UK Bouldering: the definitive history (Read 6381 times)

Pantontino · February 13, 2003, 12:18:14 am

There is a thread on CT discussing this. I just wondered what you lot thought.
I have considered it as a project, but I reckon it would be a huge amount of work with a lot of ego and grief to deal with along the way.

Should we bother (I say yes) and does anybody fancy doing it?

hongkongstuey · February 13, 2003, 12:44:54 am

you're a brave man if you take this one on Simon - getting things historically correct for the early days - pre 70's - would be a real nightmare (i'm sure details of the stuff post 70's wouldn't be too easy either!) - however, i'm sure most climbers out there would happily snap up a copy of anything that was produced so i'd say it was a worthwhile project

would offer my services but i live in HK at the moment so will have to give it a miss

Bubba · February 13, 2003, 01:19:38 am

I think it'd be fantastic, but I shudder to think of the nightmare that would surely be involved.

I think the main problem would be that (and I'm generalising a bit here of course) bouldering has only really been taken seriously as a sub-genre of climbing as a whole relatively recently.
Before that, it was just seen as practice for routes, or as a bit of entertainment after a day out at the crag, perhaps in the same way as originally climbing uk rock routes was just seen as practice for the "greater ranges".

It might be a feasible project say, from the 80's onwards (or perhaps the 70's), where you'd still have access to the memories of many of the leading the protagonists of their day. Before that, are there any records at all?

I think a UK version of "Stone Crusade" would be a great book - I loved reading that book and I've never been to any of the areas described.

fatboySlimfast · February 13, 2003, 08:13:33 am

guess who anoymous is on cocktalk...argumetative,annoying etc..yes it was me.I reckon you could do it but would need a lot of time and need to be able to take a dispassionate view of some peoples claims. youd prob make some enemies as well.I reckon it could be done...
One prob would be people claiming stuff 'done years ago by so and so' which is what ive heard loads bout Carrington and Boysen et al and other 70's geezers.But when you talk to them personally they know fuck all about it, Birtles claimed that proctor had done most of the stuff on the boot boys wall at raven tor a few years bak.I asked Graehme Hoey and he said it was complete bull!!!!
And lets face it, trying to get sense out of people like bancroft/quent/johnny would be akin to juggling jelly

dobbin · February 13, 2003, 08:39:08 am

I thought you were talking about a history of ukBouldering.com and I couldn't understand why you thought it would be such an issue.

I'll get me coat.

Bubba · February 13, 2003, 08:40:56 am

Ha ha!!

first there was Bubba... and Bubba learned html, css and java....then came the forum, and ......

dave · February 13, 2003, 08:52:09 am

My Two penneth:

Yeah i too would welcome such a publication, although it would take ages, be loads of work and i would say its probably inpossible to get every fact right. Make an extimate of how much time it would take, and then maybe trebble it, add 50 and take away the number you first thought of, and you've probably got a ballpark figure.

Also since it would take ages you would have to keep rewriting the most recent bit to reflect current possition, grades settling down etc. Also anything you attach a grade to will come under immense scrutiny! But i guess you're not affraid of making the effort and sticking your neck on the line or you woulnd't be writing a north wales guidebook! I say if you want it then go for it, i'll certainly buy one.

Actually it might not be that difficult, cos surely FBSF could fill you in on all the details from his sphere of experience, i.e. the last half century....

fatboySlimfast · February 13, 2003, 10:01:30 am

Now dave me lad , you may take the piss with ur ghetto slang and bad boy attitude but in my day we were proper ard. none of this pad milarky, single beer mat that was all and then u were still called a poof, and u walked 20t'mile to bouldering spot and lived on a single piece of coal for a week.
EEEEE u youngsters, dont know your born. Dont know the meaning of hard work, when I were a teenager we worked 20 hour days and still went bouldering after work........ok, i went bouldering maybe not the work bit though.....ok i didnt have a full time job till i was 27 but thats not the point!
as for our erstwhile web controller...well bubba, hes beeen climbing as long as i have. AND HE USED TO GO HILLWALKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bubba · February 13, 2003, 10:08:09 am

Damn you FBSF for outing my old hillwalking past!!

I didn't know any better, really I didn't

I was sick - I used to train by running with a bloody breezeblock in a rucksack - this may have something to do with why I have "thighs like sides of beef" :!:

dave · February 13, 2003, 10:10:24 am

Single beer mat? LUXURY!

