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This week I had the privilege of attending one of climb Nittany’s many interesting events: A headlamp climb night. Another great thing about getting to climb this day was that it was college student night. This meant I didn’t have to give up on eating for a few days just to climb. The day pass was only gonna out me nine dollars which they do every third Friday of the month. Having arrived at seven it was still both bright inside and out. I always seem to forget the sun can set in a blink of an eye and once eight o’ clock hit and the lights were off I couldn’t even see the wall anymore. Now having forget my headlamp I mostly relied on the kindness of others or the occasional phone flashlight. However this did not remove from the experience at all. On this random Friday something in my mind had told me that I was going to be at my strongest point that I had been in a very long time. So in the dark accompanied by nothing but my climbing shoes and a friend or two I decided to attempt some of the most difficult routes I had tried in a while.

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There was a new set that consisted of a bunch of new routes on what is passionately referred to as “the cave.” This wall is a playback wall that sits at about a 45 degree angle. The first route that I was climbing in the cave was a pink route, marked as a v8, that started with a heel toe cam. This specific move is whenever one takes their foot and places it in between two hold in a manner that they can both push and pull on it. This move can be dangerous if done incorrectly, but that’s why it was lower on the wall. The route consisted of many different hold types, but it was primarily crimps. Many of these crimps were blocked which means there is another hold right above it to keep someone from getting a solid grip. This route then ended on two slopers which proves very difficult on a layback wall since slopers are meant to be grabbed from a very steep angle to maximize friction.

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The second route that I was working was a white v10. This route started with an undercling sloper and then went into a series of dynamic movements followed by a very high heel hook. In order to make this heel hook I had to stretch for 10 minutes before even attempting it. While it was a good hold and a solid heel it was very difficult to get my heel to the correct height even through the use of momentum. I was unable to complete this route, but the ending was very similar to that of the pink. It had two very small crips followed by a sloper and then it ended on one jug, and while it looked like a great hold having watched many people fall off of it I can guarantee it was not.