UKC

http://www.howtoclimbthreegradesharder.com/

Wouldnt we all like to gain three grades?

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I've seen this too and it looks a bit crap. Also much more designed for lower grades climbers by the looks of things.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I've never used it personally, but if you search on the forums there's plenty of praise for it.

I'd be surprised if for very many people a combination of the knowledge provided by a good book on training/tactics/etc and the catalyst it provides to actually put in the work required and really apply those ideas couldn't get them a few grades. There's "I'd like to gain 3 grades" and there's "I know what I need to do and I'm prepared to put the work in to actually gain 3 grades", and the two are very different.

In reply to Hazelnuts:

Must be pointless rubbish then.......

In reply to Postmanpat:

Probably quite useful for me then....

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:


And me

I've not read it but I gather some people do think it's good. I gained three grades after reading another book.

Your profile doesn't reveal much about your background. Are you already crushing E6/7c or are you bumbling around E1/6a+. That might answer the question of whether it's any use to you.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

It may well be good but given that the website looks like any number of similar sites for weight-loss/home-working/penis-extensions I'm inclined not to be interested in his book.

The three exclamation marks in the title also put me off.

In reply to Kieran_John:

Also when reading the text of the website I can't help but see this guy:

http://wikicheats.gametrailers.com/images/c/c1/Stan.gif

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I haven't read it, I probably should. The author is an occasional UKC poster and a really nice guy, who I have climbed with.

Do a search, there are a few threads about it, I get the impression it divides people, but it has certainly helped many.

In reply to Kieran_John:

Yes, the website put me off too as did the fact the book comes as a PDF with password protection - which isn't nearly as a convenient as a Kindle book you can just open and read without looking for a password.

On the other hand it is an entertaining read and there is a lot of good advice. It's more motivational with little anecdotes than deeply technical - but then a lot of the stuff you need to do to climb better is pretty obvious the difficult bit is actually making yourself do it.

I thought it was worth the money but its not something I'd read more than once.

In reply to Hazelnuts:

It's not. Plenty of it is well known/common sense but if you follow it you will probably improve.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I thought this was a good read which distils some key principles of redpointing very sensibly.

It's probably not aimed at people who are climbing in the high F7s and above, as they will probably have already learned the key bits of information it's trying to teach you about route choice, tactics and preparation.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers: ditto - it is a good read, it points out some really important stuff in an entertaining fashion. It very much stresses redpointing - something that some people get all sniffy about but which is pretty essential if you want to climb harder. Also sensible things like clean your shoes, read the route, don't try something hard if it's hot humid weather. Yes it might seem obvious! And also the absolute killer statement - you can't be an (insert grade here) climber unless you try (insert grade here) climbs. The website is indeed utter sh1te and looks like the worse sort of scam - it isn't. I've met Mike and climbed with him, he is a really nice and knowledgeable guy and superbly good at relaxing and encouraging one up hard routes.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers: I haven't read it but I can highly recommend The Self-Coached Climber and Dave MacLeod's 9 out of 10 climbers.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers: I've read it and I think it's a great book. I've also read a few of the other books mentioned - for example, 'The Self-Coached Climber' - and I've always found really good ideas are found with an open mind. When you consider that, as individuals, we all approach this sport with different ways of learning, then it's not surprising that there isn't a single universal approach which applies consistently.

To be honest, I haven't found a book which does it all yet...nor do I expect to!

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

It helped me.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers: I read it and went from F6a/6a+ to F7a+, working F7b at the moment. Did have some personal help from Mick as well.