UKBouldering.com
the shizzle => bouldering => Topic started by: AMorris on July 23, 2018, 05:20:54 pm
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Recently I have had a bit of a fetish for finding problems that are supposed to be difficult or awkward/knacky for the grade, or just tend to shut people down a lot. This is probably an ideal place to find such problems, so if there are any problems that perplexed you to the point of tears or laughter then post below.
Some of the ones that sprung to mind for me where:
The Egg Arete (Cratcliffe) - 6A. 20 minutes of the finest grit schooling money can't buy. Possibly my favorite boulder ever.
The Edges (Cromlech) - 6C. Sometimes this feels okay, sometimes it feels unclimbable, never feels easy.
Fear of a Slopey Planet (tick and sheep shit infested field in the pass) - 7A. Shut me down more than any of the grade ever has, my absolute antistyle. How does this get the same grade as Arse Soul or Cave route??.
Bread Pudding (Huntsham) - 5+. I love this problem so much, but until you find the proper sequence it's totally baffling.
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Egg Arete is lovely in winter conditions, grit in an eggshell.
Edge Problem is awful. The worst move in Wales trying to squidge your fingers into that slot. Cenotaph Corner crux is the second worst move in Wales.
I can't think of any off the top of my head but a good topic. Generally 90% of the ones I think are horrors turn out to be conditionsy morpho or just plain wrong (holds broken etc).
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Egg Arete is lovely in winter conditions, grit in an eggshell.
Edge Problem is awful. The worst move in Wales trying to squidge your fingers into that slot. Cenotaph Corner crux is the second worst move in Wales.
I can't think of any off the top of my head but a good topic. Generally 90% of the ones I think are horrors turn out to be conditionsy morpho or just plain wrong (holds broken etc).
Yeah totally, I loved every moment of teetering up the egg, the logbook page on the other site is worth a chuckle at though. The edge problem very much divides opinion I think! At times I love it, at other times it can do one.
I forgot Marie Rose too... nuff said with that one I think.
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Stall at Gib Tor... impossible 7A until you figure it out :)
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The Sheep at Burbage South? I remember it feeling really hard for f6c+, so thought there must be a knack. Does Banana Finger Direct fit the bill... or is it just horrible? Maybe Pebble Wall at Almscliff - I don't dare try to repeat it due to nightmares involving a snapped foot in the break (not a problem for the lanky). I gather that Mr Smooth at Caley has a reputation for knackiness, though I've always found it pretty straightforward myself.
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The Sheep at Burbage South? I remember it feeling really hard for f6c+, so thought there must be a knack. Does Banana Finger Direct fit the bill... or is it just horrible? Maybe Pebble Wall at Almscliff - I don't dare try to repeat it due to nightmares involving a snapped foot in the break (not a problem for the lanky). I gather that Mr Smooth at Caley has a reputation for knackiness, though I've always found it pretty straightforward myself.
Oh man good shout on pebble wall. That is a particular nemesis on mine, since Almscliff was the first place I ever tried climbing outdoors years ago, I tried that problem and, without thinking, whacked a heel toe in the break. Ofc my hands blew and I inverted and landed smack on my back right on that big rock below it. I was so winded I couldn't breathe properly for 2 hours! Grim...
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Stall at Gib Tor... impossible 7A until you figure it out :)
Definitely. Also The Nose at Burbage - takes a bit of sussing if you can't do the reach.
And Triangular Wall at B.South. Very deceptive. Desperate if you try and climb it like grit. Easy once you climb it like limestone.
Over in Lancs - Soot Monkey start is notoriously tricksy. And Lifeline at Brownstones - always a potential shocker.
Oh, and Rodin's Requiem. Totally bewildering until you get it (or someone shows you).
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The Deceiver, Rhiw Goch.
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Pebble Wall is a great shout. Absolutely desperate.
I actually like The Edge Problem, but I have very skinny fingers which helps a lot.
I've always found Strawberries at Curbar very awkward, couldn't do it for years and always fall off it when I'm back there.
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And Triangular Wall at B.South. Very deceptive. Desperate if you try and climb it like grit. Easy once you climb it like limestone.
Never managed it. Felt like the living end, even when I was in the form of my life.
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And Triangular Wall at B.South. Very deceptive. Desperate if you try and climb it like grit. Easy once you climb it like limestone.
Never managed it. Felt like the living end, even when I was in the form of my life.
Having tried and failed on it, I went back with some friends, one of which was a F8a limestone boulderer. We all came home empty handed once again.
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The Deceiver, Rhiw Goch.
Was considering this one, the first yank off the deck is pretty desperate
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Stall at Gib Tor... impossible 7A until you figure it out :)
Never been more suprised to flash something :smart:
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Headbanger at St Bees :wall:
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Do these problems include those where you know EXACTLY how to do it but....
IT. JUST. DOESNT. WORK.
???
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Do these problems include those where you know EXACTLY how to do it but....
IT. JUST. DOESNT. WORK.
???
Absolutely, Boysen's Groove sitter would be a prime example of this for me. Couldn't touch the move...
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Trick Arete, Earl. It might as well be 9dfucking+... :wall:
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And Triangular Wall at B.South. Very deceptive. Desperate if you try and climb it like grit. Easy once you climb it like limestone.
Never managed it. Felt like the living end, even when I was in the form of my life.
Having tried and failed on it, I went back with some friends, one of which was a F8a limestone boulderer. We all came home empty handed once again.
I vaguely remember the trick is to jump around on the decent holds, rather than try and move around on the shit ones like a gritstone hero. Easy to get sucked in though.
Headbanger at St Bees :wall:
When did you try it? Isn't it unclimbable these days, since the nearby boulder moved?
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And Triangular Wall at B.South. Very deceptive. Desperate if you try and climb it like grit. Easy once you climb it like limestone.
Never managed it. Felt like the living end, even when I was in the form of my life.
Having tried and failed on it, I went back with some friends, one of which was a F8a limestone boulderer. We all came home empty handed once again.
I vaguely remember the trick is to jump around on the decent holds, rather than try and move around on the shit ones like a gritstone hero. Easy to get sucked in though.
From 1:45. Took a few visits, key for me was the foot scum/toe hooks under the rib on the right
https://vimeo.com/60948122
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Headbanger at St Bees :wall:
When did you try it? Isn't it unclimbable these days, since the nearby boulder moved?
Last April... I hate s/s problems where the first move is big one with feet higher than your arse!
Almost glad it's gone
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Black Russian at Pex.
The Arête at Higgar.
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And Triangular Wall at B.South. Very deceptive. Desperate if you try and climb it like grit. Easy once you climb it like limestone.
Never managed it. Felt like the living end, even when I was in the form of my life.
Having tried and failed on it, I went back with some friends, one of which was a F8a limestone boulderer. We all came home empty handed once again.
I vaguely remember the trick is to jump around on the decent holds, rather than try and move around on the shit ones like a gritstone hero. Easy to get sucked in though.
From 1:45. Took a few visits, key for me was the foot scum/toe hooks under the rib on the right
https://vimeo.com/60948122
Interesting. Think I did it like this, which felt about right at the grade.
https://youtu.be/aVNRTVtFnH0
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unsurprisingly plenty of decievingly hard grit lines floating about then!
I would add one of Wales' more grit like lines, Lordy Lordy up in the Meadow. Fairly horrifying moves, but what a problem
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Can i mention Fontainebleau?
(The joker)
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The Rocking Groove at Caley.
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Headbanger at St Bees :wall:
The Arete at St Bees!
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Shadowplay, Kentmere. Can't seem to get the feet to work.
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Virgin traverse @ Almscliff, gets the title of the hardest v4 in Yorkshire, no the UK, nah the WORLD ! (Disclaimer I'm a punter) :sorry:
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Virgin traverse @ Almscliff, gets the title of the hardest v4 in Yorkshire, no the UK, nah the WORLD ! (Disclaimer I'm a punter) :sorry:
its a massive sandbag - but I'd not call it deceiving... in that there isn't a nice or knacky way of doing it - its just sustained and a bit brutal....
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There is tonnes of beta to make it more amenable, though, if not ‘knackiness’. It’s just long so for the average boulderer it feels hard. Not deceiving though, it’s all there for you to see!
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There is tonnes of beta to make it more amenable, though, if not ‘knackiness’. It’s just long so for the average boulderer it feels hard. Not deceiving though, it’s all there for you to see!
Aye, it might be a toughie for the grade but the difficulties are obvious: it's steep, polished, and long. Rocking Groove at Caley is a good one ... I am still surprised that it shuts me down everytime! The Flapjack Groove is another personal low-grade nemesis but its not really deceiving: it looks like a hideously bunched bum-scraper... and it is.
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There is tonnes of beta to make it more amenable, though, if not ‘knackiness’. It’s just long so for the average boulderer it feels hard. Not deceiving though, it’s all there for you to see!
Aye, it might be a toughie for the grade but the difficulties are obvious: it's steep, polished, and long. Rocking Groove at Caley is a good one ... I am still surprised that it shuts me down everytime! The Flapjack Groove is another personal low-grade nemesis but its not really deceiving: it looks like a hideously bunched bum-scraper... and it is.
With the Rocking Groove, Moose, you want to get your right hand on a slopey crimp thing at the top and, as you rock over, turn your left hand to a palm (or otherwise adjust it) - that's the knack.
But yes, it took me something like three sessions to get that! 6C!
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It kills me to admit that I've never done Hart's Arete at Pex Hill. Not for want of trying and I've had hundreds of goes over the last 20 years. Living around the corner now, I might give it another go in vain at some point. :'(
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Ha, Hart's Arete only took me 8 years Tom. Doubt I'd come close now.
Black Russian always eluded me though, assumed it was just me!
Must have got lucky on Stall Arete and count that as a favourite.
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Stall Arête! Took me 30 + goes, spread over a Sat/Sun siege, in the snow. I tried so many different little combos and then Jordan turned up with Naomi and did it, trying almost every one of my little variants as he worked it out- on sight. :bow:
The trick with Hart’s Arête is to remember there’s a lip, so your fingers need to go in horizontally. Pull up high, lock off, then pop.
Black Russian- still failing since 1984...
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Incredible, Tom. A man of your calibre should be pathing Hart's. I seem to remember watching a bloke on it (this is >10 years ago now so a distant memory) who said he'd tried it heaps before. I pointed out that he was doing it completely wrong and when he tried it with the right beta it came together pretty quickly. It escapes me as to what he was doing wrong but he was very happy.
I seem to remember that the most obvious bit of the break is not actually the bit that you go for, and that there's a juggier bit somewhere else in the break? Surely Rich can just give you his one-handed beta?
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I'm actually attending a Hart's Arete failure support group these days so I'm slowly coming to grips with my past on it. Never has a problem frustrated me so much. I've probably been shown 10,000 times by the likes of Andy F, Hession et al. but it never seems to matter.
Do you know what, thanks to the original poster of this thread. It's motivated me to dig my pad out and go climbing again.
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Good stuff Millso - I have also never done Hart's Arete despite also having seen so many other people doing it...
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I have done Hart's Arete, many times, but it is never, ever, ever, easy.
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A few aretes featuring on this list... Lay-by arête at Slipstones is one to add too I think...
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To call Hart's Arete an arête is somewhat generous. Almost like a little Pex in-joke.
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There is tonnes of beta to make it more amenable, though, if not ‘knackiness’. It’s just long so for the average boulderer it feels hard. Not deceiving though, it’s all there for you to see!
Aye, it might be a toughie for the grade but the difficulties are obvious: it's steep, polished, and long. Rocking Groove at Caley is a good one ... I am still surprised that it shuts me down everytime! The Flapjack Groove is another personal low-grade nemesis but its not really deceiving: it looks like a hideously bunched bum-scraper... and it is.
:rtfm:
Sorry.
Forgive me Lord for i have sinned....
Hopfully 3 Hail Marys and 2 Our Father's will cleanse me of this error.
It's still a twat of problem though!
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A few aretes featuring on this list... Lay-by arête at Slipstones is one to add too I think...
Really? To me it looks like a very pure, hard and balancy arete, and I find it... a pure, hard and balancy arete. I am faintly annoyed that I have not yet done it, given the umpteen times my right hand has brushed the break, but hardly shocked. At the same crag, I'd say Ripper was more deceptive - it looks fairly innocuous, the grade suggests it's a warm-up, yet I chickened-out of topping it out for years of visits.
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I can't for the life of me, do Trackside at Curbar. There is something wrong with my hips. I can't rock up onto my heel/toe/knee/anything! I had to stop trying it put such a damper on my day. :)
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I can't for the life of me, do Trackside at Curbar. There is something wrong with my hips. I can't rock up onto my heel/toe/knee/anything! I had to stop trying it put such a damper on my day. :)
Did you try consciously pointing your left foot slightly down as soon as you put your heel on? It allows you to keep on rocking over it without having to adjust your heel. If I don't point it down to begin with, I reach a point half way through the rockover where I can't rock any further unless I adjust my heel, which is really awkward to do.
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Despite picking off a couple of the things mentioned here (Trackside, Strawberries, Pebble Wall), I am at a total loss as to how one does Banana Finger Direct as a more compact gentleman.
I've tried all manner of positions for the knee bar but can't get it to stick. I'm almost glad the crimpy thing is crumbling now as it gives me an excuse to leave it well alone.
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Despite picking off a couple of the things mentioned here (Trackside, Strawberries, Pebble Wall), I am at a total loss as to how one does Banana Finger Direct as a more compact gentleman.
I've tried all manner of positions for the knee bar but can't get it to stick. I'm almost glad the crimpy thing is crumbling now as it gives me an excuse to leave it well alone.
Made myself a mini-goal of ticking the Bold Star sub 7s in the VP guide and this was the hardest for me. I thought 7b for someone of my height (5'8). I pulled on some tiny pebbles - I suspect that if you're not a fan of pulling on tiny holds it will feel way harder than 7b.
