Just when we thought that the Hulk had been pretty much tapped out of quality long, independent lines, Peter Croft visually pieced together a wild and improbable series of features that hugged the steep arête dividing Airstream and Positive Vibrations—we were hooked and the fun began.

Peter, Andy Puhvel, and I established the core of the new route during a couple of outings in the summer of 2014 and thought it was a done deal. But a stunning blank arête that could add a spectacular independent finish lured us back in the summer of 2016. The arête pitch (5.11+) proved to be one of the best pitches on the Hulk and a fitting finale to the route. With the addition of two new 5.11 pitches near the start, we completed Wind Shear (14 pitches, 5.12) on July 31.

– Dave Nettle