Entre les gouts

I'm in Geneva again for a short visit and was excited to try and take advantage of the winter temperatures.

My goal was "Entre les gouts" a two move V10 I had tried in the summer. A really simple problem, it starts with a high, bad left hand gaston, pulls up to a really thin crimp/pinch or "crimpinch" to use a word I just made up. The crimpinch is hard to even just hold but you then have to pull off it to do a big move up with your left hand to an awkwardly shaped but kind of incut hold at which point its just one easy move the finish jug. After quite a bit of effort in the summer I had managed to stick the first move but was never able to come anywhere near the second.

I was hopeful that a combination of cold conditions and the fact that I have been climbing/ training quite a bit since the summer would lead to success.

The day after I arrived was a perfect 0 degrees, and snowing lightly but the crag is overhanging so that did not matter. I took the train and bus out to St. George and once again found myself bouldering alone, except for a couple deer (or something?) that were having a snack nearby.

Deer?

Ice bouldering anyone?

After a quick warm up I got right to business. I was a little nervous after failing to stick the first move on my first couple tries but I eventually got the movement sorted out and then was getting the first move consistently and throwing for the next hold. The first time I slapped it with any semblance of control I knew I could do the problem.

Excited, I kept throwing myself at it... but not sticking it. After 3 hours of solid effort I was having to face the fact that I might have to walk away and try to come back and send it while fresh. The bus back from the boulders to geneva leaves every hour and I knew I did not have another hour of attempts left in me. So with 10 minutes until the bus arrived I told myself I'd have one last try and then pack it in for the day. Next thing I knew, I had stuck the crux move and finished the problem. I quickly threw my things in my pad then ran up the hill just in time to catch the bus.

I've noticed (and mentioned here) that I frequently climb my best when climbing without any expectations and this send certainly supports that. What I need to figure out is a way to get myself climbing with that mentality more consistently, but it's a hard thing to fake. While trying the problem I felt confident that I was physically capable of doing it. As I continued to fail I tried a number different mental techniques to try and get out of the cycle of falling. But it wasn't until I was actually climbing without any pressure or expectations at all that I was able to do the problem. Something to try to work on in the future for sure.

Anyway, heres another phone on the ground video of the problem.

Last climb of the year

The last day of the year was atypically sunny so myself and J-Bro headed out to the chapel boulder to get in one last climb for the year. There was a project I had tried before on this boulder that I wanted to check out again.

All I remembered from last time trying it was getting to a position where I felt like the next move would be a big dyno to a jug high up. After a few minutes figuring out the start moves and getting our fingers to adjust to the sub zero temps we found ourselves in the same spot.

The climb goes directly up through a small roof section that has a big jug above it. We were getting to two side pulls on the roof and starting at the jug above us. Eventually we got up the nerve to slap for the jug and realized the throw would not be as wild as we had anticipated.

The line goes pretty well straight up from where Jamie is sitting here.

Confidence boosted I went from the start and threw for the jug. The swing was big but luckily the hold is huge so holding it was not hard. Then there was just easier climbing to the top. Where despite being on good holds the whole way I still found myself shaking... I definitely do not have a head for soloing.

The climb was probably around V4 and I think I'll call it Happy New Year, because it's NYE and I am not feeling creative.

Jamie got on next to send but ripped chunks off three of his fingers when he threw for the jug so that ended his climbing for the day

St. John's Hardest

I idly started making a list of the 10 hardest problems around St. John's. I tried to list them not just by the grades they have been given but also how hard I personally believe them to be relative to each other. Basing this not just on how hard I find the problems myself but also on how many other people have attempted them and their levels of success.

I've also tried to list every ascent of the problems with the first ascentionist's name listed first. It's very likely I may have missed some people here or have some information wrong. Please let me know if that's the case. Also I'd be very interested to hear of any disagreement in terms of difficulty of the lines or any hard problems I may have missed.

Here is the list as I've got it so far...

1. Commitment to Quality- V9, Dave Stack (Unrepeated)

2. The Mandolin- V9, Sean McDowell (Unrepeated)

3. Born to Clear Cut- V9, Dave Stack/Sean McDowell.

4. Me Ol' Cock - V10, Thomasina Pidgeon, Dave Stack, Jamie Robbins

5. Warlord- V9, Sean McDowell, Dave Stack, Thomasina Pidgeon, Greg Foote, Jamie Robbins

6.The View- V8, Greg Foote (Unrepeated)

7. Beat it Like a Red Headed Step Child- V8, Phil Smith, Sean McDowell, Dave Stack, Andrew Osnach, ???

8. Smack- V8, Thomasina Pidgeon, Dave Stack

9.Nightmare-V8, Phil Smith, Sean Mcdowell, Neil Phillips, Dave Stack, ???

