YOU GOTTA FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO PARTY

In the pics here, a few moves from the extension. I think they show how physical it gets: long moves, body tension, perfect problem.

On another note, you gotta fight for your right to climb.
I know people who can dedicate all the time they want to climbing. Sincerely, I don't envy them. I've never been able to do so, I have always had to struggle to fit my climbing into my life: it could be university (not that much but still...), it could be partying (a fucking lot of it...), it could be girls (never enough of that...), the fact is that I have always fought for my climbing.
This is very good, and I'll tell you why: because it strengthens your will, not only your muscles, and with a stronger will you also climb harder problems, because the struggle is just the same. The other day, speaking with a good friend, he said he wouldn't drive 4 hours to go to Ticino for the weekend, it's too long a drive for just two climbing days. Result: missed opportunities to climb. You don't move unless you have longer vacations, and that happens more seldom than every weekend.
Some people I know would not even drive one hour on their own to go to the crag. That's unreal for me. I don't care, I just want to do the business.
Moreover, struggling to get some climbing, prepares you to... struggle to get some climbing. If you can't dedicate anymore all your time to climbing, as soon as the first difficulties will appear, you won't be prepared. I've seen this happen so many times: you are unable to fit small bits of climbing into your schedule, you are unable to train while short on time, or tired, you get basically lazy, because everything gets... harder.
Well, I like when things get harder. Harder, mind, not impossible. Hard is good. When I do a problem, if it's not a project, I want to do it as hard as I can: if I use it for training, I want the hardest beta I can manage. But back on topic.
It's all to easy to get to the crag when you've trained for 4 months without a single other concern in your life, when you have eaten well, slept a lot, and you don't have issues moving around and making noise in your head, like the rent, the bills, the girl, the stuff that makes our lives what they are.
The trick is learning to do the deed when poorly rested because of work, or after an argument or a bad day. Why is this so important? Because it broadens the chances to get some climbing, obviously.
This doesn't mean that I couldn't do with a full time climbing life: of fucking yes I could. Simply, I don't want to get soft. I want to get old and still be cranking. I don't want to stop climbing at the first difficulties, I don't want to become another Stuart Cameron. I don't blame him and I don't judge him, nor all the others that simply decide to quit, to "knock it on the head" as he puts in an old interview. Simply, I don't want to do it.
Why? Because I love climbing.
Because after a climbing day in which I have given my best, regardless of success or failure, I feel complete and fullfilled for at least a minute, before diving into the struggle again.
But that minute is worth a thousand years.

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

In the pic, my forearms crying for help and oxygen. I don't look happy, do I?

This project is going to drive me mad, and to make me sweat blood.
I don't know why, but it seems like I'm unable to avoid getting into troubles. Years ago, after doing the deed with "Out of Service", with the effort it required, I had nothing better to do than adding a sit start to it. Weeks and weeks of toil, tears and frustration, with the final happy ending at last.
On established problems, I always want to add more moves or climb harder variations: it's happened many times, and it keeps happening. Not every time it's as smooth and straightforward as when I did the "Roof Direct" with the original lower start.
That very same day, january the 3rd, I conceived my actual nightmare.
It's been a strange session, my last one, on that thing. 5th session, and I finally climbed the extension start in one bit. In the morning, despite not feeling very sparky, I thought that now it's time to pull the finger out, and to seriously embark in trying to climb it, rather than trying to try it. So from now on, every go will be a redpoint go. I have to suss out a few question marks, that may sound trivial, but to me they are not: first one, given the current state of my climbing shoes, I have to figure out which model will do the job best. Solutions have a better heel, but they are less sensitive and precise on the toes than Jet7's, whose toes, now, are pretty worn out and a bit rounded out. The Wild Climb have taken me on top of the "old" problem already, so maybe it's another option. Then, on the micro-beta subject, I still have to decide one last crucial foot placement for the final, precarious and tricky move, the dyno to the jug. Before doing this, I want to try another different sequence, going to the jug left hand, not right hand, and see what it feels like. I don't know which one will feel harder, after 15 moves in a roof: a low percentage dyno or a powerful lock off?
And so here we are to the main issue: am I crazy to get me into a 15+ moves marathon? I've been there before, with "OOS Sit Start", but the hardest move of that problem is the average move on this one...
To solve this problem, I have gotten into some PE training, going to the gym and alternating power sessions and PE sessions. In these ones, I do laps on problems, climbing down to the starting holds and then starting again; or trying to repeat harder problems at the end of the session. It's horrible and it makes me want to puke. On power sessions, I redpoint the hardest problems, or I repeat others with my weightvest on, with 4 kilos.
Yesterday I did something new on the Beast: instead of the usual deadhanging session, I did 1 minute hangs on the 20° and on the big rungs, like this: 20 seconds hang, 5 pull ups, 20 seconds hang, 5 pull ups, for a total of 60 seconds. 4 sets on the 20°, 2 on the rungs, I nearly puked.
So, here I am.
Last saturday I climbed the easy part of the project, only to find myself at the start of the real difficulties with numb fingers, unable to keep going. It's been frustrating. I was going to go for it but simply couldn't, and it hurt me. It took forever to warm my fingers up again, and afterwards they were in pain for an hour. Another go saw me again getting the "starting" jug, but I came off the left toe hook and it was over.
I think higher temps could do the job here, as Martin says about his project.
I don't know why I couldn't feel really and deeply happy about this progress: from not doing the section to doing it twice in a session; something in my mind was not in the right mindset. Maybe wrong expectations or simply being not 100% in it, or maybe simply being disappointed for not playing the day professionally enough: I climbed too much before going to the roof, but I was with friends and that's what I felt I wanted to do, so I did it.
I ended the day repeating a few 7b's, so after all another "big volume" day for my standards.
It's on, it's really on.
It's time and I am a fool.

PICCOLO FOTTUTO BASTARDO

In this small video, the problem I did last week. I think it's very cool.
On a side note, another trip under the roof saw me unable to link the extension bit in a oner, I keep falling on the move to join the start of the "normal" line of the roof direct.
Numbers keep spinning in my mind.