lifetimeproject...

in the last two super lousy weeks i had just one boulderingday. this day there was again no nice weather anounced, but pretty fresh and STRONG winds. so i packed my stuff and headed up to sustenpass to have a look on the "highlander-project", a proud, unclimbed and hard line. for the first time i tried it allready some 5years ago. and despite trying seriously again every year there was no sucess. i was coming superclose allready two years ago on a easier variation, but then i broke off a part of a hold and it got WAY harder for me. so its a real life-time-project by now... ;)

view from the "highlander-project (wall on the left)" to the approaching rain

i just wanted to have a look on it, normally best time is fall cause summer its way too warm. but this day the conditions were, despite some occasional rainfalls - GREAT. it was 12C and the wind was ROARING like hell, so strong i once had to rest for 1h cause my pads (mondo, metoliusroll) were repetely FLYING pretty far away - SICK!!!. i slowly wurmed up, enjoyed the wind and the cold after the last few warm and humid weeks. i quickly checked out all the moves again, repeated all the sections. everyting went well. just the move with the broken hold still felt ankward and hard.

on the first part, lastyearsession, pic by angela wagner

then i gave it a go. while climbing i was wondering why the moves of the first part all went so well. they never went so well before. the wind? low gravity? may both ;) i came to the crux with the broken hold and i was not even slightly pumped ore tired. i pushed really hard, nearly did the move but just  n e a r l y - F*** it!!! i am pretty sure that i woud have climbed it with the old beta! but instead of celebrating i was sitting in the pads again - but i will come back in fall (summer is way too warm) with nice conditions over a longer period of time and then hopefully win my fight against the highlander. you know: there can be just one ;)

deadly tragedy

thats more for climbers, but may also some boulderers go rope-climbing from time to time and if you go for cleaning highballs WATCH and LEARN what can happen if you use long, open slings with a string (but even without a string that can happen!!!). thats not a "new" problem, but a tragical reminder:

deadly tragedy

discussion

scary movie

petzl manual


and go if ever possible for THAT rapelling-method and NEVER take someone out of your belay until he/she stands on ground again!!!

source: climbingnarc.com

just do it

i know, this is a blog about bouldering. but today is a historical day for swizzy-football and there is something to learn about this too:


switzerland 1 - 0 spain


thats totally CRAZY, EVERYBODY expected them to loose but they did not ;) that just shows that if you REALLY fight and if you really give 150% for what you REALLY want - go 4 it - and you get it!!! thats so true for bouldering too, and also in life for general. not every time you will get it, but far more often than if you hide behind a tree or any another excuse why you can't ...  instead to just do it!

down under in swizzy

last week i was calling for a submarine, but it got even worse and the water is still rising as the rain just sporadically stops from coming down in large amounts!!!

"never ending story" (above) and "the riverbed" (below) can be climbed as dws-boulders right know - dont wait too long its a rare opportunity. fly in and enjoy totally soaked swizzy bouldering...

the forecast (till sunday) is not looking very diffrent from the last few weeks. still the ocassional hourly thunderstorm, long periods of rain, quite high airtemps and therefore a climate like in the tropics. VERY nice for bouldering. so i slowly think about asking for "other" help if that f*** weather does not change:

a submarine in magic wood?!

subpic source

- yes that woud have had been super usefull as it was perfect, wet, humid conditions but "neverendingstory" was UNDER water (bit too much rain for the river) - so no sub, no climbing - bad timing again...

a nice cold bottle of beer

in warm and humid air. how does that feel to touch?! well, pretty condensating (dripping WET!!!) - exactly like NBSL was to touch last friday. but i felt strong, tried to dry it up. climbed the stand again for wurm up and nearly sticked the 3rd move (despite complete wet holds) from the sit - but just NEARLY, i kept slipping off that crack... looks like i have BAD timing AGAIN. like in the fish-project: the power and finetunig is here, conditions are gone *arghhhh*...

so NBSL is OFF - i am really not in to play cat and mouse with the weather all the time. but when the wather turns WARM and HUMID there is one problem in magic wood which turns into GREAT conditions: NEVER ENDING STORY

some years ago, first part of  the "never ending story", pic by angla wagner

but NES is pure endurance on juggy slopers, not crimpy shit like nbsl. so totally diffrent style and power again. will see if i get the really specific endurance together. i allready tried it some 10days two years ago, was able to send the first part like 6times in a day, second part for wurmup - but never stuck the first move from the second part on link. i desperatly was "waiting" for some rain to get "better" grip, but it was just pure blue sky for 3weeks. as i got tired of trying and went into my regular summer-brake it promptly started to rain for 2weeks... lets hope i get some more luck in the next two weeks - otherwise there are some great projects in the susten area waiting...

magicwood CLEAN-UP-DAY 14.08.2010

Magic Wood Clean Up Day 14.08.2010

9:00 – 10:30 Registration & Coffee
10:30 – 20:00 Clean Up & Bouldering
20:00 – 23:00 Socialising on the campfire

At registration & coffee we would like to devide all volunteers in 4 groups, which take care independently to an allocated area. There will be enough time for bouldering too.On the end of the day we collect the whole trash at the campground to see the dimension of our action.
Bodhi Climbing is offering a free night from the Saturday 14.08 to Sunday 15.08 & Coffee to all volunteers whom register for the event until Saturday 14.08, 10:30 am.


The event will be take place at every weather conditions.

Registration is available from now on under onsight@bodhi.ch.
We hope for numerous assistance and a beautiful boulder day with friends.


pic by angela wagner
text source/more info  ---> http://www.bodhi.ch/magic-woodenglish


ps: woud be nice if everybody just woud clean up their own stuff (and clean the rock from your chalk), so there woud be no need of a clean-up-day. help to keep the magic in the wood - THANKS!!!

+10 degrees on newbaseline

what can they do to you? well they can make ALL the diffrence as i had to (re) learn last week.

part1: desperation

last week i was well rested, good skin. everything perfect. just there was some heat anounced. so i was getting up at 6am, was on the rock at 0830 for wurmup (NOT my climbing time!!!) - but as i had to discover it was allready to late... it was getting 28C in chur (about 24in magic )by noon - and i was desperatly trying to do the 3rd move after the match in the crack (for maybe 6times) but was just not able to do it anymore - just sliding out of the crack - so insted of going to try hard on the send of the 11moves i was not coming over the 3rd one - THATS what 10 degrees warmer can do to you. from top to FLOP.

sticking the 3rd move (which was just impossible last week in the heat) (handy)pic by angie, michele is watching closely

at least i found some major beta improovment for that strange cross-move right after the razor-sharp-crimp righthand. it allways felt strange that move. now it feels quite ok, thats very helpful, cause when i arrive there from the sds i know i can do that move...



part2: running laps

yesterday i was back, my fourth day on this year. it was humid as hell but more than 10degrees colder then last week. the "impossible" 3rd move was totally ok again. changing temps can make real miracles, and that not just in font :) . despite not climbing for a week due to cramped back muscles i climbed three times to the move to the razor crimp (again). once i dryfired off, and twice i had just a bit to much swing with the razor-crimp allready in my hand.

i did the razor-move from the second move in and for cool down i did the standing again. so it looks like i am beginning to build up some crimp-stamina which is so important in this anti-style bouldering for me. i just need 2/3 more days in a row (not just one day every second week) with coold temps, so i can build up enough stamina for this strange moves. then i think i may have a chance to send.

but we are allready approaching summer with big steps... if i am lucky i get these days - if not i will have to wait for fall to bring nice cold crispy sending temps again... it really gets down to low temps on this one 4 me.