UKBouldering.com
the shizzle => bouldering => Topic started by: Nigel on October 27, 2004, 07:15:27 pm
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Come on, most folk on here have been around a bit, and unlike other sports/pursuits we're uncommonly priveleged to be able to see our top wads (beasts, good climbers etc.) for free, at the same crags we go to! Sometimes even on the same problem!
So what are the most waddish things you've ever borne witness to (videos don't count)? I'll allow routes aswell if you want!
Myself, its so hard to choose! One of:
Seeing Andy Earl flash Art Of Self Destruction V11 at Woodwell. With ease :shock:
Watching Moony pretty much do an unrepeated Smith 8a+ in the School (= at least 8b outside). Heinous.
Seeing Bernd Zangerl cruising to the last move of Sharma's Magic Wood 8b+ link without breaking a sweat, and then dropping off because he was "scared". Would have been the FA!
Numerous Pasquill moments of beastliness. Probably Stonelove F8b+ in full summer sweatiness. Or doing 2 quick 8a's then a ten minute ascent of an 8a+ in Magic Wood. Or FA of Master Kush.
Mark Katz unleashing it on Isla de Encanta. Rampant :shock:
Pete Hurley flashing Lord of the Flies in about 5 minutes.
I'll probably plump for Patxi trying Realization. Just strolling up the 8c+ missing most of the bolts. Not because he had to, but because he didn't need them - too easy! Then locking off the crux of the extension with ease. Unfortunately his Boreals (shite) slipped just as he went for the finishing jug. :cry: True vertical ballet...
I bet ol' Panton's got a few!
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seen dunning CRUISE PS and PP on the bowderstone 1st try on the BS after he'd been cragging all day. that's about it really, i don't get out much :roll:
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seeing steve bancroft dance. :shock:
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Watching Jackie Godoff crowd surfing and Andy Earl order 4 sambucas, in fluent geordie, from a french barmaid in Ailefroide or Tim Clifford and Andy Brown warm up 8a stylee in the Magic Wood in the damp!
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seen vickers at the bowderstone, think he was trying that line steve dunning got first accent of, cant remember the name, freekin strong climber :shock:
also seen chris davies on Jerrys roof, bloody nice bloke too
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seen dunning CRUISE PS and PP on the bowderstone 1st try on the BS after he'd been cragging all day. that's about it really, i don't get out much :roll:
Obviously not! Even I can (could) cruise those problems 1st go. Something impressive please... :idea:
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u see nigella there's cruisin and then there's CRUISIN. he made it look pathetically easy and i very much doubt u cud climb those problems with the style and ease that he did.
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Have you met Nigel?
I find it best not to make sweeping generalisations before I climb with someone.
Oh I also assume everyone is WAY better than me. It makes being burnt off easier to take
:lol:
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Have you met Nigel?
yeah briefly.
sorry nigel, it's just that the way he climbed them problems really impressed me.
Oh I also assume everyone is WAY better than me
nigel is WAY better than me, i wasn't disputin that :? just sayin that i would have thort someone who's climbed v15 and 8C+ cud make a 7b look easier than nige. sorry for making generalisatiosn tho.
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Matt Birch levitating his way up stuff at Almscliff impressed me - as does the Cottle tantrum when it rears it's ugly head
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as does the Cottle tantrum when it rears it's ugly head
:lol:
Like this but much angrier
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/archive/features/images/victor_meldrew220.jpg)
I don't get to see that much true waddage, not getting around as much these days ( :oldgit: ) but the last thing I saw was probably C.J.D. dispatching The Joker in about 25 mins in pretty greasy conditions whilst having a toke - effort :)
Shit, that was ages ago now - I need to get out more.
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Was at area 51 at Joe's Valley and some random punter turned up and cranked off a V9 or 10 first go, Did Resident Evil V11 second try, then had a few tries on Black Lung, getting close on the crux move. No idea who he was, just some random from SLC.
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I probabaly saw something impressive once, I can't seem to remember although I was quite impressed on a wet day to see Seb Greive walk over to Oedipus, say to me and me mate alright and the cruise it before downclimbing it and dispatching the pinnacle traverse with consumate ease, in the wet, I may add.
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I've seen Ron's willy.
Does that count?
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If it matches the size of his hands....
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A few years back, went to the plantation to try and shake of an exceptionally violent hangover and witnessed the Hig do the drop down bit of bens extension and shuffle a few moves along the shelf of jerry's traverse completely footless. If my memory serves me right he was wearing walking boots and a down jacket at he time.
Fierce as fuck.
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I had the fortune to bump into Robin Barker et famille not so long ago at the Brockstone in't Lakes. Nice guy, did the sit down start to the problem up the bottom left arete second go! I don't think it's THAT hard, V7 or so, but impressive to watch for a punter like myself :oops:
Also, saw some guy crank Truth SDS at Porth Ysgo during the summer, beautifull problem, no holds... AWESOME! :worthy:
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Our very own Buoux 8c demonstrating the hardest move on the neo-classic Turd Reich (7c+, the school), then remarking 'but I can do it footless' and proceeding to do so with consumate ease.
The Clifford 'just trying that next move' and continuing to the top of an 8b (Steppenwolfe, Magic wood) after about 5 goes.
And the one and only Malc Smith invite me to 'have a look at this I've been working on' then making outrageous moves off what can only be described as ripples on gritstone when it was a sweaty day.
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Does John Welford still do the Powerband for a warmup?
Maybe this is the standard Tor warmup, but it impressed me at the time.
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Probably! The Harris stops for a breather on that move at the end that mortals find hard - before continuing along the base of the crag. Its easy for him though, he's a midget :wink:
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That's more like it!
Fingers, Dunning certainly could cruise those problems better than me. But Palomides has seen Ron's dong! Now that is real waddage...
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After filming 2 of my buddies fall, repeatedly, off Ulan Batar (7b+) at Rocklands for 2 hours, some short Austrian bastard pitched up and flashes it. It's a reachy problem, and he still just cruised it. Massive waddage.
Watching another friend do Pendragon (8a) at Rocklands 1st go, after trying it briefly a year before. Was his first 8a too..
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For me it's not always the big numbers, rather just absurd moments when people do remarkable things. Here's a few of the top of my head:
Ben Moon 'retro flashing' (he'd been on it once about 3 years previous apparently) Jehovah Kill at Raven Tor. I was belaying just to the left, and Mark Pretty asked me to pull the other rope from the top belay so that it was out of the way for Ben who was just moving into a hard rockover high up the route. I yanked the rope and it came down and smacked Ben straight on the forehead. He reeled backwards for a second, but managed to pull back on with a determined grunt. Amazing stuff. Suffice to say he wasn't best pleased with me. :oops:
Belaying Tim Emmett on Totally Wired 9 in the Pass. On a top rope he had cruised the crux section totally static, but on the lead he paused in a position of almost certain deckout and started bobbing his head. I knew from climbing with Tim that this meant he was about to slap for a hold. I couldn't watch, felt sick, and turned away for a second. When I looked back, he'd hit the next hold and was racing off up the rest of the route. :shock:
On the bouldering front: watching Katz do the top move of Organ Grinder at Split Infinity static was a jaw dropping moment. Pete Robins doing the Barrel Traverse with his feet in the break was just about the most outrageous display of technical footwork and radical body positioning I have ever seen. CJD doing Vienna in the rain was quite disturbing too.
Excellent thread Nigello, I'll come back with some more later.
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Big Ron at almscliffe doing the photo shoot for Fawcett on Rock. He soloed Wall of Horrors three time in a row, whats more the photographer was asking him to pose " Hold it their ron, one hand ron" etc.
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Watching the VadWad tear Caley to pieces has to be one the most impressive days Ive seen on Grit. Finishing off with onsite solo ascents of Psycho, Adrenaline Rsuh and Marabone, all three within about 10 mins. His flashed acent of zoo york was pretty impressive too but I think that was a different day.
Like they say, the boys no punter .
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I noticed a bald guy pulling off some hard moves on a steep roof in the heart of the crag at Woodwell O'ert Road one time... looked at least V8+!
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The VadWad - whos he? Maybe the VanWads lesser known cousin
:bash:
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As with Panto it's not about always about the numbers, but just things that stick in your head...
Bouldering wise...
Malc doing in the first repeat of Pinch II at Stoney in about 10 minutes in front of Stu C who'd been trying it all that (One) Summer - Stu packed it all in soon after..
Malc doing laps on Karma for photo's and starting it with a one armer..
Going out with Jason loads of times to spot him (sans mats) whilst he figured out Brad Pitt.
Jerry doing the first ascent of the Crack at Bowden (I've got some pics somewhere that I should put on the web).
Belaying Robin Barker on Transcendance at Back Bowden when he slapped for the break as a jet roared past about 10 foot above the crag - he nearly fell off and I nearly let go of the rope to clamp my hands over my ears..
The Dawes doing Dowhill Racer one-handed for the first time - I got more cash for a postage size photo in Rock 'n Ice than I got for a High Cover shot.
Trying to hold the camera steady whilst Ben P tried Quents Dyon (no mats) wearing the largest, baggiest jeans ever seen in the universe..
Jerry doing the Mint 400 (or whatever it's called next to Valkyrie @ Frogatt) - I've never seen anyone even try it before or since...
Building the school with Gavin and opening it up for the first time and watching all the problems get done and named for the first time.
There's more , but I've got work to do...
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Funny, I come to think of it I've never seen any total waddage. Oh, hang on -
Matt Birch strolling along Baburre (V11) at the buttermilks comes close. As does Craig Smith making the FA of the druid stone - gnarly offwidthing whilst knocking off man-sized sheets of loose patina, followed by the obligatory, loose, slab-of-death topout - total effort. I've always found Ru campussing most of powerband faintly disturbing too. Then there was Dave Graham flashing Migrany (8b) this new year (as part of his warm-up), and his totally casual redpoint of L'Odi Social (8c+). Steve Macs onsights of Empire de Sens and Face du rat were blinding too - as was his whole performance on that trip - in 3 weeks he didn't fall off anything easier than 8b.
Pride of place goes to Marc Le Menestral dispatching Brad Pitt 2nd go, the 8a way, and back when we all thought it was the hardest problem in the UK. I've never been so blown away in all my life. I was so stunned, that when he flashed danny's prob (from a sitter) and thought it was 7b I never raised an eyebrow. Total Waddage.
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I watched some guy on Digital (8a) at Bas Cuvier once. He fell off the last move, but fuck me, totally mesmerising - he was that smooth. I remeber thinking that it was the best piece of climbing I'd ever seen - probably up there with the best ones still! Word up to the little chinese fella, winner. :clapclap:
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Witnessed a dude I know can't do more than 10 pull-ups crank a one-arm on a scary route in Eldorado Canyon. Even dragged his toes up the rock...amazing what waddage fear can produce.
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as does the Cottle tantrum when it rears it's ugly head
what what whhhhaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttttttttttttt, you fuckers :twisted:
Ill get u.........
:lol: dont see them much these days im afriad, old age is mellowing me besides i vent all my anger when im drivin me van.
For me got to be button Moon doing some traversing at cragx, moffatrocity to the the top, down to bottom hold on Jericho, leftwards along low trav (hard variant) leftwards into middle sloper of first traverse on moffatrocity, back along to jericho, up this FOOTLESS, low variant again and reverse moffatrocity.
Other would have to Simon Nadin at Boux in '87 doing chouca in 2 days the fastest time up to that point, in front of load of incredulous frenchies. he ambled up like some punter and they were all eyeing him up, and he pissed it, made it look 6c. Was on top slab and his krab flipped and jammed, he was giggling and trying to free it. if youve been up there youll know what i mean
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watching the vicar flash monumental armblaster or steve bancroft following rectum rift knaked and shoeless,while his belayer,a drunken choe brooks belayed him with the rope round his neck just lying on the top of the crag.
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Have seen a few feats of strength in my time but these are my top
1. Watching Stuart Cameron lock out the crux sidepull move on Superman completely static as a warm up in front of a horrified Jerry Moffat (bonus points for psyching out a superstar).
2. Malc Smith locking through "The Airlie Bird gets the Worm" on the old edgedale road board. A 55/60 board with the problem revolving around flat pinches and feet on nowt. Given 8a in old money but at least a grade harder and revolving around 1 very hard move. Pinch strength of doom.
3. Ben & Jerry more times than I can remember.
4. The piston like arms of Paul Higginson on numerous occassions.
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has to be rich simpson casually doing repeated 1-4-7s down the school whilst chatting away, talking about his warm up routine. :shock:
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i was there for most of nigels n all, Smith on the big link this year was something else also, didn't see him do it, but saw him get through the undercut move from the start in dismaying fashion, also ste mcclure flashing mandella at kilsney. Great feats of beastliness :eek3:
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Nice one boys, some shocking stuff has gone down! Just remembered another one, which is Danny Cattell doing 1-5-8 pretty much first go on his first time on a campus board :shock: But that's not even the shocking thing!
Basically he was in the School and Irish Si asked him what he could campus. He didn't know, so had a quick go at 1-4-7. Fails pathetically a couple of times. Renowned campus wad Si jibes him because 1-4-7 is "easy". "Oh right, OK" says Danny, and does it straight away easily. So Si tells him that 1-5-8 is next, but that it is a lot harder and you need proper campus technique; pushing with the trailing arm, perfect timing, bit of a flick type of thing. All that flys over Danny's head as he pulls on, hits 1-5 (which is nails!), takes his trailing arm OFF, smoothly one arms on 5 and statics through to 8. Yes it was on the little rungs.
Genetic freak! :frank:
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we saw ju-ju-Nads in font. he weren't climbing, but it were still waddage.
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we saw ju-ju-Nads in font. he weren't climbing, but it were still waddage.
and lebreton.
:heros:
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seeing not-a-camel (aka david lama) run up to ceuse with a rucksack on and then piss biographie on his second go.
tesco value's flash of end of th'affair, obviously.
rob clifton (aka SB, loads-a-pills, f*ckin rob, suave, etc) whenever he goes climbing
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Birkett on some hard onsight up at black crag getting past the crux, realising he had too much rope drag and so pulling his ropes through and lowering them back to his belayer :shrug:
The same day someone pointed out the mark that chris hope left after ripping most of his gear, he landed inverted about a bodys length from the floor. All of the gear on his harness had left an obvious scar where he had impacted the rock, not what you want to hear before embarking on the same route which was certainly at my limit.
Steven Jefferey (is he in-situ at bas cuvier?) demonstrating every problem on the Carnage block (front and rear) before doing most of it again wearing a party hat for the drunk crowd below who were celebrating something. In the summer.
Our very own unclesomebody doing the crux of too hard for Malc without matching (and then declaring it easier).
The night of the first save the school meeting, walking in to watch a ridiculously high concentration of beastliness. Come on le Sausage time for the video.
Watching Ian Cummins fall of Cypher after the hard bit before it was done and casually saying he'd do it when he got back from Joshua Tree, Ben did it shortly after.
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Watching Ryan do careless torque was very impressive, what was more impressive was the go before he started to barn door on the the first move but instead of falling off he just ran up the arete till he was standing up. Only he could do this!!
Watching mr.variable fall from the top of earth boots at Rivelin sans gear (about 8 metres) and land his head on my elbow. After feeling dizzy he got straight back up there and topped out.
Seeing James flash Great Shark Hunt in greasy conditions and do Keen Roof
Watching Leo do malcs one armer at Raven Tor, repeatedly.
Watching Dobbin do all the hard climbing on most things and then fall off (on most things)! ;)
Andy B popping his pulley in his little finger and then do Massive attack (8a+) and Right hand of darkness (8a) in Magic! Later that day he was spotting me, I fell about 6 feet straight onto this finger and the scream of pain awoke satan himself (it also scared the shit out of me)!
Just watching Uncle climb is quite impressive (what a body)!
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Watching Vickers do Unjustified 8c at Malham after downclimbing from the crux bulge to the ground :bow: and leaving the first 8 bolts preclipped for his redpoint.
Watching Vickers leading Raindogs and then immediately reversing it to the ground without grabbing the chain. Watching him lead All Out at Kilnsey 8b+ after having a bit of a hissy fit after blowing it on his previous attempt.
Seeing Mick Lovatt do the Well Dunne Finish 8b at Malham after a 20 minute timed rest at the belay of Zoolook before going over the top roof.
Seeing Birkett gliding up Rubis sur L'ongle like it was a route, shaking out on the crimps as he went.
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20 minute timed rest at the belay of Zoolook
Maybe it wasn't quite that long, but it was a long rest wedged inbetween some tufas!!
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every time i went climbing with huffy i think. what a fucking monster!
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20 minute timed rest at the belay of Zoolook
Maybe it wasn't quite that long, but it was a long rest wedged inbetween some tufas!!
Nope, it was 20mins, I was there. Chris Gore was belaying: a proper old-school wad.
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Thanks dude I wondered where 20 mins came from i guess I was right after all. Just seemed so implausible!!
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These seem to be coming to me all at once so here goes...!!
Belaying Stone at the Tor on his laps of the top wall of Chimes continuing into Waddage 8b after the belay. For those not familiar with Waddage, it continues over the top roof above Chimes to the top of the crag, a truly monstrous pitch when combined with the starting roof of Chimes, an 8a in its own right. He was training on the upper section to gain the necessary fitness for his eventual redpoint. Upon returning to the ground after lowering off the pitch, he confessed to me that he had only just made it and had been so pumped he had thrown up into the bushes at the top of the crag. He led the whole thing the next week....
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Watching some unknown frenchie casually wander up and cruise the cuvier red circuit in a 50L rucksack and flipflops.
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Watching Ste Mac do Overshadow, then casually cruise The Groove as a warm dowm was quite impressive.
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Watching Ste Mac do Overshadow, then casually cruise The Groove as a warm dowm was quite impressive.
Ditto!
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Pay homage to the Huffmeister 1-5-9 static
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A few things i've witnessed in recent years that have dismayed:
Uncle crushing General Dissaray like it was 8a!
Danny crushing Louis Armstrong in the cave, surely this is an 8b!!!
Simpson climbing Action Directe from the crux to the end with ease!
The mighty Mawson flashing to the last move of the boulder problem of Violent Illusion in Ceuse and then pissing it 2nd go!
Neil Dyer doing Melancholie 8b without warming up (its quite fingery!) and then proceding to do some pulls up upon reaching bad boy!
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Watching Malc warm up on Magnetic Fields, doing the crux as easy as you like, having a chat along the way :jaw:. Made it look as difficult as Consenting.
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Seeing Dave MacCleod sending el meurte in Siurana was a mighty impressive sight
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Another Malky Smith anecdote. Shuffling around Bas Cuvier, American chap we'd met the day before stumbles dazed from the Carnage area;
'Dude, your buddy Malcolm' s like, warming up on V10's and smoking hand rolled cigarettes between sends, like, is that normal?!'
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Another Malky Smith anecdote. Shuffling around Bas Cuvier, American chap we'd met the day before stumbles dazed from the Carnage area;
'Dude, your buddy Malcolm' s like, warming up on V10's and smoking hand rolled cigarettes between sends, like, is that normal?!'
Had the same experience in the same place. Me, Irish Alan and Jay Warren (tallented Headcharge DJ) were lying down in the baking sun and chatting to Malc about life and stuff. Malc then did everything in sight whilst politely declining many offers of a spot from various concerned strong men who had seen the rest of us clowns falling off everything. Al and Jay were both on their first proper go at climbing and they both agreed that Malc was even better than me - shows how much they know :lol:
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The most unlikely looking piece of climbing i've ever witnessed was pascals flying heelhook method on special cases, instead of slapping out for the lip with his right hand he just 180'd from the sidepulls and landed his heel on the ledge it was enlightening for sure.
spotting nic sellars as he WALKED up loaded with power at hueco tanks say what you want about the problem he just floated up it with consumate ease (twas a flash ascent)
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when mcclure locked off the crimp on trigger cut you could say i was shocked
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mule doing halfway house was pretty cool. he was knackered, it was damp nand he was about to give in but with one last go he crushed it. looked like it was 7a+ not 8a+. awesome.
Climbing with huff - awesome
Watching ben moon turn up at the school, warmed up on turd reich 7c+, then did stuey5 8a+, the black problem 8a+, then snot 8a+ and went home. jaw dropping stuff.
watching dave buchannon do laps on curious yellow for a film.
seeing doyle pissed up on the pull in llandudno.............now thats waddage for you :o
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Watching Leo do malcs one armer at Raven Tor, repeatedly.
What?! Leo who? When?
Have there been many other repeats of this feat? I'm sure plenty of people could if they could be bothered...
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Watching James make Keen Roof look easy. Watching Polish Dave do Andronicus (craziest piece of climbing I've ever seen). Watching Mark Katz doing much of Pilgrimmage whilst he was very hungover. Watching Zaf years ago do that traverse across the bottom of Remergence buttress, then tell us he only climbed once a month at the moment.
Another Malc anecdote: a Scottish friend of mine said he was out with Malc Smith one night, and asked him if the story about the lamp-post was true. Malc proved it was by pinching a lamp-post with one hand. His feet were no longer touching the floor.
Have some videos:
Keen Roof
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mFHAXYze_A
Andronicus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL4Y_XiqoJQ
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seeing doyle pissed up on the pull in llandudno.............now thats waddage for you :o
your not wrong! now where's dense when you need him :whistle:
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Watching Leo do malcs one armer at Raven Tor, repeatedly.
What?! Leo who? When?
Have there been many other repeats of this feat? I'm sure plenty of people could if they could be bothered...
I assume Moger not Holding
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you assume correctly
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Fuck you are back in town
8a God :bow:
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Ru, in the Barn, doing 1 arm plyometrics, age 17 :o
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Watching Zaf years ago do that traverse across the bottom of Remergence buttress, then tell us he only climbed once a month at the moment.
i was there that day, last day of that trip!!!
:thumbsup: