Best day of crack climbing so far! Learning the business now. Onsight ascent of 'Puma' 511+ (was originally 5.12-), a gorgeous splitter finger crack on a gently sloping-to-vertical varnished wall with a few face holds for the feet every now and again.
It was desperate and I got pumped silly and ready to pitch off a body length and a bit above the last bit of protection right near the top. The last bit of gear was the smallest Alien cam they make - Emil said "you got balls to go for it above such a baby little cam!" but i wasn't thinking of the lack of good pro - there were many good pieces between me and the ground, and I could see the finish! Good fingerlocks narrowed into tips and I had to layback and throw my crimping fingers onto the nearly face FOOTHOLDS to avoid falling. It was touch and go, but I pulled into the clipping stance for the chains and let out an exhausted sigh of relief. I even clipped the second anchor with only a toe hook holding me in! Awesome line and a fantastically satisfying effort!
We did a few other routes with good jambs and poor jambs, notably a thin hands splitter 5.10 that I nearly fell on but managed to grunt through, a cruisy 5.9+ with a weird offwidth section that had a bomber hand jamb in the back seemingly out of reach, and a lovely flake which Emil lead that had great fist and hand jambs for ages.
Wednesday 23 March 2011
Rest day. Ha! On the way into Moab we went to a local bouldering spot Emil knows of, and now my tips are just as shredded as back in Red Rocks where we were cranking on crimps for days! Some good but sandbagged lines there to fall off, and a couple just easy enough for me to top out on. Emil sent a couple of V4s that looked and felt harder than most boulders I've tried! Then we filled all out water (for the next few days out at Indian Creek) up at a natural spring just out of town, then into Moab for lunch, internet and laundry.
One very cold night!
Tape gloves - good for a few days
Hey buddy.... Sounds like you doing heaps of climbing!! and all is well....
ReplyDeleteI missed your blog for about the last month... the last one i read was the one about buying a van!!
Work has taken its grip on my soul, so i think i need to get my act to gether and keep reading your blog to distract me now and then....
All the best
e10
Come to the wedding!!!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHey mate,
ReplyDeleteGood to see you're getting some crack climbing in. I've managed to work out some manoeuvres that work for me at the top of Hammer and Tongs. Lots of piddly little moves on tiny little holds. Totally different to probably what anybody else would do, but that's the story of my life!
Next stop, 'Flight of the Intruder' and then I'd better find myself some cracks to go up. Don't want you to be leading every pitch at Yosemite!
See you in a few months already!
Sweet crack climbing goodness. Trad onsight of 5.11+ crack with marginal gear nice work mate!
ReplyDeletenice work o brother of mine !
ReplyDeleteWhere art thou now ?
bet those tape gloves smelt something CRUEL!
ReplyDeletenice one matey... keep with the blogging so we can all live vicariously through you (sigh...)
xxx