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Post by aikibujin on Dec 6, 2017 11:38:08 GMT -7
hmm, I thought the top was harder than the bottom I thought so too. I fully expected myself to link the start fairly quickly, and then spend the majority of my time working the top section. However, it turned out not to be the case. I spent three days not making any progress at the start, yet I was making steady progress at the top. I think they are just very different so it's kind of hard to compare them. The start is straight-forward powerful moves on pretty good holds. The moves are pretty obvious, I basically worked out the moves on my first day. To me the gaston stands out from the rest of the sequence as the hardest move. The top is very cryptic. There are lots of options for hands and feet, but none are really good. None of the moves are as big as the dyno or the gaston at the start, but there are all off-balance, requiring oppositions and body tension. Working out the best sequence for me was all about finding the right body position, using the right combination of handholds and footholds. Once I unlocked a sequence, on a move by move basis none of them are noticeably harder than any other move. But when you stack them together, the entire sequence is not trivial to link. Fortunately, I start out fresh for the bottom section, so I either link it, or I don't and just lower off to rest and try again. The top section I have to climb with a little bit of fatigue (even with the rest), so it will feel harder. I think if the two sections switched places, so you pull the two small roofs right at the start, and climb the big overhang at the anchor, then there's no doubt in my mind that the big overhang is going to be the crux.
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Post by jonfrisby on Dec 6, 2017 13:27:50 GMT -7
This was also over July 4th weekend, so conditions may have been more an issue up high than down low
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Post by aikibujin on Dec 6, 2017 16:49:55 GMT -7
This was also over July 4th weekend, so conditions may have been more an issue up high than down low I can't imagine getting on that thing in July!
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Post by aikibujin on Dec 19, 2017 6:36:20 GMT -7
Haven't updated this in two weeks because I have been trying hard to redpoint it. Once I thought it might go, I stopped projecting anything else and have been slightly obsessed with it. I can climb the usual one day every weekend, but also when the weather is nice, I even take half a day off from work to go try it. Luckily it's the holiday season so it's not super busy at the office. Over the last two weeks I tried it on four different days, with some up and downs. The first day I pulled over the initial overhang fairly easily, but fell off in the "easier" middle section. The second day I did really badly (possibly due to lack of sleep) and couldn't even get past the initial overhang. The good thing is that I got the gaston move pretty dialed now, it's often the move pulling into the overhanging dihedral that gets me. So I played around with that move on this day, figuring out some different beta. The third day was a highpoint for me, getting all the way to the top bouldering problem, falling just four moves shy from the anchor. The fourth day (which was yesterday) was the same, I fell again four moves from the anchor. There's a blast of winter weather in the forecast for Denver, so I won't be able to get on SY for at least a week, possibly two. Which may actually be a good thing, to let me take a mental break from trying hard, and give me a chance to get my general fitness level up a little. I was hoping to send this before the New Years and make it the highlight of my 2017, but looks like I'll just have to come back strong and get it in 2018. Video of my highpoint: photos.app.goo.gl/ejlBNEwIawa98nKJ3
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Post by jrblack on Mar 16, 2018 10:34:00 GMT -7
Any more updates? We had some cold weather in Dec/Jan, but Feb and Mar have had lots of climbable days... any more progress on SY?
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Post by aikibujin on Mar 17, 2018 16:40:49 GMT -7
Any more updates? We had some cold weather in Dec/Jan, but Feb and Mar have had lots of climbable days... any more progress on SY? Well, not a whole lot has happened since the last update. After my last post, we had some pretty cold days in Denver, then Christmas, New Years... I did get on it with ehowell a few times in January, but never made much progress. Keep in mind that my last training cycle ended in November, so the whole time I've been in a maintenance phase trying to keep my fitness in the hope of sending SY soon. In February, the combination of snowy weather and catching a cold from my kid finally made me take a two-week break from climbing. After I recovered from the cold, I started a new training cycle with a heavy focus on endurance. I'm five weeks into my new cycle now, just finished my base endurance phase with lots of ARC'ing and some hangboarding. In theory, I'm not in sending shape right now, but I did get on SY again last week because another climber I know wanted to try it. I did much better on it than I expected, so I'm really psyched. With my improved aerobic endurance, I feel like I'm recovering better at the rests now. Next week will be a deload week for me, then I'll start focusing on power endurance. Once I start improving my PE, I think I have a really good chance of sending it soon.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Mar 23, 2018 8:50:20 GMT -7
Scoop: Boer just sent!!!!!!
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Post by MarkAnderson on Mar 23, 2018 8:51:11 GMT -7
Mighta been due to extra awesome belaying.
(More likely inspite of marginal belaying)
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Post by aikibujin on Mar 23, 2018 16:22:26 GMT -7
Scoop: Boer just sent!!!!!! You get cell phone reception in the canyon?! I'm disappointed that you didn't post a victory photo.
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Post by jetjackson on Mar 24, 2018 4:36:20 GMT -7
Just watched a video online - awesome looking route.
