I’m just going to come straight out with it and admit it. Since my last post, when I finished off the week knocking off some quality 7th grade problems that had been my projects, i’ve been on the hunt for a doable 8a/+ line. I became totally tunnel visioned, ignoring great lines at a lower grade, and simply zoning in on bits of rock based purely on the grade of difficulty. I think most climbers would own up to being guilty of this act at some point in their climber careers and to be fair i’d said at the start of this adventure in France that i’d like to hit 8a or above in each area, so I was simply putting this goal into action.
Hatchling 8a - good feature but climbing doesn't look that great. very small.
Black Velvet 8a - one move dyno problem. not really my thing. great movement im sure but do I want to session a dyno in Rocklands?
Green Mamba 8a+/b - Very good climbing but hard and sharp. In fact very hard to link from the starting traverse with 7 or 8 hardish moves before the crux. Probably too much for me in the time frame left.
Nutsa 8a+ - Great feature/setting/climbing - problem is its very sharp so rest days for good skin are essential. plus to session it you have to join in with loads of guys trying the stand up (sunset arete). +30 people there last time I tried this.
The Shark 7c+/8a - Superb line, sharp (of course its Rocklands). Was given 8a but now some have questioned this it seems. Thing is watching Team America 2 all get shut down on this a few days back im thinking it might still make a soft 8a.
Gliding Through the Waves Like Dolphins 8a (7c?) - silly name. The grade question is due to the fact you can kneebar it or something and make it easier. Lots of speculation on this. All irrelevant to me so far as tried to find the bloc and got lost for 3 hours last week!
Tea with Tommy McBride 8a+ - sharp as sin! 5 goes max a session.
Armed Response 8b - Ha ha..tried it, could pull on but not move. Soft 8b apparently, Ondra flashed it but way too hard for me. Respect.
Paula Abdul 8a - Definitely on for me as have done all the moves in isolation. Good feature, albeit a little small. Problem is the approach road is a total nightmare, epic sand track of hell and the car often gets stuck or doesn’t make it at all.
So there you go, researching the above list, bushwhacking around, pulling on the problems, discussing beta with other climbers, combined with a rest day and a rainy day, has accounted for 6 days of this week. No topping out, lots of being shut down and some pretty low psyche was the result.
In reality in my two weeks left I think only Nutsa and The Shark are problems I might invest some time in but not for the grade really, simply because I think they are great climbs. Why the charge of heart from Tobie Duprey - Mr Grade Chaser? Well because on day 7 I dropped the hunt for my ultimate 8a and just went and tried some great top level 7’s and with it motivational issues were resolved.
First up I sent Tea Time (7c/+) in an hour or so. You basically traverse round the spout of a boulder that looks amazingly like a teapot. You sit start at the right of the spout, pull through the overhang, traverse the lip of the spout on small edges, before turning the corner and ascending the left hand side of the spout to the top. Quality.
Then I went up to the Fortress boulders. Up here there is a super-cool roof problem called Stretched and Pressed (7c+). Its great because before you pull on you feel the handholds and they are big and you think wow this is so on, but then you pull on and realise the feet are awful and all the massive handholds are sidepulls that push you off the rock due to naff feet. Its great, burly and technical, but best of all at the end you turn the lip of the roof to a proper, scary, full press down mantle to jugs.
I worked this for a while and got it all wired but the big moves had blown my arms so I need a rest day before hopefully putting this one away I think. A strong German guy turned up whilst I was trying, I dished out beta like it was going out of fashion, he flashed to the lip impressively but the mantle shrugged him off. I tried some other problems for an hour or so and when I walked past this boulder to go home the German guy was still trying the mantle. Safe to say I really like this problem and its a must do before i leave.
Not much else to say except in the intervening hour before I left the Fortress, when the German was working that mantle, I had a tired go on Stargate (7c i think). This boulder is completely suspended off the ground, supported by other boulders around it, hence the name I guess. This is also one im coming back for after that rest day as I have all the moves sorted and I like.
So thats it, lesson learned for me I think. Only other update is our white VW Beetle has been replaced after concerning rattling noises got worse and the handbrake stopped working so hill starts were a nightmare. We now have a blue one with yellow flowers on it. The white one can hold its head up on its way back to Cape Town though, it made it up the Sassies approach road of death 3 times, it almost always started first time and only needed some oil in it once in 5 weeks. Here is a picture in memory of the white one....
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