gabriele moroni

New Year New Motivations!?!...

2012-01-30T23:08:00.004+01:00

Hi everybody! Happy 2012!
First I am sorry for the lack of updates... I didn't write anything for the last month or so but nothing worth a blog post happened!
Well I have to say that in December I was in one of the best shapes I have ever been and after having climbed a few hard routes in a very small amount of tries I decided to move my focus and strenght on something harder...
I have been thinking alot about which could have been my next project and after a bit I realized that one of the hardest routes in Italy was not so far from home in a "new"(for me) crag. Perfect choice!
So I immediately started to try this route called Goldrake in Cornalba near Bergamo.
Goldrake is a 9a+ opened by Adam Ondra(who else?) a couple of years ago. This route is hard!

photo Diego Neonati

Defenitely one of the hardest I've ever tried and actually the hardest I've been close to climb.
And honestly I think it's in my top 5 of the best routes I've been on even though it has two chipped holds at the beginning in a very blank part...
Anyway after some hard days of work I felt I was ready for the send! But then bad luck started to hit me... colder temps, strong wind, holds breaking and so on... Two times I got to the last hard boulder problem and twice I fell with completely numb fingers... Shit!! My first 9a+ has still to wait... Hope to come back to it as soon as possible with warmer temps! Now it is just too cold for a 1000m above sea level crag!

photo Diego Neonati

A few days after falling at the end of Goldrake I left for Spain with high hopes of sending some hard routes... big mistake!! In a two weeks trip I couldn't climb even one of the projects I had in mind...
Biggest PUNT of the trip was on A Muerte my endless(3 years now) nemesis in Siurana(picture)!

Now I'm back at home since three weeks but I didn't climb so much. It's pretty cold out and not very motivating so I've been working a as a route setter in a bouldering/ski comp called Power Powder Contest in Aosta Valley which was lots of fun(i was the route setter for bouldering of course).
I also started training a bit like every winter...
This year I'm very psyched for rope climbing so I plan to train in various gyms and try to work on my resistance which has always been one of my weak points. We will see what happens!

Here is the video of the event:

Bella Regis video!!

2011-12-12T15:59:00.001+01:00

Here is a new video made by Gruppo Struktura,Petzl and Beal about the new crag Bus de Vela in Trento(Italy) and one of the last routes I bolted and then made the first to send... Bella Regis 8c+!
Enjoy!

Riti Tribali!

2011-12-07T23:04:00.001+01:00

Just a short post about my last ascent!

Yesterday, after only four tries in two days, I was able to climb Riti Tribali 8c+ in Angelone(Specchio del Grifone)! A route opened a few years ago by Adam Ondra in one of his visits in Northern Italy!
It is a cool route... it starts in a small cave with some difficult and physical moves on pinches and tufas until you get to a rest! To this point it could be graded 8b!

After the rest you have a hard and continuous part! The wall become less steep and the climb gets very bouldery and intense on slopers and bad feet... You need to be very precise and careful on this hard part since it's very easy to mess up!...

Photos by Could be Worse Photography © Gianluca Bosetti

Here is the actual footage of the ascent by Maurizio Mangione:

Gabriele Moroni - Riti Tribali 8c+ from Granze on Vimeo.

Onto the next PROJECT!...

Masoniamoci!

2011-11-28T14:46:00.001+01:00

Last tuesday I went to check out this nice winter crag near Lecco named Masone!

Plan of the day was trying the moves of Adam Ondra's 2009 route Masoniamoci 8c+/9a(maybe 9a he says) and see if it could have become a possible project for the near future!...
On my first day on it I was able to do all the single moves of the starting boulder problem but couldn't even link two of the hardest togheter. And I barely did the crux move, a deadpoint move from two very bad undercuts to a very far slopey rail.
Masoniamoci is defenitely a very bouldery route consisting in a super hard bottom part followed by a short but resistent 8a route!

