UKC

Jack Geldard takes a look at the Trad achievements of 2007. With comments from some of the UK's leading traditional climbers and a run down of some of the hardest routes - both onsight and headpoint, this is an in-depth, historical record of British climbing at it's best.

Read More: http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=797

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:Forgot to say:-

Coming very soon are the Sport, Bouldering, Alpine articles.

And in a couple on months, UK Winter.

Jack

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:


Good article - I expect a lot of work went into that to confirm details.

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:

Nice work - thank you.

jcm

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:

Really good stuff. One picky issue I think male onsights really need to be E7 upwards to make these sorts of articles. To get round the 'hundreds onsight E7's ever day' point (complete bull) invite people to submit stuff for an update or for next year.

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:
I agree, good review.

Can I be pedentic though, and point out that Dawes couldn't have used a gri-gri to check out Gaia: they hadn't been invented in 1985/6. I thought he had just abbed the top (thinking it was going to be easy), but toproped the entry into the groove (didn't Woodward tell him this was the hard bit?).

In reply to Offwidth: I think the E6 onsights that are included are important - one was on the same day as 2 other E7 G-U ascents. An amazing day of climbing by Ryan P.

The other 2 are onsight First Ascents - very impressive.

But on the whole E6 onsights are fairly common by men, so we agree there.

I also agree with your invite for info. That's exactly what I'd like to do.

Cheers,

Jack

In reply to Jon Read: Hi Jon,

AFAIK he didn't top-rope any of it. I'll change the Gri Gri bit.

Thanks for the info.

Jack

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:

Fair do's. I guess enough routes at any grade in a day would be impressive (like the 100 extremes test).

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor: Inspiring stuff and a great read. Cheers Jack.

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:
I enjoyed that--good job. I'm looking forward to the winter article.

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:
What an excellent article, Jack, I enjoyed every bit of it.

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:

Excellent. You have redeemed yourself.

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:

Good Stuff.

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:

"Bring on 2008 and maybe an E12 or an E8 onsight"

I though E8 had alreay been onsighted. Birkett on Fear of Faliure?

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor: good stuff, reminds me a little of neil foster's column in High, which is a good thing - a column I miss! keep up the good work.

In reply to beegsyboy: AFAIK Fear of Failure was first climbed after abseil inspection and originally graded E7 by the first ascentionist. Who also took 'the fall' on to 'the peg'. Grading it E7 because it held, with discussion of a possible upgrade to E8 in the future if the peg gets considerably worse.

It has subsequently been suggested that it is actually E8. Therefore some confusion still exists as to the grade. E7/8? Certainly hard, that's for sure and certainly one of the hardest onsights in the UK.

There lies the difficulty of: A. Grading relying on fixed gear and B. Grading relying on a bit of kit holding or not - ie. it's E7 if that peg holds, and E8 if it doesn't. Seeing as though most people wouldn't want to test that theory out - how do we 'confirm' it either way?

Jack

As for a totally undisputed E8 onsight? Lets hope for one in 2008.

Jack

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:
Good article. To be pedantic, and I may be wrong here, but didn't Caff blow the onsight on Masters Edge by splitting a tip? I didn't think anyone had ever flashed/onsighted it?

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:



Dave Birkett on "Fear of Failure"?

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:

Great article Jack.

Will, didi yuo actually read that post?

In reply to Will Hunt: he climbed back to the ground, then did it. That's onsight in my eyes

In reply to GDes:

That's a double onsight - onsight up, then an onsight down climb....then back up again.

What is he on?

Amazing.

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:

Superbly thorough and very interesting.

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:

Good work, I enjoyed that.
jk

In reply to Mick Ryan - Editor - UKC:


I refer you to rule 2.4.15 subclause e) A climber shall be deemed to have unsuccessfully completed an attempt on a climb if she/he....once having started, touches the ground with any part of the body. BMC Leading Ladder rules innit.

I am foreigner climber and I am not understand:

" Nic Sellers showed exceptional style with a virtually onsight (no pre practice, just a little sequence info) ascent of Balance It Is (E7 6c) at Burbage." -??? Is it flash or onsight?

" After his wife pre-placed a small wire on abseil, Jordan flashed Carmen Picasso"- PRe-placed??



My question : DO YOU HAVE SOME RULES?

In reply to Billy the Kid:

>"DO YOU HAVE SOME RULES?"

More 'guidelines' than rules per se...

In reply to GDes:
Oh right, missed that bit. Extra waddage then!

Doesnt that mean that Caff is the true master? Didnt Jerry or Ron (cant remember which) say that whoever could onsight The Master's Edge would be a true master and he's the only one to have managed it?

In reply to Simon Lee:
Dave McLeod says different. Apparently if you downclimb it without weighting the rope then it can still count. Fair enough in my opinion. Thats why he opted to climb the first bit of Trauma, place the crucial gear, make sickening downclimbing moves to the ground, have a big long rest then fire through the whole route to the end.

In reply to Will Hunt:

Only a true master could solo it on-sight. I think when Jerry was trying ME he didn't envision any protection in the shot holes.

In reply to Will Hunt:


He will have to go through the correct channels by proposing a resolution to amend the clause at the BMC AGM have gained ratification and a vote of approval at an Area Meeting.

and crashpad!

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor: Fabulous article Jack - really good.

I for one would love to read more articles like that. Maybe a new routing round up of Brits around the world. Or a world news round up focusing on some of the top climbers we should, but possibly don't, know about.

Well done again

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:
No onions this time?

