Jonathan Siegrist has done the FA of Walk the Line (9a) at The Monastery. "(Grand Ol’ Opry Direct) Really special day climbing this awesome route with my Dad on belay, bringing back so many memories of trying hard at this beautiful cliff. A big fight when I sent, fighting the pump until the bitter end. Came together much faster than expected so I hesitate with the grade, repeaters can confirm - and hopefully repeaters come, because this thing is mega! Thanks to Tommy for opening the route for me to climb on!" (c) Tara Kerzhner

Can you tell us more about the ascent and your memories from the Monastery?
Last week I returned to this incredibly special cliff, with the blessing of Tommy Caldwell to try a direct start project to ‘Grand Ole Opry’ he bolted. The Monastery was a super formative place for me way back when. I climbed my first 5.13 [7c+] here in 2006. The year I started trying ‘The Opry’ (2007), I couldn’t imagine actually sending so my goal was just to reach the first rest at the 4th bolt - even this was quite a mission. As far as I was concerned (and still am) TC was the pinnacle of American climbing, and with the Estes Park Valley guidebook in hand (one of the few guidebooks I owned back then), I was certain that the Vestibule at the Monastery was the sickest crag on earth. For many years I proclaimed that ‘The Opry’ was the best 5.14 [8b+] in the country.

Now, returning with a lot more experience I can say that I was probably right. This crag no doubt shaped my understanding of hard climbing and set the bar for top quality, it was such a joy to relive the brutal crimps and intense nature of this crag while trying the low start. It adds 30 feet of new climbing (nails 8c) into ‘The Opry’. Last Friday I sent the route with an awesome fight, my Dad on belay - it was the first time we had climbed together outside for many years (and the last time we climbed together at the Monastery he was fighting his way to sending the hyper classic, ‘Psychatomic’). It felt like so many things came full circle this past week climbing out there. I even bolted a new project that’s sure to be insanely hard… Massive thanks again to Tommy for inviting me to try the route and for a lifetime of inspiration, and to my homies Tara Kerzhner and Neely Quinn and (and Dad) for getting out! No name or grade yet for the rig but I can say it’s every bit as worthy as the others at this brilliant little wall… and definitely very hard.

Nina Arthaud, with two 8A+’ under her belt, reports from a great trip to Rocklands, where she managed to send; Vintage (8A+), Green Mamba (8A+) and Law and Order (8A+).

Can you tell us more about the trip and your hardest ascents?
I spent three weeks in South Africa, and it was my first time there. We stayed in Cape Town for a few days. We were able to explore, see penguins, and there are also some great boulders there.

Then we went to Rocklands. What I loved most about it is how disconnected you feel from the rest of the world, in a beautiful place where you can meet amazing people who share your passion.

As you probably know, there are so many boulders there that it’s hard to choose. The ones that stood out to me the most were Vintage, Law & Order, and Green Mamba.

Vintage is a slightly isolated boulder, and what impressed me was the beauty of its shapes. I don’t think any other women have done it before, so I had to find specific beta that worked for me since I’m a bit shorter than the men who had done it before.

Law & Order is a lovely boulder where many different methods are possible, so you have to find the one that works for you! From this boulder, you can see beautiful sunsets, and if you’re lucky, there are also zebras. I tried this boulder on a beautiful sunny day and was lucky enough to send it at dusk, just before heading back to our place.

Green Mamba sticks in my memory for the quality of the rock and the movements it requires. I think it’s the stickiest rock I’ve found in Rocklands. This boulder is a traverse -not too hard, but quite tricky, and the slightest mistake can affect you for the rest of it. It has a tougher section with a big move to a small crimp. I had a lot of fun climbing this boulder with some really kind people.