Dad Bod 9a by Owen Whaley (18)

Owen Whaley has done his second 9a, Dad Bod in Robbers Roost. "Psyched on this one! Good knee bar down low makes it slightly easier. Top was exiting when a hold broke going for the clipping jug. Super Fun." (c) Matt Levy

Could you say something about the process how you took it down?
Last year, I climbed Manphibian (9A), Andy Raether’s extension to his climb Spyfiction (8C+). In the fall, I decided to try Dad Bod (9A), another great Andy Raether route that is a harder start to Spyfiction. It’s bouldery almost immediately off the ground. The two-move crux comes at the fourth bolt. Then, you have to keep it together through Spyfiction to the anchors. I found a good kneebar right before the crux that made the clip and intro moves before the crux easier. I had tried the route a few times this season in between competitions. When I returned from a week at the North American Cup Series, I decided to go out and have a fun day on the rock. Surprisingly, I was able to do the route on my second try of the day. Excited to spend more time trying hard routes this summer.