We are pleased to announce that Tom Wright made the first ascent of his project today, naming it Spirit of the West. Tom bolted the line in January and since then has tried over 40 times until finally sending today. Although hesitant about the grade, he does think that it is one of the hardest things he has done to date and could be anywhere from 5.13d to 5.14a. When asked what he attributed to the send, Tom replied ‘My new haircut!’. Apparently for Tom’s last four projects, he always sends post-haircut from his stylist, Vikki Weldon.
Tom Wright on Spirit of the West. Photo courtesy of Tom Wright ©
Tom already scoping his next project after the send. Photo courtesy of Tim Schaufele ©
In other news, the route Queen Bee, recently put up by Stewart Hughes and to the left of Spirit of the West, has seen a number of ascents with Scott Milton getting the second ascent, followed by Tom Wright, Marc Bourdon, and Vicki Weldon. Hats off to Tom and Stewart for having the vision for these two mega-lines!
