Picket Fence (8c) by Katja Zoner

Katja Zoner has done her first 8c, Picket Fence at Beauty Mountain. ”Sad I don't get to grab those sick pinches anymore! Amazing, unique holds and movement. Grades are weird and this route suits me really well... certainly didn't feel as hard as I'd expected. Enjoyed some post-crux spice building bad feet hiiiigh above my bolt for the last reach out of the crux sequence.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Picket Fence is a route I have always been curious about. It sits on the Travisty Wall, which is quite unique for the area in terms of holds and movement style, and it has some notoriety, mainly due to first ascentionist Mike Williams’ professed 150+ days of effort to send. It’s a short, bouldery and technical route consisting of pinches, sidepulls, several monos, and tricky feet. I scoped it out earlier this summer and it seemed to suit me well, then I began trying it at the start of September and made quick progress. Excited to see what the rest of the season has in store.