IMO, I think the pump factor on Chainsaw is more noticeable. If you get to the next to last bolt on BMT, you'll likely send. The top is super easy. Nothing is in the bag on Chainsaw until the anchors are clipped.
Agreed. Hardest 12a = Mama Benson, then Chainsaw, then BMT. Freakin Deacon would be up there, but you can shove both legs into the shelf for a huge rest on jugs.
maybe i'm just being a pessimist, but this whole 'hardest' debate is probably not going to be resolved without a rigorous scientific approach. for some methodological pointers please refer to 8a.nu - the home of climbing science.
I sent Shanghai before sending Mama Benson. Maybe it was some kind of mental block, or bad beta or something, but that thing is f'ing hard. I'm going purely by number of tries, with Mama Benson even being climbed after Chainsaw and BMT, when I was climbing a lot more.
Maybe you guys have strong fingers, but at least for me, it is pretty unequivocal, that thing had a much harder move than any of the pure pump climbs, and even if it is 5.11 climbing before, it was enough climbing to make that crux hard. Clearly it was different for you, but I've talked to many people who agree that Mama Benson is a pissed off rock climb.