Frankenjura part 2

The Frankenjura is the place I visited most this year, I spent almost one month there everytime with Gabri Moroni and my brother, visiting the amazing environment and climbing on that weird kind of limestone.

I love that style of climbing, short and intense routes on small pockets, but this time was different I wanted to focus primary on a hard proj and in the meanwhile climb on easy stuff.

My project was “Penumbral Solar Eclipse” graded 8c situated in a really small crag with just 3 routes,  one 9a open by Markus Boch, an 8a+ and the 8c that is the link of this 2 routes

P.S.E start like the 8a+ and then after 3 quickdraws it goes right just under a big roof where is situated the crux of the route composed by an amazing swing from two good pinches and a big move from a weird undercling to a good edge almost at the end of the wall where you can clip the chain.

I tried it for the first time the day before we moved to Stuggart for the Adidas Rock Stars, but just to try the moves and figure out the beta for the days after the comp but I had really difficulties to grab the fucking edge.

Penumbral Solar Eclipse   Pic. Marco Znone

                                                     

In Stuggart I took part in the “Gore-tex be a Rockstar” competition, not the real one "Adidas Rock Stars" but it was one of the best amateur competition I did in my career! I was a bit stressed during the competition beacuse I was in the 2nd round so I knew how many mistakes and how many boulder problems I had to do to get into the first three positions and took part in the finals!

I climbed 6 problems over 8 but in too many tries so I finished in 5th position. I was disappointed but happy at the same time to have climbed in that competition with many strong guys. 

The day after I saw the offical competition as a spectator and it was super funny and emotional.

 Gore-tex Be a Rockstar Jam Session    Pic. Christian Waldegger

After 4 days in Stuttgard we came back to Franken for other ten days, I climbed two routes that gave me positive thought like “Bastard” 8a+ 2nd go open by J.Moffat in the 1989 featured by just one hard move to grab a good pockect, the name say everything, and “Spiderman” 8a+ also on my 2nd attempt sending this 2 hard testpieces in two hours.

 I tried for other 3 days the proj but everytime the big move cause me serious problems so I started to be nervous and stressed about that move so I decided to leave the route for a while and take some days of rest! My motivation in that days was so low so I climbed on easiest routes but I had hard problems to focused my mind on climbing, I was completely off and exhaust. After a couple of days we went to check  Maximilian Wande sector, one of the best spot in my opinion, where, in May, I tried “Boiling Point” 8b, but I fell off at the very last move. This time was another story and I took down this classic on my 2nd go of the day and a bit of motivation came back.

In the afternoon Gabri wanted to try the 9a next to my project because he was so closed on it, so I decided to make one try on the 8c

My mind during the effort was really free and without pressure so I grab the crux hold in the best way and finally I managed to keep the swing, lock the undercling and stick the edge! I was so incredulous and with a scream of joy I clipped the chain! Everything went in the best way and I couldn't describe my happiness and my satisfaction, for all the day I got a big smile on my face and that strange sensations of weakness and the low motivation was blown away.

In the last days of the trip I was really tired, I had bad skin and my muscels were really destroyed so I climbed everyday but just for the pleasure of climbing trying as many routes as I could.

Surely the Frankenjura will be a place on my list for the next years because I have a lot of routes that one day I would like to climb.

See ya the next! 

The Forest

Lucky Man 8c

It’s long time from my last blog, but now I have a good reason to write again. I want to explaine my summer season in my favourite crag in Aosta Valley, precisely in Gressoney, called La Benedizione.

La Benedizione
Pic. Pierre Zanone

The “season” start in June just after the trip in Frankenjura. So I was really psyched to start seriously the sport climbing period in fact I had in mind to try “Lucky Man 8c” my first 8c ever tried. Since that day I felt in love with this route and each day of climbing on it, I felt  my self more and more obsessed and motivated to come back to try it again.

At the end of June I spent 4 days trying it and everytime I felt a little bit closer and all the moves seemed to be easier since I started to assimilate the hardest part of the route and to get confidence on it.

