I ended up spending the Sunday (4/24) on the same weekend of the Struggle Bus competition to try Evolution. Evolution, for the unaware, is a classic "V6" located in the Atlantis #2 sector of Oak Flat. Funnily enough, Oak Flat used to host the outdoor Phoenix Bouldering Competition (PBC) series in the late 90s, so I ended up hopping from one Struggle Bus to another.
To summarize Evolution, it has the reputation for being sandbagged, and being harder than other consensus V7s in Hueco Tanks such as New Religion, Daily Dick Dose, Roughage, etc... I haven't been to Hueco Tanks, so I can't confirm, but I can definitely say that Evolution kicked my ass. Unlike most of the climbing I'm used to, Evolution is a gently overhanging, 15 feet climb up a bulge that starts off with a big deadpoint to decently good and big holds, and progresses from then on to smaller and tinier crimps until the top out. Bulge climbing isn't exactly my forte, so it was definitely a change of pace from dangling underneath a 10 feet tall roof on pockets. I'll need to update my game on vertical terrain. That being said, Oak Flat season is coming to an end near the end of April as it is getting quite hot, so it is possible that with better conditions, Evolution will end up feeling easier in that I won't be greasing off of the crimps near the topout.
Here's footage of me greasing off Evolution:
Definitely pressed "B" when evolving
Most of the day was spent on the Struggle Bus with Cas and Stephen, and we also ended up meeting Brett, Jack, Joel, and his kids out there. Warm-ups were a bit paltry, I half heartedly did some laps on DJ's Traverse, one of my favorite boulder problems out there, and ended up with a flash on DJ's crimps (V3), and a quick send of RJG #194 (V3) with the classic nature top-out as some consolation prizes. Not too bad for someone who hasn't touched crimps in about a year.
RJG #194 Consolation Prize
Although my climbing wasn't the best that day, Cas and Stephen had a pretty good run of it. Cas ended up getting Baby Coffin at the Draw the day before, and ended up making quick work on RJG #194 and DJ's Crimps. Stephen made quick work of DJ's warmup as well, showing that he has become much more comfortable with bouldering.
Additionally, I learned from Joel that I may have done a potential FA with Brett Roach on a low-start of Alien Autopsy. It's not particularly difficult, and I think it clocks in at a V4, but I hope to go back and get some footage of it anyways. I don't exactly have a name for it, either, but keeping in theme with the boulder I think Alien Burial could be a viable one. There's an even lower start that has a throw to a mono, which I would also like to put some time in when it finally gets cooler in Superior. I think I'll call it the Alien Exhumation Project.
And that's how my first season of Oak Flat ended- a struggle bus both inside and out. It's a bit sad that it ended the way it did, but at least I have another reason to come back here and try again next winter. Until then, back to dangling.
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