Orders of Magnitude 14a ✅
Wow what a stunner of a route, easily the best piece of rock I’ve climbed. Tall, slightly over hanging, wild boulders on immaculate rock, at the favorite backyard crag. Pure perfection. Clipping the chains I felt the usual psych, but a heavier than usual ping of sadness at the thought of maybe never climbing it again.
The projecting process on this one was anything but linear. I first tried it in January this year and did all the moves quickly. The first boulder is long and technical with a wild shoulder move where your elbow points to the sky and your hand is at your chin. I fired it first go off the hang. The second boulder took just a few tries. It came easier than No Stick and I thought it would go quick. I was off by the namesake order of magnitude.
The rest of the spring felt like one step forward and two steps back. The boulders felt harder and I felt weaker. Somehow frustration never really crept in though, it was always a good time trying these moves.
Fast forward to the fall and the first goes went surprisingly well. I’m not sure if it was the preseason zoo boot camp with @brandonflessner or the summer training heavy on yoga, weights, and a newborn, but something clicked. A couple weeks of steady progress and I was solidly in one hang purgatory making it from the ground through the first boulder to the sloper rest. Each time I’d fall in the same spot, an undercling move with high feet to a distant gaston. After sticking that it’s a couple moves and one final lunge before easing up to the top.
Weirdly it felt like I was making progress while stuck in this spot. Subtle pacing and body position tweaks had it feeling smoother and smoother. I thought all I needed was decent conditions to make the sloper rest feel just a little bit better. But I also thought I could punt at that spot (and the final lunge!) indefinitely.
In the end it just took a beautiful day. All the beta refinements came together with the right conditions and it felt easy. It was extra special that the send go was the first time @ashlyn.pierson belayed me this season!
No Stick No Clip 13c(d?) ✅. Closing out 2023 with a surprise NYE send! This climb is too good. One perma mank hold at the start leads to 100ft of perfect rock and movement. Ivory Tower is the Cats Demise wall of Muir Valley. Get on it!
Now Brooke can swing around while we’re on the board! Made from left over cedar from our Nashville patio and some old climbing rope that gives it a nice bounce.
Baby Brooke felt like she was missing out on all the camping trip fun so she decided to cut it short and come early on us. Ashlyn was a champ and both baby and mom are doing great!
