UKH

https://www.facebook.com/bouinseb/

In reply to Ian Parsons:

This is in reference to 'Akira' - Fred Rouhling's route from 1995; should have been mentioned in the OP.

In reply to Ian Parsons:

Well, I remember it Ian!  I had no idea it was unrepeated until now, which must be some sort of record, but maybe it's ancient history to most of UKC?

In reply to Dave Garnett:

Indeed, Dave. Sadly, for those of our vintage, it feels like 'just the other day'!

In reply to Ian Parsons:

Well, I've been waiting for it to be repeated.  It'll be interesting to see how many suitors it gets now the rumours of it being unclimbable have been dispelled.  It also shows just how good Fred was - the French version of John Dunne?

PS. I hope he puts out a video with Prodigy soundtrack like Fred's

Edit - Magazine article from Fred's ascent pinched from comments on Seb's FB - anyone care to translate Ben Moon's comment at the end?

In reply to Ian Parsons:

Wow, a truly big deal. The grief that Fred Rouhling got from his detractors... Looks like he was a bit out on the grade - but grading something so hard 25 years ago? Pretty much impossible, surely. 

Would be nice to think that some of his erstwhile detractors might offer their congratulations. Even Wings of Steel came to a happy ending (well, for some).

Think I'll stick to the Idwal Slabs. It's safer!

Mick

P.S. Top climbing tip - keep yer head well under the radar.

In reply to Mick Ward:

According to UKB Fred is saying that the start boulder is easier due to breakages. There's tales on the significant repeats thread of someone else who tried it at the time and thought difficulty was more in line with the original estimate. Who knows? If the start boulder is only 7C it's spat off a lot of hard climbers!

In reply to AJM:

Ah, that's really interesting. Thank you very much indeed. Didn't think of breakages but yep, that makes sense. Let's face it, the route sat there for 25 years; there must have been a fair few characters who thought they'd piss all over it - and didn't!

I thought that the disrespect and nastiness which Fred Rouhling received was really horrible, particularly as (I think) he said he worked it in between looking after his wife who was ill. I could understand him going there, giving it his all and then going back to care for her. Clearly he was (is?) an amazingly strong climber.

Mick

In reply to Toerag:

 

I'd go for something like:

"What's all this about FR and his 9b? I can't even start to think that it could be 9b - we still haven't confirmed the 9a grade yet! Nobody's that far ahead; what does he take us for? This sort of thing never used to happen much. I suppose it's due to commercialisation of the sport; people do it for publicity."

In reply to Ian Parsons:

This is a nice read. Blast from the last, and gives some added info on the matter. 
 

https://www.climbing.com/.amp/people/fred-rouhling/

In reply to Ian Parsons:

In response to the criticism didn't Fred send a cartoon to all the magazines set in a classroom with Ben Moon as a pupil? 

In reply to Shani:

Hah! You have the better of me on that one; I've really no idea. Of course, talk of Ben Moon and cartoons immediately brought to mind Alan's excellent Pokketz series in which Ben featured frequently - not to mention, in the 'broccoli' edition, his 'niece' Kylie!

In reply to AJM:

Exactly. It can't have been that easy if virtually no-one could do it. The simple fact is that it's Fred's style, he spent a lot of time on it, and he was actually a very good climber to start with. Time spent on projecting a route will account for a good jump in absolute grade.  Maybe modern kneebar technique has resulted in the grade drop, but we'll no doubt find out soon enough. 9a with kneebars or 9a+/9b without?

In reply to Toerag:

Seb and Lucien chose to climb it without knee pads, apparently it'd be significantly easier with them.

In reply to Ian Parsons:

Taken from the OTE article he wrote on grading.

In reply to Ian Parsons: Did a lot of people try it though?  I also wouldn't underestimate the hop in bouldering standards since then as well.... 7C would be very hard, nearly top end

In reply to wbo2:

Dani Andrada put quite a lot of time into it, no slouch in the horizontal limestone world. 

In reply to Toerag:

Basically complete disbelief.

"Il se fout de note geule ou quoi?" 

=

"He's taking the piss or what?" 

Also blathers on about nobody can climb that grade and he supposes the grade is given to get publicity now that climbing is commercialised.

I wonder whether Akira is still in its original state or not. The thing is, Seb also repeated two of other Fred's 9a routes  from that era - Hugh (1993) and L’Autre Côté du Ciel (1997) - and confirmed both grades.  

In reply to Removed UserZebdi:

The article I linked above (and also in the News item) from late 90's (or early 2000?) already points out that the rock is not that solid there. It's now like 20 years later, so most likely not in the original state.

How much that has affect on the grade, is another question.

But really strong lads (Dani Andradanada, sp? sorry) tried it back in the day and could not do the boulder problem... If the notation Seb mentiones of around 7C would be grade of the original state... Dani would have flashed it.

In reply to HeMa:

The other channel again has some more info but it sounds like Andrada is saying 8A+ and they are saying 7B into 7C and about 8A+ if considered as a long single problem.

In reply to Mick Ward:

Good plan - Les Eaux Claires is one of the most unforgiving crags I've ever been to, but, being in France, there is a thoroughly grid-bolted ecole d'escalade at one end

But on the other hand , at least according to Fred, Dai Koyamada (who's no stranger to hard boulder problems) thinks there's a huge difference between Akira and Hugh. He tried both routes and repeated the latter.  

In reply to ian caton:

At least Ben says what he thinks. Unfortunately we will now never know. That's the trouble with needing others to be good enough to repeat your line before the grade can be confirmed!