Lisa Rands send Nutsa (V12)

Lisa Rands stuck her much-tried project, Nutsa (V12), in Rocklands, South Africa. Having tried it on previous trips to the area, she had been thwarted by bad luck, bad weather, and injury.

“The first day I climbed past all the hard moves and inexplicably slipped off by making a mistake after the crux,” said Rands. “For me Nutsa became more of a mental block than a physical challenge.”

A popular problem, Nutsa involves powerful slaps and body tension moves around a steep prow with the crux being a long reach around a bulge using a high heel-hook and a big lock-off. Rands repeadtly raced to the crux move, but would fall making a large deadpoint with her left hand. For her 5’4” frame, Rands had to pull hard with her left leg in order to reach a sloper off of a right arm lock off.

“I had to feel really positive to make this crux when tired by the earlier moves, and that's where the mental part came in,” said Rands. “I stuck with it because the line jumped out to me the first day I saw it. I knew I would do it if I had the right conditions and felt good, and it was great to finally put it all together!”

Rands stuck Nutsa on a perfectly sunny, cool, slightly breezy South African day.

Nutsa was the first V12 established at the Rocklands. It sits prominently at the front of the main area "Roadside," which is the biggest and most developed sector in the area. It is the sit-start into a previously established line called Sunset Arête (V9).

For more information on Lisa and her ascent of Nutsa (V12), check out www.lisarands.com/rocklands2.asp and www.thenorthface.com