Many things happened in the last months. Friends got married, other friends got pregnant, my girlfriend was godmother, I have a new job since three months and these are just the highlights. You see... time is running and life is running even faster. ;)
But thats not all. I feel that things are changing. Priorities change... time itself is valuable and rare! I like it... no question. But I really feel that i'm getting older and slowly but steady set new standards in life.
Don't worry... I don't finish climbing. I just love it too much!!! ;o)
I'm still motivated as years ago. Fortunately, I'm still able to improve myself... and this with 36. Why the hell I should finish something I'm loving that much? ;)
On the contrary... I'm really happy at the moment! I like my new job very much and I'm really glad that I can cut the old braid. I worked there for seven years and that was enough. I think that I've found the right job for me... a new challenge with very nice people. Hopefully something for the next seven years, or even more. We will see...
Also my two boys are getting older and older. Lien is 3 and a half years now and Inea is two. If I arrive at home after work, then there's only one... Papa here... Papa there... playing, romping, fighting... a real pleasure. :)
Yes... life can go on as it is! :)
But I've also climbed in this time... at least more or less... and was able to finish some projects. Let's give a short summary.
At Sustenpass I don't climbed many things... but I was able to complete the whole "Marakesch"-boulder. There are a few 8A's on it and I was also able to put up some new lines or combinations.
First of all there is now "Pini Pincher, 7C". A really nice version of "Marakesch-Variante, 8A"... but after the first hard moves over some pinchers you have to go straight up over some more pinchers. A really nice Version, which was umclimbed so far. I'm wondering... but as I know it was never climbed before.
Next one was a combination of "Marakesch, 8A" and "All I had I gave, 8A". I'm not sure if I climbed "All I had I gave" the right way... but after some repeats from friends we all agreed that this one is not easier than "Marakesch" and the new combination combines the cruxes of both. The new line "All I gave I had from Marakesch, 8A+" s probably not the hardest 8A+... but we think that it deserves the grade.
Last but not least I worked and almost climbed an even harder version... I'm not sure if it will be a hard 8A+ then, or even an 8B. For sure it will give one of the harder testpieces at the Sustenpass. The next summer will come...
Next was Wassen... Giuliano Cameroni opened a beautiful new line there which is called "The Mentalist, 7C+", with a huge dyno as the crux. He assessed the line originally with 8A+... but after I did short work on it (third try) we agreed on 7C+. Next was a possible sit start version, which adds five moves. Especially the first move is extremely hard. I think that the first part is even harder than the upper part "The Mentalist"... just these moves will be 8A or 8A+. Unfortunately I never had a perfect and dry day there and therefore it is hard to rate it. If everything comes together, this first move can suddenly work fine. We will see... :)
Because of these humid days I had to try other things than this low start version. The problem was that the important start-hold was mostly wet. Therefore I tried "Sur le fil stand, 8A"... the standstart of THE Fred Nicole testpiece in this area. The sitstart is 8B+... and the standstart is called to be 8A. I did it quite fast... the first day it was just too humid and the second day it had much better conditions and the holds sticked as the should.
It is not the hardest 8A I think... but a really nice one. Go and try it... worth it!
The sitstart I worked also a bit and it looked quite well. Surprisingly!! But because of some pain in my left knee since the uncountable tries in "Marakesch" and all the other versions... I had to stop my tries on that one. :(
I think that's it so far for the northern side of Switzerland... next was TICINO. Ohh yesss... I love it. Still many things to do and alway worth the long way.
Down there I was able to climb "Bridge over troubled waters, 7C+", "Soilwork, 8A+" and "Dr. Jump, 8A+". "Dr. Jump" felt pretty soft and I'm not sure if this line is that hard. I'm really wondering that everyone is giving 8A+... even if many people are calling is soft. But anyway... it's a funny dyno and definitely harder if you're not the tallest guy.
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| myself in "Soilwork, 8A+" in Chironico... |
But I've also started some new projects... for example "Baby mammoth, 8B", which definitely should work. The problem is the dropzone... you need either enough pads, or someone which is changing their position.
The last things I started were "Deliverance, 8A+", which has a brutal start move from a fucking tiny crimp, "No Mystery, 8A+" and "Schule des Lebens, 8B", after the broken start hold.
"Deliverance" is working pretty well... it's just a matter of a few tries I think. But firstly I had to adapt to that hard first move for two days... now it looks quite well.
"No Mystery" and "Schule des Lebens" are working really good with the exception of the first move too. This dyno feels extremely at my limit... but i'm also not the largest one. It should work... I reach the hold, but am still unable to hold on.
The last climbing day was Christmas the 24th. Strong wind ("Föhn") and 15°C on northern Switzerland offered perfect conditions. We went to Blattiswald, which is just a 15 minutes drive from my home town. A small but nice little area, which offers some good lines of moderate difficulties. The hardest line there is an old testpiece from Fed Nicole, which is called "Blindflug, 8A". I wanted to try it since MANY years... but never went there. I'm not sure if this beautiful line ever got a 2nd ascent... but at least now it got one more...!! ;)
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| Aldo in "Blindflug, 8A"... an old Fred Nicole testpiece at Blattiswald. |
I've made some nice vids from some ascents... the nicest ones are these two:
Soilwork, 8A+
Blindflug, 8A
cheers
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