It's been a while since I've last posted. There has been a multitude of reasons, graduate school starting back up being one of them (Advanced Power Electronics is a bit of work!), but the main one is that I just haven't found the time or the words to describe what I've been up to in the last few weeks. But today, I have some time (I'm not climbing, working, or doing homework for once), so it would be good to provide a few updates.
In a way, things are the same, but different. Climbing is still a primary part of my life so it would do me some good to put some stuff into this again, so here we go. About 3 weeks ago, I went into James Canyon with Bobby and Dustin to Tainted Teen, the "Best V5 in Arizona". Here's a picture:
Tainted Teen in all its glory (not featured is a rope to the left for the downclimb)
Bobby had already done the quest of finding and sending Tainted Teen as his first Hinterlands boulder (just ask him! It's quite the tale), and Dustin had already been here once with Bobby and Kenzie, so this time, I was the newbie to this sector and its approach. James Canyon is located south of Flagstaff, and is neighbors with the more well-traveled and popular Kelly Canyon. Similar to Kelly Canyon, the rock here is Coconino sandstone, with well-featured canyon walls in all shapes and sizes. The approach, was however not as great, the trail is steep, not very well traveled, and there was a lot of bush-whacking and stumbling along the cobbles. The broom and number of pads we had to bring to protect the lines on this rig did not help improve the difficulty of the approach, but it definitely helped alleviate fears once you are off the ground and on the boulder.
Before I go any further, let me reiterate- Tainted Teen is TALL, so make sure you bring enough pads (and spotters). Neglecting the sloped landing that rises with the boulder, starting from the bottom of Tainted out to the slopey topout, there is probably a minimum distance of 30 feet. At all times, you are more than likely 10-15 feet above the ground so it definitely helps to be confident in the movement and exposure given how high it is. I've attached a picture of Dustin (5'10" or 177.8cm for the non Americans) standing next to Tainted to give it some scale.
This ain't your normal boulder off the side of the road
When I first saw it, my head immediately started pounding and all thoughts of how heinous the approach was instantly replaced with relief that we had brought at least 5-6 pads. Even with the pads, I was not exactly the most confident looking at this behemoth. That being said, I do have a relatively low fear tolerance, but I'm willing to bet that even the most height-tolerant will be a bit unnerved. We then went to work cleaning the boulder problem. Coconino sandstone is quite grippy, but requires a decent amount of cleaning to make sure all the dirt is gone so that we can access the sweet friction the stone is known for.
Bobby went to work on "Smells like Taint" which goes at hard V8, while Dustin and I were sieging Tainted Teen. The first few moves of Tainted Teen are quite tame which culminates in a gnarly throw that if you stick the move, leads to the rest of the problem, and if you don't- you get tossed into the cobbles. Commitment is a must here. Here's a picture of Bobby warming up his mental game by getting tossed.
Bobby falling into the depths, where my arms are waiting
The rest of the problem is quite chill as you are making your way up the arete until you get to the top, where the holds melt away. I was able to navigate the topout sequence by grabbing a dogbone hold and matching the corner, and then heel hooking over and grabbing the jug that's not really facing the right way on my third go. Shoutouts to Bobby and Dustin for moving the pads as I was moving along- bouldering is truly a team effort.
On my send go, while Bobby and Dustin are doing the necessary work of adjusting pads
Bobby was able to repeat this a few more times, and Dustin got close. We'll have to come back for sure! I'm not sure if I would be ok going for Smells like Taint, but I might as well now that I've done this one. The send video is attached.
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