The Weekend - Ryan

Started off the weekend yesterday with a trip out to Grandmother with Taylor, where we were meeting up with our friend Shane to climb. We planned out trying Sunday Service (V11), but due to rain on Friday some of the holds were wet. So, we decided to put some work into Full Throttle (V11). I had never actually tried this problem before and was psyched to try the moves. The problem is on a slightly overhanging arete that is pretty technical, but powerful at the same time. With a little work I was able to pull the start moves and I fell slapping the lip! The move to the lip is big, and I am just slightly too short to reach the hold from the good right foot as most people do. So, I either will have to get a high left foot or jump for the sloping lip...we'll see later this week which way seems more doable. I am psyched on Full Throttle now! After we were done with Full Throttle and Talyor had busted his knee off the rock a few times we drove to blowing rock to try some dryer problems. First stop was Flagyl (V10). I decided to try for a repeat send and after falling off the first move twice I was able to send again! I was super excited that I was able to repeat Flagly so quickly. Shane and Taylor were both making great work on it. Shane looked super strong on it and was able to send it in just a short session! Great work. Next we headed down to Room with a View (V10).

This problem comes out of a roof and goes up a face. The crux is the transition from underneath the roof out onto the face, and the roof moves involve lots of core tension while the transition has a key right heel hook that is hard to get. Taylor had sent this problem last week and repeated it first try! He looked super effortless and it was inspiring. With the mew beta, first go I fell off the hard bump move that transitions you onto the face. I couldn't believe I fell with my hand on the hold. With the beta, Shane made very fast work of the moves and was falling at the crux. After smashing his face into the wall on one attempt he was able to put it together and send! As for me, my heel hook did not seem to want to stay and I fell at the crux move multiple times. Eventually I decided to revert back to the original beta and I sent after a few goes using that beta! I was pumped on the top out and almost blew it! I a super glad to have done Room with a View. For the last stop of the day we headed to Squeeze Job (V10). The three of us quickly figured out the moves, which involve crimps, pinches, meat hooks, heel hooks, and of course squeezing. We were all starting it get tired, but all still felt so close to the send. We spent the larger part of the session falling off the finishing move. Each of us had to have fallen off the move 5-10 times, and I even stuck to hold and held the swing once before falling off. After a while we all decided that we were too tired and it would have to wait for another day. After all, we had already had an awesome day of sending! That night Taylor and I decided we didn't want to wait long to go back and try Squeeze Job because we both thought it would go down fast if we had fresh muscles. So, we planned to beat the noon rain today and go to try and send Squeeze Job. Our friend Doug drove up from Clemson to climb for the day and having his extra energy and psych was great! He had just sent Ominous Roof (V9) on his way here and we all headed down to Squeeze Job. Just as we had thought, both Taylor and I both were able to send Squeeze Job in just a short session! Doug was making awesome work on the problem and did all the moves, although he wasn't able to link them today.
By this time it had started to rain. We took Doug to Room with a View in hopes that it was staying dry and he was close to the send on that too. In the rain we thought it'd be a good idea to head to a boulder problem called Mad Cow (V10) at Cow Pie because Taylor said it would be dry for sure. This 10 is supposed to be the first V10 in Boone, so I was excited to try it. However, upon arrival we found the boulder to be dripping wet and it had started to rain again, but this time harder. We huddled under the roof and tried to dry off the holds and at least climb some of the problem. It was just too wet though and we had to give up. Mad Cow is an awesome problem though and I can't wait to try it when the conditions are good! Squeeze Job: