THE WORD

Contrary to what some say, there are climbers in Auckland pulling hard. Whispers of a nameless terror ( actually he has a name "Mr V6") unleashing his fury upon a high crimpy face have been spreading.

So the story goes, Mr V6 is but days away from completing the high, hard, and proud problem " Leftism V10". However, the story goes deeper! Mr V6 is selling his soul at the cross-roads and pushing for the F.A of the final quarry project. This is of coarse the same project I have been attempting, and is the direct finish to Leftism.

There are some major difference between Mr V6 attempting this extremely hard problem, and myself attempting it. The most important difference being Mr V6 has the strength, where I do not. While I make this problem look as though Sharma Himself would struggle, Mr V6 easily crushes each crimp into dust. My source says that the only thing holding Mr V6 back is his midget status...

What will be the outcome? Will I managed to sneak another F.A away from one of the stronger more talented Auckland Locals? I guess that all depends on Mr V6's will. Whatever the outcome very soon a new test piece should arise, good luck Mr V6 I'll Meet you at the top!

NI getting me Fat

Since the mighty failed trip to the hill I, the lackey, have been up to a lot of no-good. To much beer and cake has left me fat and lazy. However, I have managed several trip away to the central north island as 'THE LACKEY". Somehow I managed a first shot send of the classic Froggatt 28 Burn. This route is an extension of the untra classic Dour (27). The master of these repeated trips has been Amy.N and she is in fine form. A.N has been sending 23's second go easy as and managed to link all the moves on Dour on her first go! GOOD SHIT!

While Amy has been resting, I have turned my attention to several hard boulders at froggatt. I have been trying to repeat the Steve Con classic Dr Green Thumb. Last week I was one hold from the send, but the devilish pocs were a little to much for my pussy skin and I had to let go. Dr Green Thumb is HARD! very HARD.

After failing DGT I was rewarded with a repeat of a beautiful problem called "seeing the light" (v8/9) also put up by Steve Con. got to say i am taking the extra point and suggesting a UG of this bad boy. Seeing the light is a must do for any froggatt regular!

finally I have continued my maniacal devotion to the final quarry project, and have finally made progress. For the first time I climb the problem clean on a top-rope. This problem has been over looked my several hard men. This is disappointing because it is one the NI's best; proud and hard!

Castle Hill Trip

So, after spending the last eight days in castle hill I can say that I feel like I have been through ten rounds with Mike Tyson, minus the ear biting. Of the eight days I had a solid two days of rain which totally sucked ass, but I was left with six amazing days of climbing. My first focus was to complete many quality problems that i had previously over looked, such as: The air below (V6), Beautiful Edges (V4), Tupi Master (V6), Lime stone Orgasm (V7), Philtrum (V7) and many more boulders V6 and under.

My second focus of the trip was to send some problems that were not my limit but were hard for me; amazingly I actually managed to tick a few of these off: Fidel Castro ( V9), Dr Manhattan (V9), Afterburner (V9)?, Eclipse (V9) although I believe i started a hold in on this one?, Millennium (V9)?, Camp America (V9/10), and finally the super long Che Guerva (V8).

My final focus was to attempt to send something really hard for me, and I found two project that I attempted Interstellar overdrive ( v10/11), and Oren Oshi (v11). Oren was the first of the two I tried. Very quickly I had fired the crux bottom section and was high up on the mantle. Sadly three times I fell off the mantle and finally my spotter ( Amy Nathan) said enough was enough and we needed more than one pad. I never got the chance to return to the problem and thus could not claim the 3rd ascent, Lame.
Interstellar came next and i felt confident as I had tried the route about a year earlier. I quickly found a great sequence and was grabbing the jugish hold at the end of the problem. My only issue on interstellar, which was my ultimate down fall, was that I was super extended when I grabbed the last hold.
It turns out I was so extended on the final moves, my feet would not stop slipping of the heal hooks causing me to swing violently. Over a three hour period, until the sun went down, I managed to fall at this point several time cursing flock hill, god, and anything else I could think of at the time. I ended up packing up felling down and defeated and didn't get to try the problem again, LAME!

Beside the problems I have listed as my projects I also tried several other hard lines, they were as follows: Captain Crush ( V10/11), Monster Society of Evil ( V9/10), When animal attack (V10), and Brutus ( V10). I can tell you all that these problems kick the shit out of me... and I had to walk away with my tail between my legs on all of them! I also tried several V7 mantles at spittle hill and got cock slapped by all of them.

I can also report that Amy had an amazing week also. She climb several days less than I did but still managed to complete a personal best of V6 at Spittle Hill. However that was not the full story... as Amy also managed in one day two V4s, a V5 and her V6... She was super stoked, it was her best bouldering haul in a day ever!

All in all my trip was cool, short but cool. I have to thank Bevan Hadler and Kat for letting Amy and I crash on there couch for the week, and for lending us the car!!! wicked one guys!

I would say though, I think that the CHCH locals, and flock and Wuthering locals should stop grading their problems anything but V6. Basically this is because they seem to continue to down grade every problem that is ever put up for no good reason. I say just grade everything V6 straight away rather than slowly sand bag the shit out of everything.

anyways thanks Flock, Spittle, and Wuthering... you were great
peace!