I started working Carnage back in November. The route was one of the few lines that caught my attention and the only route that I have spent more than 10 tries on. I remember starting the project and feeling the excitement of figuring out the moves and starting a long term project for the first time. The first weekend I started piecing sections together and started dialing moves down. I broke it down in to three sections: 5.11+ to a big flake on the arete, an 11 move v10 on micro crimps that all seemed to face the wrong way, and a 12+ bulge to the top. Both the first and third sections went really quickly, but the middle section was still a puzzle. The second weekend on it I started to hit a wall. All the moves had gone free except for one move where my left foot kept popping off over and over again when ever I weighted the hold. It seemed like the move was impossible. The next few weekends were spent trying the moves over and over again. Each time finding some little detail that got me closer to sending. Beta was reassessed and by weekend six it seemed like I was so close to sending. Though I kept falling off. Everything had to be perfect. The crux holds on this route are so tiny that the only reason you can hang on is, because the sharp texture of the holds creates just enough friction to hold on. This created a whole new problem. Each weekend I could only put in three tries before my tips would start cutting open and bleed. The seventh weekend came and I started to doubt if Carnage would ever go. I had been falling off the same move for so many weekends now that I needed to take a break from Shelf and focus on other routes. I started on a new project in Clear Creek Canyon and left for my Red Rocks trip. This trip gave me a month break from the redundant falling on Carnage and I came back with a new perspective. I came back to Shelf Road this last weekend set on sending. I knew it was all mental now and I just needed to push through the pain and succeed. The first attempt of the weekend I fell again on the same move. Frustrated, I pulled up and did the move statically with no problem. I quickly lowered off and went for it again and for some reason couldn’t do it again. Hanging there I realized setting up into the move was the reason why I kept missing the hold. I quickly memorized the best way to transition into the crux holds and lowered off. At the base, I realized that 5 of my finger tips were shredded pink with white blistered parts starting to form. The next hour was focused on resting and deciding whether I should get on some other routes or wait until the next day when my tips would be some what better. In the end I decided to wait until the next day.
The next morning things looked grim. My whole body was soar and my tips were extremely painful. Hiking in I decided to warm-up and see if I was able to climb at all. Both warm-ups went ok and lowering off it looked as If I would waste my time trying Carnage again. After an hour of hanging out at the base I decided to give it another go. I had convinced myself that I had spent way to much time on this route and I needed to send it now. I started the climb grimacing at every hold until I reached the base of the crux sequence. I shook out and went for it. The first five moves where extremely painful, but by the time I reached the crux my adrenaline had kicked in and my tips were numb. I set up perfectly and stuck the crux. When I reached the horizontal right before the 12+ section I was relieved it finally had gone! I focused on the last hard bulge and found myself clipping the chains finally. My first long term project has been completed and the second ascent of one of Shelf Road’s hardest routes.
Photo Credits: Leigh Marr
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