"Onsighting" but only if at night

Ok I know this will start some back and forth, but honest question here.

Can you onsight a boulder problem if it's done at night, so you can't see the beta as you walk up to it? 

Just a debate we had at the gym.

Get a life.

Peter Stangl wrote:

Ok I know this will start some back and forth, but honest question here.

Can you onsight a boulder problem if it's done at night, so you can't see the beta as you walk up to it? 

Just a debate we had at the gym.

What do you think “on sight” means?

Good back and forth Peter Foster!

Peter Stangl - what do you think onsight means? As long as you aren't being told the moves, practicing moves, watching others climb it, but just looking at the climb and gathering whatever information you can for yourself "on sight", then your first attempt is your onsight attempt... (even if you've handicapped your sight)

Peter Foster wrote:

Get a life.

Sorry Pete, didn't know making climbing conversation on a climbing forum simply to converse with the climbing community about their input meant I didn't have a life. I dont think there is anything wrong with specifying  terminology. Don't give the Peter's of this world a bad name...

Marc801 C wrote:

What do you think “on sight” means?

For me, on sight is walking up to the route, no beta, no knowledge of the route, putting your hands on the rock and finding the holds as you climb. That being said, some people we talked to said that you just can't onsight boulders since you can see everything as you walk up to it.  

Woodson 5.4

Peter Foster wrote:

Get a life.

Quoting for posterity.

I never attempt anything without beta, usually from youtube or vimeo.

Sounds like those people you were talking to don't really climb outside and/or have a significant amount of competition experience influencing their definition of the term "onsight" In competition, an "onsight style"  competition refers to not being able to watch people climb the problem AND you yourself not being able to look at the climb until it is your turn to climb. Perhaps they are misunderstanding the true definition of what it means to "onsight" a route/boulder

oh yeah and- never take advice from gym climbers unless it refers to the gym

T Roper wrote: oh yeah and- never take advice from gym climbers unless it refers to the gym

What about Gym cracks? I consider myself a bit of a gym crack aficionado 

Clay Hansen wrote: AND you yourself not being able to look at the climb until it is your turn to climb.

In most USAC onsight competitions there is several minute "route preview" for each climb where everyone goes out and gets to read the route from the ground.  You can also stand on the ground looking at the route for as long as you want before you start climbing.

Onsight, everywhere I have ever heard it, means no beta beforehand.  So you can read a route as thoroughly as you want from the ground, try to work out what you think the moves will be, and memorize it all, but if you watch someone else do a single move, or someone tells you to clip from a certain hold or that so and so hold is for your left hand, or even just quietly whispers "rose move..." in your ear, it would be termed a flash.  

Onsight=sent first try, no prior beta  

Flash=sent first try, with beta

John Clark wrote:

What about Gym cracks? I consider myself a bit of a gym crack aficionado 

Me too. I also make sure to spray the whole gym down about Indian Creek whenever I get near them(as I spray the gym down about the proper way to tape)

You are allowed to look at the climb or route from the ground before you climb it for an onsight... guessing like rappelling down and inspecting the entire route would probably be pushing it for calling it an onsight instead of a flash. You must be climbing some tiny boulders if you can inspect the entire problem from the ground but heck I am going to touch all the rock on a boulder I can before I make my first attempt to figure out how I will make my first attempt and that isn't beta.

T Roper wrote:

Me too. I also make sure to spray the whole gym down about Indian Creek whenever I get near them(as I spray the gym down about the proper way to tape)

You tape? Gym rat move

John Clark wrote:

You tape? Gym rat move

actually never but I also spray about that too!

T Roper wrote:

actually never but I also spray about that too!

Oh good, I thought we'd lost you there.

If you tape at the gym, how are you supposed to get Hep C?

Only, Locals wrote: If you tape at the gym, how are you supposed to get Hep C?

The old-fashion way ;)

We met up, two strange strangers.  Both, so far from our own comfort zones. but It was on my home turf.