Beth Rodden completed the first ascent of Meltdown (5.14c) in Yosemite, CA.
She worked on the route for 4 months through the stormy Sierra winter contending with feet of snow. The route is protects completely natural and she placed all of the gear on lead.
I worked harder on this route than any other single pitch climb I have done. Rodden is hesitant to give the route a letter grade, but considering she has redpointed several 5.14a's and did the first ascent of the Optimist (5.14b) in roughly half the time, Meltdown is most likely the hardest climb redpointed by an American woman, and the hardest traditional climb completed in the world by a woman. If it is 5.14c it puts her in an elite category of two or three women ever to have climbed the grade of 5.14c.
Follow the french guys at the Red River Gorge, Kentucky - USA.
Daniel Dulac linking his new route "El Encuentro" (8a - 5.13b).
Mickaël Fuselier sending the first ascent of "50 words for pump" (8c+ - 5.14c), and Gérome Pouvreau finally linking "Thanatopsis" (8b+ - 5.14a)...
Climbing, climbing and more climbing !
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A video by Erwan Lelann & Guillaume Broust.
Music by eKoman featuring Paty Thioune. Vocals by Laurence Gullon.
Mickael Fuselier's balance on the RocTrip in Red River Gorge :
Red River Gorge is obviously the North
American hot spot when it comes to sport climbing. This little corner of
paradise is located in eastern Kentucky, about two hours from Louisville. The
small downside of this place, though, is that there is oil under the ground.
Because of this, the RRGCC (Red River Gorge
Climbers' Coalition) bought the land to prevent losing access to the site.
Aside from wanting to showcase this magical spot, the aim of this RocTrip was
to help the RRGCC by giving them back the cash prizes won by the climbers
(excellent concept). The second goal was making the annual Roctoberfest bigger
than ever.
Red River Gorge is made up of many crags,
and stuff for everyone, from Class 4 to project material. You'll have to search
a long time before coming across a bad piece of rock. The rock is sculpted to
perfection, and offers one gem after another. The height and overhang of the
routes varies from crag to crag (15 to 35 m). After a full-on day, you can go
and recover at Miguel's pizzeria, where all the climbers hang out.
This trip was particularly well organized,
and stars like Chris Sharma, Dave Graham, Dani Andrada, Liv Sansoz, Emilie Harrington and many
others, thrilled the climbers who had come to see the show.
Personally, I enjoyed the atmosphere within
the team, and I had tons of fun on this trip. I got to collect a solid bunch of
tick marks on about 15 routes, from 8a (13.b) to 8c+ (14.c).
A big thanks to Tony for the belay in Fifty words for pumped. It allowed me to climb confidently through the crux,
for which I couldn't clip and in which a fall could have broken my ankles.
Thanks also to Petzl for inviting me on this trip.
All the info you need on the Red River
Gorge: www.rrgcc.org.
After several tries during two days, Mickael Fuselier made the first ascent of "Fifty words for pumped" in Red River Gorge, for the Petzl RocTrip.
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Espectacular sector ! El estilo de escalada, el color de la roca y la calidad de las vias es increible. Sin duda, de los mejores lugares que he visto nunca para escalar.
La via de las chicas es inhumana, escalar y escalar sobre presas positivas sobre una plancha desplomada que casi no tiene fin ! Resistente hasta el top... Me encantaria hacerla, pero creo que la cosa no esta muy facil...
Bueno, try again como las tarjetas de telefono en America...
Dani Andrada and Tony Lamiche worked hard yesterday to find a new beta that let them clip the fourth quickdraw in Fifty words for pumped.
Dany:
Despues de Mikey Fuselier encadena la via de RocTrip, yo investigo mucho tiempo porqe por el paso original el talon no va bien.
Y insisto en encontrar un metodo mejor para mi, y finalmente entre Tonio y yo lo encontramos y es possible hacerla, ya que finalmente todo el mundo intentara con ese metodo, aunke la diferencia es que por ese camino sera 8c, pero bonito...