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I can't for the life of me, do Trackside at Curbar. There is something wrong with my hips. I can't rock up onto my heel/toe/knee/anything! I had to stop trying it put such a damper on my day. :)
Did you try consciously pointing your left foot slightly down as soon as you put your heel on? It allows you to keep on rocking over it without having to adjust your heel. If I don't point it down to begin with, I reach a point half way through the rockover where I can't rock any further unless I adjust my heel, which is really awkward to do.
For me its all about where you place the right foot on the left wall when bringing the LF/heel over... THE spot makes it feel piss, away from it a struggle *height dependent beta etc...
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I can’t remember how I did it but I’m 5’7” and didn’t find banana finger direct hard. I did have someone pointing at holds and stuff though and I’m very inconsistent but it is unlikely that you’re not tall enough James.
Tiger at burbage south on the other hand. Maybe not deceiving enough for this thread but I must be doing it wrong. Only 6B I think but it has so far resisted every assault.
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To call Hart's Arete an arête is somewhat generous. Almost like a little Pex in-joke.
Not unlike South-west Overhang and North-west Overhang.
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To call Hart's Arete an arête is somewhat generous. Almost like a little Pex in-joke.
Not unlike South-west Overhang and North-west Overhang.
Or indeed Crucifix Arete at Almscliff, which climbs nothing like one, and come to think of it probably belongs on this list too.
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I can’t remember how I did it but I’m 5’7” and didn’t find banana finger direct hard. I did have someone pointing at holds and stuff though and I’m very inconsistent but it is unlikely that you’re not tall enough James.
Tiger at burbage south on the other hand. Maybe not deceiving enough for this thread but I must be doing it wrong. Only 6B I think but it has so far resisted every assault.
Could you reach from the left-hand crimp a la this bald fat guy... :whistle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78UGZkRU7EQ
Perhaps I should rephrase not tall enough to not strong enough :shrug: I have short arms (5'6)
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To call Hart's Arete an arête is somewhat generous. Almost like a little Pex in-joke.
South-west Overhang
Love this problem and remember doing it by lamplight with Crouchie. The Pex psyche is coming!
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Surely Rich can just give you his one-handed beta?
I've never done Harts the 'correct' way and did the one handed version instead as I found it easier :o
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Love this problem and remember doing it by lamplight with Crouchy
Is that the night Crouchy uttered the immortal words "Andy who?" in response to BenF telling legends of Popp?
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Just remembered. Tufa From Home at Dove Lowe. Fine once you know how, but until then it's desperate...
(http://www.lancashirebouldering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/cropped-IMG_1535.jpg)
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The 6C mantle thing just left of Sulky Little Boys. Impossible.
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The 6C mantle thing just left of Sulky Little Boys. Impossible.
The boss thing? Agree, looks like you should be able to casually pull on and reach the break, I’ve never succeeded.
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The 6C mantle thing just left of Sulky Little Boys. Impossible.
The boss thing? Agree, looks like you should be able to casually pull on and reach the break, I’ve never succeeded.
that's the one, I try it every time I'm there and can't touch it.
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I am at a total loss as to how one does Banana Finger Direct as a more compact gentleman.
I've tried all manner of positions for the knee bar but can't get it to stick.
The key beta in 1980 was to wear a pair of Helly Hansen fibre pile trousers that enable for you to Velcro your thigh to the prickly underside of the roof (a long shin may also help).
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The 6C mantle thing just left of Sulky Little Boys. Impossible.
The boss thing? Agree, looks like you should be able to casually pull on and reach the break, I’ve never succeeded.
that's the one, I try it every time I'm there and can't touch it.
This one?
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5003/5340080656_c67b277da0_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/98TiW9)ykg11_008 (https://flic.kr/p/98TiW9) by Neil Stabbs (https://www.flickr.com/photos/stabbsy/), on Flickr
Called Supple Wall in one of the guides I think. I have done it, but then failed spectacularly the last time I tried it.
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I had it wired for about 3 sessions (after umpteen failing on it) then have never been able to manage it since!
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This one?
...
Called Supple Wall in one of the guides I think. I have done it, but then failed spectacularly the last time I tried it.
Ah, I don't think I've ever tried putting a foot out there! Thanks for the beta.
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I love lagers vids but don’t think I’ve ever copied his beta for obvious reasons! I have no memory of BF Direct other than I was being given the numbers by a mate who actually knows how to climb (taking one of them to the crag is a massive advantage!)
Ttt - you ever fancy a short arse BF session let me know.
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Just looked up my BFD beta:
“Took about 5 attempts. It was all about the udge.”
Hopefully this is of use. I’m quite keen to get on it again when conditions allow. See if it still works.
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Lagers is strong... ultimate hustler :D