AF Plafón
PaulRobinson_Rastaman
Paul Robinson has climbed the Buttermilks long-standing project the Rastaman Vibration Sit Start this morning. While working this problem just left of Evilution, on the Grandpa Peabody Boulder, Paul described it as much harder than anything he had done before. This extreme problem with a crux move to gain and dyno from a small left-hand pinch at standing height, was disregarded as near-impossible by many top climbers--with only a handful ever sticking the dyno. The line, in full is thought to be at least v15 and Paul has suggested v16. Not only is the start extremely physical, but the topout up the slab left of Evilution adds a good deal of highballing spice to top it off! Certainly one of the most amazing ascents at the Buttermilks ever, and one of the world's hardest problems
This line is the bafflingly hard sit start to Jared Roth's 2002 highball, Rastaman Vibration (v12) on the left side of the Grandpa Peabody's south face. Roth began his original problem at a high pinch, setting feet on the rock before making a desperate dyno to snag a fingertip edge. The crux over, v6-ish moves then led to the highball finish that he described as an epic hair-raiser. Sticking that first move alone though, was hard enough that only three or four people have ever done it. But not one had felt the urge to repeat the original line, perhaps feeling that the high topout was too sketchy to be worth the effort for a second ascent while the obvious and tantalizing sit-start was so nearly within grasp.
However, the "Rasta Project" rebuffed all-comers, and steadily began to take on mythic status as the hardest well-tried project in the West, turning away everyone that came knocking, including Matt Birch, and Paul Robinson two years running. To put things in perspective, in 2007, Paul checked off The Swarm and The Mandala Sit Original (both v14) on the same day without much pre-knowledge. He also added the sit to the Mandala Direct to give The Mandala Direct Assis (v14), repeated The Spectre (v13), A Scanner Darkly (v12), The Mystery (v12), Direction (v13), and A Maze of Death (v12) ALL in one short trip in March 2007--that's over two years ago. Those were just side dishes in between tentative first attempts at the Rasta Project.
Hooked, Paul came back to put some serious work into the Rastaman Sit Start in April 2008. He was close, and was hoping to return in the fall, but that fall/winter season of 2008/2009 was curtailed for Robinson due to a bad ankle injury sustained in a short fall while in Switzerland. He waited and returned recently to spent several more days over about a week and a half to get it done! Paul's other hardest ascents include well over a dozen v14s and a couple of v15s (Jade at Rocky Mt Nat. Park, and the second ascent of Fred Nicole's Heuco Tanks testpiece Terremer).
All photos are of Paul on the crux.
Posted by Wills Young at 9:33 AM 8 comments
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Fight Club Direct
Ian Cotter-Brown made an ascent of Fight Club Direct yesterday. It is unclear if there's just one way to make the direct exit, but Ian came down on a rope to clean and chalk the holds and work out the moves on TR. After finding himself slipping off the top section one in three attempts, he declared a ropeless ascent would be like "rolling the dice." Even so, with a slew of pads he made an ascent without the rope. Nice one Ian. While at the time he thought this might have been the second ascent, this is also unclear.
It's a sweet problem for sure, with a really tricky mantel, that feels both powerful and technical, followed by a delicate slab. Pretty much classic Buttermilking.
Here are a couple of shoddy pics I took of him on the ascent.
Ian beginning the highball section of Fight Club Direct
Ian making the dicey step up.
Posted by Wills Young at 7:11 PM 0 comments
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Buttermilker by Chris Webb-Parsons
"Doing this problem feels like the first real step on the way back," said visiting Australian Chris Webb-Parsons on completing The Buttermilker (v13) at the Cave Boulder, the Buttermilks. A year since his severe shoulder dislocation, and a bit less since the ensuing surgery, Chris could barely hold the positions on the crux of the line when he arrived in Bishop this winter. But he kept at it, and saw steady improvements. After doing a standing start, he was convinced both his shoulders still needed strengthening before going after the full/true ascent. Taking a break, he headed over to the Bay Area to work out with weights in an effort to build up his shoulders. Returning with confidence and psyche renewed, he did the problem on his first morning back (today) and was clearly delighted.
Chris Webb-Parsons, The Buttermilker
Chris will soon be heading back to Australia and hopes to be at full strength by the summer, when he has plans for a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, a possible appearance at the Vail, Colorado, Bouldering World Cup, followed by further travels around the US.
Over the last few years, Chris rose to prominence in Australia with ascents of the hardest lines there including Dai Koyamada's 60-move monster "v16" Wheel of Life. He was fast moving through the hardest lines at Hueco last year when he ripped his shoulder.
While Chris recovered from surgery last year, he helped complete the huge task of writing a guidebook to the bouldering at the Grampians, Australia, with his fellow climber and guidebook author Dave Pearson. I've seen a copy of the guide and I can honestly say it is a work of art, beautifully laid out, with extraordinary detail. The images are excellent and enticing, and by all accounts the climbing there is phenomenal. Check out Chris and Dave's excellent new website Grampians Bouldering. You can also check out Chris' website.
