Gabor Szekely

Botslayer

2010-04-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day, so I went up to Flagstaff Mountain to get a day of outdoor climbing in and hang out with my friends. After hiking around I discovered an amazing boulder with two obvious projects on it. After messing around on the left one I discovered a sequence that works, and a few tries later it was in the bag. I ended up calling in Botslayer and think the grade is around V10. Here is a picture of the crux move:

Joes Valley

2010-03-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

This past week I spent my spring break in Joe's Valley, Utah, with my friend Zack Smith. We drove down on Saturday and it took about 7 hours to get there. The area is truly amazing with some of the best rock I have ever seen, not too sharp but very solid and aesthetic lines. My main goal for the trip was to try the Masterpiece, V13, so on our first day I hiked up to take a look at it. The hike was more epic then I was expecting so I didn't actually get on it that day, but I came back the next day to see how the moves were. I was able to work out the moves pretty quick and pieced it together after a few tries. After that I took a little break and ended up sending the boulder on my second try from the beginning! The first three moves are definitely the crux and involve an awkward hand-foot match in a hole, and a really extended move from two crimps to a positive slot. Once you link these three moves, the rest of the climbing is just powerful campusy moves on positive holds to a surprisingly pumpy topout. Overall it is like a V11 into a V10, so according to Max Zolotukhin's equation (11+10)/2 + 2 = 12.5, or V12/13. That is about what it felt like to me, but it will be up to the other ascentionists to decide whether to downgrade or keep the V13 grade!

I also climbed a lot of classics in the V9-V11 range that I was really impressed with. My favorites were The Worm Turns V11, Playmate of the Year V9, Worst Case Scenario V9, and Freak V10.

Playmate of the Year, V9

Worst Case Scenario, V9

On my last few days I put a lot of effort into Black Lung, V13, but after a few devastatingly close attempts I wasn't able to get the send. This boulder is absolutely amazing and has some of the best rock and best moves I've ever seen. It is the epitome of hard bouldering and involves three low-percentage, hard balancy moves on poor holds and tricky feet. Of all boulders in Joe's Valley this definitely seemed like the hardest and proudest one, so I will definitely be going back soon to try and finish it up. I will post a video of my closest attempts in the next few days.

So for now, I will be back in Boulder for a week or two and training hard for my return to Joe's ! Climbing black Lung will definitely be a huge accomplishment for me so I will try my hardest to make it happen!

Battle in the Bubble Pro Invitational

2010-03-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

"Battle in the Bubble" Pro Invitational from Cedar Wright on Vimeo.

The Heist

2010-03-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

Today was finally a nice sunny day here in Boulder, so instead of going to the gym again I went out to Eldorado Canyon with my friend Sticcs. Since we didnt want to make the hike to the Lost boulder, I decided to get on The Heist, a problem I almost did last year but never really finished up. This problem follows a line of cracks up a nice 45 degree wall, with a crimpy crux right at the end. In total it is around 16 moves long and clocks in at V12. After figuring out the moves again, I was able to climb it second go from the start after falling at the end on my first go. I am very syked to climb it so fast and definitely feel a lot stronger then I did when I tried it last year.

Next week I will be heading to Joes Valley for spring break, and will stay 9 days total. I am really syked to try The Masterpiece V13, Black Lung V13, and many other classics!

ABS Nationals

2010-02-18T17:54:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I competed in the 2010 ABS Nationals in Alexandria, Virginia. I had been training a bit before the comp, focusing my sessions on comp style problems and climbing with Paul and Daniel a bunch. Unfortunately I got sick jsut before the comp, not too bad but just enough to affect my performance. The qualifier problems were very well set, with a good variety of powerful and technical problems. I was able to qualify for finals in 9th place by finishing four of the six qualifiers.

