Freerider is Soft!

The other day at the gym I heard first-time climbers talking about how they topped a gym 10D.  They were stoked and then looked up Freerider (Damnit Alex) to find that it was "just" a 12D.  Their discussion went as expected, (grossly paraphrasing) "maybe we could do Freerider, it can't be that hard."  Do gyms undermine the athletic feats of others by using a softer version of the YDS?

1/10.

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I can relate, embarrassingly enough. 

A couple years into climbing, I was climbing at a warehouse bouldering gym in Chicago (which at the time had little in the way of roped gym climbing). The only roped climbing I'd done was on rec center walls without grades. I had just seen a video of Sharma on some 5.14 and assumed that the holds he was cruxing out on couldn't be harder than the v3/4s I was climbing/projecting at devils lake (not recognizing that if you can boulder v15 you can do a lot of stacked v9s, let alone v4s). I was absolutely gutted to discover that the v4 I had just struggled to send at the gym was a replica of the crux of a lowly 12b (Tissue Tiger at the RRG), and that all the out-of-shape trad dads I'd seen at devils lake climbing 5.10 were probably at least as good at bouldering as me. Definitely a well-needed swift kick in the ego to learn how high the route climbing totem pole went (and how low on it I'd sit).

I heard the freerider is third class

I onsight 13a at Central Rock Gyms, Freerider is as soft as cotton!

Gumby Kingwrote:

Do gyms undermine the athletic feats of others by using a softer version of the YDS?

Replicas of the cruxes would get sent all day long in a modern gym - it’s a lack of experience and comprehension of what grade VI means that gets people.

James Wwrote:

Replicas of the cruxes would get sent all day long in a modern gym - it’s a lack of experience and comprehension of what grade VI means that gets people.

Honestly, if I owned a gym and had the funds I would love to be able to make replicas of the Great Roof, Changing Corners, Paisano Overhang, and The Boulder Problem.  Like, there would be incorporated into the wall features and routes would be placed around them.  I'm sure I'm missing some other iconic sections that aren't long as the Monster Offwidth that would be feasible to include in a gym.

Gumby Kingwrote:

Honestly, if I owned a gym and had the funds I would love to be able to make replicas of the Great Roof, Changing Corners, Paisano Overhang, and The Boulder Problem.  Like, there would be incorporated into the wall features and routes would be placed around them.  I'm sure I'm missing some other iconic sections that aren't long as the Monster Offwidth that would be feasible to include in a gym.

What about the pink one in the corner?

Connor Dobsonwrote:

What about the pink one in the corner?

The last great unsent project 

Impossible to replicate Yose slab in a gym, they’ll find that out pretty quickly. 

Michael Rushwrote:

Impossible to replicate Yose slab in a gym, they’ll find that out pretty quickly. 

With enough tools anything is possible. Why keep Yosemite in California if you can put it on a truck and have a traveling crag road show. I bet you can even get a free solo circus clown.

Also never say never, people thought your local choss pile couldn’t be freed but someone did.

They're young and new and in the gym. They know not that which they speak of. We should cut them some slack.

Princess Puppy Lovrwrote:

With enough tools anything is possible. Why keep Yosemite in California if you can put it on a truck and have a traveling crag road show. I bet you can even get a free solo circus clown.

Also never say never, people thought your local choss pile couldn’t be freed but someone did.

Tool bag and circus clown, check.

The day gyms bring 5.10+ polished granite slabs into the mix is the day I start joining them.

Connor Dobsonwrote:

What about the pink one in the corner?

I knew I was missing one.  My old gym finally took it down.  Too many crusty trad dad complaints :-/

I’d guess we all had this bursting bubbling enthusiasm. I did! It’s what keeps us climbing and learning in the beginning. Eventually, with more experience, the full reality of climbing comes into perspective and we are somewhat tamed and humbled.

Michael Rushwrote:

Impossible to replicate Yose slab in a gym, they’ll find that out pretty quickly. 

Friction slab only goes up to 10+ anyway, it really ain't that hard.

Anyone who brags about their ability to climb slab as some sort of achievement to own the noobs is just salty that they are old and fat and can't crimp hard

One of these days we’ll fly some drone up and down the cliff and it will take detailed measurements of the face. You’ll then be able replicate it via 3-D printing.
You’ll get to have an exact replica of the Teflon, of the Boulder problem, of Midnight Lightning at any gym in the world.

Mark Hudonwrote:

One of these days we’ll fly some drone up and down the cliff and it will take detailed measurements of the face. You’ll then be able replicate it via 3-D printing.
You’ll get to have an exact replica of the Teflon, of the Boulder problem, of Midnight Lightning at any gym in the world.

And we could climb it all in Air Conditioning and sleep in a Bed!?

Michael Rushwrote:

The day gyms bring 5.10+ polished granite slabs into the mix is the day I start joining them.

You actually get pretty close with some competition boulder problems with dual-tex holds or really insecure volumes, but they're rare and I think most people hate them. No reason you couldn't make a whole route like that tbqh. Whether most gyms would allow you to lead them, though… :shrug:

MattHwrote:

I can relate, embarrassingly enough. 

A couple years into climbing, I was climbing at a warehouse bouldering gym in Chicago (which at the time had little in the way of roped gym climbing). The only roped climbing I'd done was on rec center walls without grades. I had just seen a video of Sharma on some 5.14 and assumed that the holds he was cruxing out on couldn't be harder than the v3/4s I was climbing/projecting at devils lake (not recognizing that if you can boulder v15 you can do a lot of stacked v9s, let alone v4s). I was absolutely gutted to discover that the v4 I had just struggled to send at the gym was a replica of the crux of a lowly 12b (Tissue Tiger at the RRG), and that all the out-of-shape trad dads I'd seen at devils lake climbing 5.10 were probably at least as good at bouldering as me. Definitely a well-needed swift kick in the ego to learn how high the route climbing totem pole went (and how low on it I'd sit).

Prepare to be gutted some more. The crux of Tissue Tiger is barely V3…  

Mark Hudonwrote:

One of these days we’ll fly some drone up and down the cliff and it will take detailed measurements of the face. You’ll then be able replicate it via 3-D printing.
You’ll get to have an exact replica of the Teflon, of the Boulder problem, of Midnight Lightning at any gym in the world.

I wonder if that would increase, or decrease the amount of people that want to climb in Yosemite.