What makes a route a 'classic'....?

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healyje

Trad climber

Portland, Oregon

Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 21, 2010 - 03:56pm PT

According to the Bosch ad in the new Mountain Gear catalog it's:

Haul the lightest 36v hammer up your well-planned project to finally add the protection that will make your route a classic...

There you have it, and come on now, the Valley is full of sketchfests waiting to finally become modern classics.

Ksolem

Trad climber

Monrovia, California

Dec 21, 2010 - 04:01pm PT

At least they said "up" your well planned project...

lol

Ghost

climber

A long way from where I started

Dec 21, 2010 - 04:03pm PT

Popular does not equal classic.

That's right. Some popular routes are still protected with old-style nuts and cams, but once they're properly bolted, they could well become classics.

Think of routes like Exasperator at Squamish. Lineups on it all the time, but how can you think of it as "Classic" if you have to haul all that crap along to protect yourself?

Here's how it's done!

Seamstress

Trad climber

Yacolt, WA

Dec 21, 2010 - 04:05pm PT

I'll take your crap, and line up for that line!!

Port

Trad climber

San Diego

Dec 21, 2010 - 04:06pm PT

Thats a wierd way to put it.....by logic, extra bolts makes it extra clasic!

A classic route, to me at least, is one that has characteristic features that represents a climbing area. Whether a 5.7 alpine route or a single pitch 5.12 in JTree.....but more importantly, it MUST be fun!

EDIT: where was that picture taken? It looks like RS quarry to me.

Ihateplastic

Trad climber

It ain't El Cap, Oregon

Dec 21, 2010 - 04:07pm PT

Epics are always classics. The memories live on forever to be glorified and repeated within the digital pages of SuperTopo.

Clipfests are never classic. A week later there is nothing memorable about them.

Captain...or Skully

Big Wall climber

leading the away team, but not in a red shirt!

Dec 21, 2010 - 04:23pm PT

A route sans bolts is always more classic.

Ghost

climber

A long way from where I started

Dec 21, 2010 - 04:36pm PT

A classic route, to me at least, is one that has characteristic features that represents a climbing area

Epics are always classics... Clipfests are never classic.

draw ones eyes to them from bottom to top in a matter of seconds...

Jeez. Are you guys all, like, old, or something? No one wants to climb that trad crap any more. Well except old wrinklies who can hardly walk with all that sh#t you've got dangling from your harnesses. Do you have any idea how stupid you look? I mean, even clip-ups are getting to be pretty last-century, when you get right down to it. If you can't rap in and mini-trac out, what's the point? I guess you could say that bolts help get the rope up so the crew can get on it with their mini-tracs, but only if they're close enough together so that you won't have to fall.

Mungeclimber

Trad climber

sorry, just posting out loud.

Dec 21, 2010 - 04:50pm PT

lots of shitty lines look good far away and up close, but climb fer sh#t.

poor definitive criteria, but could be factors

scuffy b

climber

Three feet higher

Dec 21, 2010 - 04:57pm PT

I declare classics all the time, what are you talking about?

As in, "an Instant Modern Ultra Classic"
or sometimes, borrowed from wordier types, "29-star dick-wrenching
Mega-Classic."

It's really not my fault at all when people don't seem to agree with me.

looking sketchy there...

Social climber

Latitute 33

Dec 21, 2010 - 04:58pm PT

Often times just because someone declares it a classic.

Photo is a choss-pile at one of Tripper Jack's excavated sport crags -- and contrary to appearances, the bolts were necessary.

Captain...or Skully

Big Wall climber

leading the away team, but not in a red shirt!

Dec 21, 2010 - 05:01pm PT

I was just trying to say a "line", in fewer words.
Like you said, Kevin, one should be able to see the line.
I stumble with language constantly. Just another punter, man.
"skully" is another word for "bonehead". It's all good.

Ghost

climber

A long way from where I started

Dec 21, 2010 - 05:03pm PT

Photo is a choss-pile at one of Tripper Jack's excavated sport crags -- and contrary to appearances, the bolts were necessary.

Yes, so I've heard, and I only post it as part of a humorous response. But it does get people's eyebrows rising when they see it, doesn't it.

k-man

Gym climber

SCruz

Dec 21, 2010 - 05:06pm PT

A "classic" is a route that I onsight, but upon which all my partners whimper profoundly.

StahlBro

Trad climber

San Diego, CA

Dec 21, 2010 - 05:11pm PT

The more people who climb it and say "that was classic!", the more classic it becomes. Doing it in first ascent style often helps

Ghost

climber

A long way from where I started

Dec 21, 2010 - 05:17pm PT

If I recall, there's a pretty good working definition of "classic" in the intro to "50 Classic Climbs of North America." And also, if I recall, Allen and Roper agreed that the whole idea of a rigid definition was silly, and that there had to be some wiggle room.

But what strikes me as pretty funny every time I think of this is that for every "classic" there is something just as good that goes unheralded, and is almost always far less crowded. Same-same for the star system.

Besides, isn't the real "classic" the line you spotted last year that no one's done yet?

Mighty Hiker

climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Dec 21, 2010 - 05:22pm PT

All my routes are classics. Doh!

Also, the leader of my political party is a statesman/woman, but the leader of your party is a mere politician.

LarryD

climber

Las Vegas, NV

Dec 21, 2010 - 05:23pm PT

One characteristic that seems common to the classics is that they turn out to be easier than they look like they're going to be: Look hard, turn out moderate, or look impossible and are merely hard, etc.