We used to dream of having a beer mat. we used to have to boulder above a septic tank.

We used to get up at half three in't morning, lick t'road clean, gu to work down t'pit for 27 hours a day, get paid tuppence a lifetime, and when we got home, us fathher would thrash us to death wi' a brokken bottle.

Paz · February 13, 2003, 01:34:31 pm

Didn't Sharples (or Craggs?) write a bouldering history of the Peak a while back for that OTE bouldering special. Can't remember much of it but some was just lifted out of guide books, so and so did this etc.

What, there's bouldering outside of t' Peak?!

Surely apart from some obivous exceptions most other places have been developed more recently.

A lot of people as well are going to say 'Oh people have bouldered here since 1870' but asking them to write anything or pressing them for details might be a less constructive use of your time.

dave · February 13, 2003, 01:55:09 pm

Yeah Sharples did do one in OTE ages ago Paz - i think it was in one of the "Bouldering in britain" issues. From what i remember it only had stuff about peak and all those scrappy crags near Leeds, so was probably only covering pennine stuff. Had a photo of sharples at minus ten in PAs and that horrendous beard, looking a bit like a young Jimmy Hill.

RichardB · February 13, 2003, 05:11:33 pm

I started the post on UKC. Didn't post here because you guys are perhaps a bit more 'hardcore' than I am! Someone should take this task on. Maybe split the task into areas and start with the more recent stuff?

Bubba · February 13, 2003, 08:21:06 pm

Ha! There are some hardcore folk on here, but I'm a fuckin' bumbly and I'm not the only one :D

RichardB · February 14, 2003, 10:13:34 am

I will try to contrubute more often. Maybe a list of the world's (Yorkshire & The Peak) best V0's?

Stuart's HK site is most interesting. I was out there for a year BC (before climbing) but recognise a lot of the places from walking. Wish I'd have been into bouldering then. Would have been a great way to recover after Lan Kwai Fong!

Bubba · February 14, 2003, 10:15:24 am

WTF is Lan Kwai Fong ?

A list of easy classics would be great, say V0 to V4 or something.....

RichardB · February 14, 2003, 10:38:59 am

It's one of the main drinking areas in HK. Great fun. Used to work in an office block directly over it. In fact my mates out there will probably be just having a quick pint after work before the serious stuff later. :cry:

V4!!!!! You may have to wait a while! B5 /V3 are my current PB's.

RichardB · February 14, 2003, 11:03:14 am

The profile doesn't tell you much about me. 42 years old. Started climbing about a year ago indoors. Started oudoor stuff spring last year.

I was watching some guys on Tower Face (Stanage) from the Lone Boulder last summer. A few guys started trying the right side of the slab. Though it looked ineresting and there you go. I now boulder about 50% of the time. Great fun.

Bubba · February 14, 2003, 11:17:28 am

I've thought about modifying the profiles to be a bit more bouldering oriented, and an optional profile pic, etc.

42?! Thank god somebody's older than me :wink:

Do you mean you were watching some guys on the Lone Boulder from Tower Face? I think you've made a wise choice anyway. I used to do loads of trad climbing but I never really got on with it, despite hauling my ass up a few E5's, which back in the 80's was quite a respectable grade. Had an 8 year break and started again a couple of years ago - only ever boulder now, with the occasional solo bunged in. Can't be arsed standing about belaying, carrying all that crap about, etc, etc, although I do have urges to do routes now and again...

RichardB · February 14, 2003, 12:02:47 pm

No. I was stood next to the lone boulder wactching climbers on Tower Face. Couple of guys started trying LB and I was hooked! Took my a few tries over a couple of months to get the slab problems on LB. Are they overgraded at B5?

I climb with my brothers aged 48 and 33. All about the same standard but the older one is the nuttiest, he likes scarry stuff. The younger brother seems to have been getting stronger at an exponential rate this winter so I'm expecting great things of him this year.

Bubba · February 14, 2003, 12:19:04 pm

Think the rhs of Lone Boulder is about right for b5 but if you're tall you can just reach the good hold at the top without having to worry about moving your feet up.

A good thing to try there is the left to right traverse of the slab which is quite tricky, and that groove round the other side, which is a bit tasty for b4. There's also a good double dyno on the south side too.