PHIL SCHAAL OVERCOME

N.K.O.T.B. sends America’s hardest //

“For a hard problem, I couldn’t have made it any easier for myself — crimps, pretty good feet, snatchy . . . definitely my style,” says Phil Schaal, 28, of Glastonbury, Connecticut. He’s speaking, funnily enough, of his August 26 fifth ascent of Rocky Mountain National Park’s Jade (V15; FA Daniel Woods, 2007), possibly the hardest boulder problem in North America. Jade comprises six hard moves on a 45-degree wall (the Green 45) to a jug, followed by a mellow topout. The second move — “The Move” — is the crux. When a dark horse like Schaal makes a send of this magnitude, people start to whisper “downgrade,” so perhaps it’s useful to remember that Jade’s other ascents came from super-mutants Woods, Ty Landman, Paul Robinson, and Nalle Hukkataival, none of who have publicly suggested a downgrade.

So who is Phil Schaal? Foremost, he’s exceptionally down to earth, as if his finger strength and ego are inversely related. He has an associate’s degree in business, but when he’s not climbing, he paints houses to make ends meet. He’s been climbing 12 years, but appeared on the radar only recently, with his second ascent of Dave Graham’s Book of Bitter Aspects, a V13 in Bradley, Connecticut. Last year, he relocated to Boulder, Colorado, where he’s been tearing through RMNP’s hardest problems, prior to Jade picking off 15 V13s. Here’s what he had to say for himself . . . .

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Is it true you skipped V14? Yes, but of the 15 V13s I climbed last year, some were formerly known as V14. I put 15 days into Freaks of the Industry. Maybe Jade will settle into V14 in the future.

So how many days did you put in on Jade?
I flashed the stand start (V11) last year. This year, I went back, tried it from the sit a couple of times [in a day], and didn’t do the move. Then I came back another day, and the conditions were no good — it was too hot — so I just did the top repeatedly, to ingrain it. I went back a fourth day and the conditions were good — I did the move second try and then tried from the start. I climbed to the stand from the start, but fell at the last move. (I don’t think anyone’s ever fallen there!) I gave it one last try and just barely did it.

Tell us about “The Move.”
It’s two-and-a-halffinger right-hand micro crimp. . . . You don’t really lock it off — you have to use a little momentum to get to the next hold, which is a flat crimp. The move really comes down to how much skin you have on your fingers and how good the conditions are.

Is there anything to warm up on by Jade?
No. I just pulled on to the stand start a couple times. The hour-plus hike warms you up pretty well.

This is probably the kind of question you can’t answer, but why do you want to climb this hard?
I guess . . . why would you wanna bench press 350 pounds? I guess you’re right; I can’t answer that. If I were doing anything, I’d want to be the best. When I played lacrosse in high school, if I didn’t start the game, I’d get incredibly upset.

Are you always keeping your ears open for word of new, hard problems?
I’m climbing obsessed, so I always check the blogs and the climbing sites. Several times a day, if I don’t have anything to do.

Where do you get your finger strength?
I don’t really train, but I’m very methodical about the problems I try. When I got to Colorado, I knew what I wanted to do: try Aslan (V13), try Top Notch (V13) . . . I could have picked only climbs I thought I could do right away, but it made me a better climber to suffer on Aslan. In Hueco, I’d work Diabolique on my second day — it’s compression and slopey pinches — not my style at all. That strategy is why I’m climbing so well right now; I’m finding problems that are my weakness and being stubborn enough to do them.

Will doing Jade, make your life as a pro climber easier?
I don’t think you can really define yourself as a pro just ‘cause you’re climbing hard. I wouldn’t call myself a professional climber. I haven’t had any financial compensation from anybody. Being sponsored for product is great, and my sponsors have been great to me, but now that I did Jade, am I going to start getting a paycheck? Probably not. I have a business degree, so I can appreciate the companies’ position. Business is business — how many units are you selling?