[submaximal gains]

Copied from https://www.8a.nu/? so you don't have to visit it.

A very reflective interview with Sachi Amma (not quite an article, but a perspective that I thought would be of interest).

Sachi Amma stopped competing after he won the World Cup in 2014. Next year he reached his goal to do ten routes 9a or harder. In 2016, he has slowly been shifting again and just stopped doing hard routes after a 9a+ in Flatanger this summer. (c) Sam Bie above Leonidio.

"I can not find any value to be a better person by comparing myself with other climbers. That is why I stopped competing and climbing hard routes. Why do I need to be better than the others? I my case, I had strong beliefs that I am the tiniest concept of myself. I needed to cover this weakness by doing amazing things (winning comps or climbing hard) but I noticed that you will never be satisfied by being better than the others. Because the essential problems are just covered and they are still there.

Please do not misunderstand that this way of thinking applies to all people. I think competition is very good way to learn yourself (And I know that lots of my friends who compete do it not just for winning....) I am pretty sure that comparing with others never gives you the real happiness.

So what is your goal now?
(10 seconds of silence) I do not know...
I am in the maze of my life. Today the image of climbing, specially media's focus, is mostly about power, strong or crazy. It is masculine. But my point of view, human has a feminine side too which is like smooth or beautiful. If the balance of climbing becomes more feminine, it will be beautiful! But this new vision came to me after stop pushing myself and it is still an undeveloped area for me.

And another vision is to createa place where climbers can show there passion and spirit, specially in Japan. There are not so many slideshows or film festival in Japan. I hope people who loves climbing (even if they are not strong) stands up more. I just want to get more ideas to enjoy and expand the potential of climbing.

Could not Tokyo Olympics become a motivator for fame and sponsors again?
I have thought about this a lot and first I did hesitate but, no. This huge topic let me think what I really want to do and it was not Olympics.

So what is the next plan?
I keep asking myself this all the time as I asked myself, "Why am I doing this?", when I was competitive... (10 seconds of silence)I will go to Spain for three weeks in December. But I do not know what I will climb. But I believe if I just keep being myself, life goes where I want to go!

[nai]

Not sure whether this should go in GooDadvice, power club or here.  Might be a little bit DMAc in places but some thoughts on achieving for the time-starved.

EDIT: link would be useful....


http://squamishclimbingmagazine.ca/maximum-sending-minimum-time/

[Muenchener]

I enjoyed this. The German Way: Sonnie Trotter visits Familie Megos in the Frankenjura

[James Malloch]

 

I enjoyed this. The German Way: Sonnie Trotter visits Familie Megos in the Frankenjura

Really nice article - makes me want to get back there ASAP!

[jwi]

Manolo revisit one of his unrepeated routes
http://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/manolo-climbing-and-il-mattino-dei-maghi-first-repeat-in-35-years.html

[jwi]

More quality writing and less whining.

I'll add the following from Mountain 62, 1978. OCR and correction by yours truly

-------------------
Everyone knows his name

PIERRE ALLAIN

By Yves Ballu

PIERRE ALLAIN was born on January  7, 1904, at Mirebeau in central France. He first went mountaineering about 1923 in the Allevard massif, but his activities were limited to walking the footpaths and cattle tracks. Some time in 1928 Maurice Paillon suggested to him and his companion, Robert Latour, that they go to Fontainebleau where they could try “real climbing”. Pierre Allain did not even know that there was such a thing as the French Alpine Club — Latour did not tell him that until some time later!

The two grass-climbers — their limited alpine experience consisting of a couple of trips to the Meije — discovered the pleasures of rockclimbing at Fontainebleau in 1930. Weekends spent at 'Bleau soon changed their attitudes and ability. The small group of regular climbers were dedicated to rock climbing. Far from decrying the rocks because of their small size, they looked on the sandstone cliffs as a gymnasium where they could train themselves in rock climbing and perfect the techniques of hard free climbing.

