Skittles

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 I dragged Tony back to Emerald City.  There was a problem I'd FAed as a stolen line in the wee early days of my bouldering career.  Back then me and my younger cousin Dustin were running around wallering all over boulders because we were too chicken to lead routes.  Except we did highballs with no crashpads and were typically more casual observers of each other's risky efforts than spotters.  Eventually we learned how to keep ourselves from getting smooshed by gravity.

I think I'd FAed Skittles solo one day, or I just happened to get on it first and flashed it.  But while I was on the uphill side of the boulder, probably with Tony or some of our other climbing friends Dustin had wandered to the downhill side of the boulder and was making some noise.  He insisted I come down and see what he'd found, and he needed a spot.  I was underwhelmed.  But I still ended up sending the problem before he got it.  

I called it Gimme One Reason in honor of the Tracy Chapman song which I had on heavy rotation at the time.  In my journal I described it as having "toothy pockets" and a "jugs-o-moss top out."  I'm certain I did no more cleaning than Dustin already had.  I also gave it low marks for quality and called it V1 in my very limited V-scale grading experience.  

I called most things I had to try more than once V1 at the time.  Things I had to revisit I called V2.  Multiple sessions were V3.  That scheme seemed to track.  When I was finally able to repeat established problems in other places my grading scheme seemed spot on or even a little stout.  Of course, now the younger generation has origins in gym climbing, and my grades all seem to clock in stout. 

This past winter when I started trying to re-establish the bouldering circuit at Emerald City Reason wasn't high on my list of priorities. But eventually I wandered down the leaf filled gully, through the whippet saplings, and rediscovered this lost treasure.  I scrubbed what I could from the ground, marveling that the problem has a fairly decent natural landing.  I went so far as to put a rope on it and cleaned everything as well as I could.  No more jugs-o-moss top out.

Solo, with a single pad, I gave it a whirl.  I worked out the low crux move.  The pockets are all turned the wrong way.  Shallow.  "Toothy."  I usually get two or three good burns before the skin on my fingers is shredded.  This wouldn't be as big a problem if I was just stronger. 

I've given it three or four good sessions.  Still haven't gotten it clean.  The last two times I went I had spotters.  Both times I warmed up on Skittles first.  I went with Tony and got to my current highpoint: the deep, positive two finger pocket just below the top out.  But as I went to reset my feet and step up to grab the naked top out jugs the thumb catch underneath crumbled a little bit and I suddenly came to full awareness of how high I was floating above the earth.  Gravity took notice of me and reached out with her scaly, monstrous hands.  I downclimbed a move and dropped onto the pads.  Shaken, but not stirred, I retired for the day and nursed my raw tips, throbbing with adrenalin. 

A week or so later I texted Dylan and Christian and asked what they were doing.  'Hiking' they said.  I indicated I would be at Emerald City and gave general directions to where I'd be.  I had a date with a boulder problem.

As I said before, I warmed up on Skittles (the video above) and found the original beta.  I'd re-sent it on my previous trip with Tony after working it a couple sessions but wasn't happy with the starting position.  The original line started pretty far right on the arete and stayed on it to the apex and then actually descended the left arete instead of topping out.  I originally considered it a traverse, not a straight up problem.  

The guys showed up right after I had moved my kit to the lower side of the boulder and was going to give Reason a burn.  Being the pals they are they offered a spot.  So I piled the pads, chalked it, and clambered up.  One failed attempt turned into two.  But then on the third shot I gained the positive two finger pocket but with the wrong hand.  And I bumbled the feet.  Down I came.

At that point my tips were shredded again.  I'd need a few days to grow back enough skin to try it again.  I'm trying not to use athletic tape as a crutch like I did in my twenties.  Many of my early bouldering ascents were with aid. If I'd not learned how to effectively tape my fingertips (oh yes, it can be done!) I wouldn't have sent a fraction of the stuff I did.  Am I proud of that fact?  I climbed it all.  That's all that matters. Even with tape I had to bite down and bear through the pain a lot.  I can only remember one specific instance when the tape caught on a crystal, and I felt like that's the reason I pulled off the move.  Can't remember which problem that was.  Maybe Gimme One Reason.

I've not been back since that day.  That was right before Thanksgiving and I've been knocking around Group W, and I rediscovered another great boulder at Emerald I've put some time into.  The weather and daylight aren't cooperating as well as we creep into winter.  I feel like I'll send Reason next session. I'll be smart and won't warm up on Skittles.  Or at least won't expend as much energy warming up.  I'll take some friends for the spot.  It'll go.  I'm certain.

Attempting Gimme One Reason
in July of this year

Postscript:

After I initially drafted this piece, I returned to Emerald City and met Dylan there.  Whilst hiking in with pads I stopped to lop some branches out of the trail corridor to ease the passage of my larger Mad Rock pad. Something pricked my right ring finger.  At first, I thought I had snagged a fiberglass splinter from the handle of the ole loppers, but upon closer inspection I realized I had, in fact, cut myself pretty deeply on the mangled magnetic security strip on said handle.  It bled like a sonufagun and throbbed mightily.

I mostly forgot about it after Dylan showed, but my efforts at sending Gimme One Reason were fraught.  I didn't warm up on a different problem.  I stretched, had three pads and a spot, and still failed to send.  The crux move for me is up high, cranking (or holding) a thick knurled crimp with the right hand and reaching somewhere with the left.  I kept sketching trying to sort out that last move to the top edge. And I never felt solid on it.  It's high enough off the deck I just didn't want to risk the fall.

When I got back home and was able to look at the cut closer with my reading glasses on I discovered it was really deep, and I'd also cut my pinky finger.  No wonder I couldn't crank and feel solid on it.

It's no excuse, but I just didn't know I was cut so bad.  If I had, I would have taped the fingers and cranked on.  I swear I'll get it next time.

Dylan however, did send it.  What was surprising was he said it's at least V2+ and maybe V3.  I called it V1 way back in '98.  And have still been thinking it a V1 that I've just had to work.  In the earliest days I was casting wild guesses about grades. Before 2000 I had no outside experiences with bouldering grades.  It wasn't until late 1999 when I visited Hound Ears, Grandmother, and Blowing Rock in North Carolina that I began to have a better idea what grades to give FAs.  I still make wild guesses.  At this point I've just been out of the game so long my frames of reference are gone.  And apparently many of my "benchmark" problems may have not been accurately graded.