Adam Taylor, the low key local responsible for bringing 9a to Kentucky's Red River Gorge (Golden ticket 2009), has gone one notch further by establishing Southern smoke direct at the Bob Marley crag. Quite unsurprisingly it's a direct version of Joey Kinder's Southern smoke, 8c+.
In an interview with DPM Adam says the new route adds a boulder problem in the V13 or V14 range (8B to 8B+) straight into the business of the route, where the original climbs an easy slab and then traverses in to the steep wall.
He also says he is hesitant about the grade, but that it's considerably more difficult than his own The Golden ticket, 9a.
When Adam isn't putting up his own routes, he repeats all the other test pieces in the area, such as Pure imagination, 9a, 24 carats, 8c+, Lucifer, 8c+, and 50 words for pump, 8c+.
Next is a 50m rig which he describes as "5.14a [8b+] to about 1/3rd of the way up, then a V12 [8A+] boulder problem, and a ton more complex climbing"
Source: DPM and Climbingnarc
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