Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Paul Robinson suggests v16 for Rastaman Vibration Sit, naming it Lucid Dreaming

Paul Robinson has climbed the Buttermilks long-standing project the Rastaman Vibration Sit Start this morning. While working this problem just left of Evilution, on the Grandpa Peabody Boulder, Paul described it as much harder than anything he had done before. This extreme problem with a crux move to gain and dyno from a small left-hand pinch at standing height, was disregarded as near-impossible by many top climbers--with only a handful ever sticking the dyno. The line, in full is thought to be at least v15 and Paul has suggested v16. Not only is the start extremely physical, but the topout up the slab left of Evilution adds a good deal of highballing spice to top it off! Certainly one of the most amazing ascents at the Buttermilks ever, and one of the world's hardest problems. He has named the line Lucid Dreaming.


This line is the bafflingly hard sit start to Jared Roth's 2002 highball, Rastaman Vibration (v12) on the left side of the Grandpa Peabody's south face. Roth began his original problem at a high pinch, setting feet on the rock before making a desperate dyno to snag a fingertip edge. The crux over, v6-ish moves then led to the highball finish that he described as an epic hair-raiser. Sticking that first move alone though, was hard enough that only three or four people have ever done it. But not one had felt the urge to repeat the original line, by continuing on to the finish, perhaps feeling that the high topout was too sketchy to be worth the effort for a second ascent while the obvious and tantalizing sit-start was so nearly within grasp.

However, the "Rasta Sit Project" rebuffed all-comers, and steadily began to take on mythic status as the hardest well-tried project in the West, turning away everyone that came knocking, including Matt Birch, and Paul Robinson two years running. To put things in perspective, in 2007, Paul checked off The Swarm and The Mandala Sit Original (both v14) on the same day without much pre-knowledge. He also added the sit to the Mandala Direct to give The Mandala Direct Assis (v14), repeated The Spectre (v13), A Scanner Darkly (v12), The Mystery (v12), Direction (v13), and A Maze of Death (v12) ALL in one short trip in March 2007--that's over two years ago. Those were just side dishes in between tentative first attempts at the Rasta Project.

Hooked, Paul came back to put some serious work into the Rastaman Sit Start in April 2008. He was close, and was hoping to return in the fall, but that fall/winter season of 2008/2009 was curtailed for him due to a bad ankle injury sustained in a short fall while in Switzerland. He waited and returned recently to spent several more days over about a week and a half to get it done! Paul's other hardest ascents include well over a dozen v14s and a couple of v15s (Jade at Rocky Mt Nat. Park, and the second ascent of Fred Nicole's Heuco Tanks testpiece Terremer).





All photos above are of Paul on the crux.

 Paul, after the ascent. He described a dream he had that morning in which he was climbing out an overhang on miserable pinches before awaking and feeling ready to go! Hence the name he gave the line: Lucid Dreaming.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice job, Paul. Congratulations!

Narc said...

Congrats Paul!

Half Circle G said...

Hells ya Paul! I felt that crux hold last year and was absolutely befuddled how someone could crank off it.

One question though, how is this NOT v16?

Seems like it took more work and booted more peeps than The Game, then again, I don't really know what i'm talking about. Perhaps someone can enlighten me.

Wills Young said...

Paul has suggested v16. I have updated the post.

bob banks said...

Seems to me like this just has to be one of the 'most attempted' projects anywhere ever? It's been sitting there getting fondled for years. Seems like another level. Well done.

Eric Wolff said...

Wow, Really great news! congratulations Paul, on an epic send. I remember watching him work it a while back. That's so rad he sent it!

Chris Rich said...

Incredible. Congrats Paul...making the impossible possible! Thanks for the blog Wills.

DaveH said...

Wills, is it possible for you to list all of the hard climbers that you know have tried the line?

You mentioned Paul, Jared Roth (well, I assume he's tried the sit a little), and Matt Birch.

Is that the "3 or 4" people who've stuck the first move too?

Congratulations Paul.

Wills Young said...

Dave, I don't know how many have given it any serious effort. There are dozens of climbers who have played on the line, or pulled on the holds to see what they think. That list would include all the top climbers who've been through the Buttermilks. Most don't try it seriously though, as I think for most the moves seem too difficult to link, and they know it will take 100 percent effort with little chance of success. Only 4 that I know of have done the first move of Rastaman Vibration, Jared Roth's line from 2002; most find it hard to pull both feet off the ground. Daniel Woods also did all the hard moves in a fairly short session. Maybe others have done that dyno that I don't know of. If someone knows better, please write...

Mick Ryan said...

Bob Banks was close in 2001.

Great to see that it has gone dow.

Fantasic Paul.

Mick Ryan

sk said...

WOW! respect...

Zack Hitz said...

Pure savagery. Congrats Paul.

I wonder who will be the next person to give this a serious go...

Noah Kaufman, MD said...

I did that thing years ago!

Anonymous said...

Wills, someone has the FA on their 8a account. Name is Charlie Brendsen. He also has the FA to beefy gecko, and an FA to a sads problem that I've never heard of called "mad cow unknown." Ever heard of this guy?
P.S. says he's south african

Richie said...

Congrats man.
it seems that a lot of v15 and 16's have been going up around the world lately. cant wait till some one gets the 17 in there

heretic said...

@Wills - I particularly don't like being the first to ask this unfortunate question and hopefully there's a simple and easy answer to it, did anyone bare witness to this send? I saw the RRF segment of The Game and Lucid Dreaming but the latter had uncut footage to it. Then it recently came to my ears that Robinson had sent the problem alone that morning. Given some of the recent issues coming up online about the subject of uncut footage and such, I think it's reasonable to ask such a question, especially for a problem who's suggested grade is at the top of the scale. Your thoughts?

Thanks~

Wills Young said...

I have no doubt Paul did the problem.