[Bubba]

Not necessarily the hardest, but the one that took forever to get. I know FatboySlimfast took about half a decade  :wink:  to get West Side Story.

My worst was probably the Green Traverse, but then that probably was also my hardest at the time.

[Avoiding the Traitor]

Leading Fireman Direct (not sure if this is right name) B9 at Wright's Rock .. The crux is sickly 1 finger hold on the roof  :shock:

[dave]

for me recently probably just the obvious ones, like deliverance, blind date and to an extent WSS. Also at time other stuff like Pock Man, NTBTA.

currently there are some ongoing ones that are taking forever, like the press, submergence etc.

I was actually quite inspired by FBSF's tale of WSS, although the figure he told me was nearer 15 years if i remember right!

[dobbin]

The powerband. The devils own problem, I spent ages doing all of it and being unable to link the final drop down. I did it once but didn't step round the pillar properly so its kinda a half tick.

I can't do any of it this year though as I am a fat weak old man (and the pocket hurts my poorly finger).

[Big Frank]

Nice arete at Earl, made no impact at all on it last night.

I think the main problem is we always end up there at the end of the sesion.

[(woz)]

there's a dyno i spent 5 days with a 7m fall every time. couldnt get out of bed the next day!  :?
amazin problem tho when i did it, definatly worth it

[Bubba]

with a 7m fall every time.

I think you may be confusing bouldering with routes  :wink:

[Scouse D]

Jerry's Roof in the Pass. I spent all last summer working it only to fail at the final jug about 3 or 4 times, which resulted in very nasty falls. One time I actually matched the jug only for everything to blow when starting to move my feet up....arse.
The Pinch at sheep pen also took me 3 visits. I could do the pinch move almost every go from about my 4th try but just couldn't link it. Went back 3rd time and put my feet where everyone else does and iced it first go! If only I listened to peoples advice...

[(woz)]

I think you may be confusing bouldering with routes

most of the 7m was down a grass bank into the cow pies at the bottom!

[dave]

If only I listened to peoples advice...

I won't say "I told you so"..... :wink:

[Scouse D]

you're still always wrong dave. Your sequences are always wrong- they just work.
I personally enjoy the challenge of using a duff sequence-especially one that makes you look buff.

[dave]

Your sequences are always wrong- they just work.

Its such a damned inconvenience!

[dontfollowme]

There's an arete at Galt Yr Ogof that gets v4 in the guide but I found it a bit brutal. There were two guys from Shefield there, one of whom did the v12 on the back of the block who struggled with on it slightly i.e didn't flash it.

[Scouse D]

I know that arete-and I can vouch for the fact that it is tricky. Did you try the ramp-quite soft at V6 but a good problem.
By the V12 do you mean Sway on? Don't think this gets V12 any more but is a brutal problem none the less- a real Davis special (and way too hard for me I reckon).

[nik at work]

Blind date - can I even get close to doing this, can I buggery. Stoopid fuckin' problem anyway... :evil:

[dontfollowme]

Yeah I did the ramp, seemed ok once I had my feet sorted. The condidtions that day were perfect. Have you done the v7 variation where you start with both hands low? It was too arkward for me

[Scouse D]

The V7 isn't too bad-just gotta get brutal. Smackhead V8 next to it is well hard. my mate Jim did it the other day and was made up and that bot ain't shit.

[dave]

....and that boy ain't shit.

Thats not very nice. Shame on you Scouse.

[Doylo]

Millenium Drive on Pen Trwyn took about three sessions but i was spurred on by the 2nd ascent. Danny's problem at Stanage took a couple of visits too. Longest ongoing project is Lou Ferrino in Parisellas. Its taken about three years and i still ain't done it. Bugger.

