05 / 08 / 2024
Perfect orange sand stone, awesome lines and shapes, a beautiful view and lots of good people. Thats what Rocklands is all about! I have spent the last four weeks in this bouldering paradise and it has truly been what any boulderer would dream of. This was my second trip to Rocklands. I was there last year as well and by the end of that trip I knew I had to come back this summer. There are so many boulders to try and so many areas to go. And still there seems to be a lot more potential! Most of the climbing is slightly, to very overhanging on good in-cut crimpers/holds and with mostly good friction. There are both small and safe boulders where you dont need many pads or even a spotter, and there are high, beautiful and majestic lines with amazing moves and lots of climbing. There are good boulders on any level and the scenery is perfect!
This year I had two main projects: The Hatchling and No Late Tenders. The Hatchling is an amazing looking line. The boulder balances on the top of another rock and you can actually tilt the rock if you push on the back side. It climbs very well; slightly overhanging on crimpers and slopers, with a technical and balancy crux. Its quite high and the crux is almost at the top, but the landing is flat and pretty safe. It is definitely one of the most beautiful 8As in Rocklands. I managed to climb this one surprisingly fast- it took less than an hour and I have never climbed a boulder that is on my limit so quickly. Usually I spend a lot of time figuring out the right beta and I need to be in the right state of mind to send. This time there was really only one possible way to climb this boulder for me and it was easy to get psyked. I am very happy to have done this one!
My other main project was No Late Tenders. It is a long and steep 7C+ on quite good holds, but pumpy! I did not manage to finish this one last year and was very eager to send it this trip. Last year I fell on the last hard move. I always find it a bit nerve wrecking to come back to a boulder after a long period, especially if you have been close on sending earlier. It can be really frustrating if the boulder feels a lot harder when you come back and I was anxious I would get shut down. Luckily it felt as though I was in a good shape and I managed to do all the moves right away. I even found some new beta and after one session of figuring out the moves again and falling at the last move twice, I sent it the next day! I am not very patient and especially when I am on a bouldering trip (and not at my home crag) I usually dont spend many days on one boulder. I felt great to have completed this problem since it is the boulder I have spent most days working on a climbing trip ever.
After having completed my two main goals I started to look for new projects. With all the boulders in Rocklands there was more than enough to choose from and the rest of the trip I spend trying many different boulders, both easy ones and also some harder. I managed to climb some and I failed on many, but it was a great trip and I gained a lot of climbing experience! Rocklands is definitely a place worth visiting and I am definitely coming back!