UKC

On routes set by Zips at the Westway some of the grades have "New Wave" written next to them, and feel hard for the grade.

What does New Wave mean?

In reply to My Gravity:

Probably means some pretentious person is setting the grades a bit harder?

In reply to My Gravity:
it means that you have to wave to people on the ground when you're climbing them.
Maybe.

dunno, i thought it might be a fancy way of saying features only....or more likely them funny translucent fluorescent yellow orange & blue holds

In reply to My Gravity:

A very quick Google suggests "New Wave" is a term newly associated with grading of aid routes, and redifines the symbols.

http://www.alpinist.com/p/web/grades

Sounds stupid for the Westway.

In reply to My Gravity:

Is there a wall a bit like a wave that's newer than other bits?

Are these routes on that bit?

In reply to catt:

Ah okay, so the route setter means that a 5 "New Wave" is what they believe 5 should be, but might be 5+ when compared to other Westway routes.

In reply to catt:

Cool! i am totally gonna aid 'em [Tech q.: does lassoing that rail at the top / another climber count as aid? magnets and angle grinders?]

In reply to My Gravity: Apparently the feedback to the wall on the lower grades was that they felt like ladders - uninteresting to climb and didn't help new climbers to acquire skills that might be useful as they moved through the grades.

Zippy was asked to set more interesting routes at these grades, so the 'New Wave' means that they should not be too difficult but may have holds that are not jugs or require lateral movement, swapping feet occasionally, etc. Seems a good thing to me and nice that the management are listening to their customers and trying to improve their service.

In reply to Anonymous:
Bravo, then - excellent idea!

In reply to Anonymous:

This is true, I've been doing lots of endurance training on the lower grades at Westway lately and the routes are more complex and engaging than they were previously.

In reply to Anonymous:
Good. That is very encouraging. I hope other walls will take note.