UKH

Jean-Christophe Lafaille is making a winter solo ascent of Makalu without oxygen. Messner also tried a winter ascent. This will be his 12th 8000 meter peak.
http://www.everestnews.com/everestnews3/jclwinter200512212005.htm

In reply to Cy Kaicener: yer yer but what has he ever done on grit?

In reply to the smart sock:
How about this - http://www.planetmountain.com/English/Ice/France/Drus/02.html

In reply to Cy Kaicener: Well exactly - thats not grit... nothing else counts

In reply to Cy Kaicener:

Reply

In reply to mike kann:

But have you done this:

http://www.hiking4health.com/skyline.htm

Cy has.

In reply to Kevin Hanlon: and Mike
Lafaille has climbed at Les Gres d' Annot, Fontainbleau ans Calanques which have Limestone and Gritstone

In reply to Cy Kaicener:
Hurricane force winds (jet stream) have temporarily forced La Faille down to base camp. At 8000m they blow at 200 km per hour (125 mph) and at 7000m at 150 km per hr.

In reply to Cy Kaicener:

Hope he packed an extra jumper.

In reply to Cy Kaicener:

>http://www.planetmountain.com/English/Ice/France/Drus/02.html

God, but he's a handsome devil.

In reply to Imperium:
Here is his website where you can follow his progress
http://www.jclafaille.com/news_en_33.html

In reply to Cy Kaicener: I know you are American, but as you are on a British Website, it might be useful if you do some research into what is meant by the term 'But what has he done on grit?'

In reply to Stormmagnet:
would the gritstone escarpment on Valkyrie at the Roaches describe what you mean? Also, I have looked at this http://www.ukclimbing.com/databases/crags/grades.html
I still dont see the connection to Lafaille's ascent of Makalu. If there is grit climbing in France, I am sure he has done it.

In reply to Cy Kaicener:

Cy

"But what's he ever done on grit" is a joke. It means that unless you have climbed on God's rock (UK gritstone around the Peak and Yorkshire), that most sacred stone, closest to every English climber's heart, then you can not call yourself a proper climber. Everything else is just practice for the real thing (real thing = gritstone).

When in reality gritstone has typically been the place where the greats of UK climbing have cut their teeth and then graduated to bigger (not necessarily better of course ;0) things like Makalu, Everest, K2, El Cap, Baffin etc

And make no mistake Mr. Palm Springs if it wasn't for a thorough gritstone apprenticeship the greats like Joe Brown, Don Whillans, Doug Scott, Sir Chris, Joe Tasker, Al Rouse, Joe Simpson, John Dunne, Kevin Thaw, Ian Parnell, Johnny Dawes etc etc etc would not have elevated to loftier heights.

So when someone starts bragging that some mere French man (or any Johnny Foreigner) is soloing some piddly mound of snow when it is very very cold the typical British response is to put you down and in your place with "But what's he ever done on grit."

I think.

Mick

In reply to Mick - UKClimbing.com:
Thanks for explaining it to me Mick. That makes things a lot clearer to me. I had a vague idea that that was what he was getting at.

In reply to Mick - UKClimbing.com:

One for the FAQ Mick?

In reply to Mick - UKClimbing.com:

Alternatively, it can be seen as a typically English parochial point of view in not recognising the achievements of other nations in mountaineering. We tend to elevate ourselves somewhat in the world standings and have a romantic notion that the foreigners somehow wouldn't cope with the peculiarities of Grit. When they can be arsed to come here, they generally whoop ass, as you might say.

The Scots have a similar attitude to Scottish mixed climbing.

In reply to GrahamD:


I think these days it is said more with reference to us taking the piss out of ourselves for elevating grit to such a status when really it is no more important that other types of rock around the globe. Any fool can climb on it.

In reply to Simon22: Ah but can any fool be its master?

In reply to Cy Kaicener: Just to add, Lafaille is an amazing climbing with a stunning climbing CV, if successful this will be a fine addition to that.

In reply to GrahamD:

Dear Graham

I sort of agree. It is the attitude of some who can't climb very well. We are not the greatest of winter climbers, we only have the best routes and some have not been done by Scots.

Norrie