In the finals I felt even worse the the day before. Since I had nothing to lose I tried really hard despite teh sickness and was still able to do pretty well. The first problem was a little tricky but not too powerful, so I sent it on my third go after fumbling the finish dyno twice in a row. Problem #2 was a lot harder and purely powerful, so I couldn't really climb well on it and didn't even end up making it to the bonus. Problem #3 was also powerful put involved a tricky campus sequence and a heel hook, so I was able to make it to the bonus on my first go but no top. By the time I reached problem #4 I was completely drained of energy, so all I could do was give it a good a muerte go and see how far I could get. I ended up getting the bonus and making it four moves past before my arms gave out. I got the second highest on the problem after Daniel, who fell on the finish move!

I ended up 9th in finals which I am very syked on, considering my sickness and the fact that there were 18 finalists instead of the usual 15. Although I couldn't climb my best physically, I still felt like I was able to get my head together and give it my all, which is a huge step for me in terms of competition.

Daniel Woods ended up winning the men's field and Alex Puccio took it down for the women. Also, big props to Matt Bosley who made a solid performance and ended up taking second!

While I thought that the qualifiers boulders were very well set, I feel that the finals could have definitely been a lot better. First off, the setting was very straightforward and didn't involve any super technical moves. Every single problem was power-based and it made it obvious who would be the winner. This type of setting does not allow other competitors to do well compared to Daniel who is by far the strongest in the field. In Europe, where problems are a perfect variety of powerful and technical moves, the winners are never the same and more and more people can battle it out for first place. I believe that this would be a lot more exciting for the climbers and the crowd as well, which in turn would produce a much better event. Also, the finals problems were way too hard and most people could only get one or zero tops. Only four people were able to top more then one problem, and three of those were on problem #2. Not even Daniel was able to complete problem #4 (he climbed it after the comp though!). Had the problems been a little easier, the field could have been broken up a little better! Finally, I personally hate the zone format and think that it is by far the worst way to run bouldering competitions. It gives no incentives for competitors to continue trying a boulder once they reached the bonus but cannot complete the problem. It is also boring for the crowd because they see one person get 6 holds higher then another, but little do they know they are still getting the same points, or maybe even less. Had the zone format not been implemented, the scoring would have been a lot more fair and it would have given competitors motivation to try to get a hold higher each time for more points.

Redpoint Nutrition Interview

2010-02-15T19:56:00.001-08:00

Check out this latest interview with one of my key sponsors Redpoint Nutrition!

http://climbingholdreview.blogspot.com/2010/02/interview-redpoint-nutrition_15.html

La Sportiva Solutions with Daniel Woods

2010-02-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a video that my friend Joe Kinder recently produced about the La Sportiva Solution. Check it out !

Daniel Woods Loves the Solution from La Sportiva on Vimeo.

"This content was shot in the Gorges Du Loup, which is in the South of France. It is a great summer spot with the beach near, a beautiful gorge, and some test-pieces that kept us busy for a month and a half.
Daniel impressed all of us, including the locals with his fanaticism and efforts he put in each day. He would try one 9a and immediately after run over to jump on an 8c+, and then 20 minutes after that he would attempt to onsight an 8b! It was one of my favorite times in Europe this year and mainly due to hanging out and climbing with Daniel.
He stands by his statements in the video and believes that the Solution is the best shoe ever made and he uses it for everything.
The edits were done over the past few weeks. I find editing great for the rest days where you can be productive and still incorporate what I love more than anything... climbing. " - Joe Kinder

The Gladiator Competition

2010-02-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

Photos Courtesy of Andy Mann.

Last weekend, I competed in the final competition in the SBS Bouldering Series at the Spot gym. For the past few weeks I haven't seriously been training for anything and since the weather has been so bad, I havent spent much time climbing outside either. Since I am not in amazing shape right now, I entered the comp not expecting much. Luckily the qualifiers boulders were really my style, so I was able to qualify for finals in second place after Paul Robinson. Other finalists were Kyle Owen (finalists at last years World Cup in Vail), Adam Markert, Ryan Sewell, and Matt Wilder.

