John Gaskins

8a.nu
Also known as: The G

Quick Info

From: United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Gender: Male
Hardest Boulder (Worked): 8C
Hardest Sport (Worked): 9a+
Hardest Trad (Worked): E10
Hardest Trad (Onsight): HS

John Gaskins is a controversial figure in British climbing. As well as an early repeat of Hubble he has claimed many ascents of hard routes and boulder problems. However for some of his hardest ascents it is unclear whether they happened. In particular he has been unable to describe the holds or sequences on his problem Shadowplay, and shortly after claiming the first ascent was unable to pull on to the problem to get photographs for his sponsors.

Similar inconsistencies exist on several other routes and problems he has claimed including Violent New Breed (9a+), Tranquilitas (8C) which John originally claimed as Karma of the Trees at 8A and Little Women Right Hand.

Despite the above John was a capable climber and almost certainly climbed several hard problems, such as Anaesthesia (8A+) at Woodwell.

References

[1] Interview with Simon Lee from UKBouldering.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbZALxPdjZg

[2] From the same interview as [1], footage of John climbing on his board https://vimeo.com/82936059.

[3] A Profile of John Gaskins by Simon Panton, On The Edge 120 page 48.

Several of John's hardest claimed ascents have been disputed, though there are some examples of him climbing hard-ish (for example Anaesthesia is on video).

Dan Varian has tried many of John's harder problems and attempted to clarify where the lines go several times with minimal success. He goes in to detail in [1].

References

[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=30355.0

Contributors
69 contributions since 29th December 2020.

Quick Info

From: United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Gender: Male
Hardest Boulder (Worked): 8C
Hardest Sport (Worked): 9a+
Hardest Trad (Worked): E10
Hardest Trad (Onsight): HS

John Gaskins is a controversial figure in British climbing. As well as an early repeat of Hubble he has claimed many ascents of hard routes and boulder problems. However for some of his hardest ascents it is unclear whether they happened. In particular he has been unable to describe the holds or sequences on his problem Shadowplay, and shortly after claiming the first ascent was unable to pull on to the problem to get photographs for his sponsors.

Similar inconsistencies exist on several other routes and problems he has claimed including Violent New Breed (9a+), Tranquilitas (8C) which John originally claimed as Karma of the Trees at 8A and Little Women Right Hand.

Despite the above John was a capable climber and almost certainly climbed several hard problems, such as Anaesthesia (8A+) at Woodwell.

References

[1] Interview with Simon Lee from UKBouldering.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbZALxPdjZg

[2] From the same interview as [1], footage of John climbing on his board https://vimeo.com/82936059.

[3] A Profile of John Gaskins by Simon Panton, On The Edge 120 page 48.

Several of John's hardest claimed ascents have been disputed, though there are some examples of him climbing hard-ish (for example Anaesthesia is on video).

Dan Varian has tried many of John's harder problems and attempted to clarify where the lines go several times with minimal success. He goes in to detail in [1].

References

[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=30355.0

Contributors
69 contributions since 29th December 2020.

Library

Pics + Vids

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Ascents

43 recorded ascents.

This timeline is missing some ascents where the date of the ascent is unknown.
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Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Brandenburg Gate 9a+ Lead | did not finish 2003

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.
Violent New Breed 9a+ Lead | worked 21st Jun 2004
First ascent. Over 60 sessions.

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.

There is a picture of John on this, however Dan Varian has spoken to the photographer, Ray Wood, who said that John was unable to repeat any of the hard moves.
Hubble 9a Lead | worked Sep 1994
Third ascent. 12 sessions.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 51.
Hugh 9a Lead | did not finish
Head Like a Hole 8b+ Lead | worked 7th Aug 2004
First ascent.
Magnetic Fields 8b Lead | worked 1992

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.
Militia 8a+ Lead | worked 1993
Second ascent.

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.
Comedy 7c Lead | worked 1990

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Walk Away SDS 8C Boulder | worked Sep 2002
First ascent.
Gossip 8C Boulder | worked 2004
Second ascent.

At the time of the ascent Markus Bock publically disputed it. There was a lot of back and forth with no clear 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
Il Pirata 8C Boulder | worked Feb 2004
First ascent.
Shadowplay 8C Boulder | worked Oct 2004
First ascent.

