[Bradders]

The repeats of The Boss got me thinking about Ned's interview and his assertion that hard gritstone climbing generally consists of one condition dependent move.

I'm guessing he'll have been thinking about things at a similar level to The Boss, in which case he's clearly right; things like The Ace and Cypher spring to mind as having a very hard move or two / three but really not involving a sustained sequence of physical moves.

However, what are the exceptions? I'm thinking that actually at a slightly lower level, around 7C - 8A, there are quite a lot of problems that are very sustained.

So, in traditional UKB fashion, let's make a list!

Ned / UKC has given us the criteria:

unusual for gritstone bouldering in that it has extremely sustained climbing

All the moves are hard, so there's little chance to readjust: 'you've just got to keep going.'

[tomtom]

It’s a bit relative to what grade you climb - but I found Blind Date pretty sustained up to getting the jug over the lip. 4 or 5 moves that often felt equally drop-able.

Got to be some traverses that tick that too!

[spidermonkey09]

Is High Fidelity sustained or there a heinous move in there surrounded by some more amenable (relatively speaking) climbing?

[Will Hunt]

It sits below your grade range, but Heaven In Your Hands with the undercut bump beta doesn't really have a crux, just a reasonably long sequence of tricky moves.

I've never been on it but is Jason's Roof a contender? Never tried it but Ben's Groove Sit looks sustained. The Lash?

How many moves does it have to be? You're probably only going to be looking at roofs, traverses (The Fonze with the heel-over-hand beta), and tall things to cram in the moves?

Again, below your grade range (or is it, sandbagging Nez?), but what I did of Wepwawet at Great Wolfrey was absolutely relentless.

And again, below your grade range (in which I've next to no experience) but Syrett's Saunter Right-hand in its current guise feels pretty sustained, if not especially long, once you get into the meat of it.

[205Chris]

If you're counting traverses there must be a few.

Back Street Mime Artist for definite. Probably breaks down into something like 3 7Bs back to back.

Low Rider

Mossatrocity

I'm sure there are loads

[User deactivated.]

I've not done it but have done the individual moves and Jason's Roof seems very sustained where all the moves felt about the same level. Red Baron Roof is similar I suppose.

[Duma]

Jerrys traverse at cratcliffe

[Bradders]

Ignore the grade range, the ones that sprung to mind first just happened to be in that range.

Jason's - definitely, no real crux but also no easy moves either really, sustained all the way.

Zoo York - again, one or two slightly easier moves but really every move is pretty tough.

Ben's Sit - yep, can certainly attest to this one!

Mossatrocity is a good shout. Low Rider / Chip Shop Buddy likewise.

The Lash definitely not. One hard move into the mono with the rest of the moves being difficult but nowhere near as hard as that one move.

[Will Hunt]

I normally hold traverses in pretty low regard, but the Green Traverse at the Glen is really excellent (starting, of course, from the very bottom of the boulder). Three 6Cs back to back with no meaningful rest. A sandbag at 7A in my opinion.

The ultimate Yorkshire pumpenhaus - The Virgin Traverse.

[abarro81]

Is it just me or is this a good proxy for a "Things on grit that are actually good" thread!

[tim palmer]

Is it just me or is this a good proxy for a "Things on grit that are actually good" thread!

No....Keelhaul and the demon wall links are pretty sustained.

My problem below DMZ is quite sustained.

I didn't think heaven in your hands was sustained at all, just one height dependent move to and off that crimp. (Much harder than red baron roof though)

High fidelity is more tricksy with two more powerful moves at mid height.

[Bradders]

Yeah I think probably need to exclude tricky/knacky climbing.

Keelhaul & Demon Wall links - definitely in, this isn't about quality 

Although at the Cliff Chiasmata works. Several difficult moves back to back.

[Bradders]

Thinking of the harder side of things, the only one I am guessing might fit besides The Boss is Lanny Bassham, based on what people have told me about it.

[Will Hunt]

I didn't think heaven in your hands was sustained at all, just one height dependent move to and off that crimp

Not sure when you did it or what beta you might have used, Tim. I'd been on it on two previous visits and not stuck the move to the crimp once. I did that move first time trying it with the undercut bump (see Olly Parkinson's footage) and didn't drop it there once thereafter (I think the top took a couple of attempts).

8:49 here.

[tim palmer]

Exactly the beta I used.   It is just quite balancy and spanned out on the feet.  I thought it was fine for 7c/+,  it took me a couple of sessions to get it sussed , mainly because it is technical and reachy.  It is a great problem but not powerful or sustained like the other problems discussed.

[Will Hunt]

Exactly the beta I used.   It is just quite balancy and spanned out on the feet.  I thought it was fine for 7c/+,  it took me a couple of sessions to get it sussed , mainly because it is technical and reachy.  It is a great problem but not powerful or sustained like the other problems discussed.

Ah, I'd missed the criteria that it should be powerful climbing. Still - the term is relative - having seen you crimp I struggle to think of many moves that would tax your fingers.
Fair enough if you found it tricky - perhaps a height thing - I think the consensus is generally forming that it's at most bottom end 7C for the average punter - roughly in the same ball park as Layby, though Layby is obviously very cruxy.

[tim palmer]

Exactly the beta I used.   It is just quite balancy and spanned out on the feet.  I thought it was fine for 7c/+,  it took me a couple of sessions to get it sussed , mainly because it is technical and reachy.  It is a great problem but not powerful or sustained like the other problems discussed.

Ah, I'd missed the criteria that it should be powerful climbing. Still - the term is relative - having seen you crimp I struggle to think of many moves that would tax your fingers.
Fair enough if you found it tricky - perhaps a height thing - I think the consensus is generally forming that it's at most bottom end 7C for the average punter - roughly in the same ball park as Layby, though Layby is obviously very cruxy.

Grades are weird, I thought layby arete was straight forward in comparison, just pulling hard on your right foot, is it not 7b+

[Will Hunt]

Grades are weird

This is the only conclusion I can draw from somebody finding Layby piss and HiyH significantly harder. Though if you're pulling with your right foot you might have been using a different sequence to me.

[JamieG]

Fish arete sit start is pretty sustained. Every move feels like equally hard compression type moves and there isn't really anywhere to take a breather before jug on the top. And even then the top out isn't trivial.

[User deactivated.]

I think the consensus is generally forming that it's at most bottom end 7C

90% of that data is your own post history 

[Fiend]

Is it just me or is this a good proxy for a "Things on grit that are actually good" thread!

More like "things on grit that are actually a complete waste of everything that makes grit special and really should be on other rock types". I was actually wondering if The Boss was one of the least special, least aesthetic, and least " gritstone" grit problems of it's grade, compared to several other inspiring top-end grit problems.

[teestub]

What makes grit special? All the best problems I’ve done in grit would be equally good if they were made of Swiss granite.

[tim palmer]

Grades are weird

This is the only conclusion I can draw from somebody finding Layby piss and HiyH significantly harder. Though if you're pulling with your right foot you might have been using a different sequence to me.

Yeah it was a summers day about 10 years ago,  I vaguely remember sticking my right toe on something near the side pull out right but it was a few goes many years ago. Do you think you find it harder because it isn't significantly easier if you are over 5'10"? 

other inspiring top-end grit problems.

Which ones? 

[abarro81]

What makes grit special?

British exceptionalism and a desperation to think we live somewhere less shit than it is?

In light of the objections, I'll rephrase my earlier statement to

"Things on grit that are actually fun to climb"

[36chambers]

What makes grit special?

Having to sand down your finger tips after every go, getting scrittle in your eye, dramatic grade changes whenever a cloud appears or disappears.

What more can you want?