talus...how dare you attach the word "fun" to a sport where success and failure is and should be measured by numbers, letters and other various existential attachments too numerous to mention here. Absolute sacrilege…

Fun is only be had by those who seek the mountains for their own selfish reasons while those married and dedicated to the aforementioned (and, by the way globally known) measurements should only be considered real climbers.

All Hail the High and Holy Benchmark!!!

(man, that was fun!)

I regularly go up and down to figure out a sequence. No idea what my record is, but it's probably around the same as your 6 or 7. Beyond that, unless it's a total no hands rest, I think you start getting into the realm of diminishing returns.

If I could add another spin to your question - how about the most times you've descended to the *ground* (or start of the pitch, for multi-pitch stuff) on an onsight?

I think the record for me is probably on Yellow Ridge in the Nears. I went up and down, trying the line DW describes, and then the one Swain describes. I couldn't find a way for either version to get me anywhere near the protection or difficulty level claimed in the two guidebooks we had. Then I finally tried something different (won't say what - don't want to spoil anyone else's onsight). And it turned out I actually did the line the way everyone else does!

There's a 5.10a in Eldo called Blind Faith. The FAist did the climb onsight, free solo. They went up and down many times, getting higher on the pitch each time, over several days, before committing and going all the way to the ledge. The scary part of the story is that the first 90% of the climb is waaaay easier than the last 10 feet.

GO

I think 3 or 4 times up and down is my max. This usually happens more when I'm trying to figure out gear rather than the moves. I think I was on my 3rd or 4th lap of third pitch Bombs Away Dream Baby before I found the gear I was happy enough with and was in a position to actually place it.

Beatle Brow Bulge did it for me. I think I moved into that roof half a dozen times at least befor I commited to it.

Obviously onsight isn't easier, but that's the way the numbers shake out for me. "Obviously" isn't always true.

Ranger Rob on BBB reminds me of me my first time on the last pitch roof of Maria. I climbed up into that roof at least three times, each time placing another piece of gear, before getting the guts to go for it!

GO

I call your 3 times up and place a piece on Maria roof and raise you another bomber nut before I went through. By far the toughest "6" I've lead.

That was Wisecrack for me. I think I went up and down about 7 times and was about to back off before putting in another crappy piece of gear and committing--and it still felt pretty desperate.

Wisecrack is such a great name for that line. If there is an elegant, graceful way to get through that crux, then I sure haven't found it.

there are quite a few routes where I have been up and down before sending or falling. The 2nd pitch of Erect Direction was probably about 15 times up and down. Graveyard Shift was about a dozen times up and down. The Stand took quite a few as well, at least 10. At those moments not only do you have to workout the moves but you also have to work it out with yourself how commited you are on a particular attempt. Somethings just won't go even if you think you have the moves worked out to a T unless you fully commit with no looking back.