UKBouldering.com

Action Directe - News? (Read 24265 times)

Paul B

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 9626
  • Karma: +264/-4
Action Directe - News?
October 04, 2006, 11:02:52 pm
Quote from: planetfear.com
What makes an ascent newsworthy these days? One of the world's best climbers repeats one of the world's hardest and most famous climbs and it sounds pretty newsworthy. Austrian born Kilian Fischhuber has just climbed Wolfgang Gullich's Action Directe, the benchmark f9a route anywhere on the planet. My problem is, it's the 9th ascent including the legendary Wolfgang's. It is the second most repeated f9a after Kinematix at Gorge Du Loup in France (10 ascents). f9a is without doubt nails, but it is no longer the absolute cutting edge - let's face it Wolfgang established Action Directe way back in 1991 (and graded it f8c+ / 9a). Would we be reporting the 9th ascent of an E8 that was put up by Johnny Dawes in the late 80's? Probably not. Action Directe is actually around 12 moves long, significantly shorter than many boulder problems. Dave MacLeod has established V13's at Dumbarton with twice as many moves.

So what makes Action Directe newsworthy? I call it Internet Keepy Uppies (and planetFear are as guilty of it as anybody else). Somebody climbs something hard. It gets reported on a website somewhere. Come the next morning a dozen or so climbing news-hounds sit at their computers sipping coffee and surfing the regular news sites to see if anything has happened over night. Bingo. Action Directe - that's a famous route isn't it. Somebody obviously thinks its worth while reporting so we better had too. Must keep up with the Joneses. Mustn't be the one responsible for dropping the ball. And so it escalates. By lunch time a dozen sites are bigging it up to receive more attention than the first ascent! Such is the power of the Internet.

I was a bit bemused after reading this, I thought the reason this climb has had as much attention as this was due to its pedigree, and certainly doesnt overshadow  the FA, in fact the opposite, ask almost anyone who climbs: "who climbed Action Directe" and you'll get the correct response however if you mention Akira, or hugh?... Im guessing the number of correct responses will be a lot less.... Comparing this to an E8 seems simply to be madness, ok so I kind of understand the comparison of cutting edge trad at the time to cutting edge sport but is that really a fair comparison to make? After all the trad standards have been pushed and confirmed, where as in sport there has been no confirmed 'significant' change ? (correct me if i'm wrong?)
Maybe this is a daft post, who knows, just in my book F9a is still newsworthy until there is a confirmed leap forward. What do you lot think?
Sorry if this is a bit of a daft rant - im sure you'll let me know if it is  ;)

Mike Tyson

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 2075
  • Karma: +94/-2
#1 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 04, 2006, 11:15:16 pm
I agree Paul. Somebody climbing F9A is still good news. Action Directe does have a certain something about it though, maybe to do with everything attached to it and its first ascentionist? I dont know.

But these days, the super strong climb F9A for breakfast so people get very used about it. Thats the nature of people. A comparison is some suicide bomber killing a load of folk in the middle East. It is still a massive thing as people are dying, but we hear it every day so we get accustomed to it. Same thing happens in climbing I'm sure. Woohoo, somebody climbed Action Directe is obviously this persons opinion.

Andy F

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 1985
  • Karma: +129/-13
  • Ex-ex-climber
#2 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 04, 2006, 11:23:56 pm
If someone repeated Northern Lights or Rainshadow it would be very newsworthy, but AD is becoming (I hate to say it) a trade route. Not to say AD is a trade route you understand, it's just it's had at least 4 ascents this year. Hubble however has had that many repeats in 15 years. Which is harder? Or Indian Face, 2 repeats in 20 years. Does that make it 'harder' the AD or Hubble? No.

9a+/9b is cutting edge, everything else is just a local story IMHO, no matter how impressive it may be.

Paul B

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 9626
  • Karma: +264/-4
#3 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 04, 2006, 11:42:17 pm
ill give you 9a+ as being the cutting edge, however has 9b been actively confirmed?

AD surely gets the attention that it does because it was the first of its kind, dare I say that if Hubble was given 9a it may be recieving similar attention to as what we have seen on AD? (Picture the tor overrun by Eurowads? ok then maybe not).
Rainshadow or Northern Lights will make a fine news piece when it happens...until then I believe these ascents to be worthy of note.

r-man

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Glory lurks beneath the moss
  • Posts: 5030
  • Karma: +193/-3
    • LANCASHIRE BOULDERING GUIDEBOOK
#4 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 12:16:11 am
Quote from: planetfear.com
Action Directe is actually around 12 moves long, significantly shorter than many boulder problems. Dave MacLeod has established V13's at Dumbarton with twice as many moves.

