Ascents of Cicada

linked p2 and 3. great features and solid moves. Igor sent 3rd shot

linked p2 and 3. great features and solid moves. Igor sent 3rd shot

Repeat attempt (not clean). This is almost starting to feel like a ritual: repeat lap(s) on Grasshopper followed by one hail mary attempt at le grande link. This is just so hard absent beta and chalk. Still... probably my best "ground up" attempt yet, mostly turning pear-shaped on the upper crux and battling through the rest.

Repeat attempt (not clean) trying (yet again) to climb this as a 40m monster... unsuccessful (yet again) as I dogged the hell out of the upper pitch. Old Frothy was MEAN with his route grades! (24???), but at least with the repositioned bolts this is fine for the ground-up attempt. With better rock this would be classic, as it is... its an upper-tier very good.

Had a bit of an epic on this, struggling with having no chalk in my chalk bag as well as none on the route. Really great face climbing though once I figured it out, even though I ended up coming down after the first pitch. Pretty keen to get back out and finish and when I give Grasshopper a go!

Nothing like getting schooled on your own routes (as a warmup, in the sun). Clean lead P1. Bungled the crux at the end of P2 for a single fall. Linked into P3, which involved many falls on all 3 cruxes P2 is a cool slab with a rad finale. P3 is really great climbing up a soaring exposed face, but the rock is rather sharp, and -I hate to admit it- my bolting from 2013 is not great (in terms of bolt positioning). I'll fix this up (and move some bolts) within the next month.

Repeat. Pitch 2 (the slab) only to get to the half-way anchors. Climbed clean placing the crux draws (Gene placed the draws on the lower section). Still a great pitch of slab/face technical climbing, with some "gritty" (but not bad) rock. I surprised myself by sticking the crux sequence without being able to see the crucial holds. would be a great climb at somewhere like Cosmic County.

P3 only. Rope soloing lap. Can now climb every move in good style EXCEPT for the crux move. I'm going to move one of the bolts and redirect the route slightly.

Pitch 3 - Still can't do the crux move, even after rapping the route and working out a new sequence. The move is there, and it will go, I just need to actually TRAIN to be able to send it. This one could be a bit of a long haul.

Pitch 2 (23) ONLY - Sent 2nd shot today. Probably the best single pitch of climbing I've ever bolted. Super technical, moderately pumpy, with an exciting final sequence which could be a heart-breaker. Mostly brilliant rock, and every bolt is spot on. Probably soft at the grade, but would be solid at the grade for anyone shorter than me (6ft 2in). Super psyched!

P2 - Flash to the crux (last 8m of climbing) then took two big falls figuring out the crux. On the 3rd attempt I figured it out and climbed to the anchors for this pitch. Absolutely brilliant technical climbing. Sustained 21 from the start to the crux 20m up, then 23ish to the anchors. One of the best pitches I've bolted.

P3 - I Broke off a hold I'd always planned to use, and couldn't do the crux between the 2nd and 3rd bolt. There are other holds here out left, but I haven't explored/cleaned them, and was just throwing to them blind (and getting tired of taking big falls trying). I need to rap the route again and clean/tick-up what I need to use before I can get the send. Since I couldn't pull through this move, I ended up backjumping and bailing. Technical and strenuous to the crux moves. Could be great.

P1 (Grasshopper Access Pitch) ONLY - Flash. Probably grade 15-16 climbing, but with the amount of dirt in it at the moment it felt hard. Bring a rack of wires.

Pitch 3 (24), finally! A great sustained pitch with no rest until just before the final (third) crux at the top. Technical, pumpy and crimpy in a radical position. Perhaps tarnished by the reinforced flakes and a repaired hold (broken during the first attempt to free it), and a bit wandery... but in an interestingly old-school sporty way. Stoked.

2 x Rope Soloing laps to warm-up and practice the sequences. Everything was clean but both laps I fell off the top (heartbreaker) crux.