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Let´s Harden UP!!!!!!!!!!! 25-Sep-2004 At 5:03:45 PM A.K. Dancer

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I've had a been in my bonnet for years about the guidebook grading of serpentine (and let me clarify here that I have not climbed it nor will I ever but I reckon it was a visionary piece of work nonetheless) - I haven't got the book here and can't remember the exact numbers but it was graded something like 29 with a comment that it was harder (31?) if the gear was placed on lead (perhaps now they'll say 27 but 28 if you place the gear on lead, thats not my point here).

Am I the only one who has a problem with this kind of bullshit?! Since when have grades been given that didn't include placing the gear on lead? Is this what sport climbing has tought us - that a climb is valid if you ab-inspect and preplace draws? No, that came out wrong, of course it is valid and if you get up serpentine that way then well you have achieved something and experienced some bloody awesome climbing. But what I'm saying is that the climb is graded at the level of difficulty it takes to climb it from the ground up, no resting on the rope, all gear placed on lead (or however the first ascentionist got up it, and I know HB didn't claim the first ascent with the gear preplaced and call it 29, waiting for someone else to climb it in better style and up the grade). That is how it has always been and anyway I reckon that whatever the grade serpentine eventually settles at it should be for a ground up ascent placing all gear on the way.

Which kind of brings me to another related point - there are now a multitiude of terms describing how you got up a climb, and I gather that they were introduced to protect the priciple I have outlined above i.e. you climbed a 24 but you preplaced the gear/draws so its a redpoint. But what is it with the onsight thing? Most people are claiming to have climbed a (say) 24 even though they've placed the gear beforehand, and thats a bit rough but hey its a fair achievement so I'll let 'em have it. But just cos someone told you something about a climb, or you watched someone else do it, or you read it in a mag or whatever, people may actually try to take something away form you very stylish ground-up-all-gear-placed-on-lead-ascent (read: regular style of ascent)! I just reckon that is kinda wrong, and really wanky to boot.

anyone wanna flame me for these opinions? anyway I haven't time to edit - its 5 o'clock and we all know what that means - lets get down to the park and get messy to some fat beats!!

btw I think if someone felt they needed gear on Ali's then lets just let them do that without laughing at them : )