The Dark Lord has Returned! Hogwarts is No Longer Safe!

He-who-shall-not-be-named topping out a new, incredible V7.

News from the Pottersville spot is grim this week. Several verified reports have confirmed that he-who-shall-not-be-named has returned to Hogwarts! Yes, the Dark Lord himself arrived in the forest last Sunday,  taking with him on his visit the elusive and prized Sorcerers Stone Project. As well as the Golden Snitch and a few other problems that had remained uncleaned and unclimbed until his evil brushes and chalk met their sculpted holds.

Eyewitnesses captured pictures and videos of this horrible event. Despite his return, Dumbledore refuses to cancel classes for this year, stating that there are still several gems to be picked from the mess of boulders... and perhaps some incredible destiny hidden deep in that forest... only time will tell.

The List of Problems at Hogwarts so far is as follows:
*bold problems are of particular quality

Hagrid - V2
Delicate moves up a dirty, mossy slab. Fun, but needs a bit more cleaning.


The Deathly Hallows - V6
SDS just right of Goblet on a left hand sidepull and right hand sloping edge, move up through sculpted crimps and slopers to a top-out directly above.

The Goblet of Fire - V6
SDS left of Hallows, just around the corner from Sorcerer's Stone. Dynamic moves straight up through perfect, textured slopers lead to an amazing finish directly above and left.

The Sorcerer's Stone - V9
Stand start at patina jug on the obvious, tallest face of the boulder. Move right and straight up through sidepulls and crimps. Burly!

Sorting Hat - V1
A fun, delicate arete behind Sorcerer's Stone.

Degnoming - V4

Dirty Thirty - V8
Above and right of the Stone, but below Truffle Shuffle. Look for a low roof with blocky sidepulls. Compression climbing using the arete and these sidepulls brings you to the lip and a tricky top-out. Photos here.

Truffle Shuffle - V5
SDS with right hand on the right sloping arete and left hand on sidepulls on the face. Quality.

Squibs Stand - V3
A great warm-up. Stand start at obvious jug at about head height. Move directly up and left to a sick mantle press top-out.

Squibs - V6
Squat down in the roof with hands in the jug slot and a thin undercling. Utilizing a key heel, make powerful, dynamic moves out the roof and finish as Squibs.

Squibs Right - V8/9
Start as for Squibs, but after reaching the jug, make a big move out right to the sloping gaston rail. Finish above the stepped landing.

Unknown
Facing Squibs, go left around the corner until your are facing a right-rising sloping lip with crimps in a thin seam at head height. Starting on the large, left-most sloper, traverse the lip.

The Golden Snitch - V8
Crimpy! SDS with hands on right-rising crimp seem. The flake is on for feet. Lock off moves through crimps lead to a delicate top-out.

The Seeker - V5/6
Starting with right hand on a thin pinch below the obvious large pinch, and right hand on the large sidepull, work your way directly up.

Nimbus 2000 - V6/7
SDS at right rising crimp seem. Thin moves up the right side of The Seeker follow.

Dementor - V6
SDS with hands on shallow crimps, move left towards the obvious rail and up to the infamous smile. Utilize the arete to reach the top.

The Hills Have Eyes - V5
Walking up and left from dementor, look for a prominent blocky overhang perched upon a smaller boulder, start sitting on this boulder and make fun compression moves out the overhang to a dicey and a bit dirty top-out. Quality line, needs a bit more love.

The Dark Lord using some black magic to de-moss some rocks.

Sussing out beta on Sorcerer's Stone - V9

Ben Horgen tries to steal the Sorcerer's Stone

The Dark Lord and his evil grin show NO MERCY

On the FA of Sorcerer's Stone

The Dark Lord chillin' with his friend the Dementor - V6

The life-sucking crimps of the Dementor

Will his reign ever end!? Will he leave any boulders for the rest of us!? Will this Hogwarts joke thing ever stop being funny!? WHO KNOWS!!!!!!

Video by the end of this weekend featuring Murph on The Goblet of Fire, The Seeker, The Golden Snitch, and Sorcerer's Stone.

-WB

Hogwarts

After a three week absence from climbing due to awful, awful weather conditions and other reasons outside my control, I finally took another trip to Hogwarts with Adam. I had taken a trip up there a few weeks back, but feet of snow remained in the woods, and we left with nothing to show besides frozen toes and shoes soaked for days.This time, after weeks of rain and warm weather, I knew conditions would be different.

With leaves beginning to show on the trees, and no snow cover at all, the whole area had a different feel. The feel always associated with a boulderfield that has been largely untouched. We quickly found interest in one of the first boulders you approach upon entering Hogwarts. The face is lightly overhung, with strange, patina features and flakes. The sequence is hard. Really hard. And we're not quite sure how it goes yet.

Right now, it seems like a poor heel hook right off of the jug start, strenuous bump moves with the right hand, and a left fall into an incut crack. The top-out is slopey, and the problem will be incredibly classic.

Wanting to not get stuck at one problem, we moved towards another boulder, only to find that the sloped top made it terribly difficult to clean. After disappointment at that rock, we moved towards a face that had caught our eye on our first visit. Crimpy sidepulls and pinches up a lightly overhung, pinkish rock make for an incredibly aesthetic problem. We quickly cleaned off the top, then began trying the moves from the bottom.

The crux for me is the first move. A balancey, thrutchy bump from a poor, poor right hand crimp/pinch (crinch? pimp?) and a left hand incut sidepull. For Adam, the crux revolved around a second thrutchy right hand bump move to another positive crimp sidepull higher up. I almost sent once, but couldn't find the right feet to get to the top.

After destroying ourselves on go after go, we got a little visit from the landowner's son and his friends. They were totally friendly and perfectly fine with us climbing there, the kid mentioned that he had done his fair share of climbing by the cliff as well.

We were too tired to send the problem, but it will definitely go on our next visit.

Overall, I was dissappointed with the spot. Everything there feels hard, and the stuff that isn't has not been very good. There are just less problems than originally thought. I would prefer Gnarnia to Hogwarts.

I'm working on a post about the best "Adirondack Projects" but need some help. Any ideas on the best projects in the dacks?

Pictures later from Hogwarts.


-WB