Kerry Scott and Maya Madere send Trebuchet (8c)

Kerry Scott and Maya Madere have done Trebuchet (8c) in New River Gorge (WV). Previously, they have both done several boulders 8A to 8A+, but this was their first 8c route. (c) Karen Lane

Kerry: "I essentially learned how to climb at the New, and it was really awesome to return and put down my hardest sport send to date. My hot take is that the New is the best rock climbing in the world. It has such a hard and unique style that definitely takes some adapting. It was really sick to see Maya adapt to the style quickly and crush too!

Or maybe the New is the most underrated? Haha, I don’t claim to have much worldly experience, but the New is just SO good. I have been to Ceuse though, and I think the New is better 👀 😅"

Can you tell us more about your ascents?
Kerry: It ended up taking me 5 sessions, and I think it took Maya 4. We both had very promising sessions on it early on, but struggled a bit with skin and balancing our energy with different projects we were trying.

Maya: It was really cool to try Trebuchet with Kerry because we climbed it so differently. Although we shared and debated beta extensively, we ended up using completely different beta for almost every section. We also had totally different cruxes; the roof boulder was by far the hardest part for me while Kerry could consistently climb through it from the ground and made it look chill every time. I love climbing with Kerry in part because our styles are so different and I learn so much every time we climb together! It’s awesome to have a partner who complements and challenges my skill set so well.

This was also my first trip to the New, and it was super fun and challenging to start learning the NRG style. The movement there is really unique and the long, but bouldery, routes demand a balance of fitness and power. We stayed there for almost 3 weeks and there’s still a long list of routes I can’t wait to go back for.