captainstatic
Sep 26, 2003, 9:11 PM
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Registered: Jul 7, 2003
Posts: 203
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(copied from old kyclimbing.com website)
RRG HISTORY LESSON
Before a couple of years ago Insanity Ceiling (FA Larry Day) was supposedly the first 5.11 in the Red.
Well..my friend 512OW called me up and said that he saw these posters at RockQuest of an offwidth at Red River with a challenge to repeat it (this all happened a couple of years ago). He called up the dude (Bill Strachan) and said he would accept his challenge. Bill did a small interview and for some reason turned down 512OW's offer to accept his challenge.
Bill was claiming that his route was the first 5.11 in the Red and Insanity Ceiling was not. Well...finally we found out where this route was so we went to check it out.
The route is called "Here Comes Batman" and is at Indian Staircase.
We arrived at the Red still drunk and club clothed. 512OW even forgot his hiking shoes and climbing clothes that day so he hiked back in wingtips and Dockers. We arrived at the base of the route...looked up and began laughing. The route was about 40 feet long and nothing but a bunch of choss. I actually pondered free soloing the thing just to make a statement. "What a joke" we thought. "Dude, I could freakin' dyno past the offwidth section it's so damn short!" I said.
We flipped a coin and 512OW got first lead. I half assed put him on belay and he began climbing. About 10 feet up he started to say "Damn...frictiony". I blew it off and so did he. He climbed through some big holds and arrived at the offwidth section about 10 feet from the top. I expected to see him cruise through it without hesitation....
He stood in the crack beneath the wide section for a few minutes placing a number five Camalot. He then started to worm his way into it. All of a sudden I heard him say "Damn dude"....it was then I knew it was hard. He backed out of the wide section and just kept saying "Damn dude...this is funky".
After a few backouts and a few more "Damn dude"s he was about five feet into it. He started grunting pretty loudly and sure enough came..."TAKE!!!!" He pitched out of that thing with a big ol' whipper.
"Holy @#*%*!" I said. "Dude...this thing is SICK!" he said.
I tried next and fell as well. The wide section of the route consists of the most flaring slot I have ever witnessed. Basically it is a water groove...like straight out of Horsepens 40. Place your arm..slightly bent straight down with your hand at your nuts (or treasure for you girls). Now take your other arm and do the same but with your elbow in your face. This is how flared the groove is and this is how you're trying to climb it. I wouldn't even call it an offwidth...it's just SICK.
We still haven't gone back to try and repeat it but it's definitely on my list.
This wasn't only the first 5.11 in the Red but very well maybe the HARDEST 5.11 in the Red.
Well done Bill Strachan from Cincinnati.
Especially for the 1970s I think?
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