RRC Archives

<*nix nerd mode>

hehn, hehn, snork! Good one! hehn, snork!
If only access issues were as easy as "su chmod 777 *"!
yeah! Having root over the 'real world' would rock!
snork!

</*nix nerd mode>

But seriously,

This spring I want to get Aquaduct Pocket, because, damn it, I should be able to do that opening boulder problem and then hike the upper stuff.

But overall, I would like to continue advancing grade-wise towards the long-term goal of being able to work and send easy to mid sport 12s. I don't mean to just throw out or chase numbers here. Once you're up into the 12 range, you will have stuff to climb at almost any crag in the world, and you open up lots of really classic 11s and 12s.

Eric Horst's suggestion for advancing in the grades is to work on 'pyramids' of grades. If you only send lots of easy 10s, then 11b is going to be a massive stretch. On the other hand, if you send a bunch of easy 10s, a lot of mid 10s, some hard 10s and a couple of 11a's, then you've got a foundation to send your first 11b.

For me, I'm working on solidifying hard 10, getting more easy 11s under my belt and send a 11c. Here's a rough list of what I want to do this spring (or year if that's how it works out):

10c: In the Light, Edgehog, Back Door to Paris
10d: Possum Lips, Dragon Slayer, Pulling Pockets
11a: Whipstocking, Maypop
11b: Aquaduct Pocket, ?
11c: ?

Call it grade whoring, I don't care. Part of the enjoyment I get out of climbing is knowing that I am getting better at it year after year. Grades are a messy subject, but they are one yardstick against which to measure progress.

....But overall, I would like to continue advancing grade-wise towards the long-term goal of being able to work and send easy to mid sport 12s. I don't mean to just throw out or chase numbers here.....

Call it grade whoring, I don't care. Part of the enjoyment I get out of climbing is knowing that I am getting better at it year after year. Grades are a messy subject, but they are one yardstick against which to measure progress.

Hey TomD,
don't worry about justifying yourself. If you want to improve at climbing and send higher numbers, then by hell do it. It's been my experience that those who can, know then can and they do, whether they talk about it or not. Those who can't or are afraid to, make excuses and chastise others. As for your tick list, add Creep Show, Bandolier and Spirit Fingers and you will be set.

Mj

i agree on the importance of filling up your pyramids. i skipped a lot of grades on my way to 12's. in the last month i have done my first 11a and 11c, 6 months after redpointing my first 12a.
now i'm having to go back and fill in the blank spots. that is kinda good because it forces me to work on my endurance, which i desperately need.
i like the 6-4-2-1 pyramid better than the 8-4-2-1, two more 11a/b's aren't really that important, imo.

SikMonkey wrote:Hey TomD,
don't worry about justifying yourself. If you want to improve at climbing and send higher numbers, then by hell do it. It's been my experience that those who can, know then can and they do, whether they talk about it or not. Those who can't or are afraid to, make excuses and chastise others. As for your tick list, add Creep Show, Bandolier and Spirit Fingers and you will be set.

Mj

Good point. In hindsight, I guess that I'm making a bit of a 'political' statement about pushing grades. It's 'politically incorrect' to say that you want to do a certain grade. Grades for grades sake is pretty dumb (e.g. "Once I send a 13a, then I'll be a real badass and I'll spray about it endlessly!"), but I think that I have some reasons for my long-term goal, based on visiting a fair number of crags and wanting to get the most out of visiting more around the world (hopefully!) Of course, if you can work 13s, then there are even more classic routes and crags to hit, but I think that easy 12 is a good goal for me over the next few years.

Creep Show and Bandolier are missing from my list because they are tough for the grade. I've had my butt thoroughly whooped on Creep Show (but it is a cool, varied route!) and I'll probably go for a whooping on Bandolier sometime soon. As for Spirit Fingers, crimpy and 70' long isn't sounding like a 'soft send' for me, but I'll check it out as soon as the SR is opened up!

Tom, Sik is not the person to talk to about "soft" sends. He is a firm believer in sending the "testpiece" at each grade.

I've never been on Creepshow but I would say that Bandolier is probably the toughest 11a I've gotten on so far. It is, in my opinion, much harder than Aquaduck Pocket.

aquaduct is easy, very easy.
if you're chasing grades climb whatever you wanna spray about. if you're climbing to get better don't stay away from testpieces. im way more proud of some of my 11's than some of my 12's.

Yeah, grades dont always mean that much...its almost alwyas possible to find say and 11 that is really harder than a 12 ( that can be interchanged with most grades). Not as much here in the red, but i did a 12b in Boulder Canyon that was just a 30ft jug haul with a dyno in it. It was rediculously easy but still had the rating of a 12-it seemed more like a 10d. So i agree with aaron, it really depends more on the route itself and not what its rated.

you can have a 50 foot sustained 11c crux or a 1 move wonder 12b. i am more proud of the 11c. i like grades but i also like to be challenged once in a while.

Ain't climb'en a 'stained crucks like climb'en Indian Staircase?