Ascents by Brendan Heywood

My first ever V7! Super stoked and what a problem. As the devil's kitchen is now 15cm under water we walked in a dozen milk crates and set up the pads on that. Pretty comical at times and painful when it goes bad. Tommy and I both got it 4th try. The new best highlight of the day!

And not simply content with finally sending a V7 I had to go send another one. Almost the same sequence. I think it was also 4th attempt. Hardest move is getting established on the starting slopers, the roof jugs and mantle and easy.

Second go

Last session we wanted to scout this, but the bridge was 40cm under so we never got here. Now 2 days later the water had receded but we assumed it would be wet as the flood a week ago peaked roughly 4m above fight club! It's been almost 3 months since I've tried this, or anything at all over the rainy period. I pulled on, and could barely move and then grunted and sagged off feeling very weak.

Everyone else had a go, then I silently pulled on for the second go, and all the muscle memory returned and I flowed smoothly through the first crux, got the double inverted feet, plugged the next couple hands, then ended up doing a different sequence through the crimp to touched the nose to finish ...

And then just like that it was done

Almost anti-climatic and it's easy to forget how much of a battle it's been unlocking this, around 40-50 goes over 8 sessions but it feels like longer. New shoes really show how utterly trashed my old ones are, they are at least 16 years old, unsure how many resoles, and have served me faithfully. The Scarpas are dead! Long live the Scarpas!

Later on I worked the extension a little, which Ben put up today as well

Had 4 attempts and super happy to tick this again. Got through the offwidth part all 4 burns. Need to remember to take the fan during summer, still hot underground

This is a text book example of everything I love about bouldering. The water level was high and so our original goal of the big nugget was out, as was the king line project. We'd looked at this wall more than once before but it didn't seem that great. Michael started scrubbing and it just got more and more intriguing. But it was completely impossible! I couldn't even pull on! It was totally beyond me. Gradually refined beta and we managed to get unlock it bit by bit and after probably 15 goes got the tick! I haven't pinched, compressed, campus'ed and generally thrashed myself this hard on something in ages and I love it

Happy to jump on and do another lap without faffing around

Such a great problem

Still love this route, it keeps alternating between feeling sharp and hard, and then easy and fun

Really great fun route

Super satisfying, definitely the send of the day. Had a few proper screams trying to muscle it before really relaxing and focusing on rocking through precisely

Not really sure what I did. Started on pockets and worked right into the flake. Super committing with no pads. Tentative!

This thing is fantastic, so glad I finally got on this after looking at it so many times. The fall potential is scary but not that bad, spotter is critical. Previously I'd thought it was way hard but it was just perfectly nicely hard. Had maybe a dozen shot. Did the stand start maybe 2nd or 3rd go, and then got the sit start first try but just couldn't link it all for ages.

Weird that I haven't logged this, done it a whole bunch of times. Got back there today to see how bad the flood debris was. Took about half an hour to move all of the sticks out and flatten it into a nest for the pads. It's probably a better and softer fall zone now than before. And then re-sent it just to make sure. Took maybe 5 shots

Only 2 shots this time

Almost gave up after a few goes. Arm bars and like a cup jam / cam from my finger tips to my wrist and much wrestling. Took it out of me

Did a couple laps

Man this is totally ace. I didn't think I'd get this, it's powerful and precise and a little puzzle. It's perfect. The SDS will go but probably 3 grades harder

To my great surprise and delight I flashed this. There is the tiniest dish for your foot under your left hand and then a bit of levitation. It is a contrived start but it's a cool problem.

This is a beastly good little problem

Perfect setup with 6 pads. Had a couple goes and fairly consistently getting to the same high point as before. Ben sent it which ramped up the stoke, I taped up my right ring finger which I think helped. Just managed to keep bumping my left hand as far as possible, got the right toe pulling hard and then just desperately jabbed it up and to my complete surprise stuck it. Woot! I am so super stoked with this send and this route is totally ace

After the uninspired start to the day, I was stoked to jump on and statically move through the crux first go and essentially fell of the top in surprise. Got it very smoothly on 3rd go

A lot of debris at the moment, needs another good excavation. Got it second go but the stand start takes out the hardest move.

I was pretty smashed by this stage but nothing like a bit of peer pressure and some send-train to spike the psyche enough to forget how much your fingers hurt.

First go didn't get off the ground. Second go did it static. Third go did it the smoothest I've even done it and eliminated the side pull in the middle for a really wide gaston power move probably V5. Classic

Took a bit of figuring out but such a great problem. This thing is such a cool find despite us looking at this block before and dismissing it. Maybe 10 attempts and was close to leaving it for next time.

YUS! I've tried this a few times and never really been able to pull on. Gotta really pretend the crimps are good and the landing jug is perfect

Was pretty worked and this felt impossible again, just like last time I did it, and then it all just resolves. Maybe 5-6 goes. Bumped it to a V5.

Second go, not sure I'll ever get sick of it

Felt pretty hard getting back on this, took long breaks to save skin and made each go count. Got it maybe 3rd or 4th try

Gara delivers another classic hiding in plain sight. Felt impossible at first and slowly unlocked the micro beta. Had a bunch of 'ok one last go's, mincing up my right thumb and then stoked to send it when I was thrashed and thought I was going backwards

Ran another lap of this classic in my keens when back in town with Ili and Ben. Ili has all the moves and is so close!

Yes! I'd worked this before but been shut down, but got on it fresh and nailed it first time.

Took a couple goes but very happy to send this too. Burly dyno from the undercling rail direct out to lip, then double toe hook while you hand traverse left.

Possibly a first ascent? Pretty fun and surprising no one's done it, the void is a bit exciting. Got it second attempt, on my first attempt my whole left calf instantly cramped after the heel hook.

Knew I didn't have that many attempts on this but had a couple and had pretty well given up as I wanted to save skin and was already pretty hacked for 2nd problem of the day. Then Alan and Ben both got psyched and did it so I pretty well had to do it. Threw badly, mis-caught the holds, fought it, wrestled it, and somehow sent it. More chunks missing now

Pretty good, 3rd attempt

Totally sick, very happy to send, worked it maybe 10-15 attempts

Took maybe a dozen goes to figure out where it went, was getting a wee bit thrashed at the end, great problem

Thought this would be impossible, but then Carol started scrubbing it, who then gave it a crack and thought it was impossible but then I got psyched. Maybe 6 attempts, it's only really 1 move off a slopey layback hold, holding the barn door as you scream

Took a bunch of attempts. Desperate feet, opposing gastons, and the top isn't trivial once you get there. Would be significantly easier if you had 3 more inches of ape than I do

First try again

Static first go, also down-climbed it static after futilely weeding several square meters of juvenile farmers friends

3 or 4 goes

Happy to get it again first go

First try got to jug around the corner totally pumped. Second go with some inelegant mantle action

Tried this quite a lot gradually chipping away at it, starting left on the really low crimp for balance. But turned out matching and just a big dyno sorted it much quicker

Messed up the start but got it second go. Very marginal friction and kinda trying to pry open the welded seam to get anything out of it

Took a few attempts to find the good bits. Got it fourth go. Up to the big jug but didn’t mantle but that seems to be the meat of the problem done anyway??

More or less warmed up on this but I suspect I wandered differently

Awesome new problem on a block I've walked past so many times. Spent probably 10 minutes collecting rocks and logs to nest under the pads. Second proper go I pulled off what I thought would be a critical crimp, but another few goes unlocked a new sequence.

2 goes to redo it