Posted by Wills Young at 7:54 PM 0 comments
Monday, February 22, 2010
Highball Montage
Please enjoy this sweet montage of Charlie on This Side of Paradise (Bardini Boulders, v10).
Thanks to Matt Arnold for the images and Olivia Nguyen (Graphics and Design). Climber: Charlie Barrett.
Meanwhile, don't forget there are risks to highballing. No matter where you climb, rock can break! Check out this solid-looking well-weathered hold from one of the Buttermilk's most amazing highballs, The Beautiful and Damned (v13).
There used to be this perfect little horn that you could grab at a sort of half-way point on the line, just before the really heady slab moves begin. Well, it snapped off when the line was being worked on TR. Now this already desperate line will be a touch more sustained and a bit more of a stretch on that first slab move. With all the snow we've had this year dampening the rock, plus the freezing and thawing recently, you can't be too careful going high off the ground.
Posted by Wills Young at 9:55 PM 3 comments
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Fight Club
Ian Cotter-Brown made an ascent of the very rarely repeated Fight Club (v11, on the Saigon Boulder) yesterday, making me realize I have to get out and do that line! It's kinda scary to top out up the slab leftward, but a direct has also been done. Here are a couple of shots of Ian from a couple days before his send, taped up and ready to rumble! Don't let that hippy tie-die fool you!
Fight Club needs cold, ideally cloudy conditions.
Posted by Wills Young at 10:06 PM 5 comments
Sean McColl completes Evilution Direct, Ground-up
Sean McColl arrived here in Bishop about a week ago, down from Vancouver, Canada. After re-acquainting himself with the rock here (checking off a few classics including Stained Glass Sit), he went back to finish up the climb he came close to doing on his last visit a couple of years ago: Evilution Direct. A prior ground-up ascent had been made by Tobias Haller (all be it with a huge number of pads). Others had inspected the line on a rope.
Sean had attempted it ground-up a couple of years ago, locked off the crux and pulled up above the lip before backing down and dropping because the upper section was snowy/wet. Despite a small breakage a year ago, leaving the move past the lip a touch harder, Sean took just a couple more goes this visit to complete his ground-up ascent. No doubt there'll more to come from Sean if the weather holds!
Ethan Pringle also checked off Evilution Direct. He'd rapped the line to familiarize himself with it in the morning and did it in the cold after the sun dropped behind the mountains.
Sean also did a bizarre start to The Fall Guy/Haroun that begins up to the right of the normal Haroun start and leans into the start of Fall Guy using toe hooks. It sounds utterly crazy and if/when I get more info I'll add to this report.
Posted by Wills Young at 9:31 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Charlie's New Squeeze Gets a Work-Over!
Kevin Jorgeson added a no-jump version to Charlie Barrett's new squeeze line (which surely must be called Charlie's New Squeeze) and climbed it without a jump start. There's a good left foot (tiny sharp edge) and a pair of tiny opposing crimps to start. You can pull on first, and then smack left hand to the sweet blob in the scoop. Some crafty intermediate moves and heel-hook trickery make the middle sequence amenable to those who can't pull off the long slaps that Charlie makes look easy. It probably goes at v10-ish. Here's a shot of Adam Thomason working his left heel up to the blob:
Posted by Wills Young at 8:46 PM 0 comments
Older Posts
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Bishop Bouldering 2nd Edition
The new guide from Wolverine Publishing will be available in Spring--sorry it's so late!! We've stuffed the book with all the updated info on new and old lines and added yet more beautiful images of this amazing place. It also includes the much-needed index and graded list! All in all 80 extra pages! Click image to buy early and save!
Conditions
Tuesday, Mar 30 2010
Clouds coming in off the mountains. Possibility of some rain over the next few days. Pretty nice out though under a bit of cloud.
Weather.com
WeatherUnderground.com
Happy Boulders Forecast
Buttermilks Forecast
*Bishop WEB CAM*
(daylight hours only)
Road Conditions (Department of Transport--you need the road number, e.g. Tioga Pass=120. Or call free: 1-800-427-7623)
Clothing & Training Essentials:
MOON Climbing: The world's best climbing gear. Pads, bags, clothing, the notorious fingerboard, and more ... Designed and tested in the UK by climbing legend Ben Moon. N. American orders ship from right here in Bishop, California! Also available at Wilson's Eastside Sports.
Write to me (Wills Young):
. . .
Blog Archive
▼ 2010 (16)
▼ March (2)
Paul Robinson suggests v16 for Rastaman Vibration ...
