MIKE FOLEY
T
he Northeast is full of hard climbs but it has only one 5.15. This summer, Mike Foley made it his mission to climb the hardest route in the region. With his sights
set on Jaws II, the infamous Rumney, New Hampshire 5.15, Foley got to work. Conditions were less than ideal this year. With all the rain we saw during the early part of the summer, the black flies and mosquitoes were like relentless kamikazes -- they would come in swarms and execute their mission with inexhaustible rage. However, even in horrid conditions, neither the heat nor the suicidal bugs could stop Foley. Two weeks after tak- ing on the task and in scorching ninety degree weather, Jaws II saw its third ascent. The route has seen the likes of many stronger, Chris Sharma even stepped up only to get shut down. After crucial holds broke from the Dave Graham test piece -- at the time it was considered to be 5.14d -- it was only a matter of time before someone, once again, began reprojecting the route. Vasya Vorotnikov, would be that person in line and after thirty-five days spread over a year and a half, Vasya crushed. Ten days short of three years and after a few more broken holds, the route again saw another ascent, this time by Daniel Woods -- one of the worlds strongest climbers. Naturally the route gained a reputation for being the hardest in the Northeast, so without anything to lose and running low on Rumney projects Foley be- gan working the moves out it the worst conditions possible. Mike Foley is twenty-one years old, a native of Lincoln, Massachusetts and is currently seeking out hard climbs in the Northwest while he attends Quest University in Squamish.
INTERVIEW BY: DAVID CROTHERS PHOTO BY PATRICK BAGLEY
JAWS II
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