Squamish softies???

[Wakaranai]

I continuously hear people say that Squamish climbs are soft in the grade, but the more Ive gone up there the less Ive found this to be true. I know that there are a handfull of giveaways at the bluffs (ex. The Zip) but it seems almost every climbing area Ive ever been to has these. I know I know, grades really do not matter anyhow. I would just like to hear examples of Squamish climbs people feel are on the soft side. I can name a few stout ones off the top of my head.

Mushroom 5.9

Rightwing 10c

Avalon 10b

Seasoned In The Sun 10a

Perspective 11a

Silver Surfer 11b

Horrors of Ivan 11c

 

[genepires]

I thought you were talking about soft people like me.

 

split beaver is tough but I don't do OW much

 

flying circus seems soft but that may be because I've been parked on that so many times.

 

I am not sure that squish is soft but rather index/leavenwort is hard. Anyone who has climbed a lot in yosemite would be a good judge of what hard and soft ratings are.

[G-spotter]

I always felt that the Zip is hard for 10a and Seasoned in the Sun is soft

[Peter_Puget]

Split Beaver

Seasoned In The Sun 10a

Perspective 11a

Horrors of Ivan 11c

 

All easy for the grade. All great climbs.

Edited March 19, 2008 by Peter_Puget

[Peter_Puget]

On the other hand...

 

Red Nails

Perfidious Albion

Crescent Crack

 

all seem comparable to ratings in Wa excluding the Exits...

[Blake]

I think Caboose, hand jive, and centerfold are also solid at the grade. Claim Jumper seemed hard for 5.11, but it seemed rather sequency and evidently has been given a tougher rating in previous guides.

 

That little crag that hosts Perfidious Albion (Black Zawn??) had a few stout, uncrowded lines.

 

I honestly think that the Apron and smoke bluffs just both have such friendly, low angle, non-commited atmospheres that it makes the whole experience seem 'soft' at times.

[G-spotter]

Split Beaver

Seasoned In The Sun 10a

Perspective 11a

Horrors of Ivan 11c

 

All easy for the grade. All great climbs.

 

Well isn't that cause Horrors is 11b?

[RuMR]

Split Beaver

Seasoned In The Sun 10a

Perspective 11a

Horrors of Ivan 11c

 

All easy for the grade. All great climbs.

couldn't agree more...perspective would be mid 5.10 in Yos, seasoned would be 5.9, horrors woudl be 10+/11-...split would be 5.9

[chucK]

So speaking of Horrors of Ivan, is the access to all those Murrin Park climbs going to be screwed up (already screwed up) by the road project?

[eric8]

I don't think i have ever felt sandbagged at squamish but certainly come across some soft ones

 

Grand daddy overhang

peasents route

arrowroot

seasoned in the sun

10d pitches on unfinished sympthony

birds of prey

 

And... the spit pillar always feels like 5.9 to me

 

[Wakaranai]

I havent climbed a whole lot in the valley so the comparison is difficult to make for me, but having climbed in Tuolumne and Index, ratings seem pretty close to me as far as moderates go. Examples West Crack 5.9 pretty soft, Thin Fingers 11a pretty soft (much easier than Perspective in my eyes), I found Mushroom harder to lead than Godzilla, Rock and Rattle 11c easier than Horrors of Ivan 11b?? Everyone is different, I suppose hand and finger size are a major factor climb to climb. Its interesting to hear that someone found Seasoned in the Sun easy and the Zip hard for 10a. I have a difficult time with those off fingers and hand routes I guess.

 

 

 

 

Split Beaver

Seasoned In The Sun 10a

Perspective 11a

Horrors of Ivan 11c [/b]

 

All easy for the grade. All great climbs.

couldn't agree more...perspective would be mid 5.10 in Yos, seasoned would be 5.9, horrors woudl be 10+/11-...split would be 5.9

[fern]

So speaking of Horrors of Ivan, is the access to all those Murrin Park climbs going to be screwed up (already screwed up) by the road project?

 

The current "screw up" that has the Murrin parking lot closed is due to a fuel truck spill. The parking lot is being used as a holding area for contaminated soils that have been excavated as part of the cleanup. It's temporary.

