When I first approached Columbia boulder in Camp Four in 97, I remember my pulse rising, heart pounding--I recognized the lightning bolt graffiti---aah, Midnight Lightning. It was for real, I was looking at it, touching it.
By then I had seen Ron Kauk's video in Masters of Stone countless times. A dance so perfectly choreographed and executed, and so prohibitively difficult.
Of course, I was on it the very next day. I had some hard sport climbs under my belt, but I never thought of bouldering more than a warm-up game. And for a crash pad we used an inflatable mattress we got in Costco...
Nuts and Bolts
The first couple of moves are not too hard. Rock is a bit polished and slippery. In a few tries I was able to reach the "lightning bolt" hold--the first crux. Its a three-move crux that starts with a launch from a crimp and an undercling to the lightning bolt. The hold is good, but the dyno is sideways-and-out (its overhung), so there is huge legs swing. Most people will fall there, not able to hold the swing. Once I was able to stay on the hold, I faced the next problem: you need to position the feet on tiny footholds, and match hands, on the same lightning bolt hold. But to match hands you need to grab the hold on the right side (two finger, or crimp). Yet another precision constraint for the dyno move. I tried the move several times over the two week period we spent in the summer of 97, but never got past the lightning bolt.
More beta: After the first crux, there is a intricate and committing mantel move, far off the deck. Its a really cool move with a high step and a long reach. Anything but a 100% commitment usually results in a fall, because there are no intermediate holds, and recovery is almost impossible. Even Sharma fell from there and broke an ankle.
Riding the Lightning
An year later, in 98, I was back in the Valley with Konstantin, and I was armed with a first edition Metolius crash pad! We did a quick, in-a-push, ascent of Salathe, and a day climb of the regular route on Half Dome. An odd fact about big wall climbing is that by the time you are back, on a firm valley ground, you weigh a few kilos less! And, you seem to smile a lot more. I am pretty sure it was the missing kilos, not the smile that helped me on Midnight Lighting, but I could be wrong. I got on it the very next day after climbing Half Dome and I sent it.
Touching the Legend
Eventually I got the sequence down pretty well, and it become a tradition for me to climb it every time I was in the Valley. One beautiful winter day, the kind of day when special things happen, something very special happened. Ron Kauk approached me and suggested we climb Midnight Lightning together. And we did. We talked about the moves, the history, the rock, and the spirit of the rock. Let me reiterate: Ron was the first person to free climb this sequence of moves back in the 70s!
Later, in is honor, I put in the effort to climb Midnight Lightning reenactment style, with a pair of old Kaukulators. Konstantin went even further back in time sending it in a pair of old Marichers!
Beyond the Lightning
Indeed there is climbing even beyond the lightning. My favorite of all is Thriller. Other awesome Valley boulder problems: Midnight Cowboy, Cocaine Corner, Backer Cracker, Yabo's Dyno, King Cobra, Bruce Lee, Deliverance, Stick It, and many others.
Links: Konstantin's video Camp 4 climbing guide http://www.camp4bouldering.com/
Bouldering pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/badakov/Bouldering
Of course, I was on it the very next day. I had some hard sport climbs under my belt, but I never thought of bouldering more than a warm-up game. And for a crash pad we used an inflatable mattress we got in Costco...
Nuts and Bolts
The first couple of moves are not too hard. Rock is a bit polished and slippery. In a few tries I was able to reach the "lightning bolt" hold--the first crux. Its a three-move crux that starts with a launch from a crimp and an undercling to the lightning bolt. The hold is good, but the dyno is sideways-and-out (its overhung), so there is huge legs swing. Most people will fall there, not able to hold the swing. Once I was able to stay on the hold, I faced the next problem: you need to position the feet on tiny footholds, and match hands, on the same lightning bolt hold. But to match hands you need to grab the hold on the right side (two finger, or crimp). Yet another precision constraint for the dyno move. I tried the move several times over the two week period we spent in the summer of 97, but never got past the lightning bolt.
More beta: After the first crux, there is a intricate and committing mantel move, far off the deck. Its a really cool move with a high step and a long reach. Anything but a 100% commitment usually results in a fall, because there are no intermediate holds, and recovery is almost impossible. Even Sharma fell from there and broke an ankle.
Riding the Lightning
An year later, in 98, I was back in the Valley with Konstantin, and I was armed with a first edition Metolius crash pad! We did a quick, in-a-push, ascent of Salathe, and a day climb of the regular route on Half Dome. An odd fact about big wall climbing is that by the time you are back, on a firm valley ground, you weigh a few kilos less! And, you seem to smile a lot more. I am pretty sure it was the missing kilos, not the smile that helped me on Midnight Lighting, but I could be wrong. I got on it the very next day after climbing Half Dome and I sent it.
Touching the Legend
Eventually I got the sequence down pretty well, and it become a tradition for me to climb it every time I was in the Valley. One beautiful winter day, the kind of day when special things happen, something very special happened. Ron Kauk approached me and suggested we climb Midnight Lightning together. And we did. We talked about the moves, the history, the rock, and the spirit of the rock. Let me reiterate: Ron was the first person to free climb this sequence of moves back in the 70s!
Later, in is honor, I put in the effort to climb Midnight Lightning reenactment style, with a pair of old Kaukulators. Konstantin went even further back in time sending it in a pair of old Marichers!
 |
| Kaukulators |
 |
| Konstantin with old Mariacher's |
Beyond the Lightning
Indeed there is climbing even beyond the lightning. My favorite of all is Thriller. Other awesome Valley boulder problems: Midnight Cowboy, Cocaine Corner, Backer Cracker, Yabo's Dyno, King Cobra, Bruce Lee, Deliverance, Stick It, and many others.
Links: Konstantin's video Camp 4 climbing guide http://www.camp4bouldering.com/
Bouldering pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/badakov/Bouldering
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