[dmitri]

Was havin a conversation with sum mates & the best british boulderer came up. Who is it? Obviously very personal & controversial. But who do u guys reckon?

Our final Nominations were - Messers Gaskins, Parry, guy who won at boulderUK comp (Andy somethin i think) & then there were sum others which i cant remeber.

Is walk away sit start still unrepeated?

[chris]

walk away sd is still unrepeated and by some accounts will be for a very long time...its desperate.

As for the best boulderer its got to be malcolm smith or john gaskins, these two have climbed the hardest problems around and lots of them too.

theres people catching them up though, andy earl (the guy who won at boulderuk), gaz parry, in fact theres quite a few more but no one is near sm ith and gaskins. there in another league :wink:

[Pantontino]

Gaskins and Malcolm, sure I'd agree, but Gaz has never climbed any truly hard problems outside (as I'm sure he would be the first to admit).

I would also nominate John Welford, Ben Moon, Steve Dunning, Tim Clifford, Mat Birch and Jerry Moffatt, (lest we forget that The Ace is still unrepeated). All of these qualify as being 'legendary'.

There is of course a whole army of strong lads jockeying for position just beneath this level of excellence. For political reasons I won't even try to list their names (I'll probably get hate mail for what I've said already).

[dobbin]

When you climb with Gaz you think 'shit! this guys strong' and lo it was true! but then you meet Button Moon, and you think 'different league!', Tim Clifford - walks across the worst footholds you ever saw nonchalantly with the power of button moon. Finally you meet big malc and frankly its not human and quite distressing. He's hydraulic.

I've never had the pleasure of Mr Gaskins company but judging by the lack of holds on Walk Away and Kaizan he must be equally hardcore.

So if Malcolms in a league all on his own how good must Fred Nicole be????

[Percy B]

Fred Nicole is on another planet - probably one with half the normal pull of gravity! I have climbed with a lot of strong girls and boys, including many of the heroes named above. I have set problems for the best climbers in the world in world cup comps and seen the application of true talent and pure power through my poor little plastic grips! However, having seen Fred climb in Rocklands this summer, I can only suggest to you that I have yet to see a better boulderer in action on rock - period. He even made Bernd Zangerl look like a bit of a punter on some problems! I don't see many people warm up on V12's, but Fred was making this type of thing look PISS.......
We all have a long way to go......!!!

For us Brits, its got to be Malcom and John Gaskins, although there's loads of others who also qualify as complete wadage too. I don't know where to start, so I won't.

[SA Chris]

Didnt know you went to South Africa Percy, how did you rate it? Good trip? Bump into any locals there?

[tc]

The best boulderer in the country is the one who is having most fun at any given time. So there!

[Jim]

well it ain't me cos I'm just off to work