Jonathan Siegrist FA’s Anemology (9b)

Jonathan Siegrist has made the FA of Anemology (9b) in the Utah Hills. The 38-year-old has logged 76 routes 9a and harder, and his list includes 26 FA’s and six 9b’s. (c) Ryan White

”A season long battle with conditions, torn skin and very hard climbing. Felt impossible at first, especially the bottom. So incredibly psyched to finish this thing just in time as the conditions closed out. Really hard bouldering, varied climbing and no easy moves until the chains! I decided against pre-clipping the third draw as it was a matter of difficulty and not safety. As always, unsure on the grade, but I suggest 9b.

Can you tell us more about the route and the difficulties?
The route starts with a very hard boulder problem - quite unique between flat edges requiring a lot of tension, ending with an explosive move to an undercling. There is also a very hard clip in the middle of this sequence. After this you have an intense and unrelenting section to the finish with some very small crimps and dynamic moves through a roof (red point crux) and an enduro finish. Even getting to the anchor is another small crux.

Totally estimations but the bottom feels like v13 [8B] to me (based on Tension Board grades) and after it’s around 5.14+ [8c+ or so] to the anchor.