Ascents by Ian 溫翊恩 having Sport CPR

Three boulder problems into an exposed tufa escape! This line took work, and was a nice challenge for me. Hot conditions surely played a role in my perspective on the route's difficulty. The clip on the long runner at bolt 3 is a hassle, and I wish that there were a bolt there instead.

Took me longer to send than anticipated; I fell repeatedly on the final deadpoint move. A glorious, aesthetic, comfortable line straight up the streak of white rock which first catches the eye when one enters the valley. Redpointed in the morning, with loads of stoke and a generous early belay.

Pinches, pockets, and very cool moves. A friend gave beta for the technical crux, but it took major effort to unlock two meters of the rock higher up! My solution cranked a left hand two finger pocket, my weakest and most dreaded grip due to past injuries. This vicious pocket limited the number of attempts and rehearsals I could make, and scared the hell out of me on lead. I rested a bit left mid-route, but found the position very unnatural to avoid or ignore and thus feel fine with it. Wear a helmet; some loose rock.

So technical! Fingers, footwork, balance and positioning all play their part. I used an extended draw on the janky final bolt, and downclimbed to mitigate fierce rope drag by unclipping the two bolts above the ledge. I was stuck falling on the final crimpy moves for quite some time, steadily losing skin. Good rest and recovery, slight optimizations, beta advice from a friend, and a mega supportive belayer made the send!

Fingery, then powerful and pumpy as the cliff steepens. The face into the diagonal crack offers a sustained, technical sequence on crimps and pockets: a glorious set of hard moves.

At least a grade easier than the direct variant; I still felt fresh after traversing in. The final boulder problem, into the tufa, remains wonderfully technical on superb crimps.

Short extension, just a pair of hard slab boulder problems on a rope, but I really loved solving and climbing this! I climbed by extending ‘Buzzsaw’. I first sent this problem starting from the ‘Buzzsaw’ anchor, but it didn’t feel right doing it that way. I am happy to have spent more time on it, and feel great redpointing it from the ground!

This line is disappointingly soft for the grade, although there is surely some contrived beta which makes it a 7a+. The left side of this crag, the white face, doesn’t get nearly as much traffic as it deserves.

“Some argue these last moves are 7c” - count me amongst them. Remains listed at 7c in the 2023 guidebook, and goes as hard as most 5.12d / 7c that I’ve climbed. Right hand ring finger split deep and bled profusely, but I managed to redpoint with a taped tip.

Not my preferred style, felt quite hard in the crux. A short section has non-trivial ledge exposure, one heady clip. I found a bad rest slightly to the side, but I think it’s on route.

Jamming my fingers saved me from sweating right out of the crux. A little heady clipping above the ledge. Super stoked to onsight this route; I tried hard and committed fully to my read.

Short but intense, a case study in power endurance and efficient execution. Crimps, pinches, underclings, a deadpoint, an obligatory two-finger pocket, a heel hook, a kneebar, and amazingly good friction; the movement and holds are consistently varied and indelible. The line even stays dry in moderate rain! Banger.

Excellent orange and grey limestone throughout. The lower route is well interspersed with rest, but as you move higher the action gets hotter. Sublime face climbing at the top offers a variety of crimps, small pinches, and delicate footwork - one key move is also harder for the tall! Graded 13a on the topo, but subjectively felt like 12+ to me.

Interesting balance moves in the first half, and an awesome, exposed, fingery ceiling flip above the rest ledge. Graded 5.13a on old and new topos. To me, it felt like it could be a 5.12+. I should note that techy face cruxes are my preferred style and strength, that I am tall, and that I worked the route while on a multi-week stint of constant climbing on similar limestone. Whatever the grade, it remains that 梦想 offers beautiful features and superb flow.

A proud line starting high off the ground atop a huge boulder, ascending an exceptionally high quality yellow limestone face. Subjectively, this route presented the hardest sustained sequence that I have climbed to date. No individual move is nails hard, nor harder than other crux moves I have climbed around this grade; brutality lies in the sheer intensity of linking everything. I repeatedly climbed clean as far as the final, cranking balance move of my beta - only to peel off, again and again. A last minute beta change sealed the deal, and closed this mentally intense project.

Had a lot of fun solving the boulder problem, but the send felt much easier than graded.

Thanks to LuoYe for crux beta. Happy to climb the boulder crux smoothly! However, between final bolt and anchor I was drawn in by a good hold, and compelled to messily climb the left face. A few moves were fairly left of the final bolt, close to the next route - but in reflection looking at the line, I feel OK with this. With no clipping hold for the anchor I reached the literal top of the mountain, where the white limestone crown is weathered slippery smooth. The anchor was right beside me at knee height, but so difficult and sketchy to clip! On the way down I tried the obvious alternative finish, and found it much easier. Go figure!