Fight Club Direct
► February (12)
► January (2)
► 2009 (43)
► 2008 (25)
► 2007 (11)
PaulRobinson_Rastaman
Paul Robinson has climbed the Buttermilks long-standing project the Rastaman Vibration Sit Start this morning. While working this problem just left of Evilution, on the Grandpa Peabody Boulder, Paul described it as much harder than anything he had done before. This extreme problem with a crux move to gain and dyno from a small left-hand pinch at standing height, was disregarded as near-impossible by many top climbers--with only a handful ever sticking the dyno. The line, in full is thought to be at least v15 and Paul has suggested v16. Not only is the start extremely physical, but the topout up the slab left of Evilution adds a good deal of highballing spice to top it off! Certainly one of the most amazing ascents at the Buttermilks ever, and one of the world's hardest problems
This line is the bafflingly hard sit start to Jared Roth's 2002 highball, Rastaman Vibration (v12) on the left side of the Grandpa Peabody's south face. Roth began his original problem at a high pinch, setting feet on the rock before making a desperate dyno to snag a fingertip edge. The crux over, v6-ish moves then led to the highball finish that he described as an epic hair-raiser. Sticking that first move alone though, was hard enough that only three or four people have ever done it. But not one had felt the urge to repeat the original line, perhaps feeling that the high topout was too sketchy to be worth the effort for a second ascent while the obvious and tantalizing sit-start was so nearly within grasp.
However, the "Rasta Project" rebuffed all-comers, and steadily began to take on mythic status as the hardest well-tried project in the West, turning away everyone that came knocking, including Matt Birch, and Paul Robinson two years running. To put things in perspective, in 2007, Paul checked off The Swarm and The Mandala Sit Original (both v14) on the same day without much pre-knowledge. He also added the sit to the Mandala Direct to give The Mandala Direct Assis (v14), repeated The Spectre (v13), A Scanner Darkly (v12), The Mystery (v12), Direction (v13), and A Maze of Death (v12) ALL in one short trip in March 2007--that's over two years ago. Those were just side dishes in between tentative first attempts at the Rasta Project.
Hooked, Paul came back to put some serious work into the Rastaman Sit Start in April 2008. He was close, and was hoping to return in the fall, but that fall/winter season of 2008/2009 was curtailed for Robinson due to a bad ankle injury sustained in a short fall while in Switzerland. He waited and returned recently to spent several more days over about a week and a half to get it done! Paul's other hardest ascents include well over a dozen v14s and a couple of v15s (Jade at Rocky Mt Nat. Park, and the second ascent of Fred Nicole's Heuco Tanks testpiece Terremer).
All photos are of Paul on the crux.
Posted by Wills Young at 9:33 AM 8 comments
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Fight Club Direct
Ian Cotter-Brown made an ascent of Fight Club Direct yesterday. It is unclear if there's just one way to make the direct exit, but Ian came down on a rope to clean and chalk the holds and work out the moves on TR. After finding himself slipping off the top section one in three attempts, he declared a ropeless ascent would be like "rolling the dice." Even so, with a slew of pads he made an ascent without the rope. Nice one Ian. While at the time he thought this might have been the second ascent, this is also unclear.
It's a sweet problem for sure, with a really tricky mantel, that feels both powerful and technical, followed by a delicate slab. Pretty much classic Buttermilking.
Here are a couple of shoddy pics I took of him on the ascent.
Ian beginning the highball section of Fight Club Direct
Ian making the dicey step up.
Posted by Wills Young at 7:11 PM 0 comments
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Buttermilker by Chris Webb-Parsons
"Doing this problem feels like the first real step on the way back," said visiting Australian Chris Webb-Parsons on completing The Buttermilker (v13) at the Cave Boulder, the Buttermilks. A year since his severe shoulder dislocation, and a bit less since the ensuing surgery, Chris could barely hold the positions on the crux of the line when he arrived in Bishop this winter. But he kept at it, and saw steady improvements. After doing a standing start, he was convinced both his shoulders still needed strengthening before going after the full/true ascent. Taking a break, he headed over to the Bay Area to work out with weights in an effort to build up his shoulders. Returning with confidence and psyche renewed, he did the problem on his first morning back (today) and was clearly delighted.
Chris Webb-Parsons, The Buttermilker
Chris will soon be heading back to Australia and hopes to be at full strength by the summer, when he has plans for a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, a possible appearance at the Vail, Colorado, Bouldering World Cup, followed by further travels around the US.
Over the last few years, Chris rose to prominence in Australia with ascents of the hardest lines there including Dai Koyamada's 60-move monster "v16" Wheel of Life. He was fast moving through the hardest lines at Hueco last year when he ripped his shoulder.
While Chris recovered from surgery last year, he helped complete the huge task of writing a guidebook to the bouldering at the Grampians, Australia, with his fellow climber and guidebook author Dave Pearson. I've seen a copy of the guide and I can honestly say it is a work of art, beautifully laid out, with extraordinary detail. The images are excellent and enticing, and by all accounts the climbing there is phenomenal. Check out Chris and Dave's excellent new website Grampians Bouldering. You can also check out Chris' website.
