Jonathan Siegrist is on a Rifle rampage.  As of September 4 he claimed the coveted second ascent of what may be Rifle, Colorado's, hardest route.  Bad Girls Club, a route bolted in the Wicked Cave by Joe Kinder, had thwarted all previous suitors until Matty Hong unlocked the powerful sequence and linked to the chains on August 21.

Although the route is speculated to be 5.14d, Siegrist made quick work of Bad Girls Club, linking to the chains on his eighth try.

Of the ascent and the grade of Bad Girls Club, Siegrist posted on his blog, “I'm beginning to speculate that 'your number of attempts' is really a flawed standard for judging difficulty. Grades are everywhere, and differ for every climber, at every crag. I think the best we can do is try to keep consistency within areas, remain honest, and also expect to get shut down, and kick ass from time to time. On that note, I'd like to repeat a few other hard routes in the canyon before I feel confident to defend or deny BGC at 14d.”

Siegrist then sent The Crew (5.14c) yesterday, September 8th. The Crew was once the hardest route in Rifle until the recent addition of Bad Girls Club.

(See interview below.)

[Bad Girls Club, with Joe Kinder, who cleaned and bolted the line, working it. When he had not sent by the time he had to leave the area, he opened the proj to others.  Photo by Jstarinorbit.]


Q. How did The Crew compare to Bad Girls Club?

A. They are shockingly different routes considering that they are right next to one another. The Crew is much more powerful and bouldery - featuring big moves between good holds and some typical rifle jessery- with a huge resting section two-thirds up, whereas BGC is more of a straight forward fitness route with a powerful ending
and poor opportunities for rest.

Q. How did the crux of each route compare?

A. BGC crux guards the chains - it's pure power endurance, there is not necessarily one move, it's putting them all together after climbing for 80 feet. For me, the crux of The Crew was in its beginning and ending boulder problems - there were definitely a few single moves on the route that felt quite hard.

Q. Do you feel that the ratings are consistent?

A. To me they felt about equally challenging. If I had F.A.ed Bad Girls Club, knowing how The Crew felt, I would have likely graded them the same - however, it seems that I stand alone in this suggestion - everyone else who has tried (or done) BGC (most of them have also done The Crew) suggested that it felt a letter grade harder. It could very well be a personal style and/or height thing - BGC definitely suited my strengths better, and The Crew is notoriously hard for a shorter climber.... but who knows? Something tells me that BGC will see repeats in the next month or two and hopefully that will help settle things out. As we all know, grades are not objective, and a consensus is always the best measure. This year has really helped me come to terms with the fact that you win some, you lose some - grades are only a suggestion - and should not be taken too seriously. I've never known a route, at any grade, that every single person can agree on. We're all different.

Q. What are your plans after Rife?

A. I'll be hanging around the Western Slope until early/mid October when I'll be heading back to Kentucky for a few months.... psyched!

Q. Glenwood Springs rest day?  What’s on the agenda?

A. You gotta splurge on rest days! Hot springs no doubt, big breakfast, fresh groceries and plenty of internet surfin'.