On...

and OFF again... but new (old) significant beta improvement! (ok, may its just psychologically - but thats what this fight seems to be all about since some weeks...)

snow again this morning in the highlander-area...

looks like climbing twice into the last moves was too much and i was not able to recover enough before snow hit again. this time i was mentally ready but i exploded on the second last move (on which i felt quite ok, but did not commit some days ago...).

that game is now going on for over one month. once i feel super strong but conditions are shit. then i feel shit, but conditions are great and so on and on... result: i nearly always climbed into the last moves but not once further up... and i just once hit a day when everything fitted perfect and then i went down on the very last move... hmmmmmm....

angela enjoying the sun at sustenpass...

but on the other hand (thanks to the shitty conditions sometimes) i (had to) learned some new micro-beta on how EXACTLY i have to move and grab some cruical holds. really interesting what details you can figure out after YEARS of climbing (and analysing) on that piece of rock... really interesting!

after going down again on that last moves i tried again to climb another beta on that last crux. i figured out that different beta some 5years ago when i tried to climb the "reve de faire"-part. its about a tricky heelhook that slipped all the time on the last move. so i changed to the beta, climbed "reve de faire, 8B", and i kept that beta since then.

there is another way to climb that move... pic by ikuko serata

but early this fall i took that old "hooking-beta" out again because i was afraid i could fail on the original beta in the very last move because you tend to slip of crimp facing in the wrong direction (i whished i would not have had been so right about that!). but about one month ago i tore my hamstrings while hooking too hard and was not able to climb that beta again. until now.

this fall that heelhook always felt super strange. but i did not had it as such a strange hook in my memory. so i tried it again and suddenly found the way (again) how to hook (without getting blocked by my hamstrings) and how the heel even stayed on the last move. with this "NEW" beta i climbed the standing-start twice in a row at the end of the day despite feeling pretty tired! BAMMMM!!! its not a much easier beta, but safer and as i failed so many times with the old beta also good for my mind to climb (totally) different into that last moves...

hopefully i will get a chance to try my new beta on link before winter definitely shuts bouldering down for this year up there.

more punting...

...i can not describe it any better - SHAME  ON ME!!! i really still don't no what happend?!

well the good news is that thanx to a lot of rain and some nice, warm days the snow is nearly gone. and susten is still ON!!! crazy how fast the snow melted!

finally temps got down and today was a (nearly) perfect day. angela was up there with me, it was some 10C, sunny and bit windy. perfect friction. and unlike the last two weeks i did not not go down on the first crux anymore - i climbed (again) twice into the last two hard moves... that was "nice" - but i don't want to climb "nice", i want to f*ç&ing climb that "highlander" !!! i just don't get it. i can climb twice a day the 8B/+ part of "ikarus" but not once link two more moves, even if they are far from super hard, even if i feel not too tired at all...

what was NOT so nice today was what i did on my first go of the day, or better what i did not. it was may my best go EVER up there. it felt not super strong, but i felt like climbing with glue on my fingers. so sticky, so much friction. i climbed super solid into the second last move, just a bit cold fingers, everything perfect. then when taking out a toehook i got a bit too much of swing, free hanging on bad holds i had to pull hard to come back to the wall. that worked, i had to resort my left hand and i was ready for the second last hard move. its a bit a nasty one. a little deadpoint, if you miss the next crimp you go down... i nearly went once, twice, i waited (still don't know for what) and then i went down - not even trying the move - just like "ohhh, no i  don't feel 100% solid, just 80%... so no, i will not even try it...". well it looks like i had the agression-level of an overcooked tomato at that point - LAME!!!

who is afraid of that move? well in the pic i was not, last time i was..., you can fall 1.50m down into two mondo-pads - soooo scary!!! may i will take a rope next time ;) pic by ikuko serata

standing on the pads i was pissed about myself to say at least, i don't mind going down - but giving up just like that is something i did not know i am able to do: NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!! then on my second go the aggression-mode was back on. i felt tired from the very first move, but as to show me again what i just threw away on my first go i climbed exactly into the same position as on my first go... when i felt 10times better... nice JOKE.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

crazy "fall" in swizzy

"fall" in the north???!!!

