Rock Wars is a five star 5.10a trad line that sits just to the right of Autumn (See previous post “A Goal Achieved”) at Long Wall in the Red River Gorge. When I climbed Autumn, an achievement in and of its self at the time, I saw Rock Wars and knew I had to get on it before I moved away. It is such an aesthetic line. The orange rock and the thin crack make for some of the most photogenic and beautiful climbing I have yet to experience.
Last week I got on Rock Wars for the first time. The first go had me a little sketched out on the lower part of the route which is considered by most to be 5.9ish. I had to hang a couple of times and once I got to the bolt two thirds of the way up (where the route used to end) I decided there was no need to head out into the 5.10a crux after the weak attempt I had just made on the easy stuff. That said, the moves were amazing and I was inspired to come back and try to send the route. In spite of having to hang twice on the easier section, something inside me was aware I could send the route clean. In fact, I feel like I would have done much better on the on-sight go had I warmed up on Autumn first. The fact is, I hadn’t climbed any trad since I sent Autumn the first time over a month ago. For this reason, I was questioning my gear all the way up Rock Wars. I just needed to get back into the swing of things and give it another burn.
One week later I returned equipped with more gear and friends to provide the mad sending vibes I would need. This time I made a better decision to warm up by climbing Autumn first. Crushing Autumn easily really got my spirits riding high, and I could feel the Rock Wars send building up inside of me. I was amped and this shit was going to go down. Anticipation was building to the point that I couldn’t set still as I rested at the base of Rock Wars. I can’t remember the last time I was this psyched to get on a route (well, maybe a few days before when I first laid my eyes on Brontosaurus was a pretty similar feeling).
Finally, I racked up and set off. This time I had a real plan which helped a lot. While I was resting I had been eyeing up the route, remembering my placements form the previous week and setting a goal to only place every other one. I wanted to avoid sewing it up and climb fast and confidently. So as I was climbing, even if I felt the need for a piece I pressed myself to power through two or three more moves where I knew there was a more solid stance and better pro. In this way I cruised the lower section that had given me such trouble the previous week. After sizing up the crux from the rest ledge, I set off in hopes of making it to the anchors. I had a little bit of a plan for the gear. My first piece down low, a number one before the crux and a .75 after then move to the anchors. After plugging my first piece I pulled one move and found myself in the most comfortable stance I had found the entire route. My first thought was to plug a piece but it was only three feet above my last one. “A waste of energy to protect here,” I thought, “just pull on up below the crux and place the next piece.” Before I knew I was mid crux and little farther from my last protection than I wanted to be. In a brief mental hiccup I tried to plug a piece from an unstable stance but couldn’t get it solid or clip it. Sadly, at this point I had to call for a take and fall below my last piece. Had I protected at that solid stance I had before, perhaps this would have been a send, but oh well, that is just a maybe. After a brief rest, I pulled into the crack and cruised to the anchors with a sigh of relief. I was tired, completely exhausted actually, but I knew the route, I knew what to do for the pro, and more importantly I knew I could send.
On the second attempt of the day, I knew exactly what pieces I had placed and took only those, racking them in the order I placed them to make it even easier. Most importantly I worked out the crux move in my head several times before lifting off. As I reached the anchors I felt a wave of satisfaction, but there was something missing. I didn’t have that awesome feeling I had after on-sighting my first 5.9 Autumn a month or so before. This send, though notable on my tick list, felt somewhat empty in spite of how great it felt to tick off my first 5.10 trad line.
Examining this void later is what prompted the point of this post, and I am sorry it has taken me so long to get to it. I feel the previous description of the climb was necessary to get across the something that was lacking in the send. On the final attempt I never got scared, I never got tired, I don’t even remember even thinking about placing gear. The moves alone on the route are spectacular, but to me, just doing the motions of the route wound up not being enough.
In sport climbing, projecting a route is a common and accepted practice. It is the norm to give an on-sight burn hoping to tick off our current project in one go only to fall, work the sequence over and over until we could do the moves blindfolded, and then go back for the red point burn. But is this an accepted practice in trad climbing? As trad climbers, don’t we love placing pro as much as we love doing the moves of a route or is that just me? The instant gratification that comes from correctly making a split second decision as to which cam or stopper to place in a crack, or the fear and panic that result when we realize we have chosen incorrectly, is part of the game. It is, in essence, why I love trad climbing. Projecting Rock Wars sort of took that away. Knowing every single placement and move like the back of my hand before I touched the rock on the third go really dumbed down the climb. In fact, the accomplishment feels tainted and hollow as result. I might as well have been clipping bolts on a sport route well below my limit.
What are your thoughts on the matter? I personally don’t think I’ll be projecting anymore trad lines. That said, I am hungry for my first 5.10 trad send without serious projecting. Maybe it will happen before I leave KY and maybe not, but either way, it will be a gratifying experience I am sure.
[...] was able to tick off a couple of really classic 9’s most notably Strick 9 as well as get the red point on my first 5.10 trad line Rock Wars . In the three weeks I was there I got on a couple of other 5.10 trad lines only to get shut down [...]
I think what you are getting at here is not Trad vs Sport more like ground-up (onsighting) vs top down/projecting (redpointing).
If you are about the adventure then ground-up onsight ascents are most appealing. If you want to pursue difficulty it is often faster (read easier) to start by hang doging or top roping.
Personsonally I enjoy projecting Trad routes and getting everything perfect. I like sending a climb that took me many tries or days to feel easy or just right at the end. Projecting can turn the impossible into something sendable.