8 Blue Nyla

Photo: Michelle Eckert (Bitches get stitches v9)

Photo: Pat Goodman (Slab Project)

On December 17th we traveled from CO to WV to escape snow and climb on some New River sandstone.  We only had 4 short days to spend with friends before returning to MD and PA for the Holidays.  Our first day was BRISK with highs in the 30's.  The rock felt like velcro and as we hiked through the expanse of rock excitement set in.  Boulders everywhere you looked, anything you wanted to climb from v0-project, 10ft to 50ft tall.  Nic had a project that he was very close on so that is where we headed first.  The project went up a proud sandstone face across rounded jugs and crimps with a crux move 15ft off the deck. The crux is a precise move to an incut crimp over a small bulge in the face so seeing what you were going for was almost impossible.  The project went down with some work and clocks in at v9.  We then made our way up towards the cliff line to try another project.  The second line that we got on was an arete on the main cliff line trail and is about 30ft tall.  It has a crux dyno to a a perfect mail slot jug and has a proud finish up a face with an exposed slab move towards the top of the boulder.  We got a full day of climbing in on our first day and it felt good to be with friends.  I was battling a sickness across the country and after our first day in the cold I quickly went down hill so the next few days were spent recuperating.  We managed one more day of climbing before we had to leave but rain set in and we had to cut the trip a day short.  The allure of great rock and open projects is calling me back to the New.  Its only a matter of time before I go back.