30min away: fall looks better in the south (but up to 27C at wednesday!!!)

well we had also 3 very nice weeks in the north. but it was more summer then fall. and what i feared happend: BAMMM: and WINTER. at least in the very south its good weather (up to 27C!!! at wednesday!!!). thats nice especially as i have two weeks of holidays now. BUT it does not look like its my time of the year: it seems i did something wrong while cleaning up our cellar last saturday, really painful!!! so no ticino.

but electrostimulation and massage helped a lot. THANX to angela! it looks it is "just over-use" of the lower back-muscles (5hrs of moving stuff around). so i am positive to get down to ticino soon. AND if weather cooperates (a little bit)  i will go BACK to SUSTENPASS next week as WELL even if have to DIG out that boulder and cover every single hold with aluminium-foil cause it will be all wet... the last 7years october was always prim-time up at sustenpass. often we have been able to climb into half of november. so i will not give up at the start of october - NO WAY!!!

the FA of "deadalus direct" - or "world class VS local punter"

i missed my last opportunity at susten and now the snowfalls have started - game over for highlander...

sustenarea today, and there will come a LOT more snow down over the weekend

...while i continued punting around on the last moves of the highlander-project for three weeks i had to "re"-learn how important the perfect conditions up there are (for me). one week ago i climbed twice to the last moves in a day and yesterday i was not even able to climb once through the first crux of the project (which is 6moves lower then the highpoint). and that despite beeing super rested and feeling strong. crazy in one way. but coming down to the car and seeing it totally wet from the humidity things were somehow not so crazy anymore.

beautiful sustenpass area before the snow. pic © angelawagner.ch

nevertheless dai koyamada did not seem too impressed from the sub-optimal-conditions. "trained" from the heat in the ticino (where he is working on the lowstart to story of two worlds) he did the FA of "deadalus direct, 8B+/8C".

some days ago i suggested to dai, that he should try (do) this project as its a wonderful line and some good (stamina-)training for his ticino-project as well. and so he went and sent - NICE ONE!!!

dai koyamada on the FA of "deadalus direct, 8B+/8C", sustenpass. pic © angelawagner.ch

i asked dai to give a short summary from his blog-entry and drop me a few lines about his newest FA. and this is what dai has to say:

"I succeeded in a first ascent of "Deadalus direct", an open project showed by a friend, Martin Keller, on the 3rd of October. It was really hot when I arrived there so I worked on my beta a little and I started my try again in the evening after taking hours of break.

As I felt something wrong with my right wrist and I found the crux, the undercling, of the Ikarus was really hard. The "direct part" moves are : after a dyno, take a crimp with left-hand after an intermediate, hook right foot toe and heel then take a pinching hold with right hand then a little crossing move to the jug. It was harder for me than an original cause I had to do some more moves after finishing "Ikarus"  without a rest. It was a good line.
I thank Martin for giving me a chance to try this beautiful project."

discussing beta. pic © angelawagner.ch

and that seems to be (one off) the difference between a world class climber and a local punter: 

no punting - just do it!

sounds easy ;) and i WILL do my best next year. so i will BE BACK - .... and what would a "highlander" be without an EPIC battle? so from the "epic-perspective" everything goes "perfect" for me ... ;)

now i am off to the ticino. from snowy susten its just another 30min drive through the gotthardo-tunnel and you arrive in sunny, dry ticino. the northwind (who brings the snow to the north) brings sun, but colder temps and wind to ticino - PERFECT - i love swizzy!

a 30min ride north and it snows and rains... so i am off to sunny, windy ticino!

epic mode

warm-up at the exit-moves of "deadalus",  angela taking pics. pic © ikuko serata

i am definitely into "epic mode" again - after going down on the LAST HARD move some days ago, i managed to climb into the two last hard moves TWICE in the same day. i never thought it to be possible for me to climb twice through 8B+ - terrain in the same day. that was great, but i would have had preferred to climb just once so far, but then one move further...

one move before the move in the pic i lost a toehook (again) which just took the power for the last move (again). pic © ikuko serata

on the weekend it was soooooo warm (the rock just heated up too much), i had to overpower every move so hard that i just exploded going for the crux-move... i am READY to send, i climbed already 5times into the last two moves, but i have to get that ONE DAY when everything fits in perfectly!

to spice things up the weather will change to cold and SNOWY on thursday/friday. that means i have one more day before it may already gets too cold and too wet for this season! EPIC MODE at its best... reminds me at last year. hopefully it will be the same as last year and i will top-out my project right before winter hits!!!

