Sean McColl Sends Punt X

After working the route in 2008 Sean came back to Gorges du Loup, France to finish some business and claim his second 5.14d.

 

Punt X raised a lot of eyes last year as it was coveted by every big name American sport climber in the region. The line is a power-endurance fest up a steep 35 degree wall with no real rests and several horrible pinches. However, the true heart of the crux involves a cross off a good gaston to a mono and from the mono catching a large bump to a good lip. Sean had worked the route feverishly in '08 without any luck and this year he came back and found he still had to put in a lot of work.

 

Sean worked the line over and over in order to beat the pump as he routinely fell after the mono move due to a lack of endurance.   But, after several days of projecting Sean was able to work through the crux and clip the anchors. The comments on Sean’s blog allude that Punt X may have been harder for him than Dreamcatcher, Sean's only other 5.14d redpoint, as Punt X has no real rests. This was the 7^th ascent of the line.