攀登 in New South Wales and ACT by Brendan Heywood

Meh, so so so sharp

Worked it for a while, feeling fairly comfy on the first few moves, the pinch move beta from Alan is good, I can accurately heel hook but just can't put much weight on so falling into the crux. Need to be almost static. More legs!

First actual attempts with pads, daunting! First few jams are ok, needs lots of abs to stay in it and then gets hectic

We tried super-gluing our finger tips which seemed to work pretty well consider how many attempts we had and didn't rage quit after the 3rd attempt. Its been yonks since I've been on this, I re-figured out how to hold the left crimp, the right is still fairly painful.

Rapped off and jugged up taking pics of Sasha, who all-but sent this

Cleaning, belaying, faffing around with a belay chair

Barely got off the ground, thrashed

Had a bunch of goes on this, super delicate barn door action. Got within a foot of the glory side pull hold and it feels possible

Worked this for ages. Initially thought it would be match on good crimp, high right step and launch. turns on good crimp is not, and high step is worse. Was getting pretty hot towards the end, waiting for cloud cover for each attempt

Totally sick to see this go down!

https://www.facebook.com/brendan.heywood/posts/10153242680350841

Hard, balancy, sharp, daunting

Had one tired burn coming out of the crack, have some weird ideas about cutting sick and doing an inverted foot lock and topping out in reverse

Wasn't actually working thing, I didn't really look at the guide and just stand started on the obvious jug rail and then topped out first go. Probably V3 and might be a worthy problem in its own right

Rapped into to take some pics and got a nice vid of Michael taking a whipper when a piece popped. Done a lot of jugging today, way more than the I've climbed

'Attempt' is being polite. I flailed on this hard. I've given Michael so many catches it was overdue I had a play. The first half is nice and easy but not trivial. Maybe grade 18 and I've often wondered about it being a route in its own right as the two sections are so different in style and grade. At the roof the doom music kicks in and its just ... hard. I may have done about 4 actual moves total on the head wall between sags

Worked it with Ben and got it again. Very happy!

It toggled back and forth between thinking it was way harder than I'd thought, and then slowly unlocking it. I did the far left start, traverse through the giant ledge and up to the second slopy rail. Just need to stick the sideways dyno to the top

This thing is great but hard

This looks rad but the feet are glassy. If you can get on I think the rest would be much easier.

Had a good solid few cracks and very close. Took shoes off as the sun set. Found second wind, shoes on, and had a few more cracks and was super close to a resend but just running out of skin and called it

Felt thin and abrasive at the end of the day

This was wet, like dripping really wet. It would have been 2 or 3m under water but should have been drying out for at least 6 weeks so not sure if it just takes that long to dry (). Last rain was over 2 weeks ago.

Fun headlamp session, high point was on the disk crimp

Was looking forward to seeing the boys get a solid session on this while I was on camera duty. They made short work of it with different beta and super stoked to see this get sent. It still needs the full link up to be done

An optimistic scouting missing turned into an attempt. It started sprinkling again by the time we got setup and only 1 proper burn, carefully stepping on the dry bits, but after a couple goes we were just sitting in the drizzle with soggy pads.

Had a couple burns between Benji sorting it the 3rd ascent. Happy to get to the crux again twice but my tips were feeling a bit abused after the time off

After I got up most other things fairly easily I was optimistic about this and totally shut down. Start hold is missing but that's not too bad. Could consistently get into the shallow 2-pad pocket and just no idea (or memory) how to progress after that

Not even an attempt. I power spotted Volo past the crux starting holds. Seems around V2 once you are on. First moves are brutal

Still no resend but pretty happy to be slapping the last hold a few times

Forgot how intimidating this thing is, will need a lot of pads. Ended up finding a large cave system under the whole area instead

Alan had a couple cracks of this with a very different sequence and he's probably sent it by now.