During the month of July I was really busy with training for the competitions so I spent a lot of time in the gyms. I climbed just two days on easy stuffs in the Valley and 4 days in Magic Wood but “Lucky Man” was completely stuck in my mind. In the first days of August I took part in a Italian National meeting in Arco to train for the World Championship in Munich but in the first day I did a strange move and I felt a strong pain on my left biceps so I had to stop climbing for a couple. The day after I was really sad because my left arm was  weak and the pain was stronger that the day before.

After Arco I took some days of rest for the left arm but in the week end I went to Gressoney  to touch some rock again and to see how my biceps was. During the warm up I felt it ok but when I decided to try some harder stuff the pain returned again.

Devils and Dust 8a+( i.m.o. one the the best routes in this cliff)
Pic. Marco Zanone

August the 12, Gabri, Stephan and I were ready to spent 10 days around Frankenjura crags but mainly for training in climbing gym to get train for World Championship in Munich. We checked some fantastic gyms in Munich and Numberg like: Boulderwelt, E4 and Cafè Kraft but my injury was still alive driving me crazy during the training sesh, so I wasn’t able to train as hard as I expected.

During the qualifications round of the World Championship  seemed that the injury was heal but somehow I was not able to express my best so I did a quite terrible competition. I have to say that the boulders were way harder than a normal World cup comp and I was defintely not enough strong the solve even one problem; I was really proud to be there anyway. It was an awesome experience.

When I came back to Germany, I finally had the time to go to Gressoney to try my project again.

In the first day of trying I was in great shape and the conditions was perfect. I did my best attempt on “Lucky Man” falling ,at the very last move, with the first rest-point  in front of my eyes… what a pity! 

Marco Zanone on the second crux of Lucky Man
Pic. Pierre Zanone

I started to understand that this thing was possible even with my poor endurance.

I came back in Gressoney  with my family during the week end, the conditions were a bit warmer that the previous days but I was quite hopeful and super syked. I climbed  two easy route for warming up and then I felt ready for the first try because I have not real expectations since the warm up  is everytime not enough to try hard on such an hard route. I started to climb and moves by moves   I grabbed the rest-point , I shaked up my arms and then I started for the endurance part, the feelings was quite good but after 20 moves I got pumped in just one second ,because my forearms were not ready enough to struggle, so I locked as hard as I could the last crimp before the second rest-point but I was too tired and I fell down. I was like incredulous and I started to scream every kind of words came to my mind.

When I touch the ground I was switch off and for about 30 min I didn’t speak with anybody, my  mind and my body were completely destroyed.

I thought  alot about the possibilities I had to climb it on the second go after this big effort but the sun was coming so I had to get a try. 

I took two big breaths and I started my ascent, I climbed the first part quite fast and I got the rest-point again and in mind I said “wow, how is possible?” I focused  my last mental energies for the endurance part and I climbed really fast until the second rest-point (where I felt the try before), everything went in the right way and finally I grabbed the jug. I had some difficulties to reach the chain because I was really really pumped and tired but when clip the chain any kind of effort and hard work turned into happiness and satisfaction, MY BEST MENTAL BATTLE WAS OVER! I couldn’t describe my joy, a little dream came true.

 It was a pleasure share this magic moment with my brother and my family, thanks everybody  for the big support and also a big thanks to Alberto Gnerro for having bolted all these amazing routes

the first crux of Lucky Man
Pic. Francesco Longhini

Old spring memories

A lot of time is past from my last blog, so I decide to write something about my last boulder experiences in Swiss and in some spots close to my home.

The first one was in Magic Wood, where I always like spend days in this special place for me because I love so much this kind of environment and many things there, make me happy. I climbed two days here with my friends Gabri, Marco and my brother, the conditions was really good, it was cold and the fiction was perfect. I was able to climb some great lines like “Muttertag” and “Jack’s broken heart” both 8a in the first day and “Right hand of darkness” 7c+ in the second day but my real project was “Riverbed”.

Muttertag

I spent some hours to figure out my beta and I did good attempts from the bottom but I wasn’t able to climb it so it is still a proj. I hope to come back here this summer to climb again on this great granite rock.

Ten days later Magic Wood I went in new place for me,situated in Aosta Valley called Ussel. It is a small spot but there are some interesting lines. In my opinion the best boulder here is "Amelie", a beautiful 7b+ arete composed by compression moves and hell hooks work, after having cleaned it from the dirt of the winter, I flashed it. The second line I climbed was “The Butterfly Effect” 7c+, I found a new beta, in my opinion more logical and way easier so I think the grade is around 7b+ . After that I found new version of “TBE” that start the same and than  it turn to the right, so I chalked up all the “new” holds and I started to try the moves. After 20 minutes of work I maked the FA and I called it “The Stoners” graded 7c.

In the first days of May my friend Valerio from Rome went to my home to spent one week of climbing with us. He hadn’t never seen the famous spot of bouldering in Ticino called Chironico so we decided to bring Valerio even if the conditions were warm.

We spent the morning in Boogalagga sector where I climbed "Scholonziges Weiner Schmankerl" 7c+ and “Trip to London” 6c+ an amazing high boulder featured by really technical moves on little crimps and slopy feet.  In the afternoon we moved to Nivo Bassa sector where I sent “Arabald” 7b, “The Loneliness of a long distance runner” 7b+/c but my biggest effort of the day was the flash of “Fat Boy” 7c+ a cool problem composed by tricky moves like toe hooks and knee locks. 

Scholonziges Weiner Schmankerl, Boogalagga sector.

In the middle part of May the temperature became warmer but I was still motivated for bouldering, so I decided to visit the coldest spot in Aosta Valley called Champorcher where you can climb  during the summer with fresh conditions. In the low sector I did the hardest 7b ever called “Cochese Night” and also a scary highball called “ Santa Monica Boulevard” 7a.

In the other two days that I spent here I had the pleasure to visit a new sector in the high part of the bouldering area where Niccolò Ceria and some friends discovered new cool lines. I climbed  “Rubik” 7c, “Paradise Lost 7b+”, “Q*bert” 7c and “Under the carpet” 7c/c+ 

Now it’s time to take the rope for some sport climbing, I’m trying "Lucky man" 8c  in Gressoney and I’m really psyched to come back on the proj but before I have to focused on plastic train for the last World Cup boulder in Laval(FRA) at the end of June and for the next Italian bouldering competitions in July and August.                                                                          

One week in Frankenjura

The Frankenjura was in mind for a long period, I had the desire to be in contact with this environment and this style of climbing but I never  had the opportunity to visit it. One evening Gabri Moroni sent me a message and he asked to my brother and I if we are interested to spend one week in Frankenjura. We were super sycked and motivated to leave again from the boring routine days, so we accepted the Gabri’s request so Gabri, Marco, Ema and me prepared the stuffs and we left for the Germany.

After six hour of car we were in Frankenjura, the sun was shining but we still not too tired so we decided to climb some routes to test the new kind of rock. We opted for Eldorado sector because it is very close to the flat that we rent. This crag is featured by a small steep wall just above a playground area. “No more babysitting for neurotic girl today”  was our first route because it was the easiest one; then we move without fear on “Nightmare” a famous  8b composed by only 9 moves on pockets.

In the firts go I menaged to climb all the single moves but I felt a bit tired from the long trip but I wanted just climbing without any expectations. On  my sencond go I did a mistake at the very top of the route I felt a bit weak and tired but I wanted to get another try. At 3rd go everything went very well and I managed to send the route. I realised that the trip was starting in the best way so I was incredibly sycked for the next days

 

Nightmare, Eldorado sector.

The next day we checked Bärenschlucht sector, that is good place close to a big camping where a lot of families spent many days  to stay in contact with nature and to practice many activities like: cycling, hiking but grilling meat is the most important thing that they do.

 We climbed two 7a for warming up and then Ema, Marco and I looked the guidebook to find a project for the day. "Subway" 8b was the one

This route seems to be a sea wave so it is really steep but it is short like many routes in Franken. it is s composed by a fantastic  double dyno, from a mono for the RH and a good shoulder crimp for the LH, to a jug and then follow  powerful moves on pockets and little crimps. On my  first tries I had difficulties to find the right way to get the dyno and some moves in the middle part. The weather was also not so good because just before my last try the rain come. I started really focused and finally I did weird  dyno and I continued to climb all the route until the rest-jug few meters below the chain. I shaked my forearm and with the rain that fell on my face I clipped the chain.

