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Muir valley ratings... Soft or spot on? consensus please.

not that simple...

There are all over the place just like the rest of the Red.

+1 on Andrew's comment.

you need to compare all the route grades in muir to one another and not want to compare them to routes else where. grades are different everywhere

Many grades have changed since they were set; many different setters have graded climbs, many different cliffs have been opened at different times. There's going to be some difference of opinion. Just have fun and climb.

dhoyne wrote:Many grades have changed since they were set; many different setters have graded climbs, many different cliffs have been opened at different times. There's going to be some difference of opinion. Just have fun and climb.

Ditto that. And, there is another factor.

Many of the climbs have become more difficult over time as holds have broken off. The Animal Crackers Wall, for example, started out as a nice beginners' wall with 7/8 starts. As many of the crimpers have disappeared, the starts are about a point higher in difficulty. It seems that fewer critical holds have broken off on the higher graded lines at the Sanctuary and Solarium, for example.

All over the place, but also on average they feel a little soft. Especially the trad routes. I think the reason the sport routes feel so soft is because, for the most part, they're not as mentally commiting as the rest of the gorge. The bolts are much closer together than most other crags I've ever been to...

If you think the ratings at Muir are soft then you aren't climbing there enough or you're avoiding Kipp's lines. Or you're referencing outdated material.

I'd say there is a "assessment" period (2-3 yrs?) in which routes get more traffic and a better consensus is determined. Everyone climbs differntley as well, Give it time my guess is they will even out.