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Gill Problem

V9, Boulder, Alpine,  Avg: 3.3 from 4 votes
FA: John Gill, 1959
Wyoming > Grand Teton NP > Jenny Lake Boul… > Red Cross Rock

Description

John Gill's original line up the overhang of Red Cross Rock, and not to be confused with the Gill Route, which is essentially an easier version of this problem.

From John Gill:
"I did it in 1959, not 1958. Here's the scoop as I remember it. By 1959 climbers had tried to get up that part of Red Cross for some time, and had failed. There was no right fingertip hold at that time, merely a kind of smooth irregularity in the rock with a horizontal hairline crack on top. Nothing anyone of any generation could possibly use. After some tries, I stood at the base facing the rock, placed my left toe on a small hold, grasped the large hold in the middle with my left hand, then toed off the ground with my right foot, pulling hard and rotating while reaching up over the lip to the dime sized hold there. No jump, but it was a smooth dynamic move. What I called a "swinging lieback". At the time others could not do it that way, so one day I took my hammer and chipped off a tiny bit of rock on the hairline crack, so that there was now a fingertip hold for the right hand. Then, as the years passed, the route saw several ascents. But usually the route, but not my problem. Some time after that, apparently someone chipped the fingertip hold a little bit more, which is what you find now - but I haven't been there in ten years or so. It's true the ground level has dropped over the years, but that should not make a substantial difference, since it's not a jump. I was a gymnast and worked the still rings at the time, so had plenty of strength. Someone might be able to do what I did by pulling onto the rock, then going for the top, if they were just the right size and could crimp themselves into that hollow, pulling on the large hold, then reaching over the top. Even then I suspect it would be dynamic.If this happens I would love to see it, please post a photo or video!
John Gill"

Location

The main line up the middle of Red Cross Rock

Protection

Pads

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Gill at age 50 on the Gill Problem
[Hide Photo] Gill at age 50 on the Gill Problem
Bryce Thatcher:  1981 age 18.  Climbed the route multiple times starting in 1979.   Mostly static moves in stiff Vasque Asenders.  (Used for aid climbing)
[Hide Photo] Bryce Thatcher: 1981 age 18. Climbed the route multiple times starting in 1979. Mostly static moves in stiff Vasque Asenders. (Used for aid climbing)

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

[Hide Comment] In John Sherman's book Better Bouldering he talks about "swing starts" and how they were a John Gill favorite. Sherman's description helped me to understand the John Gill quote in the route description above. Sherman defines a swing start as, "putting one hand on the rock, then dynoing from the ground to a hold high up the wall. Both feet can push off the ground, or one foot can push off the ground and the other off the rock. Use the handhold as a barely weighted pivot point to help direct the dyno or, if big enough, pull on it to help launch the body up." This seems more applicable for the Gill Problem than the Gill Route to me. Dec 13, 2019
Chaz O
Fayetteville, WV
[Hide Comment] I'm 5'10" and plus 2 and I was about an inch short of doing this the John Gill way... Def height dependent. JG was 6'2" Sep 4, 2021