[Fiend]

One of those philosophical pondering threads...

What would one say the essence of gritstone route climbing is?? Not specific routes or ""must-do"" classics or any of that toss, but the essential types of gritstone route climbing experiences that are most rewardingly specific to gritstone??

I can think of:

Bold aretes - with or without half-height gear, pure lines with balancy friction moves and classic "it's one big hold" climbing.
Bold slabs - with or without half-height gear, clean-cut friction climbing that's all about faith and footwork.
Crack testpieces - of whatever width and grade, but crack-climbing without any of the respite holds that you'd get on other rock types
Roof climbs - a la Stanage or Roaches, pure horizontal roofs with the typically graunchy pullover at the end.

Does that get the measure of grit??

The other main distinct genre would be Wall climbing - break to break in the easier grades and non-break to non-break in the harder ones. But I think many other UK rock types do that style with more panache.

[GCW]

I hate to go all Dawes, but I think Grit (like Bleau) is all about interaction with the rock.  It's about the way you use holds, not always about how hard you pull.
Technique.  That's the Word.

[Richie Crouch]

The essence of gritstone is all about bad experiences of wash outs and burning your mates off indoors instead.

[SA Chris]

i don't think grit cracks are particularly pure in the grand scheme of things, yes there are some great cracks out there, but there are purer cracks on Sandstone and Granite.

For me the essence of grit is the always unlikely looking rounded nature of it, with which I always associate aretes.

[Dr T]

surely it's grit rash......
 

[Fiend]

i don't think grit cracks are particularly pure in the grand scheme of things, yes there are some great cracks out there, but there are purer cracks on Sandstone and Granite.

Yes point taken - although those rocks often have quite a similar ethos in what makes them special as grit does. Grit cracks might not be as pure as some but I think they are a pretty essential part of the grit experience? Maybe...

[Drew]

The essence?

Could "Climb On" be described as an essence?

[Sloper]

Climbing ground up on site, dealing with the lichen and scrittle only to find a nightmare top out.

PS did I mention that I might have done three new routes yesterday?  I'm thinking of calling them Thumbing our father, Thumping your father and Mick Ryan is a ....

Grades, who knows?

There's another five or six others to go in to.

[Stubbs]

Climbing on features that wouldn't be climbable on other rock types without the friction. Something Jerry says in hard grit, about hanging the sickest slopers possible?

[rc]

I reckon it's a goldilocks thing - there is just the right amount of friction. Who knows why we like it like that.
Granite offers purer cracks, bolder slabs and 'smooth' aretes (but is minging). You can go hang limestone slopers etc etc but the friction on grit is "just right".
Even within grit you can get picky. Higgar is too pebbly and nasty, curbar sort of feels half way to quarried smoothness whereas burbage/stanage hits the sweet spot.

[GCW]

PS did I mention that I might have done three new routes yesterday?  I'm thinking of calling them Thumbing our father, Thumping your father and Mick Ryan is a ....

Did you know "Mick Ryan" is an anagram of "I'm cranky"?

[Palomides]

What would one say the essence of gritstone route climbing is?? Not specific routes or ""must-do"" classics or any of that toss, but the essential types of gritstone route climbing experiences that are most rewardingly specific to gritstone??

To respond to the spirit of your question, but in more general terms, my three archetypal gritstone route-climbing experiences are:

• Trusting that your fingers will actually stick to a hold well enough to be able to use it
• Getting well and truly wedged in somewhere unlikely, with the two conflicting sensations of not being able to move upwards, and the feeling that only maintaining the current excruciating amount of body tension is the only thing stopping you from being spat back to the ground
• Having to fully commit yourself to standing up with all your bodyweight on a really shitty smear

Route references available on request.

[tlr]

The essence of grit climbing has to be the way that simple, subtle changes in body positioning turn crap holds and impossible move into something doable.