Mickey Fuselier in the first crux during a try on thirsday - Photo Boris Stephan
On friday, Mickael Fuselier did the first ascent of Fifty words for pumped in Bob Marley. He proposes 8c+ :
The
friction was missing for the previous run, but yesterday I had screaming
barfies, and I think it was the good day to do the route.
I've met a
small problem again, because I can't clip the fourth quickdraw in the crux. It
was: I do the movement or I clip… I chose a really good belayer (Tony Lamiche)
and I didn't clip...
The second
part of the route was really endurance, but I knew it’s really good. I think
the grade is 8c+, but after my ascention Tony find an other beta on the right, so
I think it's easier like this, maybe 8c.
It's so
good, because a lot of climbers will now be able to do the route, and raise a
lot of money for the coalition.
I 'm so
happy to do the first ascent of such a nice route ! Thanks a lot everybody for
supporting me during the ascent.
Mickael Fuselier
Mickael Fuselier focusing before a run in Fifty words... on thirsday - Photo Boris Stephan
While many of the athletes rested to get ready for Saturday’s flash rally at the Motherlode, Michael Fuselier took advantage of the short lines at Bob Marley to polish off the first of the men’s Ultimate Routes. Fifty Words for Pump, a route nearing a decade without an ascent, might have stumped many with its awkward and bouldery lower crux, but Fuselier skimmed through it and made a clean run for the anchors. Though he claims he put in many attempts, the two-day tick was a memorable one for the Red. Calling it 5.14c, this route gained the RRGCC $500 from Petzl to go towards the PMRP mortgage payment.
With a day of climbing wrapped up, and clinics participants filtering back, the crowds herded into the Red River Outdoors fields for the night’s party. Sponsor tents overran the back half, while the main tent held the screen for night’s viewing of movies. With Timmy O’Niel running MC, and a brief introduction from Petzl American Marketing Director John Evans, and RRGCC Director of Corporate Funding Bentley Brackett, three movies played – Kinglines as the main attraction – while the crowds got psyched up.
What’s to come: the biggest day for the RocTrip/Roctoberfest, Saturday’s flash rally will begin at 10:30 at the Motherlode. Who will be the ruler of the day? Can McColl repeat his proud Thanatopsis onsight? Will Michael pull out all the stops? Come see the action.
The Petzl RocTrip/Roctoberfest event has officially begun, and the athletes have already geared up for game-time. With the big bucks still rolling in, and participants lining up in queue for this year's clinics – with instructors Lynn Hill, Katie Brown Cedar Wright, and more – the event is ready to kick off. Sean McColl's tipped off yesterday's highlights with a flash of the Motherlode crimpfest, Thanatopsis, (5.14d). It was hard all the way up, he says, I almost fell off the last move McColl also onsighted White Man's Shuffle, 5.13d.
Doyle pulled off a last-minute Bounty Route addition – Doglegs (5.12a) – a reachy, short-man's nightmare. A bounty was placed on the route for the first athlete – Doyle's height (5'5") or shorter – to send the route. After an afternoon's worth of tries and some serious motivation, Doyle pulled it off for another $500 Petzl donation to the RRGCC.
The women's Ultimate Route, No Redemption (5.13b), saw two more accents today. French phenom Liv Sansov, and Mariette Uhden from Germany polished off the route. Also noteworthy, Gabor Szekely sent Milf Money, the slab (5.13b), that has now sent six accents. The men are scrambling to find Fifty Words For Pump, but so far no one has dialed in the V11 crux near the bottom of the route.
With the event schedule to kick-off today, and the crowds rolling into Miguel's parking lot in droves, the 2007 RocTrip/Rocktoberfest has no limits. With the help of the community, the PMRP mortgage payment of $30,000 could be met by the end of the weekend. Come out, meet the Petzl athletes, and join the fun for the weekend.
The video of Said Belhaj & Gerhard
Hörhager climbing on the Choco Factory. This is the right bounty route which is
"hard but not impossible".
