GEO video!

Nice little reminder video of GEO 8c FA in Borgone Val di Susa!
Made with a cellphone!! but the result is excellent!
by Volx Italia

Geo by Gabry Moroni from VERTICAL ROCK & VOLX ITALIA on Vimeo.

Il Frutto del Diavolo video!

Here is a little clip of one of my best routes so far! My very own creature! Il Frutto del Diavolo in Trento(Italy)...

Il frutto del diavolo from Gruppo Struktura on Vimeo.

video by Gruppo Struktura
watch it also on HD here!

Funny shit!!

Hey there!
I wanna post this cool video by two american friends Carlo and Jon because it's so funny!
As every climber knows Flash/Onsite is the purest form to climb a rock...
Do you want to know all the tactics of the best flasher in the world?...check it out!

The Greatest Flasher from Carlo Traversi on Vimeo.

Gabri

GEO!

Bad weather is still here!!...But at least in between rainy days,snow storms and wet days I had the chance to climb in decent conditions...
Swiss granite bouldering could be an option, not so far and it dries very fast but I was a bit bored to try hard stuffs in "not best" conditions so I went to check out a route project some friends talked me about for a long time!
GEO is a route bolted by my friend Adriano an alpine guide from Torino with the help of my guru Marzio Nardi...

Located in the small crag "Alta Tensione" above the village of Borgone(Valle di Susa) it is a perfectly cut 25 meters arete in a beautiful setting... South facing so it's very good in winter and super cold days!!
First time I got below the arete I was stoked and I couldn't wait to climb on it! The climbing was even better... rock is a nice "Mont Blanc" like granite and the route climbs first on the left side then moves on the right side always using the slopey arete!

It starts with a difficult boulder problem with a weird dynamic move to an edge. Then it is very sustained all the way up with difficult slaps and very technical feet moves until you get to a small shake rest on two bad crimpers on more vertical terrain. Next is the redpoint crux where I fell off three times... another weird boulder problem with precise slaps on the arete and very hard feet placements!

I tried GEO for three days during the last week in real glacial temps! I think these were the perfect conditions to climb this type of route...
In my opinion GEO is esthetically one of the best routes in Italy so I would love to see somebody come and try to repeat it! I guess the grade is 8C or more so we will see after it gets climbed again!
All the photos are by Dario Muzzarini Daylight Studio!
Until next time...
Gabri

rain=wet crags=bouldering

Hey everybody!

Due to the really bad weather during the last weeks every crag in Northern Italy/France/Slovenia etc. was wet so I've been bouldering alot in Switzerland! Thank god granite dries fast!!
I've been climbing one day in Chironico where I found some dry rock...I cleaned a sit start of an ancient problem I did from the stand start a few years ago at about 7c(one move). New problem adds only one shouldery move from a sloper to a small crimpy pocket LH. From here you get a worst slopey pocket RH, smear left foot and dyno for a good jug!! So good and very fun to climb! At about 7c+!
Uncut footage from the send is here(video by Gio):


The day after me and Niki drove three hours to the Swiss Valais with one problem in our mind... La Danse de Barlog(original start,first 8b bloc in the world by Fred Nicole) in Branson!!
We got there and we quickly warmed up on the back side of the bloc! After half an hour we were already sitting at the start of our day goal... We both gave a flash attempt falling at the first hard move... I tried the sequences for a few minutes and after a five minutes rest I gave another attempt!False start... Next go I was at the top jug!! Yeah!...
Niki was having some problems with the first two difficult moves after the start but in a bunch of tries he found a good foot beta that suited him well and he sent it too... We both couldn't believe we were at the top of this great classic in a short session!
Meanwhile Niki was giving attempts to LDDB I started working on Radja! Another super classic, likely the first 8b+ in the world now settled at hard 8b!
Thanks to Fred and Theo video watched "on place" with my laptop I had the beta clear in my mind! The shouldery style of the problem suited me pretty good and after a good hour or so of work and some breaks I decided to give a proper go! already from the start I felt so good and solid on every move and I suddently found myself on the top of the boulder... Incredible! I really love feeling light, climbing in the right mood and go in crush mode! :-D
I really want to thank the great friction and Niccolò for the support!
At the end of the day we both got shut down from the first 8a in Switzerland, La Tractione Celeste opened of course by Fred... We have been so close but soon the strenght dropped off and the skin got more and more trashed... Next time!!
I'm really looking forward to climb again here and see what the Valais has yet to offer! Other areas look great too!

Margalef express trip and Bouldering in Ticino part 2!