The first part is about 12 moves long with a kinda jump start to get a sidepull, two terrible shouldery moves on gastons, a very high foot step, a crazy small undercling to match and a final brutal deadpoint move to get a slopey rail... from here you have another 5 easier but still difficult moves to get a good hold! Adam says he felt this section as an 8b boulder and I do the same!
The second part of the route starts right after the good hold with another long move from one bad edge to get a better hold with a weird heel hook... after this last awkward move the difficulty drops significantly! Easier moves on better holds but still pumpy and of course you don't want to fuck up...

On my second day on it I started to link the hardest moves togheter and I had the top part perfectly dialed. After a few more tries I felt so good on the boulder and I fell(twice) at the deadpoint!... Getting close and ready for the send I thought but my skin was trashed and I had to wait for another day...
After one day of rest I got back on my project on saturday. I felt physically good and my skin was healed enough for a few good tries! Luckily I only needed one! On my first go of the day everything went perfectly and still in the morning I was done with my route... I had all the afternoon to chill in the sun and spend time with friends!! Great succesful day!...

Photos by Could be Worse Photography © Gianluca Bosetti

In my opinion Masoniamoci is a great bouldery route... for sure one of the best in this style I have done! The rock is a perfect limestone and the route climbs on a great looking blank 40° overhanging wall!...
I feel this route could be comparable in style and difficulty with my own Elementi di Disturbo in Gressoney. The boulder problem on EdD is maybe a bit easier but the top is harder and more resistent... I think the slash grade is perfect for both these two routes I have climbed! 8C+/9A!

Here is a video of the actual ascent by Maurizio Mangione:

Gabriele Moroni - Masoniamoci 8c+/9a from Granze on Vimeo.

Bus de Vela(Trento)... end of the season!

2011-11-21T00:32:00.001+01:00

After China I needed a break... a mix of 30+ hours of travel and airports,jet lag and fatigue killed my body and my mind...
So I took one week of rest. After this stop I was starting to feel ok so I slowly began to climb again... First a couple of times in the gym doing easy stuffs then some fingerboard sessions at home and finally a couple of days on the rock again!
Now I feel I'm getting in good shape again and this weekend I spent my last day of the season in Trento(Bus de Vela). I had a little, but very long, project I couldn't do the last time I was here...
This route is the only link up route(but pretty logical) in the crag and it is very good and fun to climb!
This time despite the glacial temps I didn't punt at the last move and I was able to get the first to send on my first go of the day placing almost all the 15quickdraws on this 35meters route!
"Siamo squali nelle reti" is the name and the grade is around 8b+!!...

Here are a couple of pictures by Matteo Pavana!

Petzl RocTrip China 2011 and Coup de Bambou!

2011-11-03T21:14:00.002+01:00

Hey everybody!
Here I am again after a couple of weeks since my last post...
During this time I've been far away from home... China exactly, Getu Valley to be more precise!In this not so well know area was held the annual Petzl RocTrip!Getu is a small rural village in perfect Chinese style... but for about a week it has been transformed in a real climbers base camp...
Petzl did a huge work to make this RocTrip possible and at the end I would say It was one of the best event I took part in my life! A huge community of climbers and friends lost in the heart of China... Every day was just waking up, noodle breakfast, climbing a muerte all day long on the beautiful crags, rice dinner and party every night with videos,slideshows and of course local beer and baijiu rice wine!!

Rock climbing in Getu is just amazing! The huge arch is defenitely one of the most impressive things I've seen. It's so massive you can't even imagine until you are there! Since I didn't have many days I climbed every day here... and I got very syked with a project!
The route is called Coup de Bambou! It's a direct start of an 8c/+ called Polvo Tecnico. Michael Fuselier bolted this direct version and started trying it with Enzo Oddo a couple of days before I got there! Since I saw the route for the first time I've been inspired! Watching Mike and Enzo trying it, the route seemed to suit my style really well... at least the first part! The style and the features of the rock remind me a bit of my projects back in Trento!... Plus the desire to make a hard first ascent so far from home is big!So I said to myself...why not?

