Sending Muy Verdes and What's Next

Since I last posted, I was fortunate enough to redpoint one of the best, and certainly the hardest, routes I've done. A few of the things key in making this send possible were

• Warming up in the barn instead of the crag
• Changing micro beta in the crimp traverse
• Some perfectly crisp conditions

The proudest part of this ascent for me is that it went exactly as I always dream of a project redpoint going. I climbed every sequence flawlessly, with confidence and efficiency. And yet, it demanded all that I had to send. I was so desperately close to falling despite climbing well. This is the mark of a limit route! 

The following day, I decided I wanted to try a very long Adam Ondra 8b, called The Doorkeeper. As I walked to the crag, British Matt was sending the route! So, he cleaned his draws off and I was thus discouraged from getting on the route (I don't have enough draws nor a long enough rope).

Matt sending The Doorkeeper 8b

Instead, I was tempted to try Odin's Eye again. And after a couple of times on it, it felt easier than I remembered (still hard!). I decided to invest a few days into the route, and if it felt possible to do the route by the end of my trip, I would commit to it as my mega project. 

Fast forward a few days into the route. Yep. This line is the ONE. Absolutely incredible boulder problems throughout, each separated by rests/kneebars. Talk. About. A. Dream. I can't say whether it's possible for me within the time I have left, but I can say it's worth trying, as well as worth coming back for if not. 

Here's a brief breakdown. 

After the first 3 bolts (V4/5 in their own right), you have the hardest boulder on the route - a steep V8 on terrible crimps. From here, easy traversing on a slightly overhanging face leads you to an undercling crux, where you have to precisely lunge to a pretty small crimp as you rock onto a right foot smear. Impossible to grade. Hard. 

After this, you've arrived at the eye. Here you get a decent kneebar rest. From here, the most muscly traverse in flatanger awaits. Big slopey underclings on a 50 degree wall with bad smears for feet. This is a section I need to spend a lot of time refining...

This takes you straight into the redpoint crux. Incredible moves on every type of hold. Undercling, crimp, pinch, jug, sloper. A very powerful sequence, about V7 in isolation? Harder when you add in the super strenuous traverse into it.

After this you arrive at a kneebar rest, but a very pumpy one for the left calf. I imagine it will be difficult to stay in this kneebar for long. 

The last crux

Next, a really cool v5 sequence awaits, requiring static strength on slopers. You get one more awkward kneebar and then face the last crux, a v6 sequence on terrible feet that requires every bit of reach I have. I have nightmares about punting here...

>>I wrote the above a while ago, and now am a few weeks into Odin's. I am in redpoint mode, having one hung the route and climbed it in overlapping sections several times. It's been a battle with conditions more than anything, and the second crux (under the eye) seems to be the hardest for me. 3 more weeks, stoked to see what happens!