Paige Claassen sends Mooiste Meisie (8B) and Black Shadow (8A+)

Paige Claassen, with five 9a’s under her belt, has done Black Shadow (8A+) and Mooiste Meisie (8B) in Rocklands. "Choses the straight up original beta - suits me better and makes for a better climb imo. Crux move is maybe coolest move I've ever done. Stellar piece of rock, so much tension required for every single move."

Can you tell us more about your trip and the ascents?
I started the trip with no real vision and a bit lost in what I wanted to project. These are both Rocklands classics and seemed like reasonable choices on a trip with loads of rain and a toddler. In previous years, I had made half hearted efforts at pulling onto Mooiste when passing by. This year, we ended up there again on the way to Olifants Dawn and I figured I’d actually give it a go. All the moves felt reasonable, so I committed a few days worth of efforts. Each day I had a different crux - one day I couldn’t do the early toe release, one day I couldn’t do the middle move to the ear, it changed each day. Once I got close on day 3, things got a bit too serious with timing my rest between attempts. On day 5 I came back after a week of rest and aimed for a more chill atmosphere, with some bantering. That was the ticket, and it came together quickly that day.

Black Shadow is easy to access, so my daughter could join for those sessions and play in the sand. Again, the moves all felt reasonable, I just needed to link them together. I fell off the top a few times before refining beta to a less powerful method.

The sends felt satisfying, as I didn’t feel in the best condition this year due to elbow tendinitis. But there is never much time to celebrate, because as soon as I come down my daughter wants me to join in the sand digging mission, so mentally I move on quite quickly. I always find the most satisfaction looking back on my achievements after a few months distance. That’s when I feel proud of what I have accomplished, whereas in the moment it is more of a fleeting and slightly uneventful thing.