Notorious 5.9+ sandbags

choss pirate wrote:

ah yes, the easiest 5.9 in vedauwoo. definitely a sandbag.

I was going to bust his balls too.

I think of the 5.9 hand cracks there, I can’t think of one that C&P is harder than. It’s pretty long but not in a killer endurance sort of way.

Is it any harder than Satterfields? An 8. Steeper but better jams.

bryans wrote:

Canary at Leavenworth in WA (the pitch 1 mantle)

Canary is 8+

On the other hand, Damnation Crack at Castle Rock in Leavenworth is 9+. Sanbagged?  Maybe. Just knowing Castle was developed a while back make me give it a bit more respect and know nothing is going to be a give away including Scary Canary

East of Eden at the forks historically was called 9+. Thanks to MP we have consensus:  126 votes and 125 are solid 10; with 15 10+ (and zero 10-) ratings. Then one guy out of 126 people rates it straight 9. Not even 9+. 9!!!!

And this is not someone who climbed it back in the day. Go figure. So maybe this should be a separate thread. But I really need to understand the psychology of sandbagging. Is there anything other than pure ego involved?

j mo wrote:

East of Eden at the forks historically was called 9+. Thanks to MP we have consensus:  126 votes and 125 are solid 10; with 15 10+ (and zero 10-) ratings. Then one guy out of 126 people rates it straight 9. Not even 9+. 9!!!!

And this is not someone who climbed it back in the day. Go figure. So maybe this should be a separate thread. But I really need to understand the psychology of sandbagging. Is there anything other than pure ego involved?

I think everything at the Forks feels sandbagged. I climbed there a lot off and on for several years and got comfortable with the climbing and climbed some of my hardest climbs but the ratings all felt "stiff" for the grade. Wonderful climbing though. 

For that matter every area in Arizona that was climbed prior to "sport" climbing became a thing was sandbagged.

Its a time honored practice to "burn off your mates" in many adventure sports. Something to do with testosterone perhaps...

Didn't read all 5 pages so Im sure these have been mentioned but didn't see them on the OP:

Umph slot boulder canyon. 

Jungle beat RRG

Original Route on The Mace in Sedona. 4th pitch is STOUT

Back in the early 70s, when only “god and Jim Bridwell” could climb 5.10, Intimidation at Cathedral Ledge in NH was 5.9+. You were a total stud if you had led it.
it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that it is rated much harder these days. 

Mark Hudon wrote:

Back in the early 70s, when only “god and Jim Bridwell” could climb 5.10, Intimidation at Cathedral Ledge in NH was 5.9+. You were a total stud if you had led it.
it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that it is rated much harder these days. 

MP has it at 10b. 

The biggest 5.9+ sandbag I've ever had was pitch 5 of borderline in Squamish. The actual squeeze chimney could be a stiff 5.9+, but just getting into the chimney required some solid 5.11 moves.

Celestial groove at pearly gates is a pretty good sandbag at 5.9+, but that's still a reasonably grade.

+1 for TM's Deviation at Sugarloaf, and variation 3 of P2 on the Regular Route at Higher Catherdral Spire.

And bump, because this topic should always be at the top of any trad forum.. 

No one's mentioned NEB in Yosemite?! 5.9++

+1 Regular Route on Higher Cathedral Spire

+1 Blistered Toe Direct start at the Gunks (felt 10b/c)

+1 for the mace in sedona, i made some sounds on there that implied 5.9++