Yesterday I headed back up to the cave with Craig. After the half hour approach we made it to the cave just before the sun fell over the ridge. It was hot and I needed time to cool down a bit. After a few minutes though I felt too excited to sit down. I set up the pads, put my shoes on and sent my project, Rough Rider, V9 first go. My fingers were numb by the time I finished but it was worth it.
Soon after Andrew showed up and began to warm up on the finishing moves his project, Goin' Postal, V10. Craig was psyched on one of the final lines yet to be done in the cave, a completely independent line to the far left that might be in the V12 range. We started a rotation and before long the sun had fallen and it was getting darker by the minute.
Craig works out a sequence by headlamp.
Andrew managed to fight through the pump and send Goin' Postal on his final go of the night, and Craig made huge links on his project. It has been great to climb with such motivated people and I always find myself psyched to return.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of heading up to the Mt. Charleston cave again with Craig and Andrew. After a final cleaning of a new top out Craig opened up one of the last new lines in the cave, a very direct line complete with its own finish. Andrew also made huge links on the line so it should not stay unrepeated for long.
I came back to Vegas only to learn that people were still bouldering outside. In July. Crazy. Local crusher Craig Berman is the one to thank for the discovery of this new cave up at Mt. Charleston and has snagged the first ascent of nearly every line.
Here is a video of the latest hard line opened up, Crown of Swords, V11:
Because the Rainbow area seems to have been overlooked most of the problems lack names and some even lack grades. I'm pretty sure Lucky Strike isn't even in the guidebook. This is not an FA by any means, but I feel that all climbs should have names.
It felt great to finally send after multiple days of messing around with different beta.
Last night, after four days of work, I sent the hardest one move problem I have tried to date. After nearly ten tries yesterday evening I decided to try once more before packing up the pads. Everything lined up and I managed to reel in the violent swing as the moon rose from behind the evergreen horizon.
Everything about this problem is brief and subtle. The foot placement, the exactness demanded from the right hand start hold, and move itself are all extremely unforgiving of the smallest error. These qualities coupled with the fleeting rush from the send led me to the name "Brevity," and based on the number of attempts and days working on the problem I am very comfortable giving it V9.
Lying on top of the boulder I felt pure satisfaction. It is moments like these that make all the work, all the lost skin, and all the frustration absolutely worth it.
Here is a video of the fourth installment of the Rainbow area. Since the last video Liberty and I have been searching the area for more boulders and new projects. We were lucky enough to stumble upon this giant boulder with a steep backside that sees afternoon shade. After a day of working out the movement I came back and sent first go. It felt roughly V8, and I named it, "Pursuit of Happiness." It could be a FA, but it's hard to tell.
There are still things I want to finish before heading back to Vegas. It always seems that projects show themselves right before the end of a trip, and this trip is no exception.
The first is right next to Pursuit of Happiness, consisting of one extremely tough and accurate throw off a good left hand edge and a right sloping dish around the arete. The body position is so awkward that the crux becomes generating for the huck. I think when it goes it will be ~V9. The sit start to this, which adds a HARD slap to the sloping dish off non-existent feet, feels at least V9/10. I was able to pull my butt off the ground briefly and thrutch to the dish, but it still feels a long way off from sticking the move.
The second project required some landscaping, but will no doubt be worth it. Feeling around V6/7, it starts low on a sloping crimp and sidepull through a tough deadpoint to a sharp crimp, a drive-by move to a pinch, and then a great lurch around the lip to a sloping jug. I was truly surprised at both the difficulty and quality of this line, and hope that more people will get on it in the future.
Here is video showcasing the best of BLOCHEAD to date. It was a lot of fun to revisit old climbs and footage while creating something new. Looking forward to more footage in the future!
Craig works out a sequence by headlamp.
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