Maybe impossible in just two days (and "one
dog's leg" according to Said ....)
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The video of Steve McClure, working on the Left bounty route
("Project") on the Chocolate Factory. Petzl Roctrip Redriver Gorge, USA.
Few words of Steve :
"This route will go, but man, it is way hard. A line of tiny, sloping and sharp crimps up the forty five degree overhanging wall with no rest for thirty metres. A beautiful route, too hard for me in two days! I am switching projects.....
Fifty words for pump, Bob Marley project. This route is a definate possibility. Crimpy boulder problem followed by sloping expedition up the massive overhang. I have it wired after an hour, Now I just have to wait my turn in the queue for a redpoint..."
Steve McClure
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Everyone is keyed up for the Petzl RocTrip 2007, The Red River Gorge. With the exception of a few still trickling in, the athletes have made their way out to the crags to check out what the Red is all about. After taking a viewing tour of the list of Ultimate Routes on Tuesday, the athletes decided on the routes of the event and Petzl has agreed to donated $500 to the RRGCC for each Ultimate Route sent.
For the men, Fifty Words for Pump, the long-unsent project at Bob Marley Crag is the ultimate gem, and the they worked it enmass with no clean sends. Steve McClure, England’s hardman, avoided the crowds at the Chocolate Factory, a crag recently discovered by Kenny Barker and Mike Doyle. While Steve thinks the route will go, he says it’s very hard and needs a lot of cleaning, The women, however, ruled the day after both Ultimate Routes located at Bob Marley crag saw an accent. Martina Cufar walked the technical No Redemption, 5.13b, second go, and Emily Harrington, sent Ultraperm 5.13d on her third try, tenth route of the day.
Sean McColl started the domino effect for the mixed route, an unsend “slab” route also at Bob Marley. Named Milf Money and rated a rough13b, this route saw four more accents: Daniel Woods, Sonnie Trotter, Chris Linder, and Dave Graham. Other noteworthy sends: both Michael Fuselier and Daniel Woods onsighted Ultraperm, 5.13d. With Petzl’s contribution, pre-registration and other donations John Evans, Petzl American’s marketing director, thinks it’s possible for the community to raise the annual $30,000 payment by the end of the event.
As a side note, while on route, filmmaker Rob Frost, was bit by a snake coiled on a ledge. After following both Cedar Wright and Katie Brown on the route, he thinks it was the hiker effect. The first wakes it up, the second pisses it off, and the third gets bit.
When 15 climbers meet a strange Guru from nowhere, nobody knows what will happen... Strange beverages can surely change your way of life ! Funky afros and fluorescent lycras still rule somewhere, in the middle of Spain...
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Featuring :
Tony Lamiche, Jerome Meyer, Amely Delfino, Mickael Fuselier, Jeremy
Pancole, Stef Julien, Loic Gaidioz, Francois Lombard, Matthieu
Maynadier, Audrey Bosc, Isabelle Carrier, Sam Beaugey, Anne Galdéano,
Nicolas Badia, Maud Ansade, Philippe Ribière, Atma Singh, and Florent
Ricci as the crazy Dj'Ghost...
Directed by Guillaume Broust.
Photography by Julien Nadiras, Lafouche, Guillaume Broust.
Music by Florent Ricci, eKoman, Club des Dioux featuring Guests : HLM, Missy J, Sonia Panzani, Perrine Chauvin, Tony Georges...
The making-of the "Petzl Navalameca 70's movie" : Florent Ricci aka "Léon Roubignol" is making the DJ scratching sequence.
Notice that this sequence has been made in only one take... The clap is necssary to synchronize the sound and the video .
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The Outtake of the movie, or "Why Daniel Dulac didn't want to go back to the 20's.... ??" Watch Daniel on a beautifull arete (7a)...
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Red River Gorge is obviously the North
American hot spot when it comes to sport climbing. This little corner of
paradise is located in eastern Kentucky, about two hours from Louisville. The
small downside of this place, though, is that there is oil under the ground.
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