A certain Front Range blogger was disappointed by the time he had at Horsetooth. Meathook was uncomfortable and contrived...
Said blogger expressed it thusly
"Unfortunately, the quality of this problem is so poor it was very hard to stay motivated. It is certainly hard, but I think a tall climber would have a considerable advantage. It is exceptionally uncomfortable to climb on and I don’t imagine going back. I think the contrived nature (the dihedral being off), the poor rock quality and the awkward movement will keep this one unrepeated for a while. I heard one climber say “Worst problem ever.”
Apparently Paul Robinson, who very recently climbed a half-dozen V11-V14 problems in under 3 hours and routinely flashes V12, could not solve it. Sounds like the problem was the climbers rather than the climb...
Dissing "quality" on a problem that was put up 30 years ago and has still not been repeated is like complaining about snow and loose rock on the Eiger North Face. Deal with it or hold your peace. I'm hearing sour grapes. And since when was "contrivance" a problem with bouldering? Marble Sit/Stand/Centaur Aslan? Sunspot? How many Skipper Roofs are there now? A little respect is in order--we're all standing on Gill's and Holloway's shoulders. Now there's a power spot.
The "blogger" in question is me Jamie Emerson, my blog is B3bouldering.com and I think Meathook is absolutely terrible.
ReplyDeleteI figured any readers would already know and that's why I didn't post your name.
ReplyDeleteI talked to Jim last night. He was surprised that no one repeated Meathook. He also said only 1 day of effort is a poor measuring stick. He is pleased people are trying it though.
ReplyDeleteIt is also to note: that on Gill's website under "Historical Performances in Chin-ups, Pull-ups, and Levers" That Hollway in 1978 "held a front lever for at least 20 seconds, perhaps a minute. May be the tallest person ever to do a front lever." Wasn't this around the same time as his ascent? I think it should come as no surprise that Meathook wasn't repeated in 45 minutes at the Hang.
The fact that a man 6'4 could perform (easily) a core strength feat that has not been repeated (to my knowledge) by Colorado's strongest climbers shows clearly a performance (and reach) gap that may need to be filled in order to repeat the "Big Three."
amazing!
Andy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the note. I would love to meet Jim at some point. I've spent considerable time trying AHR on Flag and have considerable respect for that problem.