Hand Over Hand, 5.7, onsight (fun romp, one 5.7 move)
Routes Tried: Backbone Arete, 11c, 3/4 tries (chossy “friction test piece”)
Brett enjoying one of the many 30ft runout startsNotes: Headed up to Lumpy Ridge with a friend from CA. It is was interesting. There is a longish approach to the rock (which added to my mild grumpiness driving from Fort Collins behind tourons). The granite on Batman Rock is not great. It is permanently flaky which makes smearing difficult. The grades are cheese, i.e. super soft, compared to Yos or J-tree.
I got on the hardest route on the rock, 11c. It happened to be friction, my arch nemesis. I did surprisingly well. I fell on the onsight but figured out the moves quickly. I fell on a handful of redpoint attempts. It was hard to get syked because of the choss factor. However, it is a big mental step. In the recent past, I would only TR similar climbs.
I'm happier sticking around FC, short drive, short walk, and better rock.