Last week I decided to take a small four days trip to Margalef,Spain!
A friend of mine proposed to join some other friends who were already there so we bought a ticket in the evening and the morning after we were on a plane. I had a great trip with nice people and lots of fun. I also climbed some good routes with an 8c(pretty soft)done in three attempts...Aitzol in the Finestra sector! I began to try some harder routes I would love to climb on my longer trip at Chrismas time...Can't wait to go back to Catalan rocks!

Last saturday I also took a day trip to Chironico,Switzerland where I climbed the hard and not so often repeated The Crackline opened by Markus Windisch some years ago!!Syked!
Here is an uncut video of the send by Gio:


And a couple of videos on two 7c's I climbed the same day!

Slimeline 7c flash:


Made in Ticino 7c:


Rain has arrived... It's time for some training in the gym to keep in good shape for the upcoming trips!!
Until the next time...
Gabri

Some bouldering in Ticino!

Hi everybody!
After some months only rope climbing I decided to take a few bouldering sessions on rock! Ticino is in prime conditions now and the perfect granite feels so sticky!
During the last 10days I climbed twice in Brione and twice in Chironico!...
I had very good times climbing on some moderates to get into good bouldering shape again before starting to work on something harder...
I flashed a couple of 7c's and one 7c+ called Side Effect and climbed three very nice 8's with the beautiful and dangerous Cellar Door in Brione!So sick!

Here is some raw footage of me sending Apollo 8a+ at Brione!

Il Frutto del Diavolo 8c+/9a!

Hey there!
I'm finally back at home(for more than a couple of days) from almost one month and half on the road...
If you read my previous blogpost you know I spent alot of time in a new crag near Trento! It is a great wall with lots of hard new routes(so far three 8c's or harder and a couple of 8b+'s) and still lots of hard projects!
One day I was lowering down from a route just close to it I noticed a line on the left of the main wall! A few days later I put a static rope on the top of the wall so I could check the route from a closer point of view! It looked like there were holds and features on it!! I was super syked!...
The day after I took the drill and after lots of hours of hard work,sweat,blood and dirt I finally finished the route!! Il Frutto del Diavolo was officially born!

I was too tired to try it the same day but I started doing it the day after...
During the first tries I had hard times to find the beta for every sequence and clean the route. I immediately realized that the route would have been very very hard.
I couldn't imagine how to do the crux moves on the first tries...

After I came back from Sicily I felt well rested and in good shape so I started trying it seriously for a few days until I found all the betas and I had all the moves in mind!... I was ready for the first real attempts...
During the next weeks I worked hard on the route and I felt I was getting closer and closer to climb it also thank to a small beta change for the first crux!
The day of the send was really cold so we lighted a fire to warm us a little before climbing. I think this was the main reason of the send... after a good warmup I gave a first attempt but I fell when my heel slipped. After almost a hour in front of the fire I gave a second go and everything went perfectly...and after a good fight I was at the top clipping the chain of my little baby route!! A very big gratification!

Well talking about the grade I think it's very hard as always... Il Frutto del Diavolo is about 25meters long, first 10meters are about 7c+ until a small rest then a hard boulder problem I thought it could be 7c+/8a but after I found a better beta it could be around 7c now... After this first crux you have a good but a bit awkward rest with a footjam in a big pocket. Then the second crux sequence comes just a few moves after the rest with some weird moves and some phisical ones! I would call this part 8b.

I think this route could be between 8c+ and 9a. It's actually harder that many of the 8c+'s I've done in the past but a bit easier than the 9a's...mmmm difficult to say as always! Grades!!??...
I want to thank my friends Valerio,Petardo,Ale e Flami for giving me a bed and a roof during my stay in Trento/Arco! Grazie my friends!!

All the pictures are from Andrea Pandini Gruppo Struktura

Arco and Trento!

Hey everybody!
What have you been up to?
Since I got back from the European Championships in Innsbruck I'm stable in Arco and Trento area chilling and having fun with friends, climbing alot in new crags, bolting new routes, working and trying to climb hard projects!! I'm super syked to be here... The climbing community is very motivated and friendly and the potential for new climbs is huge!
I've got another few days here to finish some current projects and bolt some more new routes as well!
During my time in the area I also got something done... I did a few first ascents in a new crag just outside of Trento:
- Belzebù Climbing Team 8c
- La Gabi 8c
- Scoglio de Capri 8b+
I also repeated a beautiful route near Arco called Mr.Teroldego 8c...

