Yohio

I used to live in Cleveland. I used to not climb. Since those two things have changed, now I am climbing in Cleveland. Honestly now people, Cleveland has no good climbing. Stay away. Far away. The rock is just bullet-hard, water worn Pottsville sandstone. There are scenic vistas offering oodles of riverbed blocs nestled amidst heaps of debris left by the Cuyahoga. I decided to travel back to Northeast Ohio for a few weeks to escape the sweltering southern heat and visit some old friends and family. Cleveland Rock Gym was my first taste of climbing a few years back, and I have since been back twice since I moved to Georgia. The place is in Euclid, just east of Cleveland, tucked in an industrial warehouse near a switching yard. The dim environment houses old industrial winches, pulleys, chains, and gears which dangle overhead reminding you of a once prosperous era. This site has had a unique second chance to be brought back to life via plywood walls, some assorted bolt-on attachments, and a pad or two. Back to bones... I love it here. It is a nice setback to the roots of indoor climbing, and a break from the crowded Amusement park style gyms around ATL. I mean, who's got plywood boulder top-outs? Anyone?? Didn't think so. While at the gym, I met two nice guys who told me a little more about some areas I had read about on Jamie Emerson's B3 bouldering blog. I had the chance to run out to Brecksville, an area just outside of Cleveland, for a long day of bouldering, and was accompanied by Max Carlino. Max had been to this spot a few times, but remarked at how dry the conditions felt for the time of year. Things were shaping up to be a nice day with a steady breeze, and the sun shining through intermittent clouds. After a small hike and tour of the area, we jumped on some warmups. First on our hit list was the notorious "Fight or Flight," given a confirmed grade of V6/9. This problem is a tricky sloper traverse with very intensive footwork, requiring core stability on poor slopey edges. I made it to the crux on my first go, then had to take like 5 more to get back to it again. After much struggling and ab stretching, I was able to piece it together for the send. Max and I shot some nice video, but ended up killing the camera! Climbing at Brecksville is illegal (wtf?), so the video is private... After Max figured out his beta he was getting really close, but ended up walking away happy with his progress ready to try new things. We embarked on a bit of a hike towards a super classic problem called "An Eighth of Crack," but got sidetracked on a nice looking arete called something about Cubscouts? The opening moves were so long, and i could barely span the reach to the holds with my -1 APE index. I flailed like a little kid trying to wrap his arms around a 450 pound grandmother. Wallowing in the sandy landing, I began to question my capabilities as a human and wondered if I should just jump in the rapid river current and let the crushing water drag me over the boulders it has swallowed. I mean, I sent Bumboy V13+ at Horsepens in a day, but this was by far the hardest V5/19 I have seen. Max sent in style, then led me away from the beast holding me back all the meanwhile like a maniacal frat boy looking for a moment to buck and charge his opponent. I chilled, then saw a possible line starting left of Cubscouts going direct into some cool slopers. The line looked way harder than it actually was, but climbed beautifully. So I added a random V3 in the process. Go try it. After a scramble across river, we arrived at a striking cliff band of sweeping sandstone. A pre-historic mastery of brushstrokes painted by ages of horizontal river flow. We came to a small roof, housing a split crack down the middle starting on a perfectly smooth headwall which climbed out to a swingy jug move and crazy heel hook. The problem, dubbed "An Eighth of Crack," was put up years ago, and is one of the more sought after lines in the area. Given a grade of V8, I was skeptical at how difficult it would be, because it looked so simple. I have been stumped in the past, but this problem was truly unique. The rock seeps. I'll go ahead and say it. However, it is in such a uniform manner, that the entire problem has a feeling of glassiness and instability unique to the tension moves. The problem took me for a ride for about an hour, and I even had to blow the top-out a few times before finally piecing it all together. Max had never tried it before, but was able to stick every move. While trying 8th of Crack, I kept glancing over at a short face just right of the classic line. It featured a natural scooped blank face, starting on the lip of a low roof about 3 or 4 feet off the deck. Faint weaknesses could be found in the horizontal ripple of water-worn stone. Starting on two slimpers with a high right foot, you instantly feel strung out. A few moves lead out to a faint knee-cap sized sloper pinch with the left, and a very small and sharp crimp with the right. From this position, you lock the hell out of the left hand pinch, and bust up to a horizontal breadloaf sloper which gains you the top. This lock-off move also took me about an hour to link, and I ended up shredding my left knee in the process by flagging hard under the small roof feature. I sent the problem for its FA, and called it "Wounded Knee." I am totally unsure on the grade for others, but it felt like a hard V7/8 to me. It could potentially be easier for tall folks, but there are some bunchy heel hook moves, so idk... On our hike out, Max called his buddy Lee Robinson, who was/is an early pioneer of development at Brecksville, and put up many of the harder lines in the area. We asked him about the new line, confirming that it was an FA, and also asked about a line on Jamie Emerson's blog Lee had put up called "The Gem." After some directions, we trekked up river to one of the most beautiful pieces of stone I have ever seen. Having heard rumors of it being around V10, I was reluctant to even put my shoes on. Max and I figured we would just get an idea, and try it at a later date, but this magic rune had us possessed! After we both strained on the opening moves, we were about to give up. Somehow, we both managed to work out this crazy sketchy high foot beta, which if it were to slip, would rocket you into a pile of debris in the river. The beta put us on a good-ish left hand crimp, and a faint right hand sloper. Having a view of a tiny razor crimp, and then 16 inches away, the lip, we both kicked on the afterburners. I first tried just matching the left hand crimp, and tossing up to the crimp near the lip, but Max bucked up and fired straight up for the lip off the right hand sloper. Eureka! Max looked at me with a blank stare similar to a deer caught in headlights. The shitty glassy right foot all his weight had just popped off had rocketed him up over a troublesome bulge, and put him within firing range of the jug at the lip. This method made the problem go from impossible, to DONE by the end of our day. Some people told us this line is V6 or so, and the real line goes out left, however the true left line has not been done. I believe the V6/10 dispute lies in the method of beta. I do not know the First Ascentionist, nor was I there when he sent the line, but I see the same line. I guess if one wanted to tape some holds "off," to make a V10 they could do that, but either way i'm going back to work the project which travels the lip full value. At some point... Im headed back to Atlanta. Word.

Tick list for the day:

"Fight or Flight" V6/9
Random Cubscout Thing V3?
"An Eighth of Crack" V8
"Wounded Knee" V7/8 FA
"The Gem" V6