{"id":5949,"date":"2024-07-17T00:19:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-16T22:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mrlandon.com\/tenaya\/?post_type=relatos&p=5949"},"modified":"2025-12-16T00:23:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T23:23:36","slug":"the-rocklands-ticklish","status":"publish","type":"relatos","link":"https:\/\/mrlandon.com\/tenaya\/relatos\/the-rocklands-ticklish\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rocklands Ticklist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cRocklands is a place of extraordinary beauty with its world-class boulders, alien landscapes, and indescribable atmosphere,\u201d said Vadim Timonov.\u00a0The bright orange sandstone boulders on the edge of South Africa\u2019s Cederberg Mountains have become a mecca for bouldering with more than 2800 problems.\u00a0Since 2019, Timonov has been a staple of hard climbing in Rocklands. In his four visits and around 35 days of climbing, he\u2019s amassed a tick list of some of the hardest and highest boulders including the first ascent of\u00a0G-Master<\/em>\u00a0(8C) to sending\u00a0The Finnish Line<\/em>(8C) to flashing Mirta (8B+). Pushing the grades that far required planning, physical and mental preparation, and the correct mindset for success. These attributes helped Timonov succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Timonov heel hooking through the technical Petrichor (8C) Juliet Leonova-Khaydukova photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you want to go to Rocklands for the first time, then plan your trip for at least two weeks, and preferably at least three.  Hiking around all the sectors and finding the lines you like requires a lot of time,\u201d said Timonov of his climbing in Rocklands. His first trip, he climbed for eight days in a row and on one day climbed nine boulders 9 boulders 8A grade and harder, including a flash of The Quintessential <\/em>(8B).  Before leaving, he watched all the vides he could to decide on objectives. As he\u2019s climbed more there, he\u2019s had to tailor his preparation a bit, first in general sense and then towards the highballs and hard problems he\u2019s climbed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo prepare physically, I train very hard to be there in the best shape,\u201d said Timonov describing his finger and power training as well as his projecting in the gym.  \u201cMostly I just keep my motivation high for each training day.\u201d This strategy of staying psyched for the trip has translated into him sending Monkey Wedding, <\/em>his first 8c. But he\u2019s had to be more than just psyched for the climbs in Rocklands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Timonov sending Parzival (8C) Juliet Leonova-Khaydukova photo Juliet Leonova-Khaydukova photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor some routes, I need to prepare mentally for a long time, since I am scared to climb that far above the ground,\u201d Timonov said of his experience on the tall and beautiful\u00a0The Finnish Line\u00a0<\/em>(8C). He was able to climb all the moves quickly and then sent it on toprope but bouldering it out seemed terrifying. \u201cMy first year trying it, even before the attempt began I knew that I would not climb to the top,\u201d said Timonov. \u201cFor a year, I prepared myself for the fact that I could do this. I just needed to turn off the fear in my head and keep control.\u00a0 When I returned,\u00a0\u00a0I climbed it on the first day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Timonov flashing Cosmic Artifact (8B+)\u00a0Juliet Leonova-Khaydukova photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Being able to climb intuitively helped him on the Rocklands highballs and it also translated to some very hard flashes including Mirta<\/em> (8B+) and Cosmic Artifa <\/em>(8B+). He carefully selected the climbs he wanted to try and flash. Before going to Rocklands, he practiced flashing problems in the gym. He also managed his expectations. \u201cMany people think that if I can flash 8B+, then lower grades should be easy for me. But that\u2019s not true. People who flash 8B+ can also fall on 6C and that\u2019s ok,\u201d said Timonov. Accepting that he could fail, even on easy climbs, allowed him to climb without pressure and perform his best, to find an equilibrium while he moved over the sandstone. \u201cAs I climbed I adjusted my body, finding the ideal balance positions and best way to hold a grip,\u201d said Timonov. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even with such an impressive tick list, Rocklands still has hard climbs for Timonov, including Living Large<\/em>(8C\/+). \u201cThe logistics of that climb are complicated,\u201d said Timonov.  \u201cI need a crew of climbers to try it with me, otherwise, I won\u2019t have enough pads and spotters.\u201d Having enough foam is one of the most important parts of going to Rocklands, maybe even more important than bringing a tick list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Timonov sending Trust Issues (8B+) Juliet Leonova-Khaydukova photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rocklands Tick List<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sends<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • G-Master\u00a0\u00a0First ascent (8C), Eland<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Parzival 3rd<\/sup>\u00a0Ascent (8C),\u00a0The Gallery<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Spray of Light (8C), Dihedral Boulders<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Petrichor (8C), Area 15<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Finnish Line (8C), The Coop<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Noise Versus Beauty (8C), Roadside<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Black Eagle Assis (8C), Cedar Rogue<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Monkey Wedding (8C), Roadside<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Get Railed (8B+), Roadside<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Amanda (8B+), Roadcrew<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Shakey Warrior (8B+), The Section<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Flash<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Mirta (8B+), Topside\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Cosmic Artifact (8B+), The Gallery<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The Guest List (8B),\u00a0\u00a0Eland<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The Arch (8B), The Arch<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Hipster Whale (8B), Danger Zone<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Quintessential (8B), 8 Day Rain<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • \u00a0Oral Office (8A+), Roadside<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Sassy Squash (8A), Eland<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • \u00a0Purple Nipple Clan (8A), Roadcrew<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Hellfire (7C+), Roadkill<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5951,"template":"","class_list":["post-5949","relatos","type-relatos","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrlandon.com\/tenaya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/relatos\/5949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrlandon.com\/tenaya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/relatos"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrlandon.com\/tenaya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/relatos"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrlandon.com\/tenaya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mrlandon.com\/tenaya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/relatos\/5949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrlandon.com\/tenaya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrlandon.com\/tenaya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}