Hard New Trad & Sport in North Carolina

May 6, 2009 Dougald MacDonald

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Dave Sharratt on the beautiful new sport climb The Bad (5.14b), with the traditionally protected crack climb The Good just to the left. Photo by Matt… — Dave Sharratt on the beautiful new sport climb The Bad (5.14b), with the traditionally protected crack climb The Good just to the left. Photo by Matt Paden.

Dave Sharratt and Pat Goodman have recently completed some of North Carolina’s hardest new routes in a variety of styles: sport, trad, and headpoint. Early this spring, Sharratt redpointed The Bad (5.14b), probably the hardest sport route in the state. The 65-foot, five-bolt climb is a crimping challenge near Lake Lure.

Just left of The Bad, Sharratt climbed The Good (5.13d), a scary trad line up a thin crack. The route starts at the same spot as The Bad, but skips the first bolt and moves left after 10 feet into the overhanging crack. Sharratt worked the route before leading it, and he sent with gear that he had placed about 12 feet up during his first lead attempt. The crux ends at about 20 feet, and marginal gear above leads to a bomber stopper at the end of the redpoint crux; Sharrat said he could barely place this nut because he was so pumped, but he hung on to avoid the whipper.

Meanwhile, at Moon Rocks near Boone, Goodman climbed Jade Rabbit (5.13d/14a R), a headpoint that begins with a very hard boulder problem (possibly V11) and follows a rounded arête. “For the record, it’s hard for me to call this a trad route,” Goodman said. “I worked the piss out of it on TR off and on for several years, plus I protected the crux with three big crash pads, so it’s more of a glorified highball boulder problem, but super-fun climbing and definitely the hardest established route in the Boone area.”