Ascents of Grasshopper

3 back to back onsights! What a day. Stoked to finally get out to this - definitely holds up to expectations.

Woah, this would feel full on placing the gear! Still a bit of work to do in the cruxes. Lovely climbing though, so stoked to have finally checked it out

Usual late start,top approach faff/logistics snafus.

Dogshow lap in the Sun (Sun from 11-12ish).

Beta notes:

P2.1 - First crux - left heel beta worked ok, move off the v grove, left thumb down, right above, high feet to L sloper and up to either L or R jugs.

P2.2 - left crimp, right gluey side-flake, up to left undercling, high feet, left to sneaky crimp rail.

Yew! First try placing gear on lead after working it on tr solo. Climbed as one 50m pitch

working out crux sequences and gear on top rope. lower crux has a very sustained sequence which I stick 50% of the time, it's got good gear. the top crux after rest cave is very powerful but it's just one move really and you can have a great rest before. Found a reasonably good #3 placement in the horizontal break on the right of the cave which I think should protect top crux reasonably well (looks better than all the super thin gear in the main crack)

First shot on lead

Yay!

All things considered I must be the weakest climber to have done this. When I first had a look last year it was a solid 2 grades above my limit, and although I'm stronger now and can crawl up a 25 or two, the mental aspect remains.

All in one pitch, naturally (shit pitch included 🙂). On that note, there are enough ways to bail from the mid anchor that I'd support it being removed.

As close as it would be possible to get to the send without getting the send 😟 Breezed through the crux pretty solid but dropped the very very very last move before the rest cave (it's like a gr20 move wtf?).

Anyway, large whip ensued which deposited me well below the mid-anchors. I now own one less ball-nut than I did yesterday.

I have this route frustratingly wired. Like, it's actually uncomfortable that I can render it perfectly in 3D at the most inopportune moments.

Onsight attempt. I was really psyched to give it my best shot in one single pitch, armed with my 8.9mmx100m French weaponry. It was quite obvious that the dirty first pitch section wouldn't be the most pleasant but I managed without complaining too much. Shortly after passing the first anchor, I pulled on a crimp and I felt it moving and that was enough to disgruntle me. I sat on my gear inspecting the rock to find out that the crimp was only a part of a flush chockstone, and I didn't even have to use it. I put my shit together and although the true proper onsight was gone, I continued in an onsighting mode. I was too short to reach easily the hold before the mid anchor and really had to pull hard with foot in the crack real high and deadpoint. Went easily through the rooflet but the V hold was so greasy and my gear was so bad (crunchy Z4-0.1) I sat on it and managed to place a good DMM offset nut just before the cam set itself free, pfffff. At that point I was running out of med nuts and stripped the nut in the rooflet as I was very pleased with the DMM crux nut. I brushed a bit the V hold and gave it a better shot which didn't worked out too well, the small fall turned out a bit more epic than expected when the crux nut popped out and I travelled through space and time until the nut + long sling I placed next to the mid anchor held me. Man it was a pretty big fall. I called it a day at that point.

In good news I am alive, did everything clean with no dramas, onsighted both lower "pitches" which I had not yet worked, and following that ripped only two wires!

Thats one ripped wire more (better? 🤔) than Jacques did so I guess I should be happy... or something...

In "other" news, I greatly underestimated how downright terrifying this is on lead (especially in send mode). There is truly no room for error once the hard bit starts - clip it or whip it, and the whips will be big.

Rapped in to suss out moves and gear. Great line, technical faceclimbing, pretty much all in the feet if you know how to use them. microcams 00&0,1 were handy to protect thin cruxes

linked p1-3, protected crux with solid bd .1.

Helping Zac out with belays, banter and beta. I can do the top crux reliably now, leaving only the the lower one to unlock.

That top sequence is totally rad! Like... it's rad enough on toprope but I froth hard at the prospect of punching through it on lead while pumped. Gotta be some of the best rock I've climbed.

Tried ground up, whipped a bunch at what I consider the technical crux just before the top.