Me on La Gabi 8c
photo Andrea Pandini,Gruppo Struktura

Well my time in the area is almost over but I'm really looking forward to spend some more time in the near future, in this place I feel like it's becoming my second home!!
Friday I'm off to the San Vito Climbing Festival in Sicily. It's going to be a great event with almost 500 climbers from all over Italy and Europe.
During the festival I will also present my video on Action Directe!

I'm off climbing!!Peace out!...

Condé de Choc!

Sunday I finally climbed my small project in Entraygues,France...Condé de Choc!
It is a short bouldery route opened by Tony Lamiche in 2006. It is basically two hard boulder problems with a good rest in between.
First boulder problem is the hardest one at about 8a/a+ bloc. It starts with a big move with a not so good left heal hook from two good holds to a bad polished edge. From here you get a slopey finger lock right hand and a very bad pinch left hand and you throw to a decent slopey edge but very up high. The dyno is okey because you have a very good foothold but the hard part is holding the huge swing!This is the hardest move of the route and it has been my nightmare for several sessions!
Tony Lamiche on THE MOVE!!
Once you kept the swing you do a couple of easier moves until you get a big rail where you can shake very well and get ready for the second part of the route...
This part is actually easier(8b?) but the moves are heinous and weird and you can easily fall at every move, even at the very last one!
Luckily I figured out this part very well so I knew I had good chances to climb it to the top if I was going to do the move ...
In fact once I completed the move on the link I've not fallen afterwards!
This route took me about 5days total of work. I tried one day this summer when I was in Ceuse and another day a couple of weeks ago. Last week I came back to try with Enzo Oddo who was also working on the route. After two days of being very close to do the move I felt I could do it i the next attempts. So I took a rest day and the day after I completed it on my second try with a very good crowd watching and cheering! Thanks alot!
I also want to thank Enzo Oddo and Romain Wohlgroth for the support they gave me in these days!...

L'Arcademicien!

Hey there!
Finally I climbed what was becoming my nightmare in the last few weeks... Arcademicien, a route in the demi lune sector in Ceuse!
Apparently "only" 8c but very difficult for me...
I already wrote about this route a couple of months ago when I tried it one weekend in June so I won't talk about the route again...

All the pics are from Pierre Delas!Thanks!






After Arcademicien I focused my attention on a old Dave Graham's route in the Berlin sector... It was still a project until David Lama climbed it about a week ago! So now the route has a name(still unknown) and a grade(8c+)!
I'm very syked for the new route but not for the hike so I won't be back until september to try it again...

Until next time...

Elementi di disturbo

Hey!
Last thursday I climbed a new route in Gressoney.
Name is "Elementi di disturbo", a 25 meters all natural granite route bolted by Alberto Gnerro a few years ago! After 10 easy vertical meters the wall become steeper and here the hardest part of the route is...about 10 hard and technical moves on very bad holds at about 8a+ bloc!! After the crux and a small shake point it follows a resistence 8a route with some heinous moves!

I tried this project for a few days last summer but I didn't manage to find the right solution for the crux... This year I came back with new motivation and during the first day back on it I was already able to do all the crux moves!

I tried the route another 3 days this year... 2nd day back on the route I found a new higher foot hold and the hardest moves of the crux were a bit less weird!...
3rd day on I fell a couple of times at the last hard move of the crux untill everything finally clicked on my 3rd attempts of the day. Every move felt perfect and I climbed it to the top!!

Elementi di disturbo is actually my hardest FA so far and I'm very proud of it. It's a very good route with a nice line in a great summer place in the mountains...I hope somebody will come to try it soon!

About the grade I'm not really sure because I am the only one who tried it but of course it's not easy... In my opinion it's a very hard 8c+(and maybe close to 8c+/9a) but I wait for a repeat to confirm the grade!
So first summer project has gone so we will see what's next!!??...Ceuse,Zillertal,Switzerland??!!
Stay tuned!

ps: pictures are video frames by Marzio Nardi

Comps...

Hey everybody!
During the last two weekends I took part at two Bouldering World Cups in Eindhoven and Sheffield!
Both comps were very well organized but for me they were a big flop!
I could usually get into semis but then I couldn't climb at 100% and with the right head.
Season is going very bad for me for different reasons...
- wrong training regime for competitions
- low motivation at training
- low motivation at comps
- climbing in bad mood at comps
- big problems with the Italian Team coach(different way of thinking and point of views)

Now I have about 10days before the next comp in Arco but training is impossible for me with this heat... So my plan is trying to climb on rock as much as possible and keep a decent shape for Arco and the next projects and trips!

