Late Season Success!
By early June the New England season is usually over. Sometimes we are blessed with a few coolish days in mid-late May, but usually there is a higher chance of it being completely unreasonable to boulder outside.
Luckily, since mid-May we've gotten three days of climbable weather, and I was lucky enough to make them count! For the most part though, i've been 'training' in the gym, trying to climb actual hard gym blocs and doing a little campusing.
The first good day I had was up at Smugger's Notch, where i've been two times before. On my second trip my one goal was to do Touching the Sky (V12), but continually fell off the last hard move, splitting multiple tips.
This time I came back with a vengeance, and climbed effortless though the entire boulder, and then dry fired on the last move to the lip, sending me on a wild ride down onto my tiny organic slider pad. After shaking the nerves, (and troy chalking up the lip,) I was able to take it down, feeling completely in control of my body the whole time. Man this boulder is amazingly perfect, certainly one of my top 5 all timers, with such perfect rock, interesting moves, and being such a huge, inspiring line!
After that I rode the psych and was able to take down the pure power "Blunt" (V11) in 15-ish minutes, which wasn't all that surprising to me, since I usually do relatively well on that style.
Shortly after that, we drove down to meet up with Troy et al at the Moon Tower boulder, which has got to be one of the most amazing faces in New England, topping out at the 30ft mark. I managed to flash the V8 classic "Moon Tower" and then got to work on the right sit, dubbed "Lunar Eclipse" (V11). I figured out the start relatively quickly, but using the slopers at the start of the V8 felt desperate, since it was quite humid out, and my skin would be sweating a lot by the time I got there. I messed around with some other beta for a bit, and settled with a sequence where you skip the slopers all together, instead doing a long move to this really slopey and glassy undercling sidepull, which is pretty much just a thumb catch, and then jacking your feet high and doing a jarringly powerful slap into a slopey hold above, simultaneously double clutching into a slopey jug next to it. It felt super low percentage, and I fell five or six times on that move from the start, (v8 or 9 on its own) and only had energy left for a couple goes. Luckily I had Troy, the second most psyched man ever, (behind doug) supporting me, so I gave it my all and screamed through the crux and topped it out!
The next time I went out was to Great Barrington, where we climbed with a huge crew of good friends, and it made me nostalgic for all the fun fall days at the speed boulder. I felt strong hanging around, repeating some lines i'd done before including "Castalette" (V9), "Speed Dyno" (V10) and "Something from Nothing" (V11) (from 1 move in). Later that day we went out the BATS!, a super unique pocketed roof, which has always escaped my grasp. I got some beta settled and did it in two big overlapping parts, but fatigue set in and I couldn't put it together, so this is at the top of my list for the next 2 weeks, weather allowing.
Yesterday, I finally got to see the problem that had been high on my wish list for the last 3 years, "Work of Man" (V12) and I was not disappointed! I cannot express how impressed I am with Matt's effort to figure out the beta on this one, because to me it is completely counterintuitive, not to mention his commitment to envision and attempt that dyno.
Anyways, we warmed up on a slightly wet, but rad "Supernormal" (V9) and then started figuring out pieces on Work of Man. I surprised myself by doing the dyno in isolation on my first try with the correct feet, and then after falling twice more from the start, was able to snag the 3rd ascent of this amazing problem!
After that we cruised over to the neighboring "lost" boulder, and after a heinous "carry the dog across the river" and "lets get lost in the woods" we were able to find it. There are a couple cool problems on this one boulder, all with top notch granite. We started with Notochord sit (V9) which took a few goes, and then I flashed a dyno called "Finders Keepers" given V9 but probably closer to v6 or 7, and then finished off the day with a send of "Ground Zero" (V10) which I initially proclaimed as impossible, but then ended up doing 3rd try from the start or something like that with a little growling.
All in all, two of my best days of climbing ever, so psych is high!
Anyways, good times with good friends, and now its time to get back to training because 17 DAYS UNTIL ROCKLANDS!!!