The finals was a creative and technical problem on the Fontainebleau boulder. It involved a few easier crimp moves followed by two hard cross and gaston moves, and finally a balancy section on a volume ending with a tricky dyno to a horn. The first competitor was not able to make it past the balancy part on the volume, however later the problem got its first send (and flash) by Ryan Sewell. After Ryan flashed the problem, I knew I also had to flash it in order to win. After Ryan, the next two competitiors were not able to complete the problem, so when it was my turn to go I instantly felt really nervous. I pulled on and climbed the bottom pretty easily, and when I got to the volume I luckily found the right positions and was able to get to the top on my first go. After my Paul also flashed the problem, so in the end three of us ended up flashing it. The results therefore went back to the qualifiers and I took second place behind Paul. Here are the final results:

1.) Paul Robinson
2.) Gabor Szekely
3.) Ryan Sewell
4.) Kyle Owen
5.) Adam Markert
6.) Matt Wilder

Overall, I am happy with my result and for the next week will prepare for the upcoming ABS Nationals in Virginia!

Highhball Comp at The Spot

2009-12-06T23:53:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I competed in the Highball Competition at The Spot. After coming in third in the qualifiers, I entered finals with hopes of a difficult, finals problem. The finals turned out to be way too easy, around V9, and three of us ended up doing it, all flash. Since they beat me in the qualifiers, I ended up coming in third place. Paul Robinson won and Adam Markert got second.

Here is a video of me in the finals, courtesy of Jeff McKinnon:

Men's Final Gabor Szekely from Jeff Mack on Vimeo.

Here are some photos of me in the finals, courtesy of Zack Sticcs.

Video on DPM

2009-12-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

Here is the video of me climbing Direction, V13 and Haroun and the Sea of Stories, V12 in Bishop. Check it out !

http://www.deadpointmag.com/dpm-hd/78-gabor-szekely-on-direction-and-heroun

Bishop Day 4

2009-11-28T15:18:00.001-08:00

Last night it snowed a lot and today the boulders were covered.. The temps were freezing, but me and some others decided to go climbing anyway check out Xavier's Roof, V11/12. When I saw the climb I instantly knew it would be my style.. a crimpy overhang followed by a big mantle-press move with a really high right foot. After watching my friends Walker and Tim try it, I decided to go for the flash and surprised myself by reaching the top ! After my send, both Walker and Tim finished it up pretty quick and we decided to call it a day. Tomorrow is our last day in Bishop before I head back to Boulder, so my plan for tomorrow is to get back on the Buttermilker and see how that feels. Here are some photos of Walker on Xaviers Roof:

Bishop Day 3

2009-11-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

Today was a good day up in the Buttermilks; The skies were cloudy and the temps were a bit cooler then yesterday, so everyone was syked. I had a pretty good day by finishing up Direction, V13, and also making a quick send of Heroun and the Sea of Stories, V12. Here are a few shots from the day:

Day Two

2009-11-26T16:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I felt sick all day so I took a rest day to heal up, but today I felt a lot better so I decided to go climb. I spent the day trying my project Direction, V13, and ended up falling off the finish move three times with no success.

Bishop

2009-11-24T21:57:00.001-08:00

Well, in a random change of events, yesterday we decided to bail on St. George and make the 6 hour drive to Bishop, CA instead. There were numerous reasons for leaving St. George, but in a nutshell it was too cold, we weren't syked on the hike, and the routes didn't inspire us enough. After all the routes / training I did in the past few months, I am a little burned out from sport climbing and am having a lot more fun on difficult boulder problems lately then on hard sport routes. This is how things typically work for me; motivation comes in waves and sometimes I am very syked for sport routes, and at other times I am really syked on bouldering. I think this is a great strategy and allows me to improve at all aspects of climbing, instead of narrowing in on just one approach. I am really syked to start bouldering a lot more in the next few months and see how far I can push my limits; My goal is to climb numerous V13 boulders and try to complete a V14 by next summer.

