Comments on: Climbing Video: James Kassay Repeating Sleepy Rave (V15)

By: TimS

TimS — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:34:43 +0000

I thought Witness the Fitness was in an area with access issues and that’s why it hadn’t been tried?

I was simply pointing out the uselessness of trying to compare 2 problems for difficulty based on video footage.

For the record I bum BigUp and Chris Sharma

By: peter

peter — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:33:26 +0000

dani is the sickest. that’s all.

By: dachoppera

dachoppera — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:01:35 +0000

no doubt this should be considered a boulder problem, and under these limitations should get a bouldering grade. rests or not, he’s bouldering in the traditional sense of the word. if you boulder a route in rumney it gets a bouldering grade, if you rope up give it a route grade. the style and nature of the climbing are all intrinsically accounted for in the grades. keep it simple.

By: Adam Bunger

Adam Bunger — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:53:02 +0000

Nice, super smooth.

By: StellarTemple

StellarTemple — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:33:00 +0000

Cheech, you are correct. I didnt read the first paragraph which adds the context. Whoops.

By: cheech

cheech — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:44:52 +0000

Actually, if you read more closely, you see that he is talking about Wheel of Life.

“The Japanese Dai Koyamada has established another long boulder problem that may be harder than V15, according to http://www.8a.nu. Koyamada added a six-move, V11/12 sit start to his existing problem Hydra (V14) at Shiobara, Japan, to create Hydrangea (V15/16). The complete problem has 25 moves and spans about 45 feet, including a 30-foot horizontal roof.

In its length, Hydrangea resembles Wheel of Life, the possible V16 that Koyamada established last spring in the Grampians of Australia—at 76 moves, this bouldering route really deserves a sport-climbing grade, and indeed Koyamada suggested 5.15a.”

The article states that Hydrangea has 25 moves.

It then goes on to state that Wheel of Life has 76 moves. The 5.15a suggestion is appended onto the statement about Wheel of Life having 76 moves.

Alrighty, back to mind-numbing spreadsheets at work, woo!

By: Luke

Luke — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:52:54 +0000

I noticed that as well. Must be the special toe hooking rubber…

By: Belated Belayer

Belated Belayer — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:36:15 +0000

No, I’ve not been to either location. I’m simply of the opinion that these type of problems shouldn’t be graded on the V scale and in all honesty I don’t prefer this type of climbing. I just like to criticize it because thats what we do when we comment on things aside from saying “wow” and this already had a bunch of “wow’s” so theres no need for any more comments like that here. I’m going off of mainly Fred Nichol’s take on Witness the Fitness.

http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/nicolefitness/

“Although neither Sharma nor Nicole graded the long, horizontal sandstone roof, Nicole said it was the hardest boulder problem of this style he had ever done. ”

You have that typical “Sharma’s over-rated attitude” and the “I hate BigUp production” concept ozzes but I think we can all agree on Nichol’s assessment. Now, it’s obvious that HMC and the Ozarks are vastly different in style but when an ungraded line attracts the attention of Fred Nichol you know it’s no joke.

I only wanted to state that here are two difficult boulder problems by the same boulder…er and both with grades that people eek at and both that have already been repeated. Then, here’s another roof problem that attracts the attention of one of the most notable boulder…ers we could think of and the line pretty much ends there because he didn’t even suggest a grade for it. It’s pretty much dropped off the map. I just agree with the opinion that these type of problems shouldn’t be graded and not be focused on.

By: StellarTemple

StellarTemple — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:36:43 +0000

Cheech, if you read that article closely, Dai is referring to Hydrangea as a 15a.

By: cheech

cheech — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:28:25 +0000

http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/koyamadahydrangea/

At the end of that blurb, it says that Koyamada also suggested 5.15a for The Wheel of Life. Just throwing that out there, yup.