 ???

Surely this is the point. Action Directe is short and intense. It's a proper hard route, with proper hard moves - it doesn't get a big grade because it's so long, it gets a big grade because move for move it's harder than most. Though 9 climbers have succeeded, the list of climbers that have tried and failed is pretty astounding, when you consider what they have achieved elsewhere:

Quote from: Boux 8c
here is a list off the top of my head of world class climbers that have been and tryed action and not succeded.

John Gaskins
Dani Andrada
Fred Nicole
Klem Loskot
Ben Moon
Josune Beratizu
Paxti Usobiaga
Huber Brothers
Jerry Moffatt
many top french climbers,
Markus bendler
Sharma? i think
fred Roughling
Jb tribout

Surely no other top route sees the same amount of attention. So to achieve where so many others have failed is really something. Action Directe is the gold standard. Of course it's newsworthy!

Houdini

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 6497
  • Karma: +233/-38
  • Heil Mary
#5 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 12:42:13 am
Action Direct a trade route?  Andy, you're out of your mind!

dobbin

Offline
  • *****
  • Global Moderator
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 3708
  • Karma: +147/-9
  • Buoux 7a
#6 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 06:57:18 am
completely agree with R-man (oh.my.god), news of success on action is noteworthy becuase of its length. No other 9a exists that is so short and power dependant - all the other ones have easier moves but more of them.

Comparing Action to Indian face is a non starter too - if you fall of the crux of one, you slump back onto the rope, possibly banging your hip if you have an inattentive belayer, but you dust yourself off and get involved again. With the other, a slip from the crux means almost certain death. One climb is about head strength, and one about physiological mettle.

Effort to Fischlover, still an awesome achievement.

unclesomebody

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • 1-5-NEIN!
  • Posts: 1693
  • Karma: +148/-9
  • more business, less party.
#7 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 08:28:10 am
Fishburger is a wad. There can be no doubt. I've seen him climbing and he is a talented and hard working climber!

And about what planet-fear wrote. I can only put this down to people who know nothing about the international world of sport climbing writing the news. Really, it's a bit lame. If planet fear fell off the web (or the face of the earth for that matter) I wouldn't miss it.

SA Chris

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 29221
  • Karma: +630/-11
    • http://groups.msn.com/ChrisClix
#8 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 08:34:32 am
Quote from: planetfear.com
So what makes Action Directe newsworthy? I call it Internet Keepy Uppies (and planetFear are as guilty of it as anybody else). Somebody climbs something hard. It gets reported on a website somewhere. Come the next morning a dozen or so climbing news-hounds sit at their computers sipping coffee and surfing the regular news sites to see if anything has happened over night. Bingo. Action Directe - that's a famous route isn't it. Somebody obviously thinks its worth while reporting so we better had too. Must keep up with the Joneses. Mustn't be the one responsible for dropping the ball. And so it escalates. By lunch time a dozen sites are bigging it up to receive more attention than the first ascent! Such is the power of the Internet.

Yes, I still think an ascent of this route is still significant, more so for the climber than the route. You have to enjoy the honesty of the above quote though, rather than the usual NEWSFLASH NEWSFLASH!

Adam Lincoln

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 4943
  • Karma: +111/-30
    • Flickr Page, Vimeo Videos and Blog
#9 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 08:35:43 am
Fishburger is a wad. There can be no doubt. I've seen him climbing and he is a talented and hard working climber!

Not many climbers out there who have climbed Font 8b+ and F9a.

Johnny Brown

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 11437
  • Karma: +690/-22
#10 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 08:39:47 am
Seems an accurate assessment to me. The newer, harder routes are not as famous, hence ascents are ignored. This is an old route, standards have moved on as have fashions. There are now climbers who are far better all round than Wolfgang was.

unclesomebody

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • 1-5-NEIN!
  • Posts: 1693
  • Karma: +148/-9
  • more business, less party.
#11 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 08:47:18 am
Seems an accurate assessment to me. The newer, harder routes are not as famous, hence ascents are ignored. This is an old route, standards have moved on as have fashions. There are now climbers who are far better all round than Wolfgang was.

I couldn't agree more. So it's good to see that an all rounder like Killian has done Action. It's so far away from Wolfgangs first ascent, where he trained so long and so specifically for it. I think that Killian's been trying it for a while, but as Adam posted above, he's done 8B+ and 9a. A great ascent which confirms his mega skills.

