5-14-06: Pinball Wizard

Courtney Hemphill on Pin Ball Wizard [v7]

Pin Ball Wizard lies in a corridor on the opposite side of the trail from the Dominator. You can crawl through a cave to get there or walk around. It's been getting hot recently and this is one of the cooler (temperature wise) problems in Camp 4, probably a great place to store turnips if you had to. The holds peter out at about mid-height, but a since that section is just off-vertical, a technical slab sequence was discovered. Falling is really scary becuase of the proximity of the boulder behind but no one has come close to hitting it. Falling at the top of the slab is not an option. (It's time to get your game-face on and block out failure)

The moves on this problem are varied, interesting and just plain fun. An instant Classic?

-Raza

Scott Frye added: Why the question mark? That this is ultra-classic! And it seems that you could fall anywhere on it.

5-12-06: Six Degrees

Randy on Six Degrees [v10?]
photo: Courtney Hemphill

A stone's throw from Cocaine Corner in Camp 4, lies an overhanging face. I've looked at it for years but the holds in the middle blank out half way up. Then a couple of weeks ago, looking at things with "modern eyes", Randy and some visiting Norwegians had the vision to see the aretes and see the line in the middle as a diagonal line that meets up with the left arete. (Duh!) It's amazing how one's own preconceptions will prevent one from seeing something right in front of one's eyes.

What we originally thought would be a moderate line turned out to be quite difficult. A bunch of us worked the moves and while most of us complained of the heat, Randy dug deep and sent the thing. I guess it wasn't too hot!

We started with left hand on a big self on the arete and a right hand on a crimp in the face. A great, great problem.

-Raza