But anyways, now we are here in Bishop and I have 5 more days to try to complete projects. Today I got on "Direction", V13, and after working out some good beta, I was able to climb into the stand start without too much difficulty. The first few moves involve big reaches on bad crimps and sidepulls, maybe V11 boulder in itself, then after that comes the meat of the problem.. grab a very small, sharp right hand crimp, set your feet up and do a difficult throw move to a flat left hand crimp. The stand start of Direction (called "Thunderbird", V11/12) is basically pulling onto the wall and doing this move, followed by two much easier tension moves. I climbed the stand start on my last trip to Bishop, but doing the move from the sit-start is a much greater challenge. Since my skin was pretty bad today I didn't want to pull off the sharp right hand hold, but the fact that I was able to link the bottom gives me lots of motivation to try to complete the whole problem in the next few days ! It seems like I am recovering fast from my sickness and hope that my power will return to its fullest by the end of this mini trip !

Southern Utah

2009-11-21T23:10:00.000-08:00

St. George

2009-11-20T07:31:00.001-08:00

Well not a lot has happened since we got back from Slovenia.. As I mentioned in my previous post, I got sick before the World Cup and couldn't really climb in the comp .. Well all the traveling really wore me down after that, and since then I have still felt kind of sick almost every day. Im sure you all know this, but being sick SUCKS .. you don't have the energy to do anything except lay around in bed, and even trying to climb is just depressing and makes oyu feel even worse. I have only been climbing once since I got back, and motivation is just way too low right now to go "training" in the gym. Instead, I have been playing an insane amount of online Poker and working on finishing my video from Kranj.. the qualifiers/semis should be coming out really soon and the finals should also be done by next week or so.

Also, today I will be leaving for St. George for Thanksgiving break. Before I was really syked to try The Re-Up, 9a, but considering my current condition and syke level I don't have any real expectations for the trip anymore.. Just going to have fun, enjoy the climbing, and not worry about what I do or don't send.

World Cup Kranj ...

2009-11-14T10:19:00.001-08:00

Well I am sitting here in my Hotel in Kranj right now, thinking about what happened over the past three days and I am pretty disappointed.. long story short, I somehow got sick the day before the comp and continued to be really sick on the entire plane ride over here. I was hoping it would somehow subside by the time qualifiers came around, but the day of qualis I woke up feeling the worst yet, with a fever, an upset stomach, and absolutely no energy to climb. At that point I realized it was over, there was no point in even trying to climb since I should just be resting up trying to recover. But whatever, since I am in Slovenia I figured I might as well just go for it, why not.. well it turned out as expected, and after about 10 moves I ran out of energy and fell on both routes. I still somehow beat 20 people though, not that it matters at all.

This is probably the most unlucky I've ever been with a competition.. I spent over two months training for it non-stop, preparing in every way possible and focusing everything (literally everything) around doing well. Two weeks ago I got mildly sick, and getting really worried I went to the doctor and explained that I had a comp coming up in two weeks and it is absolutely VITAL that I don't get sick until then. The doctor gave me a long list of things to do and vitamins to take in order to not get sick, and I followed her instructions 100%. Well it seems like fate was just wasn't with me on this one, and maybe this much preparation put way too much stress on me which caused me to get sick in the end... who knows, I'm not a phychologist or a doctor.. all I know is, it feels pretty bad to have so much effort be thrown away like that (I know I sound like Patxi from Progression) and to make it worse I don't see what more I could have done to prevent it.

Oh well, maybe this type of serious training isn't the thing for me, or maybe I just got really unlucky and it won't happen again.. we'll see! Hopefully the latter!

