The Honeycomb Dome

On return to Liming in October all my focus was on the Honeycomb Dome project. It had been in the back of my mind all during the summer and would complete the trilogy of hard lines in Liming. My first few shots I found the roof crack difficult and hoped the month I had would be enough to get it done. I actually had trouble getting the crux, which I had climbed through on preplaced gear before I had left earlier in the year. My boulder strength had gone backwards.

Walking along turtle shells in Liming. Photo: William Chan.

I spent the next two weeks concentrating on perfecting the second half of the roof which I had been pumping out on during my previous trip. I placed the gear on every shot back aiding the roof every time to clean my gear, Like the firewall I trimmed my rack down to save energy from placing and the extra weight. I knew that it wouldn’t be long before I broke through the first crux from the start and I wanted to give the end crux everything if I did. 

It was my birthday on the 13^th and I felt good after a rest day. Conditions were prime and I knew I had a really good chance. I climbed smoothly through the first inversion crux for the first time of the trip. I had some quick shakes in the good hand jams in the middle of the roof but refrained from trying to get a proper rest. I just kept moving placing two cams in the middle of the roof and mentally acknowledged I wouldn’t place the final cam that I normally would have. The end involved a lot of screaming and I thought I was off with my feet almost touching the anchor. Somehow I kept it together and clipped the anchor.

The first crux of The Honeycomb Dome way above the town of Liming. Image: Copyright Garrett Bradley. All rights reserved. No use, duplication or adaption allowed without written permission. 

I have to give a massive thank you to everyone that supported me during the year on these projects (Garrett Bradley, Ana Pautler, Kate Sabo, Anna Kirkwood, Richard Mason, Zhou Lei, Rich Ham, Simon Madden, William Chan, Leah Pappajohn, Alexa Flower) and especially to Mike Dobie, the guy that has driven the development of Liming turning it into an international destination.

Richard Mason getting the First Ascent of the Flying Squirrel. A great new approach to The Honeycomb Dome.

Now I am in Yangshuo with Jack Masel. My crimp strength has deserted me making the transition from cracks back to sport difficult but Jack is crushing. Ill cover all that in the next blog.

End of Summer -

My beta changed again. In August I spent a lot of time on Cobra Crack and things really came together. I am not sure if all my playing around from the previous two months acted as training or I just took a long time to figure out the easiest way to do things but there was serious progress.  Suddenly the impossible was possible and I was getting big links. I was able to do every move every time off the rope. It had become just a matter of time.  

Finishing off the easier climbing before the real difficulties begin. Photo: Alon Brookstein.

Place some gear and go for it! Photo: Alon Brookstein.

The problem was that summer in Squamish didn’t evolve into the magic cool, dry, and sticky conditions of fall I was told would eventuate. When things started to cool down the rain came. A lot of it! In two days we had around 130mm of rain, which started the Cobra Crack seeping. It slowly dried out over a week and I managed to get one day where only the start footholds were wet.

I gave it everything I had climbing through the crux undercling mono move but failing on the large move up over the lip. If I stuck that it may have gone down. I had been getting so solid on it that on the previous day I had tried it I had done three laps in a row from below the last gear placement near the beginning of the difficulties to the top.  I felt with two weeks left I would certainly be able to get it done. Then it rained again and has continued to do so on and off just enough to keep the crack seeping and out of reach.

Out at Chekamus Canyon while we were dodging the rain on some easy sport. Photo: Pat

Pulling through the lower crux on The Cobra Crack. Picture: Alon Brookstein.

I now leave for Liming, China again to try my mega roof crack project, The Honeycomb Dome. I am actually incredibly happy about how my summer went considering I would never have thought The Cobra Crack within my abilities. I almost can’t believe I got so close but know I will get it quickly when I come back. I am also psyched to project The Honeycomb Dome with the belief that I can take down these difficult lines. I am also well rested from waiting out the rain so I can attack Liming with renewed energy and drive. It s going to be a great time with an amazing crew and I look forward to seeing all the projects that will be getting their first ascents by all the good climbers visiting.

Squamish in July

The last month has flown by. It was great having Abond and Ting over from Yangshuo. We hung out a lot enjoying the climbing and surrounds of Squamish. I joined them as they did their first wall and first mountain peak. Despite Abond hurting his finger pulley early on in the visit they had a great trip and Abond has all the moves on Dreamcatcher wired for the next visit. I've also had a fair few more days on The Cobra Crack despite some finger issues myself. 

The streets of Squamish. Abond, Ting and I.