photo Beau Kahler 5.10

First day I climb on easier stuffs and learn the style. I decide to attack on my second day!
Already on my first try I'm able to do all the moves... as I thought the bottom part suits well my climbing... about 30° steep wall, big but precise moves, pinches, edges and a few balls features! And of course very bouldery!
Second part is pretty hard for me, less steep,not so hard moves but alot of them and very pumpy with slopers,bad footholds and a few kneebars... basically all my weak points!!
After a couple of days of work with all the homies, Dave,Enzo,Mike,Jon,Gerome etc I have found all the sequences that work for me and I have the top part figured out pretty well! I start to feel ready for some serious links!
One day I fall at the last move of the first part and I know It could go in the next tries but I am running out days... Two more to be precise.
So I decide to rest one and go crush mode on the last one!

On my last day I wake up well rested and syked! At breakfast I meet Jon that looks as syked as me for his project and we get to the Arch pretty early! The Petzl RocTrip is over two days before so we are almost alone at the crag!
I decide to warm up straight on the project to practice the moves one more time! Jon does the same and on his second try he fall at the very last move on his project Polvo Tecnico!! I'm sure he will crush it easily before he leaves!
On my second go of the day I feel very good but I slip on the bottom crux... it's still morning and some holds are humid and greasy. I decide to wait a few hours and try it again with better afternoon conditions! The luck seems to be on my part in fact a nice wind started blowing after my attempt!

photo Beau Kahler 5.10

Some hours later I'm ready one more time at the start of the route... Jon at the grigri, Juju Nadiras behind the camera and a huge support crew of good friends: Dave,Joe,Mel,Petitou,Sean and many others!First part goes well and I'm at the crux. I execute the crux perfectly and I'm at the weird last hard move of the first part where I fell two days before! This time I barely stuck the move and I move fast till the kneebar rest.
I probably rest five minutes and I think I have to give 100% if I want to send the project!
So from here I start to climb precisely and try to remember every hand and foot placements. Everything goes well and after another couple of shaking points I am at the last sequence, the redpoint crux. Here I try to be as focused as possible... I don't want to fuck up at the last few meters! Even if it's hard and technical and I start to feel really fatigued I don't want to fall!
I pass the hardest move and one more time I try to climb so precise. The last moves go perfectly and I am at the chain in a great state of euphoria!! Coup de Bambou is done and I am proud of this great first ascent!

About the grade as always is difficult to say but many world class climbers tried it in these days and the consensus seems to be 9a so the hardest route in China with Spicy Dumpling by Ethan Pringle in Yangshuo!!

Big thanks to Petzl for make this trip happen,Five Ten, team USA for make me feel part of the crew, team France, Jon for the early start, Dave for the kneepad, Mike for bolting this great route, Marcos for the multipitch warmup, Enzo,Mel,Princess Ricola,Mimin and Zorbey and all the climbers and new friends I met!

Here is a first video about the event! It was shooted on the first days before the RocTrip started so only the French Team and a few others were there but at least you can understand how great the place is!!...

List of routes in Bus de Vela/Trento!

2011-10-20T15:44:00.005+02:00

Every time I check out this list of routes and projects I get over syked...
I think it is the right time to show the world what the "hardest crag" in Italy is like...

