Slasher

Last year about this time, I started working on a nice undone line in Joe's Valley, UT. It lies up the hill from the warm-up boulder on the right fork. It was the project to the right of Afterthought. Big moves starting in a pod, and moving through some amazing slashes in the rock, finally lead to a big dyno. After many days, I was falling on the dyno. On my next attempt, just as I was pulling hard for the last move, my pinky slipped out of the slot hold, putting all my weight into my ring finger. I tore my A2 pulley pretty bad, and had to leave without doing the problem.

The finger wasn't, and still isn't 100 percent, but you can't wait forever. I came back to Joe's in October, and began the process again. It took me a while just to do the move I hurt my finger on. It was hard to pull on that hold, knowing what had happened, and what could happen again. Slowly I dialed in all the moves, and got back to giving send gos.

I was hoping a couple of weeks would be enough to dispatch the problem, but progress was a bit slower than expected. Rain and snow forced too many rest days, and it came down to one more day before I would have to return to CO for November. Every attempt I was getting closer, falling on the lip the last few tries. It was getting late, and my finger was starting to get sore. I knew I had one more try.

I pulled on and got through the first moves without making any mistakes. I threw for the lip, not worried about my finger, but aware of exactly how hard I could safely pull. I grabbed the decent hold on the lip and held on for dear life. This time I didn't find myself back on the pads, and I quickly topped out. Success!

Thanks to everyone that hiked up there with me, worked out beta, video, etc.

Slasher

Photo Cole Benoit


Photo Cole Benoit

Video at some point.