winter

arrived at the susten-area - project number one(s): IKARUS and HIGHLANDER are OFF.

sustenarea, yesterday

i  just can't believe it, everything went perfect after my summer-breake: in 5weeks i went from fb7A to 8B-area again, and my power endurance built up. temps finally droped from 30C to 20C and after 4days on "ikarus" and "highlander", i climbed allready three times a day (solid) to the second last move of "ikarus" to neeeeeeeeraly stick it and i was 100% positive to send in 1 or 2 more days.

but nature had other plans: winter hit at least 5weeks earlier and WAY heavier than usual (from 23C to 8C in 1 day) and it looks like the game is over at sustenpass for me :( approx 30/50!!!cm of snow will need at least 2weeks to melt. as i allready had to fight with wet holds, despite 2weeks of not so much rain, with all the new snow the holds will not dry again till end of october (when winter normally hits the area).

from TOP to FLOP in 2days. looks like the weather really does not like me this year - CRAZY SHIT- for the last 6years october was PRIME for bouldering up there... - this october it looks like you may better go snowboarding up there...



sustenpass dumped with snow



fit test II

chironico, still GREEN and WARM

if it rains in the north of swizzy - very often in the south it does not - so chironico this time - nobody else in the wood, may cause it was still WAY tooooo GREEN and still WAY tooooo WARM (23C) - but the forest is starting to change colors - HIGH hopes ;) anyway i re-did some nice classics, searched for shade and wind and then the 101-area is great. there i managed to "resend" "arrete with a pocket" and "einfisch,keinfisch". the problems went down quite well, despite the warm temps - HIGH hopes when COLDER temps ;)

einfisch,keinfisch - pic from last spring - by angela wagner

resting and waiting for the good weather to come

i surfed a bit on the net and had a backflash from my summer-holidays. thats how it was in august, and thats why you better dont go surfing to france in early august...

 early august: FLAT, crowded nonsens...

and that was THIS thursday, and thats why you better go surfing to france in fall. but as fall is also the KILLER season for bouldering, watching pictures like this results in a (kind of painful) tradeoff - its a 14h drive one way... its hard to get your boulderingprojects AND this waves done in the same short season... - but not impossible ;)

mid september: empty PERFECTION, pic by msw

testing my fitness - failure or PROGRESSION ?

i just wanted to test my fitness and NEARLY climbed a life-time-project...

i was up at sustenpass with my borther rolf and we had a great afternoon in the sun, above the foggy landscape. rolf climbed really well, flashing standingstart to classic and super aesthetic "3er-dyno" and sending the sds on his second try - cool!!!

beautiful sustenarea, again and again...  (if you dont count the roaring sound from "organ-donators" (bikers) speeding over the pass all the time)


after the sun was down behind the mountains friction increased and it was time to get to the "traumland"-boulder. last week i had set myself a new target: highlander woud have to wait (to hard), instead i woud first try to exit over "warmduscher", calling it the "icarus/deadalus-project" (still linking two 8A boulders that way). warumup felt great, but according to my "shedule" after my summer-break i needed another week or two to be in acetable shape again. nevertheless i decided i woud just give a "test-burn" from the sds to have a look where my fitness really was.

i climbed super relaxed, friction was great, fingers did not get cold and suddenly i was at the starting-moves of the "traumland"-part - i stuck the first super hard move climbed to my former highpoint - did NOT felt tired - stuck the next hard move - but just with three fingers. for 5 or 6 seconds i tried (nearly freehanging) hard to bring my pinky on the hold - i knew i woud send with my F**** pinky on it - but i did NOT mangage to bring my pinky on the hold and went DOOOOWN... - two moves from the "rescue-jug" - failure. this boulder really has nothing for free for me. but it was BIG progression too. i felt so good, i now KNOW (last week i was still sure, that its just to hard), that i even can CLIMB "highlander" - back in the game i am ;)



thats the position where my "fitness-check" ended; was not able to bring my pinky-finger on the right handhold to do the cross-move left hand to the right, to the top-hold of "traumland". pic by angela wagner 



on my second try from the sds i nearly stuck the hard "traumland"-move again. and to finish, i climbed through all the hard moves from just two moves in... GRRRRRRR, im getting fit again, and its getting clooose - SOOOOOOO 6weeks left for two moves - if i dont get this two moves together, i will BURN my pads ;)



Downgrading

ahhh soooo coool; finally i can downgrade something... ;)

summary: in 2008 i did the FA of two topouts (a left, and a right one) to the classic "traumland" at susten - perfect lines and very nice to climb!!! now they got the first repeats by local boulderer ronny birchler and better beta was found - what takes the grades down - what is cool, cause like that, more people shoud be able to try and climb this beautiful lines. that also shows that you shoud never let yourself fool from grades: if the line and/or the moves are cool, go for it!!! the boulder may suit your style, you may find better beta, you will never know unless you try it!

drive to susten: up there where the snowfields are, the boulders wait

details for the interested ones:  "warmduscher" takes the finishinghold of "traumland" and climbs slightly to the right and up. this line got the first repeat this starting summer from local boulderer ronny birchler. he had a great summer up there, making fast ascents of some 8A's at susten. he found new beta for the sitdownstart (to which to easiest beta (for me) is no longer possible after a hold broke) which suits him pretty well (i cant do that beta, feels to near everything).

