Nigel Armino ticks Sever the Wicked Hand (9a)

Nigel Armino, who sent his second 9a two months ago, has done Sever The Wicked Hand (9a) in Frankenjura.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I climbed Sever the Wicked Hand in three sessions. The route starts with a tough boulder and finishes in Battle Cat (8c). I first climbed Battle Cat to get a feel for the ending, then worked out the boulder section the same day. The next day, I tried the boulder again but decided to rest—we’d been climbing three days in a row after a six-hour drive.

Today, after the rest day, I managed to send the full line. The key for me was gripping the right-hand undercling tightly with my thumb, which gave me enough tension to get through the crux (see photo). It’s good to see the recent adjustments I made to my training after Margalef are starting to work for the style here in the Frankenjura.