Well enough about me.. for Paul things went a little better, although he also felt pretty worn down from all the traveling we had to do. The day of the comp, he seemed more tired then ever and since this was his first lead competition ever, this made him even more nervous before climbing. On the first route he climbed solidly through the first crux, but at the second crux he made a mistake and forgot to bring his right foot high for one of the moves, and tried to jump to a hold and fell. On the second route, he also climbed really well but then got really nervous at a clip and decided to go to the next hold, but once again forgot to bring his foot to the right foothold and fell. He ended up 30th, which in my opinion is an incredible result for someone's first World Cup (and first lead competition in his life) !!

Overall I was very impressed with Paul's climbing.. he never fell because he was too pumped, just made some basic mistakes that everyone is expected to make in their first competition. After watching him on the wall, I am sure that he has the physical level of all the other strongest climbers, just needs a lot more experience with onsighting and competing in lead comps. I think if he sticks with the training and does a couple more World Cups, he will be making finals in no time !

As for me, I'm not sure where my future is.. in comps or on rock .. one is a lot more secure then the other if anything, but I am still syked for the comps and hopefully this misfortune won't ruin my syke too much!

I did, however, end up bringing my HD Camera so keep an eye out on Dead Point Mag for a video of this event!

Off to Kranj

2009-11-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

The time has come, the training is finished, and me and Paul are off to Slovenia! Game on! The past two weeks have been all about getting ready, preparing as much as possible to challenge ourselves against the world's best in the final lead event of the year. We are both feeling really strong, although its pretty impossible to tell how we're going to do. The physical shape is very important, but in the end it's the mental aspect that will decide if we make a mistake or give it our all and do as well as possible. This has always been one of my biggest problems in competitions, not messing up and giving it all I have, but this time will hopefully be the turning point!

In other news, my friend Andre Di Felice has moved in to Boulder and we are really syked to take down some hard boulders after the world cup! Yesterday Andre did the second ascent of an obscure V13 in Boulder Canyon, Authentic Battle Damage. This is a nice short compression bloc that requires a lot of heel/toe hooks and squeezing strength, my steez, so I will definitely be syked to get on it soon! My other goals for the winter/spring are to get on Circadian Rhythm V13 in Poudre Canyon, Echale V14 in Clear Creek Canyon, and finish up some others such as The Heist V12 in Eldo and Free Range V13 in Boulder Canyon.

More updates coming soon from Slovenia!!

Green Hornytoad

2009-11-03T12:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made the 3rd ascent of the classic CATS testpiece "Green Hornytoad". This powerful 8 move bloc has always been really hard for me so Im really syked to finally finish it up. The only previous ascent have been Daniel Woods and of course the CATS legend James O'Connor.

Here is a video of James on Green Hornytoad:

The Training Continues ..

2009-10-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

Well, not a lot has happened since my last blog update, except for Boulder has been covered in 21 inches of snow for the past few days and all rock climbing is currently out of the game. Before the snow came, however, I did have a good day in Eldorado Canyon and finished up a nice V11 that I got really close to in the spring called "Elegant Universe". I also did a variation to this climb that heads right called "Elegant Infinite" V10. However, the main focus lately has been, like before, getting in shape for Kranj. The World Cup is coming up in two weeks, but unfortunately last week I started feeling sick and couldn't climb for a couple days because of it. Now I am starting to feel better and will start training hard again, hopefully recovering completely in the upcoming days.

Just before I got sick I competed in the Psychadelia competition in The Spot, a crazy Halloween-themed bouldering comp that is completely lit up by blacklights, making one of the coolest effects I've ever seen. I was in first place going into finals but then didn't end up competing in it. Instead, I got some really nice footage and made a little video of the winners with my new HD Camera. YOu can check out the video here:

You can also find this video on UrbanClimbers website:

http://www.urbanclimbermag.com/photo-video/videos/psychedelia_2009/

Currently I'm working on another movie featuring Paul, Me, and my friend James O'Connor. It will feature Me and Paul's training for the World Cup and also a special part on James in CATS climbing gym. I should have it finished after the World Cup (since I will probably include footage of the comp in it too)!

