June 21 2020
The opening statement is obviously subjective, but for me personally, I'll take Nouveau Itch V8 over Resurrection V8, Tsunami V8, or Skills Inventory V8 any day. Those climbs are fantastic, but simplistic - grip it and rip it. They've all been on-sighted by climbers over the years. Nouveau Itch is like good coffee or fine wine - complex and beautiful. It takes experience to appreciate the tasting notes. For Nouveau Itch, the notes are subtly and nuance. Nobody is going to onsight this problem. This climb would be like alien hieroglyphics to climbers raised on plastic. Zig sent this line in 2000 and it baffled everybody for 8 years. Finally, in January 2008, Ben Smith snagged the second ascent. Like a sighting of bigfoot - this legendary photo emerged:
Even if you crack the beginning, the problem doesn't let up. It features the most subtle foot smears I've come across - if your foot pressure deviates from the optimum angle at any point - instant ejection. If you survive the arête, you are treated with a second crux - a tricky topout where sending dreams can end in tears. Beautiful climbing.