the near send

when you recently have fallen on your project a few times on the last moves when there were pretty bad conditions. when you feel stronger then ever. when you are well rested. when you slept enough. when you did eat enough. when you're skin is good. when you feel good. when you feel strong and light on your warmup. when there are perfect conditions. it is not a real hybris to expect at least a few good tries. isn't. it?! well. you know i can do better. this is what i do:

i may have a little excuse... but still. no matter which line i try to climb on this boulder, not matter what i do. it really gets the better of me. but i will be back, baby!!!!!!!

sticking the crux move again - BUT - watch yourself

seems like i really have to earn it. not that 13years of effort would be enough. haha. good thing when you have a few days off so you can shovel your project free from the last snow a storm brought over the last days. it just involves a 2hrs drive. a 2hrs walk up with your split board and gear. a 90min "board and walk" back in the night (cause of the avi-danger during the afternoon). and a 2hrs drive home. but there are worser places to spend a day off. for sure. its just so beautiful up there at the moment. i just can't get enough of these mountains :)

next day there was some climbing as well; no comment needed there.... you have to earn it as well.... hahaha....

one more try (day) and it will be done, they said

long but beautiful hike up to sustenbrüggli...

thanx for all the kind words after my last post. just one more try... thats what many thought. i knew better. i am always good for messing it up. haha. but have a look yourself how i can mess up rare days when you feel strong and and the conditions line up perfectly;

first go i felt really good, just a bit cold fingers, with high hopes i entered the crux and was giving all i had... when i slipped off the right foothold... lifted myself to high up and lost contact with my right foot.... beginner mistake

second go i got into the crux-move again; but somehow managed to punt on the deadpoint before, and did just have three fingers on the righthand crimp. no way i can do the crux move like that...

i just rested some 20min for my third go to avoid cold fingers... despite not really rested and feeling already bit tired everything went perfectly... i even got the hold... but was too tired to get the tension to hold the swing...  fitness is improving for sure... but why messing it up twice just to get through all the hard climbing already tired on my third go??? sometimes i really feel too stupid!!!

i only waited 6 years for that moment

2 day epic? try 6 YEAR epic. nearly 6 years ago i have fallen on this crux-move of the highlander-project for the first time on link. since then i must have fallen on this last hard move over 60 times... and its not exactly a walk in the park to get there... around 8B+ climbing itself up to there....

and now i was there again.... setting up for this last hard move once more;

setting up for the crux-move on the "highlander-project, sustenpass" - i have fallen here 6years ago for the first time... 60+ times over the last years....

sticking the move;
but i did that already a few times last fall but was never able to hold on....

lost my left foot - like every time during last fall - swinning out... and going down was what happened all the time....

but NOT THIS TIME - somehow killed the swing - for the first time in SIX YEARS i did this move on link!!!!
(and i even did not have the left hold in the right spot)

managed to get into the "resting point" - and desperately tried to shake out -
(at this point its up to all the couch-boulder-graders out there; its just a six move 7B from that resting point, that can't be too much of a great deal after climbing an 8B+/C... can it?!)

setting up for the last three hard moves.... going a muerte

setting up for the very last move (maybe 6C) to the massive jug up right at the lip; sticking that move would end my 16year journey with the "highlander-project..."

.....want to see what happened next? follow this link to my new instagram-account - epic for sure - what else - hahah ;)

FA of the sitdownstart to HERITAGE in valle bavona

nearly forgot about that one ;) what an amazing place this valle bavona is; its remote, located far north in the mountains in one of the large ticino-valleys. there are just a few small picturesque villages like sonlerto which is well known after dosage4. So not much there, but its littered with (huge) granite boulders and stunning lines. most of it its not climbable, choss or no holds. but then there are this famous climbs; dave grahams "coup de grace", "kings of sonlerto, nalles "off the wagon", doro's slab, elysium, trigonometry. All five start lines that will let your jaw drop for sure when you see them the first time in real "climbing"-life...

