Wednesday 30 December 2009

???

I am here at home, sipping Bowmore Single Malt 8 years and eating chocolate. This is a very difficult post to write. Maybe the hardest I have ever written, because I am not even capable of giving it a decent, appropriate title. A few options running through my mind were "Cresciano", "YYFY", "Success" and the likes, but still I think that three question marks represent at best my thoughts and my mind now.
I am in Chaos. I am speechless and I am disappointed because of this, given that I make myself proud of being able to express everything with appropriate words. The problem is that I don't know what is inside my mind.
I decided to go to Cresciano suddenly, after seeing a three days clear window between two storms of rain; needless to say, my girlfriend put up a hell of a fight that ended when I took my bags and went.
A hassle free journey brought me and my friend Nick to Cresciano, where the new hostel "1101 BLOC" was waiting for us: clean, cozy, warm and with a well furnished climbing shop it's just what was needed right there.
Day one.
We went climbing and I crushed.
Day two.
We went climbing and I crushed.
Day three.
We went climbing and I crushed.
Is this enough to give you the idea? Sadly not. It's surely not enough to express my feelings as I crushed "La Pioche" in a handful of tries, with the original 7c beta. Surely it's not enough to express the joy of sharing the sun, the friction, the joy with some best friends. I would like to really be able to give you the right idea: maybe the only way is by suggesting you to remember some of your best, more powerful days out and put them in a row. Add to this the happiness of sharing dinners and beers with the nicest persons around, and I'm sure you're closer.
Now let's stop this tears filled post and let's get back to reality. Reality is that after doing "La Pioche" we went on to try some other stuff, and I did that DG's traverse that is under "Kirk Windstein", really hard for 7a+!!! We then moved under "Frank's Wild Years" and I had a few goes. "Frank" has been in my mind since the first time I saw it many years ago. I had always dubbed it as too hard and too strange for me, and with all these doubts I approached it for the first time. I had all beta given, but I still was thinking that the two crucial smears on the left were too spread to be used by a shortie. "Frank" almost went out of my mind. Then, at some point, I told Nick "Yo, spot me well, I'm going for it" and I went. I got the pinch, and felt my body raising, and the going left towards the smears. I was solid. In went the heel hook and I matched the pinch. So static. The surprise pushed me back the ground. Shock. I had done the previously impossible. I had no escape now. I had to do it. For myself, for my girlfriend and for The Guru. For my spotting friends also. Back to reality, I still didn't know how the two slaps for the crimps would feel. Soon enough I found out: they felt very hard. Bye bye Frank. Time to go back.
The second day dawned a bit cloudy. With three other friends we started the tour of the sectors, walking around and stopping by every line that looked nice. Plenty. I wanted to do "Ci Credo o Non Ci Credo", the 7a+ traverse of "Stonelove": "This is a good one to flash" (R. Patterson). So classic. I wanted to really flash it. So I checked all the holds and I thought that I only had one go to flash it. Genius. After a three minutes battle I was on top with a flash. I was as happy as pumped. I hardly recovered for a few tries on "Toccami Tutta" but the left hand dyno grated my skin a bit and I quit. On the way back we again did some other stuff, and suddenly I found myself under Frank. Hello Frank, nice to see you're alone.
I was only with Nick, the others still climbing. I padded it. I cleaned it. I thought that I had no idea of how to get the crimps. Nick told me to give it a rehearsal go. I told him to watch me close because I was going for it. I told him "I will see when I'm there". I left the ground, feelings Nick's hands close and safe, and felt magic. Everything went smooth and strong, I found a mysterious way to match the undercling pinch and I got the first edge, then the second. Then the first good hold, then the top ones. All of a sudded I was there, dangling from the holds. I jumped down, and I said "What the fuck have I done?". Nick was smiling, I had to sit down, then I tried to stand up and nearly tripped and fell. The others arrived, I was happy and the world was a perfect place.
The last day I had nothing to do but enjoy it even more. We climbed in the sun, and I finished the day with a fast ascent of "Hannibal Lecter" sit start. On the way back I stopped by to have some pics and a video taken on "Frank's", but obviously could not do it again. I will do it again I think, because I liked it so much.
So these are the mere facts and some of the emotions. I really missed Andrea, Eric and Vale there. Maybe one day again.
I thank Nick, Cristiano, Chiara and Raff for being there with me. Surely one day again.
Thanks for sharing.
Over and out now.


1 comment:

Doylo said...

Nice two day crushfest there!