1 / 2

Jean-Pierre Ouellet adds difficult new rock climbs to Moab

At Moab (USA) Jean-Pierre Ouellet has made the first ascents of two difficult new climbs: Mexican Snow Fairy 5.13+ and Fisting the Crack 5.13-.

Planetmountain

December 2012

1 / 2

Jean-Pierre Ouellet at Moab, USA

archivio Jean-Pierre Ouellet

Jean-Pierre Ouellet has just spent almost a month on the sandstone cliffs around Moab - the same rocks which host the fabulous Indian Creek and the Arches national Park - where he established two important new climbs. Both perfectly suit the 34-year-old's style, ie difficult trad cracks. And while Mexican Snow Fairy follows a beautiful, thing vertical finger crack for 45m, Fisting the Crack presents the direct opposite: an intense, 18m horizontal roof battle... Climbed and first ascended, as it happens, on-sight!

Last year Ouellet received the prestigious Guy Lacelle Pure Spirit Award for his climbs such as the first free ascent of Necronomicon at Canyonlands and he has now told planetmountain.com: "The Moab area is really special for me because the potential for first ascents is basically unlimited. There's so much rock over there it's crazy! Plus, if you know where to go, you can climb by yourself all day... This certainly holds true for Mexican Snow Fairy located in Longs Canyon where not many people climb. In fact, we saw only one party across the canyon and we were there for three weeks. The crack is obvious, beautiful, and gets very thin in a few sections, so perhaps it is impossible for someone with big fingers... I also climbed Fisting the crack. Roof cracks are my forte but I guess I got lucky on that one... it was a real fight!"

TAG