UKBouldering.com
the shizzle => news => Topic started by: Bradders on June 03, 2022, 02:19:24 pm
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To complement the significant repeats thread, where the new route / problem isn't significant enough to deserve its own thread.
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Has Caff done anything recently??
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New one from Solly Kembal Dory called Megalodon (at Heartland quay?) He's suggested 8B+.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce3qT9Nj0fc/
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Feel like this should go in here. Sounds like DG had a monster season in Switzerland and capped off nicely.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cey5A2EDtid/
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New one from Solly Kembal Dory called Megalodon (at Heartland quay?) He's suggested 8B+.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce3qT9Nj0fc/
It’s in the roof right next to the sadly no longer existing Ache Ball. Hartland Quay. A venue with a whole lot of quality 8+ boulders.
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Is this the thing Squire has been trying?
What happened to Ache Ball Grant?
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Is this the thing Squire has been trying?
What happened to Ache Ball Grant?
I think Squire's thing is more in the roof proper (kinda to the left of kraken if you're looking in to the cave). I've not been though and this is all just based on IG pics so take it with a pinch of salt.
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Is this the thing Squire has been trying?
What happened to Ache Ball Grant?
Ache Ball died :wavecry: quite a long time ago, still gets logged on UKC every now and then though. It should start on a double undercutty ish feature low on the arete making a hard move right hand into the crimp on the overhanging face. This start has simply fallen off and therefore impossible. It has also developed a big hold near the arete that makes it much easier to move to the 'jug' on the overhanging face. People are starting right hand in the crimp and using the new extra hold (why wouldn't you), around 6b this way..the original 8a/7c+ problem is simply not possible anymore.
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The ever fluctuating beach levels can confuse things also.
JAWS Starts to the right of Acheball and goes out to the lip through the steep twin crackish feature above it, here's Solly on it, you can see his feet on the Acheball 'jug'. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CewH4q0jh6r/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
I think Megalodon shares the finish of Jaws but starts from a designated hold deeper in the cave. I was there when Solly was trying it but wasn't really paying much attention to what he was doing, a ladder was required to access the moves that day...apparently at the moment you can reach everything off the ground (that could change overnight).
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Be cool if this thread was used not just for hard ascents but also new things of significant quality.
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Be cool if this thread was used not just for hard ascents but also new things of significant quality.
I'd be well psyched on that. I really like significant repeats as a place to hear about ascents that are interesting but a bit more niche so carrying that vibe over to hear would be mint.
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Be cool if this thread was used not just for hard ascents but also new things of significant quality.
Yep, use it for whatever you deem worthy; it's called significant first ascents not "hard first ascents" ;)
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Is this the thing Squire has been trying?
What happened to Ache Ball Grant?
Ache Ball died :wavecry: quite a long time ago, still gets logged on UKC every now and then though. It should start on a double undercutty ish feature low on the arete making a hard move right hand into the crimp on the overhanging face. This start has simply fallen off and therefore impossible. It has also developed a big hold near the arete that makes it much easier to move to the 'jug' on the overhanging face. People are starting right hand in the crimp and using the new extra hold (why wouldn't you), around 6b this way..the original 8a/7c+ problem is simply not possible anymore.
I climbed the low start of this back when I was just getting solid around the 7B mark. Not sure if it has deteriated even more since then, but its likely 7A+ 7B from where I started in this vid.
Its a big shame! The original movement looked brilliant
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEttXrYjbQa/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
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Squire has done his Hartland project at 8C, Paradise Found
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfUIeQUjC5q/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
He sounds pretty chuffed!
Maybe should get its own thread but had already been mentioned here.
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Not all significant FAs have to be hard, but hard ones are usually significant for at least that reason.
Nomura Shinichiro, Gakido, 8C+. Nice riverside setting too, looks beautiful. Never heard of the guy, one of many Japanese crushers.
https://youtu.be/rN5Z3V4QYtA
Only 3 sessions too! Crazy quick to establish a boulder of that difficulty. I wonder how fast he's managed other things, must be tearing it up in Japan.
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Whilst we're on very hard new things, Matt Fultz has put up a new 8C+, which to me just looks to be a "big grades for bad beta" version of Jade. Significant though since those are some very small grips for a big chap.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CfUxqupPIH9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Note: watching with the sound on could easily be misconstrued as a bit NSFW...
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Whilst we're on very hard new things, Matt Fultz has put up a new 8C+, which to me just looks to be a "big grades for bad beta" version of Jade. Significant though since those are some very small grips for a big chap.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CfUxqupPIH9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Note: watching with the sound on could easily be misconstrued as a bit NSFW...
Haha, "smooth and strong, baby!" I think I need a cold shower!
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Whilst we're on very hard new things, Matt Fultz has put up a new 8C+, which to me just looks to be a "big grades for bad beta" version of Jade. Significant though since those are some very small grips for a big chap.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CfUxqupPIH9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Note: watching with the sound on could easily be misconstrued as a bit NSFW...
That'd be right at home at the tor.
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That'd be right at home at the tor.
Powerband into Generation Game but for the V16 climber... Or a mirror image of James' King of Griff's link
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Not all significant FAs have to be hard, but hard ones are usually significant for at least that reason.
Nomura Shinichiro, Gakido, 8C+. Nice riverside setting too, looks beautiful. Never heard of the guy, one of many Japanese crushers.
https://youtu.be/rN5Z3V4QYtA
Only 3 sessions too! Crazy quick to establish a boulder of that difficulty. I wonder how fast he's managed other things, must be tearing it up in Japan.
I love the purity of this one, it reminds me of Burden of dreams! I wonder if there's a possible sit / lower start.
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New E9 up in Scotland from Mat Wright, looks pretty tasty!
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf6pSNIDtxf/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
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New E9 up in Scotland from Mat Wright, looks pretty tasty!
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf6pSNIDtxf/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Good stuff! Hopefully its not already in a guide
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I wonder where it is in relation to Iain's route?
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/reiff_in_the_woods-3969/find_meat_on_bones-551293
Hard to find info for a lot of stuff up in the NW!
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He did a new E7/8 at Reiff recently as well.
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I wonder where it is in relation to Iain's route?
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/reiff_in_the_woods-3969/find_meat_on_bones-551293
Hard to find info for a lot of stuff up in the NW!
Different crag. Ossuary Block is on Reiff in the Woods side of the glen and Wicket Gate is over the road on the Stac Pollaidh side.
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I wonder where it is in relation to Iain's route?
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/reiff_in_the_woods-3969/find_meat_on_bones-551293
Hard to find info for a lot of stuff up in the NW!
Different crag. Ossuary Block is on Reiff in the Woods side of the glen and Wicket Gate is over the road on the Stac Pollaidh side.
Any take on how good/hard/significant this is?
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Got a message from Mat Wright. He says Robbie Phillips has been working this so he will no doubt comment on it in due course.
Mat says Robbie has found some placements that he’d written off as too poor to bother with.
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I wonder where it is in relation to Iain's route?
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/reiff_in_the_woods-3969/find_meat_on_bones-551293
Hard to find info for a lot of stuff up in the NW!
Different crag. Ossuary Block is on Reiff in the Woods side of the glen and Wicket Gate is over the road on the Stac Pollaidh side.
Any take on how good/hard/significant this is?
Sorry Shark, no idea but doubt Smally does soft touches!
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If you mean the new route, it's on the same wall as an E6 from 2015 called Pine Martens with Guns, given two stars by Ian Taylor, who's probably better placed than most to judge relative quality in the northwest. So it must be a pretty good wall.
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The rock up there is amazing. Don't get there nearly often enough...
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If you mean the new route, it's on the same wall as an E6 from 2015 called Pine Martens with Guns, given two stars by Ian Taylor, who's probably better placed than most to judge relative quality in the northwest. So it must be a pretty good wall.
Ah, sorry,I thought he meant Iain Small's route on the Ossuary Block.
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I watched Robbie do it today. Not E9.
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Is this Jeopardy or Live Fast that we're talking about?
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Live Fast. Ian was sending out live updates from the crag today. The Highlands scene has never known such excitement.
Although Robbie and Alex Moore repeated Jeopardy yesterday and thought more like E7 (according to his insta).
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Robbie and Alex both found Jeopardy raiser and safer than Mat suggested, so it's no surprise that Robbie did Live Fast quickly. Did Alex do it too?
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Flashed it. Apparently Matt doesn’t own RPs, just imagine.
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Route to be renamed Place RPs, Live Longer
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Write up from Robbie.
E7 with additional gear, probably E9 the way Mat did it
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgB87Ids5jH/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Robbie says there’ll be a video on Alex’s insta of his flash
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How the fuck to people get to climbing E2 without RPs, let alone E7/9 or E11?? :blink:
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Write up from Robbie.
E7 with additional gear, probably E9 the way Mat did it
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgB87Ids5jH/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Robbie says there’ll be a video on Alex’s insta of his flash
Mat has also posted. Implies that the additional cams Robbie placed are in an adjacent route and in his opinion off line.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgB8o2Qjd1E/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
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The world of first ascents is so interesting and there’s so many variables that when you’re putting up a line it’s so easy to have your blinkers on and not spot a sequence or gear placement that then gets the line downgraded, as long as you’re honest about it and adjust it that’s all gravy. All part of the learning experience. I don’t think there’s anyone here who’s put up an FA and not had someone downgrade it.
Good to see Mat speak openly about his thoughts too, could have just wiped the post but he stuck with it.
The route also looks great regardless of grade, a nice addition to the crag and the grade will settle (as it always does) with more ascents.
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The world of first ascents is so interesting and there’s so many variables that when you’re putting up a line it’s so easy to have your blinkers on and not spot a sequence or gear placement that then gets the line downgraded, as long as you’re honest about it and adjust it that’s all gravy. All part of the learning experience.
It definitely is a prominent aspect of it. Whenever I've unearthed new stuff I've been very attentive to working out what is logical and what would make most sense to future ascentionists, what is the best way to describe a route, if there are any "rules" or options how valuable do they make it etc etc. Quite important when you're setting a path for others to follow, and not always easy to get the balance right.
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The world of first ascents is so interesting and there’s so many variables that when you’re putting up a line it’s so easy to have your blinkers on and not spot a sequence or gear placement that then gets the line downgraded, as long as you’re honest about it and adjust it that’s all gravy. All part of the learning experience.
It definitely is a prominent aspect of it. Whenever I've unearthed new stuff I've been very attentive to working out what is logical and what would make most sense to future ascentionists, what is the best way to describe a route, if there are any "rules" or options how valuable do they make it etc etc. Quite important when you're setting a path for others to follow, and not always easy to get the balance right.
Yep, all very true. Despite spending time to work out best sequence I’ve had people who are a bit taller roll by and break my beta where I was unable too. These things happen. Good on Mat for speaking openly about it though and sharing his thoughts. Like I’ve said to him it’s all part and parcel of first ascents
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There's a great story from one of the bleausards (Jacky Godoffe?): he spent a couple of days working on a techy new ~7C and was very proud to tell his mates about his new discovery, so they could go and try it out for themselves. Of course the second ascensionist then did a 6C dyno past all the hard climbing!
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I usually make the point in regards to boulder problems, but it seems applicable here too. It's makes sense to state what parameters a grade is based on, even if you personally think it's obvious/self-evident, and even if it makes the climb look/sound like an eliminate. Revealing unspoken/unwritten rules after they're broken is suboptimal. I've been caught out by this a few times.
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Coming soon :2thumbsup:
Lots of F.A nonsense on the horizon from an up and coming edition of the Gneiss Times re Robbie Phillips{Captain America} and his Avengers End Game crew that recently hit the Highlands with predictable results despite the summer heat.
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even if you personally think it's obvious/self-evident, and even if it makes the climb look/sound like an eliminate. Revealing unspoken/unwritten rules after they're broken is suboptimal. I've been caught out by this a few times.
This is so true. assume LCD and work backwards. "you sure you aren't supposed to reach across and use that? It's going to be a hard move if you don't " Duh.
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Shawn R has done the story of 3 worlds 8c+,assuming a low start to 2 worlds?
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Looks to be that, definitely finishes up SOTW. This seems to be one of the 'secret' ascents, hopefully more footage will be coming out soon.
Video description says he did it twice cos he dabbed the tree - interesting that picking up a chalk bag from the floor is fair game ;)
Vid link https://youtu.be/oa0bXWl2RBs
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That dyno to the undercling is pretty fucking incredible
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Is he wearing a ring on his right index finger?? Or is it tape??
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Is he wearing a ring on his right index finger?? Or is it tape??
A tattoo?
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That thing looks absurdly hard! Even the kneebar looks nails due to the size of the foothold.
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Is he wearing a ring on his right index finger?? Or is it tape??
A tattoo?
I thought that but at the end it looks like his skin is bulging around the edge? Surely can’t be a ring but just seems like a very skinny bit of tape
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Seb Bouin has done the FA of Nordic Marathon an 130m 9b/+ route.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgcR2Z4DhN3/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
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Fuck me Bouin must have a leathery ass!!
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That's pretty girthy :yes:
(The route, not Seb's leathery arse).
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Mental.
130m 9b/+
8c into 9a+
one go every two days
switch rope half way
untie and solo the last 5-10 meters
Mental.
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I've just copied the text from Seb's two instagram posts, the first discussing Thor's hammer pitch 2 and the second discussing Nordic Plummer.
Post 1:
Second pitch of Thor's Hammer 9a+ ✔️
First repetition after Adam Ondra's FA (2017)
This route is the last part of the original multipitch crossing the Flatanger cave, bolted by @magmidt .
It's going from the anchor of Nordic Plumber / Thor's Hammer (it's the same) to the lip of the roof.
It's around 25 meters, with a 9a+ grade.
There are three separate cruxes in this last picth. The hardest one comes on the very last meters of the roof.
Back in 2012 @adam.ondra made the first ascent of Thor's Hammer (9a) which is the first 2 pitches of this multipitch from Magnus.
I already did this route, back in 2015.
This last pitch was still a project at the time and Adam went on to get its FA in 2017.
I’m psyched to have made the first repetition on Monday. It took me 9 goes.
Now, onto something even bigger…
The idea of Adam Ondra is to cross the cave from the bottom to the top on the most overhanging part (it's basically a roof), and finishing via this pitch.
This is truly something which excites me!
This mega route has the possibility of 3 different starts – I wonder which one will go!
From the original route Thor's Hammer : this could be 9a followed by this cruxy 9a+
From Move : 9b/+ followed by the cruxy 9a+
From the 8c Nordic Plumber : 8c followed by 9a+
The hard part of this project (whatever is the starting route), is the endurance necessary, and how to keep enough power in reserve for the final pitch. We will have to climb around 50 meters, just to get on to the last pitch.
It's hard to imagine what the overall grade that this project might be, but one thing is sure, this last pitch makes it really hard due to the style and the combination of the cruxes.
This route will be around 80m of hard climbing with the redpoint crux on the last meters. Above the lip of the cave, there are still 50 meters of vertical wall to be bolted to top out on the very summit. The total line could be around 130m to be climbed in one pitc, switching ropes as we climb.
We still have to bolt the last "easy" part to get onto the summit of the cave.
My dream project would be to do it from Move. Adam and I think this route could be 9c.
I will surely try it first vis Nordic Plumber or Thor's Hammer to train during this trip (possibly 9b+)
My goal would be to try this "Move integral" (potential 9c) during my next trip / next season.
Thanks again for the great pic @climbimarco during the Dyno, Crux 1 of this pitch
Post 2
Nordic Marathon , 130m ✔️
9b/+ First ascent
When Adam told me about his project to cross over the cave, and go from the ground to the summit, I was immediately amazed by this idea.
The main goal of my trip was to check out this monster.
The idea was big, really big. But it's definitely the kind of challenge which attracts me.
As I explained in my previous post, there are three possible starting routes, each offering a different grade. Starting with:
Nordic Plumber 8c
Thor's Hammer 9a
Move 9b/+
Whatever the start, it is then followed by a cruxy 9a+ (Pitch 2 of Thor’s Hammer), with a repoint crux at the end (at 80m).
My ultimate goal would be to do it by the hardest possible combination: Move.
In the previous years, I already spent four travels to do Move (9b/+). Imagine starting from this one and finishing by a cruxy 9a+...
However, I knew this would be too hard for a single trip. So first I decided to start from the easiest line (Nordic Plumber 8c) in order to get an idea of the challenge, and to be psychologically ready for the end when I start trying the harder version.
After first working and sending the second (9a+) section by jumarring into it, I then started trying from the ground, trying to link into it from Nordic Plumber.
It changed so much the end. Coming into the 9a+, with my arms already so pumped in the last crimpy crux after 80m of climbing was insane.
I was falling there a few times. And then falling on the previous cruxes as well.
The sheer size of the route makes it hard mentally. You can have one go every two days. It's so much climbing, in one intense burst that you simply can't give two goes in a day. Then if you want to be as fresh as possible, you need a rest day in between.
So it was quite hard psychologically to only give it one burn every two days.
The pressure felt so high in this last crux.
The rope drag was also insane. Even if I had already switched ropes once during the route - I had to untie my knot and free-solo the last 5/10 meters (really easy climbing)
Nordic Marathon is my pure climbing style. Endurance, big moves,...
The line attracted me by its size.
Thanks @adam.ondra for sharing this idea
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I can hear the sound of JWI furiously crunching numbers in the grade calculator...
Futuristic route.
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This is insane. If you have ever stood in this cave it’s hard to comprehend.
Twice the height of Malham 3/4 of which is a roof.
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New 9a route/boulder from Solly called "Bikini Bittom" in the cave at Hartland Quay.
"The full line from the back of the cave into Megaladon->Jaws."
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New 9a route/boulder from Solly called "Bikini Bittom" in the cave at Hartland Quay.
"The full line from the back of the cave into Megaladon->Jaws."
https://youtu.be/Amq6bshAZKw
This has got Barrows' name all over it.
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This has got Barrows' name knee all over it.
God that looks soooo boring. Fair play.
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New 9a route/boulder from Solly called "Bikini Bittom" in the cave at Hartland Quay.
"The full line from the back of the cave into Megaladon->Jaws."
https://youtu.be/Amq6bshAZKw
This has got Barrows' name all over it.
I’m confused, why have a chalk bag and then used a chalkbucket half way?
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I imagine it might be easier to chalk and chill at the same time rather than using the one clipped to him (chalking upside down can sometimes be a bit awkward)
Looks great, wish it were a bit closer to Sheffield!
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For a cave by the sea it seems to get remarkably good conditions?
Looks like a cool bit of climbing.
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It can be super gopping in there Chris. Seepage from above if it has rained, big tides and big swell will soak it too. The long dry spell we've had down here definitely helps and looks like Solly got this done during a small tide/small swell window. Don't turn up here expecting your project to be mint everytime!
7b into 8a+ into 8a+ is the breakdown.
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OK, still seems more reliable than many east coast spots, unless you get up early morning sun, which kind of limits you to weekends.
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It can be super gopping in there Chris. Seepage from above if it has rained, big tides and big swell will soak it too. The long dry spell we've had down here definitely helps and looks like Solly got this done during a small tide/small swell window. Don't turn up here expecting your project to be mint everytime!
7b into 8a+ into 8a+ is the breakdown.
You talkin' boulder or route grades?
If we're generous and call them "medium" rests, the good ol' Darth Grader gives:
Route grades (7b M 8a+ M 8a+): 8b+
Boulder Grades (7B M 8A+ M 8A+): 9b
So it's either quite under- or quite over-graded.
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It can be super gopping in there Chris. Seepage from above if it has rained, big tides and big swell will soak it too. The long dry spell we've had down here definitely helps and looks like Solly got this done during a small tide/small swell window. Don't turn up here expecting your project to be mint everytime!
7b into 8a+ into 8a+ is the breakdown.
You talkin' boulder or route grades?
If we're generous and call them "medium" rests, the good ol' Darth Grader gives:
Route grades (7b M 8a+ M 8a+): 8b+
Boulder Grades (7B M 8A+ M 8A+): 9b
So it's either quite under- or quite over-graded.
As much as I love some grade maths, there's also option 3 that the calculator doesn't work so well for this route/problem. Wouldn't be super surprising as it's calibrated on long routes rather than extended boulder problems.
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I just played with it using The Wheel and Pilgrimage. It came out about 1.5 grades too high on both - I think that must be roughly the 'challenge' adjustment for being off a rope, which roughly makes sense to me
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It can be super gopping in there Chris. Seepage from above if it has rained, big tides and big swell will soak it too. The long dry spell we've had down here definitely helps and looks like Solly got this done during a small tide/small swell window. Don't turn up here expecting your project to be mint everytime!
7b into 8a+ into 8a+ is the breakdown.
You talkin' boulder or route grades?
If we're generous and call them "medium" rests, the good ol' Darth Grader gives:
Route grades (7b M 8a+ M 8a+): 8b+
Boulder Grades (7B M 8A+ M 8A+): 9b
So it's either quite under- or quite over-graded.
Them's the boulder grades, Solly's hardest route to date is 8a though! (Sure he is capable of way more but focused on bouldering). So maybe his grade calibration is not quite there yet... A repeat or two is needed, get to it beis.
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I just played with it using The Wheel and Pilgrimage. It came out about 1.5 grades too high on both - I think that must be roughly the 'challenge' adjustment for being off a rope, which roughly makes sense to me
This. Many really underestimate how hard it is to clip draws, especially clips that you simply cannot blow without risking injury. And also just generally fiddle around with ropes.
Luckily this was solved like forty years ago with the introduction of the traverse bouldering grade.
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What would this be in traverse boulder grading then?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlaYx4FpIx8
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Ben Bransby has added a new 8B on the North Wales coastal lime that he's called Gwyllgi.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgl6owWD1F_/
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http://www.northwalesbouldering.com/newsitem.asp?nsid=1019
Few more details here
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Oh, and Ynys Môn is Anglesey to the rest of us.
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Ben Bransby has added a new 8B on the North Wales coastal lime that he's called Gwyllgi.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgl6owWD1F_/
Still blows me away how under the radar Ben is considering the amount of hard stuff he's done. What a legend, he popped over to windy the other day and flashed all of mine and Bonjoy's lines there as you do ;D
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Is he under the radar? I'd regard BB as one of the longstanding big cheeses of all-round hard climbing in the UK.
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Is he under the radar? I'd regard BB as one of the longstanding big cheeses of all-round hard climbing in the UK.
I think what Carlos means by "under the radar" is actually just "not on Instagram"...
he popped over to windy the other day and flashed all of mine and Bonjoy's lines there as you do ;D
Nothing at Windy is ever going to give an 8B climber any trouble! Although on a related note the one time I've met him I enjoyed watching him absolutely piss Tourniquet:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpUKQhBH_zB/
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Is he under the radar? I'd regard BB as one of the longstanding big cheeses of all-round hard climbing in the UK.
he's under the radar as much as Dan Varian is a mysterious dark horse and Micky Page is a whisper in the wind that no one has ever seen.
