https://youtube.com/shorts/33rFB87DK-c?si=Gs6PC6gygQoyiS_P

state of exhaustion blended with fulfillment

closer still on “Jeph Loeb” V11

 

 

TB1 ⚡︎ Milestone: V9

Grit = Passion + perseverance. I got that. Whatever else going on, that keeps giving at least and I'm thankful. I do my best to give back my best effort. Sometimes, I'm beating my head against a brick and feel like I'm getting buried, but really, in actuality I'm growing from a seed that was planted and that brick beating is actually obstacles inescapably bashing and shattering against me.

 I shattered through a new one today: my first 7C/V9 flash on a confirmed classic on the TB1. All in all nbd, but I felt I was close for awhile, and it's nice to have validation of that intuition. It's maddening sometimes to feel expectations blurred with gut feelings and discerning which is ego can be tough. I literally failed at everything else in session, but had a glimpse of execution without rehearsal long enough to become "Always Forever" (name of song) ... I thought it paired rather nicely with name of boulder problem "Time after Time." 

I have a mixture of big feelings at the moment, but remain in gratitude and mindful of this moment. Although there's some perplexity, there's also perspicacity; if I can flash V9, I can climb harder than that. Time to build a bigger pyramid and start working more 9s and harder. The trickier part is feeling inside like I deserve the goals I set for myself and building the belief 

m a n i f e s t

Nicholas

 

Benchmark for V7 at 45°

 

Testpieces @ the 7th grade

DRIVE BY TRUCKERS 7A++ @ 40° on TB1

WARNING: the following is a ton of gradespeak which is subjective and contrived... ultimately you can either do a climb and its requisite moves on requisite holds (easily or with great difficulty), or you cannot (nearly or not even close). 

Hyperthenar & Drive By Truckers are the penultimate testpieces of 7A+ @ 40° on the TB1

Although graded the same, I would add two ++ for Drive By Truckers and +++ for Hyper"the Gnar." each + sign adding a hypothetical still appropriate grade. Any climb graded the same with above three  +'s it's not that grade in my opinion. An example is Lioness (deserves to be a classic along with Drive By Truckers) which I will personallyu upgrade when I send it to V9++ (i.e. it would be fair at 10 or even a soft 11), ...which is equivalent to a V7++++ I guess.  I recognize there is flaw with this thinking eg V7+++ would be somewhat similar in feel of difficulty/complexity to V9+,  and yes... the entire grading thing is flawed if you ask me, but we still do it. I also double down on Hyperthenar feeling akin to a V9+ and Lioness feeling as difficult as some 11s I've worked.

I literally wouldn't argue with someone if they graded Drive By Truckers V9 or Hyperthenar V10. My argument for Lioness is: a. lack of ascents b. I've put more attempts into that climb (and Hyperthenar) than any of the double digit climbs I've sent thus far (when I send Prism V10 however this will blow them both out the water). It is important to note that Lioness and Prism will be decided on assuming my beta methods are most the efficient; it means nothing to put 100 goes in on something if beta/method wasn't correct until five (5) goes before send. I feel very confident this isn't the case with either...there is one hold sequence I have left on Lioness, I've done all the moves on Prism (with several methods).

Furthermore, I feel confident that I am a V7 climber. V8s are feeling more and more RPE 7-8, and I feel near to flashing V9s. I'm more reluctant to determine what is benchmark and the bonafide testpieces of double digits just yet, seeing as I've climbed only a handful. 

to start adding +'s and modifications to grades, a climber needs to have an over standing of movement/sequencing/hold types/tactics at grades in question

The conundrum I still wrestle with long after the pebble ; ) is, at what point does fitness and experience level (the subjective ease or difficulty of doing something) skew the reasoning processes of concluding a grade on a scale. 

Regardless, I'm proud of this send of Drive By Truckers... ultimately I didn't give up on it, I threw down on it and I got stronger. Testpieces are a "final exam" of execution ; a proven-ness one brings with them in who they become; further scaling competence and measured confidence to what's next... in my case,, sessions on Hyperthenar, Lioness, and Prism.

NM

 

Third V10 on TB1

 

 

“Fall Season” 2025

Well, …I got outside once. The reality is setting in that going outside climbing is not feasible given how close we are as a family to arrival of our son Gabriel; mixture of strong big feelings fasho. Outdoor climbing puts me on average a minimum of 1 hr away response time is rationale. Giving thanks for fitness level at present, not being limited by injury at least, and most of all for the blessing of our healthy happy growing family!

The rock will be there.

Til then ,