At the top of Amiata this afternoon it was 19°, some 14° less than here at the sea. I only had a couple of hours of gentle pulling, and am glad to report that I'm quite happy. I did the usual circuit of very easy stuff, then had a go at "Il Motorino di Mario" ( http://bouldr.net/climbs/378/Il%20motorino%20di%20Mario ) that I and Eric opened last year at Fb 7a. It's one of the loveliest problems I've done, small dishes and a final slap to a blind crimp. Well, it was a blind slap: today it was a static reach far past the hold. I was quite shocked, I had to concentrate and search for the hold actually under my palm. I thought I had used some banned foothold, but there are no banned footoholds, if I remember correctly (Eric was it an eliminate?). Anyway.
Then, my project. Ahh, my lovely project. My super hard project. It's proper pulling, of the finest quality. I still haven't done the first move, the second one, and am close to doing the third move. I think I will try first to do it one move into it, because it's still as solid as Gibraltar Rock and perhaps features the two hardest moves I have ever tried, because the holds are there, small and wrong facing, they are definitely there, but they are so difficult to put together. It's seriously burly, fingery, needs flexibility, precision, focus, timing.
Briefly, I don't think I'm capable of doing it, but this doesn't mean that I can't become capable.
So at last I put up a new problem on a nearby boulder where I had already done one new line and finally fell a few times trying the full traverse while a big grey boar was running around.
I hope I'll have many more days like this, at Amiata or, even better in Switz if we manage to find someone to keep Arrostino. Damn cat.
2 comments:
Take Arrostino with you! Kept on a leash, she can devour boars and bring them home for dinner!
You are more than capable of your project/s. Wait for cool temps before commenting on those hold sizes though! Attempts in high humidity definitely don't best represent your true capabilities.
Post Arrostino to Liverpool if you get stuck. I'm serious!
I'm afraid our memories are very different now. Although this being an older memory you are correct. it seemed difficult and far away, but yes a wonderful problem with balance, power, and precision. Now however your brain comprehends things diferrently. With the time you have put in this last year and a half you have improved so much that everything will forever be different.
BRAVO!!!
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