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Post by jrblack on Mar 24, 2018 7:05:35 GMT -7
Where's the write-up of the send?? C'mon aikibujin, the 5.9 climbers want to hear the tale!
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Post by aikibujin on Mar 24, 2018 7:52:26 GMT -7
I was busy eating ice cream last night and uploading the video, and this morning my son has gymnastics class... weekend warrior still has battles to do even after sending the proj! I will post when I have more time.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Mar 24, 2018 8:46:22 GMT -7
My two cents,
Boer was super strong and casual through the boulder start. It looked like he was warming up on jugs. He stayed super controlled and patient through the middle, shaking forever at the two big rests (which from my perspective, is a real sign of growth on his part both tactically and physically). However, the best part was the finish where he unleashed an impressive display of try-hard to get through the final boulder problem. If anyone was watching from the road they must've thought someone was having their appendix removed through their urethra without anesthetic.
It was a really inspiring effort both in terms of the way he climbed on the send, and in terms of how much growth and progress he's made since he first started working the route in November. He commented after that he felt like he improved more during this campaign than he did in the last two years of climbing put together. Having been a primary partner during much of that time, I tend to agree. Its a really good example of how the occasional long-term project can inspire greater commitment, and so demand greater improvement. It doesn't always work out that way, but Boer followed through and it paid off!
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Post by aikibujin on Mar 24, 2018 11:17:46 GMT -7
I was only half joking in the other thread when I said, "I know I'll send on the next go"! The fact was that I'm confident that I will redpoint it very soon. Normally when I climb with Mark he will climb first so he can warm up in his barn. But he agreed to let me climb SY first this time, so I can take a page out of his book and warm up at Earth Treks first. So Friday morning I got up at 5:30a, got my gear and coffee ready, and drove to Earth Treks at 6. I bouldered for an hour, sticking to easy juggy V0-V3 problems, then drove to New River Wall and met up with Mark at 9.
I was actually kind of jittery when I first went up to "stick clip" the third bolt (probably due to too much coffee), even scraped my left middle knuckle when I tried to brush some of the starting holds. Before I started my redpoint burn, I stood at the start, closed my eyes and took in some deep breathes to calm my mind. This has become a ritual for me before any hard redpoint attempts. Once I started moving, it was all about focusing on moving precisely and efficiently. Warming up at Earth Treks probably helped a lot. When I went for the right finger lock above the overhang (where I normally have a 50% chance of falling off on a RP burn), I felt strong, the best I've ever felt on a RP burn. I got into the first rest feeling pumped, but not desparately so. I rested for about 2 minutes then moved into the next section, which again didn't feel as desparate as before.
I clipped the last bolt I'd be clipping before the top, then moved into the second rest. I stayed in this rest for five and half minutes, even after I felt I was recovered enough, I stayed a little longer just to be sure. Both rests on SY are stemming rests and tend to pump out my calves, so for me using those rests have always been a balance between de-pump my forearms enough while trying not too get too pumped in my calves. But I've also been doing an exercise targeting these rests, and I think it paid off. Changing my stance and shake out my legs also helped.
I moved into the last boulder problem feeling as rested as I could, and focused on just executing the moves. Once I got the left-hand pinchy-horn (the move I couldn't get in Dec and in Jan), I started making my try-hard screams to sqeeze out every last bit of effort I could into making the moves. It also took my mind off the fact that I couldn't clip the second to the last bolt and was looking at a pretty big whip if I fall. Once I hit the jug at the top and clipped the last bolt (full disclosure: I didn't actually clip the anchors*), it was a flood of emotion that hit me, the foremost ones were probably excitment and relief.
Like Mark mentioned, I felt like I've learned more in the last five months, in the process of working SY, than I've learned in the last two years combined. Before SY, I have done my projects relatively quickly. Once I figured out the beta for the crux, it's just a matter of keep at it until it went (which never took more than 10 tries). I have now lost track of how many redpoint attempts I've made on SY. In order to RP Sonic, I had to tweak so much: the most optimal way to use every hold, the most efficient way to do every move, even to switching out the fixed steel biner at the lower crux with one of my own to make it easier to clip (at Mark's suggestion). I have learned a lot about redpoint tactics, working on my weakness, and just trying really really hard.
*The anchors on Sonic are to the right of the jug at the top. You clip them from the same position as when you clip the last bolt. I've clipped the anchor once, and it pulls the rope over the sharp lip of the overhang. I ended up unclipping them again so lowering won't destroy my rope. So I've always just clipped the last bolt and lowered off whenever I get to the top. I've briefly considered maybe I should clip the anchors when I finally redpoint SY, to "legitimize" the send. But in the end I decided I don't really care (same for always stick-clipping the third bolt).
Edited video, sped up the two rests so you don't have to watch all that boring shaking:
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Post by jrblack on Mar 24, 2018 13:29:41 GMT -7
Huge congrats Boer! It must be an AMAZING feeling to send this thing after so much hard work. And all the gains you made are now in the bag... you are a more complete climber now, as well as having ticked a hard climb!
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