I think what Carlos means by "under the radar" is actually just "not on Instagram"...
https://www.instagram.com/bbsparrowguns/ :)
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You don’t need to not be on Instagram to be under the radar. I know a lot of climbers who know who Dan Varian is but would have no idea who BB is even though he might one of the best all rounders and obviously an 8B climber would have no issues with a bunch of V7/8s but to turn up and flash every line in one bosh is still pretty awesome - guess I’ve just got my punter blinkers on :smart:
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I suspect one's perspective on this depends on when you got into climbing and where you get/got info from. Back when I got interested Bransby's exploits were getting mentioned in almost every monthly magazine so you knew he was a weapon. Nowadays news tends to come via social media, where the loudest shouters rise to the top. BB isn't much of a shouter.
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Yeah I’ve only been climbing since Jan 2019 so I I fear I may have missed the boat on his past exploits but I became acutely aware of him as soon as I started getting outside more, was difficult not to see the trail of crushing he left behind, even then for me he’s always remained a bit of an elusive figure which was quite I always found quite cool. I think that’s why I got excited to see he’d climbed some of my lines!
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https://dmmwales.com/climbers/ben-bransby
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https://dmmwales.com/climbers/ben-bransby
That’s quite the tick list not to mention he’s essentially ticked every line at stanage also.
Ha, didn’t realise he lived in Hathersage, surprised I haven’t seen him about.
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He’s only little so it’s hard to spot him, especially in long grass.
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I suspect one's perspective on this depends on when you got into climbing and where you get/got info from. Back when I got interested Bransby's exploits were getting mentioned in almost every monthly magazine so you knew he was a weapon. Nowadays news tends to come via social media, where the loudest shouters rise to the top. BB isn't much of a shouter.
He was less known for being an 8B roof boulderer in the past though...
Edit:
He went on to establish Bon Atrocity, an 8B link in Parisella’s Cave
Hmmm okay I buggered that one up then. Still, things in Parisella's tend to fade into unmemorable anonymity, right?
Edit2:
Although he's best known for his fine selection of video-bombing dogs, surely....
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I'd seen it before but I particularly like this little snippet at the end of that DMM write up:
I had done one 8c a few years before—Make it Funky at Raven Tor. I worked it on my own using a gri gri during May’s nap time - I would get her to sleep in the van at the bottom and then work the route with the baby monitor on my harness so I would know if she woke up. She normally slept for about 1.5 hours and I would be back down before she woke up (normally). I managed to lead the route second go, the first day I actually had someone to belay me!”
Good dadspiration!
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You don’t need to not be on Instagram to be under the radar. I know a lot of climbers who know who Dan Varian is but would have no idea who BB is
That’s the Flickr effect.
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He’s quite handy on bigger stuff too: https://factortwo.co.uk/freebird-ben-bransby
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Barrows has added a new 8c+ to the Chee Dale Cornice which he's called Malcolm in the Middle. It starts up the wall between Monumental Armblaster and Malcolm X before finishing up the latter.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/chee_dale_lower-10866/malcolm_in_the_middle-665196
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Barrows has added a new 8c+ to the Chee Dale Cornice which he's called Malcolm in the Middle. It starts up the wall between Monumental Armblaster and Malcolm X before finishing up the latter.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/chee_dale_lower-10866/malcolm_in_the_middle-665196
Excellent route name. And well done Barrows!
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Thanks! Glad people seem to like the name :)
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Hardest route at the cornice? I would never have thought it would go to 'broken fingers' Barrows
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How's retirement going Barrows? ;)
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Hardest route at the cornice?
I've never tried Somehow Super (has anyone other than Ste?) but it definitely felt harder for me than Dreadnaught. Someone said Felix did the proj out of Powerplant the other day too, not sure how hard that is...
How's retirement going Barrows? ;)
I hear retire and return is very popular nowadays ;)
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Hardest route at the cornice?
I've never tried Somehow Super (has anyone other than Ste?) but it definitely felt harder for me than Dreadnaught. Someone said Felix did the proj out of Powerplant the other day too, not sure how hard that is...
Whoa whoa, hold up, verify this please
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I have no verification, just what I was told at the crag yesterday...
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Hardest route at the cornice?
I've never tried Somehow Super (has anyone other than Ste?) but it definitely felt harder for me than Dreadnaught. Someone said Felix did the proj out of Powerplant the other day too, not sure how hard that is...
Whoa whoa, hold up, verify this please
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/chee_dale_lower-10866/six_dinner_sid-664915 (https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/chee_dale_lower-10866/six_dinner_sid-664915)
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Hardest route at the cornice?
I've never tried Somehow Super (has anyone other than Ste?) but it definitely felt harder for me than Dreadnaught. Someone said Felix did the proj out of Powerplant the other day too, not sure how hard that is...
Whoa whoa, hold up, verify this please
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/chee_dale_lower-10866/six_dinner_sid-664915 (https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/chee_dale_lower-10866/six_dinner_sid-664915)
Waddage.
Blimey, that kid is so low-key. Makes everyone else seem like Michael Reardon.
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Thats great. Been a project for so long, and in such a central bit of the crag.
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Good spot Ru. Low-key indeed!
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Shawn Raboutou has proposed a 9A Boulder called Alphane.
Video out on Monday according to his Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/ChczmRCDDdi/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
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9A!
9s coming thick and fast :2thumbsup:
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Maybe continue the discussion here; https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,31916.msg660598.html#msg660598
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I think this is quite significant:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Chk6GYzvJmf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Decent video on YouTube about it too. Sounds like it hasn't ever been done before other than on top rope, which of course means it hadn't really been done at all prior to Anna's ascent. Considering it's slap bang in the middle of Magic Wood that's quite something!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38B2K8XKh0U
"DANGEROUS climb on microscopic holds" :-\
"SO I FELL OFF FROM THE HIGHEST I'D FALL FROM AND I WAS TOTALLY FINE climb on microscopic holds" :yes:
Thankfully the climbing and ascent looks of a lot better quality than the clickbaitness. Good effort, some proper ratty vert there.
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Haha yes, ignore the clickbait and appreciate the achievement.
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My favourite bit is where they call it a ground up free solo :lol:
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Yeah what the flaming fuckbollox was that all about?? I didn't know "ground up" was so obscure and hard to grasp.
But the climbing was great, the heel thing was funky, as was her epiphany about the finger positions. Significant quality problem for sure.
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I just can't swallow this sort of thing without choking on the clickbait. :sick:
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Not adding another view to that shite.
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That’s a shame. It’s very impressive climbing by Anna on a very cool boulder. But the clickbait and even worse cheesy ‘risk’ bar chart cheapen the whole thing. I wish they just stated it as it was: an impressive first ascent of a highball 8A slab/wall. That’s worthy of the plaudits without the bumf surrounding it.
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Hate to go full UKB, but does anyone know if she's climbed boulders close to this level before? I'd never heard of her but just had a quick flick through Anna's insta/youtube and can't see anything above f7B+. She's a very good climber judging by the hard trad ascents on established routes, so i'm sure she's capable, particularly in this style. Just thought it would be incredibly bold to upgrade something if she hadn't climbed around that level before! No negativity intended, it's a good looking problem and I do love a 2 finger full crimp!
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Not sure what she's fine on the boulders but she's sport climbed up to 8b+.
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I’d be interested to see how it compares to Duel in Font. I’d say similar micro crimp tekkers, maybe not as bold but you don’t get hard grades for scary climbs, at least not in the UK right?
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you don’t get hard grades for scary climbs, at least not in the UK right?
You do - E grades :2thumbsup:
Was just wondering if anyone - not one of the grade sceptics for this one tho - would care to speculate on an old skool E grade for an old skool beer towel onsight for this one??
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Not sure what she's fine on the boulders but she's sport climbed up to 8b+.
Call me a believer then.
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Not a trace of doubt in your mind?
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Not sure what she's fine on the boulders but she's sport climbed up to 8b+.
And E9. She's no slouch.
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Not a trace of doubt in your mind?
When she needed sunshine, she got rain.
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Not sure what she's fine on the boulders but she's sport climbed up to 8b+.
And E9. She's no slouch.
The 8b+ is often logged as 13c. There is v8ish climbing quite close to the ground, then it eases up.
The E9 is only 13a climbing though, right?
Not saying either ascent is not an amazing personal effort, but people making a living from videos of repeats that aren't actually hard often operate at the softest end of the scale possible.
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Bumlog graphics aside, it's quite a good vid, just about 10 minutes too long. Wonder what the old bolt is from?
Glad to hear they are setting up a Patreon account though, I will definitely sign up*
* will I fuck
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This is getting pretty unseemly.
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people making a living from videos of repeats that aren't actually hard often operate at the softest end of the scale possible.
'Influencers' have a paying audience (through advertising potential) by way of their relatability, rather than skill. They may well be skilled, but this isn't usually as important.
This isn't exclusively a 21st century phenomenon. In other lifestyle sports like skateboarding, BMX, etc. there have always been highly regarded participants with prestigious sponsorship deals that could never place well in a contest, but are characters with a unique way of expressing themselves.
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Was just wondering if anyone - not one of the grade sceptics for this one tho - would care to speculate on an old skool E grade for an old skool beer towel onsight for this one??
The Prow is 8A and E9?
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Not sure what she's fine on the boulders but she's sport climbed up to 8b+.
And E9. She's no slouch.
The 8b+ is often logged as 13c. There is v8ish climbing quite close to the ground, then it eases up.
The E9 is only 13a climbing though, right?
Not saying either ascent is not an amazing personal effort, but people making a living from videos of repeats that aren't actually hard often operate at the softest end of the scale possible.
Oh right, yeah, sorry I'd forgotten E9 is easy.
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His point is not that E9 is easy, it's that in some circumstances it's physically easy enough so as to not tell you that much about someone's ability to
1. Climb 8A or
2. Tell 8A from 7C
Both of which are true.
[caveat, I have only read the thread, I refuse to watch videos like that unless strictly necessary for giving people shit]
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This is getting pretty unseemly.
I disagree, if you're going to play the game with social media you can't expect people not to share their views.
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His point is not that E9 is easy, it's that in some circumstances it's physically easy enough so as to not tell you that much about someone's ability to
1. Climb 8A or
2. Tell 8A from 7C
Both of which are true.
[caveat, I have only read the thread, I refuse to watch videos like that unless strictly necessary for giving people shit]
I know, I'm being facetious because I knew there'd be this kind of reaction to mentioning it here.
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This is getting pretty unseemly.
I disagree, if you're going to play the game with social media you can't expect people not to share their views.
Fair enough, of course (that you disagree). I just don't think it's a good look to have so quickly slid from taking the mick out of a pretty terrible video to doubting the climber's ability, on the basis of very little at all from what I can see.
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No one is saying anything bad about Anna or her climbing ability. If Daniel Woods were to put up a 9c route tomorrow, I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, but I'd have asked the same question - what's he done in this style before? Now I've learnt about Anna's documented hard ascents in other styles, I give her the benefit of the doubt too. E9 and 8b+ seem way harder than f8A to me anyway!
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On a old YouTube video she says how she did 7c+ in a few goes in Bishop. (I'm not sure which my gf showed it me a long time ago with regards to boulder grades being sexist - but that's a diff topic entirely)
She was also close on rh of darkness I believe recently here in MW, not sure if she did it in the end (completely diff style though).
Also the FA of the slab was done off a rope apparently? But got a boulder grade? There's rumours it was done since above pads, but no confirmation? If that's the case she got the FA? So can propose what she wants? (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong and someone has actually done it above pads first)
There's been a bunch of men trying (off a rope) and failing since she did it and proposing the grade. I've seen 2 people anyhow in a couple of days and hadn't seen anyone else on it in the weeks before.
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From my armchair, she appears to be a climber that excels at a particular style (necky vert/slab on micro holds) and this fits that perfectly. She also has form of seemingly huge leaps from previous performance (e.g. OUATITSW). Given her sport and trad ascents, this seems credible.
I also think it's completely fair to ask the question, which is all that anyone has done - no one has made any claims about foul play.
I should also add that I refuse to watch that tottering turd of clickbait.
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There’a a video of her doing Sway on in a session here:
https://youtu.be/lmvBTlrUwMs
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There’a a video of her doing Sway on in a session here:
https://youtu.be/lmvBTlrUwMs
She doesn’t do it though, she misses out the first move which is the hard one.
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Ah, right you are. I had a quick scroll through to check it was Sway on she was on but didn’t twig that she didn’t do the start.
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She doesn’t do it though, she misses out the first move which is the hard one.
I actually thought kodus if she did the second move on that, that's still pretty nails. But nope, she skips that one too. So just the end, after all the hard climbing is over.
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The last move is given 7A and it's soft at that.
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Regeneration, is a sit start as well isn’t it?
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:off: As per Andy's Q, does Regeneration really start from a crouch like that? I remember trying from a sit and failing, but assumed that was my shitness not it being a crouch start?
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:off: As per Andy's Q, does Regeneration really start from a crouch like that? I remember trying from a sit and failing, but assumed that was my shitness not it being a crouch start?
It’s a sit, I was just being polite ;)
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Regeneration is certainly a sitter, and hauling off the deck to snatch into the holds is probably the hardest move because of lack of feet. After that pretty steady. There is a good (and soft, which is nice) left hand extension which traverses into the last move of Sway on too. Had a play on Sway On when I was there and the first move is desperate, second tricky, the rest 6C ish iirc (not that I can climb even 6C nowdays, gotta love PIP synovitis...)
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Looks like they didn't even start The Ramp from the bottom of the ramp either!
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They looked like they had a nice day out. I'm jealous.
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They looked like they had a nice day out. I'm jealous.
Back yourself G, it's totally achievable.
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Blimey, you lot are even more miserable, cynical, and dour than me. Heartwarming stuff!!
Actually genuinely reassured that even the mild-mannered professor thinks, in his mild-mannered way, that such clickbaitery can fuck off.
I agree with Chris and Jamie that the ascent and indeed the footage of the climbing stand up in their own right, and by implication there was a really good video waiting to be hatched: Lose the clickbait title, lose the fucking 7m altimeter, and trim it down quite a bit. Not hard to do really!! I think that's what we want - quality video of a quality climb?? Oh and something about grades too....
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YouTube algorithms apparently really reward those clickbaity thumbnails. I'm not saying it justifies it but there's absolutely a reason people do it
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Cunts.
("You'll NOT BELIEVE the INSANE success these cunts have with their WILD clickbait")
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Blimey, you lot are even more miserable, cynical, and dour than me. Heartwarming stuff!!
Actually genuinely reassured that even the mild-mannered professor thinks, in his mild-mannered way, that such clickbaitery can fuck off.
I agree with Chris and Jamie that the ascent and indeed the footage of the climbing stand up in their own right, and by implication there was a really good video waiting to be hatched: Lose the clickbait title, lose the fucking 7m altimeter, and trim it down quite a bit. Not hard to do really!! I think that's what we want - quality video of a quality climb?? Oh and something about grades too....
As others have said the issue is that this kind of content does not get clicks in the current youtube environment. There is a reason that channels like Wideboyz are also engaging in the baiting - it's absolutely necessary to generate the kind of traffic they need.
I'll also point out (politely, because I really don't mean to offend) that you and the majority of this thread are not the target audience and they don't care if you never watch it. There are hundreds of thousands of climbers/aspiring climbers/sports enthusiasts/people who find this interesting enough to click on/people who think Anna is fit/random kids who are proper keen on this sort of thing and will drive the numbers up wildly. Money talks and I full respect their right to not give a flying f*** about our opinions (I also dislike clickbait excessively).
To be honest though the reaction here is all very OTT. Considering some of the absolute mindless drivel that gets traction on youtube e.g. that one guy that makes millions posting pokemon playthroughs (and that's the high end stuff) this is well thought out content of good climbers doing their thing. Yes, it's not Mellow - but we're not all D woods and channels like that are a rare breed for a reason.
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Its a shame that they feel they have to advertise their stuff that way, and a shame it will probably work in a sense. Cool ascent and admirable technical skills though.
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As others have said the issue is that this kind of content does not get clicks in the current youtube environment. There is a reason that channels like Wideboyz are also engaging in the baiting - it's absolutely necessary to generate the kind of traffic they need.
I'll also point out (politely, because I really don't mean to offend) that you and the majority of this thread are not the target audience and they don't care if you never watch it. There are hundreds of thousands of climbers/aspiring climbers/sports enthusiasts/people who find this interesting enough to click on/people who think Anna is fit/random kids who are proper keen on this sort of thing and will drive the numbers up wildly. Money talks and I full respect their right to not give a flying f*** about our opinions (I also dislike clickbait excessively).
To be honest though the reaction here is all very OTT. Considering some of the absolute mindless drivel that gets traction on youtube e.g. that one guy that makes millions posting pokemon playthroughs (and that's the high end stuff) this is well thought out content of good climbers doing their thing. Yes, it's not Mellow - but we're not all D woods and channels like that are a rare breed for a reason.
This is all true and fair enough. It's very much hate the game not the player. Which is all most on here seem to be doing, hating the game that that some people have chosen to play. A lot of people think it's a cynical game which doesn't represent their experience of climbing - a bit like when Sharma (who virtually everyone respects for his climbing) does some ridiculously shit film with heartthrob celebratory rock orangutan, Jason Momo. At least she hasn't started selling r.edbull to children, yet...
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I mean I'm not part of the scene & a relative punter, but YouTube etc rely on clicks . It's part of the YouTube game. If you look at the pros from Matt Jones (MTB) to Magnus Midtbo they all love click bait.
I think Anna would of done this without having a vlogger following along.
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It's perfectly reasonable to hate the game and think worse of the players surely... If you go down the "appeal to idiots" route, you have to accept that non-idiots may think poorly of it (this applies not just to "pro climber"/influencer types but politicians, "celebrities" of all kinds etc surely)
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Barros, don't be hard on yourself, you are an idiot. Just a different kind of idiot.
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She doesn’t do it though, she misses out the first move which is the hard one.
I actually thought kodus if she did the second move on that, that's still pretty nails. But nope, she skips that one too. So just the end, after all the hard climbing is over.
To be fair, she's not claiming to have done the 8a.
The clickbait stuff is annoying but if it means you can monetise how I
pretty much lived in my 20s then fair play to them, I'm jealous.
Anna's content does actually seem pretty good, but I rarely click because of the titles.
Also, despite all that, the send footage in this is quality
https://youtu.be/-dNWbndhciM
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Barros, don't be hard on yourself, you are an idiot. Just a different kind of idiot.
Too true, but different enough to feel endlessly superior to all the other idiots :lol:
To be fair, she's not claiming to have done the 8a.
No, though the editing with the spotter's reaction for the final move is just ambiguous enough that you could come away with the wrong impression if you were so inclined... A more cynical soul might wonder if that were intentional, but I presume it's just a lack of thinking.
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Pretty incredible looking solo / highball done by Mat Wright:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CinmawcjuNk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
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New 8B+ at the schoolroom from Jim Pope. Doesn't get much more significant than that.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci0eZGmDIAv/
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Near the other end of the steepness spectrum, an 8B+ wall in font for Nico Januel, looks amazing!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ci0JoHWLgqj/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
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Looks very cool, what do you think he means by ground start?
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Sounds like this is the full start to an 8A that started off the block you can see to the left
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ah makes sense cheers
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Pete W has done his big Gogarth thing. "E8 experience". Sounds great/awful/incredible/horrendous
The Gogarth roof finally comes together!
3 pitch adventure across (possibly?) Britain's biggest roof climb.
Although not a pure crack at all, you get to use a full range of crack techniques on it:
- Hand, fist, teacups, butterfly jams
- arm bars, kneebars and chicken wings
- foot cams, inverts and wide pony.
- squeeze and bridging
- head jams (back of my head is bruised...)
4 x #5 and 4 x #6 is a minimum at the larger end of the rack.
Not sure if those kind of details excite people to try 😅 but the terrain it covers is pretty wild.
The route is well protected with a few safe run outs. But you should expect an E8 experience to get across the thing.
Big thanks to both George Smith for the tip off and especially @calummuskett who came for numerous sessions and had the joy of seconding...
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Also a link, which may or may not work because insta and FB are giant piles of leprotic shit:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci8JBrcMzVt/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
I concur with your assessment, ed.
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Is that at Porth Dafarch :-\
I'm guessing they climbed this on Saturday, as we were on Yellow Wall both days this weekend and conditions on Sunday weren't great...
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conditions on Sunday weren't great...
He looks pretty sweaty.
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One of those "how has this not been done before" things:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjuwy7jjzsc/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
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Has the slab to the right been done?
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http://northwalesbouldering.com/newsitem.asp?nsid=1029
This looks amazing!
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Yeah that looks way cool
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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i9rYCBMK7IQ
This vid from the FA of the higher start shows what looks to be a glorious pinch hold
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Was there climbing in that Panton vid? i spent most of the vid watching the dog :)
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Seb has done the FA of the direct start to Jumbo Love, adds 20 m of 9a before the crux of the original: Supréme Jumbo Love 9b+, 70m, and hardest route in the Americas
https://www.instagram.com/p/CkgdJYfpHDO/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
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Very cool. Seb Bouin really does everything he tries now, doesn't he?
Deeply disappointed that he did not grade it 9b/b+. I feel almost betrayed.
The Darth Grader calculator says 9b+ though.
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Seb has done the FA of the direct start to Jumbo Love, adds 20 m of 9a before the crux of the original: Supréme Jumbo Love 9b+, 70m, and hardest route in the Americas
https://www.instagram.com/p/CkgdJYfpHDO/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Surely Jumbo Lover was THE name do it? Or Mumbo Jumbo....
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The Darth Grader calculator says 9b+ though.
All hail Darth.
Skinny Love?
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Very cool. Seb Bouin really does everything he tries now, doesn't he?
Deeply disappointed that he did not grade it 9b/b+. I feel almost betrayed.
The Darth Grader calculator says 9b+ though.
9b/c??
Mumbo Jumbo would be better.
Good effort.
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More importantly, will the French spelling of Suprême stand? I see that the route is reported as being named “Suprême Jumbo Love” in all online media, but surely that is just copy-paste? Or is suprême referring to the sauce?
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I can see a tie-in with Bouin’s cooking sauces and condiments working nicely here. Saussois Sauce, Buoux Béchamel, Verdon Velouté… it worked for Paul Newman :shrug:
Pity he missed the obvious name Jambalaya.
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This is a good occasion to re watch the uncut ascent of Jumbo Love by Ethan Pringle
https://vimeo.com/218653943
(I found the reel rock segment of the same footage almost unwatchable, but you can find it on Rouge Bêtise TV)
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About a month ago Lucien Martinez did the first re-ascent of Chicken Deluxe since it lost 17 sika-holds in a tragic accident. Significant for me as I belayed on it quite a bit as I have tried one of the easy routes at Super Manjoc all autumn without success. Also clearly the hardest route in the South-West of France. And obviously 9b, but Lucien took 9a+ for it.