The difficulties were already so great that alpinists of the old school considered them as acrobatic tricks fit only for the circus. Among the regular climbers there were many who were later to become famous, but there were also others who have remained anonymous. Even at this time there were “Bleausards” who saw climbing at Fontainebleau not just in terms of preparation or training for the Alps; for them the pleasure of climbing on the small holds of Fontainebleau sandstone was a game of its own, without need of further justification or alibis. This attitude was widespread and even if, in imitation of Pierre Main, many alpinists of all standards did use the crags as a training ground for higher things, there were many others who came there just to climb, to take exercise, or simply for the sport.

For all that, the part played by Fontainebleau in the history of French alpine climbing, and particularly in making it a popular sport, should not be underestimated.  Allain and Latour were unusual in that they went there first; more often the Parisian climbers discovered climbing at Fontainebleau after they had heard of Alpine climbing and mountains.

This expansion of climbing at Fontainebleau is full of interesting detail, especially as regards the social character of the sport. Pierre Allain saw this and wrote about it in Alpinism and Competition. As for the climbing, the sandstone cliffs of Fontainebleau offer a great range of types of climbing at all standards without real danger the biggest cliffs are barely 40ft high.

The standard attained by Allain and his contemporaries was very high. Most of the Grade Six problems were done in this era and still inspire respect today. A good example is the Angle Allain on the Rempart; others are the Marie-Rose on the Cuvier (put up by R Ferlet and repeated by Allain) and Allain's own Arete de Genou.

“There were many climbs done at this standard by many different climbers, and a lot of diem weren't recorded,” Pierre Allain recalls. “But there were such things as the Deudon crack on the Rempart, or the Borniol — you did that with one hand only, either the right or the left. With the left was harder. After the War Guy Poulet had a party piece. He would do the Nationale (to the right of the Prestat on the Cuvier) with one hand and then do a handstand on the top.”

All these climbs show high standards of which the “old-timers” were capable. As well as Allain and Latour, other names from this era are Pierre Chevalier, Marcel Ichac, Jean Deudon, Dr Pierre Madeuf, Frederic Neuenschwander — who was known as "The Viscount" and photographed the climbers — the brothers Jacques and Didier Boudin, Alain le Ray, Guy Labour, Henri “Kiki” Brenot, Jerome Levy, the Gaby sisters, Elisabeth and Raymond Lartigue, Gil Deleau, Pierre Mach, Lucien Coupelle , Charles Authenac, Jean May. Daniel Souverain, Hugues Paillon, the Jonquieres brothers, Yves Feutran, Borniol, the Leininger brothers and others.

In 1931 Pierre Attain had his first serious alpine season, climbing with Robert Latour. He climbed with Latour until he left for the colonies in 1934.

From time to time other Bleausards would team up with them. It was an arrangement of this casual nature which led to Megevan going with them to climb the Dent Parrachee. It became a memorable climb and was to have far-reaching consequences. The rope of three took longer than expected to climb the route, and were forced to bivouac near the summit in a crevasse. During the long hours of enforced meditation “PA” became convinced that good bivvy gear was an essential. The strength of the conviction was shown four years later, when he slept on a mattress during the first ascent of the North Face of the Drus. The equipment that he used on that climb was of advanced design: the design and the manufacture were both his own. The night on the Dent Parrachee was the last uncomfortable night that PA spent in a bivouac.

The following year he climbed many of the classic routes in the Mont Blanc area — the Requin, the Charmoz, the Grepon, Mont Blanc and so on. Slowly he and his companions became aware of the possibilities open to them if they could use their free-climbing skill to break through the accepted limits. This was an exciting feeling; it made them feel good and it contained a strong element of competitiveness. That was nothing new. Climbers had long experienced the pleasure to be had in doing something that you thought you couldn't do. This feeling was often linked with the idea that you had done something that others could not do — acceptable as a reference point for standards. But it was new to find someone expressing such sentiments publicly, as Pierre Allain did; it had been generally accepted that competition in mountaineering  was neither suitable nor wise as a motive. It was for these reasons that Alpinism and Competition was a threat to mountaineering tradition: not just the provocative title, but the underlying insolent threat to the accepted aesthetic ideals first put forward by Ruskin.

