British Nose Speed Record

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 Fellover 06 Mar 2020

Just idly wondering, anyone know what the Nose speed record is by a British team? Or a British person in a multinational team?

As a starting point the fastest I can think of is Duncan Critchley in 9.5 hours (phenomenonal effort back in 1984!) with Romain Vogler who's Swiss I think? Surely in the 40 years since then someone's gone faster though...

Fastest I can think of for an all british 'team' is actually Pete Whitaker by himself in about 13.5 hours, but surely a british pair must have gone faster than that?

1
 aln 06 Mar 2020
In reply to Fellover:

I just picked my nose. One of those gelatinous ones that roll between your fingers till they're solid enough to be flickable. Very satisfying. 

25
OP Fellover 06 Mar 2020
In reply to aln:

Do love a nice satisfying one like that - the best sort really.

15
In reply to aln:

How long did you take? 

1
 Iamgregp 06 Mar 2020
In reply to Fellover:

Leo Houlding has probably done as much free climbing in Yosemite as any other Brit so I fancy he might be part of any British team's ascent?  

Good question though.

I've not got much on next weekend if you want to pop over and try and set one?

 Baron Weasel 06 Mar 2020
In reply to Iamgregp:

> Leo Houlding has probably done as much free climbing in Yosemite as any other Brit so I fancy he might be part of any British team's ascent?  

I think Leo and Jason Pickles did a speed ascent of the nose about 20 years ago. 

 Iamgregp 06 Mar 2020
In reply to Baron Weasel:

That might be the one then?!

OP Fellover 06 Mar 2020
In reply to Baron Weasel:

Doesn't seem unlikely - you have any idea r.e. details? I've tried to look around a bit but I've just not been able to find any actual information on any ascents apart from the outright records (and some early ascents, when people were still recording non significant ascents because it got done so little at the time).

OP Fellover 06 Mar 2020
In reply to Iamgregp:

> I've not got much on next weekend if you want to pop over and try and set one?

If you can pay for the flights - absolutely! I'll have to re-arrange my fingerboard session, but I reckon that's probably possible.

 aln 06 Mar 2020
In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

A couple of seconds for the howkin, maybe 4 for the Rollin n flickin

7
 Dave Cundy 06 Mar 2020
In reply to Iamgregp:

> Leo Houlding has probably done as much free climbing in Yosemite as any other Brit so I fancy he might be part of any British team's ascent?  

> Good question though.

> I've not got much on next weekend if you want to pop over and try and set one?

Are you asking him if he fancies a quickie?

 FactorXXX 06 Mar 2020
In reply to aln:

> I just picked my nose. One of those gelatinous ones that roll between your fingers till they're solid enough to be flickable. Very satisfying. 

Could you give yourself COVID-19 if you ate it?

 Baron Weasel 08 Mar 2020
In reply to Fellover:

If I see him I'll ask him (we live in the same village). 

 northern yob 08 Mar 2020
In reply to Fellover:

Leo and I have never speed climbed the nose! We did once escape the passage to freedom up the top half of the nose ( we weren’t very fast) only to get pummelled by a storm on the east ledges. A very long and cold night followed! Had we been faster we would have escaped hypothermia and missed out on a very memorable night! I’m pretty sure Leo has climbed it in around 4hrs with both Singer and Stanley. Also worth a mention is Bransby who with jvan Trecsh climbed it for the first time swinging leads ( rather than climbing in blocks) in about 10hrs...

 krikoman 09 Mar 2020
In reply to aln:

> I just picked my nose. One of those gelatinous ones that roll between your fingers till they're solid enough to be flickable. Very satisfying. 


how long did it take? If it was under 9.5 hours you might be in with a snout, sorry shout!

 Adam Long 09 Mar 2020
In reply to northern yob:

>  Also worth a mention is Bransby who with Jvan Tresch climbed it for the first time swinging leads ( rather than climbing in blocks) in about 10hrs...

I remembered it being nearer 8 but you might be right. The same trip they unknowingly set a speed record on Freerider which stood for a few years.

 Wil Treasure 09 Mar 2020
In reply to northern yob:

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ben a few weeks ago, he had a few things to say abut getting caught in storms in the wrong underwear. (https://twitter.com/treasurewild/status/1237032242918064128?s=19)

OTOH I can't remember what time he and Jvan did the Nose in, but I think 10 hours would be about right, I'd have registered if it was quicker than Duncan Critchley's ascent that we documented for Factor Two. The story of their IAD ascent of Freerider is brilliant.

OP Fellover 09 Mar 2020
In reply to northern yob:

Thanks doesn't sound like that would be a very fun night!

Phenomenal effort from Bransby to go that fast onsight.

So Leo fastest Brit in about 4 hours, Bransby fastest onsight in about 10, but still no all-brit team faster than Pete's 13.5? Sean Leary and Singer are both American right?

OP Fellover 09 Mar 2020
In reply to Wil Treasure:

Does it begin with them getting arrested or have I misremembered?

 Hugh Cottam 09 Mar 2020

I believe Kevin Thaw did a 6 hour ascent with Hans Florine in the early 90s.

 Wil Treasure 09 Mar 2020
In reply to Fellover:

It does!

 northern yob 09 Mar 2020
In reply to Wil Treasure: I’ll be very interested to hear Bens version of the arrested story..... it was very funny from my point of view. 

That was a very memorable season.....

Post edited at 16:52
 Adam Long 10 Mar 2020
In reply to Fellover:

Also in the valley that Autumn were the welsh team of Neil Dyer and Miles Perkin, I forget who went first but their time wasn't far behind Ben and Jvan, maybe around 11 hours? Pretty confident it would have been quicker than 13.5 hrs. As our Texan neighbours on Camp 4 observed when asked if they'd taken a haul bag 'the only thing them boys was haulin' was ass'!

What I would point out is I don't remember any of us at the time had any idea that these times might be significant either in a British or international context. So the timings won't have been exact and the times were just considered respectable. Even Ben and Jvan's Freerider-in-a-day, I know they knew it was a rare thing but I don't think anyone had any inkling it might have been a record until years later when forums and threads like these came along.

Post edited at 12:49
In reply to Fellover:

I think George Ullrich did it pretty fast (6 hours, but I could have made that up) about ten years ago. I’d guess with either Mason Earle, or Pete Rhodes.

 David Coley 10 Mar 2020
In reply to Fellover:

Slightly going off topic, I wonder what the British slow mo record is? 

I'll go first. 3 nights on the wall. Be honest, how sloooow were you 

 Peter Rhodes 10 Mar 2020
In reply to Tom Ripley Mountain Guide:

He did it with Mason, I think you're right about the time give or take. 2007 I think. They went in two blocks changing at the king swing. 

Mason and I did it on-sight in 12 hours a few weeks before this - he led the whole thing, all I had to do was feed him and jug fast! Oh to be young again!

OP Fellover 08 Apr 2020
In reply to all:

Managed to forget I even started this thread when coronavirus arrived!

Some really interesting posts above, thanks to everyone that's contributed to the thread - especially those with first hand knowledge, always great to hear about stuff like this from those who were there.


New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...