Long interview here https://fanatic-climbing.com/lucien-martinez-propose-chicken-deluxe-9a-lucien-martinez-frees-chicken-deluxe-9a/
Super-manjoc now has four nines side by side and one more a few routes to the left. There are a few more routes in the 9th grade some 100 m down along the cliff band, so plenty to go at for strong climbers who likes steep physical climbing.
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Excellent interview, thanks for the link Jonas
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New 8C+ for Drew Ruana, linking 8A into 8B+ into 8A/+
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJEMuGHaohQ
Not the most aesthetic, and with a pretty disappointing finish, but clearly hard.
Much more interestingly, that is his 99th 8B+ or higher this year. Absolutely incredible volume of top end climbing - is there anyone else doing this?
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https://www.climbing.com/people/drew-ruana-colorado-bouldering-interview/
While studying full-time? Impressive
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New 8C+ for Drew Ruana, linking 8A into 8B+ into 8A/+
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJEMuGHaohQ
Not the most aesthetic, and with a pretty disappointing finish, but clearly hard.
Much more interestingly, that is his 99th 8B+ or higher this year. Absolutely incredible volume of top end climbing - is there anyone else doing this?
YOU'RE PSYCHED DOG. YES DREWDOG PSYCHE WOO :icon_beerchug: :punk:
Gotta love it tho aintcha
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YOU'RE PSYCHED DOG. YES DREWDOG PSYCHE WOO :icon_beerchug: :punk:
Gotta love it tho aintcha
COME ON BEAST, GET THIS MOVE BRO
Can somebody invest some time in getting a study done on whether being referred to as "beast" does in fact make you a beast? It'd be a shame to miss out on all that untapped strength that the Americans are clearly using!
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New 8C+ for Drew Ruana, linking 8A into 8B+ into 8A/+
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJEMuGHaohQ
Not the most aesthetic, and with a pretty disappointing finish, but clearly hard.
Much more interestingly, that is his 99th 8B+ or higher this year. Absolutely incredible volume of top end climbing - is there anyone else doing this?
That is a route, you can't fool me!
What does 8A into 8B+ into 8A/+ give as a sport grade?
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That is a route, you can't fool me!
What does 8A into 8B+ into 8A/+ give as a sport grade?
Not sure on rests, but he doesn't really rest until the point which I assume is between the final 2 boulders?
Harshest is
8A - good - 8B+ - good - 8A/+ = soft 9b+
Kindest is
8A - none - 8B+ - none - 8A/+ = 9c
A reasonable middle ground that seems to reflect his ascent?
8A - bad - 8B+ - medium - 8A/+ = hard 9b+
If we accept Darth grader's calculations, it's at least a solid 9b+, maybe a /c too.
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Much more interestingly, that is his 99th 8B+ or higher this year. Absolutely incredible volume of top end climbing - is there anyone else doing this?
JackPal is on >100 8th grade problems in the UK this year. Need to get him to up his game for next year.
On the darth grader maths, there's an added rope faff factor so you can take a bit of the suggested grade.
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Not a repeat, but Jakob sounds odds on to do Alphane in January, further cementing its position as the Keen Roof of 9A.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmephvEDPw3/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
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Pretty sure that would be a repeat ;)
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On the darth grader maths, there's an added rope faff factor so you can take a bit of the suggested grade.
This is pretty much how I understood Fountainbleau traverse grades: long 7b boulder ~ 7c traverse ~ 8a route.
Good climbers rarely toprope entire routes, but if they did they would know that climbing an 8b on a clean toprope without clipping or unclipping anything feels about 8a. (This style is called "try-or-fly" by a local enthusiast who likes to toprope wildly overhanging routes and taking absolutely huge swings when falling.)
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New 8C+ for Drew Ruana, linking 8A into 8B+ into 8A/+
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJEMuGHaohQ
Not the most aesthetic, and with a pretty disappointing finish, but clearly hard.
Much more interestingly, that is his 99th 8B+ or higher this year. Absolutely incredible volume of top end climbing - is there anyone else doing this?
That is a route, you can't fool me!
What does 8A into 8B+ into 8A/+ give as a sport grade?
This looks hard and shit, in equal measure.
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New 8C+ for Drew Ruana, linking 8A into 8B+ into 8A/+
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJEMuGHaohQ
Not the most aesthetic, and with a pretty disappointing finish, but clearly hard.
Much more interestingly, that is his 99th 8B+ or higher this year. Absolutely incredible volume of top end climbing - is there anyone else doing this?
That is a route, you can't fool me!
What does 8A into 8B+ into 8A/+ give as a sport grade?
This looks hard and shit, in equal measure.
yeah he's up there with ondra for this type of climb
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I'd have appreciated a spot rather than shouting. Looks hard.
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Much more interestingly, that is his 99th 8B+ or higher this year. Absolutely incredible volume of top end climbing - is there anyone else doing this?
Are you sure it's 99 V14+ this year?
In March he did his 50th V14 (all time). I know he's done an enormous number of V14+ problems this year but even so seems more like it's 99 V14+ overall rather than in a calendar year.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CbxPKWwO_Rv/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
8a.nu also saying it's "close to 90 8B+ and harder" (all time):
https://www.8a.nu/news/bookkeeping-8c+-fa-by-drew-ruana-db1bd
JackPal is on >100 8th grade problems in the UK this year. Need to get him to up his game for next year.
He was on about doing 10 a month next year the other day. Mind blowing achievement, especially in the UK. Just to have managed to get out, in conditions conducive to climbing 8A, that many times is impressive!
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Pretty sure that would be a repeat ;)
:slap:
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Much more interestingly, that is his 99th 8B+ or higher this year. Absolutely incredible volume of top end climbing - is there anyone else doing this?
Are you sure it's 99 V14+ this year?
In March he did his 50th V14 (all time). I know he's done an enormous number of V14+ problems this year but even so seems more like it's 99 V14+ overall rather than in a calendar year.
... I may have been mistaken. He mentioned wanting 100 by the end of the year, think I must have interpreted it as 100 total this year. Oops!
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Canada's first V16, The Megg in Squamish.
https://gripped.com/profiles/an-interview-with-gabe-lawson-on-canadas-first-v16/
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Canada's first V16, The Megg in Squamish.
https://gripped.com/profiles/an-interview-with-gabe-lawson-on-canadas-first-v16/
Ace that it's a lovely looking line too, no need to worry about what's in our out there!
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The moss is out - no dabbing it. A nice bit of rock indeed.
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I went on a route at Lourdes which had a big, moss covered tufa bulge exactly where you’d flag your foot on the crux. It had a handy disc of sika covering just the right spot. The moss was definitely ‘in’.
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The indefatigable Jean-Pierre Bouvier has put up another there-and-back traverse in Fontainebleau: Contre Courant (9A trav). If the grade sticks it has to be one of the hardest, if not the hardest, ascent of a 65-year old? People seem to be somewhat willing to repeat his left-to-right and right-to-left traverses, but his there-and-backs haven't seen many attempts by other climbers.
Interview in Grimper Magazine (https://www.grimper.com/news-inoxydable-jean-pierre-bouvier-65-ans-ouvre-nouvelle-traversee-dure-fontainebleau).
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The indefatigable Jean-Pierre Bouvier has put up another there-and-back traverse in Fontainebleau: Contre Courant (9A trav). If the grade sticks it has to be one of the hardest, if not the hardest, ascent of a 65-year old? People seem to be somewhat willing to repeat his left-to-right and right-to-left traverses, but his there-and-backs haven't seen many attempts by other climbers.
Interview in Grimper Magazine (https://www.grimper.com/news-inoxydable-jean-pierre-bouvier-65-ans-ouvre-nouvelle-traversee-dure-fontainebleau).
There-and-back traverses do feel to be particularly arbitrary, even within the ambit of the more arbitrary reaches of bouldering, although I can't explain rationally why that should be so. Although they're less arbitrary than figure 8s and other weird looping Font link ups. Anyway, agree that it must be the hardest bit of climbing by a 65 year old to date. Even more notable that this was 40+ years after he did the "hardest route in France." It's amazing that he's still motivated by this sort of thing.
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There-and-back traverses do feel to be particularly arbitrary, even within the ambit of the more arbitrary reaches of bouldering, although I can't explain rationally why that should be so.
I agree. In retrospect I should not have called this particular bit of climbing an 'ascent'.
Anyway, Fanatic Climbing has a nice article on Chimpanzodrome, the first 7c+ in France (maybe) https://fanatic-climbing.com/il-etait-une-voie-chimpanzodrome-once-upon-a-line-chimpanzodrome/
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The indefatigable Jean-Pierre Bouvier has put up another there-and-back traverse in Fontainebleau: Contre Courant (9A trav). If the grade sticks it has to be one of the hardest, if not the hardest, ascent of a 65-year old? People seem to be somewhat willing to repeat his left-to-right and right-to-left traverses, but his there-and-backs haven't seen many attempts by other climbers.
Interview in Grimper Magazine (https://www.grimper.com/news-inoxydable-jean-pierre-bouvier-65-ans-ouvre-nouvelle-traversee-dure-fontainebleau).
I love the fact he just won't rust!
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There-and-back traverses do feel to be particularly arbitrary, even within the ambit of the more arbitrary reaches of bouldering, although I can't explain rationally why that should be so. Although they're less arbitrary than figure 8s and other weird looping Font link ups. Anyway, agree that it must be the hardest bit of climbing by a 65 year old to date. Even more notable that this was 40+ years after he did the "hardest route in France." It's amazing that he's still motivated by this sort of thing.
Surely it's the purest form of ascent, combining a technical approach with a technical descent combining to form a full experience, where a typical boulder problem seeks the easiest path off the boulder, eschewing the full challenge.
(In case it's not obvious, that's sarcasm).
Any idea what font trav grades translate to in normal boulder grades? Or sport grades? A quick google wasn't very illuminating.
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Traverse grades are supposed to be a solution to the common complaints that traverses are longer than boulders and shouldn't be grades as boulders, and at the same time they don't involve ropes and clipping and should not be grades as routes.
Most climbers feel that an 8A traverse is easier for them than an 8A boulder and a touch harder than an 8a route.
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Stefano Ghisolfi has done excalibur
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoRqBUssJoy/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
9b+ for sure apparently, his hardest FA and hardest route in Italy
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Wow. He looked very close on that video he posted a few days ago, so maybe not so surprising.
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Great stuff. I watched Ondra's video of it the other day, pretty incredible line up a free standing boulder! Does it top out?
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Yes, he tops out in a recent video of him and Bosi working the route
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Good stuff! WB vs AO for the 2nd ascent?
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Ondra posted a video indicating that he has given up for now as one of the holds feels tweaky.
Is this the shortest 9b+, or is Vasil vasil even shorter?
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Jorge Diaze-Rullo has made the first ascent of Mejorando la Samfaina and suggested 9b+. Presumably it's a linkup of Mejorando Imagen 9b and Samfaina 9a.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoZkllYtda-/
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Is this the shortest 9b+, or is Vasil vasil even shorter?
The breakdown of Vasil Vasil is apparently 8b in to 8B+ (which itself has a single move that is ~8B!) From the arm chair it sounds like Vasil is more cruxy whereas Excalibur is more power endurance.
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Bon Voyage hard new trad route from Pearson at Annot. Looks cool
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Bon Voyage hard new trad route from Pearson at Annot. Looks cool
From some of the working footage he's put up on IG it looks like an incredible piece of climbing on some pretty marginal pockets. Mega effort.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CocodAqofQ5/
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Jorge Diaze-Rullo has made the first ascent of Mejorando la Samfaina and suggested 9b+. Presumably it's a linkup of Mejorando Imagen 9b and Samfaina 9a.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoZkllYtda-/
As the warning signs on French railway crossings says Un train peut en cacher un autre. One significant first ascent might hide another. Hasn't Jorge Diaz Rullo gotten very little media milage out of what is surely a very hard ascent at maybe the world most popular crag for hard routes?
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Yeah, it seems to have gone under the radar for a 9b+. I reckon this may be due to the lack of cachet that linkups attract in general regardless of their difficulty and the fact that it was his sideproject for Cafe Columbia, which may perhaps be 9c. No doubt he will make a splash when that one goes down.
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Ondras new thing is a link too?
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oh yes so it is! guess that theorys out the window...
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I think it's just because Ondra and Stefano have a bigger media presence. Ondra in particular has a pretty impressive squad who work with him by the sounds of it. Jorge's one man IG account is the dark horse of pro climbers!
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This was interesting to me at least, just noticed that Dan Varian has done the project wall left of The Mission in Torridon this month, which I believe he's been trying on and off for many years:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/torridon_celtic_jumble-2860/the_magna_strata-679930
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This was interesting to me at least, just noticed that Dan Varian has done the project wall left of The Mission in Torridon this month, which I believe he's been trying on and off for many years:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/torridon_celtic_jumble-2860/the_magna_strata-679930
Brilliant, thanks for sharing. Looks to me like it goes up the middle of the rippled face to the R of Malcs Arete. From the road you'd expect a route up that face to be about 5+, amazing that it's so hard but still possible. It's a lovely bit of rock.
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This was interesting to me at least, just noticed that Dan Varian has done the project wall left of The Mission in Torridon this month, which I believe he's been trying on and off for many years:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/torridon_celtic_jumble-2860/the_magna_strata-679930
Yup, i confirm its been years in the making. i had a conversation with Dan as he was working/cleaning it on a rope some years back, he thought it was hard, then popped a crucial pebble and suspected it might not go.
I would appear that it does go ;D
Great effort Dan and a fine addition to Torridon.
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Quality name game too.
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Really flipping cool.
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Think Dan's been trying it off and on for 11 years. Amazing persistence. Expect we'll be waiting just as long (or forever?) for a repeat. I don't know how it climbs but suspect it's the complete anti-style for most modern powerful boulderers.
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Expect we'll be waiting just as long (or forever?) for a repeat. I don't know how it climbs but suspect it's the complete anti-style for most modern powerful boulderers.
Dunno, having 2 or 3 grades in hand can make up for quite a lot. Hopefully it doesn't linger unrepeated for years.
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Think Dan's been trying it off and on for 11 years. Amazing persistence. Expect we'll be waiting just as long (or forever?) for a repeat. I don't know how it climbs but suspect it's the complete anti-style for most modern powerful boulderers.
Nice one Dan, was great to hear you finally got it done! Excellent strike in a small connies window too :2thumbsup:!
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Great stuff.
(http://bp1.blogger.com/_0lz-dwFTZYw/RdleMPJ24wI/AAAAAAAAADU/J1OaAu4lZA0/s0-d/The+Mission2+pic+Ian+Taylor.jpg)
Left of this. Rock aesthetics are pretty decent!
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Fuck me that looks amazing!
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So psyched |Dan has done this.
OT but If it was closer, i would love to put some time in in The Mission (which Richie is on in that pic). I expect it would be more likely to go down to a steeling fingered mature gent than Malc's.
you can see there is quite a gap between the Mission and Malc's here. https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/torridon_celtic_jumble-2860/the_mission-102944#videos
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I don't know how it climbs but suspect it's the complete anti-style for most modern powerful boulderers.
"The sequence now is crazy, I have to side crab and lower my hips, then grab a half a 5p pebble and get in balance to bump my rh across the slot into more of a crimp, then I can lock up to a higher pebble and whip over for a hold on the top."
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unless he's spragging quarks it's not hard.
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"The sequence now is crazy, I have to side crab and lower my hips, then grab a half a 5p pebble and get in balance to bump my rh across the slot into more of a crimp, then I can lock up to a higher pebble and whip over for a hold on the top."
Superb. Perhaps its actually good fodder for some Olympic style slab magician.
Where did that description come from? Pers. comm, or is there something juicy online?
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Pers comm. Dave say hi, from Ceuse etc...
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Amazing! Can’t be many harder things worldwide at this sort of angle? I have some vague recollections of hard face climb boulders in Japan maybe?
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I was looking closely at this yesterday. It may be a slab, but it's like 89.9°. Unbelievably thin, I can't imagine adhering to it the whole way up. Then again, I can't get off the ground on The Mission. Stunning bit of rock. How do I share a photo?
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Amazing! Can’t be many harder things worldwide at this sort of angle? I have some vague recollections of hard face climb boulders in Japan maybe?
Kakusei is a true slab at Ogawayama, graded 5-Dan, which is something like 8B+/8C.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAAc2BZtz1E
The left hand exit that he runs a few laps on for a warm up is 8B! Also no pads, as per first ascent.
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I was looking closely at this yesterday. It may be a slab, but it's like 89.9°. Unbelievably thin, I can't imagine adhering to it the whole way up. Then again, I can't get off the ground on The Mission. Stunning bit of rock. How do I share a photo?
upload to IG and link.
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Think Dan's been trying it off and on for 11 years. Amazing persistence.
Presumably waiting for some chargers to be installed en route
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Kakusei is a true slab at Ogawayama, graded 5-Dan, which is something like 8B+/8C.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAAc2BZtz1E
The left hand exit that he runs a few laps on for a warm up is 8B! Also no pads, as per first ascent.
That looks hardcore! When you said no pads I assumed the top wouldn't be mega thin and 15ft off the ground.
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Fair enough, no pads as per FA, at least have a spotter. Couldn't believe height when they changed views.
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Very impressive climbing. Thanks for sharing that one.
Makes for an easy walk-in I suppose. I'd be wanting about 5 pads on that (not that I could climb it, obviously....)
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Amazing! Can’t be many harder things worldwide at this sort of angle? I have some vague recollections of hard face climb boulders in Japan maybe?
Kakusei is a true slab at Ogawayama, graded 5-Dan, which is something like 8B+/8C.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAAc2BZtz1E
The left hand exit that he runs a few laps on for a warm up is 8B! Also no pads, as per first ascent.
Holy crap. Just the idea at looking up at a slab that blank and hard and deciding to try and find a sequence is far beyond my climbing imagination. Superb.
And great work Dan, the line looks as aesthetic in both form and setting as anything anywhere.
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Amazing! Can’t be many harder things worldwide at this sort of angle? I have some vague recollections of hard face climb boulders in Japan maybe?
Kakusei is a true slab at Ogawayama, graded 5-Dan, which is something like 8B+/8C.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAAc2BZtz1E
The left hand exit that he runs a few laps on for a warm up is 8B! Also no pads, as per first ascent.
😍😍 Have you been Tom? That boulder looks AMAZING!
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Amazing! Can’t be many harder things worldwide at this sort of angle? I have some vague recollections of hard face climb boulders in Japan maybe?
Kakusei is a true slab at Ogawayama, graded 5-Dan, which is something like 8B+/8C.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAAc2BZtz1E
The left hand exit that he runs a few laps on for a warm up is 8B! Also no pads, as per first ascent.
😍😍 Have you been Tom? That boulder looks AMAZING!
Hoping to go and pay homage this summer. I think there are four straight up lines on the slabby face of that boulder and the easiest is 8B. The left arête is Banshousha, which Nalle repeated many years ago.
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Lucky you, look forward to the live vlog!
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Here we go, I wanted to share the beauty of that south face of the Ship Boulder in the last minute of sunshine on Sunday:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpMpCxIN7O3/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
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Here we go, I wanted to share the beauty of that south face of the Ship Boulder in the last minute of sunshine on Sunday:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpMpCxIN7O3/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Looks totally amazing. Is 'Boulder Scotland' the best guide for this? Looks like a lot of development happened in the last 6 years. We're likely up that way in May and mega keen.
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There is a specific Torridon Bouldering Guide. It's a few years old, but still good to get you to most things (produced by 2 occasional posters on here) and miles better than the Watson guide.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Torridon-Bouldering-Ian-Taylor/dp/0992704405
I'm psyched to get back too, been far too long. Tons of great trad too, Seana Mheallan (aka Sienna Miller) is great, plus a ton of other stuff.
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To supplement the Torridon guidebook there are a couple of useful updates on the Ullapool Outdoors blog:
https://ullapooloutdoors.co.uk/northwestoutdoorsullapool/2014/11/torridon-bouldering-update.html
https://ullapooloutdoors.co.uk/northwestoutdoorsullapool/2020/2/22/torridon-bouldering-update-2020
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Despite its popularity Torridon still feels like somewhere you can just wander around and discover undocumented stuff too.
Going there the other day reminded me that in 2017 I climbed a nice 7Aish wall up the hill somewhere, that it turned out Richie Betts had done a couple of weeks before, but I can't identify it in the update.
If you're there in May Mischa, there's also excellent single pitch trad nearby at Seana Mheallan (sandstone) and Diabaig (gneiss) - or even better, the high quartzite routes on Beinn Eighe which are as good as any UK mountain trad, if it's warm enough for that.
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To supplement the Torridon guidebook there are a couple of useful updates on the Ullapool Outdoors blog:
https://ullapooloutdoors.co.uk/northwestoutdoorsullapool/2014/11/torridon-bouldering-update.html
https://ullapooloutdoors.co.uk/northwestoutdoorsullapool/2020/2/22/torridon-bouldering-update-2020
Wot's Hairpinning
clear winner from the the names.
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Thank you very much.
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Aidan's got to work quickly out in Switzerland by establishing Unison ~8C. https://www.instagram.com/p/CpN5YtfDgkh/
Unison - First Ascent
This climb felt to be a rather special one for me and my experience with it has been dispersed throughout my trips to Ticino. I actually first visited this area just one year ago but have since spent over 3 months in these beautiful valleys. Now, as I begin my latest trip, I have begun to realise my attachment to this place. It’s hard not to appreciate the rock quality and the landscapes but my observation feels to supersede this still, I refer to that comfort of a landscape which feels familiar, and almost like a home.
With this has come the satisfaction of feeling to help develop an area which has offered me so much. Indeed, the trip thus far has mostly been focussed on opening new lines I have been inspired by.
I actually saw this face on my earliest days in Ticino, but with no landing and dirty holds it barely looked possible for me at that time. I’d almost forgotten about it actually, until @shawnraboutou showed me it again last Autumn and we got a little excited by its potential. So my first rest day this trip was filled with cleaning the holds and carefully arranging logs. But still it looked a little dangerous to try. And so the following day, after getting a strange split on another climb, @onceuponaclimb @luke_murphy_98 @tompeckitt @giuliano_cameroni rallied and together we crafted a solid log platform which somewhat transformed the safety of the boulder. In the dying light, we were able to sample the moves enough to know that the line was possible.
We soon returned and I promptly settled on this sequence. It felt hard, the edges are small and required a lot of precision, the feet are similar and yet the true difficulty feels to lie in coordinating use of the two. I’d say the style suits me almost perfectly and after a good rest I was able to climb it on my first try from the beginning.
It’s hard to gauge the difficulty, especially when this suits me so well. But consensus was that it was perhaps 8C. Hopefully future ascents will shine more light on it. But with the memories around this boulder, it feels not to matter so much and I hope others enjoy it similarly. Thank you for the spots and good times to those who helped :)
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Ace looking line!
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IG is blocked on my work PC and I can't see anything on Aidan's page, where is the quote from?
