World’s Hardest 5.8? I need your input!

Emil Briggswrote:

I see people say this all the time but I didn't find it particularly hard for the grade. Of course that was 20 years ago so I guess it might have polished up a bit since then.

I'm with you. When I did Triple S, I found good stances pretty much the whole way up and gear wherever you wanted to hang out and place it. 

Any time these hardest threads come up I have to mention Fear Of Flying at Phantom Spires 5.9

Also consistently, OW climbs land disproportionately as hardest for their grades.
I think omitting OW from the results should be standard practice, unless you want to know what the hardest OW for the grade is as thats its own monster IMO.

Another vote for Titties and Beer (aka "World's Hardest 5.8")

EDIT: I FORGOT THE UMPH SLOT WAS ORIGINALLY GIVEN 5.8+. What a joke. 13c at least

I'm going with Modern Times at the Gunks (felt at least 9+ at other areas...maybe the only 5.8 pitch that I didn't flash) and P1 of Traveller Buttress at Lover's Leap (thuggy and felt serious). P2 Traveller is strong contender for hardest 5.9 I've been on too. I remember P1 Steck Salathe which I think is called 5.8 feeling very tough for the grade too but could have been nerves and the early morning.

(5.8+) Gamesmanship, Adirondacks NY

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106074170/gamesmanship

One of the best climbs in the NE!

gamesmanship was not 8+ when we used to go over there a lot. It was only an 8 back then. Solid 8 but only hard for 2 moves INMOP

Doctor Chosswrote:

I'm going with Modern Times at the Gunks (felt at least 9+ at other areas...maybe the only 5.8 pitch that I didn't flash) and P1 of Traveller Buttress at Lover's Leap (thuggy and felt serious). P2 Traveller is strong contender for hardest 5.9 I've been on too. I remember P1 Steck Salathe which I think is called 5.8 feeling very tough for the grade too but could have been nerves and the early morning.

That OW at the start of P2 gets people for sure! Well protected but heady w/o a doubt. I've seen plenty of parties back off and then go climb corrugation.
Apparently on P1 of TButt, something broke off towards the top long time ago and it upped its difficulty but the grade remained.... cause I agree its stout at 5.8

Both of those, IMO, don't come close to fear of flying in terms of sandbagged .9
If you have not climbed FoF, I highly recommend it. It's a banger.

Another Gunks possibility if we're going by original grade is “a strenuous variation to Three Pines (5.8)” aka The Dangler 5.10a

Charlie Smartwrote:

Another Gunks possibility if we're going by original grade is “a strenuous variation to Three Pines (5.8)” aka The Dangler 5.10a

Yeah, but that route was initially graded by Kevin (Bein), who was so strong that he really couldn’t tell the difference. It will be 35 years this summer since we lost him. Still miss him very much. The Gunks has never been the same without The Mayor.

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

gamesmanship was not 8+ when we used to go over there a lot. It was only an 8 back then. Solid 8 but only hard for 2 moves INMOP

if you haven’t been over for awhile it might make an interesting comparison. from what i have heard there used to be flakes and loose stuff, some chockstones, etc, that made it easier to get jams or holds on the p1 crack. i find that first pitch to be pretty sustained and tough. granted i am not a particularly great crack climber but it’s not really the first move which sits me down (though that is also quite hard) but just the whole thing. If gamesmanship was anywhere else other than poke-o and someone called it a ten would anyone even blink? 

its been 20 years but I recall that it was easy for maybe 15 or 20 ft and then a hard jam move or two off of a small ledge  with possibly not the easiest gear ?  then it turned into pretty decent hands for a bit and then the angle eases off.  easy cruising for the rest of the climb.  I think Prelude to Overture is harder and scarier ;)  Clutch and cruise probably 2 grades harder than gamesmanship ;)  Hesitation and  Partition no give away either.. Of all those mentioned I felt that Gamesmanship was the most reasonable... I suspect it would be harder now and not just because of a missing hold :(

 Overture... No good reason this pitch is not called a 5.9

The Gunks has a reputation for being sand-bagged but it would seem you can brute force those routes long as you can hold onto buckets for a while, generally speaking. I don't think Modern Times is very challenging for the suggested grade.

Rasputin NLNwrote:

The Gunks has a reputation for being sand-bagged but it would seem you can brute force those routes long as you can hold onto buckets for a while, generally speaking. I don't think Modern Times is very challenging for the suggested grade.

I can't speak for every other 5.8 in the world, but I've climbed regularly at the Gunks for more than 20 years and I still find the crux of MT as hard as many Gunks 5.10's. Not as sustained for sure, at least you arrive at that crux fresh, but that's one hell of a 5.8 move.

Ed

Rasputin NLNwrote:

I don't think Modern Times is very challenging for the suggested grade.

Hot take!

Anyone say The Pooper yet at Devil’s Lake. Hardest 5.8 I can remember I ever climbed. 

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105748184/old-roof-route-aka-lemons-limes-and-tangerines

Probably not hardest in the world, and I'm not sure how much of the difficulty is due to grease factor, but this ones a bear

I don't think most of these Gunks suggestions are harder than 5.8, especially Modern Times. Most of the ones I think of as the hardest eights in the Gunks have not been mentioned: Broken Sling, Yellow Belly, Three Doves, Birdland, first pitch of Carbs & Caffeine-- some of these have been upgraded to 5.9 by various people over the years. Bonnie's is now thought of as 5.9 but was graded 5.8 for decades. 

Gunks, gunks, gunks...

We get it, it's all gnarly and overhanging, but how is that different than your average gym climb these days? If you want to get your ass kicked on 5.8, look no further than Index and the heinous, flaring chimney on p2 of Aires - mountainproject.com/route/1…

aires seemed like typical 5.8 flare/chimney climbing to me. i think most local climbers up there aren't very experienced at that style, so they think it is hard.  it would probably be a 6 or 7 at vedauwoo, josh, or other locations where locals know how to climb wide cracks.

fossilwrote:

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105758578/the-umph-slot

I came here to say the umph slot is definitely the most difficult 5.8+ I have done.