List of the routes from right to left:
1) 6c+/7a
2) Polveri Sottili 7c (same start of 1 then left)
3) Erezioni Vulcaniche 8a+ (direct start of 2)
4) Bombo Balla 8b/b+
5) Iron Man PROJECT 8c+/9a? (same start of 4 then left)
6) Bassi Dream aka Colpi Bassi PROJECT 8c+?
7) Happy Milf PROJECT 8c/c+?
8) La Gabi 8c
9) Scoglio de Capri 8c
10) Belzebù Climbing Team 8c (same first 15meters of 9 then left)
11) PROJECT (work in progress)
12) Il Frutto del Diavolo 8c+/9a (start on the RH side of the ledge)
13) No More Passion PROJECT 8bc? (start in the middle of the ledge)
14) Mezza Negra PROJECT 8bc? (start on the LH side of the ledge)
15) Siamo Squali nelle Reti 8b+ (same start of 9, traverse left on the holes and exit on 14)
16) Sleep But No Love PROJECT 8?
17) Le Tre Madonne PROJECT 8? (same first 15meters of 16 then left)
18) PROJECT (work in progress)
19) Open Bar PROJECT 8c+?
20) Kittatterra PROJECT 8c+?
21) Iggy Pop 7c+ (LH start of 20 from the top of the house)
22) Er Bus 8a+
23) L'insaziabile 8b
24) Lioness PROJECT 8bc? (same start of 23)
25) It's mine 8a+ (same start of 23)
26) Pollon 8a
27) Tajerino 8a
28) Dragon 7b+ (same start of 27)
29) Bastardi 7a+ (same start of 27)
30) Route 666 6c
31) Il Panettiere 7c
32) Bella Regis 8c+ (same start of 31 then right on the prow)
33) Re de Roma PROJECT
34) Peter Panico 7a+
35) People Have the Power 7b

Bella Regis!

2011-10-19T14:46:00.008+02:00

Last couple of weeks I was in Trento climbing in the beautiful crags of the area!
I left home with one route in the head. I bolted this beautiful line during a few days last spring and called it Bella Regis!...
The rock formation is one of the most impressive I've ever seen, a huge roof prow and the route follows exactly the arete line with no possibility to go right or left!
When I bolted it I hoped there were enough features to climb it and I hoped to find a next level route...
After a few goes to clean and put chalk on it I figured out the moves and I realized the route would have not been that hard... well very difficult but actually not in the 9th grade... little shame but the route remains one of the best lines I've seen around and I'm very proud it is one my creature!!
I tried Bella Regis a couple of days after I bolted it, a couple of days this summer after the World Champs in Arco in the heat and finally I sent this season with decent conditions!
So psyched the process is over! From visualizing the line (impossible not to notice it though) passing from bolting,cleaning,put some efforts and finally do the first ascent!!... I think the grade is around 8c+ but as always I wait for a repetition to confirm the grade!!

photo Matteo Pavana

During the last days in Trento I bolted a new king line just left of my last year's route Il Frutto del Diavolo but I didn't have the chance to try it yet! But It looks hard, especially the upper wall where you have to climb a few meters with only a slopey undercut,a bad edge,a shallow annular(for me)mono, a bad tufa pinch and very little bad footholds...
I also left one project I was pretty close... something very bouldery and hard! I hope to finish it in november if it doesn't get too cold...

But first I'm going to CHINA for the annual Petzl Roctrip in Getu Valley!!
It will be the first Petzl Roctrip of my life and I have no doubt it's going to be a great experience!! Fast trip but it will be worth it...
Can't wait to be under the big arch!!!

photo coll.Petzl

Frankenjura and Esino!

2011-10-06T23:03:00.005+02:00

Hey everybody!
Sorry for the lack of updates but during september I've been on the road alot!
First in Finale Ligure where I've been routesetting for the Finale For Nepal bouldering competition...3 days of hard work in the heat but it was well worth it! The comp was a great success and everybody liked our boulder problems!...
Then in the great Frankenjura! My favoutite place in the world! Since I did Action Directe I've been only another couple of times, once shooting fot the AD video and another time a few days this summer in heinous conditions, hot muggy and full of mosquitos...
This was the first time I left Italy without a real project, only a few routes in mind I wanted to try!
We got there and first day we decided to climb in the classic Krottensee Turm sector. And of course the first route you see coming from the parking lot is Wallstreet!
Wallstreet is the first 8c in the world climbed of course by Wolfgang Gullich in 1987... my same year of birth...good coincidence!
So Wallstreet immediately got into my list of projects for this trip!
The project didn't seem to last too much in fact from my second go I fell on the last hard move... but I keep falling here on the same move over and over(5 or 6 times) and the route soon becomes a mini epic!
After one rest day of rain I decided it was time to step it up and on my last possible attempt of the day, just before the dark I sent the route!! Epic was over and Wallstreet has became one of my all time favourite 8c's!! Thanks again WG for the amazing routes you put up in the past!
After completing Wallstreet I chose not have other multiple day projects but rather some daily ones.
During the rest of the trip I climbed another couple of routes that were in my "to do" list:
- Stonelove 8b+ a very classic Jerry Moffat route climbed in the 1988
- Armstrong 8c very short route by Markus Bock with a hard mono move... I tried this route in the past years but I thought I couldn't do it due to this tiny mono I couldn't pull and fit properly with the index nor the annular... but this time I could do the move with the annular and nothing stopped me to finish it!

