Ultra Perm 5.13d - Video

By: Urs Moosmuller

Here is a video of my ascent of Ultra Perm 5.13d in the Red River Gorge. While trying it I met a few climbers who were visiting from Germany and I was lucky enough to get a short video of the send. The quality isn't all that great, but it was shot off a hand held phone and at the spur of the moment. Also to the lighting was horrible due to the overcast rainy weather that we have been experiencing here. Thank you Peter Hirschkorn for shooting the video and editing it together!

The video has been banned in the United States so you have to go through a proxy through the UK. Here is the link with the aproxy.

http://www.finchroute.co.uk/browse.php?u=xKUNZ%2FqahpBgaDcGtKzjH613ch9bPUMYoeCxl15Z41xJvLSZ0ieED1Fmbxlt9rKpwyAA2aKmEqLGJ%2Ff54CEQ&b=5&f=norefer

If that doesn't work go to http://www.finchroute.co.uk/index.php   and copy https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0o0BRDjWdRk into the search box and click enter. It should direct you to the viewable video.

The Red River Gorge

By: Urs Moosmuller

For the past month I have been hanging out in the Red River Gorge in central Kentucky.  The climbing here is unbelievable and the concentration of steep high quality 5.13’s and 5.14’s is mind blowing. I arrived in the Red with my whole focus on building up a strong base in 13+’s and to work on getting stronger on steep climbing. My first two days I felt extremely strong and was able to do: The Legend 5.13b, White Man’s Overbite 5.13c, and Bohica 5.13b. This was the first time I did a 13c and a 13b in the same day! My psyche was really high and the next few days I started to check out Last of the Bohicans 13d, Kaleidoscope 5.13c, Ultra Perm 5.13d, The Nothing 5.14a, and Gods Own Stone 5.14a. After getting on all of those routes I was really psyched on Ultra Perm and I focused on getting in shape to do the route. After several set backs from over fatigued muscles, injuring my knee, and catching a nasty cold I finally sent on my 9th try with out being tired or pumped. I lowered off feeling as if nothing happened and my psyche for sending was minute. I was happy for doing the route, but it just wasn’t motivating me at all to jump into another project. So I turned my focuses on trad climbing. I started out focusing on some of the classic trad routes like Jungle Beat 5.9, Rock Wars 5.10a, The Quest 5.10c, Inhibitor 5.11a, Next Day Air 5.11b, B3 5.11b, and Mental health 5.11b. After onsighting all of them (offwidths, hand cracks, finger cracks, and thin dihedrals) I started looking for something hard. My friend John briefly mentioned to me an unrepeated 5.13c trad line on Long Wall during my 5 day sick period and I didn’t think much of it. After finishing off Ultra Perm, I questioned John more about the line and the next day he took me up to try the beast. After doing a cool approach pitch at 5.8, you reach a very comfy ledge to hang out on and gaze up at the intimidating seam that starts on a sharp arete then punches out a headwall where the crack opens up to provide just enough holds to make it through. I warmed up on the 5.11 dihedral next to it and lowered off stopping to chalk up the holds and get an idea of what I was getting into. I lowered off and started up it on top rope. I pulled through the lower 5.12 climbing and started into the crux sequence and surprised myself by flashing it. Lowering off I was super psyched to give it a burn, but I didn’t have small enough TCU’s. I bought them that night and took a rest day. I came back two days later to attempt it ground up on lead. My first burn was really nerve wracking and I over gripped every hold and fell off the last move of the crux onto a bomber nut and took a clean fall. Relieved that none of my pieces blew out of the wall I waited for about an hour then came back to go for the send burn. Starting up I already knew I was going to send. I hit the crux and cruised it to the top. My friend Alex shot a video of the send and I will be posting it soon! I now have a month left here and I am planning on putting the rest of my time into trying to do Southern Smoke. Based off of my progress on Ultra Perm, I am confidant I can do it before I leave and I'm psyched to really put all my effort into a grade that I thought would never be possible for me.

Photos by Ben Kunz and Lindsey Kunz.

No Redemption 5.13b 

My friend Ryan crushing Toker 11a.