In reply to UKC News:
I'm not so surprised, that Beat's route has got a late upgrade. In those times people like Beat or Manolo (Zanolla) where kind of silent heroes, not so mediate, not so keen on assigning new milestones, just improving daily their own impressive skills. No reason for degrading other routes. I think with an increasing number of high end climbs there is need of more degrees to avoid incoherent crowds in certain ranges. The old discussion about Hubble and Action Directe was quite simple: Two routes, apparently of different characteristics, probably of different difficulties - two at the same degree or one degree for each. But what to do with 150 routes of 9a+ or more? Are they really well specified in a range from 9a+ to 9b+ (and 9c without confirmation)? And further on, when all these amazing 13 to 15 old rookies will reach their twenties, doing futurist FAs in factory style. Will we continue the antiinflacionist style of admitting only to the very best of all to move on carefully the scale for another 6th part of the French grading? Just a question?
Barbara Zangerl has repeated Cédric Lachat's Speed Integrale, 9a, at Voralpsee, Switzerland. This was Babsi's first of the grade.