...and then there is "heritage" from super strong carlo traversi. Its not as freestanding as other lines, but nevertheless a stunning line with amazing climbing. really powerful, still subtle with the various body placements and with a great move to the lip followed by a few interesting slab-moves (especially with ice-cold fingers) a bit higher above the ground. to make it short; a real must. pure fun to climb and with some repetitions as well.

heritage has a "walk in start" (aka american ads). that means you take the starting-holds first and place the feet afterwards.

the walk-in-start from original start to "heritage"; 

after completing "heritage" from its original start i wanted to have a look at a proper sit-down-start. you can grab the same holds from sitting (on a small pad) and you have footholds straight underneath as well. but the footholds are of not much use, as you need your feet to the very right. the crux now is to bring your feet from the start-foot-holds to the very right where you need them for the big first move. after some puzzling and some sore abs-muscles cause of all the toe-hooking i found a very nice solution which needs some core strength. 

the sit-down-start to "heritage" - adds a few tricky and strenuous toe-moves - makes this beautiful boulder complete - brilliant climbing!!!

after falling once on the very top (already had done the big move in the pic below) and some punting (so typical for me) i was able to climb "heritage" with a proper sit down start. making this beautiful boulder even more complete. thanx to nico for the good times, saving my ass while taking a big fall and for the good view in the mornings:

the view from nico's place; as good as it gets :)

i did not use carlo's beta for the upper part, way too hard beta for me and with his beta for sure in the 8B+ area. with the "new" beta; soft (to stay en vogue) 8B will fit better for the classic heritage. the boulder is for sure harder from its sds then with its original start. 8B/+ ? whatever - its still soft, cause i am soooo strong and sooooo cool, and soooo brave.... and sooooooo hummer..... hahah - go and climb it. its pure fun :)

sticking the big crux move of "heritage, sds. valle bavona". 

(the slabby topout is quite interesting with icing-cold fingers as well)

because i want to be ready

when the good conditions line up. all ticino was soaking wet, but the weather forecast had some fön-wind and unusual warm (up to 20C) and dry weather for the northern part of swizzy for the next few days. so back i was at sustenpass. it was a long and bit scary walk and i was shoveling for nearly 4hours... there was a lot of snow on top and the rock dripping wet. but i really hoped the effort would pay off when i would return in a few days.

really "traumland" at the moment. so beautiful and so calm.

my "little" hike up to sustenpass turned out to be a bit longer... 2:30hrs up in epic winter conditions...  there was no "road" any more... not too funny and even bit scary cause of a slippery snowpac and possible wet avalanches as well...

walking up with my split board. no way to just walk up in "regular" shoes at the moment. its still WINTER up in the mountains

long walk ahead

the "road" is filled up, lot steeper then it looks here, quite slippery and even bit scary with possible more slides coming down. better be early...

digging out the pads... uffffff

after digging out the pads for 2hrs and digging another 1:30hrs for the topout... i tried to dry the  seeping boulder a bit so i could climb a few sequences. after this 5:30 hrs exercise (walking up and digging) i felt quite tired and surprised myself to climb all the hard part of the "highlander" for two times... and the hard part of "reve de faire" part another two times. the whole day was a nice training session for sure ;)

getting in some training -  still loving these moves after all the years - feeling strong - which is nice :)

i was really pleased that the two last hard moves of the "highlander" felt as solid as never before. looks really like the bit of hang-boarding starts to pay off. more finger power. i am looking forward how this moves feel without digging snow for 3+hrs before climbing on them...

back in punting-mode

almost... i stuck that last hard move on "big-cat" - setting up for it i still felt strong - despite messing around on the first part for already 3hrs (slipping off every heel and toe-move... sometimes i really feel too stupid for climbing)

...but my left heel decided to slip just a split second before i got the rescue-pinch lefthand... bummer!!!!!!

good thing is i finally feel fresh and strong again... bad thing is that the weather decided to jump from great to very bad... and as i am not chris webb parsons (watch at minute 50) i will not top this slab out in the wetness...




















but when its bad in the south.... it should be better in the north.... so i opted for a little hike... which turned out to last for 2.5hrs...