[neil h]

The forest of font gets its hardest problem

Integral of Le Toit d'Orsay ~ 29.09
This is an exceptional achievement : Rémy Bergasse has realized the integral climbing of Le Toit d'Orsay this afternoon. This longstanding problem consists in combining the 7c+ of Quoi de Neuf (Acte 1) and the 8b/8b+ of Quoi de Neuf (Acte 2). Besides from being the closest boulder to Paris, Quoi de Neuf is now also the most difficult problem, at least in its own style. We wish Rémy to find (and to succeed in) even more difficult challenges at Font!

[a dense loner]

beast. was this jacky's long term proj?

[neil h]

yes.....

beast is not the word.................................

[unclesomebody]

You're correct, beast is not the word. Route is the word. This is clearly not fonts hardest problem. In fact, I'd say it wasn't even up there with the hardest problems. It's certainly worthy of being included amongst the list of fonts longest problems, but don't confuse this with the other hard blocs in font.

Good effort to Reme, he's been trying this for a while I think. Ever since we saw the video of him doing the two separate parts, which was quite a while ago! This was certainly one of the long standing last great problem type things.

[Percy B]

Nice work, Remy - an incredible effort.

And unlucky to Jacky, who put so much work into this problem but in the end was beaten to it by a young spunker. Jacky got so close to this problem a couple of years ago (falling off the last move on the link more than a couple of times) but in the end got so pissed off that he left it for a bit. The style of climbing is so physical and requires such a lot of power endurance that Jacky wasn't sure if he could ever get back to where he had got previously when he started working it again at the start of this year. Props to the ginger prince for continuing to work an 8c project aged 50 - there's not many boulderers who'll be doing this when they're Jacky's age!

[neil h]

You're correct, beast is not the word. Route is the word. This is clearly not fonts hardest problem. In fact, I'd say it wasn't even up there with the hardest problems. It's certainly worthy of being included amongst the list of fonts longest problems, but don't confuse this with the other hard blocs in font.
 

Quoi de Neuf is now also the most difficult problem, at least in its own style.

[Johnny Brown]

So what, is this a traverse? Or one of those daft round-and-round problems?

[Jaspersharpe]

It's a massive fuck off roof.....



....this is the second bit but all together I'd certainly vote more route than bloc. Like a cave link up type ting.

[dave]

it ain't got bolts in, so its not a route. its a boulder problem, and a fucking inspiring looking one at that. massive props to that guy.

[Bonjoy]

You're correct, beast is not the word. Route is the word.

Thumbelina's a boulder problem but this is a route?  Hmmm.
You have to pity people who specialise in this type of long boulder problem. Their hard work tends to get congratulated but disowned by boulderers and route climbers alike.

[neil h]

this is actually fonts largest cave a stagerring 15meters in length, call it a route, but when does a boulder problem become a route?

Its still a massive achievement in the forest, and good on him. Remi is putting a video together so watch out, cant wait to see it.

Personally I would call it a boulder problem, but yes a long power endurance problem.....

[Jaspersharpe]

It's just that they're tricky to grade, things like this. It's the old chestnut of neither route nor boulder grade really making sense. If you look at the video of the first bit, it's a fucking massive problem. As you say, amazing achievement.

[Bonjoy]

The widely reviled font traverse grades may yet prove to be the answer.

[Jaspersharpe]

 

Just need to get them in circulation more (for long problems and link ups) and people would start to understand them.

[nik at work]

Why doesn't a route grade make sense? I'm not saying it does make sense, I just don't understand why it wouldn't. Obviously I have the best part of no experience of sport routes/grades....

Whatever bon effort

[cofe]

You're correct, beast is not the word. Route is the word.

Thumbelina's a boulder problem but this is a route?  Hmmm.

to be fair, so it is. this looks like death on a stick.

[dave]

font traverse grades are bollocks. I can't believe anyone in their right mind would advocate them. route grade woulnd't make sense because you don't have to stop and clip on this or have to work it one a rope. bouldering grade makes sense because its a boulder problem.

[lagerstarfish]

Match and drop to to the floor to finish - makes it a boulder problem. Does Acte 1 come from the back of the cave to the start of Acte 2? In which case, its not one of those contrived link ups. Well impressive.

[andy popp]

He might not in this video but I'm sure I have seen one where its topped out.

[Jaspersharpe]

Why doesn't a route grade make sense? I'm not saying it does make sense, I just don't understand why it wouldn't. Obviously I have the best part of no experience of sport routes/grades....

Think we've been here before.

Match and drop to to the floor to finish - makes it a boulder problem. Does Acte 1 come from the back of the cave to the start of Acte 2? In which case, its not one of those contrived link ups. Well impressive.

It tops out. Look at the other videos. Assume he was just dropping off as he wasn't on the full link.

[Jaspersharpe]

This was the other thread I was thinking of in which the subject was discussed at length.

[slackline]

Looks like an amazing piece of climbing, good effort  

font traverse grades are bollocks. I can't believe anyone in their right mind would advocate them. route grade woulnd't make sense because you don't have to stop and clip on this or have to work it one a rope.

Aren't Font traverse grades meant to address this disparity in so much as the traverses are longer than normal boulder problems, but don't have the added complications of having to stop and clip/work on a rope?

Perhaps they've been disparaged and ingored when really all they needed was wider uses which would have lead to stabalisation of the system and consensus on the grades of given problems.  Its perhaps the boulderer/climber who trys to tally the Font grade traverses with their understanding of sports grades/ boulder problems that has resulted in the disparaging as their trying to shoe-horn them into their understanding of two different grading systems

[dave]

thing with font traverse grades was that there seemed to be on benchmark or anything, just this vague notion that a font-trav 8a was easier than a bloc 8a but harder than a F8a route, and nothing more concrete laid down, at least not in any english-language texts. it was often not clear when things were claimed as to what grading system the grade refered to - it only led to total confusion and thus was ignored by a lot of climbers. but then what about up problems which are longer than some short traverses, how long does a problem have to be to be a traverse? its all confusion that we don't need. iwe have enough fruitless debates about the grey areas between font/sport/trad grades as it is wouthing another system thrown into the mix. just grade things for how hard they are. a font 8a traverse is as hard as a font 8a bloc problem, you just have to use a bit of brainpower to try and equate the difficulty between things of different styles, in the same way you do if you try a crimpy roof problem that suits you and a gently overhanging sloper problem that hits all your weeknesses, you just have to use some nouse.

[meatball]

Like a cave link up type ting.
[/quote]
But did tap the back of his hand for the true tick

[Doylo]

But did tap the back of his hand for the true tick

Are you sure he's not welsh?