[Wakaranai]

Oh yeah-

if you havent climbed it yet, Rightwing was cleaned up last year and has a monster 3rd pitch about 210ft long and pretty sustained climbing. I took about 28 cams and had only one remaining at the top of the pitch. I hope they didnt bolt a midway anchor. This one cant be considered a giveaway.

-B

[G-spotter]

Seasoned in the Sun is less than vertical and has rests every move or two. The Zip is steeper and, while positive, has a longer sustained section between rests.

[Blake]

In lieu of the current weather forecast, we NEED to stop this discussion.

 

Rainy Day Blues

[Adventureboy]

- Rutabaga 11a, the last 15 feet it say are still 11a or b but are quite tricky.

- Rear Ender pitch on Freeway 11a, definately a wakeup call first thing in the morning

- Milk Run corner, Long Pumpy 10d no stopper moves just heavy breathin'

 

[Cairns]

I continuously hear people say that Squamish climbs are soft in the grade, but the more Ive gone up there the less Ive found this to be true. I know that there are a handfull of giveaways at the bluffs (ex. The Zip) but it seems almost every climbing area Ive ever been to has these. I know I know, grades really do not matter anyhow. I would just like to hear examples of Squamish climbs people feel are on the soft side. I can name a few stout ones off the top of my head.

Mushroom 5.9

Rightwing 10c

Avalon 10b

Seasoned In The Sun 10a

Perspective 11a

Silver Surfer 11b

Horrors of Ivan 11c

 

If we say that grades don't matter then we imply that difficulty doesn't matter or that it is impossible to estimate.

 

To answer the larger question you would need to import climbers who haven't been to Squamish, Yos, Index, and send them up climbs without telling them the rating and then ask them to rank the routes' difficulty.

 

Of course, ratings aren't always reliable. Red Nails at 11c would be more of a problem for most people than Ghostdancing at 11c/d. the 12b on fourth pitch of Daily Planet is soft compared to the 12b on Genius Loci. That was humor. The corner right of Kneewrecker is a harder 10c than Squamish Buttress 10c.

 

However, my faith in inter-area grading is strong and rests solidly if irrationally on having been told that Serenity Crack had a crux "similar to the thin part of Exasperator" and not believing it but then finding it true.

 

And I think the chimney start to Yosemite's Super Slide (5.8) is similar in difficulty to Clean Corner (5.8) at Squamish.

 

But of course Yosemite has generally slicker granite. Too bad for them, except when it rains up here.

[MStyles]

caboose and clean crack are definitely not soft.

 

[RuMR]

but not sandbags either...

[Sherri]

"

In lieu of the current weather forecast, we NEED to stop this discussion.

Rainy Day Blues

 

That's some depressing meteorology.

 

Although, it probably helps the sales of the "I love wet crack" tshirts at the gear shop up there.

 

As for the softness of the grading in Squamish, I will say that it is one of the only places around here where I can lead a 5.8 that doesn't scare the bejeebus outta me. I don't know if that makes ME soft, or Squamish soft, though?

[hafilax]

I haven't climbed in Yosemite but whenever someone says "X would be a 5.9 in the Valley" it seems that the climb has an endurance aspect. As I understand it the YDS is strictly a grade for the hardest move you'll have to make. There is no endurance factor. Sure, the Split doesn't have a move harder than 5.9 but every single move is 5.9. I think the moderate classics in Yosemite adhere to this principal and so when comparing to those routes most will seem easy when endurance has been factored in to the grade.

[cheamclimber]

I climbed 'Face the Music' at chek (12a) and found there to be only one hard move into a crack near the top but I try a 5.11 called 'critical mass' in chehalis at its brutal and crimpy and i keep lobbing off of it... I think some squamish grades are soft and some are hard depending on who grades it

[cheamclimber]

and it also depends on whether its graded for the hardest move or how sustained it is... I can climb a route thats all 5.8 and then a random 5.13 move into more 5.8 and would not consider it 5.13... if a route has every move at 5.11b with no rests I would call it 5.11c or 5.11d... some people are opposite. grading is really subjective... I often refer to climbs and 5.fun 5.crap 5.easy and 5.hard lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bigwallben]

UWall isn't soft.