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
