a real grunt. For me, perhaps the last move of WSS, or one of the rat crimp moves on rubis sure l'ongles, subjectively,  it might actually be the move of not falling out of the top of the slot bit on gin palace. Psychologically,  maybe that off balance bit in the run out on Souls,  or bumbling on a couple of lichen covered flakes on the upper section of the Cad.

AMorris

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Great idea for a thread.

A few spring to mind:
Flick of the Wrist - The flick move off the flat pinch with the non-foot to the notch felt completely unthinkable when I first tried it a few years back. I could not fathom how anyone could pull that hard off those holds and still have enough to hold the deceivingly bad notch. As is always the case though, I did it a few months back and then did another lap for video, and it did not feel all that bad. But definitely up that with the hardest moves I have done on rock.

Pie Shop - Only took me 25 mins to do really, and I almost stuck it first go. But being a one move 7C I guess it probably is one of the hardest moves I have done.

Diesel Power - I don't really know which move in particular, but one of them probably is. Perhaps one of the foot movements?

Arfa Dog - Deserves a mention here, having the hardest move on any problem I have the first ascent of, despite being a fair bit easier than the above. Took me a lot of fiddling to find the perfect ripple on the glassy, sea washed sloper to execute the first move.

mrjonathanr

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Every move on Right Eliminate.

abarro81

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Like others, most of my hard problems are multiple semi-hard moves in a row...

I suspect my hardest is either the first move (I'm assuming go-and-go-again can count as 1 move?) on working 9-5 sit, or the first move of Lost for Life in the Grampians...

Coops_13

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I assume after this we'll have a most frustrating move, lowest percentage move and biggest move thread?

For me one of these possibly:
 - Drop down move on Figure of 8
 - The crimp move on the Rhino
 - Maybe my hardest dyno - Voltex

jwi

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I once got delusions of grandeur, forgot that I'm an old staminamachine and spend some time working a 3 move 8a. I could link the first into the second, the second into the third, but never link all three. Anyone of those moves are likely the hardest move I've done. That was six years ago. I've successfully avoided hard moves ever since.

yetix

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bus stop mantel. thats all one move right?

Will Hunt

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Moves are pretty hard to isolate in hard sequences. The harder climbing that I've done is most often a series of moves that are kind of difficult. And when you do a problem that centres around one hard move, it never seems that hard when you do it!

Some things spring to mind in order of probable hardness (with the hardest first):

The move to stand on the smear and reach over to the pocket on what later became Your Grace at Earl Seat is probably the hardest move I've done. It seemed to be really random when I would do it and I was never quite sure what I was doing differently when I did it. I think I did it successfully once or twice over something like 3 or 4 sessions.

Maybe doing the foot-swap-to-the-other-arete move on Red Baron Roof when I did it as a cut loose. Had to do it much more slickly to actually be able to carry on to the top.

Phoenix Wall at Panorama Crag. I did it differently to most and I'm still not sure how it worked. Gravity looked away for a second.


The move on Matt's Roof at Almscliff. Had to shout as I did it. Reach dependent so who knows how hard that problem is for me.

Will Hunt

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I'm now looking forward to the Easiest Move You Haven't Done thread.
Maybe, the last hand move to put your hand in the break on Stu's Roof Left (lots of swearing and despair).
The bunched up throw to the top of the boulder on Olicana Arete.
The lip moves on that stupid Get A Grip at Eavestone (no. That's actually a really hard move).


dunnyg

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The final pop on jocks and geordies. My fave.

Will Hunt

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The final pop on jocks and geordies. My fave.

And, coincidentally, watching you drop over and over was the Hardest Thing You've Had To Watch In Climbing for me.

andy popp

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I'm struggling with this question. Time Regained is probably the hardest sequence I've done on a trad lead.

 

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