The rebellion had really started when Mummery announced; "I would go climbing even if there wap no view." Pierre Allain's open competitiveness  constituted a new stage in the argument between the “Contemplators” and the “Acrobats” — or, more simply, the walkers and the climbers. In the long run PA's ideas have contributed, ironically, to a reconciliation of the opposing views. The pure ethic of free climbing that he advocated — artifical aid reduced to the minimum — has been taken up by modern rock climbers. The free ascent is a way of harmonising the sport with the beautiful surroundings in which it is practised. It has become a subtle game where the climbers climb without cheating, and the people who see the beauty of the mountains can also appreciate the beauty of movement in high-standard free climbing.  In advocating this pure standard of free climbing PA was a founding father. Only once in his climbs did Allain use aid, on the Doigt de l'Etala on July 18,1938, with Jean Leininger.

But that wasn't his only contribution. He was and is an incorrigible inventor and never short of ideas. Who has never thought of using sucker pads to climb otherwise smooth slabs? Pierre Albin did more than just think about it, he actually tried out different types of suckers on Fontainebleau and on granite! Strange behaviour for the champion of free climbing? Not really. If you ask the man who pushed the limits of free climbing harder than most of his contemporaries why he did it, he'll tell you with a mischievous  grin: "I might have been lucky." He had to try if for himself, though.

The rock-climbing technique that he developed at Fontainebleau was scarcely ever found wanting. Confident in his ability, he turned his attention in 1933 to the “last problems” of the Mont Blanc area. To set the tone, he repeated the climb on the central point of the Aiguille des Deux Aigles first done four years earlier by R Greloz and J Grobet — but without the lassoing tricks used by them to get to the summit. The pitch, climbed on July 25,1933, is still Grade Six.

A few days later, again with Latour — but without Jean-Claude Boudin, who had been killed on the Aiguille du Plan — he made another difficult and much-sought  first ascent: the South West Ridge of the Aiguille du Fou. It had been explored by descent several times before. Bobi Arsandaux, R Cache, Robert and Jacques Jonquiere had been on it, as had W Alexander, Alfred Couttet and A Cerico, and F Batier and A Ravanel had tried it as far back as 1930. In 1931 the route had been paid the honour of a 12 page article in La Montagne (March/ April 1931 by Bobi Arsandaux). The success of Pierre Allain and his friends caused quite a sensation in Alpine climbing circles.

But PA had no intention of stopping there. It was at this time that he first thought about climbing the North Face of the Drus. Nothing outrageous, just a climb regarded as one of the Last Great Problems of the Alps which had already repulsed several strong parties. PA had to find a “sucker” brave enough to go with him. The attitude of the guides didn't help. Some of them let it be known that they thought the descent would be no problem — “You'll come down in a sack”. Jean-Marie Pruvoist let himself be talked into it, but was immediately talked out of it by his friends and didn't turn up for the climb. Allain also asked Jean Vernet, but he too refused. The response was general: nobody liked the idea of two or three days on the North Face of the Drus.

Disappointed but not discouraged. Allain spent the winter making suitable bivouac gear: a duvet jacket, a big cagoule and a pied d'elephant in waterproof cloth (“The cagoule was designed to cover both the wearer and his sack, and to protect them from rain and snow. The shape of the cagoule remains the same today, no matter what commercial name has been tagged on to it.” PA). Not only did he think up the designs, he also made the gear himself. Then, realising that climbers were badly equipped and that there was no suitable gear available commercially, he began to make it “for my mates”. Making things was not a new experience for him, and it became an important theme in his life. When he left school at the age of 15, he had worked as a turner in an engineering works. After his military service he worked as an electrician. He also had training in  sewing, having helped his father to make table linen for hotels and restaurants. Together, these assorted skills were the ideal combination not to modernise climbing gear — because climbing gear was almost nonexistent, — but to invent the accessories so familiar to modern alpinists.

