[webbo]

I have been climbing for about ten months and have lead 6c+ outdoors, 7b indoors, bouldered v8 indoors (just done my first v8 tonight!!!!) v7 out doors, and seconded up a E3 outdoors.

May I suggest finding some benchmarks. Then report back. Benchmark outdoor grades can be found out by speaking to the relevant crag police,

are but which crag police.  yorkshire,peak,wales or god forbid the lakes

[soapy]

ah, the mists of time

in 1982, i was dragged down the sobell wall by the yooof club

about a year later i'd been kitted out in second hand ebs, a whillans harness, a battered joe brown helmet and the obligatory orange cagoule!

just remember being absolutely shit scared as the Leader winched my sorry ass up yet another severe





..some things never change..

[Jim]

I didn't even know grades existed for the first 3 years or so of bouldering. Forget about grades for a while and just enjoy climbing. There's plenty of time later on to become grade obsessed and miserable. Just look at Dense, he used to occasionaly smile back in the day

[Andy F]

I'd knocked off a couple of E2'a within a year. Admittedly they were soft Lancs' E2's, but E2 all the same. Dunno about bouldering as the lad I was climbing with at the time just did routes, although I did boulder every day at 6th form college, just didn't call it that. Well if you can call a 7ft high vertical wall with brick inserts a wall. Oh, did I mention the Galiber's I started out with. Much better toe that the EB's. Then came the original Verticals (fore-runner of the 5.10's we all love), god they felt sticky back then....

[jfw]

Then came the original Verticals (fore-runner of the 5.10's we all love), god they felt sticky back then....

was this a 5.10 turquoise boot with luminous pink laces? (which i still own - and were my first rock shoes)

i led epitaph direct at baildon bank as my first lead - VS 4c, with amazingly bad ropework zig zagging the two ropes to alternate sides and general knitting - the drag was so bad that i had to pull through a load of slack to do the small bulge that constitues the crux - this when i was about 17. unfortunately i spent the whole of uni mountain biking and kayaking and breaking bones (generally not climbing) - and having been back into climbing a while now (with a new found appreciation of my own mortality), am still climbing about VS plus ca change eh?

[richdraws]

Regarding benchmark climbs, what would be bench mark in the v5 to v7 range? As some of those I have done have felt all over the shop grade wise. For example v7 for the anchor at Brimham? compared to v5 for the Neb roof at shaftoe? bloody etc.... I dont understand grades at all, but then I havent been climbing too long yet.
 

[Andy F]

Then came the original Verticals (fore-runner of the 5.10's we all love), god they felt sticky back then....

was this a 5.10 turquoise boot with luminous pink laces? (which i still own - and were my first rock shoes)

Nope, the grey and green boots which came out before the luminous pink ones. I had a pair of those luminous pink ones as well, and then a second hand pair of Asolo Runouts which were an absoulte revelation as I could use footholds which previously never existed.

Andy F

[jfw]

my next pair of shoes were lasers - which were - you guessed it - luminous pink (detecting a bit of a theme here)

[webbo]

i thought lazers were black with red stripes.
my first rock boots were hawkins masters about as sticky as wet grass.

[sharkey]

Draws The Anchor is never V7 in a million years, unless of course you are verticaly challenged!, more like soft V6, this is all very upsetting as i thought it was my first V7, but you just know deep down.

The Neb roof is V5, various methods, sneeky toe hook, heel, such a great problem - one of Shaftoes finest

[SA Chris]

i thought lazers were black with red stripes.

Original ones were very pink, Mk II less so, but still pink.

My first pair were Croft B3s; utter shite. Then Boreal Jazz; bright blue with yellow laces; funky.

[webbo]

i thought lazers were black with red stripes.

Original ones were very pink, Mk II less so, but still pink..

i think i may have confused them with boreal lazers.

its been along day.

[Houdini]

E5 OS  E7 HP (but only on slate.  Never bouldered back then).

[squeek]

Regarding benchmark climbs, what would be bench mark in the v5 to v7 range? As some of those I have done have felt all over the shop grade wise. For example v7 for the anchor at Brimham?

I go with:  If it feels easier it probably is, if it feels harder it probably isn't.    Anchor probably isn't V7.  Handy Andy's at Earl probably is.

[unclesomebody]

E5 OS  E7 HP (but only on slate.  Never bouldered back then).

[Houdini]

Adam Hocking was @ E6 6C OS after one year.  Give that medal to him, I don't deserve it. 

[Paz]

You know in Return of The Jedi on the forest moon of Endor, don't some of the Ewoks shout `Houdini' as some sort of battle cry?

[BenF]

Take the medal Houdini, I think that's the biggest medal I've seen here on UKB.

[Jim]

Regarding benchmark climbs, what would be bench mark in the v5 to v7 range? As some of those I have done have felt all over the shop grade wise. For example v7 for the anchor at Brimham?

I go with:  If it feels easier it probably is, if it feels harder it probably isn't.    Anchor probably isn't V7.  Handy Andy's at Earl probably is.

I think handy andy's is at the top end of the grade personaly so not benchmark IMHO

[whispering nic]

 and then a second hand pair of Asolo Runouts which were an absoulte revelation as I could use footholds which previously never existed.

Andy F

This is a clear contradiction as you continue to attempt to use footholds which clearly do not exist

[lorentz]

[Teaboy]

Quote from: webbo on Yesterday at 08:41:51 AM
i thought lazers were black with red stripes.


Original ones were very pink, Mk II less so, but still pink.

Sorry I can't let such boot related trivia go unchecked, the pink precursors to the lazers were called Sprints (as wron by jerry Moffat. The Sprint I had a fibreglass insert which made them uselessly stiff and the Sprint II was uselessly soft. The turquoise 5.10s with pink lases were called Huecos.

[Andy F]

The Sprint 1's were ace on Slate as they could edge on an electron, but the carbon fibre insert made it impossible to smear. The Sprint 2's were brill on the grit as they had loads of feel and smearing ability. The original lasers were probably the last good shoe Boreal made.

[Houdini]

You know in Return of The Jedi on the forest moon of Endor, don't some of the Ewoks shout `Houdini' as some sort of battle cry?

Ooo-tee-nee!  Fucksake!  And you can shove those medals where the sun don't shine.  As you know, the sun shines outta my ass, so find someplace else...

[squeek]

I think handy andy's is at the top end of the grade personaly so not benchmark IMHO

Yeah, not benchmark, but at least it's not V6.