Ok, with this post I would like to start a series of tales about italian climbing and climbers that are particularly funny, or notable for some reason.
Disclaimer: the stories I will tell are mostly legends, things heard from 3rd or 4th hand sources, and are meant not to offend the featured climbers or persons, but at the very opposite, to spotlight their climbing ability and, more over, power. Please feel free to point out any offensive aspect and I will be more than happy to remove it, with my anticipate excuses.
These stories, I know, may easily be false, but as climbers need inspiration, I hope they are true.
I will start with something I was told a few weeks ago, while bouldering in Varazze. Many of you may have heard about this place and its strict grading, especially in the higer grades. The local of this climbing area is power monster, twice world champ and national climbing treasure Cristian Core. I have clearly in my mind a video of him walking up "New base line" Font 8b+ like a path.
Anyway, many many years ago, at an international competition, Core was the first one to go out in the finals. He flashed the first problem and headed back into isolation. While there he crossed his eyes with the second competitor who was going in, other Italian Riccardo "Sky" Scarian, sport 9a climber, and Manolo's best disciple, who at the time used to compete.
Core whispered to him: "Easy Sky, it's around 6c+, you do it for sure".
Needless to say, Sky failed, as every other competitor who tried to climb the problem.
Disclaimer: the stories I will tell are mostly legends, things heard from 3rd or 4th hand sources, and are meant not to offend the featured climbers or persons, but at the very opposite, to spotlight their climbing ability and, more over, power. Please feel free to point out any offensive aspect and I will be more than happy to remove it, with my anticipate excuses.
These stories, I know, may easily be false, but as climbers need inspiration, I hope they are true.
I will start with something I was told a few weeks ago, while bouldering in Varazze. Many of you may have heard about this place and its strict grading, especially in the higer grades. The local of this climbing area is power monster, twice world champ and national climbing treasure Cristian Core. I have clearly in my mind a video of him walking up "New base line" Font 8b+ like a path.
Anyway, many many years ago, at an international competition, Core was the first one to go out in the finals. He flashed the first problem and headed back into isolation. While there he crossed his eyes with the second competitor who was going in, other Italian Riccardo "Sky" Scarian, sport 9a climber, and Manolo's best disciple, who at the time used to compete.
Core whispered to him: "Easy Sky, it's around 6c+, you do it for sure".
Needless to say, Sky failed, as every other competitor who tried to climb the problem.
2 comments:
A couple of weeks ago, after Christian Core's 2 days visit in Brione, I heard this brief story about his ascent of the infamous finger testpiece named Vecchia Lione, FB 8B. After figuring out the moves, he managed his way up the line on his third try and saying his opinion about the grade: FB 7C... BTW on those two days he also hiked Amber 8B, General disarray 8B and Marylin Monroe 8A. All with quite high humidity levels...
i was sure this series would give us lots to think about...
ciao marco!!!
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