UKC

Here is a Tick List from Udo Newman posted on Twitter.. for anyone who is looking for a super hard 2nd Ascent... the original list of THE HARDEST #CLIMBING MOVES, massive update with lots of video links! http://bit.ly/WpKkTe

In reply to Iain McKenzie:

Am I right in assuming these are all sport routes or boulder problems? Shame to rule out trad as being "too easy" if the only factor is a measure of hardest moves? There are several trad routes with 8C and above individual moves.

Think I must be getting old! Climbing for me is about so much more than just how hard can you pull.

In reply to Sandstone Stickman:

font 8C?


If your into sport climbing and bouldering then generally it is more about the physicality than anything else. If you want to be a good sport climber you have to want to train hard.

Dont get me wrong you can still enjoy the movement over rock on a hard sport climb as much as on a easier trad route though.

In reply to tom290483:

Yes but hard moves aren't always about physicality in the classical sense, some are just weird. I've always wondered how Ondra would get on with the heel hook rock over on dynamics of change.

In reply to tom290483: Fair point, I was meaning French 8C, looking again, a lot of the sport routes listed may not even have very hard (comparitivly!!) moves, rather, getting the grade based on the stamina / lenght of route. In which case, I wonder how the free version of the Long hope route (one example) might compare?

In reply to Sandstone Stickman:

Didn't Caff downgrade that (LHR) crux pitch to French 8a+ difficulty? Even less likely to feature on the list...

Didnt really recognise many off that list but did see things like southern smoke direct on there which is almost certainly there for the difficulty of the boulder start?

In reply to jonny2vests:

He would piss it like everything else!

In reply to AJM:
I never did understand how he was able to offer the downgrade. If he was talking about the pitch just as a standalone climb then thats one thing but I bet it feels harder than that after you've climbed all the previous pitches and dealt with the fulmars!

In reply to Arms Cliff:

He probably would, but with Ondra's limbs its hard to imagine he'd use the same solution as young Whittaker. Maybe he'd mantle.

In reply to Iain McKenzie:

Good to see the Gaskins test pieces getting a mention!

In reply to jonny2vests: He'd find it quite easy on a top rope I think. It's about font 7a+. The crux is getting to that hold. Whether Ondra would be able to do it with the run out is another matter. The sequence Pete W. used is not the easiest if you've got long arms.

In reply to tom290483:

I'm pretty sure McLeod graded it 8b+ as a standalone pitch so I dont think it's a terribly difficult comparison.

McLeod said E10 for that pitch E11 for the route and Caff said E8 for that pitch iirc which led everyone to speculate E9 for the route.

In reply to AJM:

Fair enough. I suppose the main difference for the overall E grade would be the fact that MacLeod climbed the whole thing on a stripped down rack to save weight. I'm guessing McHaffie was able to ab down with a full rack on him?

I'd fall off and die whether it was E8 or E11 so makes no difference to me!

In reply to tom290483:

Well, the 2 French grades would suggest an E grade or two difference in their own right!?

As for the rack, you might be right. Which is right though - if the gears there does the "correct" grade assume you skip it to save weight???

In reply to Franco Cookson:

Font 7A+, Is that all? Maybe I should get on it. I assume you have Franco, or maybe you're still a grit hating nonconformist. If I remember right, he dynos to get that hold, what makes that harder than the rockover? Genuine question.

In reply to jonny2vests: I couldn't do the dyno on a shunt, but maybe that was because I was on a shunt? It's an incredibly intimidating place to be and the move is hard. The crux is placing your right foot blindly so that you can then get your left foot placed steadily on the hold. Font 7a+ might not sound like much- every man and his dog can climb that down at the wall- but there aren't many people out there who can climb a proper font 7a+ with that fall potential.

I'm not sure I ever said I hated grit. A lot of it is pretty samey, but this route really sticks out. I loved the move and would like to get it done one day, but I'd need to be local to get a good few sessions on it in good conditions. I was trying it when it was a bit green and it was rank, even the crux of braille trail felt hard.

In reply to Franco Cookson:

Yeah, gets pretty grim that section, can feel freezing in Summer. I hope you get it done Franco, it is special, I was lucky enough to watch Pete on the FA, probably the best bit of clmbng I've ever seen in the flesh.

In reply to jonny2vests: It's probably one of the best pieces of climbing that's ever occurred. For line, difficulty and distortion of the orthodoxy you can't get a lot better. Probably not much on grit that fewer people could do either. Definitely inspirational.