Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Rumney Bouldering
The forecast did not look so good for today but I woke up to blue skies and headed off to Rumney for some bouldering. I was excited to try some of the lines I knew about there. I warmed up and then started working on Satan on a Half Shell (V10). I was not able to figure out a sequence to gain the upper crimp before the lip and ended up moving on, partially because the bugs were so bad under the Umbrella Boulder. Just in the last three days, it seems that the flies have stuck around but in addition the mosquitoes have come out. After lunch, I tried Pyramid Power, a problem that is rated V7 in the guidebook. If Big, Big Love is V8 then Pyramid Power is at least a grade harder but I could see better conditions making holding the slopey pyramid crimp easier. I will admit that I did check 8a on what others called this climb and seeing that almost everyone called it V8 made my ego feel a little better. I also tried Satan's Choice (V11) but promptly got shut down by the powerful moves. I have to say that if I return to Rumney, I will take it's route climbing 9 out of 10 times over the bouldering and I will take any in Southern Colorado over it any day. If you like climbing in the gym or the Park then the Rumney bouldering is for you, if you like the subtlety of outdoor climbing then head elsewhere. That being said, I found Zig, Zag Crack (V2) to be a climb of the highest caliber and went about doing it with various different sequences 6 times in a row. Tomorrow, I plan on checkout a smaller bouldering area down the road from the main crags of Rumney in the morning before heading off to Maine for some quality family time.
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8 comments:
I like the way that Rumney gets all the hype about hard routes and all, but I think I like a lot of the easier (5.3-5.6 routes) and moderate lines there a lot more. Granted that could all change once I have started working some of the 8b+ and harder routes. I'll have to try that V2 if I ever end up bouldering there (which may not ever happen again).
post photos of these lines or i will poision you with non-organic, GMO filled, and tightly corraled food HIPPY!!!!!!!!111111
"If you like climbing in the gym or the Park then the Rumney bouldering is for you, if you like the subtlety of outdoor climbing then head elsewhere."
I would love to hear more on why the bouldering in the Park (and Rumney for that matter) lack the subtlety of "outdoor bouldering". For me, alot of the appeal of the Park is the nature of the rock. I think it favors a climber who understands the idiosyncracies, or subtlties, if you will, of granite bouldering. This is evident when watching and comparing the completely different way Dave Graham and Angie Payne climb Bushpilot.
PS Zig Zag crack is amazing. Agreed.
i have found the hard bouldering at rumney and the park to primarily require crimping strength and power. it is not that understanding the idiosyncrasies is not important, but that much less often is the climb about problem solving and more about physical ability to do a move. yeah, body positioning, proper footwork, hitting holds in the perfect spot, etc are all important but what it comes down to is without crimping and lockoff power you are not going to do climbs like satan's choice, centaur, jade, freaks, etc. the movement and flow of a climb is the most important thing to me and i find i am generally less satisfied with these things when the most important aspect of a climb is crimp, lockoff, repeat. yeah a lot of jade is accuracy into the slot, freaks requires some cool toe hooks, etc but the difficulty still lies in power and crimping. that is just my opinion of it, and other climbers can be attracted or different things and or see a climb in a different view
Hayden, thanks for you response. I certainly appreciate your words. You should make a trip to the South or Fontainebleau, for that matter. I think you would find what you are looking for there.
i have been to font twice now and love it there. and from everything i have heard the south is just as cool. i hope to one day make it there. for now the amazing granite of Washington will have to do.
screw that shiz. crimp ladder on a 45. no fuss. left right left right left right, just like a good line of moguls, but totally different. that's what i want. give it to me or i shall create it right of real large up the 20/25ft wickedness.
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