John Gaskins

On the centenary of the first ascent.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 50.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.

Top roped cleanly before Robin Barker made the first ascent.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.

In contrast to popular opinion the loss of holds on this route has actually restored it to it's original grade, the holds that broke actually grew in size after JD and I had done it, something that I assume weakened them. [1]

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 51.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.

Climbed with feet on the back and given 8B. New beta using heels on the lip has taken the grade to 8A+.

References

[1] https://youtu.be/RbZALxPdjZg?t=856

[2] On The Edge 120, page 49.

Three of us attempted to remove the block from below what is now Kaizen, by using a winching system rigged from the large trees near the fence – a procedure abandoned when the trees started moving, whereas the block showed no intention of doing likewise. [3]

References

[1] On The Edge issue 120, page 49

[2] On The Edge, Issue 113

[3] https://www.lakesbloc.com/2023/06/29/20-years-of-lakesbloc-com/

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.

In interviews John has stated he got relatively close to climbing this line [2].

Redpoint highpoint was going for a blind edge at the very end of the hard climbing.

Paul Reeve also witnessed an attempt where John nearly made it in to Make it Funky. [1]

References

[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,10607.msg647558.html#msg647558

[2] Interview with Simon Lee https://youtu.be/RbZALxPdjZg?t=1950

[3] On The Edge 120, page 49.

At the time of the ascent Markus Bock publically disputed it. There was a lot of back and forth with no resolution.

Markus Bock:

Why I (and all climbers from Frankenjura who have tried GOSSIP) don't believe him:

1. On monday 05.07.2005 [sic] I showed him GOSSIP and the sequence how to climb it. JOHN tried it then for 1 1/2h, but doesn't climb any of the hard moves. I stayed with him all the time. Also I have gave him some powerspot, but also with less weight NO CHANCE.

2. I asked him per shortmassage about his different sequence. He told me it, but it's not different. MICHL KAISER (he climbed a lot of hard boulders here) tried this sequence for a while in the last 2 years, he is 185cm tall and said that he missed 10 cm to reach the next hold. JOHN is about 172 tall!

3. I climbed with him all the day.before we stayed at a place with a 8A trav..He tried the moves in the traverse,and he has had problems to do the crux-moves.

4. He told me at Monday morning that he climbed ZERBERUS 8B+ at the morning in 1h.After I have seen him in Gossip, I stopped at ZERBERUS and asked him how he has done the moves: It turned out after some minutes that he climbed a 7C Boulder there, which is directly right to ZERBERUS.

5. After that,I showed him some other hard stuff and he told me by the way that he has also done RIOT ACT 8B+ in one day (the day he arrived in Frankenjura, Tuesday 29.06.2005 (sic)) I write you this before any news report from JOHN about his "success" arrived you. And I write in the name of all who have done hard stuff here and tried GOSSIP for long time. We are all the same opinion: ITS NOT POSSIBLE THAT HE HAS DONE IT. [1]

John Gaskins:

Thanks for contacting me although I also have to say I was a bit surprised to receive this email.

I spent an afternoon with Markus whilst he climbed. After that he showed me where Gossip was (I had been climbing that morning so I didn't climb that afternoon, then I briefly tried Gossip in the evening although by that time I was far from focused especially given that my {non climbing} wife and I had been out climbing for about 9 hours and I knew that she wanted to go). In the subsequent days I worked out a totally different (and for me easier) sequence to that which Markus had used and had had me trying that initial evening. Indeed on the day I climbed the problem I found a further refinement to my sequence that was for me the key to my success especially when allied to that mornings good conditions and the fact that I climb better first thing in the morning (I generally climb a number of grades harder before lunchtime than I do after). We also discussed Riot Act, where we had both used virtually identical sequences. After that I exchanged a couple of texts (SMS), at no point did Markus raise this issue with me.

Regarding Zerberus I'm really puzzled. As Markus knows I was misinformed as to the exact line of the problem and hence didn't actually climb it, although prior to discovering this misinformation over the line I thought I had climbed it.

As regards other things, both in my local area and elsewhere, various people have seen me either doing them or doing all the moves whilst working them. Indeed I have shown people the moves on many of these things by climbing them (the individual moves) after my ascents. In addition there is video footage of me climbing (i.e. linking all the moves together) on most of my hardest "sends".

Certainly at this point in time I have nothing to gain from claiming things I haven't done. I am not, and never have, tried to build a reputation etc indeed I will very soon move on to concentrate on my work career. I did the problems (in the Frankenjura) purely for myself, as with everything that I have done. Indeed when I first started trying most of my hardest problems (i.e. those in my local area), bouldering was not a major activity. I am saddened that people now wish to maliciously claim, without any foundation, that I have not climbed these things when I have worked hard over many years, both in terms of training time and also the physical number of days trying these things prior to completing them. [1]

References

[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20230909111707/https://www.8a.nu/articles/gossip-gossip

[2] Discussion on UKClimbing.com, July 2004 https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/rock_talk/gaskins_controversy_on_8anu-93741

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2004/06/john_gaskins_new_9a+_-_the_hardest_in_the_world-11117

[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/ukc/gaskins_climbs_long-standing_project_to_give_a_new_9a+-90333

[3] News item in On The Edge Issue 140 August/September 2004

John Gaskins has redpointed his long-term project at the G-Spot, Giggleswick, Yorkshire, to give the first route to be graded F9a+ in Britain.

John reckons the line is harder than Hubble, the closest comparison route to it. Hubble took John 12 days, yet by the end of 1995 he'd spent 60 days on this line and not redpointed it.

John said: "It's very bouldery, V15 (Font 8c) or so, and is essentially five moves long, of which the first and last moves are reasonable (this climbing is preceded by a short and easy wall). Whilst straightforward the first move (gaining a very small pock mark edge) is the key move on the route in many respects. The move that follows represents one of the hardest moves I've ever done, being harder than any move on my project at Raven Tor [ed: Brandenburg Gate?]. The following two moves are easier although still hard, the first being harder than the crux move of Hubble. The final tricky move to a jug is not hard but is potentially fall off-able. All that remains are a couple of easy pulls on good holds."

John bolted the line back in the autumn of 1993 and tried it extensively over the summers of both 1994 and 1995. In 1994 he redpoint- ed Hubble but didn't make significant progress on this route. The following year he spent about 50 days attempting it, his high point being touching the good edge at the end of the major difficulties. But in early 1996 one of the holds broke and his interest in the line waned as it was then even harder.

John returned in 2000 and a number of days on the route saw him re-climb all the moves and link all bar the first of the five main moves. The following year saw him become involved in his on-going project at Raven Tor in part due to foot and mouth restrictions placing Giggleswick off limits'.

This year John had his university finals so his time was restricted, meaning trips to Giggleswick were more feasible than to Raven Tor (John lives in Carnforth on the edge of the Lake District).

John eventually redpointed the route on his own, tying off the rope to the first bolt and giving himself enough slack to get to the top, clipping the second bolt before the hard climbing starts and the third when it's finished but not enough to hit the ground in case of a fall. However, he didn't fall off.

References

[1] http://www.northwalesbouldering.com/newsitem.asp?nsid=141

One of the last hard lines John climbed.