Nathan Kutcher Sends Hard Ontario Mixed Climb

It seems that winning the 2012 Ouray Mixed Climbing Comp was not enough for Nathan Kutcher who returned to southern Ontario and bagged the FA of the much coveted Diamond Lake mixed project. Kutcher named the 35m severely overhanging route Metamorphosis and gave it a grade of M10R.

But unlike many similarly graded routes, Metamorphosis was climbed ground up with no rap inspection or top rope rehearsal. The line also strays from the current all bolt equipped mixed climbing trend as its protected primarily by short screws, marginal rock gear and two bolts Kutcher drilled on lead on previous attempts.

During the ascent Kutcher was risking a 70-foot fall on the headwall which he feels justifies the R rating. “This is one of the most committing climbs I have ever done – I was really scared. I’m glad I did it because that means I don’t have to climb back up there again,” says Kutcher.

Long time southern Ontario ice and mixed climbing enthusiast and prolific new router Andriy Kolos says, “It’s simply the classiest line in Ontario, and it’s hard.” Kolos believes that, “It’s only the fact that it’s in the backwaters of Ontario that it doesn’t every rock-climber-turned-tool-swinger-that-can-hold-onto-a-jug-forever lining up to give it a twirl.”