Before Frankenjura I spent some days in a beautiful and unknown crag near Lecco called Esino. The climbing here is beautiful and the routes suit perfectly my style. Not too long,bouldery and complex.
To get in the style of the crag I started climbing the already estabilished routes... after those I tried a couple of projects! One I could climb it in a day, in a few tries at around 8b+!
The other one was harder and I spent a couple of sessions to find the right beta for the crux. This project is called Pizza Connection and it is basically the logical link up of two already existent 8b's with a hard sequence to connect them togheter...
A couple of days after Frankenjura I came back to Esino and after a few more tries with one finished at the last move(Again!!...) I sent the route! Psyched!
Here is the list of the routes I climbed in Esino this season:
- Dirty dancing 8b 2nd ascent
- Moby Dick 8b 2nd ascent
- Take it easy 8b
- Asado 8b 2nd ascent
- La grande illusione 8b 2nd ascent
- Questione di feeling 8b+ 1st ascent
- Pizza Connection 8c 1st ascent (photo by Luca Passini)

A climbing summer!

2011-08-30T14:15:00.006+02:00

Hey everybody!

Here I am again back at home for a while before bouncing again for a climbing trip...
My summer has been fun!
In July I spent ten days in Arco competing in the Bouldering World Champs but unluckily I got an unsuccessful result... I got in the semis but then completely messed up at them... next time!

During the days after the comp, despite the warm temps I climbed a few times in Trento and I got the first to send of a few new great routes: L'Insaziabile 8b, It's mine 8a+ and Taijerino 8a! All of them are 5stars lines!

One night I even took part at the Arco Rock Legends Ceremony where I was nominated for the Salewa Rock Awards with Adam Ondra,Chris Sharma,Sasha Digiulian and Enzo Oddo...
It has been a great ceremony on a stage in one of the main squares in Arco in front of a big crowd!

After Arco me and a big group of friends we moved to Céüse where we spent about three weeks...
We had very good times and met alot of new friends. Weather has been great for all our staying but a bit too warm for my project... I could try it only a couple of times per day and my skin was completely trashed! I will be back for sure next year with better conditions...
A bit tired of a too crowded Ceuse, hot temps, the big hike and other things we decided to drive to Frankenjura... big mistake! It was even warmer and almost impossible to climb due to the humidity and the annoying mosquitoes. So we drove down to Zillertal for the last few days...

Now I am chilling at home for a couple of weeks and getting ready for the fall season to start...
In a few days I will be routesetting a nice bouldering competition in Finale Ligure called Finale for Nepal! The first prize is a journey in Nepal!!!
After that my plan is to climb in the Arco/Trento area for a month or so with maybe a couple of smaller trips in Zillertal and Frankenjura to finish some projects!
In october I might also take part at the San Vito Climbing Festival in Sicily!
And of course I will go to the China Petzl Roc Trip in the Getu Valley!...
It is going to be a busy fall and I'm pretty psyched for it!

Arco World Champs and Salewa Rock Awards coming soon!

2011-06-28T17:39:00.005+02:00

Hey everybody!
I am so sorry for the lack of updates recently but basically I've been doing nothing worth writing about...
But hopefully this will change soon! In 20days I will be in Arco(Italy) competing in the Bouldering World Championships... actually the most important competition of the year!
I'm trying to train as hard as possible despite the heinous heat but it is going quite well... I still have a couple of weeks to get in shape so we will see what happens!

