Global warming, a new line in Aosta Valley

Hi there.

I write some words about one of my latest bouldering adventures. This time, the topic is a first ascent, probably my hardest one and my first one about a roof with this kind of moves. The place is the “new” area of Donnas and the line is that one I wrote on the last blog spot. I wanted to come back to finish the problem in order to put the first ascent on this cool line in a place kept unknown. On friday the 11^th I went there with Marco,Aly and Rudy. It was a really good day for me.
In the morning we climbed just before the parking of the back sector and we warmed up on “profezia Maya”, a really nice pillar with brick pinches. Me and Marco climbed it fastly, thinking that it could be around 7A instead of 7A+, while Rudy worked it for one hour without any success, falling on the hardest part. In the first afternoon we took the long path toward the project and we stopped just below it, doing a fine line called “era nuova”. It deals of a traverse of 6C with pretty good holds which rudy flashed and Aly managed to do every single move. For sure, the next time she can crush it. Then I moved on the project. I reclimbed the six last moves twice, to get confidence since they are not so granted. I also tried the crux move, a compression with a crimp and a sidepull lip where the hard is keeping the swing and not touching the pad or the spotter. I did two failures on it and I imagined that it could be hard from the bottom since it adds six moves before the crux, although they are quite easy. I started positive and I did it on the first go from the start during this second day of work. When I squeezed the lip and I kept the swing, I knew that the hardest was done, but the exit last time gave me some troubles and I had to stay quiet. When I did the toput, I was so glad and cheerful to be at the top of this one, doing the first ascent and putting a sign in this area of Aosta’s Valley. The name choosen is “Global Warming”, thinking about the crazy temperatures of this winter, and also other reasons.
The grade like every time is really hard to propose. I felt it much harder than “klettermachine” or other 8A which I have climbed in this period and probably it could be also harder than some 8A+ so physical like “scarred for life high”,”touch by the devil” and others, so I thought that 8B could be correct and I hope that the first repeaters will give their honest opinions. Unfortunately, my camera is in reparation and I couldn’t make some shots or a video. I have just a photo with the toe hooks at the end, taken by the mobile.

By the way, talking about my FAs, some of them are still unrepeated or still unattempted, I hope that someone can do it to tell me if they are worthy or less.

This is a short list of lines still unrepeated:

Powerslave                       8A+ proposed          Gran San Bernardo

Happy birthday totò          7C+ proposed         Chironico

Capitan america                7C proposed            Champorcher

El raton matado                 8A proposed           Gaby  

The big courier                  7C+ proposed         Gaby

And now global warming. If someone is interested in these ones and someone wants to get some info about the place where they are situated, doesn’t esitate to contact me!

global Warming, Donnas

Mithril and the beginning of a new year

Hi everybody!

After this period of festivity I write a blogspot to tell about Mithril and new projects which I would like to try during this winter, although the temperatures in these days seem more like vernal.

The fall in Ticino was really empty of successes concerning my goals set at the end of the summer, but the year ended beautifully for me. After the lines climbed in Varazze and in Donnas I came back once to Cresciano to find a project to work. This was Mithril, a little roof just below “la prou”, opened by Dave Graham years ago.

Mithril 8B, Cresciano. photo: Adriano Ceria

Mithril 8B, Cresciano. photo: Adriano Ceria

It deals of a really powerful line, with three strong moves, which make it 8B, and then a easy topout on a slab. The mantle is considered really easy respect the moves before, but I am really shiftless and clumsy on that kind of moves, in fact I felt it as hard as the previous ones. I tried it two years ago but I did a fast session because the first move was too hard for me. This winter I was psyked to come back and the first day which I put my hands on it, the mantle was damp; so I decided to try the first part since it was completly dry. At the end of the session every move was done, except the mantle which I did in 2010 with fatigue. On friday the 28^th I came back and all the boulders were basically wet again. After two hours of sun and magic wind, they became completly dry and climbable, in fact the motivation was high again. I tried the mantle and surprisingly I did it quickly. For who doesn’t know mithril, I write a little description of its great movements. The first one is super cool, it starts with a crimp for the right hand, a pinch for the left and with a little balance you have to grab the first crimp. After that, it requires a lot of body tension whereas the second and the third move are two slaps with the right hand on a slopery rail in hard compression. The fourth hard move is the footwork to put the heel-hook on the edge,take this one with the left hand and then doing the mantle.

