Dani Andrada has added a V14 (or v9, see below) sit start to his 5.15a extended version of the 5.14d link-up Ali Hulk. While the 5.14d version has been repeated, the 5.15a extended version has seen no repeats while the V14 sit start “is something not to f*** with, very hard” according to Dave Graham. Burly. Despite the fact that the entire route can be climbed without a rope, it seems like giving something of this length a route grade is more appropriate (same goes for Wheel Of Life).
Update #1: Here is what Garbor Szekely (who has been to Rodellar) has to say:
First off, the news is wrong of it being “9a to 8b+ to 8c+ to 8c+”. What Dani said was that the route can be broken up in two ways; Either 9a into 8b+, or 8c+ into 8c+.
Third, the sit start to Ali Hulk Extension that Dani climbed is not V14. There are two different variations on where to do the low start from, either a V9 start or a V14 start. Dani did the V9 start. So what Dave said was in fact correct, and when the route gets done from the V14 sit start it will probably be 5.15c.”
Update #2: You can also read Dani’s blog at Petzl’s website where he seems to confirm the start as being V9 and not V14 as is being widely reported. Either way it is a very impressive route and it will be interesting to see if he can link it all together using the harder V14 start.
Here are a couple of videos featuring Dave Graham and Andrada to give you a sense of what it is like climbing in the Ali Baba cave:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31z4Wb7GXbQ]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lswuk2szSI0]
I read on another site that he added a V9 sit start. Someone says that if he adds the V14 sit start, the whole route is more like 9c.
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You have a link to the other site?
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Yes: http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1720509;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread
Scroll down to rockclimbergabor’s post. He is the one who made the statements I referred to.
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the commentary on the second video, translated in text, is HILARIOUS
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This weekend I worked on a classic route called “Paradise Lost” at The Purgatory in the Red River Gorge. Sadly, because I was unwilling to “cheat” by using the “French Ledge” (read: I rested on a jug with poor feet rather than traversing 15 ft out of the boltline to get to a no hands as has been the practice by non-locals), I failed to send the route. I did, however, link it to the jug (a three bolt v4 which, a hard 5.12a in the Red), link it from the jug to the top (a 20-or-so move power endurance v6 which, if off the ground, would be rated roughly 5.12d in the Red), and also from the ground through to the final couple moves (about 5.13a in th Red). Going by the way things appear to be done in the ali-baba cave, I should put on my 8a card:
Paradise 5.12a Hard Boulderyyyy ***
Lost 5.12d Pura Resistencia ***
Lost SDS 5.13a Hard Este fin de semana, voy a la extensión!!!!!! ***
Clearly, this would be considered to be an absolutely ridiculous joke. You can’t just almost send a route and then dock it a letter grade and then claim you did a different route or worse claim multiple starts to the same route. The route should be defined by the rock, by the moves and by what makes sense. This scenario I proposed makes no sense at all because it goes up and down — you can’t reach the holds to start “Lost” from the ground. How does that change if the wall is tipped at such a radical angle that you could start in the middle of the line? What I’m trying to get at is that it’s preposterous to put all of these different link-ups, SDS’s, variations, etc on his scorecard. There should be one route: “Ali-Hulk.” He should be psyched each time he completes a new link and when he begins to link those sections together. I know I was. But, in both scenarios, those are not all seperate routes.
This is not to take away from Andrada as a climber. His route “Ali-Hulk SDS Extension” is one of the hardest in the world. In fact, it may very well be the hardest in the world. At the same time, I think that posting each of his links on 8a as a new route takes away from the power of this achievement. Something to think about.
I think that you touched on this topic, Brian, in your comments on “The Wheel of Life.”
My two cents.
-Peter
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