VIDEO: The New Deal 5.14 - Scott Cosgrove's historic route gets second ascent after 22 years

The New Deal in Joshua Tree National Park is the first 5.14a established by an American.  Scott Cosgrove did the first ascent on Super Bowl Sunday January 31st, 1988 and he suggested the grade of 5.13d.  It took 22 years for the New Deal to see a second ascent.  Alan Moore repeated the New Deal in 2010 and suggested the grade of 5.14a.  Now almost a decade has passed and the route has yet to be climbed successfully again.

The New Deal was one of the very first rappel bolted routes in Joshua Tree and marks the beginning of the sport climbing revolution in the California. This did not sit well with Stonemaster legend John Bachar who promptly chopped all the bolts on the route. Cosgrove offered to settle it over a parking lot fist fight but Bachar declined. John Bachar later apologized and gave Cozzy nine bolts to fix the route.

The New Deal was a visionary rock climb for its time and still stands as one of the hardest routes in Joshua Tree National Park today.
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105805988/new-deal

Excellent! Thanks for posting.

• Tony Sartin wrote: Excellent! Thanks for posting.

Absolutely.

+1 caughtinside (hi Dave)

Great video, thanks for taking the time. The sequences look so damn hard.

Was rap bolting accepted in Yosemite?

Not an interesting question to delve into on an internet forum I know. Just grabbed my eye to see it stated as now historical fact.

Thanks for posting.
I found this well worth the time.
The overlay of Cosgrove's (quite amazing and detailed) memory of the climb adds quite a bit. And after all of that, seeing the text at the end - wow. 

Sirius wrote: 

Was rap bolting accepted in Yosemite?

Eventually, yes.

sooo good.  really. thx. cole.

Give me more route names with left/progressive/social democratic themes plz.

Great video, Cole!
Very cool to see all the desperate climbing and Scott's recollection of the moves, before his accident.

What a terrific video. Kind of poignant since Coz isn’t here anymore.  RIP Coz.

The title of this thread made we think the second ascent had just taken place. I was having trouble squaring that with the 1988 FA.  But yes, well done video.

Great video.

Thanks 

caughtinside wrote: Hey Cole, looks like you filmed Alan doing other hard jtree routes. Did that other footage make it in to other videos?

That footage will be showcased in an upcoming video of a similar fashion that focuses more on Randy Leavitt's routes.  If this last video was any indication then I should have the next one done around 2030....j/k I'm gonna push to have it done soon.

Amazing! Thanks for sharing

Excellent video. I love the style of having someone commentate on the climbing. I forget the video but one of my favorite versions of this is Sharma climbing Just Do It with another local pro narrating. It just adds so much more. Thanks Cole!

Really well done. Thanks Cole. 

That was great. Also it is wild to me every time I see smith to know it was rap bolted. Some of the older routes still have like a 200 foot headwall above them. The number of times that you rap down something and totally miss the route you were eyeing and find yourself either reascending the rope or going back to the ground just to hike back to the top would be frustrating.

The toe pain/toe pump must be more like 5.17d even with those old stiff shoes.