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It’s from Instagram where Aidan likes to post in the style of Herman Melville.
Great looking wall.
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Cheers for all the Torridon beta folks!
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It’s from Instagram where Aidan likes to post in the style of Herman Melville.
Great looking wall.
:lol:
I'm waiting for someone to put together a compilation of Aidan using the word 'puzzle'. It could be a drinking game at this stage; during new episodes of Careless Talk, take a shot every time you hear the word!
Anyway, that's enough blaspheming, I'm still a fully subscribed member to the church of Aidan. Incredible line and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next!
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I can see it now, was looking in the grid bit not the vid bit. Looks like hard crimpin'
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Another stunner! I knew Switzerland had awesome potential, even in the popular areas, but it’s been incredible watching the amount of 5* hard lines go up over the last few years.
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I'm still a fully subscribed member to the church of Aidan.
[/quote]
Is it UKB policy that we must always form a church to honour the current strongest crimper in the Lakes? I don't hate it.
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I would think so, why not??
Also when did the amp get cranked up to 5 stars?!
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If a slab gets 3 stars a crimpy overhang must get 5, stands to reason
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Knob.
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On a point of order, I don't think that's a 5 star line (assuming 5 is the max score). It's a cool wall but it's basically a 2-number-grades-harder Manson's Wall. On the same bit of rock, the groove/ramp to the right is the better line.
Cool bit of climbing though. Allow me to supply the UKB equivalent of a bicep emoji.
:strongbench:
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we crafted a solid log platform
[/quote]
Always climb better after one of those
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On a point of order, I don't think that's a 5 star line (assuming 5 is the max score). It's a cool wall but it's basically a 2-number-grades-harder Manson's Wall. On the same bit of rock, the groove/ramp to the right is the better line.
The fuck are you talking about? Are you saying a climb up a blank wall can’t be 5*?
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Nice armchair Will.
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I think this might be a misunderstanding between "an x star line" and "an x star problem"? With line and problem maybe having been used interchangeably in teestub's original post?
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I think this might be a misunderstanding between "an x star line" and "an x star problem"? With line and problem maybe having been used interchangeably in teestub's original post?
Yes, feel free to replace ‘line’ with ‘problem’ (or bloc 🤮) in first post. But I also stand by the second post, Freak Brothers and Amandla being two examples that spring to mind.
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For sure, if this were written up in the UK you'd likely give it 3 stars. But if we're talking lines and rating out of 5 then probably not so much. Best line of crimps on a leaning wall that springs to mind is The Lash - the diagonal striations naturally drawing the eye/climber upwards: beauty.
Please accept two further bicep emojis by way of apology.
:strongbench: :strongbench:
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I think this might be a misunderstanding between "an x star line" and "an x star problem"? With line and problem maybe having been used interchangeably in teestub's original post?
Yes, feel free to replace ‘line’ with ‘problem’ (or bloc 🤮) in first post. But I also stand by the second post, Freak Brothers and Amandla being two examples that spring to mind.
Alternatively: puzzle
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Photos and video here that show much better how steep it is:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpOBuWzDz-E/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Caramba.
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Magna Strata news coming to ukc.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2023/03/what_is_the_worlds_hardest_slab_boulder-73268
Did they just read this thread to write that article?
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Yeah, looks like they're copying us! :-\
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On the topic of hard slabs, has anyone put time into Endless Nameless? Possibly at the risk of opening another Gaskins did-he-or-didn't-he discussion...
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On the topic of hard slabs, has anyone put time into Endless Nameless? Possibly at the risk of opening another Gaskins did-he-or-didn't-he discussion...
I know Nik of this parish spent some time on it a while ago, which i remember reading about on a blog years ago. i stood under it last year and its filthy, would take a bit of effort to clean
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On the topic of hard slabs, has anyone put time into Endless Nameless? Possibly at the risk of opening another Gaskins did-he-or-didn't-he discussion...
If I remember correctly Mike Adams has at least done all the moves.
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I know Nik of this parish spent some time on it a while ago, which i remember reading about on a blog years ago.
Just remembered, the info I read is in an interview with Nik in the back of the Lancashire bouldering guide
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On the topic of hard slabs, has anyone put time into Endless Nameless? Possibly at the risk of opening another Gaskins did-he-or-didn't-he discussion...
If I remember correctly Mike Adams has at least done all the moves.
I don't think Mike has even tried it. He has done all the moves on Information Highway Revisited, the awesome arete in Montcliffe quarry. Gaskins gave that 7C+, Mike thought 8B.
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On the topic of hard slabs, has anyone put time into Endless Nameless? Possibly at the risk of opening another Gaskins did-he-or-didn't-he discussion...
I know Nik of this parish spent some time on it a while ago, which i remember reading about on a blog years ago. i stood under it last year and its filthy, would take a bit of effort to clean
Yeah, though the line Nik worked is at the left end of the slab, whereas Endless Nameless goes up the middle.
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Yeah, looks like they're copying us! :-\
The cUKCoo effect.
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On the topic of hard slabs, has anyone put time into Endless Nameless? Possibly at the risk of opening another Gaskins did-he-or-didn't-he discussion...
If I remember correctly Mike Adams has at least done all the moves.
I don't think Mike has even tried it. He has done all the moves on Information Highway Revisited, the awesome arete in Montcliffe quarry. Gaskins gave that 7C+, Mike thought 8B.
Ahhh that's what I was thinking of. Cheers.
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This seems fairly significant to me; first ascent of the lower standing start to Imothep in Font, I.e. not stepping in off the boulder to the left. Sounds like good progress on the sit too!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpIjBI4oEUn/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
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Wow that’s pretty cool, the sit has to be amongst the best projects in front.
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Looks like Orrin Coley did his multi year project at Forest Rock today to add Ultra Instinct 8C
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/forest_rock-1171/ultra_instinct-680703
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Looks like Orrin Coley did his multi year project at Forest Rock today to add Ultra Instinct 8C
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/forest_rock-1171/ultra_instinct-680703
Ah that's ace, he's put so much time into that! Sit start still to go ;D
Well done Orrin if you're reading :strongbench:
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Here's Dan in 2019, working what became The Magna Strata.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ann-nigel/52728372113/in/datetaken-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ann-nigel/52727369447/in/datetaken-public/
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That looks incredible. Hope theres some footage.
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what shoes is he wearing in those shots?
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what shoes is he wearing in those shots?
Looks like left foot Chimera (old colour) and right foot Mago (last colour blue / green)
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That looks incredible. Hope theres some footage.
Fairly sure there isn't, unfortunately. It went down surprisingly quickly on the day but I'm sure Dan will clarify in due course.
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Here's Richie Betts on it, way back in 2008. IIRC he was coming into the line from Malc's and pulled all the pebbles off.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/7538425@N05/2407626226/
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Lucky pebbles.
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That looks incredible. Hope theres some footage.
Fairly sure there isn't, unfortunately. It went down surprisingly quickly on the day but I'm sure Dan will clarify in due course.
I’d settle for some nearly-but-not-quite footage tbh. Or even a hash of him trying it/ doing sections.
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Cool shots, some :ninja: moves there.
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Dan has some words down on it.
https://scottishbloc.com/2023/03/09/news-the-magna-strata/
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Success is a death too, the real gold was that flow through the face. My word that’s a beautiful bit of rock, I think I’ll always be glad to look at that face as an old fart. The strata looking like a clinker built hull guiding the eye off down to Malc’s Arête, undoubtedly a world class problem in itself. The Mission with its bow shaped rail and that floaty French start move. The pebbles and the ripples of strata echoing a frozen shore. Finally it’s a challenge for boulderers as well, we can be the dancers on the frozen shore.
Nicely put, Dan.
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"I could go in depth about transferring between frictional, gravitational and muscular oppositions in smooth transitional vectors but I’ll spare you the Dawes."
lol
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"I could go in depth about transferring between frictional, gravitational and muscular oppositions in smooth transitional vectors but I’ll spare you the Dawes."
lol
:clap2:
Magnificent. Great report, great ascent, it's the Meltdown of bouldering IMO.
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Dan's a guid C**t eh ;D
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Just listening to Sam and Aidan's podcast and there's mention of a new one Aidan's put up on the Vecchio Leone bloc (<- just to annoy fiend) that links in to an existing 7B called Vecchio Brione. No name or grade yet but sounds like it took him a few sessions so I can't imagine it's easy.
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Is a 5.14d R trad route in the Gunks significant? Still not that many 9a trad routes about afaik
https://www.instagram.com/p/CptUgOdufR2/
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Looks like it to me!!
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Isn’t everything in the Gunks meant to be sandbagged by about a number grade too?! Or does that just apply to the lower grades?
Has anyone on here climbed there? It seems to be one of those American areas that Europeans rarely visit.
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Just listening to Sam and Aidan's podcast and there's mention of a new one Aidan's put up on the Vecchio Leone bloc (<- just to annoy fiend) that links in to an existing 7B called Vecchio Brione. No name or grade yet but sounds like it took him a few sessions so I can't imagine it's easy.
I love how Aidan putting more than 2 days into something new is automatically a significant ascent and can be assumed to be at least 8C.
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New one for Dai Koyamada. Mugen 8C and 9A platform building skills.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqFvbqrPEc9/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
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New one for Dai Koyamada. Mugen 8C and 9A platform building skills.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqFvbqrPEc9/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Very cool problem, must have been a nightmare to get planning permission to build that landing
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Sharma has climbed his Sleeping Lion project on El Pati. 9b or 9b+. The victory whoops were audible in Cornudella.
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Mega. 15 years after he climbed his first 9b with Jumbo Love and his 9th 9b or harder, 8 of which are first ascents.
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The King!
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How old is Sharma? Great stuff that he’s still climbing so hard - imagine what Ondra will be doing in years to come!
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Sharma has climbed his Sleeping Lion project on El Pati. 9b or 9b+. The victory whoops were audible in Cornudella.
Did he say hi though??
Also that's bloody ace. Life in the old beast yet!! :strongbench:
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The route is described here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgacMtKWDMM
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How old is Sharma? Great stuff that he’s still climbing so hard - imagine what Ondra will be doing in years to come!
He's 41.
https://climbing-history.org/climber/493/chris-sharma
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Has anyone else tried this project and confirmed the grade? Very cool to see Sharma making a comeback.
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Yeah, 9b seemed fair.
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The route is described here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgacMtKWDMM
Cheers JWI, that looks great, proper sharma style. Strong beard game too.
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Yeah, 9b seemed fair.
/+
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No news on this anywhere other than on here and reddit (which i suspect came from here).
Has this actually happened or has someone called it to soon.
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No news on this anywhere other than on here and reddit (which i suspect came from here).
Has this actually happened or has someone called it to soon.
see below- sounds like a first hand report
Sharma has climbed his Sleeping Lion project on El Pati. 9b or 9b+. The victory whoops were audible in Cornudella.
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Did he see him or hear some noise from Cornudella.
Find it hard to believe its nowhere on the internet other than here or has he gone all Sean Raboutou and not telling anyone until next year.
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https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqbAk3UMzqj/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= (https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqbAk3UMzqj/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)
Climbing Magazine are reporting it in an “exclusive interview”
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9b± too. No slash grade.
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I spoke too soon. Seems like there is a move to hold off the insta spray until it can be released in a controlled media type of manner.
A well done UKB in being ahead of the curve.
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Grading disputes aside, having just watched various Insta videos, including one of a very long link he did last year, this just looks like an absolutely stunning, stunning route on an amazing, effectively untouched wall. The quality would seem more important than the grade really.
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Mega impressive from Sharma. What a guy.
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Grading disputes aside, having just watched various Insta videos, including one of a very long link he did last year, this just looks like an absolutely stunning, stunning route on an amazing, effectively untouched wall. The quality would seem more important than the grade really.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cc0fS-oK7L3
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cj_WGEVgcVI
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Very cool. Great to see Sharma still up there with the best.
Also I think I'm safe in assuming that the name is a tribute to LST (https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/cheddar_gorge_north-2280/lion_sleeps_tonight-221738) at Cheddar, I mean the resemblance is uncanny.
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Good interview by Sharma reflecting on getting his shit together to do this with the other things going on his life and other nuggets of wisdom (IMO best to scroll down past the guff to get to the actual interview)
https://www.climbing.com/news/exclusive-interview-chris-sharma-makes-5-15c-fa-in-siurana
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Good interview by Sharma reflecting on getting his shit together to do this with the other things going on his life and other nuggets of wisdom (IMO best to scroll down past the guff to get to the actual interview)
https://www.climbing.com/news/exclusive-interview-chris-sharma-makes-5-15c-fa-in-siurana
https://web.archive.org/web/20230331020752/https://www.climbing.com/news/exclusive-interview-chris-sharma-makes-5-15c-fa-in-siurana/
Should get you past the paywall
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If you’ve not been to Siurana, El Pati is the showpiece. It has two clusters of hard routes at either end of the main part: the La Rambla sector on the left and routes around Kalea Borroka / Estado Critico on the right. There is a large gap between these two areas which had no routes on it until now. Sleeping Lion takes a blue streak up the middle. It looks amazing.
https://www.thecrag.com/climbing/spain/siurana/el-pati
It’s been quite warm in Siurana so Siuranella Est, which gets shade in the afternoon, has been a popular crag. It has a great view of El Pati on the other side of the valley. Sharma would turn up at around 5pm as the shadows started to creep up his route. The crowds on Sirunella had grandstand seats for his attempts. No pressure!
[Edited as first version could have been construed as a dig at gme. Not my intention, I thought he had a fair point and was surprised at the lack of buzz before the ‘official’ announcement.]
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Of much more local significance; Marco Giudice has done Jason's Roof without the use of the detached footblock to the left at the start. He's been working on it for a good while, and I have to say it looks like it adds some very good looking climbing and a fair bit of difficulty; it was a while ago that I was last there and chatted to him while he was on it but I'm sure he said it's something like adding a 7C or 7C+ to the start?
https://vimeo.com/813527162
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This looks awesome Nick! I guess it must be 8A+ish from my armchair using Paul Robinsons grade formula?
Do big cave links constitute significant FAs? Between ticking basically every 8A going last year and continuing to do so this year Jack Pal has done in hell through to lip service via the pilgrimage drop down today, which must be similiar to pilgrimage in difficulty and I believe is the first time anyone has gone from in hell to the lip (with desroy famously (?) punting off the last move of Clyde from the same start a fair few years back (think that's correct?))
Edit, now he's done Dernier atrocity into the same finish (lip service via the pilgrimage undercut match)
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Of much more local significance; Marco Giudice has done Jason's Roof without the use of the detached footblock to the left at the start. He's been working on it for a good while, and I have to say it looks like it adds some very good looking climbing and a fair bit of difficulty; it was a while ago that I was last there and chatted to him while he was on it but I'm sure he said it's something like adding a 7C or 7C+ to the start?
Hero! Always thought this looked like it would be a better problem than the original. Am I right in thinking he originally pissed the normal version? Must add a bit if this took some doing.
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This looks awesome Nick! I guess it must be 8A+ish from my armchair using Paul Robinsons grade formula?
The best roof on grit just got better!
Of much more local significance; Marco Giudice has done Jason's Roof without the use of the detached footblock to the left at the start. He's been working on it for a good while, and I have to say it looks like it adds some very good looking climbing and a fair bit of difficulty; it was a while ago that I was last there and chatted to him while he was on it but I'm sure he said it's something like adding a 7C or 7C+ to the start?
Hero! Always thought this looked like it would be a better problem than the original. Am I right in thinking he originally pissed the normal version? Must add a bit if this took some doing.
I don't know tbh but he's a bit of a monster, especially in this style, so it won't be easy! Psyched to try it!
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I believe is the first time anyone has gone from in hell to the lip (with desroy famously (?) punting off the last move of Clyde from the same start a fair few years back (think that's correct?))
I remember Liam getting really close to that link back in 2008 or so. Yeah, to my knowledge, nobody else has previously done an In Hell start all the way to the lip
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..... without the bloc
:slap: :wall:
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Seb Bouin has made another 9b FA. Guy is on fire right now.
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Seb Bouin has made another 9b FA. Guy is on fire right now.
Lucien Martinez writes about it here: https://www.grimper.com/news-30-ans-9b-our-seb-bouin
After having done the FA of Ariégeois Cœur Loyal in the morning of his thirtieth birthday, Seb celebrated by dragging everyone to the gym for a mega session, with lock offs, weighted pullups, campusing, bouldering, specific strength endurance and core, which destroyed Lucien (who is also an endurance monster).
Apparently you don't get the required endurance for stamina 9bs and 9cs without training.
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Apparently you don't get the required endurance for stamina 9bs and 9cs without training.
... or for winning multiple lead world cup seasons.
I once watched a boulder world cup semifinal in the morning, in which Kim Jain placed 10th. Went to the wall in the afternoon, and, having no final to compete in, there she was instead running laps on the hardest route they had at the time (which iirc was about an 8b)
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Looks like James Squire joined the 9a (sport) club yesterday with the FA of The World is Not Enough in Medonnet https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/medonnet-9969/the_world_is_not_enough-684807
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Was surprised as I think of him as a boulderer so had to laugh when I read in the description that it is a bolted line up a large boulder.
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Gotta play to your strengths ;D
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UKB denizen Adam Lincoln has added a direct finish to Gigantic (an existing E8 at Wilton 1) which he's called Ginourmous. A touch harder than Gigantic apparently but not quite enough to nudge it in to E9.
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Was surprised as I think of him as a boulderer so had to laugh when I read in the description that it is a bolted line up a large boulder.
I was also curious, having been to Medonnet I was wondering where there would be any sport routes. Nice wee boulder spot.
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UKB denizen Adam Lincoln has added a direct finish to Gigantic (an existing E8 at Wilton 1) which he's called Ginourmous. A touch harder than Gigantic apparently but not quite enough to nudge it in to E9.
Up the blunt arete one presumes?? Good stuff.
Now someone needs to do the Chocolate Girl - Gigantic/Ginormous link, the holds are there...
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Im not too familiar with where the original goes but there's a pic on his IG stories of the new line https://www.instagram.com/stories/alincoln79/3083907893434809597/
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UKB denizen Adam Lincoln has added a direct finish to Gigantic (an existing E8 at Wilton 1) which he's called Ginourmous. A touch harder than Gigantic apparently but not quite enough to nudge it in to E9.
Up the blunt arete one presumes?? Good stuff.
Now someone needs to do the Chocolate Girl - Gigantic/Ginormous link, the holds are there...
Thanks Fiend, another local project to look at! Now that would be hard. The transition into the holds from chocolate girl is thin. Would be an incredible line..
As for Ginormous, yes, same up to where Gigantic goes off left, but instead you keep going up the blunt arete to a pop for the top of the crag. Even more scary when rope is behind your leg :'(
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UKB denizen Adam Lincoln has added a direct finish to Gigantic (an existing E8 at Wilton 1) which he's called Ginourmous. A touch harder than Gigantic apparently but not quite enough to nudge it in to E9.
Up the blunt arete one presumes?? Good stuff.
Now someone needs to do the Chocolate Girl - Gigantic/Ginormous link, the holds are there...
Thanks Fiend, another local project to look at! Now that would be hard. The transition into the holds from chocolate girl is thin. Would be an incredible line..
As for Ginormous, yes, same up to where Gigantic goes off left, but instead you keep going up the blunt arete to a pop for the top of the crag. Even more scary when rope is behind your leg :'(
That sounds potentially horiffic!
Good effort on that one Adam :great:
Dave seemed psyched to have seen you do it :)
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.A touch harder than Gigantic apparently but not quite enough to nudge it in to E9.
Verified by science / egrader? Can't just give these things numbers willy nilly :)
Nice one Adam.
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Was surprised as I think of him as a boulderer so had to laugh when I read in the description that it is a bolted line up a large boulder.
I was also curious, having been to Medonnet I was wondering where there would be any sport routes. Nice wee boulder spot.
Full details on his IG (beastlysquirrel, sorry, can't link, work blocks it). Looks cool.
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Another 8C+ for Aidan https://www.instagram.com/p/CrdQTLVNW4u/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
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Another 8C+ for Aidan https://www.instagram.com/p/CrdQTLVNW4u/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
I'm assuming this is the one he was talking about in his podcast a little while ago? Sounds like pretty interesting movement so hopefully there's some footage
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Another 8C+ for Aidan https://www.instagram.com/p/CrdQTLVNW4u/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
I believe there is footage of several people working this in this video. Also a bunch of people working the other two FA's he refers to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0HMSamy-AI
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Nothing remotely "mellow" about that video :lol:
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Another 8C+ for Aidan https://www.instagram.com/p/CrdQTLVNW4u/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
I'm assuming this is the one he was talking about in his podcast a little while ago? Sounds like pretty interesting movement so hopefully there's some footage
That's the one. Podcast here https://open.spotify.com/episode/4tiWiDzWnbMN2PKUoFQC1Y?si=ed7f7c3fc39240e5 if anyone wants a listen.
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Nothing remotely "mellow" about that video :lol:
I dunno, Dave Graham and his massive spliff are looking pretty mellow
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New one called 'Olwen' from James Taylor and Franco on Painted Wall. Sounds about 8a+ with some spicy sections, or E9 6c in old money.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr8vPofNmjA/
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New one called 'Olwen' from James Taylor and Franco on Painted Wall. Sounds about 8a+ with some spicy sections, or E9 6c in old money.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr8vPofNmjA/
Cool addition. Firming up as one of the UK's premier sprad venues! (not that this route is any way hybrid AFAIK)
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Nice one James, nice name as well.
Cool addition. Firming up as one of the UK's premier sprad venues! (not that this route is any way hybrid AFAIK)
I think I went on this a month or so back (I went down shunting on my own and due to inability to remember route descriptions I thought this was Caffs E6 and had a right spanking. From my shit dog up it 8a+ and E9 felt bob on, and great climbing. I felt a lot better when I got home and worked out it was a proj not an E6...). If it was this I was on it shared the first few bolts with the line to the left, but from then on is on natural gear. There is a decent undercut rest before the top crux section where it looks like you get some ok cams but it would be a fairly big fall onto this and really bad if they/the flake ripped.
I know this maybe isn't the correct thread for the bolt-peg debate but the day I went there was a bunch of drill dust and a new bolt (with still wet resin) on the crux of Painted groove (as I worked out it was afterwards!). The new bolt is in a much better place to clip but is nowhere near a natural crack/old peg placement. I did then see what looked like the old bolt-peg placement down and to the right (in a bit of a crack, now just a hole covered in resin). It would be a pig to clip here. The old placement might also have been in reach from this new route? Not sure if that has any relevance to why it was moved?
Sorry, not meaning to turn this into a debate about ethics when it's a thread celebrating hard new shit, but it did seem a bit relevant to the route.
Also this was my first time here, and as you can tell I didn't really know what was what so my info may all be incorrect, an occurrence which is pretty common for me.