After the attempt on the topout, I tried it from the bottom and I fell at the end taking the lip. I rested and I try to keep in a good shape my skin with the sandpaper, since mithril ruins it a lot. The second go was the best one, I failed on the mantle when my hand was upside down on the edge. I knew that I could miss it in that point but I hoped that it wouldn’t be never happened. After that, my skin was so bad, I tried it twice in the evening and I fell again at the end because I touched the pad. The day was over and we went back home.

The day after I was really jaded by it, but I would have liked to finish mihtril before the year ended. So I took a weekend of resting and I went there on the last day of 2012. I woke up in the morning and I felt that I hadn’t rested enough, in fact when I reached Cresciano I was still weak. I was negative for the day, but I tried. I warmed up in the square of “la nave va” and after a half an hour of stretching I did some easy lines. The sensations were really bad. I climbed twice “dove osano i cachi” and I felt that my skin wasn’t ready enough to try mithril. When I walked down after the easy climbings, I saw mithril in front of me and then I always gave a look to my skin shaking my head. I knew that I would have had just one possible attempt and then I could have picked up the pads and gone home. When I felt warm enough I moved under mithril and I brushed the holds carefully. it was a mental battle. I obviously knew that I could have done it, but I also knew that I would have had  just one go. I was so tense. I took some deep breaths and I started. I climbed it very well in the first part and I felt my mind off by every other though, I took the lip and I knew that I could have still failed it but I was super focus on it. I took the crimp on the slab, I turned my hand and the position was better than the other day. I did the mantle and I was so satisfied for the mental fatigue which I felt the days before and the moments before the climbing. The line didn’t give me a lot, it is not so logical, but the movements are so lovely and I like them very much.

Mithril 8B, Cresciano. photo: Rudy Ceria

Mithril 8B, Cresciano. photo: Rudy Ceria

topout where I fell. photo: Rudy Ceria

After mithril me and my dad moved toward “kirk windstein”, a cool 8A which I waited for trying it over three years because I wanted to attempt it in flash style. The moment arrived and I put the pads under it. I missed it on the last move, I don’t know why but for sure one of the causes was my frozen fingers, in fact after 5 mins a strange green ball under my skin’s medium was born. Probably there was a litlle necrosis of some skin cells. I stopped to climb and we went to home putting an end to this climbing year.

The first climbing day of 2013 took place in Donnas. Me and Giulia went there in the afternoon on thursday the 3^rd and my plans were to check the new line of Andrea Zanone called “doomsday”. This part of Donnas is behind mucca pazza’s sector and the path to reach is another one. After 25 mins of walking we were there and we met Luca, a friend of mine who had just climbed doomsday. I warmed up just on the right of this one since I saw a easy line with some chalk. This boulder also has a possbile first part in a roof and I started to figured out the beta because it hit me. It looked hard, but after some goes I quitted and I move the pads under doomsday which I climbed on the third go. Andrea said that it could be 7C+ and probably it could be correct, but we have to wait for some repetitions to know it surely.

Later, me and Luca tried again the project and we got the right beta to try it from the bottom. It is not so easy and it is pretty cool. The first moves are quite simple, then there is one a bit harder and then the crux move. After that, the exit of this roof is a bit complicate because it isn’t the same of the easy warming up boulder, it requires a footwork to stay on. I did every single move and from the start I fell on the crux but I felt it possible. I hope to come back really soon because it is really worthy.

On friday the 4^th, we went to varazze and I met two swiss guys which I knew under “scarred for life”. One of them is Nils, which stayed in varazze for few days and we decided to go to try alphacentauri 8B. He tried the stand start and he did every move, I think that the next time he can do it. Instead I wanted to understand the move of  the sit start whereas the last time I had little time. After some minutes they were done, I had to link the two parts. I did many attempts but I always failed on the second move of the stand bacause for me it is really hard since it requires a lot of flexibility for the taller.

In the evening, when we walked back to the car we passed close to “il tempo delle favole” and the path goes on some rocks beside the river. Unfortunatly they were really humid and the soil was really slippery. I walked with attention but it wasn’t sufficient and I stumbled. I started to fall toward a pool of the river and I don’t know how I was able to stop just before falling into it. Unfortunatly my camera slipped from my pad and it went down into the puddle. I shouted more times “SHIT!!”,strangely without blasphemes and I didn’t want to belive at this unlucky fact.

If it will be repairable, I hope to do the video of mithril and filming the new project in Donnas. If I will have to buy another one, probably it will pass more time to film them.

Doomsday 7C+, Donnas. photo: Giulia Paoletti

project, Donnas. photo: Giulia Paoletti

crux move of project, Donnas. photo: Giulia Paoletti

Rudy on Minerva 6C, Varazze. photo: Giulia Paoletti