Last Sunday, while driving towards Amiata, at some point I started noticing snow at the side of the roads, then some more, then even some more. When I arrived closer, there was half a meter of snow blocking the roads. At that very moment I thought that they day before, when I had phoned a friend who lives there to get some first hand informations about the snow, and when he had told me that there was half a meter of snow blocking the roads, probably some crucial part of that communication must have gone lost.
A quick phone call to the restaurant in Sassofortino made me know that there wasn't snow there, and down went the gas pedal. To be honest, there was some snow on the boulders, making the top outs impossible, but in a small range of five minutes walking, I had plenty of problems to throw myself at. I had done them all already, but some mileage on moderate 7's is always welcome to save a climbing day. It was sunny and freezing, and also very beautiful.
After a while I decided to have a go at an old problem opened by Keith during his visit here many years ago: "Giorni Scuri". I had done it with Keith, and haven't tried it again ever since, so I was very happy to repeat it quickly. Memories invaded my mind, filling it with images of a long lost period of freedom and irresponsibility; everything has changed now, and my approach to bouldering is less naive, less spontaneous and somehow less punterish. Then Nicco and Cristiano arrived, they warmed up and we started climbing together, with spirits super high. Nicco managed to also repeat Keith's problem, and to my surprise I finally freed an old project, ten years old to be honest, that I had cleaned ages ago with a German friend of mine. Clearly that small boulder has a feeling for foreign climbers! This nasty sequence is the left hand start to "Giorni Scuri", and packs in a few strong moves, very open and with an abs-wrenching heel hook. This problem was named "Commandos Tigre" and I am very happy to have done it. Time passes, and I am still here, progressing.
Some pics from my phone: Sasso in the snow.
A quick phone call to the restaurant in Sassofortino made me know that there wasn't snow there, and down went the gas pedal. To be honest, there was some snow on the boulders, making the top outs impossible, but in a small range of five minutes walking, I had plenty of problems to throw myself at. I had done them all already, but some mileage on moderate 7's is always welcome to save a climbing day. It was sunny and freezing, and also very beautiful.
After a while I decided to have a go at an old problem opened by Keith during his visit here many years ago: "Giorni Scuri". I had done it with Keith, and haven't tried it again ever since, so I was very happy to repeat it quickly. Memories invaded my mind, filling it with images of a long lost period of freedom and irresponsibility; everything has changed now, and my approach to bouldering is less naive, less spontaneous and somehow less punterish. Then Nicco and Cristiano arrived, they warmed up and we started climbing together, with spirits super high. Nicco managed to also repeat Keith's problem, and to my surprise I finally freed an old project, ten years old to be honest, that I had cleaned ages ago with a German friend of mine. Clearly that small boulder has a feeling for foreign climbers! This nasty sequence is the left hand start to "Giorni Scuri", and packs in a few strong moves, very open and with an abs-wrenching heel hook. This problem was named "Commandos Tigre" and I am very happy to have done it. Time passes, and I am still here, progressing.
Some pics from my phone: Sasso in the snow.
Nicco repeating "Giorni Scuri".
No comments:
Post a Comment