Ha ha. Can. Worms. Open.I think it partly depends on local ethics. Hard problems on sandstone I kind of look on like a sports redpoint. You work it until you do it. The (slack) rope is there for your safety on your succesful ascent. You climb it under your own steam so I'd think of it as real climbing. Not leading, obviously, but still acceptable.I assume you are referring to the headpoint solo vs top rope debate?Where's Fiend?
Actually, this isn't the first time he claimed it. He claimed to have done it last year I think, so I'm assuming this is just a repeat (for fun perhaps?). As for top roping, it is the future. Moves so hard you can't clip on a route 30m long... (you imagined it here first)
Chimera's not a boulder problem so it's daft to give it a font grade. It climbs out of the cave, traverses the break left and then has the hard section up the groove which starts at about 25ft off the deck.GCW is right. Doing the hard routes on SS is basically redpointing. French route grades make the most sense and Chimera always got 8b (but that was when only Dave T had done it and everyone else had failed miserably). So not as hard as font 8a anyway.
Then again, it can't be 7a 'cos Johnny says I can't climb 7a.
Does it really matter if it gets a Font/Sport grade? Same thing as long a you don't fall off. I think that we have some dual stuff here in the peak like PUTP which you are practically toproping until after the cruxAnyway, well done that man/boy/student