Hands of Destiny 

This route, The Hands of Destiny, has given me a great satisfaction for the flash. We spent one week climbing in Boulder Canyon in order to prepare for this climb. Hands of Destiny was to be a good target for the preparation because it is of very good design. One can approach the difficult section with not very hard moves and so be rested before starting this part. After only 3 meters the difficulty comes again to only 5.11 (6c+) and does not again become more difficult. Our preparation allowed us to try many good climbs in Boulder Canyon, and many of these were very excellent routes. For my climbing, I feel that Hands of Destiny was the most special route of all. Our 4-plan was good, our preparation was well, The Hands of Destiny was a very excellent and nice climbing route.

Hey Sven, this isn't a forum for you to spray about every flash you do. We know you are a great climber, and Boulder standards are low. No need to keep telling us about it.

Yeah, Sven, at least take a clue from the rest of us and make a nominal effort to disguise your spray as meaningful advice about the climb!

I see my American colleagues are fast to anger. Perhaps you should not have so much anger for my success as you should ask how much I must fail to reach my goal! With my friends in Bergen we train very hard to make the flash because we feel it is the best measurement for our climbing skill. So please do not take the offense for my success, I have had to climb so many routes for each one.

My thanks to Alan for his kind words. My goal has not been to "spray" for my own glory but to show how hard we must work to succeed with these very nice climbs that we have done in Colorado. It is pleasing to succeed on these very excellent climbing routes.

Good job. What's the 4-plan?

This plan is nothing. It just how my friends in Bergen and I train for the flash. For many years we feel that the flash is the best way to show that we are improved in climbing. For us to flash this takes a plan and a strategy that we call 4-plan because it is based on 4 routes taken 4 times. For illustration I can use Hands of Destiny. We pick this route to be the goal for the flash because it is a quite nice route. We train by climbing 4 routes of nearly the same level and on the same type of climbing rocks. These are not tried to flash but only to red point. When 4 are done we try the flash route where the goal is now to flash. If we do this 4 times then we go to the next higher level. If we fail in the flash then it is necessary to try again on a new choice. We feel that if we must change the climbing rocks, then it is likely to need to begin the 4-plan from the start. All of this is only so that we may focus the training and not to drift too much from the goal to improve. Some of my climbing partners can make the red point at the 5.14 grade but this needs many tries and many failures and we think that to flash is maybe a improved way to measure our success. In the last week after a long trip to Utah and to Rifle in Colorado we came back to Boulder for another training but I think many climbers in US do not want to hear this.

So to be for the flashing most ready, climb if you can the 4 routes of the most similarity. And on the route not falling the moves is best. So for Vogue flash I do 4 14a flash after 4 13d flash redpoints!

The comment next to last was not my own. Perhaps it has been unwise to share my experience on this site. Many of the climbers in the US are very hostile to other climbers (not just myself!). Soon I am to return to my job in Bergen where I teach skiing, and I will remember my good experiences climbing in Boulder. I think it is sad that so many climbers in the US do not so much enjoy the climbing as they enjoy feeling good to be better than other climbers. In Europe, where we have very many good climbers, there is more enjoyment of the climbing sport so this has been a big surprise for me in US. Perhaps more of my US friends will learn to take pleasure in the climbing sport, then everyone will feel welcome here.

Dear Sven, I think what American climbers got annoyed with is the selective nature of routes that you profiled, which all appeared to be flashes. Perhaps if you had added routes which you had more trouble on or were able to supply more helpful information than "quite fine bolting" or "short crux", people would not take offense. It's not that American climbers hate climbing, they hate what is called "spray," the gratuitous offering of info designed to make the sprayer look good. Describing a route has nothing to do with whether you flashed it and that news is of no help to someone who wants to know about the climb. It has nothing to do with where "there is more enjoyment of the climbing sport" but a lot to do with perceived attitudes and how you clearly wanted to talk only about flashed routes. I for one would be more impressed with descriptions of harder routes which require larger commitments of time and energy to succeed on. All that said, flashing Rainbow Wall is impressive. Best wishes, A. Coward

Bob D"Antonio makes an important point here and one that came up for me while climbing in California during the last three weeks. We ran into a visiting gang of hardcore Brits who were very much aware of climbingboulder.com and spent some time contrasting it with the web site 8a.nu. What I took away from their comments was the degree to which what we write here becomes visible throughout the world. In other words our comments have become very public. For that reason, I would suggest that if you write it here comments and route descriptions should contain information and ideas that you are willing to have placed in the public view. Think twice before adding spray, sniping, and vituperative dissing of other climbers.

13a? Dream on. This is a great route. But let's be real--it's probably 12c in bad conditions. --Fred Knapp

Here is some additional info that some may find useful (regarding the route) that has nothing to do with Sven.

A 60m (200ft) rope will allow one to lower off or rappel off the 1st pitch anchors. A 50m rope won't make it to the ground. However, it would be possible to lower/rap to the anchors of Animal Instinct on the right and rap off those rings with a 50m cord.

The first bolt is about 25 ft off the ground. One can protect the easy 5.8 loose block intro without additional rope drag with a cam (1.5-2 Friend) and a long (1.5 shoulder length) sling. Although this is not necessary, I prefer to minimize the risks when possible.

After the blocky start, this route is very well bolted with easy clips. There is also some additional fixed gear that is helpful when working the moves or just hanging the draws. Hands of Destiny is excellent, with great 5.11 climbing, despite the crimp fest crux.

Maybe I really suck, but I think a hold has been broken. I was up there recently and it was really hard to clip the third bolt. Anyone got any info? I could see a scar where a longish hold might have been to the right of the third bolt. The only hold there is now is a pinch above the bolt.

Hands of Destiny is still intact, perhaps the broken hold above the third bolt is on the new route to the left of Hands of Destiny. This new route is still "shedding".

I agree with Fred Knapp. There is no way this route is 13a. No move is harder than 12c, and it's not at all sustained. It is a very good route though.

Great line, but I'm amazed that three different guidebook authors grade it so dramatically different. Hate to say it, but this is much closer to 12c than 13a.

I think the Rolofson rating of "12c/d" is about right on. The "c/d" for the height dependent nature of several moves in the crux section. Don't think you have this climb in the bag if you get through the lower section... the top seam/slab is tricky and hard.

Hands of Destiny was rated 13 a/b in Rossiter's Boulder Climbs North. He lists the gear then as small stoppers, TCUs plus four pins. Just maybe it felt a little harder placing gear than it does now with all them safety clips.

Onsight and hanging the draws it felt closer to 12d to me (I can't really climb slabs anymore - too much time in the gym - so I had to try a little). Though not very hard, it's sort of challenging to put the puzzle together onsight. The final slab is desperate: no chalk, licheny, and I had to use my feet - thought I might blow it there! A little scary getting to the 1st bolt too...good route for BoCan.