Toppie solo lap of P3 to remind myself that a recent streak of Janicepts, Echo P4 and Gentlemans does not currently extend to Mother Earth 🤔

An incredible, inspiring line, but I found the cruxes hard (first crux) and confusing (second). Almost like I need to get stronger or something...

checking out the gear on rappel and seeing if they would be feasible to place. pretty happy with how I protected it. Had to figure out a few moves again.

Practice placing all the gear while climbing. Got through the low crux but forgot what to do at the reachy section up high. Happy with the gear.

Second lead attempt, coming unstuck at the same move as the last attempt. Pulled back on and went to the top from there. Will definitely go soon.

Very glad I can now just approach this route from the base, rather than the 45 mins hike through a million spider webs to reach to top

First lead attempt on the route. Came unstuck at the crux with the sun beating down on me. Took a nice whip onto my nice 0.2 cam, that thing was pretty bomber! Back-cleaned to the anchor and midway and lowered to rest and try again.

definitely not a route to try in summer, with the sun on it...

But this is hands down one of the best routes I've tried in a while. mind you I didn't have the fear instilled by leading it. Fairly straight-forward climbing in the first half with what looks like pretty good gear, before heading up into the thin section. Some shouldery moves getting established in the thin crack which looks like it will be pretty hard to protect/place gear while there on lead.

Will be getting back on this whenever I can!!

Repeat. Helping out a mate

Even more fun when you don't have any pressure whatsoever hanging over your head.

So rad, first shot on lead placing all gear! So psyched

Man I am psyched to tick this off. Honestly just an absolute delight. Warmed up on TR and then sent it packing first lead shot placing all the traddy bits. On the grade, I think this is easier, if a little spicier, than The Thin Line of Reprieve, which in my opinion is benchmark 24 for Bluies trad. If anyone wants logistics beta, let me know.

3 laps, managed to get it clean on my second go. Psyched for the redpoint next week!

Did it placing the rack we had decided on. Just need a few extra medium wires for a couple of placements and should be good to go.

Went up with the full double rack and worked out the gear for the most part, it was definitely more pumpy with the weight and trying to fiddle the wrong sized wire into slightly weird placements.

In a contender for the most niche ascent category I TR retro flashed this which was a nice little confidence boost. Three clean laps today getting it all sorted. I am very psyched! Watching harry tronsight through the crux was also incredibly impressive!!

Clean repeat. As mega as I remember. Would be the bestest ever with better rock. Did a speed "no stopping to rest" lap placing gear for added excitement. The 2 main pitches are mega to link and the most memorable way to climb this. 2 laps.

Really really excellent. Just a single lap working stuff out. All the moves went pretty easily but I’d like to spend some decent time working out where all the gear goes. Psyched!!

Didn't want to log it but so friend free solo first pitch then did linked 2nd and 3rd and got stuck smashed on 3rd one so we bailed. Unfortunately we left stuck offset nut...

Made it up the first two pitches and fell about 4 moves up the third. A little too shattered to keep going, but man was it good.

Had a go at this awesome looking thin splitter. First short pitch was very poxy fingerlocking in dirt. Next 20m section is cool gr21 thin crack. Will fell on the crux pitch ripping gear ending below the belay, we bailed soon after

1st shot today, as a giant 50m single pitch, placing all gear on lead. However, I was on it on Tuesday afternoon to pull out about 1kg of vegetation, dry out the crux part of the crack, suss the gear and work the moves on Rope Solo in a loooong session, so "clean 2nd lap" I guess?

Not much crack climbing (though some crack skills will help), but classic all-trad thin face climbing, with spaced, fiddly gear (the crux is a long way above gear, and I used a total of 5 pieces of pro in the top 20m of the climb!). A soaring, inspiring line, and one of the best bits of trad I've climbed in the Blueys. Great to finally get on, and Send this in "good style" after salivating over it for about 6 years. Absolutely brilliant.

Trad One of the best!!

Got to be up there with gentlemans drag if not better, grade 25 free. This climb deserves to see more ascents, it's a bluies classic. Took two gear ripping 6m+ falls from the first crux onto the belay bolts. With a 10m walk from the car what more do you want. Small gear, RPs and C3 cams.

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