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Instinct

V7, Boulder, 15 ft (5 m),  Avg: 3.6 from 18 votes
FA: unknown
Tennessee > Stone Fort > Back Nine > Instinct Boulder

Description

A classic problem that starts high and finishes higher with big, insecure moves. The rock is a bit lower quality than most Stone Fort problems, and this can sometimes be wet. Nevertheless, the movement is great, and an ascent is always exciting. Start halfway out the chalked rail on a big left hand flake and your right on a slopey crimp. Make a big move out right to an incut spike, then up to the lip. After pulling the lip, move left into the chimney and head back into the Biggie Shorty corridor to get down.

Location

In the "Back Nine" area, walk right around the Graham Crackers boulder, then continue straight along a faint path between boulders (don't go into the Biggie Shorty corridor), about 50 feet past Graham Crackers, Instinct will appear on the left in a tight corner.

Protection

lots of pads

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Aaron getting into it.
[Hide Photo] Aaron getting into it.
Pulling up to the lip on Instinct.
[Hide Photo] Pulling up to the lip on Instinct.
Pulling over the lip on Instinct.
[Hide Photo] Pulling over the lip on Instinct.
Instinct. Stand start on the big rail, then climb over the lip and exit to the left by stemming over to the other boulder.
[Hide Photo] Instinct. Stand start on the big rail, then climb over the lip and exit to the left by stemming over to the other boulder.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

[Hide Comment] I repeated this route on Tuesday October 24th and it looked like a hold that had been epoxied back on had broken. I confirmed this with the folks over at the Crash Pad in Chattanooga - apparently the very incut mini jug/flake that was formerly used as a foot on the stand snapped off a couple days before I got there (you can see a climber in a yellow shirt using it in one of the photos attached to this page). It feels harder than V7 now, I would guess it is ~V8 post-break. The sit is likely significantly harder as well as the flake that broke would have been used as an important hand as far as I can tell. Oct 30, 2017
Clay Thomas
Boston, Mass.
[Hide Comment] To clarify, are you saying that there used to be a jug foothold for the first move of the stand start? And on Mike Anderson's first photo, he's using it with his left foot?

(The right hand hold in the first photo of Mike Anderson's photos (which his right foot is on in the second picture) is very much still there and very incut -- indeed the problem would be insane without it.) Jan 26, 2020
[Hide Comment] Hi Clay - it's been a little while but I believe that's right. Not sure it was a true jug so much as a nice incut, but it was a big hold if I recall. Apr 8, 2020
Luke Cornejo
Knoxvill, TN
  V7