Vertical-Life
Mind Stream 8A+ by Chloe Pay (18)
”I’ve been climbing for about 5 years. I was introduced to climbing after joining the local youth climbing team, and instantly, my passion for the sport soared. Up until last year, I had only climbed inside. When I ventured outside for the first time on a team trip, I was disgusted by the knife-like crimps of Vermont climbing and the lack of colorful, plastic holds. However, in a couple of short months, I have come to appreciate the outdoor sport for what it is and it has quickly become my preferred method of climbing. This summer I am hiking the long trail, a 273 mile trail in Vermont that goes from Massachusetts to Canada, and I rope climb during the sport/speed season, but I prefer to boulder.
I don’t think I have ever been quite as obsessed with a boulder as I was with this one. I had never truly projected a boulder before, so it was very cool to see the linear progress with each session. I had trouble managing my skin throughout this process. The climb consists of small, sloping crimps, the warm weather caused my skin to become soupy, and the volume of work put into this sharp, schist problem ended up puncturing and wearing down my skin often. I sent this boulder on my last go of the day at 11:00 pm. My mind felt empty and I was completely in the moment, a feeling I had never experienced while climbing, prior to this attempt. This climb, twenty feet from the parking lot, had been one of my dreams since the first time I went to Smuggs. I never thought I would be capable of climbing a boulder of this difficulty, so this was a big achievement for me.”
Jernej Kruder sends Martin Krpan (9a) sans knee pads
Jernej Kruder, who won the Boulder World Cup in 2018, has done Martin Krpan (9a) in Mišja Peč. “I would like to expose something here: I spent many tries on t…
Welcome to Vertical-Life Web
Six years after partnering with 8a.nu, we’re excited to announce the unification of the 8a.nu website and the Vertical-Life app into a single platform: Vertical…
Will Bosi repeats Return of the Sleepwalker (9A)
William Bosi has made the second ascent of Daniel Woods’ Return of the Sleepwalker (9A) in Black Velvet Canyon, after projecting it for 12 sessions. This was th…
Katie Lamb makes history
Katie Lamb has become the first woman to climb 8C+ by completing Box Therapy (8C) in RMNP. Daniel Woods made the FA back in 2018, and only Drew Ruana and Sean B…
Schubert sends Project Big during his 6th Live attempt
"It was dramatic to the very end." On the 8a finish of Project Big in Flatanger, Jakob Schubert explains that a horn broke and he was close to falling. The last three minutes of the video show just how much this climb means to him."This horn could have ended my career... This was the biggest mental …
Will Bosi repeats Return of the Sleepwalker (9A)
William Bosi has made the second ascent of Daniel Woods’ Return of the Sleepwalker (9A) in Black Velvet Canyon, after projecting it for 12 sessions. This was th…
Katie Lamb makes history
Katie Lamb has become the first woman to climb 8C+ by completing Box Therapy (8C) in RMNP. Daniel Woods made the FA back in 2018, and only Drew Ruana and Sean B…
Schubert sends Project Big during his 6th Live attempt
"It was dramatic to the very end." On the 8a finish of Project Big in Flatanger, Jakob Schubert explains that a horn broke and he was close to falling. The last three minutes of the video show just how much this climb means to him."This horn could have ended my career... This was the biggest mental …
Will Bosi repeats Return of the Sleepwalker (9A)
William Bosi has made the second ascent of Daniel Woods’ Return of the Sleepwalker (9A) in Black Velvet Canyon, after projecting it for 12 sessions. This was th…