Highly aesthetic line, both visually and kinaesthetically. The sequence above the ledge demands a relentless flow of movement, climbing what feel like fractal variations of the same crimpy boulder problem right up to the committing crux deadpoint. Sharp crimps, pinches, finger locks, delicate footwork, and enough overhang to feel powerful and intense. A work of art hewn in stone.

Superb technical climbing on slippery feet, crimps, and open hands. I majorly struggled making the anchor clip, and almost whipped with the rope in my hand!

Peculiar, unique crux. Creativity and three dimensional thinking were needed, even with flash beta from friends.

Hand-to-hand combat from bolt one to bolt four. Footwork delicate to the point that I needed stiff shoes to pull any moves - and I still lost an edge, but managed to hold on, during my send. I found two viable options for the second crux; execute a ‘three finger death punch’, or ‘be like water’. Short, but not just a single crux route!

I benefited enormously from the detailed beta of several friends. Every hold and movement was as I anticipated from the ground, and I climbed through the crux statically. I really enjoyed how the climbing transitions from slabby to steeper.

I’d had my eye on this route for some time, and finally went for it today. I read the problem flawlessly from the ground; everything that I envisioned and planned actualized into smooth movement.

Nicely varied holds: tufa, pockets, jugs, and a couple of positive pinches. Heat and humidity made the route feel quite intense at the top.

Hard, finger intensive boulder problem. Happy that my right hand could handle this one today.

Super cool little cave mid route. Steep jug haul the entire way, loads of fun.

The brief but sustained crux is headlined by a memorably bomber finger pocket. Looks long from the ground, feels short when climbed.

Brutal. Full body engagement.

Technical climbing on sparse bolting. Worthwhile! My first climb above 5.12a since finger injuries five weeks prior.

Pumped at the top, so I skipped the final clip and went for it!

Manufactured holds through the bottom boulder problem hurt the route’s quality, for me. I skipped the traverse quickdraw on redpoint, and whipped safely there on one attempt. I had trouble getting this one done, maybe due to inefficient beta or the style; it took significantly more work than Ghosts ‘n Goblins beside it.

Stellar, a truly fantastic line and style. Wonderfully long!

Technical start. I broke off a large jug and a foothold on my redpoint, somehow didn’t fall, and finished with blood streaming down my hand - dramatic!

Technical boulder on nice crimps. Sharp on the skin.

Good crimps, delicate footwork, one heady clip.

Unique movement and careful body positioning throughout. Short and pumpy, tough on skin.

Fantastic friction throughout a particularly technical crux sequence. The crimps and pinches are sharply textured, and each serious attempt cost me a layer of skin. My right index finger split and bled during the redpoint; if the moves hadn’t gone I wouldn’t have gotten another try.

Oddly named route; there was no wiggle. Just brute force and an aggressive three finger drag midway through the boulder. Pretty cool sequence.

Boulder problem starting on the big ledge above Dragonfly. Overhung, but totally a slab footwork crux! Missing first hanger above the ledge. The runout fall looks safe, but I placed a long runner on the second bolt in order to protect the first few moves from the ledge.

I climbed direct, and didn’t use any of the big holds off to the right on the 5.10a’s bolt line. By far the hardest 5.12b I have climbed to date. Totally my style, still felt at least a grade stiff. Fantastic climbing, thin and technical throughout, intense on fingers. A proud send for me - for the line, not for the grade!

Tight crimps, committing crux footholds. Delighted to send as a one day project whilst still weak and underweight from high altitude.

What a striking line! Follows a lovely crack the entire way up, cleaving the karst in half. Good holds and good rests the entire way.

Jamming helped me with this route. The cracks are sharp, so a bit of pain is obligatory. Single crux for the grade, possibly soft?

All about the final two bolts and the anchor. Thin hands, thinner feet, an intense crimp sequence. Big rests make the lower route a breeze. On one redpoint attempt I took a big whip, falling with the rope in my hand whilst attempting to clip the chains.

Thin limestone slab with two footwork cruxes concludes underneath the main event, a burly ceiling flip on marginal hands. Pulling over the roof presents the major crux, as it should be.

Has perhaps gotten easier due to broken rock? Feels like a 5.11- to me.

I managed to flash on pre-hung draws with excellent, detailed beta from a friend. Climbing flash with super strong support is very fun!