During the same days of the World Champs there will be the annual Arco Rock Legends that will assign two awards: the Salewa Rock Award and the La Sportiva Competition Award!
I've been nominated for the Salewa Rock Award and I'm pretty glad for that...
If you are interested in these awards check out the official page!

After Arco my main plan is to rockclimb as much as possible and trying some dream routes!!

Coup de Grace uncut footage!

2011-04-29T11:43:00.000+02:00

gabri moroni _ coup de grace 9a from rivoli on Vimeo.

Coup de Grace!!!

2011-04-28T15:53:00.004+02:00

Coup de Grace!!!
What a beautiful name for a more beautiful piece of rock!
If you don't know the little story about this route I will try to tell you in a few words.
Dave Graham found and bolted this line on the steepest face of a massive boulder, lost in the beautiful Valle Bavona,Ticino,Switzerland! It was a rainy day in the May of 2005...
He started working on this crazy route as soon as it got dry but it soon became too warm for some real attempts and after 6 or 7 days on it he also got a finger injury!
He came back in the fall and after some more days of work he made the first to send giving the personal grade of 9a+!
Coup de Grace shortly became an iconic piece of rock thanks to the climbing movies Dosage III and IV where you can see Dave working on the route first, then climbing on it for the first to send!

I've always been inspired by this route since I watched the video, plus I remember once in Ceuse i was chatting with Dave himself and said me that I would have liked the route... bouldery,slopey,granite,not too long and not too short!Just perfect!
But from the video Coup de Grace looked pretty intimidating so I didn't get to try it untill this year!

Even this year it has been totally casual! Bouldering in Ticino was getting warm and we decided to drive for the first time to the Val Bavona to check out the endless potential of bouldering in the valley.
I decided it was a good day to have a look at the route too. That day I only made one attempt to see how the moves felt like. I was able to do all the moves pretty quickly except for the first boulder that looked impossible at first...
Second day was a couple of days after the World Cup in Milano; I had another couple of working sessions and I finally found a goot way to do the first boulder! Dave's beta was too weird and condition dependant so my new beta was definitely the best for me... more powerful,dynamic and with a very tricky heel placement, perfect for my size and actually a bit easier. I think it could be graded 8a bloc if it would be on a boulder!

Already from the second day I was sure I could send it very quickly... days were getting warmer and I could try to give some good attempts only in the afternoon when the temps dropped off but before the evening humid arrived... what a pressure!!
But since I learnt to deal very well with the pressure in these last months I was taking it easy and be confident! I think this has been the key of such a fast success!

After another few days of tries during the last week, on tuesday we drove one more time to Sonlerto. I was feeling strong and relaxed... even if I knew very well I only had two days before one expected week of rain came and the season was coming to an end!
First day I climbed perfectly all the way till the last move where I fell completely pumped but still confident for the next day.

Next day conditions were much better, I also felt much better on the warmup. I kept the syke high and on my first attempt of the day I smoothly climbed again till the last move... but this time pump left me giving the last slap,doing the dropknee and getting the "thank god" jug at the end of the hard sequence!!! From there I rested as much as I needed and climbed all the way to the top of the huge boulder!
What a beautiful feeling one more time... On the top of the boulder I felt exactly like Dave in Dosage IV!... Just in time! And after only 12tries!

About the grade: I try to give my onest opinion; 9a+ seems a bit esagerated with the new beta for the start. Dave's beta for the start is so hard that I might fall there forever...8b bloc for sure. My beta is more simple and better for a gym climber, powerful dynamic with a huge span move. If I want to use maths it is an 8a bloc to an 8c/c+ route with a not so bad rest before the last 15moves sequence. Result is for me 9a!...

I want to say a huge thanks to all the friends who supported me on this crazy experience: Pellet,Nicky,Max,Dani,Simo,Pik,and Nico! GRAZIE REGIS!

PHOTOS by Nicolò Venturin Chabloz©
If you are interested contact him at nicoventurin@hotmail.com

Some more bouldering,first rope climbing sessions of the year and Milan Bouldering WC coming soon!

