I LOVE IT...!!!

The last days we'd over 30°C. On Moday and Thuesday about 35°C and today at least a bit lower. Crazy... just some days ago we still had 15°C and some weeks ago still some snow!!!!! ;)

Anyway... in most of the popular spots you just can't climb in these conditions and therefore I had to watch for an alternative area. Totally clear that I had to have a look to my other project on the Sustenpass: "Reykyavik low". In the meantime the barrier is open and it is possible to drive up to the "Sustenbrüggli", where most of the boulders are located. The pass itself is still closed and accordingly there is no traffic up there. Just you, the rock, the calm and the splendid ambience.

As I arrived up there it was 19°C (15°C as I leaved). Just some other cars parked there and a few people sat in the restaurant Sustenbrüggli. There is still quite some snow around... but most of the boulders are climbable.
Firstly I walked down to boulder without any pads... armed only with a shovel. I wanted to check first, if some work for the dropzone is needed. And it was... not much, but I had to shovel a bit as a warmup. Luckily "Reykyavik low" is on the southern side of the boulder. The side to the north was still deep in the snow and no lines on this side would have been possible. Afterwards I went back to the car and picked up the pads and everything else I needed.



Just the sunny southern side is free of snow...

Some warmup first... ;)

Back at the boulder I arranged everything and sat down... just to enjoy the scenery a little. I really love it up here...!!! Especially in such nice conditions, when no other people are here, the blue sky above you, the setting sun, which puts a golden light over the surrounded mountains... you can't hear anything... no cars, no voices, just the wind and your breath.
In these moments I like to be alone. For me it's sometimes not just the sportive challange when I go bouldering. Such moments give me a lot more!! They will take you back to your center and ground yourself. I would never want to miss such moments.

Beautiful scenery... firstly in a golden and later on in a deep blue light.

I LIKE....

Later on I started to warmup. Because of the snow I had no other option to warmup than on "Reykyavik, 8A+/8B" itself. Some goes... some breaks... a few sips of an ice-cooled beer... and an hour later I repeated the original line quite easily. CRAZY!! Totally unexpected. I just wanted to check out the moves a bit to get used to the moves again. But it worked pretty well and I was even able to reposition my left hand hanging in the badest crimp in the whole line, what was absolutely impossible the last year. Unbelievable!!

"Prost Mahlzeit!!"... with an ice-cooled beer. ;)

Half an hour later I started at the "low-start" and checked out these moves. But the first hard move was simply not possible. I took a few more tries, felt some little pain in a muscle of my left arm and finished for the day, just to do not take any risk for any rupture. I would have been highly motivated, but had to stop myself not to pull too hard.

I'm really happy with this start into the Susten-season. Who knows... probably some more good FA-news will follow in the next days. ;)


cheers

Murgtal Boulders

Hi all,

In the past two years many new lines were added to Murgtal. Not just by myself. Yesterday I got a topo from Adrian Waibel and was asked to publish it in my blog. Sure... I will!!

Thanks a lot guys for your work and the ever growing number of new boulders at Murgtal.


Adrian's words:

"Hello fellow Murgtal boulderers,
Over the last few weeks my friends and I cleaned and freed the big boulder 50m right of the Love & Pain boulder (exact coordinates in the topo) and added 10 cool new lines to the ever growing number of problems there. To the best of our knowledge, they were all first ascents. (Except maybe the slab since we discovered an old piton for top-roping on top).
We hope you enjoy these new additions and are awaiting your feedback on grades and what not.
Cheers, Adrian"

EDIT:Some of the boulders seem to have a wrong grading (they're easier). An updated topo will follow soon.


cheers

Charon's Obolus

FINALLYYYYYY...!!

After about 13 days this year and a few days last year the hard work in this new line at the "Love & Pain bloc" in Murgtal have finally paid off. Several days I was really close and fell at the last moves. But there were also some days, were nothing worked and I was just not able to even do or link the first crux-moves. It ended in a similar fight like the last year with my uncountable tries in "Reykyavik low" (still a project)... but this time with a fruitful end. I'm pretty sure that I'm not in my best shape at the moment and that it could be possible, to do this line faster. I was already close the last year... but in the end it went into a huge battle against "Charon" and myself. I'm very happy to add such an epic line to this area. It's not the nicest boulder... but the line itself with his ingenious moves is a pleasure to climb and real testpiece.

myself in the first crux-moves of "Charon's Obolus, 8B"... pic by Aldo Tonazzi.

The line starts at "Painful love, 7b+", traverses  to the left on small crimps and slopy holds until the quite big side-hold in the middle of the overhanging wall. The finish goes over the small crimps from "No pain no gain, 7B/7B+" to the very left of the boulder.

To the name:
Charon, in Greek mythology, the son of Erebus (darkness) and Nyx (Night), whose duty it was to ferry over the Rivers Styx and Acheron those souls of the deceased who had received the rites of burial. In payment he received the coin (Obolus) that was placed in the mouth of the corpse.



Charon

Grade:
I'm not sure if the line deserves 8B. But the many days I've spent and the comparison to other 8B's I've climbed, i really think that this boulder is harder than all the others (including "Delusion" this spring, which I made much faster and definitely felt easier). But who knows... I would not be surprised, if one of the STRONG guys out there is doing it in a few tries. Would be nice to get some feedback!

A short movie Iv'e recorded will follow soon (added tho this entry).

EDIT:
Ronny in Charon's Obolus 8B FA


cheers
A happy Daddy :)