Comments for B3bouldering.com

Comment on Grade Inflation by Matt

Matt — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:22:39 +0000

IT’S NEVER GOING TO STOP ON THE EAST COAST.

Comment on Guidebook Grades by Lee

Lee — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:22:13 +0000

I must have been unclear….

The Park
The Kind Traverse V10 (v11 if you weight more than 165 lbs)
Sunspot V10
Riddles in the Park V11
Wildcat V11
Jade V14 (v15 if you weight more than 165 lbs)

Mt. Evans
Silverback V9
Clear Blue Skies V11 (v12 if you weight more than 165 lbs)
Mental Pollution V10
Public Execution V9
Ode to the Modern Man V13 (v14 if you weight more than 165 lbs)

The weight upgrade applies because It’s harder if you weigh more, and I chose 165lbs cause my fighting weight is 166.

Comment on Guidebook Grades by Ange

Ange — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:03:57 +0000

One more thing–
I know you didn’t ask about Seurat, but I think that it should be a grade easier than Silverback. Both problems are very technical, but Silverback is harder. You probably already had that decided, but just thought I’d add it

Comment on Guidebook Grades by Ange

Ange — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:01:50 +0000

Okay, here’s my two cents:

I think that Sunspot and The Kind Traverse should probably be the same grade. Very different problems, but overall a similar level of difficulty.

Public Execution, in my opinion, might have been a little bit easier than Silverback. But, again, very different problems. I would probably call Public Execution a 9. And I don’t think it would be completely unreasonable to call Silverback a 9, but I felt that it was harder than PE. Maybe PE is a 9.7 and Silverback a 10.1. Can we use that system?

Comment on Guidebook Grades by Davin Bagdonas

Davin Bagdonas — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:47:30 +0000

Jamie,

Good to see the grades out in the public eye. One issue I’ve learned from while writing guide books is taking to much suggestion from people. My last book was open to public edit, specifically grades, and resulted in some messed up stuff. Because of the publisher I was unable to re-edit to the lower, more solid grades on many problems. The Vedauwoo book is seriously messed up because of it. My updates always carry the lower grade from those who have been on the problem.

Ex)
Har Mar Superstar is lowV11 not V12 or v10
Cumulus is V10 not V11/12
Red Snapper is V11 not V12/13
Heart of Stone is V6 not V7 or V8
Soke ‘em Inside Her is V6 not V5 or V7/8

and last example, Paper Cuts is V9, even with only the two of us doing that problem, the slash grade of V9/10 makes it V9 for a guide book

For each of those, a variance of grades were suggested, but the lower, solid grade is a better grade for a book. It keeps our sport honest.

I would highly recommend taking public comment as you have. Well done! Then taking the lower end grades from those who have actually climbed the problems. You will never regret taking the lower grades that are solid.

I’m doing the same for a regional book here in Wyoming and I feel far better about this one than my last one.

Good luck

Comment on Guidebook Grades by B3

B3 — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:21:17 +0000

Of course, nice talking to you yesterday by the way, that was productive conversation.

Comment on Guidebook Grades by Philip

Philip — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:17:59 +0000

One more thing… you say “8a.nu is really the only place to get opinions from people, and I think the stats are skewed (because there is only incentive to take the higher grade) and that is why I am asking here and not just pulling data off of there.”

But do you really think this is the place? I mean half of the comments above are either people spraying about how easy problems are for them or downgrading climbs they haven’t even done. No one is going to come on this message board and admit how hard these climbs felt for them at this point. I know we talked about this in person already I just think you should take most of the above comments with a grain of salt.

Comment on Guidebook Grades by Crafty

Crafty — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:47:08 +0000

Bierstadt I would (retrospectively) call V9, but it took me a ton of work at the time. Granted I wasn’t at the very top of my game. Would like to hop back on and confirm. Stiffer end of V9.

Comment on Utah by Kerrek

Kerrek — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:26:15 +0000

Hey Jamie,
I’m going to Joe’s soon so I was wondering if you could tell me what you think the best guide for it is?

Comment on Guidebook Grades by Jesus

Jesus — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:33:21 +0000

WIldcat: V11+
Two well-respected climbers and “leaders” of the community that have it as V12 climbed it using ridiculously hard V12 beta, but that doesn’t mean everyone else using the easiest way up the line must also take the grade.

Riddles: V12-
Something about this problem makes you have to try hard, even if individual moves aren’t too hard.

Sunspot: V10
V9 gym-style climbing at it’s best. Just a couple thousand feet up the mountains.

Mental Polluton: V10
One single, accessible hard move that can be easily worked. Climbing into it changes the story.

Jade: No one yet has the right to call it V14, no matter how right they are convinced to be. I wouldn’t have a problem seeing it as V14, but one must first earn the right to make such a powerful claim (and perhaps be proven wrong in the process).