Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 25, 2013 - 08:51pm PT
Modern ice climbing is a perfect refllection of global warming....we humans are very adaptable. You see, the real athleticisim vis a vis ice tools requires that they not be used on ice.
I just watched a video at the OR show that i would call climbing porn. Good production values and insanely athletic movement but 0 character development and marginal relationship to real climbing. Dry tooling on overhanging rock with fully leafed trees in the background, the nearest ice at the local pub and bolts scarcely a meter apart.
I also witnessed the comp at the Ouray Ice Fest where the hardest moves were transitioning from a hanging, rotating log to an overhanging artificial wall where you could grab hanging straight ice ax shafts BUT only on the part painted red- kinda like a climbing gym BUT even more artificial.
The "M" grade was designed to give difficulty ratings to highly technical mixed (hence the M) climbing. Mixed presumably (at least in the beginning) referring to a "mix" of ice and rock.
A funny thing happened....the higher (read more difficult) the M rating became the less ice appeared on the climb until by the time M ratings approached double digits the ice had disappeared entirely.
Ice climbing has always been that segment of climbing where the difference between following and leading has been the most intimidating. Not to worry, the hardest dry tooling routes have reversed the tables by having bolts placed closer together than the tightest sport routes you have ever climbed.
Voila....if you love athletic movement without adventure, modern dry tooling is for you and you don't have to invest in expensive cold weather clothing. You'll get the hardest send by waiting until Summer and climbing in shorts without fear of the screaming barfies!
By the way, i never said that i was quitting ST but i have made a personal vow to never post on anything but a climbing thread. Okay, i am hoplessly Old School.
Calm down Jim. There's M climbing, yeah, but then there's also M climbing.
The former, yeah, you saw it at the Ouray comp. But the latter, well, that's something different. I'm not the guy to talk to about it, but get in touch with Will Gadd (posts here occasionally as gilwadd or something similar). Might open your eyes.
Of course, the best comment on the whole M-grade things was made a while back when Barry Blanchard, Steve House, and Scott Backes climbed a new route on Howse Peak in winter. At that time, the M-grade thing was just getting rolling, with M8 pretty much the hardest thing going. They named their route M16 "because it's twice as hard as M8."
Ghost, i'm pretty well versed on the state of mixed climbing and know that some very, very necky mixed routes are being put up by the people you have cited and many others.
The fact remains that a lot of the hardest dry tooling climbs , including climbs in the Canmore/Banff areas are bolted more tightly than a Boeing 747 fuselage.
Let us know!