The 5.12a/b is tricky at the start and hard all the way to the finish—with questionable holds for possible leading—and a very hard crux in the middle.

Anyone who wants to work this with me is welcome.

After putting some time into trying to climb this the 5.12a/b crux seems more like a 5.13a/b! The route might be considered a work in progress, but I’m going to try my darnedest to make it go before I change any holds. The goal is to have something that a few people can work on and is plausibly leadable.

I think the 5.12a/b crux will go, but it still feels 5.12c/d—I don’t know, I haven’t worked all that many upper 12s. The crux section is really daunting, and barely plausibly leadable. But at least I feel it is a 5.12something. I’m pretty determined! Come join me!

Sorry, y’all, that the moderate routes are not up yet.

The rating of the 5.10 went from 5.10c to 5.10d to 5.11a to 5.10d again in less than a week. Pete considers it harder that the old 5.10d that he enjoyed so much on the earlier set of rope 5 routes. But Todd (who has never climbed a 5.10d) is doing pretty well on this route. I don’t think it rises to the level of 5.11. So I hope we can settle this thing in at 5.10d. No changes were ever made to this route.

I tried leading the route and had to bail on my first attempt. I took too much time on the climb figuring out what to do. My second lead attempt went to the anchors. Heck of a nice lead challenge, y’all!

The two-move crux of the 12a/b is 1/2 done. The second half of the crux is coming! I’ve got a feel for this route. I’m calling it a 12b from here on out, not that it matters, and just want to get on with climbing it.

Thanks to Dave and Todd for working it with me! Dave almost has the start! Todd not so much, but he may have just gotten tired from his strong work on the rope’s “10c/10d/11a/10d”.

Fun and interesting start on Tom’s aforementioned “project”! Created and proven completely doable whether a giant or a shorty. S’gooood…

Yeah, however it’s a little more fun if you’re shorter. The shorter climbers’ added set-up maneuvering, while it doesn’t get them higher, is pretty fun, particularly if you like finger play. A taller climber doesn’t need to do that—though they can easily pretend they are shorter and make those moves.

Thanks again to Y.A. Dave for working with me on this rope. Dave’s on the verge of linking the 5.10d; I’ve got the 5.12b crux worked out. It’s time for the rest of you to jump in!

So have you decided on 5.10d?, i thought it was a 5.1 based on the board rating on monday?

I thought it was a 5.1/5.1+, but in watching other climbers work it I had to rethink the rating and simply estimated it must be about 10 times harder than I thought it was. :)

I’ve set the bottom half of a 5.9+ on Rope 5. Just a little something for you, yani, to warm up on.

awww. thanks tom. It’ll have to wait till after my trip to the Gorge!! Leaving tomorrow!!!!!!

Well, as Tom mentioned earlier on, “it’s tricky at that start and hard all the way to the finish”—I beleive it still is that way…I’ve never attempted a 5.12a,b, or c. Albeit my experience, it is definitely a fun and challenging route to ‘attempt” or climb. I really would like to see someone climb this. This one will be my goal to finish in 2008!!

Rope 5 now has a a completed 5.9+. I saw some 5.9 climbers working it, and what I saw (some stepped up challenges) confirms my sense of the rating.

On Friday on Jens’ belay I was climbing this 5.12b on Rope 5, and I had gone cleanly from the ground thru the crux when a climber on Rope 4 just a foot away from me freaked out from all my grunting and froze, and then sat back in her harness, which pretty much put her in my lap. No F.A. for me that day!

I stole an hour from homelife tonight and used it to climb. I got the tr FA on the 12b right away, and then the lead FA on my fourth attempt. I guess you can dismiss my comment that it is “barely plausibly leadable”.

The aforementioned “2 move crux” is a 4 handhold sequence. But after working this thing it seems like the crux is just the two middle holds of those four, and there really is just one crux move (between them). So, it isn’t a very “sustained” route. Which is not such a bad thing.

Justin set a nice 5.8 on rope 5.

The crux of the 12b on this rope has been a good challenge, but it hasn’t ever felt long enough.

The crux begin half-way up—well it did. Now it begins a little sooner. I looked for a way to get the crux sequence started at the start of the route. I finally came up with a new first-move handhold destination that makes for a more challenging start. This new handhold (tougher/farther) then becomes new foothold for the original crux—and a harder one both for the crux move and for the move above it.

So the crux is considerable lengthened.

Moving above, the the first post-crux hold—which was a loner (no other routes went thru it)—has also been changed. The new replacement hold is a nasty one and both lengthens (by two more moves) and stiffens the crux (by a grade)!

This is now a sustained route. The rating goes to 12c.

I know of only two other people currently in the gym that have worked thru 12c cruxes. One person did it at The Red. The other at NRG. It would be nice to see these climbers on this thing. I’m a move away from getting it.

Wow, this route is a killer, my feeble attempt when it was a 12b was NOT getting first hold at all. Now that it is even tougher, and I’ve seen the changes in action makes it really a goal to achieve. I would love to see others try/and or climb this one. It’s a challenge!

My Rope #5, 5.12c project is completed.