he felt like the topout may not ads tooooo much to the difficulty to "traumland", but really completes the line. so he felt more to 8A then to 8A+.  for me the topout still adds difficulty but after rethinking may not enough for a real "+". may its just my "boulder" endurance that fails there... - but i will not call the boulder "soft". instead to make everybody (except yens) happy i will suggest a slashgrade 8A/+ for "warmduscher" (what also suits the name) - so everybody can take the grade he/she likes ;)

on the FA of "schön wie...", pic by angela wagner


«Schön wie das zufällige Zusammentreffen einer Nähmaschine und eines Regenschirms auf einem Seziertisch»
or shorter just; "schön wie..." is the direct (left) topout to "traumland". i graded this topout 8B cause of a horrible unsave, hard move after the "traumland"-part which took me weeks to complete on link. this spring (while getting ready for the highlanderproject again) i figured out that just 15cm to the left is a way better hold than i used (stupid idiot i was). the move to the new hold is bit harder, but the new hold makes the former crux-move EASY - so the grade has to go down to 8A+.

"schön wie..." got his first repeat yesterday by ronny - strong again after summer-family-holidays. AGAIN he found new beta for the cruxmove (normally i am the one who finds the easiest betas, but now i start to feel like a complete idiot... ;) but he still tinks its a notch harder then "warmduscher" - so we stick here with the "+".  or we go for 6B ;)  what ever, beautiful lines you have to climb when youre up there!!!

finally there was at least one boulder left, on which i had better beta... ;) after showing my "rève de faire"- beta to ronny he quickly climbed the crux-sequence and i am sure if the army-service does not make him to "lame", he will soon make a rare repeat of this amazing fred nicole classic - FUERZA!!!

WHAT GRADE

can a guy like HIM boulder??? 8C???

sorry but that pic was just tooooo NICE ;) pic by b3bouldering.com

yes HE can, even without some big PESEL, NANA, 10.5, BLACK BLABLA, E69 prints on his
back/butt...!!! well at least on this pic... ;)

i LIKE a LOT

Castle Hill New School Classics Vol One from derek thatcher on Vimeo.

fall FAILED but PSYCHE is HIGH

last week i was up at the susten area to check where i am after my yearly 4.5week summer-break. totally psyched for good temps after having seen the webcams (snow arround) and checking the weatherforecast which said: 8C at 2000m. arriving up there, still snow was arround, everything soaking wet and it was !!! 18C !!! - sooooo WARM - so much to swizzy-weather forecast.

nevertheless the "traumland"-block with the "highlander"project was more or less dry, just some wet holds. i had a great session with a local guy called ronny, who had a fantastic summer up there, crushing quickly lot of the 8A's at sustenbrüggli.

beautiful susten area. it looks cold but it was WARM during the DAY

i was quite satisfied with my bouldering that day. i am perfectly at the point in my schedule where i hoped to be. i start to feel power on the holds again and my skin is rebuilding. by 6 in the evening the sun was down, the temps droped, the grip improved DRAMATICALLY and we had a nice session. after two weeks of sun and sea, ronny worked on his shape too and was allready looking strong again - figuring out his beta to "reve de faire" and "schön wie...".

i surprised myself by doing the (for me) hard undercling startingmove of "traumland" on my second try that day and reclimbed "traumland". i did "reve de faire" from the standingstart, did the first part of "highlander" several times again, did the stand start to "schön wie..." with better beta... and so on... it was good training - and i am positive that i will be ready in two weeks for crushing mode again... FUERZA  

back from surfing...

...or what was supposed to be surfing. for everybody who thinks bouldering/climbing is really dependent from conditions (weatherwise) i suggest go surfing during summer in europe once!!! i was well aware that surfing in august in france can be like bouldering in cresciano in august: from 30days, may 1 or 0 will be good in terms of conditions - cause its just not swell season. and you know it allready: it was exactly like this - FLAT or FLAT and MUSHY. but even then, a REAL surfer NEVER gives up - he joins the crowd and waits for waves:

crowds waiting for waves - ALL day long - everyday picture...

but at least you have to be COOL when you are looking and waiting for waves, there have been soooooo many soooooo cool guys, i nearly needed a down-jacket for wave spotting ;)

flat sea but just be cool must save the day... ;)

after the moring swell-check i had to do something against the hunger: eat some healthy food everyday and you will be fine:

"american-sandwich" in st.girons - a real MUST ;)

so what to do instead of hanging out in the water and waiting for waves which everybody knew (swellforecast?!) woud never arrive that day(s)?! may going for aerobic?

morning aerobic on the campground - hmmmmmm....

or you coud go "whale-watching"

whale-watching in france is possible but, well ähmmm, may you try it better in oz... ;)

i preferred more to watch out for some greek "sirens" on surfboards...

yep, WAY better than "whale-watching"... ;)

fall has arrived in swizzy ;))))

webcampic from susten-area 1.9.2010

now the best time of the year for swizzybouldering starts - 2more weeks and i am ready again to CRUSH ;))))