Rocket Boy

This is the first pitch of Rocket Man, finishing at the midway anchor. Many climbers log an ascent of this as "Rocket Man" .... this listing is for clarity and completeness.

The style of climbing required here speaks to the visionary nature of Ward Smith's first ascent. Rocket Boy / Rocket Man is a perfect blend of old-school dihedral discipline and new-school comp-style tension, where you never have time to appreciate what you just pulled off. Instead, you exist in a constant state of suspended disbelief, harvesting belief to continue your march.

As described in the Rocket Man description. Rocket Boy begins on Thin Man and moves into an initial rest stance before traversing left. This traverse buys you a ticket into a physically, mentally, and flexibility-taxing dihedral. That feels like you’re conniving and tricking the rock into letting you send. The holds are subtle, the feet unforgiving, and every inch demands presence and precision.

At the top of the dihedral, a decision how to exit and commit to the redpoint crux. From the redpoint crux, campusing or high steps and tension lead into the final outro. Though a relatively easy move guards the chains, the fatigue and gravity of the entire sequence make it a notorious move. This completes an ascent of Rocket Boy.

While many clip here and end their journey, a no-hands stance awaits. From there, you can recover and continue onward to finish Rocket Man. Rocket Boy stands strong on its own, but for those yearning for more, I recommended continuing into Rocket Man as it is well worth the effort and a full value experience.

9 Bolts.