Hi! As a non-native English speaker and an amateur journalist I would like to know what climbers mean when saying "low percentage moves"... Thanks in advance for your help!!
Something you normally would do easy, but miss doing it for a lot of times... Like jumping for finger pocket, you must hit it precisely to get into it, otherwise you fall. Dyno to crimp has far bigger percentage to hit, as you may hit some centimeters around and still catch it. (assume both need same power to hold)
A "low percentage" move is a move that usually can only be done once out of a given number of tries (usually a lot). Usually, "low percentage" moves are characterized by both, less than positive hand holds and sketchy, less than positive foot holds; as opposed to straight forward pulls that utilize fairly good holds but are still difficult and require a given amount of strength or ability. Not to say that enormous dynos or lunges, with big, positive holds can't be considered "low percentage"- they can. Also, "low percent" can be said to be "relative" to a climbers strength and normal abilities. A move that is surely "low percentage" for a V5-V9 climber might be relatively easy (and not so low percentage) for a V12-V15 climber. The worst is "low percentage" sections! These are sections where each move must be made with exact precision and outcome so as to arrive on the holds with the required "purchase" to make the next move. When there are 3 or 4 such moves in a row then the entire section can be viewed as "low percentage" where flawless performance and outcome is required to complete the whole section.
Low percentage moves??