It is almost over....

We are almost done in Europe. We just finished cleaning and washing the car before we have to take it back tomorrow morning.

We are off to Bas Cuvier now for Krissy to have her last goes on her project Duroxmanie. I climbed it when we were here in May and it is really tough. We are going to wait until just before dark for her to try so we can get the best conditions possible. We will have to wait and see if skin, time, and temperatures are on her side or not...It will be fun to see.

We fly home in the morning and then we will spend a couple days in NB before moving to NS to start a new adventure.

First time for everything...

Aug 26

So a few days ago we decided it was time to leave Magic Wood behind as all our projects were done and it was getting hot.


We decided we would head to Sustenpass to look for new projects and better conditions. We were able to find both. We arrived in Sustenpass to heavy clouds and rain, but awoke to a perfect blue sky. Krissy found a couple of 6C projects that she was able to finish off in the two days we were there. One of her other projects which took many attempts over a few days was graded 6A+ in our guide, but I climbed it and felt it was way more like 7A (HARD!). She climbed it on her last go of our last day in Sustenpass.


I was able to find a couple of problems that were very cool as well. On day one I worked Traumland (8A) in the morning and then waited until evening to go back and complete it. This was probably the fastest I have ever worked and sent 8A. On day two I found an 8A+ called Madrugada. I was able to work out and send it all in one session! This felt like a big step in my climbing. I was pretty psyched. I briefly worked an 8B near Traumland that I felt close to doing, but weather, skin, and time seemed to be against me. That was basically it for me in Sustenpass - I decided to bank everything on doing just one or two hard problems instead of climbing as many as I could - luckily it worked!

After Sustenpass we packed everything up and took off to an area near Martigny, Switzerland called Branson. Branson is a tiny little village with the narrowest, steepest streets I have ever seen! The boulders (about six to be exact) are just above the town on a steep mountain side. Branson is a bouldering area developed by Fred Nicole - so there is lots of hard stuff. Branson is supposed to be home to the first 8B and 8B+ I believe. We arrived at the boulders around 6pm after driving from Sustenpass and I immediately began climbing. My goal for the evening was to work a problem called Traction Celeste (8A) so I could possibly have a shot at sending it in the morning. After warming up I checked out the problem. It was a wall of incut edges and pinches about 45 degrees overhanging. My perfect style. I brushed and ticked some holds, sat down at the start hold and began pulling. I didn’t stop pulling until I was on top…an 8A flash! Since my goal for Branson was done I decided I would try the world’s first 8B - La Danse des Balrogs. I did the standing start, a 7C in a couple of trys and then started trying the bottom. There is a crazy crimp, gaston, extreme high step in the 8B that I could not get that night…to hard it seemed. After the rain started I decided to wait until the morning and try again. We work up super early, ate breakfast and started climbing right away. My warm-up started with splitting a tip on Krissy’s 6C project - not a good start. I moved to La Danse des Balrogs and figured out a foot switch to do the crux. I rested a few minutes and after a couple of unsuccessful attempts I was on top of my first 8B boulder! We then moved on to Krissy’s projects which she dispatched in record time.




Now we are on the road to Fontainbleau for a few days of hot temperatures, French pastries, and the best bouldering on earth.

Krissy sends!

Aug 20

A few photos from the last couple of days climbing. In the photos are Ben's project Riverbed (8B), and Body Count (8A+). Krissy's project is Entreprise (7A). The photo of the drawing is up on the Campsite bullentin board. It was drawn on the pay envelope and the hosts thought it was funny and put it on the board and gave us a bottle of wine. The scenic photo is from a picnic in Italy today.







(note: not actual climbing - not climbing with a ring on)

BIG News

(she said...yes!)

News from Switzerland

Monday August 17th, 2009

Today we took a rest day and did some usual rest-day activities: breakfast and coffee, followed by studying anatomy/guide books, then a glacial-water bath down in the river, and now a picnic.

