Margo Hayes Climbs 9a+

kind of surprised, no one seems to care

I've mentioned this before, but forty years ago Pat Amant and I speculated that hard, competitive rock climbing would eventually resemble women's gymnastics, although both sexes would participate.

notion that elite climbers are doing something fundamentally different from average joe or jane is mostly poppycock.

I'm not sure why but I'm never really impressed with this kind of stuff. And I really don't want to sound like a jerk....but I probably do.

I think it wise to move away from Ms. Hayes' physical form and more to her stoke.

We could call it 5.17d and it wouldn't matter a bit since nobody reading this is ever going to repeat it.

I'm not sure why but I'm never really impressed with this kind of stuff. And I really don't want to sound like a jerk....but I probably do. I dunno....it kind of seems like the equivalent of seeing a 9 year old girl crank off 60 sit-ups in a minute at those YMCA fitness achievement days. Or an 11 year old skinny kid do a ton of pull-ups in the school yard. If you're skinny enough and young enough and stoked enough, super hard sport climbing becomes a matter of grit and bodyweight......it just becomes a bit unimpressive to me.

She didn't succeed because she is skinny and strong. She succeeded because she knows how to climb.

pull-up champion of the world

95% of climbing is finger strength/power in proportion to body weight.

Years ago Dingus McGee and I were at a wedding where they had a grip strength tester. I think we were second worst and worst of the whole party. But we can climb significantly harder than any of them. Climbing is about knowing how to move, not about finger strength.

But to Red point routes in the 5.14 / 5.15 range you must combine focus, breathing, perfect movement with a superior level of strength, fingers included. I watched a video of Sharma climbing La Rambla, and there were several cruxy sections with small finger holds. No amount of focus or visualization or body positioning or breathing or flow can compete with simply exceptional finger strength combined with the others. The hardest sport routes I've done, lowly 12 +, called on my whole bag of tricks, plus good conditioning of the fingers.

I never train and rarely work a route more than a few times to get up one, but I think I understand the mindset required. Pure high strength to low weight has to be part of a successful redpoint at the highest levels. Success is the sum of many factors.

This shows that when they're sending their sick proj, they're doing just what you and I do when we send are notably less-sick projs--basically just figuring out and them memorizing sequences.

So why was the grom on Half Dome waaaaay more impressive to you?
Curious.

Who said they're doing something different than us...like you keep asserting?

Kind of surprised no one seems to care.

Possibly because such feats are so beyond what most of us do that they seem abstract, unrelated, almost a different sport.

I know how to climb

She didn't succeed because she is skinny and strong. She succeeded because she knows how to climb.

My son on his RM85 ripping 80mph and flying through the air at 9 years old this weekend at a Pro track at Glen Helen blows my mind. My skinny little neighborhood girl climbing V11's at our local gym just doesn't do it for me.

I'm not sure why but I'm never really impressed with this kind of stuff. And I really don't want to sound like a jerk....but I probably do. I dunno....it kind of seems like the equivalent of seeing a 9 year old girl crank off 60 sit-ups in a minute at those YMCA fitness achievement days. Or an 11 year old skinny kid do a ton of pull-ups in the school yard. If you're skinny enough and young enough and stoked enough, super hard sport climbing becomes a matter of grit and bodyweight......it just becomes a bit unimpressive to me.

I strongly feel that being young, very skinny and super strong and motivated can overcome most technical insufficiencies.

Warbler, flog that dead horse!!!

We've all been there at the top of a climb we were challenged by, now having successfully sent it.

Definitely a feeling worth going back to!

The last 7 meters (extension) do not increase the grade.

People's arguments (blahblahblah etc.) that this is unimpressive are frankly lame.

Her ascent is very noteworthy because she's a woman, in my book.

If you're anti-sexist, or a feminist, it should be no more noteworthy than the last 15 male ascents.

and I don't own a hammer or pitons.

Scott

Free repeats of any number of El Cap routes get media attention 

I guarantee that I could fist fight both of them, at the same time, and win, and then send Robbins Crack with no shoes on.

Can you smoke two poles in Lee vining while mini traxing the caveman?

Nina Williams sent Ambrosia v11 55ft on Grampa Peabody

The better climbers are those that are better learners

Another notable ascent for a woman went down yesterday-
Nina Williams sent Ambrosia v11 55ft on Grampa Peabody. Sick.

that he was passionate about climbing above EVERYTHING else in his life

All the talk on strength to weight on this thread reminded me of ol Hidetaka Suzuki. A true master. And one strong, skinny string bean of a human! Anybody know what he's up to these days?