www.planetmountain.com/News/shownews1.lasso?l=1&keyid=37356
http://www.bsidezone.com/?q=bside/actiondirecte
venerdì 23 aprile 2010
giovedì 22 aprile 2010
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.
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
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
giovedì 15 aprile 2010
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!
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!
lunedì 12 aprile 2010
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!
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!
mercoledì 7 aprile 2010
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!...
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!...
lunedì 29 marzo 2010
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!...
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!...
sabato 27 marzo 2010
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!!!...
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!!!...
giovedì 18 marzo 2010
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...
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...
lunedì 15 marzo 2010
Deus Irae photos...
Here are some pictures about Deus Irae(after break)8c+!
All the photos were took by Massimo Malpezzi!
All the photos were took by Massimo Malpezzi!
sabato 13 marzo 2010
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...
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...
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