[Pantontino]

The Ramp at Gallt yr Ogof is going in at V5, and V6 with hands matched on the low undercut. The V4 arete on the left is desperate, unless you are a dwarf (IMO).
Who was the mysterious Sheffield strongman who did Sway On?
Mr Gaskins repeated this a couple of weeks ago and reckoned hard V11. It has been suggested that some people are getting confused between this problem and the V7 to the right. (I guess that's my faiult for producing such shoddy topos in the last Northern Soul - don't worry though, the book proper will lead even the most spatially challenged individuals in one breathtaking fast-track move to the exact starting holds of any problem in N Wales, allegedly.)

My own personal bugbears are Johnny's Wall on the Cromlech Roadside face and The Minimum on the Barrel. I guess I just need to put the hours in, and accept the odd split tip. I always get about 2 or 3 goes into an attempt and my skin starts to go, so I think, fuck it, time to go and pull down on some slopers. I did manage to do Slim at Split Infinity this winter. I have been trying this off and on for about 7 years; it is similarly finger trashing to JW and The Minimum, but it is about 2 grades harder.
In a way, the problems that don't suit you can be sweeter to get, even if the grade is quite modest. Although there is always an ever increasing number of new problems at my local crags, I have cleaned up just about all of the obvious stuff that suits me (i.e. steep, sustained and slopey) and now I am  faced with the tricky painful stuff that I have avoided for so long. To my surprise this winter season I bagged a load of things that I deemed too far outside my style to be worth trying seriously. It's funny, I'm 35, and finally I seem to be developing finger strength! Mind you, we were blessed with 3 months (Jan, Feb, Mar) of extremely dry cold weather, when I may have normally been spending more time pulling on plastic or driving up to Scotland to go winter climbing.

Anyway, without wishing to come on like some Gresham style training pep talk, I reckon there is a lot to be said for diversity.

Cheers, Simon.

[Stu Littlefair]

I can't think of a problem harder than Deliverance. It took me threee or four years of trying it EVERY TIME I went to the plantation (which believe me was not a rare event). Finally I latched it in front of a huge crowd, which was nice  :

Sadly, the next time I tried it, I broke my fucking ankle. That problem cracked one of Big Rons vertebrae too.  Buy more pads.

[hongkongstuey]

without a doubt the BIG dyno at the Roaches - was visiting this probably two or three times a week to try it for a 3 month period before i finally snagged it

the joy of latching the hold was overwhelming (that ' finally i can go and try something else feeling - along with the 'fuck me, i'm good' one of course!)

this one (3mb vid clip) is the current bugger that i can't nail, fortunately i'm the keeper of info for HK so i'm bumping the grade to V7

[Bubba]

nice video Stu - that looks nails for V5 !

[dave]

yo stu, (don't want to get bogged down in semantics here but) whats the concunsus grade for the BIG dyno? when we were there we reconed about font 7a, but I'm sure i've seen V8 or V9 mentioned but don't know if thats true. Its a great problem, very addictive.

If it makes you feel superior, apparently a well known "E10" climber was spotted failing on it a few weeks ago....... :

[hongkongstuey]

last time i went there i was told by a few locals - AndiT etc - that the grade appeared to have settled at Font 7b+

which seemed fair to me but then i spent bloody ages on it!

Bubba -

i agree with you about that prob being nails, the girl climbing is soooooo strong but suffers from being only 5ft tall. fortunately for her the holds on this prob are tiny and its crimpy as hell (i.e. stereo typical girl problem),

one of the guys i climb with - who's flashed High Plains Drifter and other V7's - still hasn't bagged it either so i'm guessing its at least that hard and upgrading it

[hongkongstuey]

If it makes you feel superior, apparently a well known "E10" climber was spotted failing on it a few weeks ago....... :

that narrows the field down a bit! i've seen some very strong climbers failing on it and have relished in nonchelently dispatching it infront of them, oh to have problems wired!

