Routes Sent : Let down your hair - 10a/b, onsight (nice in-the-sun warm-up for a cold day)
Gossip Column - 11a, flash (felt easy expect one tenuous move)
Total Points : 8.5
Routes Tried : A Spot of Bother - 10d, bailed at 2nd bolt (I onsighted through the crux, only to have my hands go completely numb)
Rapid Fire - 12d/13a, 3 tries (1st - on TR and did all the moves, 2nd- fell at crux, 3rd - hands went completely numb)
Jason finding the beta intensive "no-hands" rest on Gossip Column.Photo courtesy of Tina
Notes : 2nd trip to Palace with Jason. It was cold. My hands went completely numb twice. NEGATIVE!!! I'm switching my focus from onsighting to projecting. My first target is "Rapid Fire", a 8 bolt 12d/13a. It starts out with moderately sustained climbing to a distinctive crux between the 3rd and 4th, a 4-move CRIMPY boulder problem, to more moderately sustained climbing. Here is a good analogy for the route: Hang on a large campus rung for 1 minute then move immediately to small rungs and do 1-3-5, move back to large campus rung for 1 minute. Wait, that might be a good training idea!
It does not feel very hard. My guess is 12b/c, but I really don't have very much experience with grades higher than 12a. The difference in my perception and the consensus might be a result of the bolting. It is very close to an adjacent easier climb. I clip all bolts on "Rapid Fire", but I use some holds on the adjacent climb. You could contrive a harder climb by not using holds on the adjacent climb. I think eliminates are lame in bouldering and doubly lame in sport climbing. In my sport climbing book, if I clip all the bolts on a line I have sent the line (regardless of the holds used). I will be honest about the style and grade.