When asked directly about it, John has been unable to describe the holds on the problem or the sequence he used on it despite supposedly spending tens of sessions over multiple years on it. Other capable climbers, notably Dan Varian, have been unable to find any meaningful holds.

References

[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,30355.msg594312.html#msg594312

[2] Interview with Simon Lee https://youtu.be/RbZALxPdjZg?t=2210
Kaizen 8B+ Boulder | worked 2001
First ascent.

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/
At the Heart of It All 8B+ Boulder | worked Oct 2003
First ascent.
Monk Life 8B+ Boulder | worked 2005

References

[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=4565.0
Little Women 8B+ Boulder | worked Before 1st Dec 2008 8A+
First ascent.

John originally claimed at 8A+.

References

[1] On The Edge Issue 140 August/September 2004, Page 68
Asphyxia 8B+ Boulder | worked
First ascent.
Traci Lords SDS 8B+ Boulder | worked
First ascent.
Le Miroir des Vanités 8B Boulder | worked 1998
3 sessions.

References

[1] On The Edge Issue 84, page 21
Isla de Encanta 8B Boulder | worked 1999
First ascent.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.
Walk Away 8B Boulder | worked 2001 8A+/8B
First ascent.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.
Endless Nameless 8B Boulder | worked Oct 2005
First ascent. 2 sessions.
Gaskins' Problem 8B (approx) Boulder | worked 5th Oct 2005 8A+/8B
First ascent. 1 session.

References

[1] http://www.northwalesbouldering.com/newsitem.asp?nsid=141
Shallow Groove 8B Boulder | worked 8A
First ascent.

It seems unlikely that John made the first ascent of this problem.

Dan Varian:

Re shallowgroove i think it's incredibly important to stress that [Aidan Roberts'] is the second ascent of [Ryan Pasquill's] direct. The line John describes in his interview should get written up as a seperate finish after the first move. If vitruvian man has a RH and LH version so should this. Even more so because the RH line has a proven track record of attempts, fails doing moves etc but the LH line only emerged in johns interview and is something entirely different... If Ryans line was easy someone else would've done it in the last 17years. Aidan is super well suited to crimping utter crap whilst standing on a ledge (as is Ryan). Its one of the weirdest hard problems in the world IMO. Literally no extra kudos for a trainers ascent. [1]

References

[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,10607.msg609908.html#msg609908
Cloning Technology 8A+ Boulder | worked 1997 8A+/8B
First ascent.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49

[2] On The Edge Issue 73, page 9
Work Hard 8A+ Boulder | worked 1998
Second ascent.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.
Anaesthesia 8A+ Boulder | worked 2000 8B/8B+
First ascent.

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 Issue 120, page 49

[3] On The Edge Issue 105, page 14
8 Ball 8A+ Boulder | worked 2001
Second ascent.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.
Endangered Species 8A+ Boulder | worked Oct 2003
First ascent.
Axiom SDS 8A+ Boulder | worked
First ascent.
Atomic Garden 8A Boulder | worked Before 1st Jan 2004 8A
First ascent.
Curtain Call 8A Boulder | worked
First ascent.
Information Highway Revisited 7C+ Boulder | worked 2006
First ascent.
Super Trouper 7C Boulder | worked 1995
First ascent.

References

[1] On The Edge Issue 91, page 90
Shallow Grave 7A+ Boulder | worked 1997
First ascent.
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
A Moment of Clarity E10 Boulder | worked Feb 2006
First ascent.

One of the last hard lines John climbed.
Widdop Wall E9 Top Rope | worked 1993

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.
Gigantic E8 Lead | worked 1991
Second ascent.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.
Reservoir Dogs E8 Top Rope | worked 1991

Top roped cleanly before Robin Barker made the first ascent.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.
Toltec Twostep Direct E6 Solo 1991
First ascent.

References

[1] On The Edge Issue 91, page 90
Toltec Twostep E6 Lead | worked 1991
First ascent.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 49.
The Wasdale Crack HS Lead | onsight Jun 1986

On the centenary of the first ascent.

References

[1] On The Edge 120, page 50.
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Pump up the Stamina 8c+ Boulder | worked Before 1st Jan 2000
First ascent.