[jakes]

A friend has recently completed a quadruple haul of 8's: Font 8A, French 8a, E8 and Winter VIII 8...all in the Lakes too, which considering there are < 10 French 8a's and above in the region makes for a small pool of climbs to choose from!

I was wondering how significant is this?? How many British climbers have climbed the triple 8 (or quadruple 8 )? And how many in just one area?

I was thinking a ballpark figure of ~50? Or could it be less than this?

Lots of the 'old-school' beasts are likely to have done French 8a and E8, as that was the vogue back-in-the-day. However, it's only really recently (last 5 years??) that the number of people who have climbed Font 8A and above seems to have exploded (e.g. still able to list UK Font 8A ascentionists in 2009: http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,3686.250.html). Of this new crop of beasts, how many are keen to put their neck out on trad E8? Or even Winter VIII 8?

[T_B]

If you can climb Font 8A, French 8a should be a first go redpoint, so pretty irrelevant. Depends whether you mean on-sighting E8 or headpointing a grit 80s one? Forget the Triple 8s, anyone who has led a proper VIII in real winter conditions (i.e. not dry tooling up Snicker Snap) and also boulders 8A is unusually rounded and deserving of a firm pat on the back. I would guess fewer than 20 people in the UK?

[jakes]

Headpointed E8!

Onsighting E8, French 8a and flashing 8A are surely an entirely different challenge...

[GCW]

The Bearded Dwarf has flashed and onsighted E8, redpointed F8a and bouldered 8A.  Interestingly, he's also done FAs of F8a, 8A and E8.  Dick.

[slackline]

Time to get Nik some axes and crampons then.

[jakes]

The Bearded Dwarf has flashed and onsighted E8, redpointed F8a and bouldered 8A.  Interestingly, he's also done FAs of F8a, 8A and E8.  Dick.

Yes...but how many people have climbed the triple or quadruple 8's??

[davej]

good effort what was the route 8a in the lakes?? I live in the lakes and there's not may 8a routes to go at.

[Stubbs]

If you can climb Font 8A, French 8a should be a first go redpoint, so pretty irrelevant.

I could introduce you to quite a few people who boulder 8A that would disprove this for you quite quickly as their elbows pointed skywards!

[r-man]

There was a list on UKC in 2011. This is the thread:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=456688

This is the list.

45 Definites (but feel free to check that you agree), getting closer to 50

The Definites:

Dave Birkett (E8 onsight)
James Pearson (E8 onsight, Font/sport 8 flash)
Ryan Pasquil (E8 flashes)
Jordan Buys
Ian Vickers
Gaz Parry
Kevin Thaw
Leo Houlding
Ste Dunning
Ste Mac
Jack Geldard
Dave Mac
Malc Smith
John Dunne
Stevie Haston
pete robins
Jerry Moffatt (assuming his finish to Renegade Master makes it E8)
Sam Whittaker
Neil Carson (I assume he's done Font 8A but don't know)
John Welford
Mark Katz
Ben Bransby
Nick Dixon (Assuming Nesscliffe prob is Font 8A?)
Tom Briggs
Robin Barker
Andy Earl
Ali Kennedy
Si Moore
John Gaskins
John Cooke
Stuart Cameron
Neil Dickson
Neil Bentley
James MacHaffie
Rich Simpson (onsighted E9 possibly??)
Keith Bradbury
Liam Halsey
Ben Heason
Pete Hurley
Sean Myles
Miles Gibson
Neil Dyer
Alan Cassidy
Dan Bradley
Tim Rankin (but another Font 8A would be nice)

The Not Sures:

