Beautiful Gecko at Ice Caves Reclimbed

Well over a year ago now, some time in November 2011, a good sized hold at the right side of the Beef Cave at the Ice Caves, Sad Boulders, broke away to leave a smooth scar on the overhang where there once was a nice fingertip "jug."

The problem Beautiful Gecko immediately became a good bit harder. Previously, this hold had been the go-to starting point on the mid-level rail that leads left across the roof to form the line of Beautiful Gecko. It had also been useful for Aquatic Hitchhiker up the prow, and slightly more vitally, Windchill, up the face, but these two weren't so drastically affected as the former line, which may well have gone unclimbed since that break. Funny, because a couple other small pieces of the same rail had broken in the past, but this hold was solid. Never looked like it could go anywhere. Monolithic. Like rock, I mean, like a rock.

Anyway, this Wednesday, Ian Cotter-Brown completed the powerful new sequence of tricky cross-overs and tenuous heel- and toe-hook maneuvers across this line. After the awkward, high-tension set-up, a tough stab into the rail of Beefcake with a harrowing swing led to the relative ease of the exit. The line looks likely to hold its v12 grade quite comfortably now, or may even ... break it?



A short while ago Ian also added the link-up of Windchill into the end of Beefcake to produce Subzero, yet another astounding new line from the cave that just keeps on caving ... Oh yeah, and giving. This last also checks in around the v12 range perhaps.