KAYA Climb Lists
Brandon Vu’s 5x V5 Challenge
Seattle climber, Brandon Vu, first got his gym membership in January of 2019. In 2021, he completed his first outdoor V4. Then, Brandon created an ambitious goal to climb five V5s in 2022. Using KAYA, Brandon made a project list and got to work!
1. Gimme Back My ID V5, Index, Washington
3.8*, 9 ascents, 4 beta videos on KAYA
Brandon was shocked to have sent his first V5 in just one session. Gimme Back My ID sparked Brandon’s inspiration for the 5X V5 challenge. Having sent the problem in April, he’d have another eight months to complete his goal.
2. Footless Traverse V5, Leavenworth, Washington
4.1*, 31 ascents, 12 beta videos on KAYA
Brandon tried Footless Traverse back in 2021 but couldn’t link together the sections for a send! After two more sessions, he took it down.
“Footless Traverse was my favorite boulder of the challenge. It has super good movement and was really fun to figure out.”
“KAYA has been an integral part of my climbing journey”
3. Schist Cave Right V5, Leavenworth, Washington
3.4*, 19 ascents, 4 beta videos on KAYA
Across the street from Footless Traverse lies the Schist Cave, a steep roof with crisscrossing lines of varying difficulty. Brandon describes this as his anti-style. Fortunately, some stronger climbers were working a harder variation and were able to help him refine his beta. Brandon took it down after three tough sessions.
4. Sobriosity V5/6, Gold Bar, Washington
3.9*, 32 ascents, 22 beta videos on KAYA
Brandon first saw Sobriosity back in 2020. He and his friends went for a night session, arriving at 9 pm. They tried the boulder and got super shut down. The next day, they realized they had been accidentally trying a V10 variation of the problem.
“That one was a longer term project, it took me two years to get strong enough to nail it down. It’s also my anti-style, containing very powerful moves, a lot of compression, awkward body positioning, and an insecure final throw to a jug. That was my most proud send of this tick list!”
5. Zelda Rails Right V5, Index, Washington
4.0*, 7 ascents, 1 beta video on KAYA
Brandon had climbed a V4 variant of this problem in years past. Only when he returned with a friend who’d wanted to try the V4 did he realize the V5 exit existed. He hopped on, and to his surprise, he sent it in 3 tries!
“I didn’t think the last climb would be that easy for me. It’s definitely my style though, big moves between big holds and compression climbing.”
We chatted with Brandon to learn a bit more about this experience with this challenge.
KAYA:
Do you think sending the final V5 of your challenge in a few tries speaks to the progression you’ve experienced throughout this challenge? Do you think this challenge has made you a better climber?
Brandon:
Absolutely. More than anything, this challenge forced me to get outside more than ever before. Climbing outside every weekend gave me way more experience and made me a better climber. I improved my footwork a lot compared to in the gym.
KAYA:
How did KAYA help with this goal?
Brandon:
KAYA was really helpful to solicit beta from other climbers. I refer to it a lot for that purpose. Having a List for my challenge in KAYA was helpful to plan out my objectives and helped keep me motivated.
KAYA:
Do you think you sold yourself short considering you completed your year-long goal in July? What’ll be the next challenge for you?
Brandon:
I think I might’ve sold myself short with this goal. I wasn’t able to send any V5s last year, so seeing myself send five this year... It was probably all the training I’d done over the winter.
Over the past year I’ve mostly bouldered, but to be honest, I consider myself to be more of a sport climber. I want to spend the remainder of the year trying to tick off a 5.12. I’ve been back at the gym leading and trying to get my mind back into sport mode. I have two projects in mind. One is called Rainy Day Women (5.12a) in North Bend, Washington. It’s a really long, sustained route. The second one would be Culture Shock (5.12a) off Exit 38. It’s more steeply overhung, about 50-feet long, sustained and powerful. If I could do one of those I’d be happy.
KAYA:
Awesome. It was so great to follow your journey with this challenge, congratulations again! We can’t wait to see you send your first 5.12 this fall!