Also, newer, harder routes are not ignored, it's just that maybe they don't get reported on english speaking sites. There are plenty of french and spanish sites that regularly report hard sport ascents.

Adam Lincoln

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 4943
  • Karma: +111/-30
    • Flickr Page, Vimeo Videos and Blog
#12 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 08:57:01 am
Have any brits climbed 9a and 8b+?

Only candidates i can think of about doing it someday are Stew Watson, Pasquile, Keen Youth and Ty....

Hendo

Offline
  • **
  • player
  • Posts: 75
  • Karma: +1/-0
#13 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 09:02:18 am
Have any brits climbed 9a and 8b+?

Only candidates i can think of about doing it someday are Stew Watson, Pasquile, Keen Youth and Ty....

Dave MacLeod will surely do it in the next few years

Adam Lincoln

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 4943
  • Karma: +111/-30
    • Flickr Page, Vimeo Videos and Blog
#14 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 09:04:18 am
Quote
Dave MacLeod will surely do it in the next few years

Ahh yes, completly forgot him!
« Last Edit: October 05, 2006, 09:29:34 am by Adam Lincoln »

Buoux 8C

Offline
  • **
  • menacing presence
  • Posts: 222
  • Karma: +9/-3
#15 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 09:24:48 am
Ste Mclure already has achieved 9A/ Font 8B+, each on more than one occassion, none of which where 'Holiday grades' which are all to common nowadays.

Well done to Kilian, one of the best ticks in the world? Although not on par with one of Dawes E8's obviously.


Adam Lincoln

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 4943
  • Karma: +111/-30
    • Flickr Page, Vimeo Videos and Blog
#16 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 09:29:01 am
Ste Mclure already has achieved 9A/ Font 8B+, each on more than one occassion, none of which where 'Holiday grades' which are all to common nowadays.

Ahh cool, which 8b+ has he done? Though he had just done 8b, that thing at Stanage.

Hendo

Offline
  • **
  • player
  • Posts: 75
  • Karma: +1/-0
#17 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 09:36:03 am
Did he not grade Rhythm 8B+

Adam Lincoln

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 4943
  • Karma: +111/-30
    • Flickr Page, Vimeo Videos and Blog
#18 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 09:37:53 am
Did he not grade Rhythm 8B+

Speaking of which, add dunning to my list of all rounders and godskins!

Ru

Offline
  • *****
  • Global Moderator
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 1971
  • Karma: +120/-0
#19 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 09:39:21 am
Did he not grade Rhythm 8B+

Wrong Steve.

I think the AD ascent is newsworthy. The thing about hard ascents in this country is that you shouldn't get caught up too much with the British downer on grades. Just becuase there are very few things graded 8B+ in this country doesn't mean that there's nothing hard. Generally British climbers that project 8Bs in this country go and shred them abroad. Then they come home, spend months on a project that's even harder and there's debate about whether it's 8A+ or not.

Hendo

Offline
  • **
  • player
  • Posts: 75
  • Karma: +1/-0

Doylo

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 6694
  • Karma: +442/-7
#21 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 10:15:54 am
Steve Mac has done a 8b+ bloc at Wainstones (think its called). Horrendous sit start involving a mono. As for Action  there are not many 9a's or above around that are so perfect or have such a history, Realisation is the obvious other one.

Bonjoy

Offline
  • *****
  • Global Moderator
  • forum hero
  • Leafy gent
  • Posts: 9932
  • Karma: +561/-8
#22 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 10:17:49 am

I think the AD ascent is newsworthy. The thing about hard ascents in this country is that you shouldn't get caught up too much with the British downer on grades. Just becuase there are very few things graded 8B+ in this country doesn't mean that there's nothing hard. Generally British climbers that project 8Bs in this country go and shred them abroad. Then they come home, spend months on a project that's even harder and there's debate about whether it's 8A+ or not.
I know that and you know that, which rather begs the question, why did you push grades even lower/further from euro partity in your own publication? :-\ ;) ;)

Adam Lincoln

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 4943
  • Karma: +111/-30
    • Flickr Page, Vimeo Videos and Blog
#23 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 10:18:36 am
Steve Mac has done a 8b+ bloc at Wainstones (think its called). Horrendous sit start involving a mono. As for Action  there are not many 9a's or above around that are so perfect or have such a history, Realisation is the obvious other one.

Speaking of Realisation, Chris says hello

Doylo

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 6694
  • Karma: +442/-7
#24 Re: Action Directe - News?
October 05, 2006, 10:18:54 am
shit i must learn to log out when i'm finished

 

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal