[Pantontino]

Reading that 8a.nu list thread got me thinking. About 4 years ago I did a top 50 British problems poster for Climber mag. It did include one Irish problem (because it is amazing) and several Scottish problems that I took on recs from others but had never seen at the time myself. I felt like there were some problems I had to put in, but also wanted to make people think about striking out to pastures new so I did throw in a few wild cards.

Anybody care to offer some alternatives and (of course) rubbish my annoying Welsh bias (Who, me?) and crap choices - let me have it! 

V1/Font 5
The Hoop-la (Frodsham - Cheshire)
The Blobs (Loch Sloy - Scotland)

V2/Font 5+
The Ramp (Braichmelyn Boulder – North Wales)
West’s Route (Wimberry – Peak District)

V3/Font 6a/+
Classic Arete (Shaftoe - Northumberland)
Pick Pocket Crack (Widdop - Yorkshire)
Flying Arete (Almscliff - Yorkshire)
Jumping Jack Flash (Goldsborough Carr - Yorkshire)

V4/Font 6b/+
Not To Be Taken Away (Stanage – Peak District)
The Crack (Bowderstone - Lakes)
Boysen’s Groove (Wavelength - North Wales)
The States Traverse (Garheugh Port - Scotland)

V5/Font 6c/+
Caseg Groove (Caseg Boulder - North Wales)
Horror Arete (Bridestones - Yorkshire)
Event Horizon (Sampson’s Stones - Lakes)
The Chieftan (Coire Lagan - Scotland)

V6/Font 7a
Desert Island Arete (Earl Crag - Yorkshire)
King of Drunks (Wavelength - North Wales)
Solidarity (Glenmacnass - Ireland)
The Wave (Bonehill – Devon)

V7/Font 7a+
Red Baron (Shipley - Yorkshire)
Tierdrop (Ramshaw – Peak District)
Mallory Crack (Mallory Boulder - North Wales)
Catalepsy (Pex Hill - Cheshire)

V8/Font 7b 
Fight on Black (Widdop - Yorkshire)
Willy 2 Goes (Wavelength - North Wales)
Sloping Beauty (Earl Crag - Yorkshire)
Brutal Arete (Stanton Moor – Peak District)

V8/Font 7b+
The Yorkshireman (Kyloe in the Woods - Northumberland)
Yellow Desert Scream (St Bees – Lakes)
West Side Story (Burbage West – Peak District)
The Waveband (Portland - Dorset)

V9/Font 7c
Precious (Glen Croe - Scotland)
Jerry’s Roof (Cromlech Boulders - North Wales)
Scoop de Grace (Running Hill Pits – Peak District)

V10/Font 7c+
Return of the Fly (Thorn Crag - Lancashire)
Heaven in Your Hands (Brandrith - Yorkshire)
News in Gaelic (Glen Nevis - Scotland)

V11/Font 8a
Careless Torque (Stanage – Peak District)
The Crack (Bowden Doors - Northumberland)
Jason’s Roof (Crookrise - Yorkshire)

V12/Font 8a+
Pool of Bethesda (Cromlech Boulders - North Wales)
Inertia Reel Traverse (Roaches Lower Tier – Peak District)
Sabotage (Dumbarton - Scotland)

V13/Font 8b
The Ace (Stanage – Peak District)
High Fidelity (Caley - Yorkshire)
Cypher (Slipstones - Yorkshire)

V14/Font 8b+
Monk’s Life (Kyloe in the Woods - Northumberland)
Pilgrimage (Parisella’s Cave – North Wales)

V15/Font 8c
Walk Away sitting start (Fairy Steps - Lancashire)

[Adam Lincoln]

Think the Waveband has mostly fallen down now...

[SA Chris]

Do you have to have done them to nominate them?

I think Malc's Arete (V6 Richie?) at Torridon must go in (I've done 2/3 of it).

[Andy F]

At V2 how's about The Ramp at Bridestones?

[GCW]

I still can't believe Fight on Black is only 7b

Malc's Arete at 7a is an option, great line on lovely Torridonian rock.

[JohnM]

I can think of one I'd take out!  The Ramp on the Braichmelyn boulder is no way a top 50 boulder problem.  Ok moves but not a great visual line and the holds are quite sharp and nasty!

[Bonjoy]

Is Scoop De Grace really the best 7c in the Peak? It looks good, but I haven’t tried it so don’t know. Remarkably unpopular if it is the best. Must go over and try it this winter. My personal favourite Peak 7c is My Buddy the Apple.

[Pantontino]

Do you have to have done them to nominate them?

Absolutely not, or else my original list would have been considerably shorter!

Malc's Arete looks amazing - I'm hoping I might get the chance to check this out at half term (I'm going on a family holiday to Scotland).

On the Scottish tip I'd like to put forward that Maizie Gunn's thing on the Heather Top Boulder in Glen Nevis - that is classic! (V4/5?)

[Pantontino]

Is Scoop De Grace really the best 7c in the Peak? It looks good, but I haven’t tried it so don’t know. Remarkably unpopular if it is the best. Must go over and try it this winter. My personal favourite Peak 7c is My Buddy the Apple.

Maybe SDG is not the best 7c. I did flail around on it (in awe of Dougie Hall's crimping strength) many times whilst up doing routes in the quarries. I guess the choice was part objective, part a romantic return to my youth.

My Buddy the Apple could be a candidate now (although it didn't exist when I did the original list).

[Pantontino]

I can think of one I'd take out!  The Ramp on the Braichmelyn boulder is no way a top 50 boulder problem.  Ok moves but not a great visual line and the holds are quite sharp and nasty!

Oh contraire! A great line, interesting, technical moves and a slightly wiggy top out. A classic sir, a classic it is!

[Pantontino]

At V2 how's about The Ramp at Bridestones?

Is this the thing that Charlotte Rampling climbs into?

[Bonjoy]

On a complete tangent, have you run out of ideas for places to do Stone Circles? Just wondered with the most recent one I saw being for a climbing wall. I can think of a few good ones I don't think you've done yet.

[Pantontino]

On a complete tangent, have you run out of ideas for places to do Stone Circles? Just wondered with the most recent one I saw being for a climbing wall. I can think of a few good ones I don't think you've done yet.

Not at all, got plenty lined up (although I'm all ears for new suggestions). We only did the Works because we kept getting shut down by rain. It seemed an apt choice given the weather situation this summer.

[Monolith]

The Ramp at Braichmelyn is an immense problem, agreed Simon.

I'd anticipate Flashpoint will make the updated list?

[Pantontino]

I'd anticipate Flashpoint will make the updated list?

Damn right it would!

[Pantontino]

...or maybe this:

[Monolith]

Also a fine call.

I love that photo with the intricate wave-cut platform action.

[SA Chris]

Do you have to have done them to nominate them?

Absolutely not, or else my original list would have been considerably shorter!

Malc's Arete looks amazing - I'm hoping I might get the chance to check this out at half term (I'm going on a family holiday to Scotland).

Good work! Get in touch with Richie Betts, he is the man with the finger on the pulse of developments. There is a lot more at Torridon than just the Ship Boulder.

[andy_e]

Braichmelyn V2 ftw. (althoguh I didn't finish it off, knackered!) Tricky sequence, small holds, good line, nice atmosphere, shame about the midges.

[Pantontino]

Do you have to have done them to nominate them?

Absolutely not, or else my original list would have been considerably shorter!

Malc's Arete looks amazing - I'm hoping I might get the chance to check this out at half term (I'm going on a family holiday to Scotland).

Good work! Get in touch with Richie Betts, he is the man with the finger on the pulse of developments. There is a lot more at Torridon than just the Ship Boulder.

I know Richie - he's an Ormes local after all. He speaks very highly of the Torridon stuff.

[SA Chris]

I know you know him. He does right to speak highly, hopefully it's not to boggy yet, pack wellies.

[granticus]

Someone's gotta represent the South West here....

Sure The Wave at Bonehill is on the original list and a local test piece but I reckon there are some better/more classic lines to be had elsewhere on the granite.

These 3 come to mind immediately.

Rowes Arete - Black Hill V5

Hanging Flakes - Combeshead Tor V4

Hung Like A Chimp - Raven's Lustleigh Cleave V6

An honorable mention should go to

Boomerang - Clodgy Point V7

Rumour has it there's some classic problems to be had on the Exmoor coast too.  Though that could just be a rumour

[Pantontino]

Someone's gotta represent the South West here....

Hung Like A Chimp - Raven's Lustleigh Cleave V6

This has to go in just for the crag name!

Rumour has it there's some classic problems to be had on the Exmoor coast too.  Though that could just be a rumour

Come on Granticus, don't go teasing, give it to me straight - you got classics, I want to know!

[cofe]

solidarity. my god that is a good boulder problem. brought back some happy memories.

[A Jooser]

Someone's gotta represent the South West here....

What? You mean the South West is included in this? From the look of that list I couldn't tell… I thought we were being left out as punishment for that time Suspension Flake was declared the best V.S. in the world ever.