Me ol' cock

Despite my intentions to spend the fall working on new projects, as days got shorter and school got busier I ended up just happy to get out and do as much climbing as I could in a short period of time. Which brought me to the "Marine Lab" bouldering area.

While there I inevitably ended up trying a problem Thomasina put up last year called "Me ol' cock". Named for the Newfoundland expression which means basically "my dear" and not, presumably, just to get people to talk about getting on "said problem", or describing "said problem" as hard.

At V10 "Me ol' cock" has the highest rating of any problem on the island.* I have worked on it in fits and starts before, but have never really felt like I was getting anywhere on it. Partially because the original beta involves a highstep in the splits that my tight hamstrings just would not consider. So I knew that for me success would involve finding my own way up the problem.

Then this fall I finally started to feel like it might be possible, which got me hooked. The start moves which I used to find hard but do-able started to feel easier and easier. I knew if I could find a way to do the crux sequence I could link the problem.

Working the problem with me was Jamie Robbins. We tried a variety of different beta options, giving each other boosts past the start moves as we pushed each other literally and figuratively to send the problem. One of us almost sticking a move would push the other to stick it the next try. One of us would suggest a new way of trying a move and we'd either hop on with excitement or dismiss it as ridiculous.

Eventually we figured out that a hold that was originally an undercling for the right hand could be held with the left hand. This ended up being the crucial piece of the puzzle. From a push into this position we managed to cross our right hand over and top out the problem. So at this point it became just a matter of being able to put it all together in one go, which is really just a matter of time.

With the forecast calling for rain for the foreseeable future we headed out this morning at the ungodly hour of 9:00 am to try and send the problem. After a few goes to work out the kinks we both ended up in the same boat, falling on the last and hardest move which is the right hand cross-over. We both knew we could do it and every attempt, whether spotting or climbing, I thought it might happen. In the end we ran out of time and I had to leave for class.

Once my classes was over, and it still wasn't raining, I decided to head back out for another crack at it. Jamie unfortunately had to work, but Andrew Linegar came out with me and after another try falling at the same crux move I found myself sticking it and topping out the problem. I'm sure if Jamie had been free the top outs would have been back to back.

Now the question I have not been asked but anticipate is; given that I used different beta do I think it deserves the same grade? The short answer is yes. It feels harder and took more effort and attempts than any V9 I have done.** Every move is hard on it's own and I have fallen on them all separately. Linking them is harder still. However, I do concede that my way of climbing it feels, for me at least, easier than Thomasina's. Also, I find on the send go problems often feel easy no matter how much you have worked on them. Also grading is silly and I have no idea how to do it.

The important thing is the climb is one of the most fun I have ever done. It is a very nice natural line on great rock in a beautiful and accessible setting. There is footage of the send so check back here for a video once I am less busy with school.

* To my knowledge there is one other V10 on the island "Mazer Rackam" put up by Halifax's Nick Sagar in the "Gull Pond" area by Stephenville. But dats far away and put up by a mainlander so we don't count it do we b'ys?

** The exception being "Commitment to Quality" a problem I rated V9 before I had done any established problems of that grade, which is still unrepeated and may warrant a higher grade.