Saturday, August 10, 2013

Finally- attempting Sigma!

Yesterday dawned with a cloudless sky and temperatures in the high 60's.  I called up my friend and climbing partner Emily, and we both ditched out on work for the day to head down to Sandstone for some time on the rock and in the sun!
We warmed up on the Sax wall again, waiting until a church group vacated the wall we really wanted to go on- the Sigma wall!

I've checked out Sigma every time I've been at Sandstone.  At 5.12, it's a stout and powerful climb with two distinct cruxes.  After a leisurely start to get to the first bolt, you launch into the first crux- thin hands on not-great feet.  It took me a couple tries to figure out exactly what my sequence would be on that part, but what I have feels good, and would certainly go well once I get the moves together with clipping!
The second bit was a about halfway up the climb.

I fell numerous times at this part- you layback on the crack with again not-great feet, reaching high for better holds and basically smearing your way up until you get a good hand hold.

I'm still a little iffy on exactly what I'll be doing there- I got it all the times I worked the route, but I don't have a strong sequence or good flow yet- mostly just mildly desperate moves that yielded results.  Hopefully that won't be my sequence... :)  After that, you pretty much suck it up and gun for the top.  The moves aren't necessarily hard, but after all that lay-backing, it's pretty pumpy, and I'm basically in a race against how long my hands can hold on.
Emily and I both worked the route on top rope, and we're both super stoked to go back soon and work it some more.  Now that I have my sequence, I feel like most of it will flow really well, and let me feel confident enough to give it a go on lead.  Woowoo!!
After I got home last night, I discovered what my kittens had been up to all day.

Damn cats.  One of them (probably Maeby) chewed through the ends of almost the entire ball of yarn.  Just mowed through, pushing her face deeper and deeper into the skein, nomming on all the strands until I had an entire skein of 5-inch sections of green yarn.
::Sigh::  Time to make another trip to the yarn store...

1 comment:

Mark said...

the cats dished out your penalty for playing hookey &/or for leaving your yarn out. maybe they can gnaw a bigger thumb hole on the mittens.