Apart from cracks, and the odd graunchy move, a lot of the best moves on grit have to be done well or not at all. Most of the harder things I've done on grit have felt easy when I've finally done them.

Tim

[SteveM]

• Getting well and truly wedged in somewhere unlikely, with the two conflicting sensations of not being able to move upwards, and the feeling that only maintaining the current excruciating amount of body tension is the only thing stopping you from being spat back to the ground
• Having to fully commit yourself to standing up with all your bodyweight on a really shitty smear

IME these two apply equally to Yosemite granite. Especially the polished chimneys 

[Big Jim]

Self-belief.

Both for bouldering and routes, just believing is normally what it takes for success, and I find that often it's getting that mental state which is the hardest part and most memorable feature of grit climbing.  Sometimes that's standing on a shitty smear or using a rubbish sloper, other times it's using poorish holds in a position where failure could lead to injury or making the mental commitment to actually bother to climb a crack.

[AndyR]

Convenience is its true essence.

[Idol eyes]

Its about falling in love, and not falling off...

[grumpycrumpy]

Grit's great because it's all on such a human scale .....

[Fiend]

Climbing on features that wouldn't be climbable on other rock types without the friction. Something Jerry says in hard grit, about hanging the sickest slopers possible?

Mmmmm yes. I agree, although I don't know how applicable "hanging the sickest slopers possible" is to climbing classic HVSes.

I think with grit, it is the combination of the friction, and the rock features. The stuff that is more hold-orientated, less-specific, that you can get elsewhere, is less special.

 

To respond to the spirit of your question, but in more general terms, my three archetypal gritstone route-climbing experiences are:

• Trusting that your fingers will actually stick to a hold well enough to be able to use it
• Getting well and truly wedged in somewhere unlikely, with the two conflicting sensations of not being able to move upwards, and the feeling that only maintaining the current excruciating amount of body tension is the only thing stopping you from being spat back to the ground
• Having to fully commit yourself to standing up with all your bodyweight on a really shitty smear

Route references available on request.

More good stuff, again I agree, that's the lines I'm thinking of. Friction - as other people have mentioned - but also cracks of some description (some w i d e description in your case).

I think the thing is, it's good to have stuff that is unique to grit, but ALSO to have things that are common on grit but maybe shared with other rock types. Classic jamming may also feature on granite and sandstone, but it is a big part of grit climbing.

(Also, I still maintain that roofs are part of it. Not many UK rock-types where you get so many classic roofs at a variety of grades - down to the break-orientated structure of grit of course.)

Going back to the friction side, I'm thinking I was on the right lines with aretes and slabs. One could also add "pulling on slopers", but I can't think of a specific route type that has that.

Good answers so far...

[abarro81]

Broken ankles, horrific slopers and lots of heel-toes. But the best thing has to be the aretes.

[fatdoc]

What would one say the essence of gritstone route climbing is?? Not specific routes or ""must-do"" classics or any of that toss, but the essential types of gritstone route climbing experiences that are most rewardingly specific to gritstone??

To respond to the spirit of your question, but in more general terms, my three archetypal gritstone route-climbing experiences are:

• Trusting that your fingers will actually stick to a hold well enough to be able to use it
• Getting well and truly wedged in somewhere unlikely, with the two conflicting sensations of not being able to move upwards, and the feeling that only maintaining the current excruciating amount of body tension is the only thing stopping you from being spat back to the ground
• Having to fully commit yourself to standing up with all your bodyweight on a really shitty smear

Route references available on request.

genius.

[dave]

Gritstone is about driving ten minutes from your house to a crag you've been to 1000 times, climbing things you've done countless times before and yet still discovering something new, something you've never done or hadn't realised, be it about the rock or about yourself, and knowing that you're truly privileged. And if you get to burn someone off in the process or impress some punters then thats just the icing on the cake.

[whispering nic]

palming ...manteling ...fist jamming ...reflecting on the whole experience in the boozer