Full Metal Brisket 9a+ by Tyler Thompson

Tyler Thompson has skipped 9a and gone straight to 9a+ by climbing Full Metal Brisket (9a+) in the New River Gorge (WV). The line was bolted by Lee Robinson and Jonathan Siegrist did the FA in 2021. (c) Hansac Ho

“Wow. Huge endeavour for me starting back when it was still an open project. Last fall I spent every weekend trying and the occasional Thursday when I could skip my lab. Wasn’t able to do it then but this week I was blessed by the weather gods and we got several beautiful coliseum days. Tuesday, during a breezy short sleeve day in mid February I clipped the chains! 30+ sessions. What do I do with my life now….”

When did you start working the route and how did you manage to skip 9a?
I started trying two years ago when the route was still a project but put more serious effort in last fall. And, I’m a student so it’s hard for me to travel somewhere to project a route. The New is only 3 hours away so I could work the route for an extended time. I thought this route was inspiring and that the moves were really great, so it was the route I wanted to put serious effort into. The 9a route nearby didn’t inspire me in the same way that Full Metal did.

Can you describe the route and what you liked so much about it?
The route is crimpy and body tension oriented. I’d say it suited my style well which was motivating. The holds are pretty bad for the entirety of the extended boulder problem that defines the route. The body positions are very specific because of how bad the holds are and I found the process of dialling in the sequences and the process I felt even after 20+ days was still very rewarding.