Kai
Luckily, since mid-May we've gotten three days of climbable weather, and I was lucky enough to make them count! For the most part though, i've been 'training' in the gym, trying to climb actual hard gym blocs and doing a little campusing.
![]() |
Still cant do 1-5-8 tho:( |
This time I came back with a vengeance, and climbed effortless though the entire boulder, and then dry fired on the last move to the lip, sending me on a wild ride down onto my tiny organic slider pad. After shaking the nerves, (and troy chalking up the lip,) I was able to take it down, feeling completely in control of my body the whole time. Man this boulder is amazingly perfect, certainly one of my top 5 all timers, with such perfect rock, interesting moves, and being such a huge, inspiring line!
![]() |
Touching the Sky (V11/12) |
After that I rode the psych and was able to take down the pure power "Blunt" (V11) in 15-ish minutes, which wasn't all that surprising to me, since I usually do relatively well on that style.
![]() |
Blunt (V11) I think i'm experiencing a classic dry-fire in this pic.. |
Shortly after that, we drove down to meet up with Troy et al at the Moon Tower boulder, which has got to be one of the most amazing faces in New England, topping out at the 30ft mark. I managed to flash the V8 classic "Moon Tower" and then got to work on the right sit, dubbed "Lunar Eclipse" (V11). I figured out the start relatively quickly, but using the slopers at the start of the V8 felt desperate, since it was quite humid out, and my skin would be sweating a lot by the time I got there. I messed around with some other beta for a bit, and settled with a sequence where you skip the slopers all together, instead doing a long move to this really slopey and glassy undercling sidepull, which is pretty much just a thumb catch, and then jacking your feet high and doing a jarringly powerful slap into a slopey hold above, simultaneously double clutching into a slopey jug next to it. It felt super low percentage, and I fell five or six times on that move from the start, (v8 or 9 on its own) and only had energy left for a couple goes. Luckily I had Troy, the second most psyched man ever, (behind doug) supporting me, so I gave it my all and screamed through the crux and topped it out!
![]() |
Sticking the double on "Lunar Eclipse" (V11) |
The next time I went out was to Great Barrington, where we climbed with a huge crew of good friends, and it made me nostalgic for all the fun fall days at the speed boulder. I felt strong hanging around, repeating some lines i'd done before including "Castalette" (V9), "Speed Dyno" (V10) and "Something from Nothing" (V11) (from 1 move in). Later that day we went out the BATS!, a super unique pocketed roof, which has always escaped my grasp. I got some beta settled and did it in two big overlapping parts, but fatigue set in and I couldn't put it together, so this is at the top of my list for the next 2 weeks, weather allowing.
Yesterday, I finally got to see the problem that had been high on my wish list for the last 3 years, "Work of Man" (V12) and I was not disappointed! I cannot express how impressed I am with Matt's effort to figure out the beta on this one, because to me it is completely counterintuitive, not to mention his commitment to envision and attempt that dyno.
Anyways, we warmed up on a slightly wet, but rad "Supernormal" (V9) and then started figuring out pieces on Work of Man. I surprised myself by doing the dyno in isolation on my first try with the correct feet, and then after falling twice more from the start, was able to snag the 3rd ascent of this amazing problem!
![]() |
Work of Man (V12) |
After that we cruised over to the neighboring "lost" boulder, and after a heinous "carry the dog across the river" and "lets get lost in the woods" we were able to find it. There are a couple cool problems on this one boulder, all with top notch granite. We started with Notochord sit (V9) which took a few goes, and then I flashed a dyno called "Finders Keepers" given V9 but probably closer to v6 or 7, and then finished off the day with a send of "Ground Zero" (V10) which I initially proclaimed as impossible, but then ended up doing 3rd try from the start or something like that with a little growling.
All in all, two of my best days of climbing ever, so psych is high!
![]() |
Looking smart on Ground Zero |
Anyways, good times with good friends, and now its time to get back to training because 17 DAYS UNTIL ROCKLANDS!!!
Kai
Comments
Post a Comment