The third day the weather was really bad but we were so sycked to climb in all kind of conditions so we checked Hoelzgauer sector. Our warm up was very fast but we climbed good lines like Ostwand 7a+ and another 6 grade route.

The first route that Gabri racommended to me to climb was "Casablanca" 8a+, a steep roof with physical moves; I felt some moves harder then they are because I was not enough warmed for this kind of tension moves and because this type of climbing doesn’t siut my style very well. On my second attempt I sent it without  any mistake.  The day was still long so I decided to try Ema’s proj called “Blowjob" 8a+ but it is completely different from the first one. This route is almost vertical with  a cool boulder at the first two quickdraws where you have to stick a small one finger pocket and get into a small li pfor the RH. The second part was mostly like endurance and technical climbing on little crimps and tiny pockets. I was able to complete also this route on my second go finishing the day as well as it started.
 

Casablanca, Hoelzgauer sector.

The rain didn’t seem to quite and the painful of the fingers rised so we took a rest day in order to be ready and well rested when the weather would become better.

The 5th day we woke up hopeful for good condition but the rain continued to hit the forest, so we moved to Zwergenschloss sector, a quite big cave where you can climb when it rain. I tried “Linie 1” an amazing 8b/b+, probably one of the best routes I tried in this trip but I wasn’t in a good shape and the conditions didn’t help me so I wasn’t able to climb it, in my best attempt I fell in the last move of the hard section grabbing a good crimp, I was really disappointed because I had the desire to climb that line.

The sixth day we came back in Bärenschlucht sector because my brother wanted to try Subway again, so I decided to try a route called “Queeel Dich, Du Sau” situated in front of Bärenschlucht sector, precisely in the Erinnerungswand sector. This route is graded 8b/b+ and it’s way longer than I was used to find there. It is a bouldery route anyway, composed by two parts; the first one is characterized by a long bouldery sections on little crimps and pockets than allow to join a perfect no hands rest. The final section consists in a short boulder on small pockets with slopy feet-holds with few pumpy moves on slopers to reach the top of the route. In my first go I felt it hard but I was able to climb all the moves so I was so sycked for the second go. I put up my shoes I started for the second go, my hands was a bit cold so I climbed all the first part with some problems but with a big fight I get the rest point anyway, I relaxed till I felt ready for climbing again. Everything went very well, I got the last boulder and with some screams and with a forearm super pumped I clipped the chain.

I was really surprised an unbelievable about what I was able to climb probably one of my biggest effort. 

The seventh day we went to Maximilianwand sector, probably one of my favourite sector of the trip, composed by a big number of cliffs surrounded by an amazing forest so was increadible stay in conctact with that place. The first two routes that I climbed was "Free Will" 7a+ and "Amazonenpfeiler" 7b  bolted by Wolfgang Gullich in the 1981. Marco and I tried maybe our short route ever, an 8a+ called “Bad brain” featured by a one move only to grab quite good pocket with the RH but Marco found a different beta, he used a heel hooking with the RF in order to stay higher and to reach the pocket more static. I tried it with his beta and I almost flashed it, I reached the pocket but the heel hook slipped off so I wasn’t able to get the swing. The second go was the replay of the firts one but in the third go I grabbed the pockets and I climbed all the route.

Free Will, Maximilianwand sector.

The last day we checked Rotestein sector where there is The Essential 9a, one of the hardest route that inspired me more. I felt really tired and with a bad skin but I was super motivated anyway so I tried “Die Kante” 8a+ that follow a perfect technical arete composed by crimps, pockets and pinches. In the first two attempts I was disappointed because I wasn’t able to find my beta so I felt it really hard. In my third go I climbed all the moves really well and I crusched it. I was super sycked to have climbed this gem but I was sad at the same time because I knew that this route was the last one of the trip.

When I left the Germany I thought back to all of the good moments I spent with my friends in this magic forest and the fantastic lines I tried and climbed made me smile again.