Tomorrow I'm off to Gressoney(Aosta Valley) to try a very hard granite project it has been in my mind for one year! It's basically a 4bolts 6b followed by a 10moves crimpy and technical 8a+/b bloc(?) followed by another 15meters of 8a/a+ route... It is going to be very difficult!... Last week I did all the moves of the crux so I'm pretty sure it can go with some hard work!!
Can't wait!

Weekend in Céüse!

Last weekend I was in Céüse climbing with a group of friends!
We had a great two days even if the weather was not the best. It was cloudy,cold and windy but climbing here is always the best in the world!

Since I only had a couple of days I focused my attention on a route I was close to do last summer... L'Arcademicien 8c at the Demi Lune sector. It's a great technical route in typical Céüse style with many moves on mini features,small pockets and crimpers!
Unfortunately a few days ago Stephanie Bodet broke a crux hold,a small pebble on the hardest sequence and now the beta is changed and much harder on the link(more sustained).

After one try to remember all the moves once again I started to give some proper attempts but the cold temps didn't help at all. I climbed a few times till the crux where the hold had broken but my fingers were all the time totally numb plus the sequence is more powerful and I was pumped too...

Well I didn't climb Arcademicien but I hope to do it next time with some better temps and endurance!! For me it is the best 8c in Céüse and I'm really syked to try it again!
But first I'm going to The Netherlands for the Bouldering World Cup in Eindhoven so wish me luck!!...
Peace out!

Boulder and Vail!

I'm just back home from a short week in the United States.
After a long travel we arrived in Boulder Colorado where we settled for a couple of days. We spent these two days just chilling in the hotel,walking in the downtown and climbing a bit at The Spot! And we went a couple of hours in Boulder Canyon visiting the famous The Game and another 8b+ called Midnight Express! Very nice hard problems on very good rock!

Next day we drove to Vail!
Qualifications were okey and I got in semis at 15th place... To be honest american's is not my climbing style at all with very gymnastic and powerful moves on decent but always very slopey holds... but I really enjoyed the problems though! Plus in Vail is very easy and fast to get super pumped and it's hard to breath properly because of the elevation... In fact Vail is at about 2500meters on sea level...
Semis were on saturday morning and I felt good on the first two blocs. Third bloc was on the huge steep central wall. It started with a kind of weird double dyno then long moves on pinches. I missed the dyno a couple of times and once I didn't stuck the bonus pinch... Well if I had got that bonus at first try(totally possible) I would have been in the finals...
At the end I finished 7th!
Finals were a great show with Daniel dominating in front of the japanese Hori and Kilian! My slovenian buddy Kruder totally crushed the comp too and got 4th but it was the only finalist to easily do the one arm jump on problem 4!! So crazy!...
In the girls Chloe won her first long awaited World Cup...very nice!
Official results are here!
And to finish the day in the best way we had a great crunk dancing party in one of the best clubs in Vail with a very international scene!! So sick!...
Next comp for me is in Eindhoven in three weeks but now it's time for some real rock again and a few plastic sesh to keep warmed up for next comps!!...
Latersss

Bouldering World Cup in Vail Colorado!

I'm leaving tomorrow for the USA! Plan is staying a couple of days in Boulder,CO chilling and training a bit then drive to Vail,CO fot the 3rd stage of the Bouldering World Cup 2010...
I don't have any expectations due to my poor form and low syke on plastic this year but we will see what happens!! I'm sure it will be a great event like every year and it's cool to see some friends I haven't seen in a while!...

From shallow waters to riverbed!

Yo! What up?
I still suck at comps but I can climb hard boulders on rock at least...hahahha

Yesterday I climbed this boulder problem called From Shallow Waters to Riverbed 8b+ in Magic Wood! This bloc was opened by Franz Widmer a few year ago and it's basically the sit down start extension at 7c+ bloc into the famous 8b The Riverbed! It's about 30moves long so it might be considered a route or a traverse or whatever... anyway it remains a nice and hard climb!...

I'm gonna skip the next World Cup Comp in Vienna due to Italian Team Coach decisions so I'm leaving tomorrow night for another trip in the beautiful Frankenjura!...lot's of hard stuff to try! Super syked!...

Stay tuned!

I SUCK!!

Yes I really suck!
41st at the Bouldering World Cup in Switzerland!... Enough said!...

World Cup season is coming up next!

