UKC

I've started going to Reading Wall alot as part of my new training plan after a long absence from indoor climbing (well, about 4 months). After a summer of almost pure trad I'm suprised at the grades I'm ticking indoors. My aim for the winter was to redpoint 7a indoors and out. But am finding myself consistently close to onsighting 7a+s/7bs after just a few sessions back on steep ground/plastic.

I'm fairly convinced that the routes I've tried at Reading in this grade band are significantly overgraded. They feel like they're much closer to 6c-6c+. After discussing this with some of the more experienced memebers of staff, who adamently proclaim to know better then me, I'm apparently wrong.

So has anyone with experience of onsighting low 7s (indoors and out) visited reading wall and have an oppinion to offer? It'd be mighty helpfull. As it is I reckon my ego is gonna suffer a major deflation when I visit the Peak the weekend after next!

Luke

In reply to lrandall: I'm not climbing in the 7s, but I think the grades are pretty inconsistent. As an example, a fair way down on the right hand side there are two 6a+s next to each other. The orange one is soft for the grade, while the purple is 6b if not 6b+.

But what's it matter? It's just training for outdoors.

In reply to John2:


In general, because if you're training for outdoors it's nice have at least a vague idea of how your training relates to what you're training for?

I find inddor grades at many walls to be inflated. Maybe this is to make you think you are climbing well and so want to go back. I can never match the grade I climb inside with that on real rock and I reckon dropping 2 grades is about right (for me).

In reply to lrandall:
I got utterly spanked by the grades here, to the point where I couldn't toprope two grades lower than what I can regularly lead outside. But I'm talking low 6s. Good to have somewhere in Reading though - even if I did come away feeling a little demoralised!

In reply to lrandall: I think you need to give it a chance for the grades to settle down a bit. It’s a brand new wall and was set buy a group of different setters most of who didn’t have time to climb the routes prior to opening. Speak to the manager Tom he’s been making an effort to climb every line.

You get under and over graded routes at any wall (as you do outside) and people have different opinions, the grade is just an indication.

In reply to lrandall:

Have you been to craggy recently? They are a good benchmark I think. People say they are hard, but I think they equate quite well to grades at Portland. I've not climbed at Reading yet, but will let you know what I think when I do. When I was last there though, they were actively seeking opinions on grades.

In reply to lrandall: I always find that i can climb a grade or two higher indoors than out anyway but it's always different indoors to out because of the nature of stone.

In reply to lrandall:

Do the routes compare in style to what you are trying to do outdoors? If they don't it will be very difficult for you to compare them. Sometimes for me indoor climbs that are vertical or slightly overhanging on small holds can feel desperate compared to routes outside where you can often find a way to take some of the weight off your arms.

Phil

In reply to lrandall: Visited on Sunday after being washed out at the wye valley, thought the place was ok but a bit soul less. As for grades they felt ok to slightly soft, although given how greasy everything was it was a bit hard to tell. We were mainly climbing the overhanging 6a-7a lead stuff on the overhanging walls. Also found the place to be over bolted to the extent that uit felt like you were spending more time clipping than climbing! Now I know that it's indoors etc but a bolt every metre....?

Cheers for all the responses. With the wall being very new and alot of the grades apparently being based on suggestions from customers (from what I understand) some inconsistencies across the grades are of course to be expected. For what its worth I also think there are some brilliant routes set, and I love the architecture of the place.

What surprises me is that there seem to be a fair few routes in the 6s which feel to me like they're correctly graded (tho I did get spanked by a 6a on TR the session before last, that just aint cricket!) whereas all of the routes I've tried in the 7s seem very doable. I've tried and completed 8-10 routes between 7a-7b+, of all different styles, and truth be told I don't think I could even boulder out the sort of moves you'd expect to find on a 7b+ (English 6b/c?).