When we returned to Magic Wood, the first couple day we just climbed as much as possible, trying to get back into bouldering shape, it worked. The last couple days have been very productive. Krissy has sent a 6A, a 6B, flashed 6B+ and completed her project Super Bosna, 7A. Ben has sent three 7A+s, on-sighted a 7B+, red-pointed two 7C’s, one 7C+, two 8A’s and completed his project Body Count 8A+. Now we are each moving on to new projects.

In other news, Magic Wood climbers no longer have access to the showers at Andeer campground . Climbers were going down to Andeer to shower during closed hours to take free showers, instead of paying the 3chf. The owners of the campground and a town mayor came up to Magic Wood to cancel our privileges. The couple days after that things weren’t improving at Magic Wood. The camp hosts were fighting with two separate groups of people that were refusing to pay. The locals have also been complaining about wild camping and parking. What is up with all these ignorant people?! To camp/park at Magic Wood we pay 5 chf per person per night…all other campgrounds charge at least double that. So now there is a town meeting this week to discuss Magic Wood and its future. Fingers crossed.

We have had some problems too…a large group of idiots pitched their tents all around us and they have to be the loudest, most annoying bunch we’ve ever been around. The keep us up all night talking/yelling, and one guy even pee’d right next to our tent (10 feet is too far to walk to use the toilets I guess).

We have a couple of more days left in Magic Wood before we take off for somewhere new. We are not quite sure where we are going to go yet…Any suggestions? Maybe Italy?

More big new to come soon…

Austria

Aug 10,

So in the last few days we have left Germany, gone to Austria, and are now back in Switzerland to climb.

After a month of sport climbing we decided it was time to go back to bouldering before we have to leave Europe for home. On our last day in Frankenjura we went to check out a new crag on our own. After a lot of searching we finally found it and were a little disappointed, so we took off to Austria.



We drove to Ishgal, Austria to boulder in an area called Silvretta. The photos we looked at made the area look really good…But when arrived we found a large construction zone. They were actually blasting a road through the boulders. The boulders that were left were pretty good and we were able to find a couple of lines worth going back for. At the end of day one bouldering in Silvretta we had a mini epic hike down the mountain in darkness and heavy, heavy clouds….with no headlamps. With a little luck after wandering around the mountain side disoriented from darkness and clounds we hit a dirt road which eventually led back to our car. Upon arriving at our tent the lightning began. On day two (which was Monday) we awoke to dynamite going off in the boulders…so, no safe climbing in Silvretta on weekdays. When we were up in the boulders on Sunday we saw a few signs around, some of which said something about bouldering and likely something about danger or dynaminte. There were fairly large chunks of blasted rock pushed and possibly blown around many boulder problems. There where definitely some damaged problems. It felt very weird bouldering in a construction zone…so off to Switzerland we went.




We have now returned to Switzerland to revisit a couple of favourite areas and hopefully see some new stuff. We are staying in Magic Wood for the next couple of days and then will probably be going to spend a few days in Sustenpass - an area with cooler temps, less people, and lots of unexplored rock.

Some new photos from around Bamberg

Bamberg and the Frankenjura Photos

Wounded Knee (7b+)

Wounded Knee (7b+)

Trains in Bamberg

Trains

Inside a real apt for the first time in a couple of months

Frankenjura

We arrived in Bamberg to meet Florian and Elke and got to have some really good coffee and authentic german cuisine (sausages and sweet mustard). It tasted really good after a LONG drive. Then we recieved a tour of Bamberg from Florian - it is a very beautiful city/town.

The climbing here is really good - very bouldery on all of the routes. We have now climbed two full days and have both managed to send a couple of harder routes.



Yesterdy we joined Florian and a crew of Germans to attend a German electro music festival in Frankenjura. It was a really fun time and a nice break from climbing.




We have also been fortunate enough to be staying in an apt of a friend of Florian. It has been so nice to have all the niceties of home (hot shower, toilette, stove, tables, chairs, roof, etc).


Tomorrow is more climbing in Frankenjura...oh, and more driving on the autobahn....