[dr_botnik]

First solo of Chimera at High Rocks today by Matt Cousins. Nice one Matt! 

Impressive! Did it involve matts?

[Fiend]

Quite probably 

A serious highball that, looks totally insecure.

[dr_botnik]

How many metres up is the crux? It looks right near the top. Would ground upping it be too futuristic atm?

[petercrimp]

Some footage from today. Really impressive!

[tomtom]

Wow - thats fantastic, seriously high and very much not a path at the top!

[Fiend]

Rat up a drainpipe! Bon effort.

[Tom de Gay]

Wow, he totally paths it! Brilliant stuff.

It's about 7C+. Crux is the high step from the break and grim press into the groove – that would be a horrible sideways fall. And it's still hard and sketchy after. Usual damp sandy death top out. Still fancy the ground up?

[dr_botnik]

Matt Cousins 

[dr_botnik]

p.s. Tom; I've not got the balls, or the talent. It's easy to watch someone dispatch something in such good style and dream tho!

[andy popp]

Bloody hell ...

[nik at work]

Very nice.

[remus]

Made it look about 6B+! Top quality ascent.

[JackAus]

Quick run down of Woods' Grampians ascents so far...

Snooky Badlands V10
Butchers Choice V10
Forced Entry V11
Forced Entry Direct V11
Point and Shoot V11
Parallel Lines V11
So You Think You Can Dance V11
Gaida V12
Last Action Hiro V12
Occam's Razor V13
Mana V13
On The Beach V13
Pretty Hate Machine V13
Stimulation V13

[ferret]

thats not a bad day for woods

[turnipturned]

Quick run down of Woods' Grampians ascents so far...

Snooky Badlands V10
Butchers Choice V10
Forced Entry V11
Forced Entry Direct V11
Point and Shoot V11
Parallel Lines V11
So You Think You Can Dance V11
Gaida V12
Last Action Hiro V12
Occam's Razor V13
Mana V13
On The Beach V13
Pretty Hate Machine V13
Stimulation V13

Lets compare that to Jimmy Webbs ticklist for Rocklands:

Golden Shadow 8b+ (V14)
Ray of Light 8b (V13)
Monkey Business 8b (V13)
Modified Limtied Rampage 8B (V13)
King of Limbs 8b (V13)
Madiba 8b (V13)
Sky 8a+/8b/8b+ (V13?) FLASH
The Vice 8b (V13) FLASH
Mooiste Meiste 8b (V13)
Derailed (Anti Kneepad) 8b (V13)
The Ghoul 8a+ (V12) FA
The Big Short 8a+ (V12) FA
Time Out SS 8a+ (V12)
Matter of Balance 8a+ (V12)
Oral Office 8a+ (V12)
Black Shadow 8a+ (V12)

Plus another 24 8a (V11), 11 of which were flashed, 2 first ascents and 6 of which have been downgraded from 8a+

JESUS!

Looks like the Jernej Kruder and Niccolo Ceri are following suit. I think that Kruder main goal is to flash as much as he can, witnessed him on Black Shadow... wow!

I think a new standard is coming!

[fried]

JonP doing Chimera on top-rope for an idea of just how impressive a solo that is. (shameless link theft from theotherside)

[shurt]

agreed, the blurry youtube doesnt give a proper idea of how thin it is. makes the solo seem even more impressive...

[Doylo]

Jimmy Webb is the man when it comes to flashing boulders. 4 8b flashes in the last year (2 of them got 8b+)

[Tommy]

Andi T and partner broke the Staffordshire Nose record today. 8hrs and 41mins I think.

Good work on a hot day like this! Surely can go under 7hrs?

[Jaspersharpe]

First solo of Chimera at High Rocks today by Matt Cousins. Nice one Matt! 

This is pretty midblowing.

Wow, he totally paths it! Brilliant stuff.

It's about 7C+. Crux is the high step from the break and grim press into the groove – that would be a horrible sideways fall. And it's still hard and sketchy after. Usual damp sandy death top out. Still fancy the ground up?

  7C+ as a problem grade is about right but this is not a boulder problem. More like soloing an 8b route where you wouldn't really want ot fall off the crux and definitely wouldn't want to fall off after it. As Tom says, the finish would be enough to put most off the solo!

[SA Chris]

So E8 then? That outcrop films clip really does justice to showing how frikking hard / tenuous / powerful the crux is. Full marks to the FA and to anyone who has done it, but soloing it is something else.

[Danny]

I'd say a fair bit more than E8 in trad money - from my armchair of course. Necky 8b is surely in the E9/10 neck of the woods.

Not that it really matters, or needs that kind of number to validate what is manifestly an awesome effort.

[dave]

Didn't that always reckon Parthian was 8a+ but provided the gear held was basically safe?

I usually think southern sandstone looks shit but this looks boss. If only he'd done it quarterback style wearing an american football shirt. #Touchdown

[r-man]

A close up.

[Grubes]

fuck ... that close up looked scary!