5 ms·
Physical, by far. The number of people who lead climb multipitch walls is much bigger than the number who can climb a single 5.14 pitch, even on a toprope in a
by freerobby 12y ago
Physical, by far.
The number of people who lead climb multipitch walls is much bigger than the number who can climb a single 5.14 pitch, even on a toprope in a gym.
Keep in mind that these climbers spend years relying on their gear and taking no shortage of falls. They trust themselves and their partners. I don't want to minimize the mental challenge here (I struggle with it when I lead climb in a gym, let alone "trad" outside with my own gear), but for climbers at this level with this much experience, the fear of falling is sufficiently small that they're thinking about the climb rather than the consequences of a misstep.
Climbing 5.14 pitches is a whole other story. Perfect technique isn't enough; you also need a perfect physique -- lean and muscular in all the right places -- and not muscular in the wrong places, because muscle is heavy. Conventional climbing wisdom is that persistent hard work can take a fit person a long way -- to about 5.12 or so -- but after that it comes down to genetics. I'm reasonably athletic, have been climbing on and off for over a decade, and multiple times per week for the last 18 months. I'll be ecstatic if I can ever do a single 5.13 pitch.
- prezjordan 12y agoCan you explain what these terms (5.12 vs 5.14) mean? Having trouble finding definitions on google.
- freerobby 12y agoSure thing, the first number (5) is the class of climb. A sidewalk would be 1; rock climbing begins (and ends) at 5. The second number reflects the difficulty of the [hardest part of the] climb. I believe it originally went from 1-10, with 10 being the hardest thing a human could climb, but innovations in climbing shoes and better climbers have raised the max over the years, so now it goes from 1-15. Imagine the scale as being of exponential difficulty. For the same climber who spent a week going from 5.5 to 5.6, it may take a year to go from 5.10 to 5.11. So you can imagine how elite a 5.14 climber is, let alone a 5.15 one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_%28climbing%29#Free_climbing_2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_%28climbing%29#Free_climb...
- jonah 12y agoWikipedia has a bit of info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Decimal_System#YDS_class http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Decimal_System#YDS_cla... The difficulty is rated as one pitch relative to another and certain pitches as benchmarks for a certain difficulty. e.g. pitch X is 5.13a and pitch Y is somewhat harder so it's 5.13c while Z is quite a bit harder making it a 5.14a, etc.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- sliverstorm 12y agoGrade. 5 means roped climbing, the decimal means how hard of a climb it is within the category of roped climbing. 5.6 can be climbed by any healthy adult, 5.7 by most. I reached 5.11 in a year of climbing; I expect to reach 5.12 within 5 years, and 5.13 sometime within my lifespan if I am dedicated and train relentlessly. 5.14 is only within reach of the greats who live their lives to climb, and 5.15 has been climbed by 2-3 people on this Earth.
- ahlatimer 12y agoThe current grades are more a snapshot of history than the physical limits of humanity, IMO. Like the 4 minute mile, once one person did it, you saw several people after that able to do it. In the golden years of Yose, 5.12 was this crazy thing that only the elite did. Now it's something normal people can achieve. Part of that is technology -- I wouldn't want to ever lead 5.12 without a set of cams -- but part of it is that it's just easier to get to somewhere if you already know it's physically possible.
- sliverstorm 12y agoYes, but the world's fastest mile is still 3:43.13, which is not much progress over the last 60 years. More people will climb 5.14 & 5.15 in the future, but the progress of peak potential is slowing.
- steveax 12y agoMy experience is that most relatively fit folks can follow a face climb in the 5.7-5.8 range their first day out - some might manage 5.9 or 5.10. Again though, that's for face climbing which feels more natural and doesn't require much in the way of special technique. Climbing cracks (esp. wide cracks) is much more difficult for most people to progress on.
- steveax 12y agoIt's entirely dependent upon both the difficulty and the relative risk of the climb. The Edge at Tahquitz Rock [1], at "merely" 5.11a (R) has seen far fewer ascents than most 5.14 climbs. Similarly, the Bachar-Yerian at 5.11c (X) [2], it's seen, what, < 30 ascents? [1] http://www.mountainproject.com/v/the-edge/106105353 http://www.mountainproject.com/v/the-edge/106105353 [2] http://www.mountainproject.com/v/bachar-yerian/106244878 http://www.mountainproject.com/v/bachar-yerian/106244878 EDIT: good account of a repeat of the B-Y here: http://www.supertopo.com/tr/The-Bachar-Yerian-A-Three-Year-Obsession-Comes-to-a-Close/t12145n.html http://www.supertopo.com/tr/The-Bachar-Yerian-A-Three-Year-O...
- freerobby 12y agoYes, good point. I would certainly lead a 5.14 knowing I'd fall before I'd lead a 5.11 with a 40' runout. :) To answer beachstartup's question though, I'd say confidently that all else being equal, a 5.14 climber is more elite than a 5.11 climber who has good mental fortitude.
- sandworm 12y agoHigh grades create assents. Put up a new 11c and nobody will take notice, it won't get much traffic as any new route today is probably out of the way. But claim a new 5.14 or 5.15 and the elites will appear, if perhaps only to prove you wrong about the rating.
- snowwrestler 12y agoBachar-Yerian and The Edge are very, very famous routes, though. These are not typical anonymous mid-grade local multipitches.