Deadpoint by Nikki Tate

Author:Nikki Tate
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781459813540
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2016-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Before long, Andrei is ready to go again, and he and Lissy repeat the same process from the ledge. Now, though, Lissy is fastened to the anchor as she belays him. She leans back, coils of climbing rope draped across the taut sling in front of her waist. The hardest part of the second pitch is a tricky piece of rock that bulges out from the cliff face. At first I can’t see how I’m going to get up and around the lump. Several times I get stuck halfway, awkwardly scrabbling with my foot trying to find a place to push against. I back off to a small ledge just below and off to the side.

“Carlos, you’ll have to do this first.” Lissy and her dad had both navigated the obstacle so smoothly that I didn’t notice what they did.

Carlos makes his way to where I’ve stalled out. “I think they both reached up and around for a hold on top,” he says. “I can’t quite see it.” He wedges one foot into a corner under the bulge of rock. With one hand flat against the cliff face, he uses his other foot to lever himself up and over the outcrop. As he swings up and around, his right hand reaches for the hidden hold. He times it perfectly so that he grabs it right at the peak of his move upward.

“Good job!”

“Your turn,” he says, moving out of the way.

I wedge one foot into the corner like he did and think about the physics of what I need to do. There’s always a moment—the deadpoint—after you jump up and before gravity yanks you back down again. It’s like when a basketball player goes in for a layup and seems to hang in the air before firing the shot and dropping back to the ground.

The first time I try, my thrust is strong enough that my fingers graze the hold, but I don’t quite make it. Lissy is keeping the top rope snug from above, so I don’t fall anywhere. Instead I just bump against the block and stop.

“Try again,” Carlos says. “Push a bit harder with your feet and really commit to the move.”

I focus on the sequence—right foot in the corner, left palm on the wall, strong push off with the left foot—up, look, reach, grab.

“Yes!” Carlos says as my fingers close on the bit of rock I need to find.

Then I’m past the overhanging block and moving up the rest of the pitch beside him.

We climb three more pitches using the same system. Andrei leads, Lissy follows him, trailing two ropes, and Carlos and I bring up the rear, cleaning gear as we go. With each pitch, I get a little braver and offer to work free some of the protection so Carlos doesn’t have to do it all.

We settle into a comfortable rhythm. Andrei only has to replace a single bolt—as he’d suspected, the existing anchors were in good shape. Carlos climbs a little more carefully after his fall and doesn’t come off again.

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