New Routes and Grades.

[Gareth]

Well let’s settle the arguments of grades once and for all. I’m passing the buck and now it’s your turn to help out with the route grades around the gym.

Grading is always so speculative; with so many different strengths and weaknesses affecting every one of us differently how could there possibly be a set grade for a climb that feels correct for us all? Well in short – there can’t. Next best thing though; grading by consensus.

Here’s how it works. As new routes go up I will add them as a new reply to this post under a post number. The reply will be noticeable by being Bolded and in Red. To help make them stand out please don’t add your posts in red. Your mission should you choose to accept it is to climb said new routes and add your reply here for any grade changes you think are needed. If we receive multiple recommendations for the same thing then the change will take place.
  
Important things to remember in your post: Post Number your comments refer to, Rope number route is on (or location on lead wall), route colour, grade now and grade suggested.

Thanks for your help

[Gareth]

POST #1 - Setting Date: Friday 8th January 2010

Location : Lead Wall - The Left Side, 3 roof area
Route colour: Orange
Grade given : 20

Location : Lead Wall - Central Column
Route colour: Yellow
Grade given : 19

Location : Lead Wall - Central 45 degree overhangs
Route colour: White
Grade given : 24

Cheers

[Gareth]

POST #2 - Setting Date: Friday 15th January 2010

Location : Lead Wall - Starting at 45 degree centre wall veering right to under the box.
Route colour: Blue
Grade given : 20

Location : Lead Wall - Main lead wall under right end roof.
Route colour: white
Grade given : 17

Location : Lead Wall - Main lead wall under right end roof.
Route colour: Green
Grade given : 21

These grades are totally untested and subject to change, please give your input.

Cheers

[Gareth]

POST #3 - Setting Date: Friday 22nd January 2010

Location : Top Rope Chimney - rope #15
Red : 13
Purple : 17
White : 20

Location : Yellow Tope Rope Wall - rope #16
Yellow : 13
Blue : 18
White : 19

Location : Yellow Tope Rope Wall - rope #17
green : 15
Black : 19
Orange : 21

This week we are starting to bring the grades back inline for top ropes a little. To facilitate this these climbs should feel a grade easier than what they would have previously been graded here at Rockface.

Cheers

[Gareth]

POST #4 - Setting Date: Friday 29th January 2010

Location : Top Rope Back Wall - rope #23
Green : 14
Red : 21

Location : Top Rope Back Wall - rope #24
Yellow : 15
Purple : 18
Black : 20

Cheers

[Gareth]

POST #5 - Setting Date: Friday 12th
february 2010

Location : Top Rope Back Wall - rope #23
Finished off this rope with
White 17

Location : Top Rope Back Wall - rope #24
Modified the black which had a nasty move in the middle, now its a good grade 20
Softened the yellow down to a grade 12 (to suit "The Rat Race") (which Rockfaces very own Nat's team won in the womens division - Well done Nat!)


Front Boulder Cave reset, get in there and tape up some new problems.

Cheers

[Gareth]

POST #6 - Setting Date: Friday 19th February 2010

Location : Top Rope Back Wall - rope #19
Purple : 15
Green : 17
Orange : 22

Location : Top Rope Back Wall - rope #20
Aqua : 16
Yellow : 19
Brown : 21

Location : Top Rope Back Wall - rope #21
Black : 15
Orange : 18
Green : 19

Location : Top Rope Back Wall - rope #22
aqua : ?
Yellow : ?
Blue : ?

Cheers

[kymc]

Thanks for putting this forum up. It's good to have the opportunity to comment on grades, though in general I find the posted grades to be a good indicator of the difficulty of a climb, at least in the range 18-21.
I have a suggestion, inspired by laziness, on making the forum easier to use. Would it be possible to put up a floorplan of the climbing area showing the numbers of the ropes? I know the layout of the ropes well enough, but I don't know the numbers and never think to bring a pen and paper to write them down. Hopefully other people would find this useful too.

[Gareth]

Sorry for the delay in answering, holidays are such a bother sometimes  Yes, I think thats a good idea and I will get to working on something of the sorts ASAP. I will also renumber the walls as the painted numbers are wearing quite thin nowadays. Thank you for the input.

Cheers

[Glenn]

Good to see some of the new routes and grades following UCC2 in the gym.

Second the idea regarding the floorplan however. Possibly digital pictures of each of the walls and current available routes would be ideal with boxes highlighting each of the holds and a line drawn for the actual route? Although I understand that this would be quite time consuming and require a large filesize, maybe release the floorplan as a downloadable package that people are able to print off to look at before coming to the gym/while in the gym.

Also, I think it would be great for more people to be taping up bouldering problems throughout the gym. As I'm only beginning to climb, I'm finding the climbs that were taped for UCC2 to be ideal as I'm able to work on a problem, then move to another with a higher point rating and increase my climbing that way. It is definitely giving me a sense of accomplishment when I complete a route I've been working on.

Thanks,
Glenn.

[audz]

Just wondering, is there a scheduled route change every couple of months?
Some of the holds are also getting very slick from sweat and chalk, especially the slopers. How bout give the handholds a good scrub one of these days?

[Bruno]

Hi guys,
Thank you for your input re the routes we set at Rockface

Audz has raised the question: what we do here at Rockface re routing setting.
I would like to inform everyone that we have finalised just yesterday a Route Setting team that will constantly be updating the routes thru out the Centre.
We agree that the holds certainly do get sticky and for this reason a Team of setters has been put together.

Yesterday Lachaln and Lianna changed the 45* in the front bouldering room of the gym.
The other walls will be done over the coming weeks.
Note:
Angela who I am sure you all know by now has been changing a rope a week for the past 4 weeks and we hope to increase the No of ropes we change from now on.

We will also be putting up a board to let you know what has been changed in the gym.

We hope that if you have any further ideas you pass them on.

We are here for you the climber so tell what you would like to see at Rockface.
Happy climbing
Bruno

[Glenn]

Excellent Bruno, much appreciated.
Happened to be in around the time the top room was being reset and it looks quite good. The board in the centre I think is an awesome idea as well.

Again, much appreciated for the hard work.
Glenn