Home on the Range 

The grade on this is nothing but a proposition, and it is meant to be honest when compared to other crack climbs around the U.S. Matt Segal checked out the line before I did the FA and he told me he felt that it was solid 14, so it might even be on the stiff side. I was going to call it 13+, but after hearing what Matt thought I decided to split the difference. Repeats will help settle the grade, up or down. For me, the one time I TR'd it, I felt like it was equivalent to a power endurance V11, and putting in the gear on lead adds quite a bit to the diffculty in my opinion.

I also want to extend a big public thanks to all the people who I goaded into belaying me on this thing on various occasions. Without your guys support I would not have been able to do this. These people are Jesse Brown, Rob Pheres, Jeremy Medley, Brian Scoggins, Tim Long, Jose Riofrio, Josh Helke, Bob Scarpelli, Julian Pouche, Patrick Kingsbury, Bjorn Kruse, Chris Veniegas and Vanessa Cassat (I hope that is everyone). I especially want to thank Jesse Brown and Rob Phares because more than anyone else they both had to be bored to tears from watching me fail on this. Each of them pushed up on the other end of my rope for a ridiculous number of attempts.

Holy jeebus! Nice freakin' job, Justin.

Well it's about damn time!
Yet again Mr. E proves to be ever the unsung badass.
Congratulations, Justin.

Hardest in Wyoming?

Thanks guys. Molony, in terms of cracks it might just be. Another contender would be Fiddler on the Roof with Steve Petro's beta. Though new beta has been uncovered for that one which makes it easier, in my opinion Steves solution has to be at least V12, though I can't really comment on that one in any meaningful way because I can't do it the way he did. Pretty sick for the eighties, and in Fires no less.

Congrats, Justin!

Nice job! this might be a stupid question.... what's Z4?

Thanks Pete and Wade. Not a stupid question at all, Wade. A Z# is what Wild Country uses to signify the sizes on their Zero camming units. Specifically, a Z4 would be roughly equivalent in size to a blue Alien. The stem design on the Zero's is brilliant in my opinion and on this particular route that design gave me a greater comfort of mind (check out C and D on that link, as well as the pictures at the bottom, to get a better idea).

Speaking of crazy hard cracks, now that you have done this one: there is a steep splitter down by Curt Gowdy State Park, south side of Happy Jack highway, new piton driven in at the base - a nice traverse boulder problem nearby - do you know which line I am talking about?

Has anyone done this thing yet?

A Z4 is the smallest piece I've ever placed as legitimate protection. I have the Z3, and I've only placed it once, and didn't climb above it.

I do recall that first day you got a rope on this thing and aided between moves. And especially when that piece blew on you unexpectedly. Because I was staring off into space when you fell and it took me quite by surprise. I also remember a few other trips when I thought you would send. Good work Justin!

Richard, I know which crack you are talking about. Do you happen to know if that is private property or part of Curt Gowdy?

Brian, again, thank you for your support on this. A Z4 is also my limit, though that is more psychological than anything. Both the Z4 and Z3 are 6kn, so they are equally good when placed well.

No idea what the property ownership is, nor do I have any hope of even trying this thing, looked way too hard. Just walked by it and thought "there's a 5.14 crack". Great job on your send!

Proud send, Justin! It's got me psyched for this weekend up there!

Congrats, Justin! I've walked by that crack and pictures don't do it much justice.

It was a pleasure to be a slave to such a wonderful project, plus I got to boulder at Coyote and polish off the area classics! It was fun. I know you will find a new kick ass project soon to drag me out, too!
P.S your name selection for this route Rocks!!!

Looks like "Jammer" has added yet another overrated and self aggrandizing send to a long list of personal back slappers. Tell me "Jammer" what happened to "some guy" sending this one? And how does it compare to Andy Johnson's masterpiece "Bloodletting" at Reynolds? Congrats.

So Handsome, I was just wondering what you thought of this overrated and self aggrandizing climb, more specifically? When you climbed it, what was it you didn't like? Did the movement not work for you or was the grade a little softer than you thought it should be? Since this is now the hardest trad line in Wyoming (so far) it would be awesome if you could give us some more insight into why you did/did not like it when you climbed it. Problems of this grade will draw people to the area and your feedback will help other climbers figure out whether or not this climb is worth the trip. Thanks!

I didn't like the way the light hit it.

"Just for the record, what other 5.14, or for that matter 5.13 trad lines are you comparing this route to? I see you have bouldered V9, but have you even led 5.12+ in the Creek?

Seems like a joke to compare a trad line to a boulder problem, but then again isn't it only 30' tall?"

Awfulwidth: You can always tell a hater because they don't actually take you to task on what you have done. If you think the grade is in need of correction, go climb it and then submit your opinion.

30 feet of climbing is plenty in Vedawoo. Plenty.

This route is not as straightforward nor as easy as it looks from the ground. Even standing at the opening moves it looks 5.11 honestly. Initially there's a nice, tight-hands/off-fingers crack with a bit of a slab below it. So you think, what's the big deal, I'll just walk my feet along the slab. If you have a 4 year old child, this would be sick beta.

This route is a lot of fun and big props to Justin again for sending. I did not send it, so at the moment, I'll decline to rate it, but I will say it was more fun to climb on it than hate on it on this website. Hell, it was even more fun to climb it than put this post as well :)

To the people who are knockin Justin's beautiful new line. For the record, what's the hardest line in the Voo you've sent? All I can say is, if you lap Squat for fun, you have the right to comment on the rating of this climb. If not, go clip some bolts.

As a relatively new crack climber, I feel like even getting on something into the 5.10 range makes you more bad ass than probably 99 percent of the world, and at Vedauwoo where I have gotten on a 5.6 that was slightly overhanging for a few moves, 5.14 probably climbs like 5.15d in Boulder Canyon.

Justin . . . I hate to break this to you, but I did this crack back in 2001 with only three spoons and an old fork with broken tines as makeshift protection, using an old laundry line as a rope, wearing two left shoes, and without chalk or tape. I rated it 5.8+ because it felt a number grade easier than Lower Progressive. I also scrawled "Eat Me Whore" at the crux with a can of spray paint (like I do on all my FAs), so I'm surprised you didn't know it had already been done. Scarpelli belayed me, so he can verify all this. He'll remember it because it's the same day we stumbled on a couple kids from Colorado committing necrophilia on a deer carcass at the base of Legal Eagle . . . no, really, I'm serious.

Punkencack. That is the funniest thing I've read in a long time. Bravo.

I'm heading to Vedauwoo for the first time in a couple weeks and just stumbled onto this "discussion", now, my $0.02 isn't worth very much. But, it seems to me as if one can't disparage the grade on a route without having climbed it oneself. So really, there are only a few people in the world who could ever have anything meaningful to add to this discussion.

And in the end, stop bitchin' and start climbin'. I've found it makes for a happier life.

This thing looks hard, especially for shorter individuals.

Last week at Nautilus I met a roadtripping climber from Montreal (didn't catch his name). He was shorter than me (5'10") and said he had been working the route, calling the crux 5.13+.

www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/journal/climb/athletes/b>>>

Nice writeup and great photos of the 2nd ascent of this one.

Third ascent. Sheesh. See above.