10. The Wire- V8, Dave Stack (Unrepeated)

Me Ol Cock.... V9?

As you may have noticed I listed "Me ol cock" lower than three problems graded V9. I've put quite a bit of thought into this and believe it to be accurate. Since climbing "Me ol' cock" this fall I re-climbed both "Warlord" V9, and "Born to clear cut" V9. I believe with the beta I used "Me ol Cock" lies in between these two problems in terms of difficulty, as such I am now suggesting V9 for Me ol cock. I believe with Thomo's original beta the climb more than deserved the V10 it was given. However my new beta, while still quite hard does not put it a grade above the other V9 problems around here.

Notes and Honourable Mentions:

It's important to note that I left the problem "Addiction" at the trailer boulders in Flatrock off of this list. It was climbed by visiting Tim Doyle and it would likely be listed as harder than any other problem around St. John's. However very little is known about how it was climbed and no grade was suggested. For this reason I am leaving it off the list for now.

At #6 "The View" is a problem I know very little about, Greg climbed it with Thomasina when they were both here two summers ago. On a boulder at Fort amherst that I had previously tried unsuccessfully to pull off the ground on. They established two lines from the same start "Green eggs and ham" goes left and was graded V7, and "The View" goes right and was graded V8. I have managed to find my way up the V7 version, but have not been able to figure out the right beta at all. As such I am not sure where to include the problem in the list. I believe it likely requires some very specific beta that I have not yet unlocked. So for now I have listed it as the hardest problem given V8.

"Lunar Eclipse" is another problem that may well deserve to be on this list. It was climbed by Phil Smith (anyone else??) at Freshwater Bay and given V7. I have never given the problem any serious effort but what few attempts I have made have seen very little progress.

I know there are some hard problems put up by Sean McDowel at "The chapel" boulder and in butterpot park. However I'm not sure what grades were suggested or whether they should be included in this list. Sean if you are reading, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

I was surprised when I made the list that the top 10 was all V8 and above. It shows standards have risen quite a bit from when V6's were considered the areas' test pieces. Including V7 would add at least another 9 problems!

Anyway, that's all just some pointless rambling on a rainy day, but I would be very interested in hearing what you think! Did I miss anything? Get anything wrong? Let me know in the comments. Please include your name, I allow anonymous comments to make posting easier... not so people can hide who they are.

Videos

As promised here is the video of Me Ol' Cock

On Saturday we headed out to the highway to try the problem "Warlord" on the barrens boulder.

This is a problem I had climbed before a few years ago and have not been able to repeat since. I particularly wanted to finish it after some frustrating sessions this summer.

One session I felt really close to doing it but ran out of time and had to rush to make it back to town for a wedding. My next session on it was as a tropical storm was approaching and it was too humid to even do the easier moves on it. Then the next time I walked all the way in to the barrens boulder only to realize I had left my climbing shoes at home.

So I was happy to be at the boulder, with my shoes and nice cold conditions. I managed to repeat it fairly quickly and then filmed Jamie and David Bruneau as they attempted it.

Here is the video of Jamie's send:

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.

Badass Arete Project

Have spent the last two sessions working on the "badass arete" project at Fort Amherst. I tried this project last year and it felt nearly impossible. After getting back on it on Sunday, and once I remembered how to do the move's up to last years high point, the problem felt much more likely.

Today's session resulted in slapping just slightly closer to an out of reach hold... but it was enough progress to give me the confidence that the line will go down.

Now it's just a matter of time.

Flatrock Topo

The Trailer Boulders

1. Nice Arete, V0 - Layback up the arete keeping your feet on the face.

2. The Bundaberg Arete, V7 - Sit start with a big low side-pull for your right hand and a thin seam for your right. Pull up onto your feet and move left hand to a crimp and right hand to a notch on the arete. Do the big crux move to the slopey side pull then top out. (FA Dave Stack, 04)

3. Un-Named, V2 - Sit start on the obvious hold, traverse using heel hooks left as far as you can then top out. Bit of a struggle to keep your butt off the ground.

4. Nosferatu, V5 - Sit start with your left hand on the arete and your right on a crimpy sidepull notch. Heel hook to get to better holds on the arete, pull up and over the bulge to top out. Has had some controversy over what is the natural line, just have fun. (FA Greg Foote 01)

5. Addiction, VH - Thought to have still been a project this steep line was climbed by Tim Doyle during a short visit. (FA Tim Doyle)

6. Nazis and Their Chickens, V3 - Sit start on the big ledge, pull up to a pinch right on the arete with your right hand and then a left hand sidepull above it, top out straight up. Alternate beta uses a small undercling instead of the pinch.

