About two weeks ago I managed to repeat Memory Is Parallax V14 in Estes Park, CO. The history of this particular problem hasn’t been conveyed so well on the internet, so I thought I might clear things up based on the history I’ve been told and experienced. This project, formerly known as the Nicky’s Project, was discovered many years ago by Estes Park locals and was cleaned and attempted for years. The grade (or so I’m told) was suspected to be in the V12 range, until a key hold broke. After deciding that the recent break pushed the problem into a much more difficult range, word was passed along about the projects’ quality and existence to some of the stronger climbers in Colorado. Passing the word along to me was none other than Cameron Maier of Bear Cam Media. Around the same time, Dave Graham was shown the problem by Cam as well. My first attempts at the climb yielded some interesting and difficult beta that proved possible, yet very low percentage for me. After climbing on the project with Dave one day back in November, I abandoned my own beta (which wasn’t very consistent) for his beta (which seemed more consistent for me). I spent probably 5 days trying to make the First Ascent of the climb through November and December while Dave was away on various trips. I got really close one day in mid-December, piecing it together in two sections and nearly making the full link. Unfortunately, bad weather set in and as the holidays arrived I made the trek out to California to visit my family.

On New Years Eve, Dave battled with some heinous conditions and made the first ascent of the Nicky’s Project, naming it Memory Is Parallax and giving it the grade of V14.  I know Dave had put a ton of time and energy into the problem and I was happy to hear that he had finished the problem off.  It was a very impressive effort.  I do admit that I had a brief moment of sadness when I realized that I would no longer be able to complete it first, but quickly reminded myself that my vision for the future of bouldering requires the abandonment of the policy of opportunism that those at the upper echelon tend to inherit.   We all take our knocks at the door of progression and development, and regardless of who eventually breaks through and continues to break through, it was the collective energies of everyone that generates success.  It’s also important to realize that non-destructive competition amongst your peers ensures the highest level of performance, but not at the hands of greed.  In the end, every project is everyone’s project whether they are the first to climb it or the last.  I prefer to continue my life with this belief and that everyone is giving all they can give, trying their best, and consistently trying to improve the lives of the people around them.  Also, not enough credit is being given to the climbing community as an audience.  The admirers of our craft transform the visionaries from being a bunch of weirdos wandering around in the woods touching rocks into inspirational stories and reputable professionals.  Maybe it’s time to re-assess who really leads the way…

Following this realization, I regained my psych to return to Memory Is Parallax.  It was still a project for me and that’s all that really matters.  After checking out the video of Daniel Woods crushing the problem, unknowingly utilizing the beta that I had originally tried, I returned with a new found perspective.  With the addition of some great motivation from Paul Robinson, who was passing through town, I managed to squeak out a SEND:

After the send it was back to plastic until two days ago.  It was too late in the day to drive far, so I decided to head out to Clear Creek Canyon and visit an old friend named Echale V14.  I’ve spent a number of days over the last few years on this particular boulder, and have consistently been very, very close to sending.  I can do all the moves quite easily, but I always seem to let the bloc get the best of me in the end.  At times I wonder why I keep returning.  Echale, though it climbs fairly well, is a pretty bad boulder problem.  It was dug out of a hillside, chipped, and glued.  It’s not pretty.  But it’s close to home, has a very short approach, and is rarely covered in snow.  However two days ago, happened to be one of those rare days.  All the holds except for the juggy topout  were dry, so I spent a solid hour cleaning the top off.  I cleaned it just enough for a quick, but dicey warm-up on the final moves and proceeded to start trying from the bottom.  A few attempts later and this happened:

At this point all I can do is laugh.  That’s what you get for trying to top out on snow and ice…