[fatboySlimfast]

in reply to the first posts on this subject, i first tried WSS in 1988 with jason Myers, a session that ended with me sliding off down the hillside on the sheet of lino we had at the bottom and fucking me knee!!!!!!!
Tried it on and off for years always trying same sequence, never reaching third sidepull cos couldnt reach, then tried it with fatdoc years later with some ridiculous equence and got up to last move for jug first go, still took several months after that! So thats a grand total of 13 years!!!!!!
strangely I can do it conditions willing nearly every time now

[Pantontino]

I've tried WSS twice; once in a snow storm that miraculously didn't touch the front face of the crag (when I very nearly did it), and once with Darren Stephenson (strong Jock) who preceded to show me in an apparently effortless fashion, 3 different methods. Bastard!

I'd love to do it, and if I lived in Sheffield (god forbid) I would be on it every night.

Simon.

[dave]

....currently there are some ongoing ones that are taking forever, like the press, submergence etc.

scratch the press from that list.






 :up:

[Bubba]

Congratulations  :D

[Adam Lincoln]

....currently there are some ongoing ones that are taking forever, like the press, submergence etc.

scratch the press from that list.
:up:

Its really not that hard is it! Now you have done it, you be able to chalk up mid press move then go to crimp.

Personally the move to finishing hold was always the hardest IMHO

Nice one

[dave]

To be honest i would say it felt pretty hard - but i concur that most problems on that wall feel easy once you've done them. I've always been piss weak on butch press moves though so I'm pleased. I agree the move to the jug is annoying, awkward high left foot. Also going up to the top break is interesting when you are blind to all the footholds, as I was.

Fell off Rubicon though, if that helps to put my power:stamina ratio into perspective.

[Johnny Brown]

RE big dyno: no surprises, gresham is shit at bouldering. Unless you mean dunne, shit at dynos, or bentley, can probably static it with those arms.
I seem to remember its not that big - 7a+ seems about right.

[dave]

no it wasn't any of the above - kind of gives it away.

[Adam Lincoln]

no it wasn't any of the above - kind of gives it away.

Ahh, but Mr Berry is short, and the static meister :-)

[dave]

aye but he's iced slingshot and that must be fairly dynamic.

[(woz)]

never tried the dyno...must be pretty hard if he couldnt do it tho

any advice on the sequence?

[dave]

To be honest its very obvious when you see it, its hardly an intricate sequence. Have a look on the vid on this site. When i did it I was going LH first, closely followed by right hand, but i don't think any particular hand is easier than the other. Can be done from sitting to add a couple of interesting undercut moves if you want.

[Johnny Brown]

I don't count that route as E10.  :wink:
There are a lot of 'hardcore' headpointers who aren't any good at bouldering.
Bet he was pretty annoyed! Every time I've met him he's been on one. A lot of anger.....

[chris]

Got to be WSS, everyones nightmare. Tried when i first moved to sheff about 4 years ago.....impossible  so i left it alone. Did it this spring  :D after watching Andy Harris and Rob Smith do it. Fucking cool problem and well worth the wait i think you'll agree. Still one of the hardest lines in the peak even though its not that hard grade wise

[Scouse D]

Just thought of another that gave me loads of grief and that was the old skool classic-Cromlech roadside full traverse.
I'd been playing on the roadside for ages so thought it'd be a doddle, but it's well tiring. After the pumpy sloper section at the start, it's into a tricky crimpy section, a section on big holds below the ramp to get you fully pumped, then a right gnarly section on monos...If that wasn't enough you then have to do the edges problem to finish which is hard enough anyway.
All that for V8. Bloody awful.

[T.H.]

Living no where near any of the major bouldering venues, having only been bouldering properly for just over a year, and the vast majority of the problems I've done are of my own creation (well the rocks really, but I climbed it first) none of you would ever have heard of the problems that gave me most grief.

So I'll make something up:

Not really a problem, but Hubble gave me some grief. :wink:

[Pantontino]

If its any consolation Dave, I've given it V9. The 'rampless' version is closer to V8.

[Scouse D]

Thank fuck for that-I was expecting it to have dropped to V6 by now!