The most impressive piece of climbing you’ve witnessed?

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Simon Lee

insect overlord #1
Joined
Mar 16, 2005
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Whilst trying to get to sleep last night I was thinking through the climbing that had impressed me most over the years.

The most impressive was the only time I saw Malc on the Wave. At the time Mike Lea who was on the GB Team was down there constantly projecting the hardest set problem and dynoing all over the place. Fortunately Mike wasn’t there when Malc did all the hard problems effortlessly and statically like they were easy 6’s and then he started just using features only.

I think it was having the context of being able to compare the two performances which made it obvious how bionic Malc was.
 
Tricky one! Ben making the first ascent of Maginot Line was pretty impressive. He seemed to be hanging, horizontally, off atoms.
 
Stu doing Evolution was brilliant to watch. Looked totally at the limit the whole way.
 
Honestly and only really on aesthetic grounds.

The Rose and the Vampire.

Edit:

The Gullich shot, specifically:
AACB1830-0281-464-C-9674-E162-D34-F42-AF.jpg
 
Belaying a bloke as he cruised up an indian creek "5.10" offwidth. Only impressive once I had a go...

He also had a number 9 valley giant (this should have been the warning sign) which is the most impressive cam I've witnessed.
 
Megos on Perfecto Mundo.

I hadn't seen anyone close to that level in the flesh before. He wasn't climbing, he was floating.
 
Pete Dawson doing Vitruvian Man at Trowbarrow. Never seen someone try so hard, and it was great to see how completely lacking in ego he was. It didn't matter that at 7C grade wise the problem was way beneath him, he gave it absolutely everything.

Actually another time I saw Pete climb was at the Bowderstone. He did Grand Opera Sit, and I've never seen anyone simultaneously look like they'll be off on every move, yet able to rest on every hold.

Saw Jimmy Webb trying Monkey Wedding. Bugger me he's strong, just looked in such complete control, it was really weird when he fell off!
 
I watched Jon Cardwell do Southern Smoke in the Red River Gorge. This was about a week into my first trip there and I had very much underestimated the fitness:technicality ratio of the climbing and was having a hard time on everything despite being able to do the moves individually quite easily so it was amazing to watch someone continually shovel up something that steep and relentless (it’s 8c+ I think without a real crux) with seemingly no problem. I was eating gummy worm type sweets afterwards and he declined when I offered but I insisted he had one on the grounds that he deserved it. :lol:

The most impressive trad ascents I’ve seen I’ve also captured on video. Possibly some of them I wouldn’t have been so impressed if I’d have been stood at the bottom of the cliff but when you’re looking right at someone through a long lens and you can hear their mic in your headphones you really get an idea of what they’re going through. Not necessarily hard grades in absolute terms but I generally find trad onsights at someone’s limit more impressive than the “I saw Rich Simpson one-arm a lolly stick” type thing myself.
 
Watching Ondra attempting to flash Biographie. He flashed the 8c+ part. I think everyone was most nervous of him fluffing the font 8a start.. Filmed it on my phone.

Dave Almond on any of many of his dangerous winter ledge shuffles. On our failed FA attempt of the huge face of Breitind in Senja he led a pitch that would get VIII 6 in Scotland, was 25-30m runout on insecure tech 6 climbing. Perfect man for the job.

Watching Chris Webb Parsons flash The Brute at the Diamond. After watching many wads rp it, WP pissed it and showed he was world class.
 
Watching Jim Pope flash Jason's Roof at Crookrise before my very eyes, stopping to chalk up half way through. An incredible display of skill and strength (and bravery up the massive dirty slab!).
 
Watching Jack Pal make Superman look about 6B after he'd climbed at griffs for like 5 hours beforehand

Watching Aidan at Lad Stones on various things was just mind blowing
 
petejh said:
Watching Ondra attempting to flash Biographie. He flashed the 8c+ part. I think everyone was most nervous of him fluffing the font 8a start.. Filmed it on my phone.

I was there for this too, was brilliant to watch and the atmosphere at the crag was amazing. We were over at Berlin and the news he was about to attempt it spread like wildfire, it reminded me of this scene from The Matrix https://youtu.be/ECZP2IceKiA
 
Belaying Bosi when he was trying Mutation a year or two ago was very impressive. He made the start up Evolution look completely piss, like he could do laps on it any day of the week. From what I remember conditions were pretty shit too, I was fumbling around ineffectually on Call of Nature thinking the crux on that was desperate and moaning about my skin.

At a more normal level, I had a friend in uni who could seemingly climb a boulder problem out of nowhere. I particularly remember a trip to font where he he seemed to go from 7A to 7B+ over the course of a week. It was like he developed an uncanny ability to lash for holds and stick them where others would just fall off.

ed: and obligatory Ondra story. I remember watching him trying Neanderthal. After watching him have a few attempts I assumed the first half (i.e. getting up to the dyno section) was ~8a or so, kinda hard but obvs not much for a climber of his level. Turns out it's 8c+/9a just to get to the dyno! I just couldn't get over how relaxed he looked on it.
 
csl said:
I was there for this too, was brilliant to watch and the atmosphere at the crag was amazing. We were over at Berlin and the news he was about to attempt it spread like wildfire, it reminded me of this scene from The Matrix https://youtu.be/ECZP2IceKiA

:lol:

Incredible wasn't it! The only time that being at the crag has felt like a spectacular sporting event.
 
I might be the only person on this site not to know any wads, so all of my more impressive memories are of my friends trying dead hard.

One of my mates, who was trying to break into the 7A range (and used to get very nervous at height) cruising up Tempest (7A at Tan y Grisiau) third attempt. It's a bit high, with a bad landing, and quite frightening at the top so that definitely sticks out.
 
I'm gonna nominate UKB's Plattsy... for a dyno at Conies Dale (think Shark had it on film)

On one of the 7A+'s that had a big move left we were all stuck on. Up steps the big man - presses launch and flies across to grab the jug. Superb - and totally unexpected (to the rest of us at least!)
 
It's not the most impressive, but if definitely sticks out as a recent memory. Watching my friend Penny slap deeper and deeper into the run out on Overhanging Groove, seemingly unaware that she was about to plummet at any moment. She was going the wrong way and desperately grabbing at holds that were offering her less and less, but at no point did she look like she might back down, reverse, or try and take a controlled fall. She was a muerte. I shouted at her to look left to where a jug beckoned and she hit it. I thought she must be so pumped that she'd struggle to hold it but she climbed up to the gear and topped out seemingly without a care. It was so gutsy. Total commitment.
 


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