Ground Control

This is the first ascent of an incredible new line in South Lake Tahoe.  "Ground Control" took me 5 days to complete, the crux move alone is about V10 and I think the problem falls in the V10-V12 range (gun-to-head-rating = V11 (until consensus,)) but it is definitely harder for shorter climbers!  The first day on it, David O and I sent the stand start with a jump-start for a pretty cool, techy, facey V6 (12d) committing line.  The crux move took me several days to send, and skin was an issue as it was warm.  The send day was breezey and cool.  The problem is in the sun all day, so it should be cold, or before 1pm (shaded till then.)  The moves are so cool.  First move lurch to the coolest granite sloper than pull-up to a bomber 1/3 pad crimp-match...  Then HUGE deadpoint to a precision sloper.  Reaaly really neat boulder problem.  I found it with Siemay while we were looking for "Space Invaders" wall to sport climb.  We got lost and that was a very fortunate thing since this gem was waiting, hidden so close to a classic sport area in South Lake Tahoe.

Ground Control is located near the famous "Space Invaders" route, a total classic 12a sport route and the best I have ever done at that grade.  Ground Control is about 500 feet from Space Invaders in the next gully over to the right.  (Space Invaders is near Echo View down Sawmill Rd. past the Pie Shop area.  There are many other problems and boulders to be explored in this tight gully, some of the rock is exceptional, as with Ground Control, but some is crap.  There is a good V7 warm-up on the same boulder that Jesse put up called "Major Tom" (hat tip to Frank Lucido.)  Also on this boulder is a rad tall aesthetic V3 highball that I did and called "The Eclipse."  There are also several other extremely difficult looking lines to do on this boulder.

On a nearby boulder, Clay and I did a sweet V5 called "Claymation" which is a little sharp but otherwise superb.

Thanks to Metolius for pads and Evolv for shoes!

Special thanks to Siemay for filming and motivating me, Jesse, Joe, Frank, David O and the rest of the Tahoe scene.

Try Hard!

Seek perfection of character, respect others & Try Hard. Noah as usual