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It is a hybrid route. You follow the sport route for 3 bolts then head strait up where the sport route goes hard left. Its a good runout from the 3rd bolt which is at around 5m, the next gear that's any good is at the flake undercuts at about 9m so perhaps some ground scrapers if you bin it (I did place a slider in a broken pocket mid runout but I don't trust it at all). Good gear in the 9m flake and another runout of 6m to clip the final bolt of the sport route. There is a 6b/6c sequence to get to the holds you clip the last bolt from so good whip on the cards from there. The route has 4 bolts in total but I wouldn't describe it as being very safe.
I felt it was a fair bit harder than the sport route that is considered 8a so thought 8a+ was fair. Egrader coughed up E10 when I looked but its defiantly not and probably even a softy at E9. Jim time will tell.
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I know this maybe isn't the correct thread for the bolt-peg debate but the day I went there was a bunch of drill dust and a new bolt (with still wet resin) on the crux of Painted groove (as I worked out it was afterwards!). The new bolt is in a much better place to clip but is nowhere near a natural crack/old peg placement. I did then see what looked like the old bolt-peg placement down and to the right (in a bit of a crack, now just a hole covered in resin). It would be a pig to clip here. The old placement might also have been in reach from this new route? Not sure if that has any relevance to why it was moved.
:popcorn:
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Emma Twyford has added a new 8b+ to LPT she's called Deux Mauvais Melons https://www.instagram.com/p/CsBtOCerfrH/
It's a link up that does the start of Meloncholie in to bad, bad boy and then finishes up pas de deux. Looks like a lovey straight line up the wall though (to my untrained eye).
Hardest FA by a woman in the UK?
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Nice!! This is the training link for the biggie which is to do melanchollie to the bad bad boy traverse then head into pas de deux which Emma was saying would be 8c+
She was looking close a few weeks ago - great to see she got it done
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Nice!! This is the training link for the biggie which is to do melanchollie to the bad bad boy traverse then head into pas de deux which Emma was saying would be 8c+
I think this is what she's just done? She described it as
Starts up melancholie to the undercuts, traverse right into bad bad boy and finish up pas de deux.
Apologies if Im missing something obvious as I hardly know the crag (much to my shame!)
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Nope, from the undercuts on Melancholie into BBB and finishing up PdD is the easier version, @ 8b+, that doesn't take in the upper crux of Melancholie.
Doing all of Melancholie's hard climbing would land you on the traverses of BBB, from which you could then finish up PdD @ 8c+.
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The main objective will be a great linkup and the way Melancholie ideally would always have gone.
So just to be clear (correct me if wrong) she’s looking to climb Melancholie (hard?) 8b to where it cops out left at the BBB traverse and instead finish direct into Pas de Deux (hard?) 8a+. Presumably because the rest on the BBB traverse is poor this will bump the whole line up to 8c+. What she’s done so far is miss out the last bit of Melancholie to where it joins BBB at the traverse and also means she gets a decent rest in the BBB groove - hence 8b+.
Not significant as a line but good to hear about as a marker for the main objective.
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The law that a significant new route will be done near enough exactly when a new guide to the crag is released strikes again!
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Good knowledge, thanks Duncan, Pete + Shark.
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The main objective will be a great linkup and the way Melancholie ideally would always have gone.
So just to be clear (correct me if wrong) she’s looking to climb Melancholie (hard?) 8b to where it cops out left at the BBB traverse and instead finish direct into Pas de Deux (hard?) 8a+. Presumably because the rest on the BBB traverse is poor this will bump the whole line up to 8c+. What she’s done so far is miss out the last bit of Melancholie to where it joins BBB at the traverse and also means she gets a decent rest in the BBB groove - hence 8b+.
Darth grader has hard 8b into medium rest into hard 8a+ as 8c, not 8c+. There you go - a new route downgraded before it's even been done! Joking aside I would call the rest on the BBB trav as medium - you can shake out there for ages on BBB, a 7c(/7c+). For an 8b or 8c route it's a great rest. Perhaps we need a better grading system for rests now as well.. shake-out-grader.
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Just clicked on the Instagram link and see it has a video of her doing it if anyone is still confused.
Re the rest on BBB I thought it would be on the high undercuts on the traverse line but looking at the video shows how close the jugs are to the right so assume you would use those for the as-yet-unclimbed objective in which case, yes, 8c+ sounds a bit of a stretch on paper.
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The main objective will be a great linkup and the way Melancholie ideally would always have gone.
So just to be clear (correct me if wrong) she’s looking to climb Melancholie (hard?) 8b to where it cops out left at the BBB traverse and instead finish direct into Pas de Deux (hard?) 8a+.
Not really a cop out, it's the more obvious way to finish Mel - plus the line of least resistance. It's more arbitary to finish up PDD but an obvious and worthwhile link nevertheless. Always wondered whether you'd keep traversing right to the big jug to at the top of the BB groove, wouldn't be quite as cool as you'd be traversing right then back left before going up.
Darth grader has hard 8b into medium rest into hard 8a+ as 8c, not 8c+. There you go - a new route downgraded before it's even been done!
Melanchollie is hard 8b but you obviously don't do the BB finish on the project link. Pas De Deux is hard 8a+ from the deck starting up BB, doing the final boulder problem after Mel more like a 7B+ finish. Hardish 8b into 7B+ with extra brownie points if you don't keep traversing right to the big jug before coming back. 8b into 7B+ may not sound like 8c+ but barring the connecting flatties on BB its nearly all savage crimping. Some insane crimpy PE and skin (and cons) required.
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Melanconnies
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Infinite Sadness more like.
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There's also a good knee bar rest to be had at the start of the PDD headwall, above the BBB jugs, which Emma doesn't use. Not sure if this is a leg length thing, or if she just decided it doesn't work for her. It's a bit knacky, but possible to go no handed. Quite core intensive though.
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Vadim Timonov—Blackflip sit 9A first ascent in djan-tugan, Russia.
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Ooooh thats exciting news! Hopefully a vid soon?
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Putin's on his way now to get first repeat.
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Minor correction in that he suggested 8C+/9A. Pretty sure it'll be hard wherever the grade settles.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsTohl-tS48/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
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Minor correction in that he suggested 8C+/9A. Pretty sure it'll be hard wherever the grade settles.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsTohl-tS48/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
On 8a, he listed 9A and said "I gave 8C+\9A for social media but I feel it harder than all 8C+ I tried before."
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I'm sure he's a beast, and it could be 9A, but checking his logbook he's done 1 8c+ before which was an FA which he said was 8c/+ at the time I believe...
Will be cool to see if in the future others will go and try it and comment on the grade.
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Very cool. Imagine it could be a while before it receives an international repeat...
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About as likely as Robbie Philips' new problem on the flank of Ben Loyal (sorry can't post link IG blocked at work). Cool looking piece of rock though.
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Minor correction in that he suggested 8C+/9A. Pretty sure it'll be hard wherever the grade settles.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsTohl-tS48/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
On 8a, he listed 9A and said "I gave 8C+\9A for social media but I feel it harder than all 8C+ I tried before."
Good spot, certainly sounds like he thinks it's 9A.
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Dave Graham has put up a new 8C+ in Bavona, Celestite (he says FA'd in March). Looks pretty amazing
https://www.instagram.com/p/CtHhoEft9eU/?hl=en
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Didier Berthod is back in the game! FA of a line he's called The Crack of Destiny on the Squamish chief. 5.14 and harder than cobra apparently.
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Dave Graham has put up a new 8C+ in Bavona, Celestite (he says FA'd in March). Looks pretty amazing
https://www.instagram.com/p/CtHhoEft9eU/?hl=en
Well good! The wizard keeps wizarding.
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Didier Berthod is back in the game! FA of a line he's called The Crack of Destiny on the Squamish chief. 5.14 and harder than cobra apparently.
Wow hadn't heard this. Googling unearthed this pretty interesting piece on him from last year:
https://english.elpais.com/sports/2022-11-15/didier-berthod-from-rock-climbing-star-to-monk-and-back-again.html
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Didier Berthod is back in the game! FA of a line he's called The Crack of Destiny on the Squamish chief. 5.14 and harder than cobra apparently.
Wow hadn't heard this. Googling unearthed this pretty interesting piece on him from last year:
https://english.elpais.com/sports/2022-11-15/didier-berthod-from-rock-climbing-star-to-monk-and-back-again.html
Tom did an interview with him a while back, haven't listened to it recently but I remember it being decent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aSZ19z41Hg
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Didier Berthod is back in the game! FA of a line he's called The Crack of Destiny on the Squamish chief. 5.14 and harder than cobra apparently.
Wow hadn't heard this. Googling unearthed this pretty interesting piece on him from last year:
https://english.elpais.com/sports/2022-11-15/didier-berthod-from-rock-climbing-star-to-monk-and-back-again.html
Good little read that!
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https://gripped.com/news/didier-berthod-frees-new-squamish-5-14-trad/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Fclimbing
hard to see where the route goes.
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Didier Berthod is back in the game! FA of a line he's called The Crack of Destiny on the Squamish chief. 5.14 and harder than cobra apparently.
Wow hadn't heard this. Googling unearthed this pretty interesting piece on him from last year:
https://english.elpais.com/sports/2022-11-15/didier-berthod-from-rock-climbing-star-to-monk-and-back-again.html
Really interesting, thanks
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Jana Švecová Nova 8B+ (Holstejn crag at Moravsky Kras in Czech Republic).
A kind of half way house to the full Terra Nova 8C+ by Adam Ondra (her next goal).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMiaMJXrxmk&t=438s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMiaMJXrxmk&t=438s)
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Jana Švecová Nova 8B+ (Holstejn crag at Moravsky Kras in Czech Republic).
A kind of half way house to the full Terra Nova 8C+ by Adam Ondra (her next goal).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMiaMJXrxmk&t=438s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMiaMJXrxmk&t=438s)
Had thought of mentioning this. Totally, totally different beta to Ondra. Looks absolutely nails.
Weird to describe it as an FA though.
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Weird to describe it as an FA though.
It is a bit raven tor-esque, but as I understand it it does add a couple of sit moves that aren't part of Terranova, so it's not quite a case of pulling on in the middle of an existing problem and calling it an FA.
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Jana Švecová Nova 8B+ (Holstejn crag at Moravsky Kras in Czech Republic).
A kind of half way house to the full Terra Nova 8C+ by Adam Ondra (her next goal).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMiaMJXrxmk&t=438s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMiaMJXrxmk&t=438s)
Had thought of mentioning this. Totally, totally different beta to Ondra. Looks absolutely nails.
Weird to describe it as an FA though.
Luckily she didn’t campus any of the moves :P
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Mat Wright has added a new line up at Pavey Ark. Looks like it takes the wall between Lexicon and Six Pence (I don't know the crag so just going off pics) https://www.instagram.com/p/CurHEmqNVro/?img_index=1
Mat said it was very bold, and based on the pic it looks like it might have gear in the same break as Lexicon but keep going to a higher bit of the crag?
No name or grade yet.
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Very cool!
... same break as Lexicon but keep going to a higher bit of the crag?
No name or grade yet.
Hopefully a less shit one :lol:
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Thats Charlie woodburns old project. So must have been bold and hard!
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Very cool!
... same break as Lexicon but keep going to a higher bit of the crag?
No name or grade yet.
Hopefully a less shit one :lol:
Suprême Lexicon
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Looks like it takes the wall between Lexicon and Six Pence
That really would be finding another dimension in the wall given how close Lexicon and Sixpence are:
https://www.frcc.co.uk/routes/lexicon/ (https://www.frcc.co.uk/routes/lexicon/)
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Looks like it takes the wall between Lexicon and Six Pence
That really would be finding another dimension in the wall given how close Lexicon and Sixpence are:
https://www.frcc.co.uk/routes/lexicon/ (https://www.frcc.co.uk/routes/lexicon/)
Its an obvious gap and proper line.
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Is it the wall to the right of Sixpence rather than between Sixpence and Lexicon?
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Is it the wall to the right of Sixpence rather than between Sixpence and Lexicon?
Looks like it to me, you can see the grassy ledge to the right of Mat in the link Tony S posted
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Is it the wall to the right of Sixpence rather than between Sixpence and Lexicon?
Looks like it to me, you can see the grassy ledge to the right of Mat in the link Tony S posted
Thank fuck. All I could think when I read the original description was that Lexicon was tight enough already.
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Whoops, sorry for the confusion. I assumed Six Pence went somewhere right of the grassy ledge, didn't realise it was so close to Lexicon.
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Is it the wall to the right of Sixpence rather than between Sixpence and Lexicon?
Yes, mea culpa. I got my Sixpence and Impact Day mixed up. Sorry!
There’s a bit of space in there, not much of a line, except when chalked up, but that’s true of many of the routes on that wall. Still good routes.
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Mat Wright has added a new line up at Pavey Ark. Looks like it takes the wall between Lexicon and Six Pence (I don't know the crag so just going off pics) https://www.instagram.com/p/CurHEmqNVro/?img_index=1
Mat said it was very bold, and based on the pic it looks like it might have gear in the same break as Lexicon but keep going to a higher bit of the crag?
No name or grade yet.
Magical Thinking, E10 7a.
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Matt Helliker has added a new line to Doyden Point on the north Cornwall coast that he's called Anapanasati. He's suggested E9.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CuzqslttiXk/
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Matt Helliker has added a new line to Doyden Point on the north Cornwall coast that he's called Anapanasati. He's suggested E9.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CuzqslttiXk/
It sounds like all the options on a UKB poll rolled into one
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Quality comment
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I know nothing, but I do know that no 7c+ has a 7B boulder on top
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I know nothing, but I do know that no 7c+ has a 7B boulder on top
(https://i.imgur.com/llEHSeh.png)
;)
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What does E-Grader (or logic) give for a Font 7B boulder problem with over 12m groundfall potential??
P.S. Lovely coastline / climbing around there and great to see exciting and dubiously graded developments!
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I know nothing, but I do know that no 7c+ has a 7B boulder on top
(https://i.imgur.com/llEHSeh.png)
;)
Hahaha. I would give it 8a.
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That sounds exactly like the pinch test at water cum jolly which is 7c+ and definitely not 8a
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Dunno if it has been mentioned elsewhere, but Leo Skinner has done the direct start (from tourists jug) to Pool of Bethesda at 8B+. OG beta on Pool, if anyone is wondering.
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That sounds exactly like the pinch test at water cum jolly which is 7c+ and definitely not 8a
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/water-cum-jolly-140/the_pinch_test-149413
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Yes I know it's in UKC as 8a which is why I was saying it's definitely not. It
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This is pretty cool - whilst 8c+ may not be significant in itself, it's a very good flash, and (I assume) rare for a high standard sport route to be flashed for it's FA.
https://gripped.com/news/bouin-flashes-5-14c-first-ascent-in-france/
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Thought the fact his previous best flash was 8b+ was more astonishing to be honest! Who on earth has more than a number grade between RP and flash??
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8c+ first go is world class. There are likely fewer than a dozen climbers who have done this. (From the top of my head: Midtbø, Becan(?), Usobiaga, Julián Puigblanqué, Schubert, Ondra, Megos, hmm... can't think of more)
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Of course. But it's also 5 grades below his RP level.
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Thought the fact his previous best flash was 8b+ was more astonishing to be honest! Who on earth has more than a number grade between RP and flash??
A red point specialist? Stefano Ghisolphi has almost the same difference. I must say that I am a bit sceptical about the info that Seb's best flash previous was 8b+. He onsighted 8c when he was a teenager, and downgraded it of course, but I don't know if the downgrade stuck.
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I wonder if it would see a downgrade. Hard to imagine you can flash something as complex as that with the absolute best beta possible. Surely the o dawg will find a kneebar :lol:
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Tom O'Halloran has completed his multi year project "Hump of Trouble" in the blue mountains.
https://youtube.com/@TomOHalloranAus
No grade yet, but described by him as V13 into V13 with no rest in his recent podcast with Sam & Aiden.
Darth Grader suggests 9b+?!?
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Tom O'Halloran has completed his multi year project "Hump of Trouble" in the blue mountains.
https://youtube.com/@TomOHalloranAus
No grade yet, but described by him as V13 into V13 with no rest in his recent podcast with Sam & Aiden.
Darth Grader suggests 9b+?!?
vid of the moves - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WOJVknSsHs
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Is it a route or a boulder? Vid won't play for me
Edit: ah route I see
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I wonder if it would see a downgrade. Hard to imagine you can flash something as complex as that with the absolute best beta possible. Surely the o dawg will find a kneebar :lol:
The bolter suggested 8c+/9a, but after the flash Seb went up again to dog the route to check what it felt like with optimal sequences and suggested hard 8c+.
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I wonder if it would see a downgrade. Hard to imagine you can flash something as complex as that with the absolute best beta possible. Surely the o dawg will find a kneebar :lol:
The bolter suggested 8c+/9a, but after the flash Seb went up again to dog the route to check what it felt like with optimal sequences and suggested hard 8c+.
Ah nice, good to see he went back to clean up the sequence. I was surprised as usually when worked FAs go up people still seem to find new sequences, guess this could still be the case possibly. Amazing feat anyways. Can’t imagine what it must feel like to flash something that hard :jaw:
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Somehow I'd totally missed that one of Scotland's under the radar dark horses had completed his long-standing E10 projects on the Aberdeen seacliffs.
One for Remus' list: https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/long_haven_quarries-3201/coldfinger-683151
Nice one Gordy. (Lennox)
Despite having just checked the list I somehow totally missed that it was on there.... :chair:
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A set of impressive hard routes on that wall now. Good effort.
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Waddage
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Mat Wright has climbed a new E10 called Black Thistle in Glen Nevis.
Goes up the blunt arete of Pandora's Buttress, to the right of Dave Mac's Misadventure (E8). Possibly to a shared finish? I saw his rope on this a couple of weeks ago, kinda surprised it hadn't been done by the Mac previously as it's very conspicuous, even from the road.
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Good knowledge. Noticed some hints on his insta a few weeks ago and been waiting for some more detail to emerge.
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Horrendous time of year to have a hard project at Polldubh! Lucky for him there have been a decent number of breezy days.
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Either midgy or roasting in there right now. Good going.
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Another new 8C in the South West for Solly
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwlEFB4NKhs/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Seen some other pics floating about, looks like an incredible bit of coastal rock.
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Mat Wright has climbed a new E10 called Black Thistle in Glen Nevis.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2023/08/black_thistle_e10_7a_-_first_ascent_by_mat_wright-73432
full splab now here.
starting climbing had to wait until I was old enough to take my own path at sixteen.
strange that this would be regarded as old these days. I was 20 before I knew rock climbing was even a thing.
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starting climbing had to wait until I was old enough to take my own path at sixteen.
strange that this would be regarded as old these days. I was 20 before I knew rock climbing was even a thing.
To be fair there's nothing said there about 16 being old in the grand scheme of things, only that it was later than he would have liked for realising his dreams/legacy etc.
Though no doubt 16 is a late start for someone climbing that hard.
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it's implied that it's old, but I agree that it's a rapid progression, as he must be what, 25 now?
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Another new 8C in the South West for Solly
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwlEFB4NKhs/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Seen some other pics floating about, looks like an incredible bit of coastal rock.
It really is a great piece of rock tucked away in a very unlikely cranny (the approach is impossible to describe!).. More than just an 8c there and more than just that steep board (stuff for mortals also). The holds on Solly's problem are as ratty as they come, very impressive stuff, incredible in fact. Sounds wonderful doesn't it?
Unfortunately, there is a perfectly shaped gully/ constriction that diverts any swell into a sheet of water that lands directly on the board and you. Unexpected soakings abound. So hard to get conditions right.
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Another new on from Solly: Apple Crumble 8B. https://www.instagram.com/p/CxLOFXEtleS/
Looks cool but the name doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the rock quality :lol:
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Finally, a boulder that actually sounds like choss!
This is like the amalgamation of Fiend’s lived life experiences and his “wish he had lived” life experiences on a board. Beautiful stuff
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Jen Wood has made the FA of a line on Hvar, Croatia and suggested 8c. No name as yet. Hardest FA by a British woman I think?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CxVrNaItlE6/
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Looks cool but the name doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the rock quality :lol:
It looks quite eliminate unless I'm overestimating the stuff that's used for feet higher up (the LH looking rib/arete)?
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Phew. And hopefully a split grade :yes:
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Felix linked Persian Dawn 8c+ into Hajj 8c at the Tor earlier today. No grade yet but must be 9a min
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Nice. Good link opportunity in to Kaa'bah too. Has anyone done the links from MiF in to Mecca extension/hajj/Kaa'bah before?
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Not yet. might not be long!
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Jen Wood has made the first ascent of Troppo 8b+, an open project at Poets in Kalymnos.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Czbwuk1tsTn/?igshid=ZHRkZ2FzMTJqM3hq
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Chris Sharma has made the first ascent of a new DWS line on Mallorca he's called Black Pearl, sounds like it's around the 9a/+ mark which puts it up there with the hardest DWS routes around (Es Pontas, Alasha, Big Fish. All Sharma FAs for those playing along at home.) Sounds like it's just next door to Big Fish in case you fancy popping down to give it a go.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CzcGOI4vbPK/
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Jana Švecová has made the first ascent of a problem she's called Dune for which she's suggested 8B. I think her and Isabelle Faus are the only women to have established new problems 8B or harder?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh24IEQkhmA
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Carlo Traversi has climbed an old project on the Thriller boulder in Yosemite which he's called The Dark Side and suggested 8C+ for.
https://www.8a.nu/crags/bouldering/united-states/camp-4/sectors/unknown-sector-5dd83/routes/the-dark-side/
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Very cool looking prob.
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Sean Bailey has recently climbed the low start to Evilution in the Buttermilks, calling it Devilution and suggesting 8C+.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5bnU43rvODIPSRk5rsfSnC
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That's awesome, he's been on a real tear out there. His vid of Spectre looked ludicrously casual. I wonder if he's trying Woods' The Process? Havent heard of that getting a repeat, anyone know if it broke?
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From that podcast it sounds like he's in Red Rocks trying the proj at the start of this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayji9tDdMx8
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For anyone interested, I did some digging and apparently The Process broke twice, got glued twice, and now very few ppl are psyched on it.
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For anyone interested, I did some digging and apparently The Process broke twice, got glued twice, and now very few ppl are psyched on it.
Good knowledge. Maybe not surprising people aren't that psyched, yarding on snappy little crimps on a massive highball doesn't sound great fun.
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Sounds like Daniel Woods has done one of his projects in Colorado he's been trying for the last couple of months (plus some time last year). Probably called 'Adrenaline', can't imagine it'll be easier than 8C given the time he's put in to it.
https://www.instagram.com/stories/dawoods89/3297147367345134372/
Vid of a previous close go https://www.instagram.com/p/C197gvOuV99/
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Mmmm board style horror.
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Sounds like Daniel Woods has done one of his projects in Colorado he's been trying for the last couple of months (plus some time last year). Probably called 'Adrenaline', can't imagine it'll be easier than 8C given the time he's put in to it.
https://www.instagram.com/stories/dawoods89/3297147367345134372/
Vid of a previous close go https://www.instagram.com/p/C197gvOuV99/
‘Calling Mr Bosi.
