Saturday, February 14, 2009

There Will Be Blood Part 2

This past Thursday, I squeezed in a couple of hours to finish off the sitdown start to the problem I did earlier called There Will Be Blood. This involves a long reach to a very thin crimp and a move left to the starting holds, where a very difficult match leads into the previous V10. It took a few tries on what was probably the tenth session of working on this problem. The sky was gray and there was plenty of snow from the day before but things were reasonably dry. I was very happy to stick the final slap at the lip.

Given my experience on other area V12s, I decided to give it that rating and not V11. Obviously time will tell but I feel honestly that it is another level beyond a problem such as the Left Graham Arete and very similar to Clear Blue Sky in style. It reminds me a bit of European Human Being as well. The first took me just a few days to do last fall and I am confident that if the latter two were as accessible as TWBB, they would be done in similar time. In any event, I am on to new projects both at Flagstaff and elsewhere.

I was surprised to see that 8a.nu picked up my scorecard as a news item and am pleased that they published a revised version of "Climbing Past 40," previously seen at frontrangebouldering.com. The video of the problem is below.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

surprising indeed. best thing i've read on 8a.

sock hands said...

i'll be psyched to check this one out soon. word on getting it done, fool! also, i liked your most recent frb piece. quite a bit.

chuffer said...

good stuff peter, keep it coming!

Chubblez said...

Nice-looking line - good eye! Looks **very** crimpy. Good work, Peter!

Anonymous said...

Peter, nice work on your project. I'll be sure to check it out. Any thoughts on a repeat of Trice?
Jemerson

Peter Beal said...

Hi Jamie! I would definitely like to put some time in on Trice. However there are roughly half a dozen FA possibilities locally that I want to check out as well. So with limited time, I lean towards those.

Peter Beal said...

Well Jamie E has laid it down as V11 which I will take in good spirit. However the comparison with Clear Blue Sky and European stands. I hope to do both this summer. I should add that by comparison 606 is soft V9 and Mongolian Cosmonaut is V8 from the low start. The Left Graham Arete is maybe V10, more likely V9.

Anonymous said...

Peter, I intend no offense. I took me three days this summer to do CBS and three days (in the year that I did it) to do European. Also by comparison, Trice took me 6 days and seems to be the standard V12 on Flagstaff. I almost did TWBB on my first try after flashing the stand start. After climbing all three, I can't help but feel its easier. I would encourage you to climb CBS and EHB this summer and compare all three. Perhaps other climbers will disagree with me. My word is not law, by any means. I am one person giving my opinion.
Jemerson

Peter Beal said...

Hi Jamie,
No offense taken at all. V11 is not too bad in any case, especially for an FA at 44. I am only explaining the reasons for my choice of grade and how I felt the problem stacked up against others I had done recently. I am still puzzled why I find the stand (which is really still a sit) so difficult but sometimes that's how things are.
Peter

Jonathan Siegrist said...

Hey Peter
Really nice work on this thing. I sincerely appreciate your recent contributions to the Flagstaff Bouldering scene. -where is this thing by the way?
cheers
jstar

Peter Beal said...

Hi Jonathan,
It's three formations north of First Overhang. Use the video for guidance on the problem itself.
Peter

Anonymous said...

Hey Peter,
I don't know all the names of things on flagstaff. Where is the first overhang? Does the hike go up hill, down hill or both? And how far of a hike is it (so that I know if I've walked too far). Thanks, Anson

Peter Beal said...

Hi Anson,
The problem is roughly 100 yards uphill/north from First Overhang. Go to First Overhang and search for "Face Wall." My video should explain the rest.

Anonymous said...

Nice job Peter! You make that look way too easy in the video.

Anonymous said...

Hi Peter, I don't want to cause any bad feelings but I went up and did TWBB yesterday and for me, it was easier than suggested. So you know where I am coming from I have climbed 606 a few times, left graham arete in about an hour of work and I was pretty consistently falling off of the last move of both european and CBS last summer.
I did the stand (or the second sit start) to TWBB in two tries. The first try I used beta suggested by JE and that felt awkward. Then I slightly adjusted my feet (I did not use the rail) and fired it (with the dyno). Which makes me think that V8/9 may be a bit more accurate.
I then tried the full-on sit and within 2 or 3 tries was getting to the last left hand crimp. On my 5 or 6th try I fell with my hand sliding off the finish jug. At that point it was almost pitch black and I called her quits. I think that if I had the time to take a break I definitely would have fired it yesterday. And I know I can't crush v12 like that. So I think it may be hard 10/soft 11. It felt about the same as 606 to me, maybe a touch harder.
Regardless of the grade, it is a really fun problem and it is a great FA for flagstaff. Also, I can understand you suggesting a harder grade because there is considerable extra mental and physical challenge to FAing something as compared to being shown the beta. So your send, for you, may well have been equivalent to climbing an established V12. So I don't mean to be a jerk by suggested a downgrade. I think it is just part of the process when a new problem gets put up.
bottom line though: wicked FA! It is a fun line for all the crimping fools out there. keep up the good work!
Anson

Peter Beal said...

Thanks Anson. I now agree with the V11 grade. I would definitely say that for me, if TWBB is V10/11, then 606 is V8/9 by comparison and LGA is easy V10. Height makes a big difference on the problem as well. I have never been able to dyno straight for the lip from the crimp.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Peter but I think I have to report the LA of the aptly named TWBB, the left hand crimp is sitting on my mantle right now. I was a little suspect of that hold when I walked up to the line, and even thought I felt it flex. But it held together long enough to get the stand (actually a sit) and broke off as I was making a very strong effort at the sit start. At any rate it was a great crimpy power problem maybe a 9 from the stand and 10 from the sit. The good news is now it is definitely at least V12, go get it!
ps. Im thinking about auctioning the hold on ebay anyone interested? muuaaaaa muuuaaaaaa

Peter Beal said...

Sounds like a good development to me. If the low start was V10 in its original incarnation than every V10 I have done is V8 or 9. I did fear for the fate of the crimper but do not mourn its passing. I will check it out.

sock hands said...

body types body types... i feel like every time i redline on a problem to send it, folks call it easy. every time i have an easier time, folks call foul at a downrate. seems this is the case here.

the example from last spring: if silverback is v10 or *11*, all the v9s i have done are 11 and all the 11s are 12.

result: I AM THE MAN.
shower me with gifts!

but, alas, certain lines fit me and click, many do not. a truth that is very apt at sucking the glory out of most every send, leaving me only with the satisfaction of the personal challenge and the commoraderie of the friends who i shared it with.

on grades, best we can do is to call it like we see it and not get bogged down in debates too much. easier said than done, i fear.

i think it's illuminating that schulte mentions that after his v14 there are still v5s in font that he cannot do.

the comedy goes on and on and remains way funnier than other cliche bits like large men dressed as women.

Peter Beal said...

Justin, do you have the crimp? See my theory about the crimp opening and eventually breaking in a new post.

sock hands said...

pete: i'm not the anonymous poster who mentioned the crimp. i now avoid flagstaff after getting shut down and determining that mongolian low is v111.

also, despite all my spelling and grammatical errors, i would have NEVAR misspelled "muhahahahahahahahaaa"