A bunch of goes, two tiny feet work and within a couple inches of the top, but needs a lot more weetbix

Only had a couple shots got to second last hold. I seem to be developing a habit of trying things without pads or spotters. This line easily goes up maybe 8m and could conceivably link into the route project route above to the right

Jumped on this, expecting to get shut down hard as usual which I was, but somehow progress was still made. I can side pounce off the left rail, delicate right foot low to stabilize and I can just curl my tips over the lip (probably 10cm further than last times). Still need to get deep onto the top and it will be a wild swing if I can actually get there. Froth! Had a lot of goes, lost count, feeling very worked now afterwards.

OMG I thought this would be impossible, it's totally doable. Burly, biceps, knee bars, jams, abs, stamina. It needs everything I've got and then some more.

Another great session with great group psyche levels. 7 pads this time . Initially felt very pumpy again. At least a dozen tries. Some progress, got a rattling fist jam twice. Got the first section pretty dialed and smooth to conserve juice. Twisted left meat hook seems to help with body position transitioning into the jam. I think the most natural "finish" will be tapping the big roof chock stone.

I've gotten so weak after 12 weeks without touching rock. I could barely pull on and progress.

Was totally wrecked after a big day, we almost didn't stop but Ben was keen. After he had a couple goes I mentally geared up and had a solid cracker of an attempt, essentially did the crux, got my foot placement perfect, and was rocking over into the top out and just choked. Has another 4-5 goes but none quite as good and was then just smashed. Froth!

Another scout just to see how spoogy it was, totally mint so shoe'd up and ended up progressing to a new hight point all the way to the fist jam and then tenuously matched. Was right on the index knuckle, if I'd sunk it just an inch deeper I think it would have been done!?

Solo mission with 3 pads and a portable fan. It started sprinkling as I packed the car and I drove through a couple showers. The rock was still good and had a great sess with more than a dozen burns and another foot of progress. Past the crux (first?) and into decent fist jam rest and inverted. Another 2 foot of slightly flaring hands and fists remains. The sky opened as I packed up and I walked out in drenching rain.

Another misty drizzly day, early start with 5 pads and a rope not sure what we'd do and FC was in good condition. A wicked super session, after only one or two attempts and I was back to my furthest point again - and for all the other attempts I don't think I ever didn't get back to this point, the first crux is now dialed. After Ben showed the way I got on just after the first crux and linked all the remaining moves to the nose-twiddle finish on my first go, and after that I thought I had it in the bag as I could now do every move. Tried linking it from the start, and then again and again, with longer breaks and more prep between them slowly mangling my fists and ankles and draining the energy reserves. After one really long rest refuel and complete re-tape I had one last burn and gave it everything, and got further than ever, only 3 moves from the finish, but was totally spanked. Got some wild toe and shin cramps afterward. Heaps of hand, wrist and ankle bruises, right wrist is quite swollen now. Masochism as its finest

Had a few throws, feels hard as usual

Had a bunch of attempts trying different new techniques. Tried a backstepped foot jam while laybacking which is hard but feels like I can cycle each bit up at least. Lets be honest thing isn't anywhere near a V4

But then I found some energy for working the sit start to this crack. I kinda thought I'd done this back in the day, it's a super burly layback and if you can get through the first 50cm then it eases up. First go I did maybe 4 moves and was totally thinking I'd get it again the second time, and then it just shut us both down. Had a bunch of goes. Sit start might be more like V4-V6 as a layback, maybe less using some inverted offwidth foot jams and chicken wings if you can figure it out

Siege of different tactics, this time trending more into invert offwidth and away from the brute force layback

With only the one pad didn't give it a proper go, but jumped on and did exactly what I wanted straight off: proper sit start, through the undercling and rail up to the large pocket before it heads right. Had a couple more goes to get to the dyno pocket but was pretty juiced by then and going backwards

A bunch of goes, tickling the pinch and can't figure out if I want to pinch it or gaston. Lots of finger taping. Very shouldery

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

Fingery, technical, not very ovvious sequence but cool moves. Fell / rested a couple times and bailed on the biner