World Cup Syke

2009-10-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks, I have been completely focused on training for the World Cup in Slovenia that I will be attending in mid November. Apart from a few days on the rock, I've been climbing mostly at the Movement gym, training on the many hard routes and boulder problems it has to offer. Until now I have focused on trying to get as much power/bouldering strength as possible, but from now on the focus will shift to endurance. Hopefully two and a half weeks of pure endurance training will be enough to feel strong in the comp, and since my endurance is already pretty decent, I think it it will work out well!

To compliment the training, I've been using Redpoint Nutrition's CRANK Forearm Fuel, a dietary supplement that increases performance for harder training. This stuff has been really helpful and I definitely feel a noticeable improvement in my climbing since I've been taking it. I highly recommend this product to anyone that trains seriously in climbing!

My friend Paul Robinson has also decided to do the comp, and is very syked to train hard for it as well! Paul is in very good route shape right now, and mixed with his incredible bouldering power, it will be interesting to see how he does in a lead comp.

In the midst of all this training, I've also ventured out into the rocks a few times to measure my progress on the bould

ers. Last weekend I spent a day in Poudre Canyon, bouldering and exploring the canyon for cool new blocs. It was a pretty hot day out but I managed a quick ascent of the Sharma Lung Assis, V11/12? within a few goes, so it turned out pretty well in the end. I also checked out Circadian Rhythm and Whats Left of the Bottom of my Heart, both solid 8B's, but they would probably take more effort to climb then I am willing to invest in them for the moment.

So for now I don't really have any projects, and the main motive is to train hard and get in my best shape possible over the next few weeks!

Sharma Lunge Assis, V11/12

Video of Los Inconformistas, 9a

2009-10-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

Check out this video that I recently made of me and Magnus Midtboe on Los Inconformistas, 9a. It can also be found on deadpointmag.com.

Also, Props to Daniel Woods for making a recent repeat of this route!! He confirmed the route at 9a, and it took him around 7 tries to complete.. Nice one Woods!!

RMNP Syke..

2009-10-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

RMNP has been on fire lately with new hard ascents and motivated climbers, and the syke seems to be spreading throughout the boulders. A lot has been going on in the past two weeks, but most notably, my friends Scott Schorr and Carlo Traversi are both very close to climbing Jade, the notorious V15 crimp boulder in Upper Chaos. I went up to the park yesterday with some friends with no specific boulders in mind, the only intention being to try many different things and see what was the most motivating. When I reached the warm up boulders I met up with my friend Adre Di Felice, who was really syked to get on Nothing but Sunshine, an amazing V13/14 crimpy power bloc just up the trail. I figured I would check it out with him and see how the moves were, so I headed up there and watched him give a couple good attempts. After a while he made an impressive send of the problem, so I decided to strap on the climbing boots and give it a few tries as well. I surprised myself by making it to the last move of the problem within 30 minutes of attempts, something I totally wasnt expecting at first. My beta worked well but is very low percentage, so I fell a couple more times on the middle moves before starting to feel too tired to pull through. As the day progressed the weather got increasingly worse and soon enough a snow-storm was upon us, so I didn't really have enough time or energy to finish it up that day. The weather looks pretty bad for now but hopefully later this week the skies will clear up and I can finish up this amazing boulder, so there will be nuthin' but sunshine in all of RMNP!

Clear Creek

2009-10-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I headed to Clear Creek Canyon, a really nice sport climbing/bouldering area 30 minutes from Boulder, to try a 5.14b I had been syked on for a while. The route is called Prime Time to Shine, and it is a linkup that links the crux of Prime Evil (5.14a) into the crux of Shine, another 5.14a. I had been on Shine last year but never really understood the crux, until this time when I went up with Paul Robinson and found really nice beta that worked well for me. On my first try I nearly flashed the crux of Prime Evil, and then fell there again on my second go. It was already getting dark so I figured I would wait and come back another day to finish it up.

