It´s not all wine and roses. After last weeks success on the rock I was eager to step things up a notch and put my money where my mouth is so to speak. I went out looking for something that would stop me dead in my tracks and force me to work hard and get better. Highlighting personal weakness and improving is the name of the game! Well today I found something. In my 2005 guide it´s down as an unclimbed project with a proposed grade of 8b+. In the online topo from 2009 it´s recorded as a work in progress at 8b. But after trawling the web i found out that it had been climbed by Mr Parry at a reasonable 8a+. Score, I´ll give that a go! After 3 efforts working the moves from ground to chain I have come to the conclusion that it´s brick hard! It blasts a line straight through a 60 degree overhang with absolutely no rests. The largest hold on it takes three fingers just past the first joint. There is a depressing sparcity of foot faggotry to be found meaning i´ve spent a considerable ammount of time today clinging to two finger, first joint pockets while trying to maintain tension from toe clamping rounded mini-tufas! I´ve tried finding magic kneebars, heelhooks, even tried perfecting a toehook bathang to make a high clip but to no avail. I can say with no doubt that it feels harder than anything I´ve done... Leaving the crag today there remained only one move yet to be completed requiring a lock off a sloping two pad pocket with a sharp lip to reach a three tip (rest) pocket. The lack of decent feet beat me down off that move time and time again. But i´ll return stronger next visit. Before leaving to pay pennance for my pewney arms i trashed myself by doing some laps on one of last weeks 7c+/8a´s till i couldn´t hold on anymore. 3 laps and then i had to dog to the chains to strip it.
Right now I feel demolished. My skin is sore. My back is aching and my forearms feel like hollow lead weights filled with battery acid.
I am happy :o)
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