2nd ascent of "DEADALUS" - its ON when its ON...

one week ago: sustenpass dumped with snow

sunday: no snow anymore, 14C, bit clouds, sunny, some wind, nice people around, good relaxed atmosphere - PERFECT!!!

having a great fun day at sustenpass. do u find dai in this pic?
pic © ikuko serata (from dai's blog).

then dai koyamada made use of the very nice conditions and grabbed the first repetition of "DEADALUS, 8B+". you should see the vid - its pure pleasure to watch him climb that proud line! 

next was the 3move problem "viagra 8A/+" and to finish up the day with style he climbed through "le reve de faire, 8B". more info on his blog.

dai koyamada flying up "deadalus, 8B+" without burning his wings. 
ikuko serata gets the action on vid. 
pic © angelawagner.ch (click on the pic to see it larger)

i am into "epic-mode" again and managed to go down on the last hard move on the "highlander-project" - a great fight, a new highpoint and it was CLOSE - grrrrrrrrrr!!! 

the second-last-hard-move - on the next move (the LAST hard) i went DOWN. 
pic © ikuko serata

Piatra Open, Romania

from a good friend i got an invitation to the "piatra open", but unfortunately i can't take part as i can't take the necessery days off. thats a pitty as i think its a nice and fun event-concept (bouldering AND climbing). the bouldering/climbing areas are looking very nice as well!

bouldering at "sihla" looks NICE!!! pic from the sihla-info-website

sihla should be a very fine bouldering area (brione"esque" stone). and in the past, paul robinson participated at the contest as well. so may somebody likes to go for some bouldering and climbing adventure, here are the infos:

date: 1-3october

location: piatra neamt, romania

contest-website: www.piatraopen.ro

website from the bouldering-site (sihla): http://www.sihla.info

a video-short from sihla:

Vulpiprezent' from Mariș George on Vimeo.

perfect weather BUT...

PEFECT weather and forecast for swizzy for the next days. perfect timing as i am getting in shape again after summer-breake. it's exactly what i was in need for the "highlander" - 10days of stable nice weather... 

BUT before the nice weather, sustenpass got dumped with snow (like last year)

at least its melting fast, but the first week of nice weather is just "useless" (in terms of climbing-days)

Bildunterschrift hinzufügen

so i headed down to chironico for a brief after work session. it was/is still way too green and warm for decent friction. nevertheless in the morning/evening its not too bad, especially with the dry "fön-wind" we got the last two days down there....

chironico, still too green and warm (which is normal for  september)

whatever friction - on a breake from his project to climb "the story of two worlds" from a (the only logical) low-down-start - mister dai koyamada did not seem to bother too much with the warmth and made an (fast as usual) ascent of the superbe line of "second life" (~8A+/8B), chironico. 

what a LINE!!!
dai koyamad on the big-span-crux of "second life", chironico. pic © Ikuko Serata (from dai's blog) 

i used the evening to get dialed the "micro-beta" for the "fisch-projek"t again. despite having spent countless sessions (60+) during the last 2years and just have been away for 5months i needed some time to get all the details (bodypositions etc.) again - my beta is somewhat (too) complicated... 

i climbed the "einfisch/keinfisch" (~8A+) - part few times and nearly made my way through the standing-start from the "fisch-projekt" (~8B). this was nice work for a first "recon-misson" - especially considering that i failed (several times) on a 6B+ slab on the wurmup ;)  but it also showed me how freaking f**king hard the whole "fisch"-line is - need to get STRONG again!

on the "einfisch/keinfisch"-part of the "fisch-projekt". (older) pic © angleawagner.ch

back in the game!!!

not just me, also angela after her acl-rupture. we went up to sustenpass to meet with dai koyamada and his partner, later the locals ronny and paul also joined in.

the ladies on the warm-up

i felt absolutley terrible while wurming up; no body tension, no power  - no nothing... - just tired. but i got inspired by angela who stated after her first touch of rock that it was GREAT friction and a absolutley low gravity day today. also everybody had great fun wurming up in this beautiful alpine setting...

presenting: DAI KOYAMADA, one of the strongest in our little sport on a terrible hard FA of a"feet-first-up-a-slab-and-mantle- down" problem, GRADE we still don't know...  ;) pic © angelawagner.ch

after a one year brake cause of an acl-rupture, first no surgery, then surgery and so on angela just restarted with climbing. over the last few weeks she did some easy route climbing (and two visits to magic wood). then on this nice afternoon at sustenpass angela made short work with a nice little (but heinous sharp) crimper-line she was unable to complete 2years ago - the FA of "der heiler" (i woud prefer "der schlitzer" cause it was so sharp). grade somewhere between 6A and 7A (cause I was not able to repeat it - but i also had a weak day (watch below!) ;) WAY to GO angela!!!

