UKC

I think I figured this out yesterday, its by having better feet than tall people.

In reply to jonnie3430: Ape index as well - those short people like sutty and Rushby have knuckles that scrape the deck!

In reply to jonnie3430:

When Joe Brown was asked that question, he said he just climbed up to them.

In reply to jonnie3430:

'climb up to them' Joe Brown.

In reply to jonnie3430:

Short prople are fitter than tall people because they get more mileage out of any given route by having to climb further.......that's my theory anyway.

Thats why the sit start was invented.

In reply to jonnie3430:

The main reason is that they need to be stronger so that they can use the shit holds in between the good holds.

The Ent

In reply to jonnie3430: just think of johny dawes, that will tell the lot

In reply to jonnie3430:

I find a combined approach of good footwork, clever use of intermediate holds, copious bitching and the ability to get my foot up somewhere near my ear gets me up most things, despite only being 5'1". Sheer bloodymindedness also helps but sometimes moves are just impossible for me until I improve my technique or develop the ability to do a pull up on a pebble.

In reply to jonnie3430:

Alternatively buy a copy of the Lancashire Brick, and if you're really short get the Yorkshire Grit guide as well to put on top of it as a second step!

In reply to Yorkspud: Also they miss out on the really good moves on the crux. I feel sorry for tall people....

In reply to JIMBO:

Climbing's actually hardest for average sized climbers..like me...who can justifiably put an extra grade onto each route seeing as we're not as strong as short climbers and don't have tall climbers reach.

eg King Crank Pen Trwyn - about 5b if you can reach the hold 6a without (though given 6b - obviously for average sized climbers)

In reply to jonnie3430:
Friend of mine uses dynos alot...yep...heelhook dynos (todys wall)

Just think, you get more climbing from a route, for tall gits its all over in 5 minutes.

In reply to jonnie3430:

I'm average height at 5.9 but the way I get up to holds that 'tall' people can reach easily is by laughing at all those amusing barn door/over balanced falls that tall people take when the holds are close together and require being flexible.

It's amazing how 'disadvantages' become positive learning experiences. My lack of reach and strength has taught me fairly good technique. My flatmate who is probably only 5 inches taller than me rapidly looses his strength and after about 3 routes is already talking of going home. For a guy that goes to the gym twice a week and runs for miles this doesn't equate. So I watched him climbing. He purely uses his arms to drag himself up stuff that he can reach. He's never had to develop footwork or technique and he really suffers for it.

In reply to jonnie3430: I've had more arguments about this with my 6'2" pal (I'm 5'6-7")than god knows, when I went to climb his new routes. Somehow he managed to bolt routes with only reaches a 6'2" person could get to at somepoint in the route. Its a terrible excuse but I'm not joking, about 75% of his lines were just impossible at somepoint for me, usualy overhanging. Eventually he came to the conclusion I was an alien, and I came to the conclusion he is a shit route setter and some moves are just impossible if you don't have the stretch.

In reply to chickenpox: im short but said i would not use this as an excuse for not being able to do some moves this year, instead i trained harder and used more good foot work and tecneck. and so far iv had a good sucsess rate although the hight thing is is such a easy excuss to use when you fail because your realy not good enough to do a particuler move.

In reply to tommyzero:
Thats rilly odd. me and my mate are exactly the opposite. he's rilly tall and I'm 5'8ish, but I'm miles stronger than him but can't use my feet for shit. I pull myself up everything and dyno when I have to (read, "can") whereas he has the cheek to use his feet all the friggin time.

In reply to russty:

Yeh, but the fact that I normally climb about the same as my mate and on these routes couldnt get near some ofthe holds says to me 'some things are impossible'. If your overhanging and all of his lines are (he's a cranky juggy feet on chickenskin kind of climber) and your trying to hit these jugs/holds from a negative gravity its almost impossible (obviously I'm telling you about lines you've never done so its not gospel). Your right though, good excuse. I don't care about my grade anymore I go out to do as hard a climb as I can, I don't let it upset me like it used to. I used to say to long people stretch has no impact on grade at all, its all about skill and working around it.Now I don't care I can be honest and say it does! Sounds backwards doesn't it!

In reply to Yorkspud:


I agree! Take, for example, the Nose, Burbage West. I'm too short for the tall person's beta and I'm too tall for the short person's beta!

In reply to jonnie3430:

By carrying around less weight and by having a good weight/muscle ratio. Just a guess.

In reply to Regis Von Goatlips:

I stand no bloody chance then!

In reply to Lord of Starkness: When I first started climbing I used to use my height, or lack of, as an excuse (I'm around 5' 5") but then I climbed with 'Cubby' Cuthbertson a little who's around the same height but was climbing much, much harder routes & had to admit I climbed badly because I didn't have the same technique & strength, and probably not the same determination to improve