Cranking in Wonderland...

This weekend has proven to be the best couple of days climbing since the trip began. The Satuday was the first day back after spending Friday resting.

For our first day back on we headed up to the "Gym" sector near the Restaurant area. This proved to be a bit of an adventure as the map is not altogether too acurate and the trail down is not marked. So we ended up doing a bit of bush whacking to get to the crag.

The gym is a short crag, maybe 8-12 meters at most giving it the height of most climbing gyms and hence the name. To warm up I cracked off a pair of 19s (5.10a) called "Any Objections" and "Monkey Monkey" both overhanging jug hauls. Once warmed up I jumped on a climbed called "Lithium" 24 (5.11d). This climb went up an overhanging wall on good crimps but no feet to the second bolt. Then a high left foot and a hip level high left foot which your rock over on thin crips and a rounded side pull to stand up and back to a juggy finish. I got the flash but the climb felts a bit soft.

To round out the day I got on a slab climb called "The Dark Side" 22 (5.11a) which climbed the steap slab on the other side of the river from us. I have to say, I have gotten out of practice of climbing thin slab as I got spit off at the first and second bolts. I decided I needed practice and should get back on but was shut down again at the third bolt. I did get the red point on the third attempt. Then ended the day cleaning "Any Objections".

Yesterday Klaus, Anna and I went to the Hallucinogen sector up near Tranquilitas campground. We hiked and by 10:30AM we at the base of some of the best looking climbs I have seen in Waterval. The lines are clean and much higher than yesterday's outing standing at around 15-18m.

To warm up I did "Old Crusty's Last Stand" 18 (5.9) which moved up an arete next to an offwidth crack. The climb was a touch technical as it involved laying back off the offwidth.
Klaus climbed Old Crusty's up, down and up again before cleaning it as his warm up. He then moved on to climb "Be Quick or Be Dead" 24 (5.11d) which was right next to Old Crusty. This climb looks to be quite a push with thin and blancy face moves as well as bad side pulls and thin crimps. The draws were put in but not without a few falls.

Still not totally warm I moved on to my second warm up "Doom" 19 (5.10a) which proved to be much more fun because of the exposure of climbing the arete that sticks a bit out from the main wall. I then moved on to climb "Be Quick or Be Dead" 24 (5.11d) the moves were wonderful and thin, requiring balance and good core strength to keep yourself in on the open hand side pulls and thin crimps. I fell at the lower and upper crux but worked out the sequence on the excellent climb up top.

For the button I had decided that the wall where you climb up Old Crusty's was in but after re-reading the description in the guide book, it states that the face is only to be used. So now I had to rework my beta for for the bottom. The new sequence involve a high right foot which rock up onto using a half pad side pull crimp and a one and a half finger crimp which gets you onto a incut 3/4 pad crimp. Another two things moves with feet tracking the crimps gets you to a nice incut flake where you get a shake before moving into the open hand sidepull sequence. Which I fell on. I lowered and made another attempt after a short rest.

My third attempt proved to be clean execution of the sequence and I felt good and in the moment. I moved through the top sequence of powerful high steps and side pulling to finish the route. This is the hardest climb I have red pointed yet on this trip. The only climb I would say I have worked harder on was "Je Suis Un Communist" in France, but this climb certainly felt better.

Klaus red pointed called "Fat Annie" a 25 (5.12a) and then another 24 (5.11d) called "Women Ain't Nothing But Trouble". He left the clips in "Women Ain't Nothing But Trouble". After five attempts at the thing crux off the second bolt I manage to get high enough to dyno for an incut rail next to the third bolt to pull past the crux and then finish with 8m of beautiful laybacking through a series of rooves and the red point.



To cool down I finished with "Rat Palace" a nice 20 (5.10b) which moves through a some thin balancy moves at the start and pulls a small roof at the end.



To celebrate my best climbing day yet we made our way down into the Township of Waterval and bought some "Chicken Dust" chicken which they sell from BBQs on the side of the road.



I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.