Old Man Of Sjór
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“Spirit, imagination … It steals into heart on the lonely silent summits and will not be denied.” - FREDA DU FAUR |
Old Man Of Sjór is a difficult peak from the fundamentals book. It introduces seagulls.
About Peak
The Old Man of Sjór is a sea stack stood on a shore on the eastern side of The Great Gales. The word Sjór comes either from Icelandic or Old Norse and translates to "Sea". Thus, the name of this peak could be said to be "the old man of the sea". Befitting of it's name, it worn by the waves and is covered in obstacles and sea birds.
Much like the last peaks, this one too serves as an introduction to a new mechanic: most climbers' arch nemesis: Birds. There are only a few nests on this map, but they are mostly hidden in the copious shrubbery on the rock.
The path up is winding and contains a few minor forks, most of which are more difficult than the main route, but serve as a way to avoid slapping any birds.
Strategy
The climbing route of Old Man of Sjór isn't necessarily the hard part. There's no jumps or anything you haven't dealt with up to this point. A majority of this climb's difficulty comes from the two obstacles: Tumbleweed and birds.
Tumbleweed is simple enough; just make sure you're held onto a different hold while you pick off the weeds from the next hold. The birds, on the other hand, are the real kicker here. When your hand collides with a bird, it'll get angered and fly off of whatever rock it's standing on. The bird will start flying around you, occasionally swooping in for an attack at your hands.
Birds will usually signal an attack a couple seconds in advance with a squawk. From here, there's two main reliable methods of dealing with them:
- Grab onto two different holds. Birds will only attack one hand at a time, so you can guarantee your safety by holding on with two hands.
- That said, make sure your hands aren't too close together. Birds have a very small attack radius which can mean they can get both your hands at once if they're too close together (usually if you're held onto only one hold as opposed to two different holds.)
- Take aim and smack away the bird with a free hand before their attack connects. This method is far less reliable and a lot more risky, but it is funny.
Alternatively, you can risk some trickier jumps and just skip over the rocks that the birds are on entirely. Just make sure your hand doesn't accidentally still collide with the bird as you reach your next hold.
Tips
YFYD Tips
Try to remove as much tumbleweed as you can, so there is room for your hands on holds. And if you are having trouble with the seagulls wait until they peck one of your hands then move.
Speedruns
Pocketwatch%
leader board: https://www.speedrun.com/Peaks_of_Yore/leaderboards?h=old-man-of-sjor-pocketwatch-1-5-4&x=l_69zoqrod-9d8zw9wd
Pocketwatch% Pipe Only
leader board: https://www.speedrun.com/Peaks_of_Yore/leaderboards?h=old-man-of-sjor-pocketwatch-pipe-only&x=l_69zoqrod-mke168n2
Collectables
Climbing Shoe
- Description
- "An old climbing shoe. Must've climbed barefooted, or lost it to the gulls."
- Location
- https://youtu.be/tFoUmRcqOMk?t=65
Rope
- Description
- ?
- Location
- https://youtu.be/tFoUmRcqOMk?t=141
Gallery
Image 1
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