Becca Frangos Sends First 5.14b with ASDATO
She sent her first 5.14 earlier this summer
Becca Frangos has sent her first 5.14b with A Stressful Day at the Office (ASDATO) 5.14b at Horne Lake on Vancouver Island. The steep line is a variation to the area classic called A Day at the Office (ADATO) 5.14a/b and was first climbed by Elan Jonas McRae.
The second ascent came in 2016 by Dan Beland, who said, “The crux is shorter but has significantly harder moves than those on ADATO. Not sure whether it justifies a grade bump.” Jonas McRae had originally graded ASDATO 5.14c, but the consensus has placed it at 5.14b.
Frangos recently sent her first 5.14 with a tick of Leviathan 5.14a at Acephale in the Canadian Rockies. In an interview with Frangos about her first 5.14 here, she said:
“It’s quite short, like a lot of stuff at Acephale. I want to say it’s around 22 metres. The start of the route is pretty hard right off the ground. Once you find your sequence though, it starts to feel easier, but it is by no means easy, like 5.12d to 5.13a climbing. Then you get a decent kneebar rest to clip an extended draw right before the crux, which is maybe 40-degrees overhanging. The way the Dan, Mike and I do it, I don’t know, I’m not great at putting grades on stuff, but the crux is probably like V11.
“It then eases off quite a bit for the next three quarters of the route. Good holds, you get it all back, and then there is this big jump one draw from the anchor. Quite a few people don’t actually have to jump it because they are normal sized, but I did. The last draw goes over a lip, and it is kind of a tricky slab, probably a V5 boulder, which probably doesn’t seem that bad, but, pumped, it’s pretty sketchy. Yesterday I was like, ‘Oh god, I’m, gonna fall at the top with my face in the anchor haha.’ It’s definitely a very bouldery route.”
Look for a story on Frangos in the upcoming issue of Gripped magazine. Watch Graham McGrenere on ASDATO below. Congrats Becca!
ASDATO
Check out the latest buyer's guide:
