In reply to Mick Ryan:
Yes Mum.
In reply to Kevin Stephens:
The E5s I've onsighted haven't had climbing on anywhere near that hard and the 7a+s have been mostly short. 7a on a few pegs maybe, and they were old E4s.
I too know I can climb E4s, luckily I know I can onsight the bold ones, but ticking a safe E4 6b (or even one particular E4 5c) might take me three days, including many falls and a cheeky look from a rope... I reckon the safe E4s at avon ( the ones with a couple of staple or Eco bolts) are 7a+.
I'm totally willing to put up a `cragging grade' instead of a `best onsight' low gravity day purple patch with a tail wind when everythign clicked grade that you'll neve match ever again, but I reckon a great deal of the of the people with E1 on their profile haven't consolidated it, so until they admit they're hardly VS climbers, I'll play by the same rules.
If I'm climbing on bolts I feel it's justifiable to slap my way up. Some I get the onsight on, some I fluff.
At the moment unless it's at Pembroke and I get some more trad fitness and stamina from somewhere and over my mental block there, or it's got a lot of fixed gear, or a boulder problem start, or is well cruxy and I fluke it, I don't see myself onsighting 7a+ on nuts just yet. Not until I've done some longer ones.
Does anyone else recognise this - on a trad route your climbing style is fundamentally different, i.e. slower. You can't afford to throw caution to the wind unless you've got good gear in, and even then you've got to stop and place it well. What do people think the best way to progress at trad and tap in to your sport ability is - climbing trad routes faster and lighter, or climbing sport routes slower, in more control (with training weights even)?
The other point is that like as Rich says a little egyptian or subtle refinement can make a huge difference. Actually I would guess finding one Egyptian on Right Wall or other stamina route, makes naff all difference, the primary necessary requirements are still basically being fit and bold enough. But on a cruxy route on the crux, especially on Grit, it could make the difference of an English technical grade, which could obviously make what trad grade you feel it is tumble.
I reckoning jumping a technical grade that you can onsight or even onsight solo in control, makes a much bigger difference than your trad grade, as above 5a it could be worth two or more of them.