There are really only two words you need to know about my buddy Kevin: Brave & Humble™.
Brave.
And Humble.
Ok, three words.
Anyway, Kevin is a regular guy with a regular job, living in the Midwest and climbing at gym where the highest acknowledged bouldering grade is V7 1. It’s well-known around the gym that Kevin is a pretty strong climber, but he keeps a relatively low profile both at the gym and on the internet 2.
Kevin has made several trips to Hueco Tanks over the course of the past few years, with much of his time spent working the Chris Sharma problem Diabolique (V13) on North Mountain. Since Diabolique is V13 and Kevin lives and climbs in Wisconsin where there are basically no double-digit boulders to climb on, I always thought he was a bit nuts for even giving the problem a go.
As mentioned, Kevin doesn’t really do the whole internet climbing thing, so I always threatened that if he were to actually send Diabolique, I would have no choice but to make him famous on the internet. Fortunately or unfortunately for him, that day has come.
During his annual early-November pilgrimage to Hueco, Kevin managed to clean up several projects, chief among them the aforementioned Diabolique. Here are some pictures I grabbed of Kevin on our trip last November during which he had the audacity to send none of these projects while I was there to be his personal photographer.
El Techo de los Tres Bs (V11)
Loaded With Power (V10)
Diabolique (V13)
Kevin’s repeat of Diabolique is almost certainly a world record for a male who lives in Wisconsin, learned to climb in Illinois, works a full-time job and mainly subsists on a steady diet of Coke. Well done, Kevin. Hats off to you for your dedication and unwavering positivity…now, can we go climb somewhere else next year???
Debate/Jens: someone who does not train on anything harder than V7 cannot be expected to climb V13 based on my grading scales (showing how time spent on a problem corresponds to maximum possible grade). This shows that grades at Hueco Tanks are inflated and more climbers should give Brave and Humble personal grades.
Oh, and grades are not important.
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“Problems are taped based on difficulty, and the highest acknowledged tape level is V7 & up” The problems can be harder than V7 at the gym. They are just grouped together into one tape category.
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If we are talking boulders in madison…that is not realy the case anymore. there are some v8’s and v9’s that get put up now and again. whether or not people climb them, or if they are actually the grade, is a different story. Either way…there have been ZERO double digit grades/
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We are not, but it’s not all that different at Boulders. I’m sure it’s not a coincidence that the hardest grades both inside and outside in WI don’t get much higher than V8/9.
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For the record, there are no problems at the gym harder than V7. Some problems are just hard for the grade 😉
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Kevin is a beast! Literally, the man is the size of an adolescent brontosaurus! Not surprising and nice work!
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Very good. Keep up the excellent work with the site. Thanks, Jack.
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Wow, I remember when he started climbing years ago. I had no clue he was cranking so hard. strong work!
Just because they don’t explicitly have problems labeled as double digit, doesn’t mean they can’t exist at the gym
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I also remember Kevin from back in the day. Apparently he’s turned into an absolute beast in the almost 10 years I’ve been gone. Strong!
The gym here refuses to grade anything above V8. That’s ok though, I can’t do any of the V8s anyway.
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Props to KRom! One of my favorite climbing partners. Proof that flat landers can pull down hard.
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Nice work Kevin!!
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THIS IS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER READ.
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Amazing amount of grade spray for not caring about the grades
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I never said I didn’t care
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Woo! Go Kevin!
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Awesome post Narc. It is great to hear about an everyman doing world class problems. Props to Kevin.
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who made that kneepad? looks like solid work!
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“Bouldering is unique (again)”. See Debate/Jens at 8a.nu 🙂
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I have been following your blog for quite some time and I have finally decided to comment. This s a great post. I love the pace, the humor, the intimacy and, most of all, I really like the feeling: in some years I will also be able to send a V13 albeit I don’t boulder or drink cola 🙂
andré
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V10 is the new V8, and V12 is the new V10. Seems like everybody is doing something hard now a days. Gyms are better and we train more scientifically. In 10 more years, I’m sure V14 climbing will be fairly commonplace (it is already starting to seem that way).
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The grade is subject to the conditions of the boulder field. Take for example, climbing in the south. V10 will never be the new V8 due to the humidity and dependency on conditions. The going joke here is that if you climb hard in the summer, you can pretty much annihilate anywhere else where the conditions are pristine. *cough* the west coast *cough*.
but props to this guy. Heuco or not, I can really appreciate his humility, especially when this sport seems to be plagued with “look what I can do” as of late.
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The south is harder than the west coast? Have you ever climbed in California? There are 5.9s in Yosemite which would be 5.12 in the south. Oh, you only pebble wrestle? Fine, go do Saigon (v6) or Juniors Achievment (v7) in the buttermilks, or blue suede shoes, (V5) in Yosemite, and then your precious Orb (Rocktown) Millipede (HP 40) and Deception (LRC) will feel like warm ups.
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hahahahah thats just ridiculous..
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Spoken like a true sandbagging southeast climber! I do love the guidebooks though, the HP40 one very clearly states: “This grade assumes that the weather is perfect, its your style of climbing, and that you have intimate knowledge of the route”. Props to Kevin for sending hard and inspiring this guy who works way more than he climbs!
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This dude is a solid climber ! I live in Ohio and I work full time and have a 8 month old daughter. I am pushing the V7 range. Amazing story!
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Everyone has times when a boulder problem is well suited and they climb way above their normal grade. Give the guy a break, He did the problem and was probably very stoked to finish it. Nice send man!
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Great send Kevin you are a truly humble and personable guy as well an amazing boulderer!
As to those who immediately go to this as evidence that Hueco grades are soft, grow up, when did we stop appreciating a great tick for what it is.
The pedigree of this problem speaks for itself. Put up by Sharma, 2nd send by Fred Nicole, nuff said.
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Totally agree! For me climbing is an outlet from normalcy! People start downgrading other people’s accomplishments is disappointing.
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