Cubby (Font 8A?)
Dan Varian (What E8? Highballing Superboc with a sea of mats can't count)
Ned Feehally (What E8? Highballing Superboc with a sea of mats can't count)
Stu Littlefair (what E8?)
Stew Watson (What E8?)
Adam Mulholland (dunno anything about this person, sorry)
Tim Emmett (Font 8A?)
Neil Gresham (has he done Font 8A?)
Ron Fawcett (Not done E8, anybody?)
Nic Sellars (Font 8A?)
Andy Swan (E8?)
Niall McNair (dunno anything about him)
Lucy Creamer (Font 8A?)
James Ibbetson (I assume that's Ibbo? Has he done E8?)
Ricky Bell (Font 8A?)
Rupert Davies (E8?)
Adrian Berry (Font 8A? Start of Blind Vision is, I think, 7C+)
Dave Barrans (E8?)
Seb Grieve (fairly sure he hasn't done Font 8A)
Ben Moon (E8?)
John Redhead (fairly sure he hasn't done Font 8A)
Simon Nadin (E8?)
Chris Cubbit (Font 8A?)
Jamie Cassidy (E8?)
Gordon Lennox (Font 8A?))
Ali Coull (I no nothing about this chap)
Pete Oxley (Font 8A?)
Mark Edwards (Font 8A?)
Andi Turner (E8? Probably not?)
Justin Crtchlow (Sport 8a?)
Pete Whittaker"

The whole thread is here:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=382489

However if you start insisting on the E8 been onsight the numbers plummet to Pearson, Birkett, Pasquil (I'll allow him the flashes) and errr.. well me. Unless anyone can add others?
And as far as I know Pearson is the only one to have flashed/onsighted all of three. I guess that's the next target...

[SA Chris]

Nice that Rich Simpson is in the historical list, on second thoughts maybe he actually should be in it?

[masonwoods101]

Intresting that Pearson is stil the only person (?) to have flashed all 3!

[Jaspersharpe]

If you can climb Font 8A, French 8a should be a first go redpoint, so pretty irrelevant.

I could introduce you to quite a few people who boulder 8A that would disprove this for you quite quickly as their elbows pointed skywards!

I was just thinking the same thing.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[Dexter]

hasn't rob mirfin done all 3?
plus FA's of all 3 too?

[jakes]

good effort what was the route 8a in the lakes?? I live in the lakes and there's not may 8a routes to go at.

French 8a: I Wish I Was (St Bees).

Been on it myself, really knacky crux, just couldn't make the body positions work. Think Birkett gave it 8a+ originally. Don't know if you've sampled the sport routes there, but I think they are underrated. Most of the steep routes don't get that sandy (the same can't always be said of the vertical offerings when they havn't had much traffic). Worth chucking a rope in if you're heading to the boulders.

There definitely isn't much choice. The others off the top of my head (not including south Lakes lime):
*Ellicit Scenes of Sex and Violence (Tilbertwaite).
*Keep on Keeping On & Kept Woman(Thrang)
*I Got Horribly Sober (8b) & Caveman (8b+)- Birketts routes at Cathedral that never get done!?!


I can imagine that the only other entirely Lakes based Quadruple 8 completer is Birkett. Does Hocking winter climb?

[andyd]

Ken Palmer?

[andyd]

What grade did Big Ron give careless torque back in the 80s?

[mrjonathanr]

VS.

[Muenchener]

Iirc it was listed as "E5 7a" in Fawcett on Rock

[Jaspersharpe]

Mark Edwards (Font 8A?)

He's done tons of 8As. Haven't you seen his videos?

[Sloper]

I think Ron gae CT E6/7 7a

Not a british climber but was a long term resident Dr Tom Starke has a triple 8.

Nik could go for 5* 8 but his knees are too little to get him to the top of a big hill.

[tomtom]

I can join the Triple 3's club...

(and winter at that grade. Ner ner ner ner ner).

[GCW]

Nik could go for 5* 8 but his knees are too little to get him to the top of a big hill.

Has he been up Sniaull?

[J_duds]

how many have done a 8000m peak?  is it just Leo Holding?

[Ally Smith]

And Andy Cave? Wasn't there an article saying he'd done VIII, E8, 8a, 8000m and 8-pints in an 8 month period? (Not sure about the 8A bit though to be a true all rounder?)

I guess i have a tenuous claim on the triple crown too if you count long Parisella's problems as 8A? I've swapped leads on a VIII FA, but seconded the crux, so can't quite claim the extended version.

We could throw in M8/D8 for some further variety and whittle the list down a bit further?

[lagerstarfish]

Mark Edwards (Font 8A?)

He's done tons of 8As. Haven't you seen his videos?

many of them first ascents?