My redpoints either take hours or they take months/years. I'm usually not motivated enough to focus on one route on multiple trips but if I go to the same crag often enough, I will usually get back on the route eventually.

I once took six years and eight tries to redpoint a route. Seriously.

People who top-rope solo are social rejects who usually endanger themselves and others at the crag. If you can't find a friend to swap lead with there may be something more than just a problem with climbing. This has been my experience more than once. If you are such a basket case that you are gonna top rope solo a route instead of just try it, perhaps you should take up bouldering or running. This is very bad advice. Top rope soloing is a last ditch, end of the road, no one likes me sport. Avoid it.

wow... just wow. I have to get into this just to see what you type up next.

- Why are they social rejects?, have you never once went climbing alone?. Are all free soloists social rejects? along with those who boulder alone, run alone, bike alone, etc.

- I have read many blogs and posts (some from this forum) stating that top rope solo is actually safer than partner climbing as it halves the chance of human error. What are your reasons for saying otherwise?. Even if that single climber is clueless.. who is to say his partner is also not clueless. From that perspective, 1 death is better than 2.. right? can you figure out how 2 clueless partners may die within seconds of each other?.

- If they can't find a friend to swap with you are right.. it may be some reason other than climbing. Maybe they have a job, uni work, family commitments, just don't feel like it, are to tired from yesterdays climbing, are hung over from a party, sick, dead, on a date, at the dole (welfare), got beat up, at church, injecting smack, robbing a bank. And so.

Why should a person boulder instead of top rope soloing a route they are trying to send on lead?. What tactic is going to show the best results for that particular send with a partner short?. Are you saying training for a route by randomly bouldering stuff that slightly resembles the routes moves is more beneficial than trying to climb the route and all its actual moves?.

Maybe you are not aware, but climbing is not that popular if you take away the gyms. Some people live in areas that breath climbing.. others live in areas where climbing is only something you see on the tv (cliff hanger and so). To get good at climbing EATS time, most people are not willing or able to allow that. So a person in a low climbing pop zone with people who are not willing to put in the hours yet he/she realy wants to do sport/trad.. has limited options. Especially if he/she can not stand to climb indoor.

You sound young, and jobless. Or just ignorant.

wow... just wow. I have to get into this just to see what you type up next.

- Why are they social rejects?, have you never once went climbing alone?. Are all free soloists social rejects? along with those who boulder alone, run alone, bike alone, etc.

- I have read many blogs and posts (some from this forum) stating that top rope solo is actually safer than partner climbing as it halves the chance of human error. What are your reasons for saying otherwise?. Even if that single climber is clueless.. who is to say his partner is also not clueless. From that perspective, 1 death is better than 2.. right? can you figure out how 2 clueless partners may die within seconds of each other?.

- If they can't find a friend to swap with you are right.. it may be some reason other than climbing. Maybe they have a job, uni work, family commitments, just don't feel like it, are to tired from yesterdays climbing, are hung over from a party, sick, dead, on a date, at the dole (welfare), got beat up, at church, injecting smack, robbing a bank. And so.

Why should a person boulder instead of top rope soloing a route they are trying to send on lead?. What tactic is going to show the best results for that particular send with a partner short?. Are you saying training for a route by randomly bouldering stuff that slightly resembles the routes moves is more beneficial than trying to climb the route and all its actual moves?.

Maybe you are not aware, but climbing is not that popular if you take away the gyms. Some people live in areas that breath climbing.. others live in areas where climbing is only something you see on the tv (cliff hanger and so). To get good at climbing EATS time, most people are not willing or able to allow that. So a person in a low climbing pop zone with people who are not willing to put in the hours yet he/she realy wants to do sport/trad.. has limited options. Especially if he/she can not stand to climb indoor.

You sound young, and jobless. Or just ignorant.

HAHAHAHAHAHA. Sorry man, I should have said angry social rejects. Perhaps I should add whiny, angry and lame. Am I missing anything?

I was expecting a more intelligent response tbh, . If jay was Alan sugar, you would have been sacked.

(Although we all do know it to be true.)

[R]ope solo is actually safer than partner climbing as it halves the chance of human error.

Coming from anyone other than you, one would assume that that was a joke.

Why not take away the rope and reduce the chance of mechanical error while you're at it.

Jay

Their would certainly be less falls. I don't expect you will understand why.

...except when you cannot stick clip your way up the route-- due to the distance between bolts being longer than your stick clip, due to a roof or a bulge blocking your reach to the next bolt, etc. etc. Yes, I can easily name quite a few routes that I have projected, am projecting, or am thinking about projecting, that are not stick-clipping friendly.

Don't forget routes that don't have bolts.

Don't forget routes that don't have bolts.

Wait, now you are convinced that there are less falls when you climb by yourself? Not just content to half the mechanical error anymore by making the system more complicated, now you insist that top rope soloing results in less falls. Wow. Why? Because you are too scared to fall? Very well thought out. Wait, what possibility of error is there on my part after the knot is tied and I am climbing? I am sure you have seen the knot untie while climbing? Am I getting the hint that every other climber is inferior to you and that is why you prefer to climb by yourself?

I think a great idea would be for top rope soloists would be to set up a sign that says in case I actually do fall, and my overly complicated system confuses me at the wrong moment, and I die, please don't ruin your day packing me out. I chose to die on my own because I couldn't find a climbing partner and that shouldn't negatively impact you. You might want to add a last testament about the hordes of gear I am sure a self professed top rope soloer possesses. Once time I saw one of these top rope soloist brood hit the ground from about 80 feet, man you should have heard the noise. Yea, we had to carry that fat worthless sack out, but the real problem began when the rescuers began helping themselves the to punters cams and draws as a service charge for the hike out.
If you set that sign up when you top rope solo, you might find yourself more welcome at the crag. At least by myself and every other climber who had their day ruined by the fat worthless fool.

Take away these people who read a few top anchor books, had no climbing background then 1 day decided to go climb a mountain alone.. then yes, that is what i am saying.

Nice try.

Your response to Jay made absolutely no sense to me. I read essay's response to your nonsensical response, and thought "Nah, there's no way he's talking about that." Then I read your new response--nonsensical again--and I'm just sitting here baffled. I have absolutely no clue what's going on anymore. Then I tried to read your signature, which took a while, but I finally understood what you're trying to say--at least in the signature.

I think he is making a subtle riff on the old Steve Martin joke about how to have population control "simple - death penalty for parking violations"

Dave MacLeod has been making good progress recently on the 500m super climb, the Longhope Route at St Johns Head, Hoy, despite atrocious rainy weather and also being vomited on by angry seabirds.

Dave reported on his blog that, in spite of the rain, he had managed to complete his recent objective of linking on a shunt “the big pitch”, a series of headwall cracks speculated to be around 8c/8c+.

John Arran and Dave Turnbull made the first free ascent of the Longhope Route in 1997 but avoided this headwall by a four-pitch deviation up grooves to the left. Dave now plans to free the entirety of the route, which, even without the hardest section, still amounts to 23 pitches of serious, loose and physically demanding climbing with a top pitch of F8a.

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=868495

With bad weather, I was off the hook for belay duties. But Tommy, being the animal he is, decided to work on the route self belayed with a mini traxion. Nothing like 5.14a friction in rain/snow.

Halfway through the day he let us know that he made a major breakthrough and found a way to get around the 5.14+ crux with some 5.13+. now the route only had 5 5.14 pitches… no problem!!

obviously some RC "experts" know better ...

they probably climb harder than old tommy there ... i mean come on ... 5,14a ... pffft ... only gumbies TR solo to work out the moves for that ...