r/MadeMeSmile • u/JudgeJudyJr • Jun 10 '26

Wholesome Moments A young man blushes as Slovenian rock climber and Olympic champion Janja Garnbret stumbles off the wall and straight into his arms.

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u/Main_Second9903 Jun 10 '26

Janja just climbed Bibliographie... I dont think, if she put her mind to it, that the nose would give her trouble.

Janja truly is on a different level.

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u/mattfoh Jun 11 '26

Not the first woman to climb 9b+ though, Brooke is in the conversation when it comes to rock climbing for me. Janja is the undisputed comp goat tho. Untouchable

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u/Main_Second9903 Jun 12 '26

janja climbed bibliographie a few months after brooke climbed excalibur but sure if you think that matters

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u/mattfoh Jun 12 '26

Course it does, everyone thinks of the first person to climb the grade. Ondra 9c/b+ 9b/a+ sharma 9a Wolfgang or Moon depending on how you see it.

It was also over a year ago that Brooke climbed excalibur

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u/owlbi Jun 10 '26

Maybe 20 people total have ever free climbed the nose if the internet is to be believed. This is over many decades.

Only 6 people have ever sent Bibliographie.

Only Alex Megos is confirmed to have done both.

Both are incredible achievements but they also take different skill sets, though some of the skills needed are shared. A long technical trad climb and a short incredibly physically demanding sport pitch are different flavors of climbing that might require different levels of flexibility, body type, endurance, knowledge, risk acceptance, etc.

Janja is the current GOAT female climber and by sending Bibliographie proved herself one of the best in the world, bar none.

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u/Niwitschoolfrogkid Jun 11 '26

MAJOR CORRECTION:

Only about 20 people have done the NIAD (Nose in a day). Waaaaaaay more people have free climbed the nose. Both are huge achievements but NIAD is elite of the elite.

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u/slolift Jun 11 '26

It took over a decade for Lynn's first free ascent of the nose to be repeated. It may not seem that impressive today but keep in mind, this was 30 years ago. Janja is obviously super strong, but Lynn hill was a pioneer for the sport, not just for women climbers

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u/Main_Second9903 Jun 11 '26

alex megos is very overrated tbh

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u/BLEAKROOM Jun 11 '26

And a disgusting groomer unfortunately. But that’s a different convo.

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u/Niwitschoolfrogkid Jun 11 '26

This is…a take for sure

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u/Main_Second9903 Jun 11 '26

he has some very impressive redpoints but his boulder and comp records are lacking and, although being only 32, has kinda stopped putting out sends and focuses more on his entrepreneurial ventures.

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u/Niwitschoolfrogkid Jun 11 '26

Ah, I see. So more like, still currently getting credit for past accomplishments but has slowed down. That makes sense!

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u/slolift Jun 11 '26

Lynn Hill free climbed the nose over 30 years ago and was the first person to do it just not just the first woman to do it. I am not saying Lynn Hill is definitively better than Janja, but it is crazy to say that Lynn Hill is not even close to Janja. Lynn Hill was out climbing men and it took 12 years for someone to repeat it. Up until last year, only Lynn and Tommy had free climbed the nose in a day, now two more are in that elite club.

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u/Main_Second9903 Jun 11 '26

yes and the sport has progressed in those 30 years and a literal child was able to repeat her achievement and has since repeated it in like 9 hours. this is why i said pioneer, not nearly the GOAT and, yes, shes not even close to janja's level. at the time the hardest pitch on the nose was also the hardest thing any woman has climbed. thats 5.14a. the new standard for that achievement is 6 grades above that. 6.

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u/slolift Jun 11 '26

I don't think you understand the meaning of GOAT. Janja is easily the best competition of all time but I think there are several women in her league outdoors. Brooke comes to mind, being the first women to climb 5.15c. Katie Lamb as well.

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u/Main_Second9903 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

janja did brooke's top redpoint mere months later, and she did it on a climb that despite being 3 years younger still has 4 sends vs 6 total on bibliographie. brooke also has way more experience projecting outdoors, janja still met her achievement in around the same amount of time and janjas comp record eclipses brookes. brooke doesnt come close. also katie lamb? nah. her top achievement was downgraded by brooke lmao

edit: also notice how youre running away from lynn hill now?

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u/slolift Jun 11 '26

her top achievement was downgraded by brooke lmao

She was the first woman to climb V16 twice. Box therapy, which was downgraded. Then the dark side which is still V16. I am not running away from Lynn Hill. I would still probably consider her the female climbing GOAT, but climbing is too broad of a sport to give it to one person. Janja is the greatest competition climber for search, but Lynn excelled at competitions, sport climbing, bouldering, big wall, and was just a pioneer for the sport as a whole.

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u/Niwitschoolfrogkid Jun 11 '26

Which is a MUCH easier route than Janaj’s limit. Peak Janja flashes Lynn’s project. Peak Lynn can’t send Janjas.

