After 21 days of effort over the course of three months, Mike Farnsworth finally sent his 5.13+ project at Smoke Hole Canyon's Darkside Wall on the weekend of November 8th, 2014. He called the route Cartography of Spirit.
The line, a second variation ending to The Lightness, climbs the center of the wall, working heel hooks, smears and micro-edges through a series of desperate throws between underclings and marginal side-pulls, past several roofs.
Farnsworth, who has more than one hideous crankfest to his credit, called it "the best and hardest line I've ever done in my life".
Rumor has it that Matt Behrens is geared up for the second ascent.
Farnsworth, Behrens and a handful of other hard climbers from across the East Coast have all taken shots and and falls on the other suspected 13+ in the area, Reed Creek's Cold Day in Hell. That line was bolted by Ryan Eubank in the winter of 2009. The crux, a long, no-feet reach between a three-finger hole and a mono never went free, and Eubank installed ring anchors at mid-height to create the three-bolt 5.12 Napoleon Complex from the bottom of the project.
To date, there has been no first ascent of Cold Day in Hell.
 |
| The Renovator, trying to decide whether being able to feel his fingers would be a good or bad thing, on an early TR attempt of Cold Day in Hell. |
No comments:
Post a Comment
While I appreciate and welcome commentary related to my posts, any spammers or trolls will be hunted to the farthest corners of the Internet, where I will get medieval on the offending poster with pliers and a blowtorch.