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!!!