Paul Robinson’s strong season of bouldering in the Swiss canton of Ticino continues, this time with the likely 5th 6th ascent (in some form) of Dave Graham’s From Dirt Grows The Flowers (V15) at Chironico. From Dirt Grows The Flowers climbs out a roof using a difficult undercling move to a lip where one can either mantle straight away as Graham did on his FA or traverse left along the lip of the boulder before topping out. The section climbing out the roof is thought to be in the V13 range with both topout options being roughly V12. Robinson went for the latter topout method, falling several times there before sending according to this post on 27Crags.
Paul Robinson sending a variation of From Dirt Grows The Flowers
Here’s some video from Bernd Zangerl’s 2nd ascent of the problem to give you an idea what the problem looks like and how the traditional topout goes: Robinson’s time in Switzerland is drawing to a close with a move to France’s Fontainebleau coming up very quickly. Before then he hopes to finish another of Dave Graham’s V15s, The Story Of Two Worlds, but if not Robinson’s return trip to Switzerland has been quite the success. In addition to doing From Dirt Grows The Flowers and the FA of Ill Trill, a proposed V15 in Magic Wood, Robinson has completed somewhere in the range of 7 V14 boulder problems in the past 3 months according to his 8a scorecard.
You know what I am going to say, do I even need to type it?
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Not to be critical, but no, I don’t. Actually, I know it will be critical of Paul in some way, but I’m not sure in what way. Not climbing the original topout? Inflated grades? Speak your mind.
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I imagine it might go something like this:
If Daniel Woods climbed this boulder, he would have done the original, harder, mantle top-out. And it probably would have been like v16++.
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First, I’ve got to be that guy…it should be “from dirt grow the flowers” or “from dirt grows the flower.”
Second, with all the recent repeats of this problem, I’m wondering who’s done the original, direct line and who’s done the left variation (and if any of the downgraders also traversed left to avoid the heinous mantle exit).
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I’m always appreciative of people being “that guy” but in this case Graham has it on his scorecard as “From Dirt Grows The Flowers” so unless there is a better source I guess I’ll just stick with that although everyone seems to have a different spelling for it.
As for which line people have done. Graham and Zangerl obviously did the original line. Micky Page apparently did the left variation and it’s unclear how Ondra or Souèek finished. I’m not aware that any of them downgraded the problem but finishing with the left traverse seems like it should really be defined as separate problem, no?
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I appreciate the info, Narc. Regarding the downgrading, I must have confused this problem with another one in the news recently (the dagger?).
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I believe there was some talk of downgrading surrounding The Dagger & Big Paw of late
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Colin, I was wondering the same thing myself. I mean, the original mantle was supposed to be part of the crux of the boulder.
Either way, it’s a sick send.
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One can see in video of Bernd that the left exit is chalked up as well (near the end during the tighter shot of the mantle). I’m guessing, considering the opening shot of the video, that this chalk belonged to Bernd and not some other would-be ascentionist. Just interesting to know that he may have tried the left exit but opted for the straight-up mantle.
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Paul mentioned somewhere that Dave tried both finishes at one point as well and opted to do the mantle when he did the problem
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I was under the impression that there was another problem to the left of From Dirt… at 8A+ but I can’t find where I read that now.
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I like the look of the top out in the vid!
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That heel hook looks sick. Totally dig the vid too.
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He also just sent Confessions and put it as 8b… on the post on 27crags, he says he talked to DG and they agreed that they were of similar difficulty, just different.
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