Smart went Crazy
March 10th, 2009
So psyched! Got err done…
After we dropped the bag I went back but it was way to hot, crazy since it’s only the beginning of March. I tied in and was super shaky, I just had this vision of my body smacking the slab as hard as the bag did. I couldn’t fully commit but went for it anyway. I ended up backing off two times before I actually dropped the clutch. When I finally decided to give it my all it felt way to hot on the tiny crux crimp and fell on the first move of the crux section. All the gear held and the fall wasn’t that bad… I was pretty psyched I didn’t get any farther since that fall may not of been so nice.
I went back 2 days later, a little more confident with the cooler temps and the fact that I knew the gear was good. With little hesitation I executed the crux sequence and before I realized, it was all over.
Its funny… the fist thing everyone wants to know about a new route is the grade; everyone wants a number. I’m never sure about grading, but I guess the grade that the first ascentionist gives is just a suggestion, and the consensus comes after it’s seen repeats. When I try and grade something I always take into consideration the beginning and the end of the experience. I Try and remember how hard it was the first time I tried it, then remember how hard the actual send felt…
For this one… I’m thinking the crux feels like a solid V10 boulder problem (maybe even V11) So…I’m going with 5.13+(8b) as for the seriousness, I think it deserves R, I fell at the beginning of the crux and was fine but I think a fall at the end would not be good.
Top Roping…
The last few weeks have been insane… I’ve been unmotivated for bloggin since I’ve been overwhelmed writing for the climbing mags… Not sure who I’m kidding… I’m not a writer, but the more I think about it, the more I realize I’ve been acting like one: desperately holding onto the plot, stressed about deadlines, looking to substances for inspiration, ignoring my cell phone and locking myself in my room with nothing but my laptop. Never thought it would be me in this circumstance… Oh well, but I do admit… its kinda funny…
Luckily writing isn’t the only thing that’s been keeping me busy. Since ABS Nationals I’ve been super psyched on the “fit kid” program and have been training consistently. So psyched, feels good to be sore after a proper gym session…
But don’t worry… I’ve been spending equal time keeping it real in places like Eldo and the Downer! Eldo has been super sick! Finally found a new project that is inspiring. It’s located in the Kloof Alcove (same wall as the Iron Monkey) and is super wild. The crux is somewhere in the V10 or V11 range, but the real problem is that you do the hardest moves in the most dangerous section.
After many attempts over 4 days I’ve successfully TR’d it twice… So I know it goes… its just a mental battle. The last time Eric and I were at the Kloof we thought it would be a good idea to chuck a bag off the crux to to see what the fall would be like… Not sure if that was best, since the bag showed us exactly what we didn’t want to see…
Bellow is the footage of us hucking the bag…
Before I got sucked into the Eldo project I heard of a new sport climb established by Wade David that may be a good highball/solo… I checked it out and decided going ground up was bad idea… So I tried it on a rope, flashed it… it’s somewhere in the 5.13b range… Pretty fun… but not sure if its worth going back for the solo… Check it - Photos by Wade David.