angela on the FA of "der heiler", ~ 6A/7A, sustenpass

dai returned after some short time from the classic 3mover test-piece "sputnik" (8B), which he sent super quick... - i could not believe - it was still so warm and he just dispatched it in a few minutes - too strong - WAY to GO!

dai koyamada crushing "sputnik, ~8B", sustenpass. pic © Ikuko Serata, from dai's blog.

arriving at the "traumland"-boulder, i showed dai some beta and the topout to "traumland" and "deadalus". climbing up there i was blown away by the friciton. there was still some wind, which was unusually not dissapearing when it got dark. but i still felt weak and i was (still) convinced it was best to make a restday.

showing dai the way to go for "deadalus,  ~8B+", sustenpass. pic © angelawagner.ch

...after some beta-readjustments dai finished his climbing-evening with an ascent of "traumland, 8A" and he got his beta together for "ikarus/deadalus, 8B+" as well. i think we will see soon a first repetition from this nice line! but dai must have gotten a bit tired (no wonder after two days with climbing in the high 8ties) as he found "traumland" way harder then "sputnik"... - perfect illustration (again) that grades are not more then a (very unprecise) localisation of difficulty!

dai koyamada on the crux-starting-move of "traumland, ~ 8A", sustenpass. pic © angelawagner.ch

then i coud not longer resist to the good grip and started a "training-go" on the "highlander-project". "training" because i still felt like s***...

9:30pm, 1900m, 13C, windy, light by dai, motivation by angela: PERFECT!!! pic © angelawagner.ch

... even while climbing i felt not strong at all, but at the same time i never got tired as well. my "training"-go ended up with me repeating "ikarus, 8B+" and going down on the second last move of the "highlander"-project cause of a slipping toe-hook - BAMMMMM!!!

at the first moment i was a bit disappointed. i am 99%sure that with my "old (now broken) foothold" i woud have had climbed the "highlander". and i had missed that perfect conditions which are soooo important (and rare) for me (not too cold, not too warm, not too dry, not too greasy) on this line. but on the other hand it was great to climb so far (despite feeling weak as hell). it must have been the perfect friction and the extra motivation from the nice people cheering me up that night. and the best was, that i was not even tired when i went down... i never had such an experience before, normally i really cant climb anything hard when i feel so bad - but thats (bouldering)life - and if its going that way i just take it and shut up ... ;)

thanx for the light and motivation dai! two moves before my toehook slipped..., but i still got the "ikarus, 8B+"-part ;) pic © angelawagner.ch

i can't wait to return to see how far it woud go when i am fully rested.... 2moves left, 6more weeks to go... WAY to GO ;)

but first sustenpass got some snow (like last year, but luckily not so much of it) - so i have some time to recover before crushing later next week!

american SDS II _ the end?

i wrote carlo an email about his "sds" and carlo responded to the "american-sds"(for details follow the link)

as i thought its a "cultural-thing". he was used (from home) to just take the (defined) startingholds and not to (in every case) sitdown. its not a BIG thing for me, as carlo is by far strong enough to climb all the problems from sitting - BUT:

nevertheless i think its important to stress that if (especially; well known, world class ) climbers release media to the world they should get familiar with local rules (ethics) to not spread wrong rules/ethics. carlo wrote that he climbed also with local people. i really wonder how "local" (or shy) they were to not give carlo and team usa a hint to SIT down for sitdownstarts.  

american sitdownstarts?!

is it a "cultural-thing"?!

the topic came up allready as the first "swizzy-movies" came out some moths ago on vimeo. "le pillier" was downgraded by the "americans", but was started three moves in... and from a standing, not from a sitdownstart --> pillier-movie

then i got a mail from my friend sebastian that there was a new american-movie out. i VERY MUCH LIKED the climbing in the movie - really NICE!!! BUT many "SIT DOWN STARTS" were just standingstarts...

sebastian and joost allready posted about that topic.

i dont really understand it. carlo is by FAR strong enough to climb all that boulders from sitting. may that really was some "cultural missunderstanding"?! i will write him a mail so he may can give some explanations...

