September 2014 - New projects

The last months has been pretty busy under different aspects and my mind has been invaded by a big wave of projects. The wrist had a positive trend for all the month, but the tendons and ligaments are still weak. I felt they are not ready for a hard training period, but at least they don't give me troubles when I climb on the rock. As I mentioned the month has been various, rich and a bit confused too. First of all I had a wide list of boulders I would have liked to brush. At the moment, I am feeling quite excited about going to search awesome lines around and the discovering side of climbing is providing me always bigger and bigger satisfactions. The top boulders I wanted to brushed are all situated in the north west of Italy; few of them are in Valle dell'Orco, others in Valle d'Aosta, and a couple of cool projects are even present in a valley close to my home. During this period I was able to brush just four of the many projects and three of them required me one day and a half only for cleaning up the holds and making a safe landing.

One of them is up to Champorcher, an area whose potential is probably getting to an end. This was maybe the last thing I was interested in developing here. Since the beginning, It looked to be a really weird line: you have to climb a little easy stone and then grab the starting holds in the roof above your head. From there the climb begins in an imposing overhang and it gets out in a slightly overhanging wall with compression moves and heel hooks. The hardest part was the first section on the roof, where everything seems to be tricky and pretty physical. During the second day of attempts, I tried this problem together with Max. He got a really smart heel hook beta which looked to be the best; but unfortunately neither of us was able to link the moves with what it seemed to be the most obvious way. I opted to work another system, based on body tension and specific points where to grab the holds. After many attempts where I was getting closer and closer I finally got the big triangle pinch at the end of the roof and I linked the first part to the easier finish, putting up the first ascent.

Rust in Peace V11/12, FA. Champorcher. Photo Max Buvoli

Rust in Peace V11/12, FA. Champorcher. Photo Giulia Paoletti

The other two main projects I was interested in, were the big diamond I discovered in Noasca and a great river stone in a valley close to my home. The first one is huge; It is an impressive granite diamond with some slopy rails and a long climbing to reach the top. Once the day of brushing was over, I decided to come back with Ricky who helped me a lot to make a good landing. Meanwhile, the dirty residual of the brushing was drying up and the grip started to be better than the first time I touched the holds. The first intro part is pretty easy and the taller you are the easier it becomes. Instead the upper part results really strange with a big dynamic move to the lip. It is definitively a wonderful move, where from two slopy pinches and a really high left foot you should grab the final lip and you'll probably remain with only one hand hung. Considering the height of the boulder, I tried that move with the rope only. After this, I decided to postpone the attempts when the temperatures will be colder and the grip on the holds will be much better.

The diamond. Valle dell'Orco

The third one is probably the project I am most inspired for. It is 40 minutes up to my home and the feeling to have a project so close is an unique sensation, since it is never happened to me. I can get up in the morning and I can basically see the valley where the proj is. This thing makes the question sweet. I brushed the line on this big egg  last spring and I got a quick session in April without any good successes, despite my best shape ever. I love this project for two main factors; the first reason, as I said, is to have something so cool and so close to home; while the second one is due to the beauty of the line and the good rock it has, especially in the second part. For September, it was at the top of to-do list but I have been a bit unlucky with this problem.

The first time on it,  I brushed all the last slab again, since it became dirty during the heat of the summer and just before the dark I tried a bit the upper moves with the rope. After few tries it became too dark and I quitted.

2nd day on. The first part was damp so I could just attempt the second easier section. After having put the chalk  and tried the moves, the rain came and I had to leave once again.

3rd day on. The sky looked to be clear. I put the chalk on the exit again and I dried up the third hold which makes the crux part. I finally could try it seriously. Thanks to Ricky who helped me a lot in trying the moves with big push ups, I could understand the right sequence. The sessions got over positive. The crux move was still missing, but I did it with 4-5 kilos of push-up. The other move that missed was the 5th, but for this one I had positive sensations because it looked easier, I had just to try it more.

4th day on. I went up alone just to dry up the crux hold and to be sure for the day after (it usually remains wet for few days). Surprisingly it dried up faster than what I expected and I decided to try it a bit. I was alone with three smashed pads, but it was enough to try the bottom. I couldn't expect what it happened; I grabbed the damned holds and I failed on the move after. I opted to quit and to rest for the day after. I started to know that I was close and that probably the crux move would have been the 4th, since the 3rd one looked to be hard but in the end it is totally position depending. Once you get the right body position, you can do it.