Posted by Wills Young at 7:54 PM 0 comments
Monday, February 22, 2010
Highball Montage
Please enjoy this sweet montage of Charlie on This Side of Paradise (Bardini Boulders, v10).
Thanks to Matt Arnold for the images and Olivia Nguyen (Graphics and Design). Climber: Charlie Barrett.
Meanwhile, don't forget there are risks to highballing. No matter where you climb, rock can break! Check out this solid-looking well-weathered hold from one of the Buttermilk's most amazing highballs, The Beautiful and Damned (v13).
There used to be this perfect little horn that you could grab at a sort of half-way point on the line, just before the really heady slab moves begin. Well, it snapped off when the line was being worked on TR. Now this already desperate line will be a touch more sustained and a bit more of a stretch on that first slab move. With all the snow we've had this year dampening the rock, plus the freezing and thawing recently, you can't be too careful going high off the ground.
Posted by Wills Young at 9:55 PM 3 comments
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Fight Club
Ian Cotter-Brown made an ascent of the very rarely repeated Fight Club (v11, on the Saigon Boulder) yesterday, making me realize I have to get out and do that line! It's kinda scary to top out up the slab leftward, but a direct has also been done. Here are a couple of shots of Ian from a couple days before his send, taped up and ready to rumble! Don't let that hippy tie-die fool you!
Fight Club needs cold, ideally cloudy conditions.
Posted by Wills Young at 10:06 PM 5 comments
Sean McColl completes Evilution Direct, Ground-up
Sean McColl arrived here in Bishop about a week ago, down from Vancouver, Canada. After re-acquainting himself with the rock here (checking off a few classics including Stained Glass Sit), he went back to finish up the climb he came close to doing on his last visit a couple of years ago: Evilution Direct. A prior ground-up ascent had been made by Tobias Haller (all be it with a huge number of pads). Others had inspected the line on a rope.
Sean had attempted it ground-up a couple of years ago, locked off the crux and pulled up above the lip before backing down and dropping because the upper section was snowy/wet. Despite a small breakage a year ago, leaving the move past the lip a touch harder, Sean took just a couple more goes this visit to complete his ground-up ascent. No doubt there'll more to come from Sean if the weather holds!
Ethan Pringle also checked off Evilution Direct. He'd rapped the line to familiarize himself with it in the morning and did it in the cold after the sun dropped behind the mountains.
Sean also did a bizarre start to The Fall Guy/Haroun that begins up to the right of the normal Haroun start and leans into the start of Fall Guy using toe hooks. It sounds utterly crazy and if/when I get more info I'll add to this report.
Posted by Wills Young at 9:31 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Charlie's New Squeeze Gets a Work-Over!
Kevin Jorgeson added a no-jump version to Charlie Barrett's new squeeze line (which surely must be called Charlie's New Squeeze) and climbed it without a jump start. There's a good left foot (tiny sharp edge) and a pair of tiny opposing crimps to start. You can pull on first, and then smack left hand to the sweet blob in the scoop. Some crafty intermediate moves and heel-hook trickery make the middle sequence amenable to those who can't pull off the long slaps that Charlie makes look easy. It probably goes at v10-ish. Here's a shot of Adam Thomason working his left heel up to the blob:
Posted by Wills Young at 8:46 PM 0 comments
Older Posts
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
Bishop Bouldering 2nd Edition
The new guide from Wolverine Publishing will be available in Spring--sorry it's so late!! We've stuffed the book with all the updated info on new and old lines and added yet more beautiful images of this amazing place. It also includes the much-needed index and graded list! All in all 80 extra pages! Click image to buy early and save!
Conditions
Tuesday, Mar 30 2010
Clouds coming in off the mountains. Possibility of some rain over the next few days. Pretty nice out though under a bit of cloud.
Weather.com
WeatherUnderground.com
Happy Boulders Forecast
Buttermilks Forecast
*Bishop WEB CAM*
(daylight hours only)
Road Conditions (Department of Transport--you need the road number, e.g. Tioga Pass=120. Or call free: 1-800-427-7623)
Clothing & Training Essentials:
MOON Climbing: The world's best climbing gear. Pads, bags, clothing, the notorious fingerboard, and more ... Designed and tested in the UK by climbing legend Ben Moon. N. American orders ship from right here in Bishop, California! Also available at Wilson's Eastside Sports.
Write to me (Wills Young):
. . .
Blog Archive
▼ 2010 (16)
▼ March (2)
Paul Robinson suggests v16 for Rastaman Vibration ...
Fight Club Direct
► February (12)
► January (2)
► 2009 (43)
► 2008 (25)
► 2007 (11)