Couldn't happen to a nicer guy...
Impressive.. nice to see the more esoteric venues getting attention as well.
Great effort, looking forward to seeing what else he can do!
Side note, can we drop the whole "Hubble is 9a" thing?
Thanks for the support,
I would to comment on why I believe Hubble is 9a. In comparison to the other routes I have tried/done around this grade there is no doubt it is one of the hardest. I consider Hubble to be more of my style of climb and it took me almost the same amount of time to do as Rainshadow(Meant to be hard 9a). Last year I climbed 2 former 9as out in Spain, the first being Jungle Speed in only 4 attempts(this is a climb Daniel Woods has just sent and regraded at 9a). The second route was A-murete which took two days and is still debated between 8c+/9a, I took 8c+ as Rainshadow and Hubble still felt significantly harder. More locally Evolution 8c+ felt over a full grade easier, which I also sent last year in only three attempts.
I believe even Ben Moon now takes 9a for Hubble and Adam Ondra has said "I believe that it isn't by any means easier than Action Directe, the world's first 9a established a year later"
Will
I've seen the article has now been edited to show Hubble as a possible which I thought was fairer.
I didn't think there was a consensus yet but perhaps there is enough of one now.
I can remember Megos said it probably wasn't 9a. That interview was actually embarrassing for me to read because it was almost like they kept asking "is it 9a?" And he clearly thought it wasn't but didn't want to upset the doey eyed UKC team.
This is where my original comment comes from, because since UKC boldy said it was 9a "cos Ondra said" and wanted to re write the history of climbing, I felt like it's become 9a because it makes a better headline.
Thank you for your view on the grade, I'm not trying to knock your opinion or achievement. You've actually climbed the thing and other 9a's so your view is worth a lot more than mine who's just read some tat on the internet!
It's been edited back, or maybe I'm going mad!
I take it all back, Hubble is pish and so is your opinion.
It's 8c+ because my mate did it in his trainers and he only puts his moccs on for stuff over 9a.
When are you going to climb something proper hard like Egg Arete at Cratcliff? Or The Birthing Sequence at Your Mams Tor?
I more got the impression Megos was sitting on the fence and unwilling to say either way. I don't think he clearly gave an impression in either direction grade-wise.
Megos clearly said 8c+
Quote: Yesterday I climbed another two 8c+ at Raven Tor, Kaabah and Evolution. ... If you ask me which of the three felt hardest, I’d say Kaabah. End of quote
http://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/interviews/alexander-megos-climbs-hub...
Is there no possibility Alex would like history to remain that a German climbed the first 9a in Germany rather than re-writing it to say that the first 9a was climbed by an Englishman in England?
FWIW
From the interview I got he impression Alex M felt Hubble was 8c+ but doesnt want to say cos hes besties with some of the locals.
And Adam O said Hubble could be 9a, but then i dont think he had the best conditions and seemed to be trying while on the way to the airport or hadnt had his weetabix.
OK, but that's not quite the same thing. For example, I could say I climbed an E2 because that was the grade given for the route. However, if someone asked me what grade I thought the route should really get, I might say E1. If he really thought a certain grade, he should have said so when asked about it; otherwise it gives the impression he's not sure either way, which is the most logical conclusion I can come to.
Is it possible that a really strong kid who just gave his honest opinion, without having people resort to accusations of subterfuge?
He declined to give an outright opinion though. That's the point.
Exactly. And folk shouldn't suggest what his viewpoint is if he hasn't actually stated it.
Is it a coincidence that on the right hand side of this page is now the tenaya ad with Megos holding the shoe or is advertisement by now so smart to track that the word Megos fell?
Anyway, well done Will! That is really cool that you got that route at the Anvil! Picture looks rad!
It's also distinctly possible that Hubble suits Alex's considerable strengths relatively more than most routes, being brutally physical and bouldery on edges. To get a consensus we really need the opinion of all ascentionists, plus perhaps those of any climbers who might have tried it expecting success and got spanked.
How many of its ascentionists haven't climbed another 9a against which to compare it? And, of those who have climbed 9a elsewhere, how many thought Hubble was notably easier?
> UKC boldy said it was 9a "cos Ondra said"
Or maybe because the latest guidebook gives it 9a? The guidebook might give it 9a "cos Ondra said", but that's not really the fault of UKC.
I've no opinion on the grade of Hubble obviously but if we are going to start adjusting the grades of short sport routes so they are in line with euro plods then I expect we can look forward to a few upgrades!
Why do you say that? I would have thought climbers of all standards took into account the sustainedness of routes and balanced it against the difficulty of the individual moves when arriving at a grade? Why would you expect 9a to be any different?
I'm probably one of the few people on here who's actually been to the Anvil. That whole area is a gorgeous underrated and undervalued part of Scotland, full of unclimbed rock. I love it.
News Flash! Bosi climbs stunning route at a stunning crag in a stunning location and Sheffield armchair critics on UKC turn it into a debate about some non-line at Raven Tor.
:-D
I think he was suggesting that hard sport routes in the UK tend to often be more stiffly graded than those on the continent.
Without wanting to drag this even more off topic, my understanding is that finding Kaabah the hardest of the three would be an unusual ordering...
Try some in Czech republic, you will be in for a nasty surprise.
> Try some in Czech republic, you will be in for a nasty surprise.
I don't doubt it. Of course, if we're talking 'hard' sport routes, I would have a similar level of success wherever I went!
> Sheffield armchair critics on UKC turn it into a debate about some non-line at Raven Tor.
I agree that Hubble might not be a stunning line but historically it's grade is seen to be highly significant.
For many years Action Directe in Germany has been considered the first route of it's grade, ie. the first grade 9 route in the world. Hubble was put up before Action Directe so if it is 9a then it means this bit of climbing history is re-written. So the significance it's grade is far wider than simply a Sheffield thing. It's a landmark in the history of climbing on an international scale. I assume Will understands that which is why he posted his comment.
> So the significance it's grade is far wider than simply a Sheffield thing. It's a landmark in the history of climbing on an international scale. I assume Will understands that which is why he posted his comment.
I assume Alex Megos also realises this, which is why he's deliberately trying to keep out of it !
> It's also distinctly possible that Hubble suits Alex's considerable strengths relatively more than most routes, being brutally physical and bouldery on edges.
I'm not sure this is wholly accurate: if you look at what Megos has sent, the list is quite varied. Short like Hubble and AD. Long like La Rambla (second try). Medium length like Fight Club at 25M long, and sustained from early on. Shorter than Hubble like the Fly. Mega sustained like Wheel of Life. Didn't he do Thor's Hammer at Flatlanger? It's about as different than Hubble as you can get.
He does seem to excel on all angles and types of rock climbing. And he's a super nice kid too, and a joy to be around at the crag.