5th day on. I went up with Ricky again. The friction looked even better, but in the end it was the same or even worse than the day before. I was anyway motivated and focused on the proj. I felt some possibilities to finish the rig the same day.  I put the chalk on the exit for the nth time and I repeated the final moves over and over. I knew them perfectly. I rested until the evening, when the "colder" temps came and the skin got harder. I made good tries. I managed to grab the third hold again, but I failed on the 4th moves. I tried that part with the push up and I did it. I felt I was going closer and closer. On the other side, I also felt my skin sweating a lot, so I rested for ten minutes or so. I finally perceived my hands a bit colder and I decided to go. I took the third hold perfectly and I did the hardest move after. I linked this one to the 5th and I grabbed the jug with a bit of fatigue and a strong shout. A shout which meant effort, but even a shout of possibility to complete the whole line. I was out of the hardest part. I got into the central sequence, where the overhang becomes a wall with wonderful pinches. I did it and I got the good pinch-jug; I was tired. From there the wall become a slab and there is a possible rest. From that point to the top is something like 6b composed by a little mantle into the slab and the slab itself. I rested and my hands were damp, cold and totally pink. I thought about the chalk, but I hadn't the bag with me. I tried to dry up the fingers on my pants, and they started to be numb. I put the hands close to my neck to warm them up and the feelings started to be slightly better, but not enough. There were two possibilities: to go on in the slab, or dropping off and trying it again hoping to get into the upper part in better conditions. The last option seemed to be far from my possibilities, because I felt tired. By knowing what there was between me and the top I decided to attempt; the boulder was done and I just had to do the last easy part. I breathed and I went. I started and once my body was totally on the slab and my feet still under in the wall, my right foot slipped and I fall down. I got scarred and I totally missed the pads, falling on a bunch of stones. Fortunately my heel hit a flat stone and I got just a really hard hit. It was done, but not at all. I have to come back to finish this beautiful problem but for the moment I have to recover a bit the foot and to get back in a good mentality for this gem.

Beyond these great projects, In my mind there is also another 5 starts arete to get free; A line I brushed last march in Donnas (Valle d'Aosta) which is incredible. A perfect vertical arete which is probably the biggest project of the year. For the moment the temperatures are still too high and I have to wait for a while; but once the temperatures will drop and the heel will be ready, this project will probably be at the top of the list.

The crux move of the project. Valle Cervo. Photo Ricky totò Monetta 

The arete project. Valle d'Aosta.

Beyond exploring new boulders in the north west of Italy, two weeks ago I began training again. I started a short program which includes some sessions using different systems of training and the goals are to equal the right side of my body to the left one, since the right arm is really weak. Secondly, I decided to include different sessions in order to get the confidence back on the systems I usually use for training. I set 2 sessions in the climbing gym, 3 of core works, 5 of stretching for the flexibility, 2 of campus training (fingerboard and PG), 2 sessions with overweight and 2 sessions of rock bouldering in the projects I mentioned before. But in the second week, since my heel was painful after the fall, I needed to stop and I could just climbing outdoor. I went a couple of days in Averstal with Rudy.  I was also excited to work some boulders, leaving the tall projects aside for a while and feeling again the peculiar sensations of the place. Unfortunately, none of us completed the own goals; no achievement for both after the weekend. He went really close to grab the ascent on "Morgenlatte" 7B and he made huge progresses on "Man of a cow" 7B+; Instead, I worked one day on "Ill trill", making every moves except the exit and I missed the ascent on the top out of "Muttertag". We are both motivated to come back soon, trying to complete something before the snow comes.

Summer is almost over

August is now behind us and the first days of September are always exciting because of the first moments of Autumn. My favorite seasons are still quite distant, but the sultriness of the planes is making more and more space to a clear sky and fresh days. The desire to come back bouldering is actually lofty, but the wrist is not totally ready yet for every move or every hold and I think I should give to it  more time to recover.