The following summer, 1934, Pierre Allain trained at Fontainebleau again and set off for the Alps with a headful of schemes. This time he could count on his seconds: he had with him the Leininger brothers, Jean and Raymond. But the shocking weather of the summer of 1934 did not allow him to make a serious attempt on the North Face of the Drus. Eventually he and Jean Leininger set off south in search of the sun. On September 5, with Jean Charignon and Jean Vernet, they climbed a fine, hard new route up the South-West Ridge of the Pic Sans Nom in the Oisans. On the 12th, with Vernet, Allain climbed the first part of the South Face Direct on the Meije, finishing up the ordinary route. The climb remains one of the most highly recommended routes in the area.

On his return to Paris, Pierre Allain committed himself irrevocably to climbing by opening a shop — in the Rue des Ciseaux until November 1937 and then the Rue Saint-Sulpice until 1963 — where he started to manufacture and sell his bivouac gear.

He made sure that his business left him plenty of time to climb at Fontainebleau, so he began 1935 with a fitness matched to his ambitions. The North Face of the Drus, still unclimbed and ever visible from the valley, attracted him more than ever. The attraction turned to unrest one day when he learned that the guide Raymond Lambert was on the face with three other climbers. He and Raymond Leiniger set off immediately for “his” North Face — gaining some satisfaction from helping the Lambert party to retreat.

The full story of the Dru climb is told by Allain in Alpinism and Competition. One look at the photograph of the two of them on the descent (August 1, 1935) tells the story, though: tired, happy and proud. It has been said that this ascent was a great victory for French climbing, putting it up to the level of the Germans and the Italians; this is chauvinism. The success of Allain and Leininger was really the success of a new style of climbers, the Bleausard free rock-climbers, and a new concept of Alpine climbing, Pierre Allain's concept.

Fontainebleau climbing had certainly come of age with the climbing of the North Face of the Drus by two Parisian climbers. As for Pierre Allain, who had always regarded the problem as relatively simple, he was now convinced that his ideas on how to climb in the Alps were realistic. If you ignore the element of luck necessary for the success of any exploit such as this, the climbing of the North Face of the Drus was the triumph of a certain sort of ingenuity: ingenuity in the choice of the route, and also ingenuity in the style of free climbing. Looked at in this way the climb was not just a victory for French climbing, but a landmark in the progress of alpine climbing as a whole.

Happy, but not yet satisfied, Allain and Leininger — who had already made the first ascent of the East Face of the Dent du Caiman on July 17/18 as a training climb — returned to the Oisans to complete the South Face Direct on the Meije. This time they did it with the direct finish to the summit (August 21, 1935). Pierre Allain's brilliant climbing career continued in 1936 with a place on the French Himalayan Expedition. In 1937 he made the first ascent of the East Ridge of the Crocodile (July 29/30 with the Leininger brothers) and the North East Ridge of the Grands Charmoz (July 30, with Yves Feutren) and in 1938 the ascent of the Doigt de l'Etala without the rope tricks (July 18, with Jean Leininger).

At the beginning of the Second World War he was called up to serve with the army. Initially in Lorraine. he was posted to Paris in December 1939 to join an engineering workshop. After the fall of Paris he went to the Alps, where he stayed until the summer of 1944 and participated in the liberation of Chamonix (August 1944). During the war he met such promising young alpine climbers as Lionel Terray, Louis Lachenal and Gaston Rebuffat, who became his friends. He did little climbing during the war years; the only route worthy of note was the North West Ridge of the Aiguille d'Argentiere (July 10, 1941. with Paul Boniface and Jean-Marie Pruvost).

In the Autumn of 1944 Pierre Allain returned to Paris and to Fontainebleau, where he met old friends and made new ones who were to be his companions on climbs — people such as Rene Ferlet, Guy Poulet and, a little later, Jacques Poincenot. With Poulet he made the first traverse of the Aiguilles from the Plan to the Charmoz. (August 4/5, 1945) The following year, on the same dates, he made the third ascent of the Walker Spur with Poulet, Ferlet and Poincenot. To complete the list of his climbs there was the first ascent of the West Face of the Aiguille de Blaitiere (September 10,1947) with A Fix (the original route has been largely removed by a rock fall, but the Fissure Fix remains to attest to the high standard of free climbing) and the North West Ridge of the Grands Charmoz (August 28, 1950, with Marcel Ichac).