As for Craggy, I knew someone would suggest it! I've only been once before as I don't drive so a visit costs me almost £25 (train fare etc.) and 3-4 hrs of travel time. However, I found the grades stiff enough to suggest I use the place as a bench mark so had planned on doing a monthly visit if I couldn't get outside in a particular month.

Any suggested routes at Reading which compare nicely to 7a indoors at other venues/outdoors would still be appreciated.

In reply to lrandall:

Indoor grades don't equate to outdoor ones, when indoors you can see all of the holds and read all of the moves before you leave the floor, outdoors you can only make a best guess.

Craggy is notoriously hard in the grade and so probably not an ideal benchmark

The grades at Reading are still being changed and confirmed, every couple of days a few grades are changed. As has been mentioned they were set by a huge range of people who didn't have time to compare and contrast.

If you've been out tradding it up all summer your footwork has probably improved significantly and so this might account at least a little towards your surprise performance.

The 7s are largely over graded though, no doubt they'll be corrected in due course.

In reply to nasher47:

If I get spanked silly at Craggy next visit I wont feel too deflated then!

Good point about my footwork possibly improving over the last few months. I have been making a conserted effort to 'think with my feet' whilst out on rock recently, so this along with the limited options for feet at Reading (no featured panels or screw-on jibs painted into the wall) may account for my improved performance on plastic.

I went down there for a few hours tonight and several of the harder routes I've did well on earlier in the week have indeed been downgraded. Although in most cases not by quite as much as I would have expected. I also had to dog my way up a couple of 6c/+s tonight. Now thats more like it!!

I have to say that all in all I think it's a great wall. I'm actually looking forward to a winter for once!

In reply to lrandall: 7b... go on luke you beast!

Yeah, the grades are a bit out & I guess it will take a while for them to settle down.

Not fair to compare it to craggy, really - the route-seting at craggy is the best I've come across in a wall down south. Mark Croxall does the setting and, coming from a bouldering background, always puts in a move or two you really have to think about. I climb 6a's at craggy and up to 6c's at the Westway, for instance.

There are routes at Reading where I can quite happily miss out 2 or 3 holds at a time and that would never happen at craggy.

But Reading's a great centre and it'll get better and better with time, I'm sure. They could do with trying to poach MC for some challenging route-setting. I'm sure craggy don't have an exclusivity deal with him...

In reply to Tomska:

Surely that's a very good reason to compare them to Craggy? You've got to compete with the best to be the best. What's the point in aiming lower?

In reply to Monk:

Yeah, fair point. But they've only just got started. I think if it's the same in a few months then there will be more call for belly-aching, but right now I'm just pathetically grateful to have a wall 10 minutes' walk from my house.

In reply to Monk:
"You've got to compete with the best to be the best."

That's a fairly sweeping statement to make! Who says craggy is the best!?

I'm pretty sure there must be space for all of these climbing walls to have strengths and weaknesses and certainly they all have good routes and bad routes. When it comes down to it I guess it's nice to have some variation and we should all just be grateful for the guys like Mark and the guys at Reading who spend their time trying to provide us with some entertainment.

In reply to Tomska:

this is one of the things I like at rcc - it's not always immediately obvious which holds you're supposed to make and with which moves. makes it a tiny bit more like outdoors

In reply to nasher47: Indeed... who?

In reply to nasher47:

Tomska did, and someone said it wasn't fair to compare Reading to Craggy. It doesn't matter if I agree or not (for the record, I do think Craggy routes are generally well set), the statement still stands. To be the best you have to compete with the best.

In reply to lrandall:

A related issue I did find a problem at the top of the climbs. Usually, at most walls there's a nice jug at the top of the climb where you can relax to clip in the screwgate. At Reading there were a couple if climbs I tried where this wasn't the case. In fact sometimes the top hold was the worst on the route. Very disconcerting for beginners when they have trouble with the final clip.

In reply to Tiberius:

Just grab the chains
jk

In reply to jkarran:

Or the top of the plywood board the holds are attached to.