Softest grade given to a route?

Jon Hillis wrote: Open Book felt super soft to me... Maybe 5.8 tbh

Don't wake Tradiban.

All other 5.9s must bow down to Open Book

​contrived and over-bolted​

K Weber wrote: All of El Potrero Chico is "vacation grades".

You'll have to climb there more. Sometimes yes and sometimes nooooo

Furiously adds routes to To Do list

Hson P wrote:

So much this. That route is like 3 V0’s with lie down rests in between them. I would add Whip Stocking is kinda the same, but with no-hands knee bars instead of lie downs. It’s easier than fire and brimstone 10d and breakfast burrito 10c. 

+1 Whip Stocking, at the time Fire and Brim was spanking me, that was a casual warm up.

Blind Faith in Eldorado Canyon, no way that is 5.10...

Mike-Mayhem wrote: Blind Faith in Eldorado Canyon, no way that is 5.10...

Depends which way you go on the overhang...but I agree with modern cams it is easier. My second 5.10 lead actually. Felt hard at the time because I had to work a hex into the hand crack before doing the move.

Some of my old local crags in SE Idaho are very soft.  If you're a V3 climber, prepare to flash "long black Cadillac" V7 or if you're a 5.10 sport climber, get ready to onsight "black bear" 12b.  Just a couple examples...   Also ten sleep, WY is nice and soft.

Clay City Exit 11a, RRG. 

revans90 wrote: Indian creek 5.12- more like 5.11b/c

Such as? The one that fit your hands/fingers perfectly?

revans90 wrote: Indian creek 5.12- more like 5.11b/c

IC red #1 Camalot "5.11-" feels like 5.12 to me while purple #.5 Camalot "5.12-" feels like 5.11- to me. So as far as I'm concerned IC is both hard as nails and soft as shit

Twin Peaks

Almost all my rock climbing has been at Ragged Mountain, The Gunks, and North Conway. What is this word "soft" I keep hearing? :)

Brian Abram wrote:

IC red #1 Camalot "5.11-" feels like 5.12 to me while purple #.5 Camalot "5.12-" feels like 5.11- to me. So as far as I'm concerned IC is both hard as nails and soft as shit

I’m trying to conceptualize your hand size.

I hear tight hands when I hear .75-1 (which usually aren’t that bad with thumbs down on the leading hand) 
and I hear ringlocks when I hear .5 (.3-.4 being my finger lock size, so .5 being the crap size)
I’m guessing you get fingers? on .5?! And #1 is just hard tight hands?
Or on the smaller size you get tight hands on .5 and better hand jams are harder somehow?

Cole D wrote:

I’m trying to conceptualize your hand size.

I hear tight hands when I hear .75-1 (which usually aren’t that bad with thumbs down on the leading hand) 
and I hear ringlocks when I hear .5 (.3-.4 being my finger lock size, so .5 being the crap size)
I’m guessing you get fingers? on .5?! And #1 is just hard tight hands?
Or on the smaller size you get tight hands on .5 and better hand jams are harder somehow?

No, it sounds like I'm about the same hand dimensions as you. I am personally MUCH better at fingers/ringlocks/thumbstacks than tight hands. I can handle .3 to .75 just fine (fingers to thumbstacks for me) and #2s and 3s (full hands to cups) just fine. I SUCK at thin hands

Brian Abram wrote:

No, it sounds like I'm about the same hand dimensions as you. I am personally MUCH better at fingers/ringlocks/thumbstacks than tight hands. I can handle .3 to .75 just fine (fingers to thumbstacks for me) and #2s and 3s (full hands to cups) just fine. I SUCK at thin hands

https://youtu.be/9lD-P8suE5A

https://youtu.be/xRt7TUztXR4

https://youtu.be/KZd79UtWFhA

This stuff is gold if you haven’t seen it!

The more I did lots of thumbs down thin hands the more pump I would get in the meat near the base of and to the side thumb. That meat eventually seemed to get a bit bigger, and if I can get that potion of my hand in a crack then usually I’m good to go on gear, shaking out other hand, or upward progress. not so much when it’s overhung 11+ stuff. There I’m still on the struggle bus, but vert and slab feel fine now. I only spray that because I used to hate this size and now I’m more just trying to get purple and steep sorted a bit more. 

Dave Cramer wrote: Almost all my rock climbing has been at Ragged Mountain, The Gunks, and North Conway. What is this word "soft" I keep hearing? :)

It’s what we real climbers call your neck of the woods :)

officer friendly 5.11b/c in clear creek canyon. i sent this (on top rope) after 1.5 years of climbing. before i even ticked any 5.10s on top rope in CT.