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:
Nice one, would be good to make it a yearly thing.
Purely a point of grading pedantry/enquiry and utterly against the spirit of the article..
I thought Macleod didn't properly comment on the grade for blind vision other than saying it was easier than E9s he's done but harder than E8s...

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:

There was an E8 repeat and E9 first ascent reported from Sweden this fall on 8a.nu that did not make the UKC news (Mick may have been eating onions or playing with Ben's gusseted crotch). If you report on Sonnie's new route why not the Swedish routes too?

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:
Here's the report
From 8a.nu, November 12 2007:

"Stefan Wulf, 37, has, during this summer and fall, been responsible for a revival of hard trad climbing in Sweden.

After making the first repeat of Leo Holding's Savage Horse, E9 6c (7c+), at Häller in May and a "shallow water solo" ascent of Elefantsprickan, 8a+, at Lake Rudan, in August, he returned to Häller where he repeated Walk the line, E8 6?(8a), and established Masculine, E9 6b (7c+)and Dreadline, E8/9 6c (8a). Maybe it's time to tell Dave McLeod to pop over?"

In reply to luke skywalker:

Why didn't you tell us Luke? A simple email will do. Or if you see anything submit via

http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/sendnews.html

We can cover a lot and we do, but don't expect to be spoon fed like in the old days.

Cheers,

Mick

In reply to luke skywalker:


Likewise those highballs at Bishop that appear to be on 'boulders' taller than most grit crags, various impressive trad stuff done on Pyrenean crags, something in Norway whose name escapes me, etc. Meanwhile at Indian Creek I expect all sorts of female ascents of cracks took place at a higher equivalent grade than the soft E5 that is considered newsworthy in Blighty. However I think the UKC management don't like to frighten the readers too much ... the notion that trad climbing is a uniquely British phenomenon being apparently critical to many UKCers feelings of self-worth.

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:
Nice roundup, more of the same please.

Matt

In reply to tobyfk and luke:

To be fair to Jack and Mick, the article is titled UK Trad 2007.

Sonnie Trotter is obviously now "one of us" having kipped in a park in Dunbie. and Alberta is obviously the UK as it's named after a German.

In reply to luke skywalker: Hi Luke,

They sound like very impressive ascents. It was mainly a UK trad round-up, I decided to put Sonnie Trotter's new route in there because it is possibly a contender for the 'hardest trad route in the world' (whatever that means). It's certainly very very hard -in the E10 region.

A fine line has to be struck between inclusiveness and readability.

Thanks for the info.

Jack

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:

Not nitpicking but what about Sam & Ben's traverse of Stanage & Ben & Lee's solo of Gaia by headtorch...or does that come under highball bouldering ;o

In reply to Morgan Woods:

Bit of Chinese whispers there, Gaia was soloed by one of the the team (ben I think) and was defintely during the day (I was there, stuck on lone tree groove), you are thinking of Parthian shot headpointed by
head torch...

In reply to duncan:


Indeed .... I almost wrote that also.

Are the Irish "one of us"? I vaguely recall there were some pretty impressive doings at Fair Head, Mournes and the Burren last year. FH and the Mournes are even in the UK ... arguably.

In reply to tobyfk:
As far as I know, there weren't any E7 onsights or E9 repeats in NI last year, which seem to be the magic grades for inclusion..

In reply to abarro81:

E8 repeat .. is that below the cut-off?
http://www.fairheadclimbers.com/pages/latest_news/latest_news.htm

In reply to tobyfk:

Yup, the only E8s in there seem to be stuff downgraded from harder.. I think if you started putting E8s in where would you stop - only first 2 ascents? First 3? All?? Too many.. E7 onsight and E9 headpoint seems a good cut-off to me (for the men)..

In reply to Tyler:


ENVISAGE! THE WORD IS ENVISAGE.

Only illiterate Americans think the noun form 'vision' could be a verb.

jcm

In reply to Simon Lee:

Of course downclimbing's still an onsight. Who cares what competition rules say?

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:


......and editors of the OED.......



You'll be telling us next that Jebediah Springfield was wrong to use the word embiggened!

In reply to johncoxmysteriously: Who cares what competition rules say?



So who has lost their sense of humour now ? or is it the way I tell em.

However, I am surprised the documented rules of a similar sport are not of passing interest to an ethics expert like you. As for me the minutiae of competition climbing rules are no more or less nerdy or interesting than the minutiae of what constitutes an onsight - ie not very - if that wasn't clear enough.

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:

You left out all the e7's, e8's and possibly e9's that Ricky Bell did in Ireland. To be honest volume wise he probably did as many as anyone. Mostly repeats and first ascents in the Mournes and Fair head. Many of the first ascents with minimal or no practice.

check out www.underdevelopedireland.com for the dvd to prove

In reply to superkonduktor:
I don't think Rick did any E8s or E9s last year did he?

In reply to Jack Geldard - Assistant Editor:

For the record, Gary Gibson's old route on Lundy Hey Gringo)was graded E7 (with the bolts)- this puts an added touch of class to Neils ascent of Quetzalcoatl.

Simon Cardy

In reply to slimecrime: Thank you Simon, now changed.

Best,

Jack

In reply to Tyler:

It's a perfectly cromulent word.

In reply to superkonduktor: Hi Superkonductor,

I've spoken to Ricky and he said he didn't do any in 2007. It sounds like he's been busy with loads of hard climbing, new E7's after abseil cleaning etc. but nothing to go in this report.

Thanks anyway.

Jack