Yesterday I went back up there with my friends Sticcs, Scott, and Cookie, and on my first try got through the crux of Shine and sent the route for its 5th ascent! In total it took me three tries and is definitely one of the best routes I have done in the US. I may head back there this weekend to get some footage, or next week if the weather's better.

The Gun Show

2009-09-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I competed in the Gun Show at the Spot climbing gym here in Boulder, a fun local bouldering comp with lots of strong climbers competing. Since I've been back from Europe, I've been training really hard and especially focusing on getting my boulder strength back, so it was really interesting to see how I was doing compared to others. The qualifiers was redpoint and we had 10 Open problems to choose from. I climbed problems 1-6 pretty fast, but number 7 was a really weird traversey problem, so I wasn't too syked on it and decided to skip that one even though it wasn't that hard. Number 8 was the hardest one for me and took me a lot of tries, but number 9 was a lot easier and I did it 2nd go. By that point there was no point in trying #10 since I was sure I was in finals, so I decided to skip it. I was in 2nd place going into finals, behind Paul Robinson, so I figured it I climbed strong in finals I had a good chance of doing well!

In finals we had four minutes to try one problem, and the outcome of that would decide the winner. The crux of the problem revolved around a crazy span move or a tensiony cross-through move, both of which worked but definitely put you out of your element. On my flash attempt I tried the big span move and realized I was too stretched out to move, and couldnt reverse it, so I just fell and gave it another go. On my 2nd go I did the other method and it felt a lot easier, and ended up topping the problem pretty easily. Me and Paul both did it 2nd go, but Adam Markert, a really strong guy from Vail, did the problem on his first attempt and ended up winning. Since Adam climbed before us and we knew that he had done the problem, we were both nervous and knew that we had to flash if we wanted to win. The pressure did its trick and we both messed it up on the first try, and then did it easily next try when we realized what we did wrong. This kind of pressure is really cool and very similar to the one I feel in World Cups, so in the upcoming boulder comps I will hopefully improve and learn to deal with it better, and in the end be better prepared for the World Cups over in Europe! To give an idea about how strong the climbers in finals were, here are the results compared to the hardest grade each person has climbed..

Results:

1. Adam Markert - V13

2. Paul Robinson - V16

3. Gabor Szekely - V13

4. Alex Manikowski - V12

5. Ryan Sewell - V13

6. Nate Draughn - V12

Many other strong climbers like Matt Wilder, Justin Sjong, and Ian Dory didn't end up making finals, so the field was definitely a tough one! Needless to say Im really syked now for the up coming bouldering comps, and ultimately want to focus on doing well at ABS Nationals in February!

Redpoint Nutrition

2009-09-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

For the past three weeks I have been trying out a nutritional supplement called CRANK Forearm Fuel, a product which was specifically developed by Redpoint Nutrition to increase climbing and training performance. I knew that supplements could help my climbing, as many other top climbers take them, but I didn't know which ones to get and how useful they would really be. After using CRANK in a couple training sessions, I really started to notice a difference;

When training endurance, I could successfully complete more sets on my 13d and 14a training routes, and still have energy after to do some hard bouldering. When Im third day on and really exhausted before even getting to the climbing gym, taking CRANK definitely increases and in some cases even doubles my climbing performance that day. Also, since all the ingredients are approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency, I will not need to worry about failing any drug tests in competitions. I am really satisfied with this product overall, and will definitely continue taking it during my preparation for the last lead World Cup of the season in Slovenia, and the trips I have planned after to St. George and Spain.
I am also now part of Redpoint Nutrition's Athlete team, so I will be receiving and testing more of their products during my upcoming training sessions. I will update my blog some more with the results I find, and how/if the products are helping my training become more useful and efficient!

