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Flash or Onsight? What are the unspoken rules!

Original Post
Mr. Hopes4Beard · · California · Joined Nov 2017 · Points: 0

Alright, I need to put this one to rest...

What constitutes a Flash... and what constitutes an Onsight?
I want to know all the loopholes that people try to wiggle through and what you guys think define the two titles...

Do the rules having the same meaning across all disciplines? (Bouldering, Sport, Trad, etc.)
Can you touch holds before a flash or onsight?

I'm sure someone has post about this already.

Anyways... I'm new to the forums and psyched to be a part of the community!

baldclimber · · Ottawa, Ontario, Canada · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 6

Making popcorn now

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276

I always thought a flash meant you got some beta (not on gear, but on moves) or watched someone climb it, before your first time, where an onsight was without either before your first time leading it. 

Edit: My personal style is onsight hangdogging. Or onsight bailing, where I think, "Nope, not leading that."

IcePick · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2017 · Points: 100

Don’t be too psyched 

Anonymous · · Unknown Hometown · Joined unknown · Points: 0

Flash = You have beta on climbing the problem / route (you have someone telling you about how to do the moves / looking at pictures / video of people climbing the route so it isn't your first time seeing what you have to do)

Onsight = You know nothing about the climb and are making your first attempt on it (you walk up to the walk and climbing it on first sight)

(Day Flash) = First attempt of the day after having attempted it on another day

Barry M · · WV · Joined Nov 2017 · Points: 0

Flash and onsight.....I’ve got no definition for you other then those are two terms used in dick measuring contest. That’s just my two cents. 

Mr. Hopes4Beard · · California · Joined Nov 2017 · Points: 0
IcePick wrote:

Don’t be too psyched 

Can never be too psyched on the unknown amount of troll on here... You know i'm looking forward to it.

On that note...
I'm pretty positive "Day Flash" doesn't and should never be allowed to exist.

That's like walking up to a dead body in Call of Duty, shooting them in the head and calling it a "Headshot."

Let's be real, you don't deserve to call it a flash or a headshot in both scenarios.

Anonymous · · Unknown Hometown · Joined unknown · Points: 0
Mr. Hopes4Beard wrote:

Can never be too psyched on the unknown amount of troll on here... You know i'm looking forward to it.

On that note...
I'm pretty positive "Day Flash" doesn't and should never be allowed to exist.

That's like walking up to a dead body in Call of Duty, shooting them in the head and calling it a "Headshot."

Let's be real, you don't deserve to call it a flash or a headshot in both scenarios.

Plenty of people who use it whether you think it should or not, but there is a big difference between shooting a non-moving object in the game after it is already dead vs going back to a route you have not seen in a month and have forgotten all the beta and climbing it on the first attempt vs working a route for 2 hours and making tons of attempts repeatedly until you are successful vs never having attempted it and sending it on first attempt.

That would be a corpse headshot not a headshot! Just like a flash vs day flash.

Lou Cerutti · · Carlsbad, California · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 209

Day flash is not a thing. Just sayin.

IcePick · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2017 · Points: 100
Lou Cerutti wrote:

Day flash is not a thing. Just sayin.

Maybe call it.  New Day Flash

will ar · · Vermont · Joined Jan 2010 · Points: 290

It seems like in bouldering most people only use the term flash. I guess being able to see most of the holds up close and often touch them, clean, etc makes it hard to justify calling it an OS.

FrankPS wrote:
I always thought a flash meant you got some beta (not on gear, but on moves) or watched someone climb it, before your first time, where an onsight was without either before your first time leading it.

Why not beta on gear?

IcePick · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2017 · Points: 100

What if I see this super hot girl and we get it on that same day,  Is that called:

Flashbang ?

Mr. Hopes4Beard · · California · Joined Nov 2017 · Points: 0
IcePick wrote:

What if I see this super hot girl and we get it on that same day,  Is that called:

Flashbang ?

I concur with this vocabulary and demand it be accepted by the people.

Mr. Hopes4Beard · · California · Joined Nov 2017 · Points: 0
ViperScale . wrote:

Plenty of people who use it whether you think it should or not, but there is a big difference between shooting a non-moving object in the game after it is already dead vs going back to a route you have not seen in a month and have forgotten all the beta and climbing it on the first attempt vs working a route for 2 hours and making tons of attempts repeatedly until you are successful vs never having attempted it and sending it on first attempt.

That would be a corpse headshot not a headshot! Just like a flash vs day flash.

Just because you hugged someone, doesn't mean you get to say you had sex with them.

Just sayin'... a Flash is a one chance opportunity to send the problem/route first go in your LIFE with any provided beta or touching of holds.
If you do it first go of the day after having a full session that problem/route in the past, all you did was do it first go of the day.

Technically, that's...
However many attempts in the previous session the first go that day = Total # of attempts ---> Meaning Not a FLASH

Thank you mathematics.

Kees van der Heiden · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2016 · Points: 40

So, that seems to be one of the loopholes you were looking for: People invent a new description for their proud new send. 

But I never heard about dayflash either. Must be something local. 

Tony B · · Around Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 24,665

A flash is when you do it naked and surprise people like that?

eli poss · · Durango, CO · Joined May 2014 · Points: 525

Never heard of a day flash but I have heard of Alzheimer onsight. That's where you have forgotten everything about a climb after many years or TBI and are basically figuring it out anew.

Most common with old timers today repeating a route they did in the 70s or 80s  

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276
will ar wrote:

Why not beta on gear?

Beta on gear is OK, but not on moves.

Alexander Blum · · Livermore, CA · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 143

I have heard of both 'day flash' and 'alzheimers onsight', and so have most climbers in my circle of friends. I do think that day flash is more common with younger climbers and gym climbers. Maybe climbing is just a large, diverse group of people, and not every piece of climbing pop culture makes it everywhere inside the demographic.

I agree that it's not a thing, but lots of people do use it. I think that as long as you are honest about the details and attempt to use the language honestly, you can call your sends whatever you want.

Wiled Horse · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2002 · Points: 3,669

The first rule of onsighting is you do not talk about onsighting.  The second rule is...

IcePick · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2017 · Points: 100
Lou Cerutti wrote:

Day flash is not a thing. Just sayin.

Technically it’s a Flashover but doesn’t sound as cool as Day Flash.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Beginning Climbers
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