Arizona Bouldering & Climbing

So, I think he is ahead because I don't have any time to try the route till the next Saturday or Sunday. I just don't have any time to spend on fun routes.

Climbing is technique. I would say Fish and most of the guys posting are plenty strong but not flexable at all. Its about technique. Look at Sharma, the poor guy can't do a one arm pull up yet he crushes  all the kids in competition. His technique, route reading  are the best, which is why he is the best. Don't tell me about his finger strenght, he stays open handed on most smaall holds, thats over rated. And ring training, who came up with that as a solution and who does that work for?  How are the best climbers, male or female training and who are they? Follow there lead. Otherwise, climb more and take yoga guys. It won't help your ego but it might help your climbing...................

Don't gert the wrong message here-- I'm not about to berate you because you made fun of my flexibility. Yes. It is bad. A little At-One yoga here and there (mainly for hot chicks) and morning stretching is all I do. I can touch my toes no problem though.

On to the main point-- Chris Sharma can't do a one arm. ARE YOU HIGH?! The dude has more pulling and body power than anyone. And I guarantee you he can do one ARMS. He crushed in the last comp because problem 4 had a JUG on it followed by long campuses and throws between underclings and opposing sidepulls. His technique is not often the best-- IE the Teva World Cup where he did not make finals and couldn't get more than 1 move into problem number two. His advantages lie in that he can squeeze anything, has absurd core strength, and can jump decently. This allows him often to bypass intermediates and do problems in a more "direct" sequence. Sometimes this screws him as the direct method is far harder, other times its a blessing, if say the intended sequence uses a heinous hold. Comps are won and lost based on who is having a good day and what the style of the problems are. And the "young kids" if I am assuming you mean Daniel, Paul, Tyler, etc... have beaten Chris.

And about the yoga thing-- yeah its good cross training. It helps with flexibility, core, and injury prevention, but it is no more applicable to climbing than ring training.

oldschool wrote:

Climbing is technique.  Look at Sharma, the poor guy can't do a one arm pull up yet he crushes  all the kids in competition. His technique, route reading  are the best, which is why he is the best.

yeah, i'm not so sure about that.  I completely agree technique is one of, if not the most important aspect of climbing, but calling sharma's technique the best and him the best climber... i'm going to have to disagree with that.  he crushes in comps because of his brute stregnth and abilbity to push through moves, even if its not the easiest way possible.  I dont know how many times people have failed some move in a gym comp, but he's come and campused it.  On the other hand, i've heard people talk about his fa's getting downrated after it gets a 2nd or 3rd because someone found easier beta, you'd have to ask others which climbs, because I simply dont pay that much attention.

I hate to bruise your ego fish, but Sharma can not do a one arm pull up. Ask him. I am not saying he is not strong, just not as strong as you think he is. He won the last comp because of the technical moves on problem 2.  Daniel, Paul and Tyler, have rarely beat him and none at the trade show the last 2 years. The kids rely on their strength, while Sharma relies on technique.

I know you guys all want to think that Sharma is so powerful and strong and thats why he is so good but I disagree. He climbs a lot and has great technique, watch him and then watch the kids who are strong and can pull really well on tiny holds, but still look like they are struggleing.

Well, Fish is right again!

According to the nickname: OLD SCHOOL, I can see some wrong understanding about climbing and moreover about the guy called Chris Sharma, I don’t know how oldschool came with the idea that Sharma is not strong and technical because he is extremely wrong! First of all, the technique of Sharma is great, but for campusing, I haven’t seen him using his “yoga power” at all! Also, he is extremely strong, most of the moves he does are dynamic and cutting feet ones. Moreover, Chris can do at least three one pull – up. The only climber that I know who can climb V13 and above and can’t do one arm is Dave Graham!

………….. the only people that I know to talk how great is Chris are all Gumbies!!!............

I hate to bruise your ego fish, but Sharma can not do a one arm pull up

Some time ago their was a video on dr.topo (no longer there) of Sharma messing around on someones hangboard and he definitely does a one arm pull up. Not to mention I've seen him do one myself some years ago at the PBC.

Your either just messing around or your just completely ridiculous. Its obvious that Sharma has brute strength.

Coming from someone that did yoga for over a year pretty seriously and is naturally flexible, Its not enough to crush on hard boulder problems. Yoga doesn't make your fingers crush crimps. Bouldering is more than flexibility and technique. I've climbed with people that had very impressive technique but no power to crank off mutant holds. Technique and flexibility doesn't fix that. Its only a compliment of it all.

Perhaps you should hop on a few problems that Chris has done. It'll give you some perspective of his strength. Notice in the videos when he's yelling? Its not just sports action, its effort and straight up savagery.

If your saying its all about technique, your basically saying anyone can climb as hard as Sharma as long as they have 'great technique' and excellent route reading skills.

If thats true, why isn't Hahns tick list the same as Sharma's? The guy knows tech/reading better than anyone I've ever seen, yet he's never pulled 14.

oldschool wrote:

His technique, route reading  are the best, which is why he is the best.

I must have missed the day that Sharma had technique. You have to forgive me, I don't sit around all day watching climbing videos
on the internet, so maybe I missed something. But everything I've seen suggests that Sharma can campus like crazy, but he sucks with footwork.

