An other great time in Switzerland

I just spent two great weeks around magic wood/brione with my friends there. It was at the beginning a "come back trip" after some breaks and so few climbing since september. I expected to be really weak but it turned out that I was still able to climb hard despite of the lack of practice.


Since september I started studying and had to kind of adapt my climbing according to my coarse schedule which was sometimes annoying also it was hard to me to train because of the lack of motivation on plastic, the gym I climb in is really not crowded and I often climb alone so not having a training partner if really hard if you want to stay motivated... I think I must've climbed an average of 1-2 times a week which is so few but on the bright side I can count on my body which has the positive aspect of not loosing strength too fast so I'm really happy I could nevertheless send my longtime project Steppenwolf and make a quick ascent of Riverbed.

It felt really cool to boulder 8b again as I thought that was not possible anymore so I feel like with some training and maybe loose some weight I could reach a new level and I'm really motivated to do so.

I also had the opportunity to climb with stronger ( a lot ) climbers than me and that is really motivating I'd forgotten how it felt to work something way above your level and I'm really happy that happened. I know have a life project :)

I also saw a new line that daniel woods was working on and it is really THE LINE for me, like my dream line I was so sad I was too week to try it but i'll train for it and come back this summer with just that line in my mind.
I feel like it's the most pure and esthetic line in the woods and also the closest to my style although I don't have what it takes to climb it but I will work hard to get that power :).

I really enjoyed that trip, my friends and I had really good moments and that's the most important before everything. The matter is not how hard you climb and how many lines you can nab but the moments you have with other people. I think if magic is by far my favorite place to go to that's not only because of the climbing that is awesome but because everytime I'm given the chance to meet great people and enjoy time there around the fireand it is really lame that brione or chironico don't have a camping like the Bodhi camping.


I will add some photos and videos later when I have them :)

Thanks to Thomas for the camping place and all the people in the woods !

Albarracin

I just add this note to inform that I had a 2weeks trip to albarracin this late januari to early february. I went there with friends from belgium raph, mathilde and denis. We had great times there although the weather has not been the best we could hope for... lots of snow... cold temps where great as it gave us a good friction but the temps increased after a couple of days and the snow started to melt quietly making all top outs wet.
 We therefore kind of had to climb in roofs without being able to make the top outs which is pretty lame but what could we do?
Albarracin is a magnificent place near to a remote town which was one circled with fortresses ( you can see the ruins and the remaining of the rampart ). It's really calm and quiet. The boulders are spread around a big surface uphill, most of the surface is protected because of prehistoric drawings and some sectors have opening dates because of birds nesting there. It is really important to respect the rules that are established there as locals have been fighting with the state and land owners to maintain sectors opened. Thereby one must not go around those restrictions :
-No wild fires in the forest
-No littering the place and if you see litter around pick them up to trash them.
-Respect the restrictions about the concerned areas.
-Clean out chalk on the boulders before leaving or at least try to brush as much as you can.
-Do no climb on problem visible from the road or problems near to prehistoric painting.

Friends of mine have been striving for those rules to be respected and have made some videos which can be viewed following this: here's the Link
It in the interest of everyone to accept to accept to make some sacrifices even if sometimes one may want to go around those restrictions for obvious reasons ( no one in the forest so why respect etc)

To talk now a bit more about the trip, it has been for me some kind of a come back to outdoor bouldering after breaks and tiny injuries. I climb a new problem which is kinda nice it's locates when facing "mardi gras" ( 7b+ slab shown in dosage 5) right behind it 5-10 meters to the right. It has a common start with a high 7a+ which doesn't top out. So you start in that 7a+ than traverse left with 2 crimps on a rail to the left to good slopers. It doesn't top out as well it has the same finish as a 6b+ ( or 6a+ duno ). Name's "El perro flauta" and range is around 7b+/c depending on how tall you are.

I also climbed ( without toping out... was wet...) the right version of el astronave which is an 8a situated in the huge roof in sector los techos. The start is common with el astronave but goes right instead of going left. So you reach to a right hand kind of open hand pinch with a thumb catch then have to get the right foot up to an obvious crimp and reach for a big pinch then match it right undercling then go left and head for the main top out. The line going out right is to be cleaned and is probably a project and has probably not been send as well. The left version is either 8a or 8a+ but I'd opt for 8a as it is just a bit harder than el astronave but it seems like some holds may get better or people may come up with easier betas. It doesn't have a name was probably sent for sure but was never listed in guides or anything.

I'll add some photos later if I can get some.

Ticino power

      The team with from left to right : Haroun Souirji, Me,Anton Johansson,Alex Puccio,Chris Webb Parsons

As stated in my last update, here’s a full report of my trip in Ticino.


