UKC

Hello,

I want to climb F8b+. I currently climb about F7c.

My Stregths:

wallslab Technique
Finger Strength
height
I live in Innsbruck

My Weaknesses:
Upper body strength power
experience sport climbing
eat lots of fat
I don't have the endurance (ausdauer) for F8b+ either.


Thanks UKC. I know you will have good advice.

In reply to Anonymous:

Aren't we brave and witty, mr/ms anonymous.

Sorry - I can't help, Franco!

In reply to Anonymous:


Could do, but i quite fancy climbing someone else's. Good idea though

In reply to confusicating:

Don't worry, it'S glasgow witt.

In reply to Franco Cookson:
Climb 8a?

In reply to Wide_Mouth_Frog:

F8as don't look that good.

In reply to Franco Cookson:

Neither do 8b+'s.

In reply to Franco Cookson:

Well, start at the bottom and proceed vertically...

Seriously, there's probably less than a handful of users of the site who have climbed 8b+ and are qualified to offer advice. I'm certainly not, given the hardest thing I have ever climbed, indoors or outdoors, and clean or not clean (in this case not clean) is about 7b+/7c.

In reply to Franco Cookson:

Wait till you are back in the UK and go do the very big and the very small. That will suit you down to the ground. Failing that, use all the amazing rock and training facilities in and around Innsbruck to get stronger so you become more rounded. Can't hurt? Think how easy trad will feel when you are 8b+ fit!

In reply to Franco Cookson: The question is, why do you want to?

Is it so you can enjoy increasingly more demanding and satisfying challenges, or is it so you can say you climb F8b+?

Of course the answer is actually very simple - if you're good enough, you'll do it, if you're not, you won't.

In reply to Goucho:

I have a project at Danby Crag that is about F7c into a V10 move with no gear, so I'd like to have a little in reserve- if you must know.

And thanks Adam. I'm not after a soft F8b+ though, as I need to be able to use my arms for the route in question. VBAVS does look amazing though.

I was mainly interested in what ratios of circuits, finger boards, sport climbing, projecting etc works best for people.

In reply to Franco Cookson:

How high up is the V10 move? 0_O

In reply to Quarryboy: 8 metres above where you start, about 12 above where you'd land.

In reply to Goucho:

Why is that the question? Either of those are perfectly valid objectives.

In reply to Franco Cookson:
>
do a mr pearson. hook up a hot bird who climbs. i'm sure 8b+ will come easy then......

you'll be desperate to impress her.

In reply to tom290483:

Already got a reasonably 'hot bird' back in England unfortunately. Could make a 'promise' to her though that I'll climb F8b+ or she can leave me for her pig-faced housemate, could motivate me I suppose.

In reply to Franco Cookson: How long did you spend projecting your 7c? Regardless of what level you're at I've watched lots of relatively new to sport climbing people go up quite a few grades just by getting sorted with their tactics and really putting some effort into one route.

Of course if your 7c took you ten days of concerted effort, then ignore that and just go a get a coach or something. But if you did it on your third go, then just pick an 8b+ and start working it!

In reply to Franco Cookson: Lose some weight first

In reply to Franco Cookson:

Lol. Is she likely to read that?

In reply to TobyA:

It was second go, I've never worked a sport route. I tried an 8a a few times that wasn'tmy style, but didn't Manage it. My question was more 'how to get from F8a to F8b+, but I didnt want to say that because people would have just replied 'you haven't climbed F8a'.

In reply to jonny2vests:

Yeh, but she's pretty sound, which makes up for her only being 'reasonably hot'.

In reply to Franco Cookson:
Haha! I don't like the use of reasonably and unfortunately there babe...

In reply to Franco Cookson:


Well just try. My reasonably hard sport climbing mates would say you really haven't even started to find out what your redpoint limit is if you did second go. I imagine if you're almost flashing 7c then with some dedication and organisation redpointing 8b+ isn't such a huge thing. Just find one that suits your style is relatively local to you.

In reply to Franco Cookson:
> And thanks Adam. I'm not after a soft F8b+ though, as I need to be able to use my arms for the route in question. VBAVS does look amazing though.

Don't think there is anything soft about VBAVS though If you want route recommendations for around Innsbruck, get in contact with James Pearson, he lives there part time so knows the score. Mail me if you need his email addy.

In reply to TobyA:

Well, I reckon it is a FAIRLY huge thing Toby. Training etc is normally compulsory, not sure if Franco is into that.

In reply to Franco Cookson:
meditate, imagine yourself doing the route, then become the route, then float up it like a bird. peasy

In reply to Franco Cookson:

Hi Franco

If you realy want to climb an F8b+ then it makes sence to seek one that matches your existing strengths.

If you want to raise your climbing standard to 8b+ then you need to improve your weaknesses by climbing more routes regardless of grade that do not suit your style.

If you just want to climb your project at Danby then you could seek out a route that best matches the project but is a little steeper, a little longer and requires a little more power and try doing multiple laps on it until it feels easy when you are tired.

There should be some very good facilites very near where you live now!

In reply to Franco Cookson:

If you're serious, i think the best advice would be to be patient and 'serve your time'. Once you've done this, then you will climb it. Unfortunately, this is typical of the youth culture, wanting it and wanting it *now*. That isnt meant to be a personal attack, just an observation. Just do the work and you'll get the result you desire.

