17 October 2024
Owen Whaley does Grand Illusion (8C+)
Owen Whaley has completed Grand Illusion (8C+) in Little Cottonwood. Nathaniel Coleman put up the 25 moves roof climbing and also 9a+/b has been suggested for it, as it takes some two minutes to climb.
"This line has been at the top of my list since the first time I laid eyes on it. Perfect granite tufas, pinches, and crimps all the way from the bottom. I've been improving on the different sections through the seasons and started feeling really psyched last Spring when we dug out the boulder from under the snow and I started refining the 8B section. All summer I focused on power endurance, always with GI in the back of my mind. A few weeks ago I flowed the "Slug Link" and knew it was game on. I started getting closer from the ground every session, a type of linear progress I've never really experienced.
All I remember from the send was doing the 8A+ moves and noticing that it was raining much harder than it had been all night, I felt in control all the way to the lip but then slightly panicked because of how slippery it was. Luckily we put a kneepad over the crucial hold. Doing it on Instagram Live was super special, shoutout to the boys. It's almost bittersweet, so many good laughs with so many different people. One I will always remember."
"This line has been at the top of my list since the first time I laid eyes on it. Perfect granite tufas, pinches, and crimps all the way from the bottom. I've been improving on the different sections through the seasons and started feeling really psyched last Spring when we dug out the boulder from under the snow and I started refining the 8B section. All summer I focused on power endurance, always with GI in the back of my mind. A few weeks ago I flowed the "Slug Link" and knew it was game on. I started getting closer from the ground every session, a type of linear progress I've never really experienced.
All I remember from the send was doing the 8A+ moves and noticing that it was raining much harder than it had been all night, I felt in control all the way to the lip but then slightly panicked because of how slippery it was. Luckily we put a kneepad over the crucial hold. Doing it on Instagram Live was super special, shoutout to the boys. It's almost bittersweet, so many good laughs with so many different people. One I will always remember."
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