26 December 2020

The Swarm 8B by Katie Lamb

Katie Lamb has done her sixth 8B in 2020, The Swarm in Buttermilks after seven sessions. In the 8a ranking game, the 23-year-old is #5. (c) Eric Bissell

"Every day for one whole year I have dreamed of The Swarm. It was my child, my light, my life. I wanted to prove myself as a crimper, and there is no boulder in the US more sacred to crimping crumpets than this one. Once I committed to learning the ways of the patina and listening to the whispers of the Owen’s Valley and ancient Bristlecone Pines the boulder was attainable. Every day that I felt close to sending, the boulder said “do it again”. I took inspiration from my friend Duke (who has the spirit of Santa’s elf) and eventually I found myself topping out the glory slab and standing atop the boulder of my dreams. Pure! Bliss! A merry Christmas kiss from the mountains!"
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