My first 8a ! ! !

Chronic and I (click to enLARGE)

On Thursday, July 29th, 2010 I completed my hardest rock climb yet-the 25 meter testpiece Chronic .13b at Little Si's World Wall 1 in North Bend, WA. To y'all who know me you know how much this ascent means to me. This climb holds clout among many climbers that I admire, and has been a labor of love of mine for quite some time now (i.e. 2 summer's worth of effort). I am proud to join the list of climbers blessed to have scaled this thing. Anyone who's considering this joint (ahem! Dom, Micah, Lisa)... DO it!! Make the investment. I did and in so doing I surprised myself by skipping the letter grade of 5.13a in the process...a grade I've yet to achieve.

Me navigating the final moves of Chronic 5.13b (click to enLARGE)

SPOILER ALERT! The following is not for would-be onsight attempt readers. Chronic is an excellent first 8a* for someone such as myself looking to break thru to that level. The climb is rare for the grade in that there is no sequence of moves harder than v4. For me, there are three distinct cruxes of "v4-ish" ; right after the 3rd clip, again near the middle of the route reaching and exiting the "type writer", and the final bulge guarding the chains. The key to success on this route is climbing it as lazy as possible. If you relax on holds with as little exertion as possible, milk the rests til breathing is back to normal (thanks Drew ; ), and punch it hard through areas of resistance there is a rhythm that can be established on this climb that can help you build momentum all 80' to the top.

(click to enLARGE)
*note: 5.13b is 8a translated on the French rating system

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hahaah !!!!" I was surprised to redpoint Chronic on my FOURTH go of the day! Never before have I redpointed a project that late in a day. The final moves felt automatic, even though my forearms/hands were so pumped it felt like I was wearing two baseball mitts! This proves to me three things about Chronic: a. the soundness of my beta on it b. the abundant spots to recover on it c. it is not at my limit any longer. This climb will always be known as my first 8a- a milestone and a gateway to advanced climbing. It is extremely gratifying proving now that I am capable of this level of climbing. This and Chain Reaction I consider to be my proudest sends.

(note: two photos of myself on Chronic are courtesy of Micah Humphrey... thanks bro)

P.S. Here are two video clips I've made showcasing both climbs:

(Chain Reaction) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3424729979370549087#

(Chronic) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CewOxWmtOG0