Anna Hazelnutt repeats To Bolt or Not to Be (5.14a), Smith Rock
- Monday 4th December 2023
Anna Hazelnutt has repeated the Smith Rock classic, To Bolt or Not to Be (5.14a/F8b+), in America.
Describing it as her “most intimidating goal yet”, Hazelnutt is believed to be the sixth female climber to repeat the classic test piece.
First climbed in 1986 by visiting Frenchman, Jean-Baptiste Tribout, To Bolt Or Not To Be was America’s first 5.14a. Originally, the line was bolted by local developer and icon Alan Watts. The list of legendary climbers who have redpointed the classic includes Jerry Moffat, Ron Kauk, Alan Watts, Lynn Hill, Chris Sharma, Dave Graham, Tommy Caldwell, Beth Rodden, Sonny Trotter, Steve McClure, Adam Ondra, Nina Caprez as well as numerous more.
Hazelnutt has been to Smith Rock previously sending Spank the Monkey 5.13dR in 2022. She’s making a name for herself climbing technical face climbs having sent the Austrian route Prinzip Huffnug 5.13d/14a earlier in the year. Previously in the UK, Hazelnutt has repeated both Once Upon a Time in the Southwest (E9 6c) and The Walk of Life (E9 6c).
Hazelnutt said ‘To Bolt is the most intimidating goal I’ve taken on, and I feel extremely lucky to have done it in the time frame I had! Joining the list of people who have done this beautiful climb is an honour.’
She added, ‘To say this project was psychologically mind-bending might be an understatement 😅 I’ve never felt so out of control on a climb before, in so many ways:
Physically— feeling like at any move I could slip without warning, or pump out beyond repair.
Mentally— anxiously timing weather windows with my rests, taking 6 days off for my split to heal only to split again immediately, re-learning beta with my back three fingers because I didn’t have enough time to heal the new split (yikes).
Emotionally— absolutely sobbing when I fell, feeling generally scared and uncertain, being unable to reel in my emotions.
Although I felt I didn’t handle my anxiety around this project so well, I do feel grateful that I can care so wholeheartedly and intensely about something, even if that means being a bit more vulnerable along the way. I’m working on my emotional process, but also embracing where I am, because it’s the fire inside me that takes me where I want to go. 🐝 🐝’