SURFING

the nice conditions from last week are gone - summer is back (30+C) and heavy RAIN. so its time for my summer brake - giving my body and mind a much awaited rest from trying HARD since january... allready psyched for FALL and the COLD. but first i will make the best out of that f*** heat: go SURFING ;)

surfing offers some experiences you will never make if you just hang on some small crimps in a dark obscure cave... ;)

how much EPIC is enough?!

WAY better conditions then last week (when it was 26C). the holds were NOT dry, but dry enough!

climbed again up to the last crux, did the first hard move, felt SOLID, STRONG and THEN...

where i went down...

the CRUX-foothold from my newly discovered beta BROKE - and down i was - WTF???!!! 

what else will go wrong this year that i will just NOT be able to climb one of my projects...???!!!

whats left from the foothold.... the old beta is still possible, but its harder... and i am really not into HARDER at the moment... for me it was HARD enough!

as the "cheating-beta" is no longer possible it looks like i have to get REAL strong for once... ;)

on and OFF...

during the last month i had a lot of work to do and so not that much time for climbing (1-2 a week). but as the weather was pretty shitty it was not too worse to suffer through. that he forecast was wronger then ever did not help too much as well to keep the psyche high. i got rained out several times at a forecasted NICE day.... and there was the best weather (to watch in the webcam) when rain was forcasted..., then the heat came... 25.5C at 1900m is HOT...

a forecasted NICE, SUNNY DAY!!!

the frequent RAIN was a problem because like that HIGHLANDER never stopped SEEPING... so i went to magic wood once, cause that kind of weather serves best conditions for the "neverendingstory". unfortunately my right knee is still too sore (from the hard heelhooks at the "fisch") for the intense heelhooking you need there...

aluminium works fine - even if the friction is not that good anymore (in a  45 steep wall). but better then grabbing a wet hold...

the slot at the left (also in the 45steepness) was not once dry during the last 5weeks... 

FINALLY it got sunny, drier and colder again. it was great to feel the cold and the grip again. instantly i felt fresh and very awake - it was great to escape the daily HEAT (30+C) in the city!!! also my girlfriend angela joined me for the first time since her acl-surgery (last november) and she had her first outdoorboulders done again - GREAT effort! having her up there climbing was great motivation and despite beeing bit out of shape i got nearly through the crux - but dryfired off at the end! it was SOOOOO windy (pads where blown away again and again...) it was just toooo DRY (i did not even used chalck that day...., but kept my tips wet!!!) - CRAZY MOUNTAINs!!! its getting time for the summer-breake...

its soooo nice, when its nice... ;)

5...,6...

not even the first crux worked 2day - from the last move to nothing in 3days???

11am: nice view to the approaching rain-storm. the wall dried afterwards. the problem is that the holds were seeping from the inside of the bloc, and that was the probem no1!!!

 but well, I CAN NOT climb my hardest boulder EVER with wet holds - very saddly NOT... and the weatherforecast looks not as it coud dry the next days... i tried it with aluminiumfolie on the holds, everything. that works well on incutcrimps but not on my open crux-pinches.

"highlander" was dry for weeks, but now the holds in the crux seep from the inside, and it does not look like that it will dry soon - FU*K!

so it looks like i once more missed my window of opportunity, all the same this year - just a week too late - WTF??!!! may i shoud change to snooker or some other "weather-safe" sport ;)

0.5, 1...

and one step back again...

despite feeling strong as never before and not beeing tired at all (in the crux) i lost a toe-hook while climbing into the crux (never happend before!!!).

on the way up, no good...

but conditions were pretty bad as you can see in the pic. AND what was even worser was that there were pretty wet holds.

the wet holds were the main problem, the fog was just not so nice to look at..., "highlander" is down, left - in the cloud...

so on the one hand its nice i climbed so far in such ugly conditions. on the other hand i dont want to climb "nice". i want to climb the LINE!!!

2,1,0.5...

... 0.5 move(s) further - it gets better and better - i slipped offffff the cruxhold - ahhhrghhh - HARD bouldering is soooo much fun - still... ;)

one move before the old, fat, lousy boulder-tussi dryfired off the crux-hold... ;) pic by angela wagner

f**ed up the first go. it went so well that i "forgot" some cruical micro-beta and missed the first crux. second go i repeated  the "ikarus"-part, but then i slipped (dryfired) off the cruxhold as going left for the "highlander" - but once more i think i found slightly better (safer) beta for that move...  AGAIN and AGAIN i am "cheating" my way through HARD moves ;)