The lower crux is coming together well and I am able to climb it from the ground reasonably solidly now. The second mono undercling crux has become very solid off the rope although I haven't executed it from the ground yet. I did however spend a lot of the last month stumped on the third exit crux. My problem was based on a big reach between two jams over the lip and very low feet underneath. I couldn't work out which hand was the best to go with as I could do the second crux with either hand ending in the good lip jam. Neither way was working, my joints got swollen and bruised and I definitely wondered if I was actually going to be able to do the section at all. 

The first crux. Sequence wired.

Failing during the old sequence of the second crux. Now I hold a jam underneath and go right hand to the lip jam.

The solution was to go sport climbing. I took a week off and played on some steep power endurance sport routes north of Squamish. This gave my fingers a break and helped with my route fitness. I returned to the Cobra yesterday with Ben and had my first lead (preplaced). I got all the way to the mono undercling move feeling a lot better than when I had previously toproped to that point. After lowering a couple of moves I climbed through the second crux and took at the third crux. A couple of trial and error shots and I found a way. Its powerful but doable. Right hand in the lip jam left in the really high jam, a bad foot jam in the crack underneath. The crux is the initial slap to the slopey arete with the right hand. It was the first time I had done this as a complete section and I even managed to climb the first half of it after climbing through the second crux. Psyched!

I am still a long way off but for the first time I can see it really is doable. Maybe after a couple of years rather than months. We shall see.

Route map of the business. The totem cam is the one I will be doing a very big runout off through the second and third cruxes.

Now the focus will be on linkage and repeating sections over and over again till they become easy. Good conditions will arrive in September so I need to be ready for them. More power, endurance, technique and mental focus.

Cross training for Cobra. Lifting Boulders.

The Cobra – Initial Attempts

I have been in Squamish for three weeks now with my main goal for this summer being the famous Cobra Crack 5.14. I have only had four days consisting of a total of 5 long top rope shots on the route so far due to the painful nature of the jamming required as well as a finger injury obtained while bouldering.

Warm up mono's in a block of wood that lives at the base of Cobra Crack.
It has the names of everyone who has managed to climb the route so far.

The finger injury isn’t bad, just a jarred joint from stabbing it into a wall. It still hurts but I can climb on it. Other than my four days off from the injury I have done some amazing sport climbing and bouldering, which I hope I will keep me strong as I project the crack during the summer.

On the bouldering front I climbed a soft V10 quite quickly called No Troublems. This is not any kind of amazing achievement although I had never actually bouldered this grade before. I am pretty sure I have done much harder boulders on routes but I’ve never put the time in to go bouldering outdoors and project hard problems.

Warming up in the boulders.

Back to the Cobra. The start is easy, a technical 5.11 chimney leading to a hands free rest will probably become a bit of an annoyance when I have done it for the trillionth time approaching the real business above. After the hands free rest a short technical thin crack that would be the crux of a 5.12 leads to a jug right where the wall kicks back. Even though it’s a jug you don’t want to hang around too long as you’re still on your arms. A couple of jams above the jug and I was surprised by the difficulty of one of the lower moves which marks the beginning of ‘the business’ section. It took me a long time to work out, as the beta on the videos of other people climbing this section doesn’t suit me at all. I’m pretty sure the others are all close to a foot taller than me as they do some massive reaches between the good jams.

Working on the lower hard move.

After the initial hard move it stays exceptionally physical in good jams but incredibly poor feet. I’ll need to be able to cruise this section eventually to have energy for the crux above. The crux begins with a reach up to an undercling mono, which is painful and hard to commit to. When I do commit though I found I could do the next move almost static. Because I can’t reach through to the good jam I get a bad jam and do the hardest move of the route to the better jam above. This beta is the same as Didier was doing on the film ‘First Ascent’.

Do I commit to pulling on this or not?

I am sure if I eventually get to here on lead I’ll be very tired but there is the exit boulder to do before you can stand on your feet again. So far the easiest way I have found to do this is to go up a slopey rail the same as Sonny Trotter did on the first ascent of the route. This is mainly due to my hand position in the jams after the main crux section.

Sharing beta in the local park with local Ben Harnden, who is currently very close to the send.

I feel like my progress so far has been good except for that one crux move. Hopefully it isn’t a showstopper and I can do it more regularly during my working sessions. I’ll need to be doing it easily off the rope to be able to pull it on link. No matter what happens this summer I am psyched I am even able to try and do the moves on this route. September, when I have to leave, is still a ways off so anything is possible at the moment.