Brian Kim Puts up new 5.13d in Gunks: Monumantle

If you climb in NYC gyms, you'll see Brian Kim all the time. I don't know him at all, but I've seen him at the gym so many times over the years that I feel I do. He's a quiet, unassuming guy who isn't built like an ape. But he climbs like one. Last year he was recorded on video repeating a 5.13d line called the Cybernetic Wall. That climb scales a wall of the same name near Bonticue, off the beaten Gunks track. It's a nice video, worth checking out:

Cybernetic Wall from paul jung on Vimeo.

Now Brian has put up a new 5.13d of his own, called Monumantle. And he found this line smack in the middle of the Trapps, on the right side of the "Mantle" Block! Brian's 8a.nu page says he did the climb back in July and that it is a "new school" trad climb, which I presume means he may have worked out all the moves on toprope before even trying to lead the sucker. Alternatively it may just mean he kept working the route over and over again until he could do it, which isn't a "new school" technique at all, but rather dates back to John Stannard in the late 1960s. In whatever way Brian worked the moves, he obviously gave this thing a lot of time and thought before the video-taped send; there are chalked-up holds all over the thing and he has each piece of gear perfectly prepared for the effort. This is not surprising, as the route looks crazy hard.

Watching Brian Kim ascend this line is like attending a clinic on balance and footwork. And his confidence above tiny stoppers is pretty impressive.

I can't embed the video but here's the link: http://www.deadpointmag.com/videos/watch/monumantal-13d-trad-climb-gunks

Go take a look. And someone tell deadpoint magazine how to spell "mantle."

Brooklyn Boulders Shut Down!

Last night I rode my bike over to BKB, only to find the place closed. Word on the street-- literally in this case, on the street right outside-- was that the place was shut down for failure to have enough fire extinguishers.

This morning I called them up and the person I spoke with said it had nothing to do with the fire code; they were shut down by the Department of Labor. I couldn't get any details on why, however. They are having a meeting with the Department at 2:00 today and they hope to reopen after that, but nothing is certain.

I'll update this post if I hear anything else.

Update:

This is from the BKB Twitter feed:

"Hey BKBers, NY State says its time to inspect every detail of our little 'amusement' operation asap.Unfortunately, since we have such a massive facility (over 20,000 climbable sqft, as you may recall) this will undoubtedly take a while.The earliest appointment available for us to scrutinize the minutia is on Wednesday afternoon; so ou...r best estimate as to when you can climb again is Wednesday evening...we will let you know for sure as soon as we do. ALL MEMBERS will be credited for these days without service beginning 9.13, and will also be given 50% off day passes for friends for the remainder of September as well as 25% off apparel. We truly apologize for any inconvenience this mandatory inspection has caused. If you have any questions please email me; lance@brooklynboulders.com"

Later Update:

As of 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday BKB is back open.