There's an item here in Colorado waiting for you to collect.’ :popcorn:
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8C+ proposed for "Adrenaline", Daniel Woods' latest FA
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3QP1yxufRh/?img_index=1
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Dave Sutcliffe has added a pretty hot looking new line at Bailldon Bank he's called 'The White Horse', suggested E7 7A or ~7C protected by a couple of pegs.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/baildon_bank-537/the_white_horse-721118
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Death of Villians 9a+ by Kai Lightner in the Hurricave, US
https://www.8a.nu/news/kai-lightner-fas-death-of-villains-9a%2B-n8pvs (https://www.8a.nu/news/kai-lightner-fas-death-of-villains-9a%2B-n8pvs)
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Toru has established a new problem he's called Regret. 3 moves, 20 sessions, "harder than Lucid Dreaming".
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4CKIiOyueH/
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Nico Ceria has put up a very cool looking line in Sardinia he's called Aeropressing. As per he's not offered a grade, but he likened it to The Big Island (8C) and Owning the Weather (8B+).
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4NwP68Nq1u/?img_index=1
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All his stuff he's posted recently looks very cool.
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:agree: with the "very cool" descriptions :yes:
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I don't really know much about Patagonia, but Sean Villaneuva ODriscoll is a beast so I assume this is pretty chunky.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4dHEJSOaqC/?igsh=dWswNWtpcWp6eTcy
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It’s fucking incredible. To do the Fitzroy one was outrageous enough, now he’s done it in a different range. It’s worth noting that although Sean has done a few routes in Paine before, in general it is a much less travelled range and I suspect he’ll have had a lot less beta.
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Good context, thanks JB. Sounds like the weather was pretty tricky with this one too.
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In other news, Tom Bolger has joined the very short list of British people who've climbed 9b with the first ascent of E.L.L.I.E in Margalef.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4dtCeutfUW/
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It’s fucking incredible. To do the Fitzroy one was outrageous enough, now he’s done it in a different range. It’s worth noting that although Sean has done a few routes in Paine before, in general it is a much less travelled range and I suspect he’ll have had a lot less beta.
I think Shipoopie soloed the three main towers the year we were in Patagonia Adam, or the year before?
https://www.mountainzone.com/2002/story/outthere/html/patagonia_schneider.html
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Yeah I’d either forgotten or never knew that. Norte in 40 mins! I should have pushed on…
I’m still impressed with Sean.
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Yeah I’d either forgotten or never knew that. Norte in 40 mins! I should have pushed on…
I’m still impressed with Sean.
Yeah that wasn't a dig a Sean at all. He seems to have a sort of comfortableness just being in those mountains, happy with his own ability and the situation. I know when I was there I was semi gripped the whole time, and you get the impression from reading the Shipoopie account (and from meeting the guy!) that it was likely a much higher stress affair...
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I thunk the difference with Sean now is that he first had an incredible apprenticeship but, unlike pretty much anyone else, he didn't slow or settle down in his thirties. Watching Colin Haley's recent video on the Supercanaleta suggests age catches up with you mentally, but I suppose it depends what is driving you.
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New Toru Nakajima line, harder than Lucid Dreaming apparently (no grade).
https://www.instagram.com/saruzaemon9/p/C4CKIiOyueH/
Regret FA
So, I finally finished up this project on the right side of Emotion V14 in Ena, Japan. It started off with high 2 crisps, and then it was just 3 moves to the top with my beta. Took me over 20 days to connect these 3 moves together.
This rock is at the entrance of Ena, so I think the line is famous. I had been itching this since I climbed Emotion 10 years ago. I started trying last season and by the 3rd day, the move was solved. I thought I would be able to climb it right away, but I was terribly misguided.
Spending 20 days on just three moves, in freezing cold, is something I'll never forget. But, wow, those 20 days were something else.
Hands down, it was the hardest climbing challenge I've faced. But if you ask me the grade, I couldn't tell you. It feels harder than Lucid Dreaming V15 in Bishop, US, , which is kinda similar, but then again, who's to say if a 3-move V16 is a thing? While trying this challenge, I often thought back to my 20 days on Emotion 10 years ago. Just like anything else, looking back helps you get the full picture. Hopely someday I will know about this problem.
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Toru has established a new problem he's called Regret. 3 moves, 20 sessions, "harder than Lucid Dreaming".
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4CKIiOyueH/
:whistle:
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:slap:
Just spotted it on the other channel and assumed it was pretty recent! Should have known it's impossible to beat remus to the breaking of news ;)
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Remusbot_AI predicts these ascents before anyone knows the climber is even trying the project :ninja:
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Remusbot_AI predicts these ascents before the climber even knows they're trying the project :ninja:
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In other news, Tom Bolger has joined the very short list of British people who've climbed 9b with the first ascent of E.L.L.I.E in Margalef.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4dtCeutfUW/
Looking at his posts, this thing looks like a proper brute of a route to redpoint.
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Dave Sutcliffe has added a pretty hot looking new line at Bailldon Bank he's called 'The White Horse', suggested E7 7A or ~7C protected by a couple of pegs.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/baildon_bank-537/the_white_horse-721118
Had a look at this a couple of weeks ago; it's an incredible line, really impressive in the flesh.
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Dave Sutcliffe has added a pretty hot looking new line at Bailldon Bank he's called 'The White Horse', suggested E7 7A or ~7C protected by a couple of pegs.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/baildon_bank-537/the_white_horse-721118
Had a look at this a couple of weeks ago; it's an incredible line, really impressive in the flesh.
Were the pegs placed for this ascent or are they historical?
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Dave Sutcliffe has added a pretty hot looking new line at Bailldon Bank he's called 'The White Horse', suggested E7 7A or ~7C protected by a couple of pegs.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/baildon_bank-537/the_white_horse-721118
Had a look at this a couple of weeks ago; it's an incredible line, really impressive in the flesh.
Were the pegs placed for this ascent or are they historical?
One was dunneys from back in day and Sutty placed one.
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Keenan Takahashi has made the first ascent of The Gold Standard on the Golden Boulder in Bishop. This feels pretty significant; proper LGP stuff. The face was originally climbed by Sonnie Trotter and named Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, and so named because one literally had to stand on a partner's shoulders to reach the start holds. What a line!
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5loYhuJAz4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
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Cool. Hardest FA with a moustache that bushy??
Also....
I’m not really sure how to write a caption about something that I’ve been looking at for 12+ years, trying for 6 seasons and thought I might never send. But… I’m fucking psyched to have seen this one through!!!
...seems to be the sort of simple, direct way one could communicate this sort of thing:
simply had a profound experience and he wasn't sure how to share it with the wider climbing public without the whole thing getting reduced down to numbers.
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Powerful tache. He should be playing AFL.
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Also....
I’m not really sure how to write a caption about something that I’ve been looking at for 12+ years, trying for 6 seasons and thought I might never send. But… I’m fucking psyched to have seen this one through!!!
...seems to be the sort of simple, direct way one could communicate this sort of thing:
simply had a profound experience and he wasn't sure how to share it with the wider climbing public without the whole thing getting reduced down to numbers.
Aidan basically talked for about 40 mins on the pod about the experience, that would be quite a long instagram caption!
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Keenan Takahashi has made the first ascent of The Gold Standard on the Golden Boulder in Bishop. This feels pretty significant; proper LGP stuff. The face was originally climbed by Sonnie Trotter and named Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, and so named because one literally had to stand on a partner's shoulders to reach the start holds. What a line!
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5loYhuJAz4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Here's another recent FA from the moustachioed one (or the film is recent anyway).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tiIf3Ac6HQ
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Noticed Dave Mc did his long term project at 8B+, and followed the trend of not telling anyone for a month. Will Bosi repeated in in a day a few weeks back and held off with that news until Dave released his. I had thought this would be harder as its taken him a long time.
News from Instagram.
This may have been reported earlier, its on climbing History, but i cant be arsed to wade through pages of stuff about paywalls to check.
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https://www.instagram.com/climbermacleod/p/C5v6ldgIbo6/?hl=en
A couple of weeks ago I completed my long term project on the Animal Boulder near Inverness. Although I did all the moves a couple of winters ago, I really struggled to link it from the start to the position in this pic. As usual for me, despite many tens of sessions, I kept changing things in my sequence right up to the session before I did it. One of these days, I'll complete a project that actually feels hard when you do it. Once I actually figured out beta that got around my lack of strength on undercuts, the successful try felt pretty steady. The first time I got to the lip, I got to the top. Given that the Animal Boulder looks like a bear's head, I'm calling this line 'Bultitude' after the soft spoken but deadly bear in C.S. Lewis' 'That Hideous Strength'. Torn on the grade but I'll go with 8B+ for now. 8B seems a bit harsh, although maybe folk strong on undercuts will find it easier. I have another project that relies on undercut strength and quite psyched to try that some more, now that I have some freedom from this line. I have some video of it to finish editing - its been a busy couple of weeks!
Two teasers of recent progress:
https://www.instagram.com/climbermacleod/reel/C4vIRQrLZcS/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/climbermacleod/reel/C4xYub6LE3g/?hl=en
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Shite Boulder in a Shite location.....Don't Go
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“It’s shite being Scottish, you’ve got the lowest of the low, shite boulders in shite locations…”
Sorry couldn’t help myself :P
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Have you just looed at Robbie Philips' latest IG post. He references exactly that.
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Just a shame about the real issue of weather and midge.
Must be some hard problems for Will to do somewhere up there.
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“It’s shite being Scottish, you’ve got the lowest of the low, shite boulders in shite locations…”
Sorry couldn’t help myself :P
Love the reference.
When I saw Trainspotting at the cinema a huge group of local heroin addicts went to the showing. They smoked joints and drank white lightning all the way through and would whistle and shout every time the characters started shooting up.
When this scene came on a random scotish guy who happened to be in the front row stood up and screamed at the screen "don't you be talking shite about Scotland you c*nts"
Just an average day growing up in Grimsby
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Have you just looed at Robbie Philips' latest IG post. He references exactly that.
Haha 😂 no I haven’t… still sadly unoriginal of me I guess
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Tanguy Merad had a good couple of days on the 8th and 9th of April, establishing La cinquantaine éclatante 9a+, Brouncha 9a and then Hannigraal 9b at L’Abattoir near Grenoble.
https://planetgrimpe.com/incroyable-tanguy-merard-propose-hannigraal-9b-a-grenoble/
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Aubin Salmon has done Nirvana, an old highball project in Puiselet that has been tried by a few enthusiasts over the years. Guillaume Joubert has already top-roped the prow a while ago at a suggested grade of 8A+ with a precarious 7B mantelshelf sequence to top out.
(https://www.grimper.com/media/2024/05-mai/aubin_3.jpg)
Source: Grimper Magazine (photo Declerck/Bévillard (https://www.grimper.com/news-aubin-salmon-libere-highball-exceptionnel-fontainebleau)
HVS 7b?
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Darth Grader reckons that converts into 8c+ route, and then running through E-Grader makes it Easy E11 with pads.
But since the 7B bit is the dodgey bit, maybe E6? Or would it be E4? Maybe E7? :alky:
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Crystal clear!
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Aubin Salmon has done Nirvana, an old highball project in Puiselet that has been tried by a few enthusiasts over the years. Guillaume Joubert has already top-roped the prow a while ago at a suggested grade of 8A+ with a precarious 7B mantelshelf sequence to top out.
(https://www.grimper.com/media/2024/05-mai/aubin_3.jpg)
Source: Grimper Magazine (photo Declerck/Bévillard (https://www.grimper.com/news-aubin-salmon-libere-highball-exceptionnel-fontainebleau)
HVS 7b?
That looks terrifying!
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Doesn't sound like a typical headpoint experience either.
I knew I wasn’t ready. I estimated my chances of falling at around two out of three, which is not enough for a block of this type. Plus, even though I had unlocked the moves, I hadn't yet managed to rope from the ground. At the same time, I was also afraid of not finding the motivation to start the process from scratch next season. I had 20 crash pads and two good spotters with Fabien and Simon. We placed them at the foot of the boulder, and I told myself that a fall in the main crux would be scary but probably not dangerous in the event of a good save. As for recovery, I knew how to do it, I just had to trust myself. So I decided to give it a try.
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Aubin Salmon has done Nirvana, an old highball project in Puiselet that has been tried by a few enthusiasts over the years. Guillaume Joubert has already top-roped the prow a while ago at a suggested grade of 8A+ with a precarious 7B mantelshelf sequence to top out.
(https://www.grimper.com/media/2024/05-mai/aubin_3.jpg)
Source: Grimper Magazine (photo Declerck/Bévillard (https://www.grimper.com/news-aubin-salmon-libere-highball-exceptionnel-fontainebleau)
HVS 7b?
looks class, fair play that looks high!
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I knew I wasn’t ready. I estimated my chances of falling at around two out of three, which is not enough for a block of this type. Plus, even though I had unlocked the moves, I hadn't yet managed to link it on toprope. At the same time, I was also afraid of not finding the motivation to start the process from scratch next season. I had 20 crash pads and two good spotters with Fabien and Simon. We placed them at the foot of the boulder, and I told myself that a fall in the main crux would be scary but probably not dangerous in the event of a good save. As for the mantel, I knew how to do it, I just had to trust myself. So I decided to give it a try.
Very lightly edited because current LLMs don't recognise climbing context.
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Keenan Takahashi has made the first ascent of The Gold Standard on the Golden Boulder in Bishop. This feels pretty significant; proper LGP stuff. The face was originally climbed by Sonnie Trotter and named Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, and so named because one literally had to stand on a partner's shoulders to reach the start holds. What a line!
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5loYhuJAz4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Now with particularly nice film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGE4SOOmYlk
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Keenan Takahashi has made the first ascent of The Gold Standard on the Golden Boulder in Bishop. This feels pretty significant; proper LGP stuff. The face was originally climbed by Sonnie Trotter and named Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, and so named because one literally had to stand on a partner's shoulders to reach the start holds. What a line!
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5loYhuJAz4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Now with particularly nice film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGE4SOOmYlk
Thanks, that was a lovely little film. The sort of thing you could show someone to explain what projecting is like.
Also doesn't Bishop look like a stunning place (for those like me who've not been).
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The whole way through I just kept wondering how anyone can focus with all the inane "support" chatter in the background.
Then they shut the fuck and and he did it....
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Great little film, really enjoyed it.
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The whole way through I just kept wondering how anyone can focus with all the inane "support" chatter in the background.
He does the same, so is obviously into it, how strange that different people are motivated by different things!
If you don’t like it I’d avoid bouldering anywhere in the states, although, like eating massive portions and drinking strong beers, it kinda comes with the territory and you get used to it very quickly.
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Nice vid and beautiful line but it did make me laugh how they make such a big deal out of it being the true stand given he starts off stacked pads.
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also da fuck is starting boulders from standing on someone's shoulders? this opens up a lot of new climbs in the Peak :popcorn:
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That’s just a Mike Adams “sit start”, no?
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also da fuck is starting boulders from standing on someone's shoulders? this opens up a lot of new climbs in the Peak
Prior to the tough start off the deck being added, Cocoa Team Special at Rylstone had a similar first ascent in ‘84, inspired by the Czech sandstone human pyramid action https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/rylstone-548/the_cocoa_team_special-363047
https://www.emontana-magazine.com/human-pyramids-sandstone/
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Also doesn't Bishop look like a stunning place (for those like me who've not been).
The whole Eastern Sierras are amazing. Great boudering, sport, trad, big mountains, ice, plus easy access to ski resorts and backcountry, as well as natural hot springs, great hiking, ghost towns, Mono Lake, etc etc. Definitely worth a visit.
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also da fuck is starting boulders from standing on someone's shoulders? this opens up a lot of new climbs in the Peak :popcorn:
This has since been done properly. Outrageously they gave it a different name.
https://vimeo.com/204693681
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Niky Ceria has made the first ascent of a problem he's called Pneuma (previously the Lahja Project, or 'gift' in Finnish).
No grade offered, but Nalle and Aidan Roberts have both put some time in to it so suspect it won't be easier than 8C. More importantly, what a good looking piece of rock!
https://www.instagram.com/p/C7wW7P4N_Ex/
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El Mocho.
A rather dashing patterned shirt.
BIG Leviathian 8B
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C73ptwPtsEf/?igsh=MWpyY3B6YXRhbnBidw%3D%3D
https://www.instagram.com/ray_wood/p/C73w9B7NK1y/?img_index=1
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El Mocho.
A rather dashing patterned shirt.
BIG Leviathian 8B
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C73ptwPtsEf/?igsh=MWpyY3B6YXRhbnBidw%3D%3D
https://www.instagram.com/ray_wood/p/C73w9B7NK1y/?img_index=1
Came here to post this, great stuff. Got to be one of the best hard problems in the UK. Also enjoyed the collapse into a heap at the end :2thumbsup: :strongbench:
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Should have called it My Amigo the Leviathan. Looks like a really cool bit of a climbing, and a strong look.
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uhoh bransby 8B, so... UK's second 9A?
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I bet this gets more repeats than Lanny Bassham! Great effort Ben, what a feature.
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Short write-up on North Wales Bouldering (https://northwalesbouldering.com/newsitem.asp?nsid=1076)
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I bet this gets more repeats than Lanny Bassham! Great effort Ben, what a feature.
Of course it will, it's got nowhere near the grim Rylstone walk-in :smartass:
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That looks well good, quality line and a cheeky kneebar at the end.
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By total coincidence, I just had a look at the UKC logbooks to decide whether an obscure little E4 at Ilkley would be a good choice for a ground-up solo effort. Single Solo O/S logged, and that user's most recent logged climb? Big Leviathan.
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Tanguy Merad had a good couple of days on the 8th and 9th of April, establishing La cinquantaine éclatante 9a+, Brouncha 9a and then Hannigraal 9b at L’Abattoir near Grenoble.
https://planetgrimpe.com/incroyable-tanguy-merard-propose-hannigraal-9b-a-grenoble/
To improve search score: Tanguy Merard ;)
Video show-casing the routes here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imgdZgwCr54
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https://www.instagram.com/stories/jimpopeonarope/3389625855653612231?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=MXdqcXZ4OGMxMTFnbA==
Can't remember/find where his repeat of Highball That You Bastards! was discussed a couple of weeks ago, but it looks from the IG story linked that Jim Pope has done new one under/left of that route (and HTYB got another repeat). Got to be hard, surely?
apologies if this isn't new, my kinder knowledge is extremely poor
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Good spot, fairly sure that's a new one.
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Looks like insta is now back to forcing a log-in to even view stuff again, so that can suck my ringer. Unlike any hard grit first ascents which are always welcome.
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For your viewing pleasure.
(https://climbing-history.org/file/891b8f59-4a9a-c65c-2fea-c851a3ed11e5/Screenshot_20240613_183735.png)
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Thank you. I thought that might just be bad beta for HTYB but then checked the video and it foot traverses onto the death flake so I guess not!
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https://www.instagram.com/stories/jimpopeonarope/3389625855653612231?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=MXdqcXZ4OGMxMTFnbA==
Can't remember/find where his repeat of Highball That You Bastards! was discussed a couple of weeks ago, but it looks from the IG story linked that Jim Pope has done new one under/left of that route (and HTYB got another repeat). Got to be hard, surely?
apologies if this isn't new, my kinder knowledge is extremely poor
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8M82PMt6zi/?igsh=MXFza3c0cGsyYnpkNw==
Confirmed. Polar Front E9 6c
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That flake has the structural integrity of filo pastry. It's a good effort finding a way through.
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I love how the Peak's moorland crags are always just there, in the background, ready and waiting for the next fool (meant in the best possible way) to conceive a mad passion for them.
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And bravo Jim!
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This is a big one; Dan Varian has climbed the big arete left of Giggling Crack at Brimham:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/brimham_rocks-538/weeping_arete-732957
Serious LGP stuff. I've stood under it a few times wondering if it'd go. It has some obvious holds but it's incredibly intimidating, as it's absolutely massive and clearly very hard. It looms over you with the sense of foreboding and dread increased by the fact it doesn't get much sun and by the dark cave to the left. I'd heard Dan had been spending a lot of time on it and that was cool enough to hear it might actually go, amazing to hear it's been done. Here's hoping for a video buried on Flickr soon.
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Some reasonable photos of it on the True Grit page of UKC
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/brimham_rocks-538/true_grit-28008#photos
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I have no idea how it looks but would love to hear how it compares to Bombadil if it's a tall sandstone highball.
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Some reasonable photos of it on the True Grit page of UKC
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/brimham_rocks-538/true_grit-28008#photos
It's the flipping massive prow just right of the belayer in the two colour pics on that page.
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This is a big one; Dan Varian has climbed the big arete left of Giggling Crack at Brimham:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/brimham_rocks-538/weeping_arete-732957
Serious LGP stuff. I've stood under it a few times wondering if it'd go. It has some obvious holds but it's incredibly intimidating, as it's absolutely massive and clearly very hard. It looms over you with the sense of foreboding and dread increased by the fact it doesn't get much sun and by the dark cave to the left. I'd heard Dan had been spending a lot of time on it and that was cool enough to hear it might actually go, amazing to hear it's been done. Here's hoping for a video buried on Flickr soon.
ah yeah, this is brilliant! :dance1:
I've looked at that prow plenty of times wondering if it would be possible, the top part just looks so unlikely. It's such an impressive feature!
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Awesome! Proper LGP line.
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Colossal!! Spotted that decades ago on a first visit and always speculated whether it would be possible.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/brimham_rocks-538/gigglin_crack-28009#photos first shot on here shows it well, obviously needed a light brush then.
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Looks great, top out looks like it would be terrifying 😬
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Max with The Ace, Jim E9 up at Kinder and now this by Dan.
Can I be first to call the grit this year?
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Here's hoping for a video buried on Flickr soon.
No video, but a big photo dump has just appeared on Flickr.
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/beastmaker/53812181746/
Plus several more including ascent shots.
Should be called Weeping Wall really.
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Significant in terms of radness of line rather than being a massive number, but Rob Hunter has opened up a new highball in at Fair Head he's called Revelation and suggested 8A for.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8ovKSHN4p1/
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Matt Helliker has added a new line he's called Race E9 7a down in Cornwall.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8urBsPt9cf/
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Continuing in the Carn Gloose theme, Solly Kembell Dorey has added a highball he's called A Reason to Die 8B+. It looks to be a more complete version of a line he climbed a few years ago called A Reason to Live, adding a sit start and a top out.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8_sKS6Numu/
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Looks cool, nifty footwork.
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This is a big one; Dan Varian has climbed the big arete left of Giggling Crack at Brimham:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/brimham_rocks-538/weeping_arete-732957
Serious LGP stuff. I've stood under it a few times wondering if it'd go. It has some obvious holds but it's incredibly intimidating, as it's absolutely massive and clearly very hard. It looms over you with the sense of foreboding and dread increased by the fact it doesn't get much sun and by the dark cave to the left. I'd heard Dan had been spending a lot of time on it and that was cool enough to hear it might actually go, amazing to hear it's been done. Here's hoping for a video buried on Flickr soon.
