There are many pictures in this gallery, including of me cleaning and of the hook anchor.
Well, long day. I could have been done in about 1/3 the time, but like any good “reporter,” I took the time to properly document. LOL
Finally there are some shots with me in them, which, being solo, isn’t easy to arrange. I know that friends and family will appreciate these, and it may help lay to rest the scuttle on the SuperTopo thread that this blog is an elaborate hoax. ROFL
There are quite a few gear shots for the climbers viewing this blog, which show things like peckers driven into what they used as trenched aluma-heads (no need to TRENCH, goofballs!). Also, some shots show how close together their drilled bashies are (often 18 inches apart).
Finally, the hook anchor shots reveal deeply drilled holes fore and aft of the hook anchor, with enhanced pockets for the hook tips. All in all, a completely contrived, gimmicky set up that they did strictly to create a rating.
So, the report of the first two pitches is in, and it is weak sauce indeed. These guys just drilled this thing right, left, and center to manufacture a “route” that has no (natural) business being there at all, with literally dozens and dozens of drilled bashies and deeply drilled holes… all to manufacture a rating that isn’t even real anyway. Of about 170 feet of climbing, there are about 60 feet of actual features. Even in those, the FA team trenched heads instead of doing what could be done with non-drilling gear. A contrived PILE!
We’ll see how the next pitch goes. If it’s just more of the same, it’s going to be very hard to stay motivated to continue. We’ll see.