7. Pinch Problem, V2 - Sit start a little futher right on the same ledge, push out to a cool pinch with your right hand, heel hook and get a crimp on the face with your left, stand up and top out.

8. Sloper Slab, V1 - Climb the mostly blank slab to cool slopey holds higher up.

9. Un-named, V0 - Climb the slabby face using good holds and cracks.

Description: Due to their easy access and proximity to Flatrock's Main Face these boulders have probably seen more traffic than any other on the island. Whether it's your first time bouldering or you have all the problems dialled there is something for everyone here.

Directions: From St. John's head out Torbay road, just past the town of Torbay turn right onto Windgap Rd. Follow the road into the town of Flatrock, turn onto the wharf just past Wade's lane, park at the end of the wharf and walk straight up the hill, you will see the Trailer very quickly. The owners of the trailer have asked us to not cross over their land, walk past the trailer until you are at the boulder which has the unfortunate "dick munch" grafitti, turn right and walk uphill here, you should see a worn down trail PLEAE STICK TO THE TRAIL to avoid making new ones.

Redpath Boulder

Directions: Head straight out the path on the beamer past the trailer boulders. This boulder is a lone boulder almost hidden in some bushes before you get to the much more obvious "Two Boulders"

1. Redpath Productions V1 - Start low on the ride side, climb up and left to top out at the peak.

Two Boulders

Directions: Hard to miss. Just head straight out the path on the beamer till you come face to face with these two boulders sitting right in the centre of the beamer.

Left Boulder

1. Two Boulder's Slab, V0 - Climb up the centre of the big slab. (can be done hands free with a running start...)

2. High Steppin, V0 - Climb up the big ledges to the top

Right Boulder (aka Triangle Boulder)

1. A-Team left, V0 - Climb the left arete to the top.

2. Triangle Face, V1 - Sit start then climb straight up the face on cool holds.

3. A-Team right, V0 - Climb the right arete to the top.

Left Boulder (back)

1. Bitch Slappin', V4 -  Sit start with your left hand low on a sloper and right hand on a crimp. Do a hard slap with the left hand to a better sloper then continue up the blocky feature. Often unclimbable due to a large puddle. The big flat block to the left is considered "out".

The Crabhouse

Directions: Just past the two boulders head to the right as you walk down the beamer make your way slightly down hill and around the corner to find this tall vertical face.

1.  Bulge problem, V0 - Climb the obvious bulge feature.

2. Corner Problem, V0 - An easy climb straight up the corner.

3. Catch Me Quicker, V2 -  From standing on the large protrusion climb of a series of thin crimps to reach a large horizontal crack, then reach right to get into the name inspiring committing top out. Very fun.

4. Crabhouse Crack, V1 - Climb the obvious wide crack.

5. Meat Popsicle, V3 - Start in the vertical crack then climb up to two shallow parallel cracks to gain the top.

The Beamer

"Mordor"

Directions: Head straight down from the trailer boulders to the water and this area should be pretty easy to spot.

1. 60 Second Abs, V4 - Start way in the back of a crack and use the crack/ledge to climb out and then up the vertical crack.

2. The Wire, V8 - Start with both hands on the obvious ledge, throw up a heel then do some powerful moves to get into easier climbing in the crack above.

3. Project -   Start on an undercling with your feet on the big ledge, reach out to some small crimps. I had eyed the project for years but only this year saw that their might actually be enough holds for it to go.

4. Commitment to Quality, V10? - Start underneath the roof then use a toe cam to reach back and get up onto some crimps  then a pinch on the face, do some burly moves with a key pebble to get your feet up then top out. Still awaiting a second ascent.

5. 9 Fingers, V0 - Start under the roof then climb up and right.

Low Tide Area

Directions: A little trickier to give specific directions to. This area is very close to the water basically straight down from just before you reach the two boulders.

1. Project - Start matched on the obvious ledge/seam campus to a crimp with your left hand, drop your right hand in to make room for a hand heel match then crank up to a right hand crimp. Keep going up for what has the potential to be a frightening top out.

2. Dan's Dyno, V4 - Start on the blocky feature, reach up to a good ledge then paste your feet and fire out right to the jug then top out.

3. Calmer Seas, V3 - Start with both hands on a cool quartz hollow feature, using tricky feet and small crimps climb up the face.

Kenmore

Directions: This classic problem is further along the beamer. If you walk straight down from the two boulders then turn right when you get to the water you should find it fairly easily.

1. Making Love to a Kenmore, V4 - Sit start squeezing both sides off this unique feature. Pull your ass off the ground the slap your way up the sides until you can reach a good hold on the face then beach yourself over the top. A classic.