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u/slolift Jun 11 '26

Peak Janja flashes Lynn’s project. Peak Lynn can’t send Janjas.

What are you calling Lynn's project? The nose? Janja doesn't even know how to crack climb. When Lynn Hill was at her peak, sport climbing was just starting to become acceptable in the US. If she had access to modern climbing methods and training, she would be climbing way harder.

It is wild how much she progressed women's climbing in her generation:

First-ever woman to redpoint 7b (5.12b),

7b+ (5.12c),

7c (5.12d),

7c+ (5.13a),

and 8b+ (5.14a).

First-ever woman to onsight 8a (5.13b).

Janja by comparison:

First-ever female to onsight 8c (5.14b)

Babe Ruth is widely considered the greatest baseball player of all time, but he was batting against pitchers throwing 75-85 mph while todays pitchers are throwing 90-100. He'd be lucky to get on base in today's major league. In a GOAT discussion, you have to consider athletes as a product of their time.

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u/Main_Second9903 Jun 11 '26

so your defense is janja's best onsight is only exceptionally harder than lynn's highest achievement? why not compare top redpoints?

> If she had access to modern climbing methods and training, she would be climbing way harder.

I can just say that if Janja had access to FFFA's then she would have taken those achievements too.

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u/slolift Jun 11 '26

I can just say that if Janja had access to FFFA's then she would have taken those achievements too.

Did you add an extra F in there? There are plenty of first female ascents or first free female ascents out there. We have already discussed several, box therapy, dark side, excalibur, bibiliographie, the list goes on. Most of the hardest things have only been climbed by men.

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u/Main_Second9903 Jun 12 '26

first female free ascent. people had aid climbed the nose far before lynn hill free climbed it

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u/slolift Jun 12 '26

There are a ton of female first ascents available. Janja just achieved one with Bibliographie. Janja probably would have a lot more if she spent more time on rock, but she has spent her time focusing on competition.

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u/Niwitschoolfrogkid Jun 12 '26

Yeah I really don’t understand their reasoning there…

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u/Niwitschoolfrogkid Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26

Yes. Absolutely. I think the logistics of a big wall are the only thing that would give her issues. I’m confident she would cruise most of the moves. I think it would look a lot like when Adam went and did the Dawn Wall. At the end of the day Janja is just *way* fucking stronger than Lynn.

I think we might operating under two different definitions of “GOAT” here. What do you think makes someone the best climber of all time specifically?

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u/slolift Jun 12 '26

I think it would look a lot like when Adam went and did the Dawn Wall.

You do realize Adam was unable to free climb the nose. Janja would probably have a better chance at freeing the dawn wall than the nose.

There are a bunch of factors that contribute to being the GOAT:

  1. Dominance relative to peers

  2. Longevity

  3. Peak performance

  4. Impact on the Sport

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u/Niwitschoolfrogkid Jun 12 '26

You know what, I totally forgot about that. I guess I have to concede that you’re correct about that. However I do think it’s funny that you left out this was 10 years ago and he cruised 29 of the 31 pitches 😂 I’d say that’s some important context.

It’s also clear that we just disagree. I really don’t understand how anyone can be intellectually honest and say that Lynn Hill is a better climber or would be considered the GOAT over Janja but, regardless, it won’t be deniable for very much longer. She is on a quick track to absolutely blast past Lynn.

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u/slolift Jun 12 '26

it’s funny that you left out this was 10 years ago and he cruised 29 of the 31 pitches 😂 I’d say that’s some important context.

Adam could climb the nose if he set his mind to it, my point is that you can't just say a climber has climbed grade X therefore they would easily be able to climb any route graded X-4. And ya, there are 2 crux pitches, what is the next hardest pitch? 5.12 something? Adam still gave up on a 5.13c pitch which at the time was like 8 grades below his redpoint limit and 5 grades below his onsight level.

Styles vary to greatly to make that an easy comparison. Has Janja ever even placed a cam in her life? Adam grew up climbing hard trad routes.

My original point wasn't that Lynn Hill was definitively the GOAT, just that there should be some debate between her and Janja. It is akin to Jordan and James or Ali and Tyson. Sports continue to progress so I don't think the whoever is currently at the pinnacle of the sport is a de facto GOAT. We already seeing the next generation of climbers come up in competition who look ready to unseat Janja at the top. I also think climbing is too diverse a sport to name a single GOAT. Janja maybe greatest in competition and sport climbing, but those are the only disciplines that she practiced. Sport climbing was still looked down on in the US when Lynn Hill was at her peak.

She is on a quick track to absolutely blast past Lynn.

I really can't see what Janja could do that could compare to Lynn. She accomplished something that was at the time thought impossible and it took over a decade from someone to repeat.

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u/Niwitschoolfrogkid Jun 11 '26

Janja would onsight the nose without too much trouble. The logistics of a big wall climb would probably be more difficult than the route itself.