UKC

"Rob's just been in the shop singing the praises of his father-in-law the infamous Stevie Haston. It seems that Stevie did his first 8c+ yesterday, a route called "descent en enfer" at the Grotte de Sabart in Ariege. So as Stevie's part sponsored by V12 (He gets free coffee and anything else his oth...

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/older.html?month=12&year=2008#n45521

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

That really is IMPRESSIVE.(So more more than if it was the latest wonderkid.)


Congratulations.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

Brilliant! It is good to see him back in the news with such a bang, he seemed to have disappeared off the radar for a while. Good stuff, no more excuses from us about being to old any more then.

Stuart

In reply to Removed User:
Good stuff, no more excuses from us about being to old any more then.
Good Stuff - it is a travesty! I've been looking forward to being old to have a decent excuse and it's been robbed. With the likes of manolo, Rab Carrington, and other luminaries climbing hard into their 50s and beyond. I'm going to have to find something else to explain my inabilities.

In reply to James Moyle: lOVE THE FACT THAT I CAN ONLY GET BETTER AS A LATE STARTER TO THIS GAME ITS GOOD TO KNOW IT HAS NO LIMITS

In reply to TPLUVSU: HOW NICE FOR YOU. eesh

In reply to James Moyle: to have to find something else to explain my inabilities

Howabout not being old enough to climb hard routes ?

This looks like a good place to link to....


...this: http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=926

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

Well impressed but he's only 51 BTW or else I'm more senile than I thought...!

I can't use the excuse of being too old now though...

Cheers Ron

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

I remember a skinny youth turning up at the Bradford wall in autumn 1976. Even then, it was obvious that he was something special... but just how special we had no way of knowing.

Brilliant effort Stevie! Fight the good fight - always. Love to L.

All best wishes,

Mick

In reply to martin heywood:



That should read "much more" not "more more"

In reply to martin heywood: more than if it was the latest wonderkid


Get with the programme Martin - old is the new young

In reply to Simon Lee:



Oh Bollocks, I am going to have to start performing then.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: Awesome achievement from a truely original climber.Back in history his displays of power at Sobell climbing wall in london were visionary.Some of his dynos i bet are still unrepeated.No mats,bouncy people with good knees should only apply.

In reply to Simon Lee:


So....does that mean young is the old old? *confused-dot-com*

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: You oldies should chill out and get fat.Pointless trying to compete with Mr Haston.

In reply to paul mitchell: Hi Paul, come and stay anytime.
Al

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:
awesome whats next 9a?

In reply to broughton power:

Very probably.

Mick

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

Impressive. I wonder why he never got to this level when he was at his strongest ?

In reply to GrahamD:

I would like Haston's take on this. You assume he is not now at his strongest but strength gains are still possible until you are 60 and its strength to weight that counts and he may have dieted to a weight lower than before. He did climb an 8c some years ago but IIRC then lost interest in sport climbing especially the training and dieting sacrifices required. But clearly he must have reapplied himself again - maybe the realisation of time running out stimulating the extra motivation. Of course getting up routes at any level isn't just about strength though it is particularly important on ludicrously overhanging limestone.

There is a general rising tide that lifts all boats effect or peer pressure if you like that removes some self imposed psychologiocal barriers of what is possible through application. Training techniques have also improved. Hearing grey power achievements like Haston's (or Rab, Keith and Al Austin) has that effect on the rest of us. Great innit.

In reply to Simon Lee:

From the great man himself, over on UKB:

"Since meeting [Alex] Chabot and some other fit people I got the bug (again) and decided I didnt want to be the big fat strong guy working easy 8s. So 20 lbs of lipo-suction later I am a bit better..."

In reply to duncan:

Knew Stevie had been training hard but didn't realise how hard! This is a stunning achievement.

In reply to GrahamD:


Well he wasn't that far short of it. (And, as Simon suggests, he may well be at his strongest now.) But a few years ago, Stevie was heavily into ice climbing, really pushing the boundaries. And he's always had a penchant for scary trad. And hard-core Alpinism... More recently, he took up caving and reached a high standard very quickly.

Stevie pushes himself hard, very hard indeed. A few weeks ago he climbed a F8c. He was self-effacing about it - but clearly it was just a warm-up!

Mick

In reply to seagull: This is a stunning achievement

I think so but I wonder if he does ?

To follow on from his poser on his UKB thread "British standards -Shit or not shit?" - Is it stunning or does it appear stunning because in the UK most of us are just not psyched/organised enough to try/train hard enough ??!!!!

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:
An awesome achievement made even better by his age.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

I must look out an awesome rant about bolts by Stevie from a mag of about 1985.

Any bets on 9a?

jcm

In reply to Mick Ward:

I was probably judgeing 'his strongest' by his magazine articles which was obviously a mistake !

In reply to GrahamD:

You're forgiven! I think the thing is that none of us knows what this guy was (and is) capable of. Maybe he doesn't either. Maybe that's his quest...

What's fascinating is how Stevie's wife, Laurence, saw this astounding talent and got him to focus it.

Behind every great man there's a women with an electric cattle prod.

Mick

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:
Oldest person to climb 8c+?

In reply to james oswald:

Hmm... Manolo? And F9a??

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward:

Ya

Jan 22: 48 year old Maurizio "Manolo" Zanolla climbs 9a/+

http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/older.html?month=1&year=2008#n42257