2011-04-06T13:56:00.006+02:00

Hey everybody!
Spring is finally here and Ticino season is definitely over... I left many projects undone and I can't wait for the next season!
Last weeks in Ticino have been very warm so I moved higher(Magic Wood) or I rope climbed a couple of times!
During my rope climbing days I had the chance to climb two of the best 8b's I've ever done!
Pappataci in Arco

The Doors in Cadarese

I also checked out Sonlerto a nice little area in the Val Bavona. Not many boulders but all good quality!
I was very interested to try Dave's Coup de Grace to see if it could be a possible project for the near future! Except for the first hard boulder(8b bloc) that needs some more work and better conditions, I did all the other sequences very well so I'm pretty psyched to try seriously next fall!

Lately I have been training alot as well. I'm preparing for the first stage of the Bouldering World Cup in Milano coming in two weekends... it's going to be the first WC comp near home and many friends are coming to support me!
After the finals on saturday the 16th there will be a great afterparty in one of the best Discos in Milano so it's better to start getting syked!
Check it out:

Nuova guida in uscita: PASSAGGIO A NORD-OVEST

2011-03-24T15:45:00.003+01:00

PASSAGGIO A NORD-OVEST
Vie e falesie nel Piemonte occidentale
Maurizio Oviglia, Fiorenzo Michelin

Una guida che getta uno sguardo globale sull'arrampicata nelle valli occidentali del Piemonte.
Dopo la prima edizione del 2005 ecco un aggiornamento, riveduto e corretto di un libro che tenta di accomunare realtà diverse ma geograficamente adiacenti.
Dalla Val Pellice, alla Rocca Sbarua, dalla Val di Susa alla Val Chisone in un viaggio che attraverso le pareti e le falesie presenti narra la storia di una parte importante dell'arrampicata piemontese.

In copertina: Gabriele Moroni su GEO 8c Falesia dell'Alta Tensione Val di Susa

Action Directe video!

2011-03-21T13:54:00.004+01:00

After nearly one year here it is. The Action Directe video by Davide Zaccone! Enjoy!

watch in HD on youtube!

It's Bouldering time!!!

2011-03-08T13:25:00.003+01:00

Here I am again...sorry for the lack of updates but nothing so special happened during these last couple of months! Only training three times a week to get in shape and some rock in the weekends.
But at least I'm starting to feel good and stronger every day...
I took two weeks off from the training regime to test my form. First week near home, Ticino and Aosta Valley, trying to finish a couple of epic problems I had been close to do in the past!
Second week more in "holiday mode"! In Fontainebleau, the Mecca of Bouldering!
We spent a very good week in term of weather and conditions. The only shame for me was the lack of skin... In fact I already started the trip with completely red tips due to the many attempts I did on Confessions the day before!

Now I will take another week of resting and easy climbing before two or three other hard weeks of training in preparation of the first Bouldering World Cup comp in Milano mid april.
I hope to get in perfect shape for this important appointment... my big goal is to get into the finals and get back in the competitions game after a unsuccessful season last year...
We will see!

Here is a small list(+video) of the boulders I climbed during the last weeks:

- Confessions 8b Cresciano

- La Proue 8b Cresciano

- Gabry Traverse 8b traverse Cubo (First Ascent/35moves)
- Soilwork 8a+ Chironico (FLASH)

- Gecko 8a+ Fontainebleau (did in 5tries/Niccolò Ceria's and my ascent in the video)

- Fata Morgana bas 8a+ Fontainebleau (did just after the stand)

- Megaloman 8a/a+ Cubo
- Fata Morgana 8a Fontainebleau
- Le Beaux Quartiers 8a Fontainebleau
- Nobody ist der Größte 8a Chironico
- Controle Technique 7c+ Fontainebleau
- Bridge over troubled water 7c+ Chironico
- Jackall extension 7c+ Cubo (First Ascent)
- Symbiose 7c Fontainebleau (FLASH)
- Cent Pofs et Sans Reproche 7c Fontainebleau (FLASH)
- Noir desire Fontainebleau 7c (FLASH)

Training!!

