[mark s]

i went to hen cloud with andi today and had a rope on B4XS.i led it in 2003 and remember not worrying about it or finding it too hard.
today was a different story,i found it desperate and looked at the consequences of what would happen if i fell.
V.S climbers on the other channel are quick to knock e7 headpoints as an easy,ego wanking exercise.today made me think how wrong they are.
well i still have the memories of what i did so i will have to be happy with that.

[Jim]

me and fatboy were reminising about the good old days when we could climb at Robin hoods on Sunday.
Fat dads club

[mark s]

yeah its happening to us all then.also moaning about how good these young 'uns are, were you?
a few extra years,little feet and a few more pounds changes everything

[Fiend]

Yeah but do these young ones even lift??

[abarro81]

Weightlifting's for has beens

[Jaspersharpe]

E7 headpoints have always been easy. Stop moaning.

Try actually being strong and then getting old broken and weak. Ain't no getting that shit back.

You'll climb E8 if you really want to. I won't boulder 8B+.

[SA Chris]

Each comeback seems that much harder. I usually get back into it though, but this one is faltering. Is this the end.

[andy popp]

Try actually being strong and then getting old broken and weak. Ain't no getting that shit back.

You'll climb E8 if you really want to. I won't boulder 8B+.

Don't quite agree Jasper: I'll never be as bold as I once was, now matter what I do - perhaps not a bad thing.

[petejh]

Recently somebody said to me 'you'll never be aware of passing your zenith'.  Fuck, what a depressing thread! The only sensible approach seems to be always try as hard as possible.

[tomtom]

Except your zenith(s) shift.. Ill never climb any bold trad again (red socks stout boots and v diffs for me!) but I'm bouldering harder than I ever have..

[lagerstarfish]

I've been a 7A climber for 25 years

sometimes doing 7A a long way off the floor

sometimes doing lots of 7As on top of each other

mostly doing 7A near to the ground

some of these 7As have been done onsight

some of these 7As have been overgraded by other people

I've done some 7As using terrible sequences

there are a lot of 7As that I haven't been able to do

no matter what state my mind and body has deteriorated into (looking at a weekly average), there has always been a 7A somewhere that I can do

I always enjoy climbing 7A

I'm still the same climber I was 25 years ago - except that back then I didn't know what Font 7A meant

[Jaspersharpe]

Try actually being strong and then getting old broken and weak. Ain't no getting that shit back.

You'll climb E8 if you really want to. I won't boulder 8B+.

Don't quite agree Jasper: I'll never be as bold as I once was, now matter what I do - perhaps not a bad thing.

There are plenty of E8s that don't require total commitment. However, I take your point Andy. I think you get mine too.

[Jaspersharpe]

I always enjoy climbing 7A

If I can go out and climb a 7A with you in the next six months/year then I'll be very pleased.

[Grubes]

You'll climb E8 if you really want to. I won't boulder 8B+.climb hubble

[rodma]

Weightlifting's for never has beens

Fixed that for you )

[andy popp]

Try actually being strong and then getting old broken and weak. Ain't no getting that shit back.

You'll climb E8 if you really want to. I won't boulder 8B+.

Don't quite agree Jasper: I'll never be as bold as I once was, now matter what I do - perhaps not a bad thing.

There are plenty of E8s that don't require total commitment. However, I take your point Andy. I think you get mine too.

Definitely do. Of course, mental and physical strengths are very linked - Mark was thinking about the consequences of leading B4XS because he was finding it hard physically. I'm not as bold partly because my I don't trust my physical abilities like I used to.

[tregiffian]

Once upon a time, in a land far far away lived seven climbers (65-72, 350+ years activity on several continents) loosely knit and known as The Elderly Chums. Their aim is to climb happily in the sun and possibly have a nap at lunchtime having put the world to rights between sandwiches.

[mark s]

Try actually being strong and then getting old broken and weak. Ain't no getting that shit back.

You'll climb E8 if you really want to. I won't boulder 8B+.

Don't quite agree Jasper: I'll never be as bold as I once was, now matter what I do - perhaps not a bad thing.

There are plenty of E8s that don't require total commitment. However, I take your point Andy. I think you get mine too.

Definitely do. Of course, mental and physical strengths are very linked - Mark was thinking about the consequences of leading B4XS because he was finding it hard physically. I'm not as bold partly because my I don't trust my physical abilities like I used to.

Exactly.the more confident you climb the bolder you climb.I looked at an arete I did the f.a of and thought what was the point.at the time though it seems a clever thing to put your neck on the block.

[mark s]

Weightlifting's for never has beens

Fixed that for you )

That's me alright.I was always the punter of our group.so tried making up for it by being a bit more daring.

[ianv]

E7 headpoints have always been easy. Stop moaning.

Try actually being strong and then getting old broken and weak. Ain't no getting that shit back.

You'll climb E8 if you really want to. I won't boulder 8B+.

Ill need video evidence to believe you ever did 

When I got back into climbing I had the idea that it would be cool to climb 8a again, now I realise I have NO FUCKING CHANCE. I guess a 20 yr sabbatical was always going to make that difficult 

[petejh]

font or French 8a?

Why would you not have a chance? Obviously I can think of loads of valid reasons but physical ability isn't one of them.

[lagerstarfish]

I always enjoy climbing 7A

If I can go out and climb a 7A with you in the next six months/year then I'll be very pleased.

it will have to be Peak Font 7A rather than Font Font 7A

something really easy with minimum fall potential - like Beachball or Green Traverse

the main difficulty will be access/egress - and staying out of the pub

[erm, sam]

This all ties back to the how good were you in your youth issue that was briefly raised in the "How old is too old" thread. Tomtom and I were shit in our youth so are climbing better than we ever have done, the fact that you lot have had your day in the sun is rather hard cheddar. We never even had one, and our old man highest point will be way below your youthful vigour highest point. 

The question is, if at the peak of your youthful crushing somebody had said "if you stop being so good now you will be better later " what would you have said?

On another note

I've been a 7A climber for 25 years

implies no progression, but last time I saw you climb (before the ankle) you had proper make problems look easy style that I'm sure you didn't have the day you did your first 7a. So there is clear progression even if not numerical...

[erm, sam]

This all ties back to the how good were you in your youth issue that was briefly raised in the "How old is too old" thread. Tomtom and I were shit in our youth so are climbing better than we ever have done, the fact that you lot have had your day in the sun is rather hard cheddar. We never even had one, and our old man highest point will be way below your youthful vigour highest point.  (I don't mind this, I'm more than happy with my climbing) So I guess I echo Marks thoughts at the begining. At least you have your memories.

The question is, if at the peak of your youthful crushing somebody had said "if you stop being so good now you will be better later " what would you have said?

On another note

I've been a 7A climber for 25 years

implies no progression, but last time I saw you climb (before the ankle) you had proper make problems look easy style that I'm sure you didn't have the day you did your first 7a. So there is clear progression even if not numerical...

[andy popp]

The satisfactions don't change much though. I scraped my way up a 7A on Sunday and something similar-ish on Tues - both on beautiful days when its good simply to be out - and was just ridiculously made-up with both.