The Fat Boy Bloc
A lone bloc with a fine collection of mid-to-hard grade test pieces and classics, including the fine Kung Hei Fat Boy.
1) Time to Leave V3
The left arete of the block, starting on crimps on the face and arete.
2) Time to Leave (sds) * V7
The left arete from a low sit start.
3) Ass Crack (sds) ** V8
Tackle the obvious crack from a sit start. Easier said than done…
4) Kung Hei Fat Boy (sds) *** V6
One of the best problems in HK. Sit start on the right side of the boulder using the arete and small holds near the bottom of the face. From these launch out left and up the crack and arête above via slaps, crimps and a good dose of determination.
A standing/crouching start using the same holds is also possible at a lower grade. However, this avoids the real challenge and lowers not just the grade, but all credibility associated with your ‘send’ too. Just lifting your butt off the floor is one of the harder moves on the problem – for avoidance of doubt, if your butt wasn’t the very last thing to leave the floor, you’ve not sent Kung Hei Fat Boy…
For reference, i’ve witnessed several climbers around 5’7″ – 5’8″ do the sit start off one mat, so unless you’re really small (in which case use 1.5-2 mats), height isn’t that much of an excuse. The whole point is that the start holds are hard to use when pulling down on them to sit start rather than just compressing them when your body is already lifted.
Kelvin Leung cranking hard on Kung Hei Fat Boy (V6) during an evening session. Photo: Stuart Millis
5) Silent Day (sds) ** V7
The right arete of the block, starting matched in the obvious hold right of the arete and avoiding the crack left of the arete throughout.
6) Descent Slab * V1
The slab above the drop also provides one of the easiest ways of getting back down from the top of the boulder.
The Triangle
Near the Fat Boy Bloc is a small obvious triangular face with some short problems.
1) Simple Power (sds) * V5
Start matched on the sloper next to the small seam and climb the left side of the overhanging face from sloping lay aways next to a seam like feature around the corner. Can also be climbed starting right hand one hold higher up the arete at V3.
2) Pythagoras Theorem (sds) * V2
Climb the right side of the face from the good hold low down.