Sharma is still impressive though.

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I hate intellectual discussion. When I hear the words "phenomenology" or "structuralism", I reach for my buck knife.

OneArmCrank wrote:

I hate to bruise your ego fish, but Sharma can not do a one arm pull up

Some time ago their was a video on dr.topo (no longer there) of Sharma messing around on someones hangboard and he definitely does a one arm pull up. Not to mention I've seen him do one myself some years ago at the PBC.

Your either just messing around or your just completely ridiculous. Its obvious that Sharma has brute strength.

Coming from someone that did yoga for over a year pretty seriously and is naturally flexible, Its not enough to crush on hard boulder problems. Yoga doesn't make your fingers crush crimps. Bouldering is more than flexibility and technique. I've climbed with people that had very impressive technique but no power to crank off mutant holds. Technique and flexibility doesn't fix that. Its only a compliment of it all.

Perhaps you should hop on a few problems that Chris has done. It'll give you some perspective of his strength. Notice in the videos when he's yelling? Its not just sports action, its effort and straight up savagery.

If your saying its all about technique, your basically saying anyone can climb as hard as Sharma as long as they have 'great technique' and excellent route reading skills.

If thats true, why isn't Hahns tick list the same as Sharma's? The guy knows tech/reading better than anyone I've ever seen, yet he's never pulled 14.

 

All VERY true.

climbingsponge wrote:

oldschool wrote:

His technique, route reading  are the best, which is why he is the best.

I must have missed the day that Sharma had technique. You have to forgive me, I don't sit around all day watching climbing videos on the internet, so maybe I missed something. But everything I've seen suggests that Sharma can campus like crazy, but he sucks with footwork. Sharma is still impressive though.

 

He does definately have a lot of technique. He has a very unique style. When problems are easy, he doesn't need feet. Watch the Realization video or any other hard line he puts up and he generally is spot on with footwork and such.

The reputation that he had for no technique seems to span from early years in his life when he campused a lot and fooled around-- then again, this was mostly on boulder problems and these lines weren't that "cutting edge" compared to todays standards.

I think you guys are missing the point. If you think a 180 pound sharma has stronger fingers, can do more one arm pull ups then a 130 pound woods or robinson, you are dreaming. He is 40% heavier than his rivals. He certainly is not 50% stronger which according to you guys he would have to be to outclimb his competition.

Instead of worrying about nonsense like ring training, why don't you figure out how to use the power you all ready have better. I am not saying strength is not important, obviously it is, its just not the end all be all answer you guys think it is. Technique, flexability, and body movement are important. By the way BG, dynamic movement and feet cutting is about timing and body coordination, not strength.

180 pounds, man, you don't know  what  are you talking about. Do some indipendent research and  than  write right stuff! Watching King Lines 50 times and reading Climbing Magazine will not make any difference. I am not that crazy about Sharma like you are, it seems that all do all day long is thinking about him, which is a little bit scary, but Chris is no more then 160 pounds at the most, even he seems to be less then that. For example, three months ago, P.L. used to look stronger then him, now he lost some weight!

OMG, you guys are arguing about Sharma's weight?  Then on top of that your arguing that some kind of physical characteristic is responsible for his success in climbing?

Get over yourselves.  None of you will ever compare to Sharma cause none of you will dedicate yourself, yeah even you minko(can't believe you don't have time to have fun while climbing), to climbing like Chris has for what now the last 10 years straight?

This going to the gym and climbing the problems within weekend warrior climbing is no comparison to the kind of climbing Chris has access to in a given month, when he chooses to be climbing.  He has access to this world cause he is totally dedicated to it and mark my words that if any one of you, yeah even you minko, can achieve superhuman results if you dedicate yourself to this regime. 

You will need untold amounts of resources to fund your worldwide bouldering trips then double it cause your gonna be traveling the same for routes too.  Then after you get a couple photo ops on sensational routes you may get lucky and talk someone in one of the magazines into printing it for you.  Soon after you can count on a gear sponsorship and then after selling out to the competition scene for a few years you finally get in with the companies enough to get 1-2 of your photo shoots expenses paid.  If the stars shine down on you you might get lucky to get somebody like Josh to make you a DVD superstar which will fund even more exotic trips throughout the world.  All the while maintaining your interest in climbing enough to see beyond the fact that you've sold out to some degree to do what you love.

But after its all over, at least you get oldschool and Minko arguing about how much you weigh and which approach will get you to the same pedestal we all have placed Chris upon.

This is all bs, go climb, enjoy your time with your good friends in great places and live it up.  In the end that's why Chris does it too.

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Cause you'll never know till you've got the bone.

I cant agree with you more JBone. Well put.

climball wrote:

I cant agree with you more JBone. Well put.

I will say BS J PHONE or bone or whatever you want to be!
First of all, I was not arguing with MR. I AM DOING RESEARCH ON CHRIS SHARMA or simply climb all, he came with those crazy ideas propably when he was watching some climbing movies an wonder about climbing.
Second of all, why the heck you give as an example for all of your "great" lecture kind of arguments. Don't be too greedy, but you are not even climbing any more and you are taking some kinds of views that don't apply to you at all. and how do you know - how much fun do I have climbing???