After far too short holidays, tomorrow I start working again. I am a bit disappointed about that, because work is work and is less fun than climbing in the sun, but the bills must be paid, that motherfucker cat of Arrostino must be fed and the gym subscription must be renewed.
So, back to school.
The last post was titled "Go Ahead", and yesterday ahead I went. All alone as usual, I went to Amiata to get some climbing done. I firstly stopped at Tepolini to check the infamous traverse that I am adding moves to every time I go. I got down with pads and all and I found the crag literally dripping, maybe due to the fact that it had rained the whole night, who knows. Bummer anyway.
So, I took the car and went under the welcoming arms of the Chiesina roof. Super dry. There, after a brief warm up, I did some things, one being "Bengio's Problem", one of the many variations established there, that I managed to flash a few months ago with much pleasure. I made a poor, small vid of it.
Semi warmed up, I naturally tried the roof, but the first hard move this time didn't go, I think because my fingers were already a bit achey and because I had slightly tweaked my back again. This disappointed me alot, it was a long time since I last missed the move a few times in a row, but I pressed on, exchanging the first fists with Caminati's project. Yes, you got it right, power monster, super wad Caminati has a project there. It shares the first hard bit of the roof direct, then all of a sudden, cuts left.
The wonder boy reckons Font 8b.
Will this be my first Font 8b? I don't know. It's quite close to home and I can work it on my own, and that's a bonus, but as the drawback the crux revolves around a full span dyno that Michele did only a few times... Nightmare.
I did all the moves bar the dyno, for which I still have to sort the footholds out. I also solved another tricky move: when you get the first good RH edge after the first hard move, then you get the pinch LH, but from here you have to switch RH from edge to undercling to charge the dyno. That's hard. Michele hooks far right, I can do it but then I swing too much so I opted for a frontal approach, feet low and big big tension. Next time I will try the dyno, then I know what to do to top it out, still not a gimmie.
At this point of the day the roof had knocked some power out of me, and the cold wind had sent the energy levels a bit on the red. It dawned to me that maybe this same wind could have dried some holds in the traverse, so, with not much daylight left, I took everything and I went there again. I firstly went down with just one pad, rags and chalk. I started drying the still wet holds, and it appeared doable. I put the rags in the seams and went back to the car to get the other pads. It was very doable.
I thought about Keith under "The Geck". I knew I only needed one good go. It was getting a bit dark and very very cold. I sat down and fired the bullet. I failed, my feet cut loose and my fingers let go, both for the strain and the pain. Instead of trying it right away, I thought I'd better sort things out before the good go that I was expecting. The last move, a dyno from a painful slot to a perfect sloper, is strenuous at that time, and the hold bites your fingers alot. I found out a small undercling. I adjusted the hand sequence to use it and tried it: a small part of the undercling's lip broke and projected me on the - luckily - perfectly placed mats. I did the move one time and then it was dark.
I thought again about Keith. Let's do it.
To gain some precious minutes, I already packed my bags, then I sat down and fired the problem. Happiness. I have added another move to this already hard problem, I went half a meter further, half a meter closer to the full traverse, which is now only a light year away. Doing this last variation that I did yesterday, nothing is left on that boulder but the full traverse, so I'd better get myself a space ship and start closing that distance.
So this bouldering year has dawned under the sign of disappointment, committment and progress.
And that's just perfect.
So, back to school.
The last post was titled "Go Ahead", and yesterday ahead I went. All alone as usual, I went to Amiata to get some climbing done. I firstly stopped at Tepolini to check the infamous traverse that I am adding moves to every time I go. I got down with pads and all and I found the crag literally dripping, maybe due to the fact that it had rained the whole night, who knows. Bummer anyway.
So, I took the car and went under the welcoming arms of the Chiesina roof. Super dry. There, after a brief warm up, I did some things, one being "Bengio's Problem", one of the many variations established there, that I managed to flash a few months ago with much pleasure. I made a poor, small vid of it.
Semi warmed up, I naturally tried the roof, but the first hard move this time didn't go, I think because my fingers were already a bit achey and because I had slightly tweaked my back again. This disappointed me alot, it was a long time since I last missed the move a few times in a row, but I pressed on, exchanging the first fists with Caminati's project. Yes, you got it right, power monster, super wad Caminati has a project there. It shares the first hard bit of the roof direct, then all of a sudden, cuts left.
The wonder boy reckons Font 8b.
Will this be my first Font 8b? I don't know. It's quite close to home and I can work it on my own, and that's a bonus, but as the drawback the crux revolves around a full span dyno that Michele did only a few times... Nightmare.
I did all the moves bar the dyno, for which I still have to sort the footholds out. I also solved another tricky move: when you get the first good RH edge after the first hard move, then you get the pinch LH, but from here you have to switch RH from edge to undercling to charge the dyno. That's hard. Michele hooks far right, I can do it but then I swing too much so I opted for a frontal approach, feet low and big big tension. Next time I will try the dyno, then I know what to do to top it out, still not a gimmie.
At this point of the day the roof had knocked some power out of me, and the cold wind had sent the energy levels a bit on the red. It dawned to me that maybe this same wind could have dried some holds in the traverse, so, with not much daylight left, I took everything and I went there again. I firstly went down with just one pad, rags and chalk. I started drying the still wet holds, and it appeared doable. I put the rags in the seams and went back to the car to get the other pads. It was very doable.
I thought about Keith under "The Geck". I knew I only needed one good go. It was getting a bit dark and very very cold. I sat down and fired the bullet. I failed, my feet cut loose and my fingers let go, both for the strain and the pain. Instead of trying it right away, I thought I'd better sort things out before the good go that I was expecting. The last move, a dyno from a painful slot to a perfect sloper, is strenuous at that time, and the hold bites your fingers alot. I found out a small undercling. I adjusted the hand sequence to use it and tried it: a small part of the undercling's lip broke and projected me on the - luckily - perfectly placed mats. I did the move one time and then it was dark.
I thought again about Keith. Let's do it.
To gain some precious minutes, I already packed my bags, then I sat down and fired the problem. Happiness. I have added another move to this already hard problem, I went half a meter further, half a meter closer to the full traverse, which is now only a light year away. Doing this last variation that I did yesterday, nothing is left on that boulder but the full traverse, so I'd better get myself a space ship and start closing that distance.
So this bouldering year has dawned under the sign of disappointment, committment and progress.
And that's just perfect.
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