2023-12-11 · SBP Poplar
Look, I didn't think that this one looked easy, but what surprised me was the ways in which it was difficult. I expected getting over the mantle/lip to be basically the crux, and that did take me a few tries, but it was even harder to get "around" the cone, and also hard to actually top out even once I had both hands solidly above the top edge. Other people seemed to have trouble with these, too.
I think what worked for me with the cone was getting just enough height by pressing into it that I could reach up with my left hand to grab the top edge, which is surprisingly workable here. (As always, sitting on the start hold is a trap! You cannot get back up!) Then you can work rightward without too much trouble—both the little chips above the edge are on. I thought I would just be able to "walrus up", but it feels really scary with how big of a vertical gap there is. Eventually, I mustered the courage to lift my left toe up to the top-right face of the middle volume, which gave me enough purchase to finish.
Was part of a train of five people sending this in a row, and I think that might have been a first-clear for each of us, so that felt cool! :-)