UKC

NEWS: Pete Whittaker Repeats Karlek, 8b, Sweden

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 UKC News 24 Jun 2013
Pete making the 2nd ascent of Karlek, 8b, Sweden, 3 kbPete Whittaker has just come back from a short trip to Sweden which turned out to be very successful. Pete made the first repeat of Karlek, 8b, and a ground-up ascent of Ratt Latt, 8a R and repeated Minaret, E8...

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=68149
 jwi 26 Jun 2013
In reply to UKC News:

Nice!

Its maybe worth mentioning that Ratt Latt was onsighted by Erik Grandelius last year.
 JJL 26 Jun 2013
In reply to UKC News:

Seriously. Why is this news?

8a.nu is stuffed with 8+ ascents by Brits in June...
In reply to JJL: Probably because this is one of the hardest cracks in Europe (Karlek could well be 8b+ on trad as well, if the FA's track record of harsh grading is anything to go by) and right at the top of the grading scale for trad ascents of gear placed on lead.

If this route were in England and better known we'd all be patting Pete on the back and telling him that he should really take his skills abroad and do something impressive over there...
 Wft 27 Jun 2013
In reply to JJL:
> (In reply to UKC News)
>
> Seriously. Why is this news?
>
> 8a.nu is stuffed with 8+ ascents by Brits in June...

I don't get this attitude at all, what do you want from reporting? A rolling list of the hardest climbs (you click up there ^^ for that) or actual content?

It's a british climber in an area I hadn't heard much about doing hard climbing in fine style. This is news and I'm glad it's been reported.
 Kemics 27 Jun 2013
In reply to GuyVG:

So are they french grades for traditional protected routes?
 Drexciyan 27 Jun 2013
In reply to UKC News: Well I for one am glad to hear i'm not the only person to find proper sandbags at this crag. Ratt Latt looked amazing, brilliant area and very welcoming locals.
 HeMa 27 Jun 2013
In reply to Kemics:

Yes, though it would be evident if you'd read the article...

Just like Butter Arms in Paradiset/Lofoten is 7c+... But has not bolts and is protected with cams/nuts and what ever.


The french grade is there to give information on how hard physically the climbing is.
 DanielJ 27 Jun 2013
In reply to JJL: ? I dont keep a close eye on 8a.nu. However I do guess you'll have to search pretty far back in its history to find many brittish ascents on gear like this one. (Certainly not many stuffed in one month)

First repeat of a hard 8b(+?) on trad. FA by low-key crackclimbing demigod Petter Restorp. Until a couple of weeks ago this route was probably the hardest trad route in Scandinavia. And on first class Bohuslän-granite.

I say well done repeating and reporting.
 ro8x 27 Jun 2013
In reply to JJL:

You are aware this is 8b+ on trad right...
 Kemics 27 Jun 2013
In reply to HeMa:

yeah I thought so, I was just a little confused because they gave the other route E8 in the same sentence.
 HeMa 27 Jun 2013
In reply to Kemics:

Minaret was graded as E8, simply because it was Leo Houlding that did the FA.
 DanielJ 27 Jun 2013
In reply to Kemics: Minaret is a old route by Rikard Ekehed, first repeat Neil Gresham. I believe Rikard, who climbed a lot in England, found the E-grade suitable for a route like this. (Serious but relative physically easy)

You will find a couple of hard E-graded routes in this area, by Houlding and Wulf (Swedish). Otherwise the routes are only graded with swedish grades, similar to the french system.
 HeMa 27 Jun 2013
In reply to DanielJ:
> (In reply to Kemics) Minaret is a old route by Rikard Ekehed, first repeat Neil Gresham. I believe Rikard, who climbed a lot in England, found the E-grade suitable for a route like this. (Serious but relative physically easy)
>
> You will find a couple of hard E-graded routes in this area, by Houlding and Wulf (Swedish). Otherwise the routes are only graded with swedish grades, similar to the french system.

Ah yeah... messed up the routes. Ekehed of Hard Grit fame did Minaret. Leo did a route nearby.
In reply to DanielJ:

It's funny, I always find it strange that Brits grade things in E-Grades abroad so much for hard routes that are worked on for some time. For me, it's a massive release to be free of the "E-system" and just slap a US or French grade on a route. It's not that I don't like E grades, it's just nice to not have to think about the ego driven danger-difficulty aspect. You spend the whole time second guessing yourself.

When I was asked to give E grades for both Century Crack and Greenspit, I really didn't want to do. Funnily enough, I think after a couple of years I see more references to the E-grades of those routes that aren't even the ones that I reluctantly gave!

As for E-grades given to FAs done onsight. Give me that any day

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