The list of his climbs would seem to indicate that he had a bias towards rock. climbing, for which he was better prepared and which he found less tedious than the step-cutting ice-climbing of his time. It should be remembered, though, that he was looking for difficult climbs, and most of the obvious difficult climbs at this time were the big rockfaces, so he had little reason to climb on ice. All the same, he did climb the North Face of the Courtes in three hours in 1938, with Henri Brunot and Jean Leininger.

He had no time at all for artificial climbing. This dislike was behind the famous comment he made on the West Face of the Drus: “On a face like this alpinism looses its rights: only scaling ladders or similar trickery will enable it to be climbed. That wouldn't be climbing in the Alps, just labouring in them.” (Alpinism and Competition.) Pierre Allain has recently explained that comment “My remarks about the West Face of the Drus were based upon the view we got of it (from the North Face), where we saw only the parts where free climbing is out of the question. They are still unclimbable free: bolts are the only way. That was incompatible with the ethic of our time. It could be said that the apparent error of judgment was caused by our limited view of the face.”

Reinforcing this explanation is the fact that he made a casual attempt on the West Face with Yves Feutren which never got beyond the Rognon. About that he said: “It was another classic mistake, definitely a mistake. We turned back without having a real look, because of some insignificant difficulty. It was probably best that we did turn back, because we were not ready for a major artificial climb.” (Pierre Allain, May 30, 1977).

Dr Courturier, a friend of Allain's, put forward an explanation for his astonishing agility — that he had an extra muscle unknown to medical science! The truth of the matter is that Pierre Allain was both an ace rock-climber and an excellent mountaineer, and that these factors explain his outstanding climbing record.

In 1950 Henri de Segogne suggested to Pierre Allain that he became President of the Groupe de Haute Montagne. He refused, primarily because his shop took up too much time but also because of his dislike of what he called “official business”.

Where is he how?

He is still involved with climbing gear. In 1939 he made the first aluminium alloy karabiner. In 1947 he marketed the first commercially available karabiners of this type (still made under sub-contract by Messrs Foy at Marolles-en-Hurepoix). In 1948 the famous PAs first appeared, with the inventor's initials the only mark on them. The smooth and supple soles were designed to suit the climbing at Fontainebleau.

In 1963 he left his Paris business and set up at Uriage near Grenoble. Since then he has personally supervised the production and marketing of his karabiners. PA himself also manufactures and markets caving ladders and other accessories.

Today PA is 74 and still making 30,000 karabiners a year on his own. The way he does it is characteristic of the exceptional talents of the man: he has designed and built a series of machine tools, marvels of ingenuity, to perform all the processes of manufacture and assembly. In order that this “factory” — really the ground floor of his house in the country — functions uninterruptedly, he maintains a remorseless schedule of work.

A tuft of hair that obstinately refuses to lie flat; the walk of a young man; hands which tell the story of their life; mischievous eyes looking unblinkingly at the world. That's PA today. He has changed; he no longer looks like a climbing animal in a black beret as he did in the old photos, and as his friends remember. But that's the outside: inside, there's still the real PA.

[JonI]

Just stumbled across this lovely article about Roland Pauligk, the inventor of RP's, who sadly passed away recently.

http://www.verticallifemag.com.au/2017/01/rp-the-story-behind-the-initials

[SA Chris]

Thought some people might like to read this.

http://www.climbing.co.za/2017/02/andy-de-klerk-interview/

Not sure where else it should go.

[Johnny Brown]

This looks interesting; the kind of thing generally missing from British climbing media. Anyone seen the full piece?

https://www.avauntmagazine.com/adventure/stevie-haston-climbing?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=button

[duncan]

Anyone seen the full piece?

https://www.avauntmagazine.com/adventure/stevie-haston-climbing?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=button

Not even in London. Very elegantly put together. Outside crossed with what I imagine Yossarian reads with his morning coffee.