2011-02-01T23:39:00.004+01:00

Not much happened in these last weeks only alot of training training training in the gym!!! I just wanna get stronger!...
I'm planning on hitting the gym three times a week for another month at least and bouldering a bit in Ticino to see if I could finish some problems and test my fitness level!
In march I would like to make a trip... Siurana or Fontainebleau I still don't know...

Here is a small clip of probably the worst 8a in Cresciano... traversing,dubby and it ends matching on a good hold! But a good trainer and fun to climb!

gabriele moroni _ backgammon sit from rivoli on Vimeo.

Nice video about my buddy Baistra made by my other buddy Mardoc!

2011-01-18T17:37:00.003+01:00

Huge props to my friend Enrico Baistrocchi! On December 26th he climbed Shadowfax in Chironico,Swiss... his first 8b!!
Here is a cool video about his little interesting story on the problem... Made by Davide Mardegan!
Enjoy!

MA I SOGNI NON SI REALIZZANO MAI from MARDOC on Vimeo.

Buma Ye!!

2011-01-07T18:46:00.003+01:00

Last wednesday, on my last day in Spain, I finally climbed one of my trip's projects, Buma Ye 8c+ in the Laboratori sector in Margalef!
I had some hard days of work on it... I first thought I could climb it in a few attempts and I made some great links falling at the last hard moves! Then I had many bad days: bad shape,low syke,tired,intense new year's party + recover etc...

The end of the trip came so fast and I still didn't climb none of my projects...
I rested the day before in order to give one last effort to Buma Ye. I give one first try to check the moves again and brush the holds! I feel so bad,pumped and every move feels so heinous.

Well last try last chance I say...
With the last power I have I manage to pass the first part and here I am again at the last crux to get the gaston. I shake well and thanks to the support of my friends I stick the move to the gaston! After another good rest I climb the easier but so technical part till the top of the cliff! What a good way to finish a trip!...
Here is the video of the ascent:http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=1824722181548

GEO video!

2010-12-17T12:19:00.002+01:00

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!

2010-12-07T14:25:00.005+01:00

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!!

2010-12-05T20:16:00.002+01:00

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!

2010-12-03T12:23:00.003+01:00

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

2010-11-22T17:02:00.004+01:00

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!

2010-11-15T15:16:00.002+01:00

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!

2010-11-07T18:46:00.003+01:00

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!

2010-10-28T23:11:00.005+02:00

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!

2010-10-04T10:51:00.005+02:00

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!

2010-09-07T16:22:00.003+02:00

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!

2010-08-15T22:50:00.005+02:00

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

2010-07-12T19:36:00.005+02:00

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...

2010-07-06T14:03:00.005+02:00

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!

2010-06-21T14:05:00.004+02:00

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!

2010-06-08T15:00:00.008+02:00

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!

2010-05-31T13:15:00.005+02:00

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!

2010-05-20T21:16:00.002+02:00

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!!

2010-05-16T17:07:00.002+02:00

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

World Cup season is coming up next!

2010-05-06T12:05:00.002+02:00

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...

2010-04-23T14:17:00.003+02:00

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

ACTION DIRECTE is done!!!...

2010-04-22T16:01:00.007+02:00

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!

2010-04-15T00:05:00.005+02:00

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!

2010-04-12T21:51:00.003+02:00

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!

2010-04-07T16:24:00.006+02:00

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

2010-03-29T15:29:00.004+02:00

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

2010-03-27T15:57:00.003+01:00

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!

2010-03-18T12:31:00.002+01:00

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...

2010-03-15T10:47:00.003+01:00

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

All the photos were took by Massimo Malpezzi!

DEUS IRAE!!!

2010-03-13T22:06:00.002+01:00

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!

2010-03-12T01:30:00.002+01:00

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!!!

2010-03-12T00:33:00.002+01:00

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!