Raw tips

Met Joana and her pal Steve for some climbing at BKB. Started off bouldering in the cave, warming up on some more overhung V2s and V2+s. Moved over to the second room where Joana worked her purple V4. Nice progress to the last move. I made repeated attempts on a V4 (yellow) that starts with a nice hook, bump right to a crimp and bump again to a rail. The last move has you balancing off a tiny chip over an arete. Kept getting scared off by the finish by the bad fall. I did however manage a nice V5 with some friendly beta; up the arch with a bat hang/toe hook maneuver; very cool, but more like a 4. It was Steve's first time climbing, and he made it look easy, working through V0s and a couple of V1s. He's tall too, reminds me of Scott with all the hold-skipping.

We toproped for a bit, with Joana starting on her favorite column climb. She's attempted this thing at least 20 times and sent it twice, but she still gives a go every time. After berating me for being an "unsupportive" belayer, she had people gawking at her crazy scrunched toe-hook start. I tried the same climb, but not being quite as flexible, elected to campus the start. Nice climb. While Joana sent Steve up some routes, I climbed a nice V4 (purple) that had a balancy start to a shallow two-finger pocket followed by a high-step and two crimps with a swing around an arete. For our last climb, Joana and I hopped on a balancy 10+ with a series of small holds that followed an arete to a small roof. Crux involved a very reachy lunge for a rail, which I finally made, although I think the setter intended a ridiculous high step.

Finished up with some beer and nice poutine.

And cause Joana & I were talking about a New Yorker article on diving: