UKC

On Sunday the 19th January, Ryan Pasquill made the second ascent of Sleepy Hollow, E10 7a, aka Headless Horseman Direct. This was first climbed in December by Pete Whittaker who climbed it quickly, despite its obvious difficulty...

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=68662

In reply to UKC News:

Very matter of fact, RP, isn't he?!

jcm

In reply to UKC News:

Well done! I thought it looked like someone had been on this again.

In reply to UKC News:
Nice one Ryan

In reply to UKC News:

Well done Ryan.

In reply to UKC News:
So is this the 'hardest route on grit', then? What are the other contenders? Baron Greenback? Equilibrium? The Groove?

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:


Yes.


This is why climbing is so much better than actuals sports.

I'd like to hear from Usain Bolt "I tried doing the hundred meters in less than 9.6s a while back, but I was too hungover and didn't know if it'd go".

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Great effort on the swift second ascent. What a line.

On choice of poisons: didn't Usain Bolt talk about his pre-run chicken nugget regime. Take your point though - tis beautiful game we play...

In reply to Jon Stewart: Because sports people are more dedicated than climbers?

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:


It's not only the dedication, it's the industrial level of dedication that makes sport less appealing to me. I like the fact that raw talent and grit (pun intended) are what brings a climber to the cutting edge, rather than the dry science of genetics/physiology, training and doing everything possible within the rules to maximise performance.

In reply to rice boy:

Athletics and most sports in general would be better with a two tier system. 'Clean' and 'Pumped-full-of-every-drug-possible-thereby-seeing-the-potential-of-the-human-body-rather-than-human-spirit' or something like that.

nice one Ryan.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

I'm with you on the appeal of this sport being rooted (pun also intended) in less tangible/measureable qualities that's not to say it isn't with the emergence of sports science in climbing. Think Usian and Ryan both have some genes on their side and similar amounts of dedication pounding the track or seeking dry rock respectively.

Baron Greenback next??

In reply to Jon Stewart: Industrial level dedication is just dedication isn't it? I think the appeal of climbing is, you can make it more or less competitive, as it suits, whereas sprinting is all about beating your opponents.

Regarding climbing, I do wonder how much is raw talent and how much is hard work, coupled with getting a lot of mileage in from a young age. Add to that the ability to withstand hard training without getting injured all the time, which is at least partly genetic.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I'm talking really about hard grit routes. Sport climbing is obviously a lot more like sport and dependent on genetics and dedication. But hard grit also involves a slightly strange personality: the desire to do these really short, really technical, potentially injurious routes, in the freezing cold, wind and narrowly avoiding the wet.

If your way of reaching the cutting edge is training and dedication, you're not going to choose hard grit.

In reply to Jon Stewart: I did ignore the mental bit, which I think is mostly genetic, but I think you can train boldness too. I tend to avoid really bold stuff, but only a few years ago I was a gibbering wreck on a top-rope at Leeds Wall, leading a few grit HVS's is a big leap for me. It is also the case that the amount of boldness you can tolerate is partly related to your chances of falling off. Being stronger really does pay dividends, especially on grit. I think the top grit operators are incredibly strong, incredibly dedicated and incredibly well trained. They wouldn't have reached cutting edge without it, but I agree there is an extra ingredient required.

In reply to Franco Cookson:

Why do you say that Franco?

In reply to UKC News:

Really amazing. Such a fantastic piece of climbing. Well done both!