[r-man]

12/05/05 - Sharma comes to town
"Maybe people know, maybe people don't know...but I wasn't a believer. I mean...how much can you know by reading a magazine? But he is NASTY strong!" Wasn't that a quote about Garth Miller? Or something like that anyway?

But enough crap - Chris Sharma has been at Castle Hill for the last two weeks and has opened New Zealand's first v14 boulder problem. In fact, in two weeks, Sharma (traveling with Boone Speed, Mike Call, Nate Gold, Lauren Lee and a whole crew of local groupies (some of whom had flown from around NZ just to grope and fawn)) opened around 10 hard new problems at Spittle Hill and Flock Hill between v9 and v14.

Reluctant as ever to detail his amazing feats, Sharma would only guess at the grade of his hard new lines - suggesting that one of his lines on Flock Hill (on the Trifecta boulder) could be in the v14 range. It might even be called the Black Dragon or maybe the Red Dragon - we couldn't actually confirm that. But the short point is the problem is HARD (with a capital SLOPER!).

In other news, we can tell you that Sharma cleaned up an old project near Thrust v7 on Spittle Hill in three or four tries - at moderate v12. Other 'impossible' looking lines were not so lucky. And although his traveling companions have now left, apparently Chris is still roaming the Castle Hill basin looking for NASTY lines. Stay tuned.

http://www.cactusclimbing.co.nz/powerband/news/news.html

Not Sharma, but it's a nice pic:

[Duma]

a whole crew of local groupies (some of whom had flown from around NZ just to grope and fawn)

Fuck I'd hate to be him.

[BenF]

Anybody got any more details on the stuff that Sharma's climbed at the Hill lately?  What was the project by Thrust he climbed?  I can't think what it was.  
And did he repeat that project wall v13 of Tim Clifford's?

Obviously my questions are a bit aimed towards people down under (if there are any currently posting on here) and I don't expect the Sheffield massive to know the answers...   :D

[Paz]

Did Sharma used to paly AD&D - maybe he grades problems using dice, e.g. 3D6.  Sounds sick anyway, my rotator cuff's ache just at the mention of Castle Hill.  Never been but am quite happy about it being on the other side of the world.

[Fiend]

Did Sharma used to paly AD&D - maybe he grades problems using dice, e.g. 3D6.

OMG V18 you just rolled the Boulder Problem Of Ultimate Might!

[account_inactive]

Looks as if Omega failed to sandbag the Sharma

[Bungle.]

.........however the link below has some good footage from the trip :

<http://www.movementfilms.com/biggametrailer.mov> 

[Bubba]

Nice!

[Stubbs]

The Hueco vid on the same site is excellent as well - check the roof at the start  :shock:
http://www.movementfilms.com/pages/next/media/huecoMedia/newHuecoTrailer.html

[a dense loner]

the nz looks like another pilgramige i fear