Not sure if anyone's linked to it yet but it seems Eden Rock did us the favour of posting the footage. Looks great!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C84sQzVNY-J/?igsh=bTF0N3E5bXptcGN4
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Is this where Franco turns up and says he climbed the wall not the arete? :jab:
Also :o.
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Is this where Franco turns up and says he climbed the wall not the arete? :jab:
Also :o.
That made me laugh! But yes it looks more like the wall than the arete to me. Looks well high, scary, hard and committing to me! Definitely a great effort
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Is this where Franco turns up and says he climbed the wall not the arete? :jab:
A....
Should be called Weeping Wall really.
....hem.
I think we all agree with :o tho!
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Good interview up on UKC with Dan V about Weeping Arete https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2024/07/dan_varian_makes_first_ascent_of_weeping_arete_8b+-73726
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This is a big one; Dan Varian has climbed the big arete left of Giggling Crack at Brimham:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/brimham_rocks-538/weeping_arete-732957
Serious LGP stuff. I've stood under it a few times wondering if it'd go. It has some obvious holds but it's incredibly intimidating, as it's absolutely massive and clearly very hard. It looms over you with the sense of foreboding and dread increased by the fact it doesn't get much sun and by the dark cave to the left. I'd heard Dan had been spending a lot of time on it and that was cool enough to hear it might actually go, amazing to hear it's been done. Here's hoping for a video buried on Flickr soon.
Not sure if anyone's linked to it yet but it seems Eden Rock did us the favour of posting the footage. Looks great!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C84sQzVNY-J/?igsh=bTF0N3E5bXptcGN4
Nice one thanks, hadn't seen that. Cruised it!
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Really good write-up from Dan. I'm still amazed that Will or Aiden haven't done the rail. For me at least, it's such an iconic Varian line, and I'd be pestering them both to go and get on it. Unless they have and got shut down?
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Really good write-up from Dan. I'm still amazed that Will or Aiden haven't done the rail. For me at least, it's such an iconic Varian line, and I'd be pestering them both to go and get on it. Unless they have and got shut down?
I get the impression it's really conditions dependant which I guess is a pain if you're not local. Would be cool to see them get stuck in though, could well do with a repeat.
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It is a great write-up indeed. It's always a pleasure to read about the pure act of climbing in that way.
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Sounds like Pope has done something new and hard at Kinder based on his insta story. Looks well good in the photo.
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Link please :chair:
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Courtesy of Sam Lawson/Wedge (which hopefully means there'll be a vid about sometime).
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1087456195012464703/1262402375881195541/IMG_20240715_143350.jpg?ex=66967754&is=669525d4&hm=b99a6502b9412a2fa18bfa11327243af72d9a5881ed5363eb94824f862075feb&)
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I just bumped into Pat Hill who said it's 7C/+ ish from a stand, 8A+ from a low start and possibly a 8B lower start
Looks fantastic!
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Have been trying this over the last few months and got it this morning! Really proud of it and reckon its the best new thing I've done so far. It's quite atypical for grit, with the hardest version being around 25 moves on mostly positive holds, but steep athletic climbing. It's about halfway along Ashop edge and takes around an hour to get to without any pads. Ill post a topo for the whole roof once i've come up with some names, but heres a photo of Ben on it for scale!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/156943872@N06/53859689345/in/dateposted-public/
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Looks mega! Congrats!
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Have been trying this over the last few months and got it this morning! Really proud of it and reckon its the best new thing I've done so far. It's quite atypical for grit, with the hardest version being around 25 moves on mostly positive holds, but steep athletic climbing. It's about halfway along Ashop edge and takes around an hour to get to without any pads. Ill post a topo for the whole roof once i've come up with some names, but heres a photo of Ben on it for scale!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/156943872@N06/53859689345/in/dateposted-public/
So the DWS comp was just a wee warm up for the summer grit bouldering?!?
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One of the biggest roofs on grit (he says, without really giving it much thought)? Great stuff, congrats
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Have been trying this over the last few months and got it this morning! Really proud of it and reckon its the best new thing I've done so far. It's quite atypical for grit, with the hardest version being around 25 moves on mostly positive holds, but steep athletic climbing. It's about halfway along Ashop edge and takes around an hour to get to without any pads. Ill post a topo for the whole roof once i've come up with some names, but heres a photo of Ben on it for scale!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/156943872@N06/53859689345/in/dateposted-public/
Great report, good photo on Flickr so we can some in and see the roofness, and great ascent :strongbench:
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What an absolutely incredible looking chunk of rock!
Reminds me of quite a few bits in the SW of Ireland. Remember seeing several of these huge overhangs / roofs visible from the road and utterly enticing, but sadly all completely devoid of a viable landing and also made of fairly chossy rock. So cool that this one breaks that mold.
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Nice! I remember looking at this when we were up there doing Heartthrob etc. How's the scrittle factor?
Did you walk in from the ex-pub via Fairbrook?
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Great chunk of rock, top work Jim. Had this on my big list thus:
**** Massive beaky roof 8a-8b? SS on right follow rail to finish up left arete. LGP
All the better for featuring on a classic Pat Dickinson bivvy video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFzPxOvj8ZM - the roof features from 14:45.
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That is beautiful.
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So basically Jim's thing is bad beta for a bivvy spot :2thumbsup:
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I just watched all of that waiting for Jim to turn up and join in with super preparation.
Come on wedge get that chap included next time!
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Great chunk of rock, top work Jim. Had this on my big list thus:
**** Massive beaky roof 8a-8b? SS on right follow rail to finish up left arete. LGP
All the better for featuring on a classic Pat Dickinson bivvy video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFzPxOvj8ZM - the roof features from 14:45.
Wait so you knew about this and didn't go do it?! All that time at Wharncliffe wasted :lol: ;D
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Nice! I remember looking at this when we were up there doing Heartthrob etc. How's the scrittle factor?
Did you walk in from the ex-pub via Fairbrook?
It's not too bad along Ashop, it didn't take too much cleaning. The bulk of the climb is under the roof, so it's pretty protected from the weather which helps. However, there are a few creaky flakes that I'll try and give some TLC for its longevity.
Yep I park in the big layby and head up the brook, but break off right to the stile on the skyline then follow the top path until you can see the roof
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Great chunk of rock, top work Jim. Had this on my big list thus:
**** Massive beaky roof 8a-8b? SS on right follow rail to finish up left arete. LGP
All the better for featuring on a classic Pat Dickinson bivvy video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFzPxOvj8ZM - the roof features from 14:45.
Wait so you knew about this and didn't go do it?! All that time at Wharncliffe wasted :lol: ;D
The 8A-8B bit was a bit of a fly in the ointment for me.
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UKC Q&A with Jim.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2024/07/jim_pope_makes_first_ascent_of_hard_ashop_edge_project-73733
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Be good to have a topo or something showing all the different starts. Sounds like there's something for everyone.
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Some more pics and nice words on Pennine Lines this week.
https://www.penninelines.com/emails/jimkindred
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Kindred is a really great name too. Bravo!
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Kindred is a really great name too. Bravo!
Agree, and better than some of his initial ideas which had even someone with my naming history pretty underwhelmed ;D
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Good write-up there!
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Kindred is a really great name too. Bravo!
Agree, and better than some of his initial ideas which had even someone with my naming history pretty underwhelmed ;D
KinderMcKindFace?
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K.I.N.D.E.R
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Kindred is a really great name too. Bravo!
I'm guessing it's on the same part of the crag as the route 'Brothers Eliminate?'
I don't have the guide to hand.
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Kinder Surprise must have been a serious contender
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K.I.N.D.E.R
KNDR
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A$hop Rocky
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kinDerMaTe
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Kindred is a really great name too. Bravo!
I'm guessing it's on the same part of the crag as the route 'Brothers Eliminate?'
I don't have the guide to hand.
It’s the next section of the crag along but it’s about 250m away. Wellington Slab and Scooper Dooper are the routes either side of it.
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Ta!
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Kinderlingus (similar has been done before, but that was taken from the old Not the Nine O clock news sketch).
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Kinder Surprise must have been a serious contender
There's already a climb of that name on Kinder South
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El Mocho is putting in a good attempt at taking the "most confusingly named problem" title off the Ali Baba cave in Rodellar with his extension/improvement/refinement of Leviathan on Rhoscolyn "Big Leviathan Extended (Sans Resin)" and suggested ~8C.
I feel like a problem of this quality needs a name reset!
https://northwalesbouldering.com/newsitem.asp?nsid=1079
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It's just Big Leviathan. I can change the title of the news item if it bothers you.
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No stress, I was just joking. Looks an ace piece of climbing so great to see the full line get done.
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Not like Ben not to offer a more worse name!
I vote for: Big Big Leviathan (don't touch the glue)
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The Great Leviathanski
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Not like Ben not to offer a more worse name!
I vote for: Big Big Leviathan (don't touch the glue)
🤣 have you seen it….. it’s 100% glue
There’s absolutely no sign of a hold ever being there… :worms:
More of the same from the ethically corrupt north wales scene! 🤣
On a more serious note, my strong moral compass and spirit of Ken says the manufactured hold should be dealt with appropriately now…. I’m completely ethically compromised at the same time because the problems using it are undeniably world class. I don’t agree with it ever being there but it is….. highlights the creep! now it’s there I kinda think it should stay….. I’m very confused
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Is it a completely manufactured hold, not sticking something back on/artificailly replacing a lost hold (not sure thats any better like)?
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I feel like a problem of this quality needs a name reset!
I think now all the development of the boulder has finished there will be a natural reset on stuff - there is only the 1 line so it would make sense to include the sit to high finish, stand to high finish and probably include James' original (crouch to low finish) as this is already and likely to stay the most popular. There resin hold and sans resin versions do add some confusion.
If you turn up now, with the landing how it is, the low finishes seem a little strange, esp with such a big jug higher up. If the landing had been in this state the whole time I don't think me or Tim would have recorder them. We looked at the high finish and jokingly said it would be great, Dyer then moved tonnes (literally) of boulders to make it possible but you still do need a decent amount of pads. I first did James' version with just the 1 pad and for this full version I must have had 8 or more.
Leviathan (original James + Sam version)
Big Leviathan (sit to jug finish)
Big Leviathan Stand (stand start to jug finish)
Big Leviathan sans resin (sit to jug no resin hold for hands or feet, stand version without resin is pos but doesn't really need recording)
Obv with ukc everything can be recorded. It might take a visit for someone without skin in the game/previous ideas on it to have clarity on it all!
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Is it a completely manufactured hold, not sticking something back on/artificailly replacing a lost hold (not sure thats any better like)?
I don't want to talk for James too much here as I've not spoken in depth with him about it, and I think he is on here so can speak for himself! But the impression/my recollection from speaking with him is that there was a hold there which came off and crumbled/broke up. There was nothing to glue back on so James recreated what was there out of resin. I have no reason to doubt this but what is there does, unfortunately, not look like how you would expect a hold to be naturally. The resin hold isn't massively obvious/ugly when not close (the resin could maybe have been colour matched to the rock a bit) but when you look closer it stands out more as it is both a bit unpleasant to pull on and doesn't look like how you would expect a hold to be in that place but again I have no reason to doubt James that he recreated what was there, it's just a bit unfortunate that it had formed a flake/edge in that way which then broke...
There are plenty of places in North Wales where holds have been glued back on, not Peak Lime numbers but it is a relatively accepted practice as it is elsewhere in the UK. Obv it is far from ideal. In this instance there was nothing left to stick back on which does feel a little trickier.
I don't really feel super strongly about removing what is there now, it would likely make as much/more of a mess than the current situation and might well piss off a bunch of folk trying the normal versions which use it, and I'm not sure if my status as doing the FA without the hold really gives me a bunch more say than other folk. I'm not sure on James' views either, he may well regret having built that hold now it's been proved to be possible without it, he might not regret the decision as it's made a great 7C+, and again I'm not sure if his opinion is more or less valid than other folks.
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I'd be gutted if the hold on the 7C+ went, but that's mostly because I was close on it in the past and would love to return when I've sorted out some nerve issues.
I didn't realise the hold was resin when I went the first time and only knew after Bradders went. Looks a much better job than most repairs I've seen even if it is manufactured.
Anyhow nice work Ben!
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Get Tony to sort it out.
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Get Tony to sort it out.
Out of my remit: North Wales has an area-wide ULEZ (Ultra-Low Ethics Zone).
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I'm not sure if my status as doing the FA without the hold really gives me a bunch more say than other folk.
Fwiw (e.g. nothing) I think that yes, it absolutely does. I'm not sure this would even have been a question in the past?
This problem has been reported on/posted about a lot and very positively as it has evolved and also become popular. I'm slightly amazed that this is the first time - unless I missed something - that it has been reported that it has a completely artificial resin hold. That kinda seems like quite an important detail.
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I'm not sure if my status as doing the FA without the hold really gives me a bunch more say than other folk.
Fwiw (e.g. nothing) I think that yes, it absolutely does. I'm not sure this would even have been a question in the past?
Without wanting to sidetrack too much, I think Ben's humility on this point should be applauded.
It's a tricky thing to pin down, how much value a FA's actions or opinions should have compared to other people. How much it matters maybe depends on how much the FA actually cares, which obviously might change over time.
My feeling is that, broadly speaking and trying to put it succinctly, the FA's view matters more than any other individual in the short term, but it doesn't matter more than a consensus of opinion in the long term.
As to whether an artificial hold should stay on a problem that's been done without it...well, it's easy to have an opinion when you've nothing invested either way :P
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Does anyone know the grade change to the original 7C+ without the resin hold and also which version climbs better?
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This problem has been reported on/posted about a lot and very positively as it has evolved and also become popular. I'm slightly amazed that this is the first time - unless I missed something - that it has been reported that it has a completely artificial resin hold. That kinda seems like quite an important detail.
Actually, this coming up is a bit like how, on page 7 of Franco's Twill Mawr route posts, it was mentioned that there was no bolts just a knotty rope.
Actually, in both occasions, it was Bransby who dropped these facts.
Actually, far from being a disinterested gentleman who just wants everyone to have a nice time, the guy's an arch-player!
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This problem has been reported on/posted about a lot and very positively as it has evolved and also become popular. I'm slightly amazed that this is the first time - unless I missed something - that it has been reported that it has a completely artificial resin hold. That kinda seems like quite an important detail.
Actually, this coming up is a bit like how, on page 7 of Franco's Twill Mawr route posts, it was mentioned that there was no bolts just a knotty rope.
Actually, in both occasions, it was Bransby who dropped these facts.
Actually, far from being a disinterested gentleman who just wants everyone to have a nice time, the guy's an arch-player!
Is he manipulating me……🤣🤣
Both times I’ve gotten involved due to caring about this shit, has Ben being using this to get me to do his dirty work??
He’s also said some pretty nasty things about me recently!
Maybe I’ve been wrong about the last 20yrs and Ben isn’t actually that nice a guy, he’s a self interested manipulator…
Either way! I still think it’s whack…. If I added a resin edge to the start of careless torque which created an amazing 7B+ would it be ok? Does the timeline make it ok? If I did it before careless torque existed and you could choose not to use it, is that ok?
I get it’s a bit different on grit…. But should it be? Why is it ok on certain rock types?
Ultimately it’s even easier to have an opinion if you have got skin in the game….. usually this allows people’s ego’s in which clouds their judgement, I’m bringing it up not to be a shit stirrer but because I care and because if we talk about this shit it’s less likely to happen again?
Is it ok to make holds only if the problem is good? Is it ok to make holds regardless…. It’s not black and white, I can very much see the value of that crimp, especially now it’s there! I do believe it should never have been there though, this sort of stuff sets precedents it allows the creep which can leads to things like this being ok. I’m interested in what people think.
Bens too nice to actually give his real opinion….whatever it is…(can’t believe I’m saying that after what he said about me🤣)
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This problem has been reported on/posted about a lot and very positively as it has evolved and also become popular. I'm slightly amazed that this is the first time - unless I missed something - that it has been reported that it has a completely artificial resin hold. That kinda seems like quite an important detail.
Actually, this coming up is a bit like how, on page 7 of Franco's Twill Mawr route posts, it was mentioned that there was no bolts just a knotty rope.
Actually, in both occasions, it was Bransby who dropped these facts.
Actually, far from being a disinterested gentleman who just wants everyone to have a nice time, the guy's an arch-player!
Burn the witch! I'll go fetch some kindling
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There have always been historical examples of chipping - the biggest must be Mount Rushmore in the US. But luckily that didn’t set a president.
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From what Ben said, its a little disingenuous to suggest a hold (that didnt represent a feature that was previously there) was just slapped on to make the problem easier
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This problem has been reported on/posted about a lot and very positively as it has evolved and also become popular. I'm slightly amazed that this is the first time - unless I missed something - that it has been reported that it has a completely artificial resin hold. That kinda seems like quite an important detail.
Actually, this coming up is a bit like how, on page 7 of Franco's Twill Mawr route posts, it was mentioned that there was no bolts just a knotty rope.
Actually, in both occasions, it was Bransby who dropped these facts.
Actually, far from being a disinterested gentleman who just wants everyone to have a nice time, the guy's an arch-player!
Burn the witch! I'll go fetch some kindling
Firewood available here.
(https://climbing-history.org/file/c49adc43-2e57-96c1-8637-8b97fdd8e1b2/Screenshot_2024_08_14_at_11.10.39.png)
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From what Ben said, its a little disingenuous to suggest a hold (that didnt represent a feature that was previously there) was just slapped on to make the problem easier
James gets the benefit of doubt for sure…. Maybe there was a hold similar to that…. Having seen it my feeling is that’s unlikely but it is possible. This isn’t really about what’s been done (my honest opinion is it should stay) it’s about what’s acceptable going forward.
It’s a whole other discussion about if it’s ok to glue things back on existing problems that have broken.
Can the FA do whatever they like to a piece of rock.
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Topic split: taylormade problems
(Sorry, James, sorry...)
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It’s pretty amazing to me, all the accolades this problem/s has got, that the first I heard of an entirely manufactured hold was on Ben’s pod with Aidan and Sam. Maybe it was mentioned in the original NWB news and I don’t remember, but it seems a pretty big deal.
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Interesting to see this all out in the open now. I went and did the original problem on my holidays this time last year and it really bothered me.
I didn't say anything publicly as I'm not local and it didn't feel right to weigh in on it without having more skin in the game, other than having had an absolutely lovely time doing it.
From what Ben said, its a little disingenuous to suggest a hold (that didnt represent a feature that was previously there) was just slapped on to make the problem easier
However to this point, I did ask James directly about the hold, again this time last year. This was his response:
Hiya 🙂 yep there was a hold that broke and was then repaired with resin as close to its origional state as possible. Not best ethics and if it comes off again its probably best to do it without now. I did a full fix on the hold and covered it with resin to hope it wouldn't just rip again and also the bit that came off broke. I hope its not too offensive 😕
Now, what bothered me most about it was that if you look at that section of rock, it is really very difficult indeed to see how an edge like what is there now could have formed. I think at best, there may have been a small flake of rock there, but that section has slightly poorer quality rock than the rest of the feature and is quite crumbly, so if there was something there, I can only imagine it just came straight off / never even bore any weight. On the other hand, James said clearly there was something there beforehand which he repaired.
Either way, I don't think it should have been put back on. It's clearly more than possible without it, and my guess is it was only put back on because James and Sam couldn't do it without the resin hold. I don't mean that disrespectfully, they're clearly both very accomplished climbers, but that's how it looks and clearly if they could do it without the resin hold presumably they would have.
Whether it should stay? I don't know, I'm completely conflicted and as per the other thread about one line giving multiple problems I'm in favour of having versions of problems available for different abilities.
Should also say fantastic work Ben getting the full thing done sans resin especially to the higher finish. It must have involved an awful lot of groundwork too as the low original finish felt fairly spicy on my own, let alone Tim's finish, so the thought of going even higher wouldn't have even crossed my mind!
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Topic split: taylormade problems
(Sorry, James, sorry...)
He's been quite on the music front since the 70s too (also sorry).
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Does anyone know the grade change to the original 7C+ without the resin hold and also which version climbs better?
Probably bump it up to 8A and change the sequence slightly. Been a few years since i did it but a lot of knees involved around that point of the climb. Cant imagine it would be any harder than 8A
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Seems that it’s hard enough to bump the full link from 8B to 8C if I’m reading the various linkage grades correctly?
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Seems that it’s hard enough to bump the full link from 8B to 8C if I’m reading the various linkage grades correctly?
There was talk of full link being 8B+ so the one grade bump would make sense?
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It would need to be more than 8A to bump it no? As the difference would be like 7A+/B to bump a 7C+ to 8A and that's defo not enough to make an 8B+ C let alone a 8B... Especially as be said the normal start was 7C! #grademath
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The resin hold effects 2 sections on the big link - obv the bit pulling on it where it's around about the last move of James + Sams version but then again on the next section where it was a fairly critical foot hold for both me and Tim. I had to use a new sequence for both hands and feet on both the sections.
For the crouch version, sans resin, it added a bunch for me. I could lap the original as a warm up by this point but without that hold felt a chunk harder. I have no idea on grades in general, and even more so on this bit of rock now. There are a bunch of dif sequences here, and maybe if the sans resin way suits your sequence or suits you better it is maybe not so bad. Tim climbed this section sans resin first and I think he said 8A+ at the time.
Due to where it comes on the climb, and the nature of the sit start it made an even bigger dif for me on that link, I guess party as that start is just harder so I am closer to my limit, but where the old version I was just in kinda an endurance/climb efficient mode I now have to fight through a hard bit. Maybe only a grade or two dif but tips it over a barrier into another power section. The next section, above James' finish point, is then a grade harder sans resin as well.
I don't think the new sequence is much better or nicer than the version with the resin. Obv it's better not to use a manufactured hold, but from a purely physical sense it's not way better.
Seems that it’s hard enough to bump the full link from 8B to 8C if I’m reading the various linkage grades correctly?
There was talk of full link being 8B+ so the one grade bump would make sense?
Not wanting to shift grade decisions onto other people as I have graded this as fairly and accurately as I can... but I get the impression off other folk that the full link, with the resin hold, might be hard for 8B and it could turn out this sans resin version might be soft for 8C (or be 8B+?).
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Any footage of the full link sans resin Ben? Would love to see it.
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Sorry no. I have some footage of the crouch to new high finish, but with the resin hold so that doesn't show much exciting.
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Sorry no. I have some footage of the crouch to new high finish, but with the resin hold so that doesn't show much exciting.
So if it’s that exciting, how about Cumming Unstuck…?
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Somebody has knocked the resin hold off, seems likely it happened last night.
