In reply to Samuel:
> (In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com)
> There's two simple styles here- headpointed or on-sited. What's the problem as long as ascents are reported honestly?
Yes full disclosure is useful.
There is a fundamental problem with the reporting of headpointed routes, and this goes for all headpoint ascents.
We are lead to believe that the first ascensionist of a pre-practiced route gives the route an onsight grade (I'm not so sure about this at all - I think it may vary).
So,
Johnny Bignumbers, give his latest creation,
The Big Groove an onsight grade of E12. Now he hasn't actually done an E12, as that is the hypothetical onsight grade.
All the same,
The Big Groove is touted as the first E12. The headlines run at climbing websites and the climbing mags worldwide,
The UK's First E12; hardest trad route in the world.
A film is made,
E12. Johnny Bignumbers does a slide show tour of the UK and lives off the E12 franchise for many a year - as do the mags, the websites,the climbing journalists, the event organisers, the sponsors, the video makers, the promotors, the movers and shakers.
A few years later,
Suzie Shocker headpoints
The Big Groove. The headlines run,
Suzie Shocker First Woman to Climb E12.
But if, as we are led to believe, headpointed routes, routes where the ascensionists top rope the route before leading, are given a hypothetical onsight grades both
Johnny Bignumbers and
Suzie Shocker haven't actually climbed an E12.
This is the system we have and I don't blame anyone for using it, but it is flawed.
Adrian Berry said,
In fact, so completely different is the headpoint approach that many leading exponents of the art have advocated a different grade system altogether, recognising the huge gulf in difficulty between onsight and headpoint.
Now, I may have got the wrong end of the stick here. But
John Arran wrote a wonderful thesis explaining this flaw in our grading system and to counter it suggested that instead of E grades, headpointed routes should be given a H grade, H for Headpoint. So instead of having E12 we now have H12. Only when the H12 has had an onsight does it become E12.
Why hasn't this caught on?
I believe one of the reasons it hasn't caught on because it is not in the interest of those at the top end. E12 is far more impressive than H12 to us punters and it sells, sells, sells.
Hopefully the very boldest of climbers will stick their neck out and challenge this confusion.
Mick