Had a nice weekend this weekend, not a ton of climbing but all worthwhile stuff. I led Tennish anyone, very stout and demanding.

Then tried the direct versions of a couple of climbs Blistered Toe & Pas de Duex.

Blistered Toe was easy to see the direct start for and took me half a dozen tries to get up, but I finally made it – it’s a good landing to jump down to if you can’t make it, and a green alien protects you if you can hang on to place it once you are almost through. That start was every bit some 9 moves, and the rest of the climb was somewhat sustained and 8 to 8+ IMO. The direct version is easy to see.

Finished off on Sunday leading Pas Deux direct - I think. I’m looking for some confirmation here.

I've never been on this climb before, but I have seen many people on it.

I started right under the crack under that little roof just left of the left facing corner, then right up into the crack, aiming to the thank God horizontal.

I got a set of opposed nut it just under the start of the crack to keep my options for hand hold completely opened. But even still I puzzled over that start there for 20 minutes! then when I did finally make it, it felt WAY harder than 5.8, I noticed in the book that the direct version description *seems* to be consistent with the way I climbed if – the direct start goes at a 10.

I consider myself very solid in the 8s, but this move was hard, harder than the direct start of blistered toe - not having enough to keep you off the deck and having to make such a thin balanced AND strong move to get to a stance might be making it seem harder than it was.

My question is if you ignore the face to the right of the corner did you do the direct start? - or am I being chicken shit and that’s just the move on the regular route.

ed

The direct start is hard. 9+ / 10- and tricky IMHO. The regular start (to the right on the face) is 5.8

nice job on Tennish

It's a bouldery move. I think it's more like 10d/11a.

If you weren't traversing all over the place on Pas de Deux you did the direct start. The regular route goes up a little, then right quite a bit, then up a little, then left quite a bit, to get back to where you started.

There's a hold on Pas de Deux direct that doesn't look like a hold but is and that's the key to it. Sadly, that's all I remember so I'll be equally stumped the next time I get on it.

Blistered Toe Direct is all of 9.

I think your rest was past the direct start. Nice send, edk. I had looked at that when originally leading the regular start last year and quickly realized it was all of a medium 10. I'll have to try again.

Sounds like the rest is also part of the regular route, after the direct joins it.

It sounds exactly like you did the direct start. The regular route starts up around the corner a couple feet to right, and then hand traverses back in. I agree with Lester that the direct is a hard 10; I'm not so bad at 10a, and this thing shut me down.

I pretty much went straight up. I confess to copping a nice stance out left after some tough moves somewhere around 7 meters or so off the deck, then stepping back into the line and going straight up.

As you've picked up from the comments, the direct start is all of 2 or 3 moves, bouldering up that little overhanging groove at the base of the crack line. The normal line starts just a few feet to the right on the slab. You climb up just a bit and then traverse left to the crack. The move left is the crux of the normal route. The rest of the face climb is sustained 5.6-5.7 with plenty of available rests. Personally, I think P1 is one of the sweetest face climbs in that grade that I've been on anywhere.

Sounds like you're ready for the route "Bonticou" 5.10 out at the AI wall at ... where else ... Bonticou. It's a very similiar set up. Boulder start off the ground (10c) to a nice well-protected 5.7 face climb above.