Liam Climbing Blog: Bishop!

I just got back from Bishop!

Thursday

The first day was spent mostly on driving. when we got there, we immediately went to the Sads so I could try the Aquarium (V12), a problem that I had waited a long time to try. I sent the first part, Aquatic Hitchhiker (V10), within a half hour or so and started to work all the moves. I did all the moves by the end of the day but couldn't link them, falling on some of the last moves.

Friday

The next day I sent first try! Not to be grade chasing but I am pretty excited about getting my first twelve. It is actually really fun with all sorts of different styles of climbing from aggressive over the head heel hooks at the beginning to almost backward roof climbing to gastons and a jump at the finish. It also really helped to go through all the moves in my mind and visualize myself doing it on and off for the five months while I waited to try it.

After I sent the Aquarium I tried, and sent, some fun easier stuff like Prozac Nation (V2), The Mothership Connection (V4), and The Fang (V4). All of these were really fun. Prozac Nation is a great warm-up with cool moves on overhang using a heel off of a massive jug to gain a handlebar. The Mothership Connection is a really cool square-ish boulder suspended next to another boulder square-ish boulder. This has really cool climbing with heel-toe cams and funky beta to hold a swing, or preferable not, on the suspended boulder. It ended up feeling like an 8 so I must have done something wrong. On the send though I used really cool beta of using a swing to get into a kneebar to stop the swing. The Fang is a crazy roof with tons of wacky beta and cool holds. There are lots of heels, heel toe cams, toe hooks, and a sun swing onto a stalactite like feature.

After the easier stuff, I decided to try Slunk (V9), a cool looking arete that I had only seen a picture of. The first part almost climbs like a slab even though its overhung, which is followed by a reach to a small pocket, or what I did, a big and hard dyno to the top. I also found some sneeky toe jams in the crack for the start. It went in about a half an hour. It is really fun and a great combination or strength and technique.

After the Sads (still Friday) we decided to go to the Buttermilks. I looked around and played on some hard lines including the Mystery (V12), then I saw Keenan's pad and his blown out old slippers. I saw him at the High Plains boulder with just about half the Rocknasium crew all working on High Plains Drifter (except him as he had already gotten it). he gave me some beta that looked kind of doubtful at fist, but I tried it and flashed! This is probably the hardest and proudest thing I have flashed so far.

Saturday

All of Saturday was spent working the Mystery with lots of progress. I managed to hit all the moves, doing it in three pieces, the beginning, the crux, and the finish. The hardest part for me was the foot walk through, which took me the whole day to stick, and wasn't high enough percentage to send. Scott Cory gave me some really good beta which I will surely send by. I got very close to sending lots of times but could just barely not link the moves as the foot walk through requires extreme tension.

Sunday

The beginning of Sunday was spent trying to complete the Mystery, but I was to tired from all the other climbing to send. I ended up leaving the Mystery and trying an old nemesis Soul Slinger (V9). This problem is definitely my anti-style and could previously not even stick the first hard move on it. I did it in around ten goes, making about twenty goes total, figuring out each move just about every try! It was still pretty hard once I figured out the beta, but it was possible. This definitely a classic technical problem with balancy high-steps.

At the very end of the day, I decided to try some slabs on the sunshine boulder, including Good Morning Sunshine, (all of them V1 and under) and found they were really fun and good for warming up on as they are in the sun at the beginning of the day.

Overall this was a great trip in which I completed many goals and worked on problems which have become now projects. The most important goals for me were to do a V12 and do The Aquarium (sort of the same goal as I wanted to do the Aquarium regardless of the grade), and I completed both! I also sent an old nemesis, Soul Slinger and Flashed the mega classic High Plains Drifter! Also very importantly, I have found a problem which will test my skill and strength to their limit, the Mystery and will definitely send it next trip. It has already become my longest project at probably around nine hours of work, and will hopefully end close to that too!

Update:got some pictures!