SkiSickness

Naomi's enthusiasm for the rock spank is infectious and I actually started to feel like I knew what I was doing on Squeeze Chimney.

So, Len's Roof.


It's splitter hands at first but the choss underneath the roof keeps it spicy.


When it gets hard, the crack flares and it gets harder.


After the roof, although it doesn't look that way from below, it's still overhanging. But at least the hands go splitter again.


*Yes, I spent some time hanging. Can't wait to hop on it again. Might do some sport lines today to let my hands heal a little.

Talking to Mark today, Len works at the lab so I'll have to go talk to him one of these days.

looks like you did not place much pro!

There are three bomber cams there; you just can't see them. I had one further under the roof but I yanked it to prevent drag.

Finally got this thing dialed; yesterday was my second time to lead it clean.

Thanks for the iPhone photos, Mark.

looks like old sky went crusty tradster on it --> flail
new sky went sporto ponytrickery --> win

foots w/ my (limited-data) observation--the really hard crack cruxes often seem to require more sport-type layaways and other skullduggery, with occasional advances in jamming helpful, bu tmore the former.

The magick fix is the knee bar, but it's difficult and establishing above the roof requires marginal, overhanging jams. How is that not trad? Aren't knee bars trad? Knee bars can be the bees-knees in squeeze chimneys, that's for sure. Perhaps a knee bar is a newfangled trick when it comes to pulling a roof, certainly new in my roof repertoire.

Another trick that has worked for me on a couple of difficult roofs is ample shoulder and hip friction as a supplement to a layback.

Some of the more difficult cracks around here require stemming antics and thin face climbing where cracks become seams.

Hopefully I can stop editing this post now. Praise Jah.