Some of my latest trip reports:
Cherokee:
I recently established a couple new problems at Cherokee, rated at about V4/V5, probably height dependent, but they felt like 5's to me. You should print off these descriptions and bring it with you if you want to try them:
The first one has the same first two moves as the high traverse. Start on the big jug for the middle bolted route, make the big move out left to the super good rounded incut hold, and then make a huge move up and right to the left sidepull used on the middle bolted route. From here all holds on the middle bolted route are out, staying left of that problem. You match up on that sidepull, it's got a good slightly slopey crimp on top for your right hand. Make a giant move out left to the extremely hard to find bad crimp (it juts out of the wall and you can even put your thumb under it utilizing it as a pinch) that isn't used on any other already established line, and then bump that hand to the sloper. Good luck finding the positive part of that sloper, but it is possible, I've done it. During the top out, you will be extremely temped to cut right use the slopey crimp hand/foot hold used on the middle route, but it's not part of the problem. There are feet to top out, they are just hard to see.
The second problem starts on that horizontal finger lock crack used on the low traverse. Match up on it. My goal was to try and climb strait up from here. Make a big move out left to the very good incut crimp used on the left bolted route. Next make a long move up and right to the very good full pad crimp that's used on the high traverse. From here you will see two bad diagonal crimps in front of your face, grab one of them, and then put your foot in the horizontal finger lock crack. Next make a super hard long move up and left to a sharp 2 finger pocket that isn't used on any other already established line, then right hand on the diagonal crimp. Now I know I've bumped my hand left to the extremely good rail that's used on the left bolted route then topped out, and I'm pretty positive that I've also ignored that rail and made a move up and right to some new holds and topped it out.
Knobs:
So my long standing project has finally fallen, and it's fun as hell. I'm naming it Lost and Found V5. It's taken me about 5 trips to send it. You know how they say the problem is always harder for the FA, well that was definitely the case here. If someone told me all the beta, I probably would have gotten it on my first trip. This first description is just where the line goes and I'm going to try and avoid beta here:
Start with your right hand on the triangle crimp and your left hand on the diagonal, slightly slopey, but very positive crimp. Make some moves out right, then some moves out left, and the line tops out to the right of the overhang.
I also developed about 5 other problems on my last trip, 4 were very easy beginner problems, but they made for a good warm up. All are located in what I call the middle area, which is in between the Lost and Found boulder, and the other giant boulder with the majority of the problems on it. The one good problem I found (Flakenstein) is about a V1, easy I know but it's fun. There is a giant scoop feature (like The Scoop at Rocktown) on a giant boulder, and right behind it is a 2-3 foot tall boulder that should be padded, especially since one of the key holds doesn't appear to be the strongest of holds.
Funny story, so I go to leave and see what I thought was a hiker but it ended up being a climber looking for the boulders. I couldn't believe I randomly saw another climber at Knobs, I never thought I would see the day. He most likely couldn't find the boulders because he didn't print out my map(
http://i45.tinypic.com/13z5zd0.jpg), and he also neglected to turn left in to the forest and bushwack his way down to them. I showed him a bunch of problems, and after a bunch of attempts he got the 2nd ascent of Lost and Found. Now we are good climbing partners, developing tons of quality sandstone problems in Indiana, just 30 miles from downtown Louisville.
"It is difficult to estimate the potential damage of solvents; therefore the middle of the rope should never be marked with a felt-tip pen or similar. Although a danger might be improbable, it should never be ignored." Mammut
