Climb I’m working on...it’s 8-/8 (YDS 5.11c), but some call it 8 (5.11d, or French 7a) and others 8/8+ (5.12a). Going with 8 for now!
Clips 1-4 are no big deal...just climb straight up.
Then, you do some weird hand-over-hand stuff on the 3 black holds on the black volume on the right to get positioned for what’s next. Get your left foot up on the black hold on the volume. The goal is to get both hands on the big black hold on the face, with body leaning strongly left, left and below it, arms straight.
I guess I need to do clip 5 here [edit after climbing it again with Vaclav - NO! Clip 5 must be delayed until the “dicey trip to the right” mentioned below]. Then, a dicey trip to the right, with foot on tiny corner hold on the volume, and right hand making for the right edge.
Take delicate steps up, liebacking on the right edge. Make clip 6 in here...
Finally, the liebacking will feel weird because the corner becomes blunted. Now, the aim is to get your left hand on the little hold on the volume on the right just before you lose it! If you make this, you should be able to do clip 7 from here.
Welcome to the upper half of the route.
Now, with delicate feet on small black footholds on the face, get left hand on the sideways hold, then right hand, then left up on the volume to the left. Left foot will be glad to get off the bad foothold for the slanted volume. Push to stand up on that left foot, somehow securing right foot on a volume on the right. Should do clip 8 here. Right hand must grab a pretty sad hold on the underside of the volume just right of clip 8.
Stand up here, left hand getting above the right hand on a smeary hold on a the same volume. Adjust feet, with right foot moving far right around the corner. Make clip 9 from a stable stance here.
Straight up for a couple moves, then a foothold on the main face to the left, a power move with poor right hand, and left hand touching a future foothold on a left volume.
Look down, re-adjust to put your right foot on the nubbin high on the volume on your right side. Once this is done, you can grab a high poor handhold with your right hand. Swap hands, move body to the right, and achieve stability. You can make clip 10 here.
Bring left foot up to that “hand touching a future foothold on the left volume” location. I think clip 11 can be made here, but if not, skip it, you are near the anchors. Reach high for hidden handhold on left volume with left hand.
Right foot goes high on previous handhold on the right. Left foot adjusts a little higher to tiny face foothold. Stand up on this and grab the last hold.
You did it! Now, on lead. :)