In fact, for the second week in a row, I postpone the beginning of a training program; the feelings are not so bad, but at the same time I am not feeling sure and positive at 100%. I opted to take another week of rest, to go climbing other three or four days, to make something soft at the fingerboard and to see how the issue will roll. This plan sounds to be the best for me since I should avoid the rush and leave the mind to take more and more confidence to get in shape again. Moreover, this week I should have the outcomes of the second RMI so I will understand better how the injury has reacted to the first days of climbing. I have got nine days of bouldering since I restarted climbing (12th of August) and the wrist didn't give me big troubles except the last Friday when I perceived a bit of painful. So, I think that the problem is not acquitted, but it is going better than this spring or summer.

As I said, the last three weeks have been devoted to get confidence in climbing gesture. I mainly went to Champorcher, an area where I climbed many problems and I knew them pretty well. I repeated some moderates lines I put up during these years and the feelings with the rock is growing up time after time. I started to work a connection which links two problems: "Under the carpet" and "Q*bert". The middle section is awful, since it passes through some bad jugs, but the traverse itself results funny for the good moves it offers. Despite I knew that I wasn't under the best line, the challenge for the mind and the body was quite stimulant and I was curious to see how the process would have developed. I felt I should have fought to win it and I felt that I could climb hard since the holds weren't painful. After three sessions, two of which got to the end fast cause  of skin troubles, I was able to send it. The first "hard" test after the resting period had been approved.

The day after I went with a couple of friends to Noasca (Valle dell'Orco), to see a place that I wanted to check since few months. I knew that Bernd Zangerl put up different problems in this valley and many of them looked to be good. As I imaged, the lines I watched on the video are really impressive and even if the rock is not my favorite, the shapes are really stunning. Especially two of them, "self aperto" and "El Salvador", take delight of a remarkable beauty. Unfortunately, the combo between my worst skin ever and the sharp rock let me climb just half an hour; after this, every hold I grabbed became moist and every effort seemed to be vain. I took profit by the drawback to make a check in a stony chaos up to the road, where I supposed to discover some virgin lines. Fortunately, I found some of the things I hoped to see and a bunch of boulders seems to be worthy and good. The most impressive one deals of a big diamond which quickly got into the list of the lines I want to brush. 

The week later I decided to come back with my dad, hoping in a better skin. I tried the sit start version of "Temenoi" 8A/+, which is characterized by a hard heel hook intro and a cool tensioning climbing at the end. Surprisingly I got the first move quickly and I found myself in the upper section before the top. There, I felt my hands soaked again, I grabbed every holds wrongly and I missed the ascent. I was frustrated by the skin issue which was continuing to give me problems, but on the other side I thought about the normality of it, due to many days without rock. Thanks to some toe hooks and a comfortable position I found, I was able to take chalk in the middle and accordingly I had dry hands in the top sequence. This thing has been crucial to complete the line and to get another dose of happiness at the top.

In the afternoon I went up to the chaos to brush the big diamond I checked the previous time. I was quite stoked by the thing that came out. The line looked to be amazing and gorgeous  as I hoped. The main line I wanted to brush is still waiting, since it is quite hard to reach the hold, even with a rope. While the other two ones are now chalked and I hope to come back soon to make a good landing and to attempt them seriously.

Always thinking about some projects, last week I was finally able to brush another line I saw last May in Champorcher, which I never started to clean since I thought that was necessary to cut two branches of a big tree. I was a bit disappointed by this fact, since I really care about the trees and I think they have the priority on the climbers. Fortunately, while I was dropping down with the rope, I discovered that the tree wasn't a problem and there was enough space to climb the roof avoiding to remove the branches. I started to be actually fascinated by the big line which was taking shape while I was brushing. Four hours were sufficient just to get ready the upper part, while I had to wait the day after to clean up the bottom sequence, which looked to be tricky, hard and physical. Ricky came up that day as well. Together we arranged the lower roof, the starting stone and we began to try it. We weren't close to understand the beta, but if the first holds didn't break I am positive about the possibilities to climb the imposing rig. 

Working on the ship project, Valle d'Aosta. Photo Giulia Paoletti

Looking at the beautiful sequence of "Bravirabi", Valle dell'Orco.

Temenoi 8A/+, Valle dell'orco.

Temenoi 8A/+, Valle dell'orco.