8 December 2016

Barefoot ascents might change some hard core gradings

Seb Bouin dropped one shoe and repeated a 9a and calling it an 8c+. It is somehow logical that if a climb is easier without shoes, the grade should go down. When Charles Albert, who has been climbing barefoot for the last years, repeated an 8C (+) in Font he said it was 8B+ for him, even though he did a much more difficult direct line (9A or harder with shoes). Now the 20-year-old has done an 8C FA barefoot in Font which he thinks is harder with shoes. Once this barefoot trend grows bigger, we might see some downgradings. On the other hand, as the grades are supposed to reflect the difficulty, Charles's latest 8C FA might be considered an 8C+ or even 9A in the future. Charles has developed an amazing skill pulling with his big toes for four years, contrary to the standing stability strength all climbers with shoes train. Even if the best boulderer tried the 8C FA shoeless, it could take years before they would develop the big toe pulling strength needed. In other words, the best boulderers in the world might consider the 8C FA and the direct 8B+ mentioned above equally hard to repeat as Hukkataival's recent 9A. Furthermore, in the future the most difficult route and boulders to repeat might be climbs where you actually need to take the shoes off and put them back on while climbing, as you approach different cruxes.
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