UKC

Michele Caminati highballs the Frogatt E7 7a Screaming Dream.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=67008

In reply to UKC News: Was this ground up or done after toproping? I'm not picking apart the ascent, just interested.

E7? Surely it should get a highball grade. U cant even injure yourself without pads. Well done on the HVS 7a. Seriously tho im not disagreeing with the effort and skill required to climb it.

In reply to UKC News:

"..and no, we don't think bouldering mats are cheating"

OMG! Here we go again, the world according to UKC! And lo, on the 8th day of trying, UKC declareth, bouldering mats aren't cheating, thow shalt not top-rope or pre-practice. On the 10th day, after getting some divine wads to stack 'em higher UKC did top out, and he saw that it was good!".

Now, before anyone starts, I know the statement reads "we don't THINK etc", I think it's questionable for UKC to make their position so clear, so as to make it sound rather like a decree.

I'm not in any way trying to detract from the ascent by Michelle here - the "pad up" high ball approach clearly suits the route well, and less chance of trashing the rock with gear..

As a high ball ascent, why the need to mention the pads at all, or defend the UKC position? Pads are pads (shock horror); they aren't cheating, or not-cheating in and of themselves. We are the ones cheating, in our approach, if we're playing one game, whilst claiming to play another. It depends on the context; trying to label pads good/bad is a nonsense, and places the credibility of an ascent in a "thing" - whereas it rests firmly in our willingness to be honest with ourselves about the arena and game we are playing.

Rant over!

What incredible weather we're having.. anyone got a mat I can borrow?

In reply to UKC News. Its a high ball problem these days. With mats you still risk an injury, and without one its really gonna hurt.
Either way its a fair distance to fall. Mats are ok. Its time we stopped bleating on about them. Ascents are personal and not really of any importance to anybody else. Protection has improved over the years and we all benefit. Mats are just a part of this. Before we deride the ascent ask yourself this .... would you jump off on to one from the top?

In reply to UKC News:

Did anyone else notice the wild country title at the beginning was slightly squished?

In reply to UKC News:


Bon effort Michele, I love the fact that he never knew that the dream hadn't been high-balled before. ("why?")

It's been waiting for years for this ascent & for me, it's a pretty significant part of Froggatt history that he has managed this. There is always chalk on the dream and no doubt the brits have been trying to high ball her - but you have to take your hat off to Michele Caminati... well done sir...

Si

In reply to UKC News:

not that I guess its news these days since someone seems to be doing it every time I go to millstone but I think it was the same guy who did Masters Edge last night. Good effort anyway.

whether the James Blay was the same guy who almost did Renegade Master a few weeks ago I couldn't tell but jumped off from the move high in the groove it looked like a big but safe fall onto mats.

In reply to Craig McMahon:

The adjectival grade isn't a measure of how "injured" you can get. Dear god.

In reply to UKC News: Shows just how far climbing has come in the last 25 years. Loved the video, better than most of Life on hold in my opinion (and I loved that too). I think we whould keep the idea that alot of climbing is about the experience and not get hung up on arguements about grades, I can only imagine how good the experience would have been of highballing this!

In reply to Silum:

It can be

In reply to El3ctroFuzz:

The whole video is displayed at the wrong aspect ratio. Sadly, this is what passes for professional video production. Anyone with enough money for a fancy DSLR and a tripod can make a video, and put it on the net, even if they don't know what they're doing. Sort it out, Wild Country, or whoever you got this off.

In reply to agibb:

Mate, i think you need to wind your neck in. This is a free video on the internet, that isn't portrayed to be 'anything else'. It shows a load of guys going out climbing having a good time. Would you prefer they didn't share their experience, and have kept it to themselves?

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

Agreed. Okay, was slightly distracting having the aspect wrong, but it's the climbing that counts...and that was pretty damned impressive! Great effort.

In reply to agibb: Just to be clear James, Wild Country's International Sales Rep, made this video in his own time and Wild Country are very happy that our guys are dedicated enough do this and are active enough be present at such occasions. And as anybody who has tried to climb and film or photo at the same time will know it's always a thankless task takes plenty of effort and is always a ballache. He is certainly not a professional and wouldn't claim to be and simply wanted to capture (and did) an enormously significant ascent - as well as his own personal achievement.
The fact he seems to have made an error with this video is worth noting but as Adam says it is what it is a free video on the net and nobody's 'sold' anyone anything. I am sure now we are aware of the error James can re format the video and we can reupload it.
James has made many very good videos in the past - see here vimeo.com/11841633 - and I am sure will continue to do so. So I'd just like to say that to blatantly slate him and jump to erroneous conclusions for an error which many people (including me first time) didn't notice seems fairly harsh.
Wild Country use professional filmakers for plenty of projects but there are things which are 'of the moment' and are recorded not with a team of guys but on a phone or a lo res stills cam - that doesn't mean they're less valuable as a record and I am pretty sure (according to my Vimeo stats) that the vast majority of people would rather see something even if badly recorded or edited than not see it at all - or are the 22.500 people who watched very rough grainy footage of Miles Gibson do Dangermouse E9 7a vimeo.com/6824917 wrong...

In reply to Dave Musgrove Jnr: Dave I'll try to find out for you...i have a feeling it was ground up but not sure...I'll get James to post later...

In reply to agibb:

Angry from Manchester needs a hug from his mummy.

In reply to DAVETHOMAS90: Shut up mate, you're boring.

In reply to Craig McMahon: states at the start of the footage 8a,suggesting hvs 7a suggests to me you don't understand the grading system.

What a nice line, and in a nice shady spot in the woods too! It looks like everyone there was having a good time, and Michele seemed quite happy to have climbed a nice piece of rock. Likewise, the minutes I spent watching it in my garden, with a cup of coffee, were nice. So, thank you James d'wildcountry.

I personally didn't notice the massive flaw in the cinematography, so I apologise for that.

In reply to Richie Patterson, Wild Country:

I think it should be quite straight forward to correct the aspect ratio and re-upload. It's quite an easy mistake to make, particularly as video formats are very complex---it's likely that the original video is in 16:9 format but when uploaded to Vimeo, for whatever reason Vimeo didn't understand the aspect ratio.

What you probably need to do is use something like a video converter and letterbox the video for a more normal aspect ratio (4:3). iSkySoft Video Converter is quite good.

In reply to Adam Moroz:

Are you always so insulting to people who don't say exactly what you want to hear?

In reply to stuaart: Thanks for the tips. However, i think James is now at Font and more concerned with tryinbg to bag his own 8 than his aspect ratio...lazy dog...LOL
Hope he comes back with some more cool footage and we'll try and sort this stuff out too...

In reply to jas wood:

Title gives it away: fri night vid: screaming dream e7 7a

Before u start i understand hvs 7a doesn't exist. It was my attempt at humour. Just merely stating there are trad routes that cross over into highball territory and vice versa. I am all for using pads. I just dont agree it warrants an e grade. I think a font highball grade is more appropriate if pads were used.

Im not one of the ukc usual ranters and i wasn't wanting to offend. Didn't realise people would get so touchy. Surely by putting the vid up for discussion in a public arena in the first place is entising a debate.