“Lifeblood” (5.13) – Aden Parker Establishes Beautiful, Hard Crack at Lake Ramona
This crack is a beauty.
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On Father’s Day 2019, young crusher Aden Parker, belayed by his father, took down a longstanding project out at Lake Ramona, in San Diego County, California.
The 45-foot splitter finger crack, the edges of which are slightly offset, had been on the radar of strong climbers for quite a while. Perhaps one of the reasons it lay unclimbed is the effort needed to get there: the crack, which Parker named Lifeblood (5.13-) after his first ascent, is an eight-mile hike in on steep ground.
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This past weekend Parker went back to Lifeblood to get some footage on the crack and, with his dad filming, sent again (the video above)!
Despite the hike to get to Lifeblood, it’s bound to become a sought-after classic for crack lovers. When Randy Leavitt thinks a climb is a gem, you know it must be good. Leavitt congratulated Parker on Instagram: “Having heard rumors about this legendary splitter for decades, I followed Ben May out there last winter and I tried this crack once. I don’t know why I didn’t return because it is very impressive. Though I don’t like to let a classic first ascent slip past me, I am super stoked to see someone as deserving as Aden do it (Lifeblood 5.13).”