[monkey boy]

Managed my project today of linking strict blueband into rattle and hump the hard way. Was wondering if anyone (Ru and Andy) new whether this had been done before?

It is a class link and definately worth adding to the Tor ticklist. Grade is probably around V11/8a but maybe on the soft side.

If it hasnt been climbed before then i think 'Big Brassband' is the name, if it has then hopefully it has now been revived!

James repeated it shortly after but with slightly different beta.

Enjoy!

[Paul B]

Managed my project today of linking strict blueband into rattle and hump the hard way.

is the hard way 'power humps' or another method? If so does that not leave you with he wrong pocket to do the move to the 1st crimp? I always see people with different sequences each time.

[monkey boy]

Sorry, hard way just means not using your heel and the gaston move. You just use the pocket on strict blueband to go straight up to the crimps on R&H if that makes sense?!!

[Paul B]

yeah it makes sense.... seems like another massively eliminate/weird traverse problem. Should fit in well at the tor   

[Ru]

No - I once did non-strict Blueband into it (ie I used the last slot) but I didn't finish up the route, just bailed at the jug. Don't know about Andy, or for that matter Ben/Jerry/Malcolm/Steve/John/Robin etc who also did training links I think. Ben certainly used to have some fearful circuits at Crag X.

Some other stuff that I know people have done for training over the years: John Welford did links like Blueband/Powerband, and may have done Staminaband/Blueband.  I've done Stamina Humps finishing up the route (used a rope, not solo) which adds a grade I would have thought and also did an extended start (from the flakes at the end of Boy Band) finishing up the route, which is harder still. Steve and I did an extended Ben's Roof thing the other week too, doing Ben's Roof with the original finish, reversing the new finish (which feels hard) and traversing left to jugs below Mecca. Totally eliminate and contrived but better for doing laps on.

BoyBand/Staminaband/Ben's Traverse/Zippy's Traverse/Weedkiller Traverse and Boyband/Staminaband/Pump up the Power are the big "natural" lines still left. The first of those probably would be no harder than the Boyband/Staminaband link due to the big rest, but the second one would be immense, 9b route grade, maybe more, V15/16? On a historical note, I think Strict Blueband is an eliminate because Ben first did Blueband like that without really thinking about the sequence too much and everyone else copied.

Oh, just remembered, Weedkiller Traverse/Reverse 7c Prob/Ben's Roof will go too - Steve Mac has muttered interest as a training project.

[dave]

Sorry, hard way just means not using your heel and the gaston move. You just use the pocket on strict blueband to go straight up to the crimps on R&H if that makes sense?!!

I still don't get it.

[dobbin]

I'm trying to visualise the moves here, so bear with me... from the left hand side of powerband, you take the sculpted pinch with your right hand and cross under for the edge thing. Then theres a hard move down to the slot with your right? so, do you match the slot and go up to R&H from there, or do you just go? presuming you go with your right hand to the bottom crimp and then take the crimp next to it with your left?

Good work anyway dave.

[Adam Lincoln]

You take the top crimp with your left hand in a pop stylee move....

[monkey boy]

You take the top crimp with your left hand in a pop stylee move....

Aye this is right! No matching in the slot dobbin that would be quite a feet i think. Off the slot (right hand) pop to the top crimp (left hand) then match the bottom crimp with (right hand)! The pop is the crux move!

[dobbin]

Ah! I understand now. That move up with your left would be hard me thinks - Good effort! You could do an even more elimanate no-right-hand match! - left to the crimp, then jump straight to the pinch for an extra wad point. I pledge a pint of real ale to the suitor to complete this most proud of elimanate elimanates.... (pint only handed over on submission of credible video evidence)

[Doylo]

Saw Dave Buchanan trying something along these lines the other year, dunno if he did it or not though.

[Paul B]

Speaking to Andy Koisch (sp? it can't possibly be right) about this today and he reckoned it had been done...

[John Cooke]

Saw Dave Buchanan trying something along these lines the other year, dunno if he did it or not though.

I'm pretty certain Dave was trying (non strict) blueband into rattle and hump but didn't do it. He didn't manage strict blueband either for that matter.

[a dense loner]

he must be gutted. what a line

[Andy Harris]

So hang on let me get this clear. You don't actually do Blueband to the end (ie. to the start of powerband) and then go back up power humps? You do the hard cross through move into the crimp & 1st slot then boing up? If that's the case then it's not really strict bluband as you don't actually do it?

Sounds good fun though and tricky for sure. But I'd think the better line would be to do the full traverse and then the full power humps. It's harder to know whether anyones done this before and to be honest you'll never know.
 
Quite ironic that the link ups and countless eliminates was the thing to do back in the day, then went out of favour and everyone had loads of disdain and now were back to the beginning again pretty much everywhere. Guess when the weathers bad and people are running out of rock....

My fave links are blueband+powerband and the even trickier powerbland+blueband. I'm sure Rich S said he did SB+BB+PB which is pretty monumental and must be harder than any other tor link up.

[Pantontino]

Quite ironic that the link ups and countless eliminates was the thing to do back in the day, then went out of favour and everyone had loads of disdain and now were back to the beginning again pretty much everywhere. Guess when the weathers bad and people are running out of rock....

Nodder was giving me some grief about this recently. A long time ago I wrote an article slagging off eliminates (even though, like everyone else I'd spent an enormous amount of time and energy doing them in the late 80s and early 90s), heralding a new era for bouldering where the pure line was paramount. He said, look at the British scene now: just a ceaseless tide of link ups and eliminates - none of which should be given news coverage. I beg to differ, as IMO there is a big difference between a link up and an old fashioned eliminate. Basically, I think link ups are newsworthy/worth recording, but eliminates (unless they are very special/historically interesting) are not. The two should not be confused. (I also pointed out that the much celebrated Mr Fantastic - which he did the first post-Scouse-hold-obliteration ascent of - is really just a link up problem, with only a couple of independant moves)

All that being said, there is nothing wrong whatsoever with doing eliminates. (stating the bleedin' obvious, I know...)

[Ru]

I agree with what I think Panton is saying.

Link-ups are much more important than eliminates as they are basically pure lines, only the end or beginning point is changed. Eliminates are fun, but should only be recorded as historical quirk or if they are very good - ie a 'pure' eliminate (a line that you could almost argue was not an eliminate). Otherwise things get daft, you could almost rename and claim every problem you've ever done in an unusual way. I also think that renaming traverses done backwards is stupid too. And there-and-back traverses. Do them for fun, for training (as Andy et al have done for years at the Tor) and to get one up on you mates, but please lets not start claiming them as seperate problems Fontainbleau style.

[dave]

Sounds good fun though and tricky for sure. But I'd think the better line would be to do the full traverse and then the full power humps. It's harder to know whether anyones done this before and to be honest you'll never know.

Similarly people doing staminaband-PUTP aught to eshew the mincine-out finish of getting to the jug then bailing off up PUTP, instead they should complete staminaband to the pillar then climb back into PUTP.... Back around gaskins, simpson etc....