Nina Williams Sends Highball Ambrosia in Bishop

American crusher Nina Williams sent the popular highball problem Ambrosia in the Buttermilks of Bishop. The strong 26-year-old sent the 15-metre high (as tall as many crag routes) V11 after a number of working sessions.

It was first climbed in 2009 by Kevin Jorgeson (who is planning on attempting Tom Egan Memorial Route 5.14 in Canada’s Bugaboos this summer) and has been repeated by a small group of climbers, including Alex Honnold, Enzo Oddo, Gabriele Moroni, Jorg Verhoeven and Isaac Caldiero.

The hard route climbed the steep Grandpa Peabody boulder, where Williams has sent Footprints V9 and Evilution Direct V11. The route starts with small crimps to a pocket nearly 10 metres off the ground and the crux. Williams has climbed a number of more difficult boulders up to V13. See what Williams had to say about the famous problem below.

The Grandpa Peabody has captivated my attention ever since I laid eyes on it. I climbed Footprints during my first #Bishop trip in 2015. I climbed Evilution Direct during my second trip in 2016. Now, on my third trip, I climbed Ambrosia: the final problem of the Grandpa Peabody king line trifecta. These trio of lines have represented, to me, the essence of the #Buttermilks: a frontier for facing personal barriers. I definitely had to face mine during this process. Still realizing that it really happened ? #wasitjustadream ?? HUGE thanks to pad donators Greg Locker, @naytonrosales (?!!), and the @hostelcaliforniabishop. Props to @etteloc @pangtastic and @naytonrosales for documentation. And a special thanks to @james_lucas ? for believing in me and spotting me even when I was 55ft off the deck ??? You guys are awesome. Now to enjoy my @blackboxwines #CabSav celebration TREAT!! ??#climbing #bouldering #highball

A post shared by Nina Williams (@sheneenagins) on Feb 28, 2017 at 10:07pm PST

#MegaProj Process Breakdown (Part One) ➡️➡️ Working Ambrosia required setting up a top-rope every session. I made it part of my ritual, soloing up the delicate 5.9 descent of the Grandpa Peabody with a rope on my back. #Climbing the exposed slab warmed me up mentally. The real mental workout, however, lay in the 10 laps (over 5 sessions) I did on the last 35ft of the climb. Each lap reinforced my muscle memory, building confidence I would need for the send. I wanted to make sure I knew every detail up there. ? Photos: @etteloc #bouldering #highballs #Bishop @blackdiamond #liveclimbrepeat

A post shared by Nina Williams (@sheneenagins) on Mar 1, 2017 at 9:22pm PST

#MegaProj Process Breakdown (Part 2): ➡️➡️ I worked Ambrosia from the top down, figuring out the lower crux moves and adding them into the upper section. Ambrosia's physical crux is a V11 boulder problem to a decent rest (at roughly 15ft), then 35ft of 5.12c #climbing. I felt more nervous about the lower moves, due to the sharp holds and big reaches. ❓What if I didn't piece the V11 together ❓ What if I never even got the chance to test my mind ❓The thought of not getting to the rest made me more nervous than getting past it. Photo: @etteloc #bouldering #highballs #Bishop @refuelpower #StayInCharge

A post shared by Nina Williams (@sheneenagins) on Mar 2, 2017 at 11:32am PST