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We did have a big discussion about the resin hold in the Coastal Crags guide feedback group. I made the case for removing it to keep the line pure, and there was some sympathy for this, but the overall consensus was that it should stay on.
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Well that didn’t take long! Damn going to have to get better before going and trying this now.
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Piss take that. Is it going back on?
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I don't think so. James told me earlier that he will go and tidy it up (apparently it's a bity messy with some resin still there). To be fair to him, despite the full resin appearance of the hold, there was the original hold underneath the resin, it just didn't look like that was the case.
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I don't think so.
Good.
No skin in this particular game, will likely never even visit the venue, but IMO in this sort of situation it's better to leave (the remains of) the hold off, and doubly so now it's been done without.
Bit odd/disappointing the resin hold wasn't highlighted in the initial news reports tbh.
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I don't think so.
Good.
No skin in this particular game, will likely never even visit the venue, but IMO in this sort of situation it's better to leave (the remains of) the hold off, and doubly so now it's been done without.
Bit odd/disappointing the resin hold wasn't highlighted in the initial news reports tbh.
To be fair to me (and James), it wasn't a black and white case of a full resin hold. Lots of routes and boulder problems have stabilising resin on them - it's a pretty standard scenario for anybody involved in doing FAs. I've certainly glued plenty of wobbly holds and everyone else I know who does FAs will say the same. It's always a dilemma whether to remove a loose hold or keep it in place.
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To be fair to me (and James), it wasn't a black and white case of a full resin hold. Lots of routes and boulder problems have stabilising resin on them - it's a pretty standard scenario for anybody involved in doing FAs. I've certainly glued plenty of wobbly holds and everyone else I know who does FAs will say the same. It's always a dilemma whether to remove a loose hold or keep it in place.
I think there’s a decent gap between a bit of resin in a flake to stop a hold snapping off (for example) and how this hold turned out from the photos I’ve seen.
As Duma said I’d appreciate such things being included in FA write ups if possible, as it does impact my personal quality classification of problems, even if others are less bothered.
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But this seems another level. Gluing back a hold, or stabilising it, is one thing, recreating it or (cobbling the remains together) in plastic is another. Either way it should be noted in a write up.
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But this seems another level. Gluing back a hold, or stabilising it, is one thing, recreating it or (cobbling the remains together) in plastic is another. Either way it should be noted in a write up.
Perhaps it should have been highlighted in the original news item, but at the time I hadn't actually seen it in the flesh. And anyway, I'm not some commercial news agency, just somebody who documents FAs in my spare time. In the guidebook chapter, which I finished this week, the resin hold was specifically highlighted.
I am definitely not going to be highlighting all resin-stabilised holds in NWB news reports - if you think that is wrong, fine, we'll just have to agree to differ.
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Fair enough, does this not invalidate the eliminate a little too? There was something there it turns out, and that something should surely be included in the line now?
I hope James's clean up isn't going to be including removing anything which could potentially be used as a foothold or intermediate (or possibly more) ?
:worms: :worms: :worms:
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Fair enough, does this not invalidate the eliminate a little too? There was something there it turns out, and that something should surely be included in the line now?
I hope James's clean up isn't going to be including removing anything which could potentially be used as a foothold or intermediate (or possibly more) ?
:worms: :worms: :worms:
Between James and Ben it's going to be sorted out for the best/tidiest outcome (they're discussing it right now). Obviously it may affect the grade of the sans resin version that Ben did.
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Sounds like Ben is going to get another 4 problems to climb 😂
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But this seems another level. Gluing back a hold, or stabilising it, is one thing, recreating it or (cobbling the remains together) in plastic is another. Either way it should be noted in a write up.
Perhaps it should have been highlighted in the original news item, but at the time I hadn't actually seen it in the flesh. And anyway, I'm not some commercial news agency, just somebody who documents FAs in my spare time. In the guidebook chapter, which I finished this week, the resin hold was specifically highlighted.
I am definitely not going to be highlighting all resin-stabilised holds in NWB news reports - if you think that is wrong, fine, we'll just have to agree to differ.
Fair enough, maybe highlighting stabilisation is a bridge too far. But the omission of the recreation of this hold on leviathan in the news reports does seem odd to me. (also 13 repeats on UKC and not one mention of a resin hold)
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Fair enough, maybe highlighting stabilisation is a bridge too far. But the omission of the recreation of this hold on leviathan in the news reports does seem odd to me. (also 13 repeats on UKC and not one mention of a resin hold)
I outlined why I didn't in an earlier post but another point worth mentioning is it wasn't actually that obvious. As in, I didn't even realise until I was told about it. Unless you're fairly switched on to that sort of thing and looked at it closely, you'd easily miss it.
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But this seems another level. Gluing back a hold, or stabilising it, is one thing, recreating it or (cobbling the remains together) in plastic is another. Either way it should be noted in a write up.
Perhaps it should have been highlighted in the original news item, but at the time I hadn't actually seen it in the flesh. And anyway, I'm not some commercial news agency, just somebody who documents FAs in my spare time. In the guidebook chapter, which I finished this week, the resin hold was specifically highlighted.
I am definitely not going to be highlighting all resin-stabilised holds in NWB news reports - if you think that is wrong, fine, we'll just have to agree to differ.
Fair enough, maybe highlighting stabilisation is a bridge too far. But the omission of the recreation of this hold on leviathan in the news reports does seem odd to me. (also 13 repeats on UKC and not one mention of a resin hold)
I certainly knew it was a resin hold, but the way it was done it didnt bother me as much as some. The look and texture was very in keeping with the rest of the rock and the problem is so good i was happy to ignore it personally.
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Looks like Orrin Coley has done his big link route proj at Forest Rock in leicestershire. Eagerly awaiting the breakdown, but I suspect it's going to be fairly hard as he knows the place like the back of his hand and it's still taken a few sessions.
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Forest Rock gets a 9a courtesy of Orrin Coley: The Wizard King.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C_GX2Fvto2I/
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Very cool! He mentioned specifically the use of chicken heads, anyone know the significance? Is it an ethical thing at forest rock or something?
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Do you mean carrot bolts? I think normal bolts were placed a couple of times then chopped, so then someone used carrot bolts instead and they seem to have lasted longer.
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Yeah my bad, carrot heads.
Id not heard of them before his post! Is the hanger removable so they just look less visibly intrusive?
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Yes, they were common in Australia for a while. The hanger slides over a t shape stub at the top of the bolt, and when the karabiner is clipped it blocks the hole to prevent it from lifting off. I only used them once or twice, and they feel bomber once clipped, but are a bit of fiddle to place in extremis.
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From what I remember (although this might be a story that Aussies tell nervous Brits - along with the ones about hoop snakes and drop bears), they’re called carrots because they’re carrot shaped. You just bash them into the pre-drilled hole until they jam tight and won’t go in any further, no resin or expansion element. I wonder if Orrin has taken the same approach!?
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From what I remember (although this might be a story that Aussies tell nervous Brits - along with the ones about hoop snakes and drop bears), they’re called carrots because they’re carrot shaped. You just bash them into the pre-drilled hole until they jam tight and won’t go in any further, no resin or expansion element. I wonder if Orrin has taken the same approach!?
Yeah that's what I understand carrot bolts to be. I think they're actually pretty shit and had a habit of pulling out more often than you'd like. I assume the carrots at forest rock are actually just bolts without hangers rather than bash ins.
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From what I remember (although this might be a story that Aussies tell nervous Brits - along with the ones about hoop snakes and drop bears), they’re called carrots because they’re carrot shaped. You just bash them into the pre-drilled hole until they jam tight and won’t go in any further, no resin or expansion element. I wonder if Orrin has taken the same approach!?
The original Aussie carrot bolts (https://www.climbing.com/places/the-carrot-bolt-an-australian-icon/) were regular 5cm or so long machine bolts ground to a tapered square cross-section and were an 'interference fit' like a bespoke piton. They were invented in the 1960s when climbing gear was very hard to obtain in Australia and are relatively visually discrete at a time when bolting was frowned-on by many. I guess this was the reason for their use at Forest Rock. As remus says you could also just place a regular expansion bolt without a hanger which I hope is what has happened here.
A wire nut with the head slid back also works sketchily as a hanger if you don't have a bolt plate.
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I'd heard that, was glad I had proper plates though. Heard of many instances of the plates being fumbled and dropped by leaders and seconds.
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The rock at arapiles is so hard that hand drilling a hole big enough was v arduous. The less conscientious climbers (Mike law!) used to drill until they got bored, then simply cut the carrot down to suit the size of the hole that had been drilled! Some of the carrots that have been replaced in recent years are little more than stubs. Can't say I mourn their phasing out, although they did add a certain frisson to routes. I always thought they'd have worked well in the slate quarries in the UK.
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So a few points to hopefully answer some of your questions!
First of all, no I didn't drill these bolts!
While sketchy you can use a very small wire nut with the head pulled back. I did that a lot in the past here before I got some hangars.
Basically this climb tackles a direct boulder start into the route Top Slice.
The history of the bolts is roughly as follows directly from Robin Richmond who put the bolts in - "The route was an old aid route. The kit that was I'm situ was in a right state so Dave Hughes aided through on the old kit and re-equipped the line with the intention of freeing it."
"A few years later the bolts were chopped, I re-eqipped they got chopped again and i replaced them with the stainless steel coach bolts that are currently still in situ."
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I always thought they'd have worked well in the slate quarries in the UK.
Surely you just hang a rope down with quickdraws attached to it ;)
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The rock at arapiles is so hard that hand drilling a hole big enough was v arduous. The less conscientious climbers (Mike law!) used to drill until they got bored, then simply cut the carrot down to suit the size of the hole that had been drilled! Some of the carrots that have been replaced in recent years are little more than stubs. Can't say I mourn their phasing out, although they did add a certain frisson to routes. I always thought they'd have worked well in the slate quarries in the UK.
Surprised you haven’t told everyone that the bolts on serpentine are just carrots with fixed hangers (that I knew about when I did it) but you properly found out when one came out on you/your mate recently!!
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So a few points to hopefully answer some of your questions!
First of all, no I didn't drill these bolts!
While sketchy you can use a very small wire nut with the head pulled back. I did that a lot in the past here before I got some hangars.
Basically this climb tackles a direct boulder start into the route Top Slice.
The history of the bolts is roughly as follows directly from Robin Richmond who put the bolts in - "The route was an old aid route. The kit that was I'm situ was in a right state so Dave Hughes aided through on the old kit and re-equipped the line with the intention of freeing it."
"A few years later the bolts were chopped, I re-eqipped they got chopped again and i replaced them with the stainless steel coach bolts that are currently still in situ."
How come the previous bolts were chopped?
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Surprised you haven’t told everyone that the bolts on serpentine are just carrots with fixed hangers (that I knew about when I did it) but you properly found out when one came out on you/your mate recently!!
I was belaying fortunately! Ironically it wasn't the carrots which came out, but the replacements, which are some weird kind of expansion bolt with a really short thread which basically just unscrews itself. The carrots were probably bomber by comparison...
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So a few points to hopefully answer some of your questions!
First of all, no I didn't drill these bolts!
While sketchy you can use a very small wire nut with the head pulled back. I did that a lot in the past here before I got some hangars.
Basically this climb tackles a direct boulder start into the route Top Slice.
The history of the bolts is roughly as follows directly from Robin Richmond who put the bolts in - "The route was an old aid route. The kit that was I'm situ was in a right state so Dave Hughes aided through on the old kit and re-equipped the line with the intention of freeing it."
"A few years later the bolts were chopped, I re-eqipped they got chopped again and i replaced them with the stainless steel coach bolts that are currently still in situ."
How come the previous bolts were chopped?
Couldn't tell you with any degree of accuracy. There are some trad routes there that are great. I assume bolting got introduced to a few bits and someone wasn't happy about it so there was some back and forth.
The bouldering has increased in popularity there now and it seems no one cares about the routes. But there's genuinely some fun climbs worth doing if people lift their heads up a little bit. Maybe the grades are off putting as you need to be operating at E1-6(whatever that means) to get much out of it.
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But there's genuinely some fun climbs worth doing if people lift their heads up a little bit. Maybe the grades are off putting as you need to be operating at E1-6 (whatever that means) to get much out of it.
Ft5 - Ft7A+ with excellent gear ;D
Thanks for filling in all the details. And congratulations on climbing the closest 9a to London! (©seankenny).
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But there's genuinely some fun climbs worth doing if people lift their heads up a little bit. Maybe the grades are off putting as you need to be operating at E1-6 (whatever that means) to get much out of it.
:icon_321: Ft5 - Ft7A+ with excellent gear ;D :icon_321:
Thanks for filling in all the details. And congratulations on climbing the closest 9a to London! (©seankenny).
I've done the E1 5b, E2 5b, and E3 5c. All good. It was a pretty fun spot. Not sure what it's like now.
And yes Leicestershire's first F9a is quite a thing!!
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Thanks for filling in all the details. And congratulations on climbing the closest 9a to London! (©seankenny).
Most southerly 9a in the country unless I’ve missed one in S Wales or Bristol? Southerners need to pull their finger out 😆
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Thanks for filling in all the details. And congratulations on climbing the closest 9a to London! (©seankenny).
Most southerly 9a in the country unless I’ve missed one in S Wales or Bristol? Southerners need to pull their finger out 😆
Yeah I think so? There's 8c+ at Anstey's but can't think of any 9as in the South.
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What about that thing in the Hartland cave? Not got any bolts in it but gets 9a in the guide… Bikini Bottom by that Solly K-D kid
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Wasn’t there a Mark Edwards route at Carn Vellan that he retro-regraded to 9a?
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Couldn't tell you with any degree of accuracy. There are some trad routes there that are great. I assume bolting got introduced to a few bits and someone wasn't happy about it so there was some back and forth.
The bouldering has increased in popularity there now and it seems no one cares about the routes. But there's genuinely some fun climbs worth doing if people lift their heads up a little bit. Maybe the grades are off putting as you need to be operating at E1-6(whatever that means) to get much out of it.
the bolts were in great nick back in about '93 ;)
(https://hongkongclimbing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ForestRock.jpg)
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So a few points to hopefully answer some of your questions!
First of all, no I didn't drill these bolts!
While sketchy you can use a very small wire nut with the head pulled back. I did that a lot in the past here before I got some hangars.
Basically this climb tackles a direct boulder start into the route Top Slice.
The history of the bolts is roughly as follows directly from Robin Richmond who put the bolts in - "The route was an old aid route. The kit that was I'm situ was in a right state so Dave Hughes aided through on the old kit and re-equipped the line with the intention of freeing it."
"A few years later the bolts were chopped, I re-eqipped they got chopped again and i replaced them with the stainless steel coach bolts that are currently still in situ."
How come the previous bolts were chopped?
Couldn't tell you with any degree of accuracy. There are some trad routes there that are great. I assume bolting got introduced to a few bits and someone wasn't happy about it so there was some back and forth.
The bouldering has increased in popularity there now and it seems no one cares about the routes. But there's genuinely some fun climbs worth doing if people lift their heads up a little bit. Maybe the grades are off putting as you need to be operating at E1-6(whatever that means) to get much out of it.
Thanks for the reply.
Has this someone remained anonymous?
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So a few points to hopefully answer some of your questions!
First of all, no I didn't drill these bolts!
While sketchy you can use a very small wire nut with the head pulled back. I did that a lot in the past here before I got some hangars.
Basically this climb tackles a direct boulder start into the route Top Slice.
The history of the bolts is roughly as follows directly from Robin Richmond who put the bolts in - "The route was an old aid route. The kit that was I'm situ was in a right state so Dave Hughes aided through on the old kit and re-equipped the line with the intention of freeing it."
"A few years later the bolts were chopped, I re-eqipped they got chopped again and i replaced them with the stainless steel coach bolts that are currently still in situ."
How come the previous bolts were chopped?
Couldn't tell you with any degree of accuracy. There are some trad routes there that are great. I assume bolting got introduced to a few bits and someone wasn't happy about it so there was some back and forth.
The bouldering has increased in popularity there now and it seems no one cares about the routes. But there's genuinely some fun climbs worth doing if people lift their heads up a little bit. Maybe the grades are off putting as you need to be operating at E1-6(whatever that means) to get much out of it.
Thanks for the reply.
Has this someone remained anonymous?
I've no idea who chopped them unfortunately, only know who re bolted it!
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Wasn’t there a Mark Edwards route at Carn Vellan that he retro-regraded to 9a?
Of course there was! He also solo'd it. He then discovered natural pockets that took a no 3 rock (or BD micro cam, I forget which) at regular intervals to give the world's first E14.
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Wasn’t there a Mark Edwards route at Carn Vellan that he retro-regraded to 9a?
Of course there was! He also solo'd it. He then discovered natural pockets that took a no 3 rock (or BD micro cam, I forget which) at regular intervals to give the world's first E14.
E14 9d+ r/x/z?
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I believe him. Being pursued up a cliff by the SBS will push a man to his limits.
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Bernardo Rivadossi and Massimo Faletti have put up "Ego Land" a new hard alpine multipitch climb on the Elephant's-back pillar on the southface of Marmolada at the pretty impressive grade of 8c/+ > 7c+. Judging from the pictures, the quality of rock, and the situation of the crux pitches and the relative moderate length of the route, I suspect Ego Land will prove popular despite the elevated difficulty.
https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/ego-land-added-marmolada-dolomites-bernardo-rivadossi-massimo-faletti-luca-bana.html
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One from the rumour mill as I haven't got a good source, but sounds like Andy Lamb may have done the low start to Room Service 8A+ in Squamish a few months ago. I think it's been an open proj for quite a while. 8C+ apparently.
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One from the rumour mill as I haven't got a good source, but sounds like Andy Lamb may have done the low start to Room Service 8A+ in Squamish a few months ago. I think it's been an open proj for quite a while. 8C+ apparently.
Room Service Sit or maybe Low(er)? The low start was done by Nalle.
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"Right hand sit start to Room Service" is what I've heard. Apologies for the unclear initial message, didn't realise Nalle had done a low start previously.
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James Mchaffie has climbed Yma O Hyd (Still Here), a direct start to Mission Impossible. 8c+ with 'pretty good pro.'
https://www.instagram.com/p/C_3MO16NfL1/?hl=en&img_index=1
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Good to see he's finally pulled his finger out and climbed something harder than E9 ;)
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Had a go earlier this summer on this. It's utterly impeccable rock with incredible sequences both the E9s are 3star routes in their own right and so stacking them on top of eachother only adds to the quality, completely safe except a slightly wiggly first move, which if your climbing 8c shouldn't feel too bad as the holds are incut so being stronger makes it more secure, after that bomber gear.
I predict this will get a lot of attention, I'm already trying to make plans to get back on it now caffs done it! So psyched.
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Sounds rather good. Anyone got a topo of this face?
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"Right hand sit start to Room Service" is what I've heard. Apologies for the unclear initial message, didn't realise Nalle had done a low start previously.
IIRC in a Testpiece podcast episode Ethan Salvo discusses the Room Service low(er) start project in exhaustive detail. (The Nalle low start has been repeated by several people over the last few years. )
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Good knowledge, I'll have a listen.
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Sounds rather good. Anyone got a topo of this face?
Do you not have the Ogwen guidebook Fiend? It's a bit of a crap topo as it shows Heart of Stone doing a weird downward wiggle that it doesn't actually do. I think this comes up the obvious line in the big blank bit between Heart of Stone and Cool Runnings.
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James Mchaffie has climbed Yma O Hyd (Still Here), a direct start to Mission Impossible. 8c+ with 'pretty good pro.'
https://www.instagram.com/p/C_3MO16NfL1/?hl=en&img_index=1
Top instagramming too with text speak and the screen grab photo. Looks mint
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Looks like it’s the week for hard trad belters in Eryri, Angus Killie has done a companion route to Crac Yr Maestri (another of James’s routes) in the Nant Peris quarries
https://www.instagram.com/p/C__JTgqtYa9/?igsh=NmFtY2RlNjJmaWJk
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This is what happens when it finally stops raining for more than two days in a row.
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Big stuff, big numbers :strongbench:
Andy, no of course I don't have the Ogwen guide, there's about 0.5% of it that I can walk to and I've done most of what I want there already ;)
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Had you down as a man who would own a guidebook even if he could only walk to 0.5% of it, y'know?
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James Mchaffie has climbed Yma O Hyd (Still Here), a direct start to Mission Impossible. 8c+ with 'pretty good pro.'
https://www.instagram.com/p/C_3MO16NfL1/?hl=en&img_index=1
Good interview with climber.co.uk https://www.climber.co.uk/news/mchaffie-makes-first-ascent-of-yma-o-hyd-e10-7a-north-wales-hardest-trad-route/
"I'm confident it’s the hardest trad route in Wales and will give one of the two physically hardest in the UK next to Rhapsody, although I'll wait for the traffic to confirm."
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People bang on about how much of a 'mission' it is to get to Skyline Buttress (Caff doesn't, obviously).
It's about 45 minutes with 350m height gain. People regularly do more than that to boulder these days.
Pretty uncool that unnecessary pegs have been added to Mission Impossible since 2009, can we stop doing this on 'trad' routes please?
Grumbling over :)
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Good interview, well done Climber for more than just a repost.
And Yma O Hyd sounds brilliant, and nails.
Interesting/sad that new pegs are still being placed next to decent pro in the mountains.
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It's about 45 minutes with 350m height gain. People regularly do more than that to boulder these days.
I’m no good at knowing metres of ascent, but from a look at the map, Rylstone is about 300m gain and Mallory Boulder is about 350m gain for some perspective for us bouldering types! Harter is probably 400+.
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Bottled oxygen territory.
Maybe it's that the Welsh wads and wadettes after their latest spadpointing routes with added pegs in have got used to a short walk in, no elevation so you don't get tired, coastal path, etc?
P.S. Andy, hah, nice idea but I draw the line at big walks. I do have an Ettringen guide and an Annot guide I really need to start using...
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It's Simon's Seat/Lord's Seat territory. Pathetic!
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Spotter's badge, when the inevitable DMac repeat occurs, for a deftly placed comment about how nice it is to have such a handy hard route to repeat :P
Anyway it's cool to see this done, such a brilliant bit of rock. Shame there isn't a wee bit more like it!
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It's about 45 minutes with 350m height gain. People regularly do more than that to boulder these days.
Same as Cat Bells, described by Wainwright as “a family fell where grandmothers and infants can climb the heights together”
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Alex Barrows has completed the often eyed up link of Hard Times SS (8B) into Sean's Roof (8A/+) to give "Pretence of Youth".
It's been given the ultimate cop-out slash grading monstrosity: 8B+/C/9a/+!
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Alex Barrows has completed the often eyed up link of Hard Times SS (8B) into Sean's Roof (8A/+) to give "Pretence of Youth".
It's been given the ultimate cop-out slash grading monstrosity: 8B+/C/9a/+!
That grade is most dedicated piece of UKB trolling I've ever seen ;D
Congrats on the FA Alex!
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Love it! Congrats on the grading monstrosity Barrows!!