UKC

Gravity is central to climbing, in that it holds us to the earth's surface, and makes pulling ourselves up steep rocks pretty damn hard. But what if gravity (G) isn't a constant force?

Here UKC look at not only the long term trend of gravitational decline, but also localised gravitational anomalies, and how they could affect your climbing.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=68821

In reply to UKC News:

Should make it easier for those pigs to take off

In reply to UKC News:

This must be Ondra's secret!!

In reply to UKC News:

And what would the date be?

In reply to UKC News:

I am wondering if the research could be extended to gravitational differences between climbing walls. Down in Devon the crust is definitely thicker in the Tavistock area than in Plymouth for example.

In reply to UKC News:

Couldn't help but be reminded of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9DrYnzfRVVg#t...

In reply to UKC News:

Pity this helpful phenomenon is likely to be quite short-lived.

In reply to UKC News:

love it

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

It may well reoccur in 12 months time!

In reply to UKC News:

The ultimate argument to confirm the article thesis is that it's more difficult to climb down, than to climb up - definitely must be the gravity reversion....

Cheers
RS

In reply to UKC News:

does this mean that 8a will be the new bimbling grade?

In reply to UKC News:

Today's gravitational pull is mainly focused on the leg

In reply to UKC News:

too obvious

In reply to Johnny Baker:

Excellent!

In reply to UKC News:

Its the age-related variations in 'G' that are not fully understood. I have empirical evidence that suggests that gravitational pull has increased significantly during my last two decades of climbing.

It may, as you say, be central to climbing, but sometimes it isn't so much pulling me down in a straight line, but backwards as well.

In reply to Johnny Baker:

a deserved chortle

In reply to UKC News:

The article mentions an oscillating cycle; I am sure there is a small annual one, with an increase in the days just after Christmas.

In reply to Kafoozalem:


Pete, it's not the crust that is thicker in Tavistock, it's the residents! Us Okey beys be lean, mean climbing machines, whatever the increase in gravity.

In reply to Mark Kemball:


Sooner than that Mark. SW sea cliffs have their own, unique gravitational laws!

In reply to UKC News:

well theres the irony, gravity and the magnetic poles all relate to flows in the molten core and both can and are changing:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112717867/earth-core-magnetic-field-g...

all you have to do to hike your 8a.nu ranking is find a global location with a thinner crust

In reply to UKC News:

This is quite correct . It is due to symmetry breaking in the recently discovered but long predicted Higgs Field . The Higgs boson interacts strongly with top quarks giving them mass . The mass of the top quark varies around 170Gev/c squared which gives local variations in "g".
To climb steep routes it is best to synchronise with a full power collision at the LHC at CERN . The effect obeys an inverse square law with the distance from Geneva

In reply to UKC News:

Hmmm, thought Buoux was a bit tough, I'm off to Kalymnos for some ego massage! Hope these G adjustments still apply for future dates...

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Make sure you are in a secure position at midnight.

In reply to UKC News:

'G' is such an elusive thing to get your finger on. Been trying to get it nailed for years

In reply to UKC News:

Ah, this is good! I have long advocated for a special button on 8a.nu to exclude all Kalymnos ascents. But gravity takes care of that! So now my friends (whom I beat on crimpy seeping mosquito infested Swedish granite with on hand in pocket and chalkbag forgotten) will not be grinning as much when they return from yet another "succesfull" Kalymnos trip...!

But I feel sorry for the Kalymnos' economy; who would want to go now...?!

In reply to Kafoozalem:

Also think we need research into the higher gravitational pull on crags near pubs - known as the gravover. Seems to occur more on sundays.

In reply to UKC News:

The difference in gravity, especially of Kalymnos seem quite high to me. April fools?

In reply to UKC News:

There is a localised Gravity Storm over my bed every morning.

Makes it very difficult to get out of it.

But I persevere!

In reply to UKC News:
You have missed out some important values:

Curbar: +7.1%
High Tor: +5.4%
Cratcliffe: +5.1%
Millstone: +4.9%
Dinas Cromlech: 0% (UK average)
Lower Sharpnose: -3.7%
Shorn Cliff: -13.6%
Lleyn: doesn't matter because you will die anyway!

In reply to UKC News:


Believe it or not, near the summit of Everest you're so near the moon that its gravity overcomes the earth's gravity. If you weigh less than 50 kg, you must stay clipped into the the fixed ropes, or you can just float away into space. Fact!

In reply to UKC News:

i think you have all missed the point !!! this means i can now eat more pies and still climb the same as before with less gravity about !!!! Pukka pies here i come !!!

In reply to UKC News:

Why on earth do I have day after day high gravity climbing days?
I think they took the wrong data into account!

In reply to UKC News:

Not quite as good as the last 1st April on translating all the hill names into English but a good one nonetheless!

In reply to UKC News:

Is G really changing? I'm a bit worried about the effect on the solar system and galaxy if this is the case. If it is declining I think we may end up orbiting further from the sun which would hopefully improve winter climbing.

If g is decreasing then I'm losing weight.