7/27/11 - Mike Foley redpointed Jaws II (5.15a) at Rumney, New Hampshire on July 24, making the route's third ascent.Jaws II takes a line up the Waimea Wall, left of China Beach (5.14b) and Livin' Astro (5.14c).
The original Jaws was established by Dave Graham in October 1998 at 5.14b, but key holds broke before anyone could make a second ascent. Vasya Vorotnikov made the first redpoint of the broken line in October 2007, followed by Daniel Woods in October 2010. But Foley, a Lincoln, Massachusetts, native, didn't wait for the cool temps of fall, managing to send in midsummer, 80-degree heat after two weeks of working the route. The 21-year-old arrived at the cliff early in the morning, and according to an interview with Climberism magazine, he says, "The conditions were progressively getting worse as the day progressed, so I tried it about three times in the morning, and then sort of messed around with some new foot beta that I was kind of thinking about. That seemed to work really well." He took a break in the afternoon, resting for about five hours, and then fired the route first go at about 5:30 p.m. See more of the interview here.
"Unsure about the grade. The way Vasya did it was for sure 9a+. My beta was very similar to Daniel's. Regardless of the grade, it still feels like the hardest thing I have ever done. Epic conditions battle. Sent in 80 degree weather. Redemption after a difficult summer."