Hi everybody!
Here I am again after two weeks of absence...
After I came back from Germany the weather started to suck again here in Northern Italy/Swiss... Very warm and humid the first few days then just rainy... very negative for climbing on rock and back on the closer projects! Plus I got a small injury at my rib muscle doing a stupid move, the only day I went to the rock in these couple of weeks, in Magic Wood... Damn! It hurted alot during the first week that I was not able to climb properly. Now is getting better everyday and I start to feel strong again and almost ready for the next comps!!...
Today I drive to Val di Mello for the Melloblocco event... We will see what happens because the weather forecast is not so good again! As every year though... then we always climb! Syked for the party! It's gonna be great!...
until next time!
Ciaooo!!!

Per gli Italiani...

www.planetmountain.com/News/shownews1.lasso?l=1&keyid=37356
http://www.bsidezone.com/?q=bside/actiondirecte

ACTION DIRECTE is done!!!...

Hey guys how is it going?...

I'm just back from the Frankenjura a beautiful climbing area in the heart of Germany! Here is where everything started and where free climbing was born! Have you ever heard about ROTPUNKT?! Or REDPOINT? On these rocks the local climbers(Mr.Kurt Albert above all) were use to paint a red dot on every route they were able to climb with no falls!...
This area is also famous for its limestone crags and towers, its pockets and for sure for the late Wolfgang Güllich, the only myth in the climbing world!
Well my mission for this trip was to finally finish his most famous and hardest route... Fist 9a in the world and the benchmark for the grade... the legendary ACTION DIRECTE!...

Almost everybody knows the history about this route... Milan Sykora was a real visionary and bolted this line in the 80's since Güllich climbed it in the september of 1991 after a few years of working on the route and some specific training and exercises to get stronger fingers using campus board and finger board!...
My history with this route is a bit different...
I've always heard about this mythological route and his style and I've always been syked to try it since I was a kid! I dreamed about this route for years until the 2004 when I had the chance to go to the Frankenjura on a trip with some friends! Unluckily I was injured at an ankle and I could't climb properly but I fell in love with the place!...
I remember that the first time I saw Action Directe was when Cristian Brenna and Jolly Lamberti were trying it. Jolly could do the fist jump quite easily but he had some problems from the pinch. For Cristian was the opposite, he couldn't do the jump but he could do all the moves after that!...
From that day my dream became bigger and bigger and I could imagine myself climb on that route in the future!

I came back to the Frankenjura a couple of years later for a week trip. I climbed some hard and historical routes and one day I wanted to go to see how Action Directe was... Just to have an idea on how hard it was...
Well I couldn't do any of the moves!! I understood that if I wanted to have a chance to try it again first I had to get stronger and become a better climber!
The real epic started in the summer of 2008. During the previous years I made all the historical steps in the Frankenjura... I climbed Ghettoblaster in the 8b range I climbed Burn for you in the 8c and I climbed Shangri la at 8c+...
Next step was natural... 9a... and the first 9a is called Action Directe!
I tried again with no expectations but this time was so different! I could climb well on it. I did the jump and the moves after the pinch... I couldn't believe it. I was so syked that I decided to give a go and at my second try I climbed it with only one fall in the middle!! So crazy!

photo Bernardo Gimenez!
It was becoming possible and not in a long time... unfortunately I was thinking wrong!
That same evening I started to feel that my left middle finger was not ok after pulling alot on the small pockets and the day after I couldn't bend the finger. I was suffering my first(and last so far) injury!
Luckily it was nothing too serious and after a week of stop I started climbing again. That same day I started training as well. I had planned a trip to Germany in october and I wanted to arrive well preparated with stronger fingers and great shape!
Well october came and I was again under my project. I started to work on the moves again and I was feeling so strong. During the three days we stayed I had some very good attempts... A couple of times I fell at the very last sequence! Damn...
I came back to the Frankenjura ten days later for a short weekend thinking It would have been the last time... I was wrong again! I started to feel a big pressure in my head because I could climb well the first part but I kept falling at the same weird move to get a mono after the pinch!... Yes I was starting to suffer of a mental block!

Another time at the end of october I joined Patxi Usobiaga to try the route with him for a few days... At the end Patxi climbed it and I got back to Italy empty handed another time.

photo Bernardo Gimenez!