Haroun Souirji on his last move in the making of his film “Better than chocolate”.
At first everything seemed to prevent me from going with him things such as college issues, how to go back home blablabla.
I decided to go anyway and some things kept on reminding me that I might have taken the wrong call as on our way to swizzy we ran out of gas in the middle of the highway in France about 1am… I thought dammit should’ve stayed home… Well we were lucky to meet Yussef who drove me to the next station to get some gas…
We actually were supposed to arrived at destination Saturday at 00h00 but with that incident plus the four or five extra hours Haroun took before picking me up didn’t help us arrive in scheduled time…

We thereby arrived a bit tired in the flat he rented in Camorino and decided to head for the boulders.

                          Here’s a photo of our living room with me studying ( see mum I did study … )


It was the first time for me in this place as last time I came, I couldn’t climb because of the rain
Saturday, we headed for Cresciano and despite of a two month period during which I barely climbed because of injuries and lack of time, I managed to flash one 7c and make a quick ascent of La Pelle, 8A.

The three next days were forced rest days because of the bad weather that seems to have settled down for a while…
But when we don’t climb, we have a lot a fun with our friends and luckily for us, Anton Johansson, a mate from finland was joining us, being after Haroun and me the third person in the flat and thus making the atmosphere much more friendly.

                            Anton performing a new found music instrument: the hooveridoo.


On Tuesday, we headed for Magic wood as we were in the same time supposed to pick Chris up in Vaduz. Being a little bit pessimist considering the weather forecast( 20cms of snow announced), we still decided to check it out but it ended up in a snow ball battle as everything was desperately totally wet.
So we went to pick Chris up and headed back to Camorino and the Mcdonald where Alex was supposed to rejoin us.

                         Alex and Chris on the way to the Macdonald for the internet


We were now forming a good team really hungry and despite the skepticism of many, I insisted to go to chironico and take a look…Who knows something may be dry…
We were happy to find the “Alphane Moon” dry although a bit humid.
Chris sent quickly while Alex and I kept on falling on the final hard move…
Chris still hungry put all his devotion into working the sitstart which looked and still is really hard. He quickly figured out all the moves and was looking really strong in it…No doubt he’d make it.

                               Chris executing The move of the latter dubbed “Bella Luna” 8B+

On Wednesday we went back to Alphane as we all had projects there. Alex and I both sent Alphane Moon on our first go and Chris fell three times on the last hard moves in the sit including one go during which he should’ have made it but didn’t because of a bad beta.
We then headed towards Boogalagga sector and started working “Walker on earth” which relies on one hard move including a really shallow one finger pocket.

                                                          Alex working “Alphane Moon”

Alex, Anton and I started trying, everything looked good for us when Alex heard something popping in her finger… and I felt pain in the arm while not even pulling on the mono…
Boulder 2 - climbers 0. Fortunately Anton made it easily.
One problem that I recommend not to try if you’re not warm or don’t feel strong in monos…

That evening we were joined by Patrick a good friend Haroun and I met this summer in magic wood and who makes really good pictures.
All the days we were having a lot of fun in the apartment doing stupid stuff but I tell no more because that’s gonna be featured in the movie.

                                  Me on “Walker on Earth” before it started feeling really bad...


Next day we had an appointment with Michele Caminati in Brione in order to shoot with him.
Haroun filmed him into “General Disarray” and Anton and I made the quick ascent of “Marilyn Monroe” a really nice 8a.
We then headed to filmed a problem that Michele had opened which is a really nice vertical wall in which neither Anton or me could move…( Anton because of his height and I because I have no technique :p )

                                         5kg of nutella thanks Alex for bringing this.


That was the third consecutive day climbing for me and I was really starting feeling tired and sore in the arms…But as we never knew how the weather was going to be the next day I couldn’t afford taking a rest day during a sunny day and then be f**** on the next one…
I decided to climb on Saturday which was my 4th day in a row as I was leaving on Monday and Sunday was said to be a rainy day.

We went back to Chris’s project and after feeling out the moves again, he made the ascent of this new 8b+ that he latter dubbed on Anton’s advises “Bella Luna”. See his blog for more info.

I decided to head for the deliverance sector and ended facing the 7th boulder on which are two nice lines : “Schule des Lebens” and “No Mystery”. I decided to try the second one and after a few tries I was feeling desperate as my skin was really bad after 3 falls on the last hard move including one after the crux…I sacked up and made it, hopefully Chris lit me the top out otherwise It would have been a lot harder….

                     Happy times by the fire with from left to right Haroun, Patrick and Anton.


The time went so quick ( they say it feels so when you have a lot of fun ) and after eight “beautiful” days it’s already the time for me to leave and get my train back to Belgium.

I’m really pleased on the climbing side that I didn’t feel any pain to my previous bicep tare and despite of the few training session I’ve had in the gym I was still climbing hard and it can only be positive for the next months.
I leave but Haroun stays there for another 2weeks I hope he can get good footage with magic wood mates arriving from Finland ( Anthony ) and France ( Antoine ). Let’s hope he gets good weather and major ascents.


I thank Haroun without whom I’d never have had the chance to meet all those fantastic people.

                                           Also Ronald for letting us use his internet :)

I thank my sponsor seeonee