Who are you? Justin Meserve
How long have you been bouldering? 17(ish) years
Fast stats? 5’7”, +2″ ape index.
Preferred style? Open handed holds, powerful movement, compression, and no endurance component needed. So like, wrestling a vintage refrigerator up into a pickup truck.
What draws you to a boulder? I’m usually drawn to lines that are taller or considered “scary”, lines that are somewhat singular / obvious, and lines that have a bit of history to them.
Justin’s 10 Under V10
He says: Sorry not sorry for all the Horsepens. Some of these are great for anyone of the grade, others I’d recommend carrying some margin into. Which are which is an exercise left to the reader.
- Moby Dick (Stand) – V4 – Rocks State Park, MD
- Why not start off the list with the first “proper” boulder problem I feel like I projected outside? Sure I scrambled on other stuff, but growing up in Harford County, Moby was the line. Sending the stand start is a rite of passage. Make sure you top it out up the narrow face – matching and rolling up left goes at the same grade but is not nearly as fun.
- Grooverider – V3 -Horsepens 40
- “Carnage Central, the sight of more broken ankles than any other boulder at Horsepens”. That puts many off, but is a siren song to a moron like me. A delicate balance move gains a faint runnel, which you then gaston on smears for feet – plenty of pucker the whole way up. Note: If this didn’t exist, Earth, Wind, and Fire of the same grade, crag, and consequence would have this spot.
- Honky Tonkin – V4 – Horsepens 40
- Tall, but the crux is mid-height…if you’re my height. It feels epically exposed on a blunted arete, with intriguing tension moves and a long but do-able reach right at the top. I first did it alone over a sad, flat, rental pad, and it’s stuck with me since. Ed: If I can find my old FlipCam with that footy, I’ll be sure and post it.
- Heretic – V3 – Hound Ears, NC
- Big moves on ample holds up an overhanging face, you’d think this was set in a gym. The flow is undeniable, and while it might look intimidating to some, it’s so uber-classic that there’s a permanent sea of pads, spots, and psyche at the base. If you can do the first move, you can do the rest, so go on and be bold.
- Merlin – V1 – Horsepens 40, AL
- An iconic slab face located a stone’s throw from the sloper climbers test-piece (Bum Boy). If you’re unsure of your slab skill you may find it spooky, if you’re not you can test your mettle by avoiding the left arete until absolutely necessary.
- See Spot Run – V6 – Hueco Tanks, TX
- I first saw See Spot Run in a small black and white photo in Climbing Magazine. It looked epically tall, in the place that was supposed to be the US Mecca for my new obsession, and I was in love. That photo, and the story of The Thimble, informed what I thought bouldering was. Knowing now that folks the Bob Murray and John Sherman got early ascents makes it that much cooler.
- Team Chattanooga – V5 – Horsepens 40, AL
- This might be the least-sent entry on this list, due in part to the potential pinball landing. That said, the movement is compelling, the consequence adds flavor, and the headspace I entered on the send-go was a high I’ve been chasing since. The only video I know of it (not mine, sadly), is here.
- This might be the least-sent entry on this list, due in part to the potential pinball landing. That said, the movement is compelling, the consequence adds flavor, and the headspace I entered on the send-go was a high I’ve been chasing since. The only video I know of it (not mine, sadly), is here.
- Ivanhoe – V2 – Hospital Boulders
- An odd choice, but hang with me. Its sandstone, tall, with committing movement right near the top. All the favorite food groups, swimming up subtle sloping features in a classic narrow runnel. It definitely deserves more traffic than it gets.
- An odd choice, but hang with me. Its sandstone, tall, with committing movement right near the top. All the favorite food groups, swimming up subtle sloping features in a classic narrow runnel. It definitely deserves more traffic than it gets.
- Mortal Kombat – V4 – Horsepens 40, AL
- I stared at this arete 10 years, making token attempts about every other – this thing, it scares me. The opening sequence is binary – either your feet stick, or they pop suddenly and you’re off. Once you figure that out, the top is guarded by a stand-up off a far-too-high foot perch. While it tends to have every pad available stacked under it, those unworthy will land in the same 2’ x 2’ every time.
- Boulder X – V6 – Pawtuckaway, NH
- This is the boulder I’m least sure of on this list, and the one I’ve sent most recently. That said, I think its unique, if one-move-wonder, mantle makes it an interesting addition to the list, and if it wasn’t here this list would be entirely sandstone. What I can say are the keys to success: do your dips, keep your head, and be short.