It was over for that year. It was getting too cold and I was too broke for another trip to Germany!

photo Bernardo Gimenez!
Last year I didn't have the chance to try AD alot. I went there only one weekend in may in between World Cup Comps but my shape for the route was not the best, plus it was warm and full of mosquitos! The same was in october... bad shape no time and really bad conditions!
This year everything was different! I trained hard to get in shape for this trip in fact I did some specific works to get my tendons stronger and mostly I had more days to try the route, not the short weekend like usual. My motivation was so high!
I was so syked to have a revenge!
Fist day back on the route was okey... I reworked the moves, did the sequences a few times but I couldn't give a proper go due to one very humid hold.
Second day was a bit weird. In the morning during the warmup I didn't feel so good, a bit tired and not so reactive...
This day AD was in perfect conditions and the weather too so I gave a first serious attempt but I climbed a bit nervous and not in the right mood.
So I rested a bit more and I understood I was getting in the right state of mind. I was feeling relaxed and peaceful! A great feeling!

photo Bernardo Gimenez!
I started again for the second go of the day and I climbed the first part very well
with no mistakes. I hold the pinch perfectly and I was ready to get the mono... I fell alot on this move because I couldn't center the mono. Once I stuck the mono I got in a strange mind sensation. I felt like I was in trance and I climbed without feeling the fatigue!!... It's the first time I felt something like this and I'm glad it happened during the victorious attempt!!!...
I finally climbed my dream route ACTION DIRECTE! To be honest I'm so happy to have climbed it now and not in 2008 because now I can taste this flavour more deeply!!! I'm very proud to be in the story of climbing now togheter with all the best climbers in the world!!...
Thanks everybody for all the support but especially to the guys who supported me personally and mentally in this beautiful story:
Paolo,Simo,Jacopo,Franz,Malpe,Baistra,Gaia,Cecco,Silvio,Stecca,Ale,Flami,Marzio,Cristian,Pellet,Niki,Miki,Rudy,Wolfgang and all the others I forgot to name!!...

Gabri

Last days on the granit!

This last winter has been pretty bad in terms of good conditions for hard bouldering in Ticino...but spring has arrived and instead of warms temps it has brought dry and fresh air and not too much rain!...
I spent a few days in Chironico and one in Brione during the last month and I was able to send some nice problems I saw in the past but I didn't try until now... a couple of 8b's a bunch of 8a's all sent in a few tries(one flash) and some other 7c's flash!!
Here is the list:
-Delusion of Grandeur 8b
-Einfisch kleinfisch 8b
-Disney production 8a+
-Conquistadors 8a+
-Salamander 8a/a+
-Schlonziges wiener schmankerl 8a
-Walker on earth 8a
-Tricky 8a
-Wrap artist 8a
-Alphane moon 8a flash

Video of Delusion of Grandeur by Rudy Ceria!

Trad climbing!

Hey everybody! I hope you all had a great weekend!...
Saturday I went Trad Climbing in a really good granite crag called Cadarese in the Ossola Valley in the North west of Italy!
I have always tried to be a complete climber so last year I started Trad Climbing too and I really fell in love with it! I feel that I'm improving on placing the gear everytime!
Cadarese is the perfect place to learn that... It's a very nice granite crag full of cracks,corners,dihedrals,aretes etc!
Unfortunately the three main sectors are all bolted even if the bolts are not needed...
Last tuesday I tried one very nice 8a with the intent to do it only with natural protections. The route is about 25meters long and has some very nice cracks at the beginning that are easy to protect. After the first not so hard but technical 10meters you have the first physical and mental crux. A 4meters runout on a #2cam while you climb this precarious arete on slopers. After the first crux you get to a dihedral and you can have a good rest and place two protections(#0 and #1)before the last intense 10meters that consist in some physical moves on a slopey crack and a difficult #3 to place in the middle of the sequence... After you place the last cam you have the resistence crux with big lockoffs between slopey edges and a 5meters runout to add some spice at the end...
Saturday I was syked for a headpoint try and after a check out to remember the moves and the protections I went for the headpoint go! I climbed relaxed all the way to the top for my first trad 8a!! hahah so cool!
Later that day I started to try and figure out the gear on this very hard project on a shorter wall just below the main cliff... This project reminds me to a english "hard grit" route. It's very short(about 10meters)and it has some very technical and hard moves and a difficult mantle on a rail at 3/4 of the route. I can't wait to try it again and give it a proper attempt!...
So stay tuned!

Chironico!

Last monday we drove to Chironico to see how the granite felt like!... Weather has been crazy in the last days and we arrived welcomed by a few centimeters of fresh snow fell during the night before! Anyway the snow quickly melted down and neither let the blocs wet thanks to the dry wind blowing!! This means conditions for climbing were perfect!
First we went to Boogalagga sector. After a small warm up we put the pads under a cool problem called Confession of a Crap Artist! Very nice line and a bit tall too... Roosa the strong finnish girl was trying it so we added some extra pads in change of some good beta!... Thanks to the perfect beta we all succeeded! Me and Miki flash, Niki second go, Simo and Roosa in a few goes!! Such a great problem!
The grade was originally 8a but I'm sure very good methods have been found and the grade now is in the 7c range!
In the picture is Natalija Gros!

A few minutes later me and Niki climbed it again from the low start. Low start adds 5more not so easy moves to the stand start and make the grade come up to 8a more or less!... I remember I read somewhere that Jorg Verhoeven opened this problem some years ago and called it Wrap Artist!
Later on we moved just 100meters downhill so the others could try the amazing Boogalagga 8b! I climbed it last year and in my opinion is one of the best problems in the world at that grade!!Perfect rock,perfect holds and features,great moves!...
Meanwhile they tried it I gave a couple attempts at the nearby 8a(?)Walker on Heart
but my fat fingers didn't help me at all on this bloc... None of my fingers really fit in the start mono except the pinky and sometimes the annular. Once I did the mono move with the first part of my annular finger but I fell afterwards like a stupid... After another couple of false starts I decided to give up... too painful not for the tendon but for the nail I felt like it was going to break...
Miki climbed Boogalagga in about a hour!
I was sure he was going to send it very fast it is really his perfect style...good job!
Then we walked to another great 8a called Miss Schweiz. Simo and Miki climbed it again very fast me and Niki repeated it for some photos...


At the end of the day we moved again to another sector to try an 8a roof nobody of us never tried before,named The Alphane Moon!
This problem is located in a big cave with a few projects I think.
I remembered the beta from a video and I flashed it. So happy! Niki followed sending it second go! Nice!
Finally a great day of bouldering with good friends good fun and good conditions!...

Disney Production! UPDATED

Yesterday was a great day in Brione,Val Verzasca,Ticino!
The temps were a bit high but conditions not too bad in the shadow.
Me and Niki were able to climb Salamandre, nice problem put up by Fred Nicole back in the days with some crazy pinch features and a kneebar...
My project for the day was this cool line called Disney Production, climbed by Bernd Zangerl a couple of years ago! I'm sure he gave it 8a+ and it took him a few years to do the crux and send the problem. Pretty good line that climbs a cool rail feature until you get these two small crimps with a decent heel hook and bump to a slopey crack... so weird move!

I've already tried it once in the past and yesterday I climbed it first go and felt not so hard... By the way my skin was very good and the temps were okey after the sunset!
About the grade... if it's usually hard to grade things this is even harder to do. This thing is basically a one move problem. Getting to the two bad crimpers with heel on is about 7a(?!?) followed by this weird move almost impossible to compare with others I did... But I'm sure this single move might be at least 7c+ or 8a... So I'm pretty sure that the grade 8a+ is appropriate! Plus I'm sure somebody in the near future will flash it!Come to try it...It's very possible to flash!
To finish I think mine is the known second ascent. If someone knows more say me. Thanks!

UPDATE: Mine is the third known ascent: Micky Paige from England climbed it last december for the second ascent!! thanks Martin of Cityblocs Leeds for the info!...

England

Hey guys! What have you been up to?
I just came back from a one week climbing tip in England.
Our base camp was a small Hotel in Sheffield and from there we could easily get to the best gristone areas in the Peak District!
What a beautiful area is the Peak! Miles and Miles of green pasture lands with these sporadic canyons and rock cliffs and of course big boulders!
But fist let's talk about the comp in Sheffield last saturday!... Well it was actually a great competition, everything was organized perfectly and the gym is definitely the biggest and nicest I've ever seen. The qualification format was lots of fun for everybody, 30 blocs in 5 long hours, 3attempts for each bloc. At the end of the qualifications I was in 8th place with all the problems but two! Almost all the strongests were qualified for semifinals tough...
Ah during the qualifications there was a "Team Comp"! I was proud to represent the Climbing Works Team AKA Team WAD togher with Stew Watson Stefane Julien and Sabby Bacher!... And of course we won ahead of Team France and Team Beastmaker!!

Semi was in World Cup's format, 4 blocs/5minutes(or 4 I don't remember) with 4 or 5 mins in between each blocs. They were pefect and all but one very hard but possible were climbed. I got in the finals at 5th place, last spot for the finals... In my opinion I've been very lucky because I couldn't climb the easier problem on the slab but I climbed the two other blocs very fast.
Finals were just after the free BBQ offered by the organization! Everybody in the finals was very tired after the long day but we tried to do our best! I climbed first and i was the only finalist to flash the first two blocs. I tried hard on the last crazy problem(with a "feet first start") but I was completely cooked...
Gerome Pouvreau was still fresh enough to easily flash the last problem and won with style!!So impressive!...good job dude!
To finish the day in the right way everybody went to the Culture Club in Sheffield Center for a great dancing party...ohhh yesss!
Sunday was a rest day for me due to burning muscles and skin and hungover but I went to Stanage to enjoy some sun and staying with my friends...
The rest of the days we stayed in England we tried to climb as much as possible without getting too much wet... In fact almost everyday it rained at least a couple of hours but before or after showers it was possible to climb in not too bad conditions thanks to the wind!
We visited all the classic areas like Stanage Plantation, Burbage, Curbar, Black Rocks and Raven Tor!
Unfortunately I dindn't have the chance to try some of the hardest problems due to little time and bad conditions and skin but I had lots of fun climbing on the easier classics! some of the best I did are Brad Pitt, Deliverance, Ben's Wall, Buckstone Dyno etc...

