Chuck again.
Nelson and I are back from another filming trip for our upcoming feature, The Scene. I thought I’d give an update and drop a few of our video frames into the blog for everyone to enjoy. It was an eventful trip and I cant wait to get back to the New again next season.
This trip came directly on the heels of our visit to Austria and Italy (plus Slovenia and Croatia for Nelson). After a short visit home to Colorado we packed our bags once again and headed out to West Virginia and the New River Gorge. I guess we never really UN-packed our bags… but anyways… The New was calling.
The New River Gorge, West Virginia
The New River Gorge is one of the bastions of traditional climbing in America. Early development there happened just behind or even concurrently with other major areas like the Gunks, Yosemite, and Eldorado Canyon. It’s been visited in the past by legends like Lynne Hill and has seen first ascents from almost every high-profile climber who was ever active in the East. Despite its popularity and bullet-quality quartzite stone, the New has been somewhat isolated from the modern era of headpoint trad climbing – where climbers rehearse the moves and gear placements on a route extensively on top-rope prior to attempting the climb on lead. North Carolina resident Pat Goodman has started picking across the cliffs with fresh eyes and an arsenal of gear and techniques that allow him to complete – albeit dangerously – fresh lines on cliffs once thought tapped out.
Pat Goodman
Also on the team was Boulder local Matt Wilder, who has extensive experience in difficult trad climbing, and has visited the New enough to feel comfortable on the rock there. Pat introduced Matt first to a hard line he put up a couple years ago called Fitzcarraldo. Graded 5.13b, this short line encompasses essentially three difficult boulder problems on a medium-height grey bulge. Sparse protection and technical moves meant that Matt was right at home, and he was able to make a fast repeat for the route’s second ascent. It was interesting for me to observe as these two amazing climbers toggled between easy-going comedians and focused, precision climbing machines. The tension at the crag is hard to describe when a climber is tied in, ready to leave the ground, and they start entering the mental space to complete moves that – if screwed up – could kill.
Matt Wilder gathers his thoughts prior to attempting Fitzcarraldo.
Matt Wilder at the upper crux of Fitzcarraldo. Three small cams in 30 feet of climbing = DONT FALL!
Both Matt and Pat balance their climbing with other pursuits. Pat does the occasional hardwood flooring job to make ends meet, and Matt works here and there for the Boulder Rock Club as he continues his studies at CU Boulder. Mornings and evenings were spent with me logging the huge amounts of data from the cameras, Matt working on the umpteenth revision of a paper on human attention patterns, and Pat talking with prospective flooring clients.
Matt works on his computer prior to heading out climbing
Matt and Pat spend a couple days each rehearsing the moves for their projects on top rope, and figuring out the gear placements required to minimize the danger. The two projects were somewhat similar. Each has a lower and upper crux with a resting position in the middle. Pat’s route actually starts with two back-to-back cruxes in the form of a burly compression boulder followed by a technical stemming sequence in a small dihedral.
Matt works the upper crux on his project
Finally the boys decided to take some attempts. Pat fell several times on the first boulder problem, and then again on the second boulder problem, hitting the ground on two occasions when a micro-nut popped. He casually stated ‘well that was a ripper piece… it’s supposed to do that’… right Pat. Sure. After failing several times, we started losing hope but Pat seemed to be up for another shot at the route.
Pat Goodman begins the first crux of his project
Pat stuck the first and second cruxes, took a long rest, and cranked out the final roof to create The Scavenger, in honor of his ability to find new lines on cliffs once thought to be totally tapped.
Pat Goodman on the FA of The Scavenger, .13c
Matt’s first attempts ended with falls on the lower boulder problem, but he too eventually pulled through and was able to *barely* pull off the upper crux and finish the climb.
Matt Wilder on the FA of The Golden Bullet, .13d
West Virginia is beautiful and I really feel like our video segment will capture a lot of the best parts of one of the best climbing areas on the planet. We’re hoping for a Spring release on the video, but we still have a lot of work to do!
Oh, and lastly…