Two amigos on a decidedly easier bouldering problem than yesterday's post (easy enough for me to do!). Bouldering is a tricky thing- you're not roped, you never go much above 10 feet, and yet I am just as aware of a potential fall as I am when leading. You're not falling far, but you're guaranteed to deck and it doesn't take much to fuck yourself up on a pile of rocks. I guess that's why smart people bring crash pads.
Bouldering tends to be more technically difficult or, rather, the ratings start at a higher level, and great boulderers can put up some truly awe-inspiring moves. One of the films shown at the fest was about this girl, Ashima Shiraishi, a 9 year old Manhattanite who is one of the best climbers around, of any age- in her trip to Hueco Tanks, TX, the centerpiece of the film, she was working on a bouldering problem that has yet to see a completed ascent by a woman. She apparently sent it three times (!!), but remains without a valid ascent because each time her feet swung out and briefly hit a tree. That's gotta be hard on such a wee one. But if puberty is good to her (physically and mentally), she will likely become...I don't even know. She's already phenomenal, I lack an appropriately strong superlative.
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