Projects

If its a personal project or a brand new line doing first ascents or finally completing that boulder that has been on your mind for years is quite satisfying.

I am leaving Boone in three weeks so the pressure has been on to take care of a bit of unfinished business and leave my mark.


Part of The List...

One such problem is called Big Booty Judy (V10), put up by Pat Goodman a few years back. This problem has alluded me for 5 visits and has been driving me crazy. I have been to Big Booty on several "perfect" days, 3o degrees and dry, and I have been spit consistently on the blind dead-point move to the terrible sloper. The crux revolves around one giant move to a bad sloper you can't see and as you are falling off you have to stab a right toe to a high foot. It is just plain weird. This has to happen just right and if the right hand is slightly off the sloper or the left start hold isn't feeling good or the toe misses the foot you fail. Miserably. And you look like an idiot...

I have given that move many dozens of tries and failed. Until yesterday...


Big Booty Judy (V10)

I have a list of all the problems i wanted to do in Boone before I left and that was at the top of the "Super Tick". Pat was waiting on a second ascent to confirm the grade which he originally thought was V9. If I were to grade it based on my experience with it I would give it V11 and it felt that hard when I did it but I guess I will compromise with V10. It just feels good to stick that one in a million move ya know?

Nate finished off a great problem left of Big Booty called the Ripple Wall and we headed over to try the sit start to On Any Sunday (V11). I had looked at the sit when Paul first showed us the problem a week ago and wanted to get back and finish it off and add a bit to an already stunning boulder. I was able to do the sit and add some difficulty to the line with 4 or 5 moves into the start. Wish i had gotten it on video...

I got some new beats from a guy named Rob in one of my classes that works for a company called Vandeley Studios in Boone. These jams are so good... gonna have to use them in some new videos...

I am headed to the New River Gorge this weekend to try and get a few first ascents with Nate and Jordan Shipman. Matt Stark has been spraying us down with tales of quality... We will be making a short video of the trip and we have come up with some great new ideas that im sure you haven't seen before... It is going to be HUGE!

Stay tuned.

Jon G.

P.S. Here is John getting physical with a set of perfect stems...