In reply to Franco Cookson:

You're punching way above your weight!

In reply to Submit to Gravity:

You#ve obviously not seen me outside of Ronhills.


Thanks for les advice. Steve is right about working on weakesses to get to a consistent level. Adam Lincoln, You have Mail.

In reply to Franco Cookson: Are you built like a gypsy's dog - all bones and cock?

In reply to Submit to Gravity:

I meant you've obviously never seen me in my trendy attire, rather than sans anything.Anyway, more about dedicated training and less about my erectile dysfunction.

In reply to Franco Cookson:

There's your problem Franco, you'll never climb 8b+ in Ronhills, you need Lycra !!!!!

In reply to chris fox: Please don't encourage him, i have to belay.

In reply to Franco Cookson: hi franco. fairly sure the short answer for u will be bouldering for power. you can do this by getting on a 8b that suits and trying to do the moves bolt to bolt. if you struggle to do them while fresh then repeat at 8a+ and 8a. straigtforward bouldering may be more fun but unless you find some good limestone bouldering it will not be quite as specific.

innsbrusck sounds terrific have a blast. check out the beach volleyball courts when lonely a truly splendid site.

watch out the love of a good woman can make you fat.

In reply to Franco Cookson:

from your previous posts and description above, here is my advice. Lots of guesswork.

I'm guessing you don't like training. Otherwise I'd advise going to your local wall, which probably has the biggest concentration of world-class climbers anywhere and finding a coach.

Since that's probably out, you need to get strong, and you need to get fit. To get strong, do a lot of steep bouldering. To get fit, finish every day you go route climbing with 4-5 labs on something a few grades below your onsight level. If you're falling off the last lap, it's about right.

Based on your climbing to date, if you're prepared to spend a lot of time getting really tired, you'll climb 8b+ in a year or so, I'd have thought...

In reply to Franco Cookson:

Has any of this got anything to do with trying this?

vimeo.com/6824917

In reply to jonny2vests:

No, I don't think you need F8b+ fitness for that and stop trying to blow my onsight.

In reply to Franco Cookson:

Right, didn't know onsight was the deal. Well, I giess F8b+ would give you a nice comfort zone, not sure what french grade it gets.

In reply to Franco Cookson:

There are some links to articles about training for climbing at the top of the Fit Club thread. (They get reposted every week.) The people on the thread who train for hard sports routes sometimes talk about a pyramid of routes (I think?) which sounds like a good principle.

In reply to Franco Cookson:

So you want to get good on the best climbing Austria has to offer so you can complete a project on Danby crag....WTF man!

In reply to Franco Cookson: Try http://www.howtoclimbthreegradesharder.com/ Seriously, you will learn something and you will improve.

In reply to jonny2vests:

Cheers - never seen that vid.

Franco - good luck with that.

In reply to Franco Cookson: Sounds like you need to get strong bouldering V10 on the same, or similar, rock-type to your project's crux rather than trying to climb more 'typical' sport routes to succeed on your route. If it's only 10 or so metres with a V10 crux you won't need the power-endurance to climb hard for 20 metres.

In reply to Franco Cookson:


I'm not climbing anywhere near that level, but my advice would be:
-Increase upper body strength, get on a beastmaker and campus board
-Do some more tough sport climbs
-Don't eat fat, maybe go vegan for a bit
-Increase endurance, go for a jog and climb some easy sport routes, going up and down 4/5 times before stopping and letting your mate have a go

In reply to Morgan Woods:



I take it you have never been to Danby Crag?

I have kind of given up on trying to persuade people to visit the moors, but all I will say is that everyone I now who has ever gone there has fallen in love with the place.

The routes are often short and some times dirty, but it's a magical place. Take a look at http://betaguides.blogspot.com/ for some of the pictures Lee has taken of the place.

In reply to Franco Cookson:


Have I got this right? - you've moved to Innsbruck to get strong for a new route at Danby Crag. If this ain't another wind up I'm impressed.

You will get your answers at the local climbing gym which is presumably why you've gone there in the first place.

In reply to Franco Cookson: You could ask this guy http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/profile.php?id=110093 After a break from climbing for a few years he set himself the task of climbing 8a in a year and managed it. A couple of grades below what you're aiming for but I imagine the principle's the same.

In reply to Franco Cookson:

I'd be interested in hearing how you approach this training Franco. A number grade (and then some!) above my ambitions but I haven't ever done much in the way of training. I'm now considering actually putting some effort in over the winter.

Chris

In reply to shark:


Surely the wind up is that he's moved to Innsbruck but decides UKC forums are still the best place to ask for this sort of advice.

In reply to shark:


Thanks all for the advice.


Kraft durch Schmertzen.

Frankie

In reply to Franco Cookson: I am in no way whatsoever qualified to offer advice-

but I'd say work on all those weaknesses, in a structured training pattern, eg- long circuits on hard-ish boulder problems for the endurance- uneven pull ups/ clapping pull ups and dyno routes bouldering for power, work the core strength a bit, try and loose aditional weight, and obiously- climb more!


If I took my own advice I wonder where I'd be...