I enjoyed this piece in Alpinist on the history of our relationship with wild places. Roll over Wordsworth and Coleridge.

[Yossarian]

I've been meaning to organise a subscription but keep failing to get round to it. It's produced by the team that do Port magazine, and the polar guy Ben Saunders is involved too.

Re my morning coffee - this morning it was actually a slightly mouldy southern sandstone guidebook that I found in the attic last night. The new edition of Kulturfolger is gathering dust...

[Duma]

http://www.nectarclimbing.com/words/notes-in-the-margin

I really liked this. I also really like nectar, now I've found it...

[Fultonius]

I was getting quite into that Haston article. But there were a few words randomly missing, which really put me off paying £11 to read more. As much as I was keen to read the rest of the article..

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

[Wood FT]

http://www.nectarclimbing.com/words/notes-in-the-margin

I really liked this. I also really like nectar, now I've found it...

Andy has a wrote a bit more on his blog, his latest one is great (very loosely climbing related).

http://throughother.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/american-tales-hot-tub-cougar.html

[dave]

Only had a quick glance at lunch at the Haston interview and was instantly bugged/put off by the "After a day in the route...." thing.. just pure instant radge.  Seems like such a punterish thing.  Sorry if thats harsh but I genuinely felt a let down. Fix that and I'll be interested again.

[petejh]

[sn**ger]


edit - ha! you can't say sn**ger

[jwi]

Ivo on Dean Potter http://emontana.cz/dean-potter-ivo-ninov-interview/

Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk

[Johnny Brown]

That's really interesting.

[Wood FT]

Enjoyed that, thanks.

[cowboyhat]

Some good stuff on page 13 there.

Not chuffing but I like this interview...

https://www.theprojectmagazine.com/features/2017/5/13/jacky-godoffe-interview

[user deactivated]

Some good stuff on page 13 there.

Not chuffing but I like this interview...

https://www.theprojectmagazine.com/features/2017/5/13/jacky-godoffe-interview

I like the bit where he described his 'huge ego'

[user deactivated]

https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=9501

I enjoyed this article on the Free Rider solo, where Pete described it as 'Art' I thought hang on isn't the definition of art something that's created solely for that purpose. As opposed to say craft which has a functional element. But the more I think about it, it sort of makes sense. A bit like DT's infamous solo of lord of the flies it sits in my mind like an artistic performance with the distinction being the emotions generated are based on a very real reaction to the risk involved and the fact that it didn't happen in a vacuum.

[Will Hunt]

https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=9501

I enjoyed this article on the Free Rider solo, where Pete described it as 'Art' I thought hang on isn't the definition of art something that's created solely for that purpose. As opposed to say craft which has a functional element. But the more I think about it, it sort of makes sense. A bit like DT's infamous solo of lord of the flies it sits in my mind like an artistic performance with the distinction being the emotions generated are based on a very real reaction to the risk involved and the fact that it didn't happen in a vacuum.

Have a listen (if you haven't already) to Grayson Perry's "Beating The Bounds" talk, which he gave as part of his series of Reith Lectures. It outlined what, to him, were the boundaries of what could be considered art. Obviously he comes at this from the angle of someone who has in the past been maligned by the art world as someone who just does a bit of pottery.

One memorable "rule" which he applied was that, for something to be art, if you saw it in the bins around the back of an art academy, you should be prompted to say "Oh look, someone threw some art away". I can't remember whether he managed to incorporate performance art into the rules.

[user deactivated]

Cheers Will I'll check it out. It reminds me of the story of a school visit to an art gallery where one of the children leaves accidentally their glasses on the gallery floor and when they come back to retrieve them half an hour later; there's half a dozen people stood around them discussing 'the spectacle'

[jwi]

I prefer the institutional/circular definition: art is what is consider as art by people active in the world of art.