Well I also checked some of the best "Hard Grit" routes around and I'm really syked to return in October hopefully with a better head and better experience in trad... We will see!

But first I'm sure I will be in Sheffield again in july for the Bouldering WC and possibly I'd like to climb a few days on the limestone where some of the first hard routes in the world were born!!!...

Sheffield!

Hey everybody!
I'm off to Sheffield for a week of climbing!
Saturday I will take part at this great bouldering comp/event at The Climbing Works, likely one of the biggest bouldering gym in the world! http://climbingworks.com/events/CWIF10
There will be a qualification round with 30blocs to climb in 5 hours then a semi and a final for the first 16 and 5 competitors! It's gonna be a tough comp with lots of strong climbers from France,Austria,Netherlands and of course England...
After the comp we are going to stay one week in the area, climbing(or at least trying to climb) in the Peak District! I'm really psyched to have a taste of the grit and climb some of the classics I've only seen in the videos! Firsts on the list are Brad Pitt, Deliverance, West Side Story etc... After these I'd like to try some harder problems!!
Can't wait!... I just keep the fingers crossed for the weather...

Deus Irae photos...

Here are some pictures about Deus Irae(after break)8c+!







All the photos were took by Massimo Malpezzi!

DEUS IRAE!!!

YO! How is it going my fans??!!.......!!
Well today was a great day for me!... Firstly because I climbed this one very sick route I really wanted to do since I first saw it a few years ago! Then because I finally start to feel I'm getting in a decent shape after one month of training, weight lifting(can you imagine me doing that?!?) and plastic pulling...
Back to the route I climbed today its name is Deus Irae... located in Claro, a great granite crag in the Ticino Valley,Switzerland!
It's very hard and painful and consists in about 20 intense moves with small edges, perfect pinches, sidepulls and gastons all the way up to this 30° steep wall!
soo sick!
Some locals told me they bolted it about 15years ago as a joke until Fred Nicole came to try it but he abandoned the project after a bit. A few years later Dave Graham climbed it with the quickness for the first ascent! He said 8c+ and after a few repetitions the grade was settled between 8c and c+.
Unluckily(or luckily?!) a key hold between the second and the third bolt broke off about a month ago creating a new crux just past the start! It still goes but it's definitely harder if you think the old crux(the top sequence) of the route is now the redpoint crux!...
Well totally Deus Irae took me about 4days of actual work, lots of skin and blood... but it was worth it! I'm nearly 100% sure this was the first ascent after the break and I'm so glad this little piece of perfect rock is still climbable... even if Adam Ondra would climb it also if the broken holds were 10!...
Concluding this history I think the grade now is 8c+... a very solid one!
Pictures are coming soon...

Thin Ice!

Well nothing really interesting happened in my climbing since the 2010 started because the weather has been terrible for the whole winter and the opportunities to climb on some real rock have been a few... I had a small trip to Arco with the idea to climb in this winter crag called Terlago and try a route called Thin Ice. It was actually a great idea because the weather and the temps were perfect the days I was there and the route was soo good.
Thin Ice is a very technical and fingery route on this slightly overhanging wall! The holds are pretty small and the moves are very weird... and a good footwork is needed. That's the reason why I had to try it for three days!! Every time I was trying to send it something went wrong. I couldn't feel the balance and stay on the footholds. On my third day of attempts everything clicked perfectly and I smoothly climbed to the top! Syked!
I really enjoy this kind of route, technical and physical at the same time with some hard boulder problems and a resistant part at the end! About the grade is always hard to know exactly... Nicolas Favresse said 8b+ when he did it but consensus seems to be 8c... I go for the slash grade!!...

2010!!!

Hey everybody! This is my new blog! I just decided to start one too like lots of climbers in the world!
Considering that I can't tell all the stuff I've done in the past I will start from the current year!
Hope you will enjoy it!