John Gaskins
John Gaskins is a controversial figure in British climbing. He has claimed a number of very hard boulder problem first ascents as well as several hard repeats. Almost all his hardest ascents lack clear evidence as to whether they actually happened.
For a long time John had a lot of support within the British climbing community. For example, he claimed to have repeated Markus Bock's problem Gossip which Bock thought was very unlikely. Many in the UK climbing scene supported John's claim. It was only much later that doubts were raised about many of John's first ascents which then cast doubts over his climbing as a whole.
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.
Excluded
Many ascents disputed. In particular, problems like Pill Box Wall and Shadowplay do not stack up. There are some examples of him climbing hard-ish (for example Anaesthesia is on video) but none of his super hard problems.
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 here https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=30355.0
Because of the uncertainty around so many of his ascents he's been excluded from all lists.
Media
John Gaskins
John Gaskins
Hubble (9a)
Isla de Encanta (8B, FA)
Gaskins' Problem (8B, FA)
At the Heart of It All (8B+, FA)
Hugh (9a)
Ascents
17 recorded ascents.
| Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandenburg Gate | 9b (Lead Did not finish) | ||
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John supposedly got quite close to this but never managed it. |
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| Violent New Breed | 9a+ (Lead) | ✓ | 21 Jun 2004 |
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Widely disputed ascent. John claimed to have worked and climbed this using a self belay setup. ExcludedWidely disputed ascent. 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. |
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| Hubble | 9a (Lead) | ||
ExcludedBecause of questions around many of his other ascents it is unclear whether John climbed this route. |
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| Hugh | 9a (Lead Did not finish) | ||
| Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk Away SDS | 8C (Boulder) | ✓ | 01 Sep 2002 (approx) |
| Il Pirata | 8C (Boulder) | ✓ | 01 Feb 2004 (approx) |
| Shadowplay | 8C (Boulder) | ✓ | 01 Oct 2004 (approx) |
ExcludedAlmost certainly a fabricated ascent. When asked about it, John has been unable to describe the sequence used on it despite supposedly spending tens of sessions on it. There is also a complete lack of holds on it (as judged by people operating in the grade range). |
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| Gossip | 8C (Boulder) | ||
| At the Heart of It All | 8B+ (Boulder) | ✓ | 01 Oct 2003 (approx) |
| Traci Lords SDS | 8B+ (Boulder) | ✓ | |
| Little Women | 8B+ (Boulder) | ✓ | |
ExcludedJohn originally claimed the line at 8A+. |
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| Isla de Encanta | 8B (Boulder) | ✓ | 01 Jan 1998 (approx) |
| Walk Away | 8B (Boulder) | ✓ | 01 Jan 2001 (approx) |
| Gaskins' Problem | 8B (Boulder) | ✓ | 05 Oct 2005 |
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Disputed ascent (and if it is real it's the hardest 8B in the world). |
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| Impossible Slab | 8B (Boulder) | ✓ | |
| Shallow Groove | 8B (Boulder) | ✓ | |
Excluded
[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,10607.msg609908.html#msg609908 |
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| Anaesthesia | 8A+ (Boulder) | ✓ | |
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Climbed with feet on the back and given 8B. New beta using heels on the lip has taken the grade to 8A+. |
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| Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date |
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| Climb | Grade | FA | Ascent Date |
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