Connor Herson, who already has classics like Beth Rodden's Meltdown (8c+) and Ron Kauk's Magic Line (8c+) on his to-do list, has successfully climbed Stranger than Fiction (8c), one of the hardest cracks in the USA. Herson even took off his right climbing shoe to complete the ascent.
At the end of March this year, the American Connor Herson climb one of the hardest crack classics in the USA again: The 21-year-old managed the trad route after only two days Stranger than fiction (8c) in Utah. Mason Earle's 2015 crack line has been repeated by a few, including Britain's crack specialist Pete Whittaker.
Perhaps the best sandstone crack I've ever tackled. The upper section is simply fantastic: steep, numerous cracks, and persistently difficult.
Connor Herson
Herson is one of the best trad specialists in the USA and the world: At the age of 15, he climbed the Nose on El Capitan clear, at 19 he climbed the sport climbing route empath (9a+) as potentially the most difficult trad climbing route in the world. Shortly afterwards, he succeeded in free walk along the Salathe WallToday, the 21-year-old has already completed most of North America's difficult trad routes – but not all of them.
Stranger than Fiction: no shoe, no problem
For his passage of Stranger than fiction (8c) in Utah, Herson chose a somewhat unconventional approach: In order to step more precisely into the thin cracks in the second part of the route, he took off his right climbing shoe in the middle of the route.
After the first crux, I said goodbye to my right shoe and climbed the second half of the route with just my left.
Connor Herson
Herson, who was able to climb the route in just two days, was particularly troubled by the physically demanding first crux: "I couldn't make any moves in my first session."
On the second day, he quickly found a solution for the lower section, and on his fourth attempt, he successfully completed the climb. Herson climbed the route not only without his right shoe, but also without tape and crack gloves.
Video: Connor Herson climbs Stranger than Fiction half barefoot
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Credits cover photo: Black Diamond