La Sportiva MyTripleCrown Contest

2009-09-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

For anyone planning to attend the Triple Crown comp series this fall, heres something cool to check out!

La Sportiva’s mytriplecrown contest!

Spill the beans... Tell us your Triple Crown experience.

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Movement

2009-09-07T13:35:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been climbing at the Movement Climbing Gym here in Boulder, Colorado, a new gym which just opened recently this summer. This is by far one of the best training facilities I have seen in the US, with not only a tall, overhanging lead wall but also a well-set bouldering room. There are lots of good routes in the 7c+ to 8c+ range, and very european style setting with consistent hard moves and cruxes usually at the ends of the routes.

I am really motivated to train here for the next two months and then hopefully compete in the last lead World Cup of the season in Slovenia. After that, I plan to head to St. George for a week during Thanksgiving break. I am really syked to try the 9a "Re-Up" established by Joe Kinder earlier this year, as well as try to onsight the classic routes in the 8a+ to 8b+ range. After that I will head back to boulder for a couple weeks, then for winter break probably head to Spain!

End of the summer

2009-09-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since Ive updated, but lately things have been really hectic and I havent had much time for anything really.. but anyways, where did I leave off.. After climbing Inconformistas, I headed to the World Cup in Barcelona but the days before the comp I felt really weak for no reason at all, and finally the day before I woke up and realized I felt pretty sick.. The next day I also felt bad, on the day of the qualifiers, so I ended up climbing pretty bad. I had no power on the wall and on both routes, as soon as I got to a powerful hard move, I just fell off, no chance. ANyways I wasnt too dissapointed since theres nothing I could do, so after I figured I would head to Ceuse for a few days to hang out with my friends there and try to get back in shape before the World Cup in Imst. The weather ended up being really warm so it was hard to get good conditions at the wall. My friend Jon Cardwell was making really good links on Realization, 9a+ but kept falling at the last crux due to the bad friction. I ended up trying La Chronique, 8c for a bit but after ripping a really bad flapper on my left ring finger I couldnt try it any more, so instead I tried some onsights and also the first part of Biographie, 8c+. This is one of the best 8c+s Ive ever tried in my life and I am really syked to come back next year and get it done, hopefully with better conditions. Anyways, after staying like 10 days in Ceuse I was really syked for the World Cup in Imst, feeling strong again, but on the way there I had a problem with the brakes on my car and had to stop to get it fixed.. since they didnt have the part I needed, I had to drive all the way to Monaco without one break in hopes that they could fix it there. Once I got there, the Honda Garage also told me that they would need to order the part and it could only arrive the next day, so pretty much there was no way I could drive to Imst on time for the qualifiers. I could have taken a train and left my car there, but since I needed it for the rest of the trip and didnt have much time left, I decided to miss the World Cup and drive the next day with brand new brakes.. So I left the next day, but halfway to Imst I had another problem with the car, this time with the radiator, so I had to stop in Milano and try to get it fixed there......... Well, all I can say is that its pretty much impossible to get anything done in Milano within a day, so trying to get the car fixed was hopeless. At the Garage there they told me that the piece I needed to fix wasnt available in all of Italy at this time and I could only get it in a week, so theres no way I could drive the car to Imst. Since I didnt want to stay in Milano for a week, I decided to just park the car there, get my stuff, and take a train to Innsbruck and hope I can find the car part there instead. When I got to Innsbruck I met up with my friend Jakob and stayed at his house for a few days, trained in Tivoli, and got the part I needed for the car (I love you Austria!). The next weekend was the YOuth World Championships in Valence, so I needed to go back to Milano, replace the part myself, and hope it will make it to France without braking down again. Things ended up going well and I got to Valence, but I was really tired and hadnt climbed a lot in the past two weeks, so I wasnt feeling in my best shape for the comp. After the qualifiers I was in 6th place which was pretty good, but in the semi finals I ended up messing up a move near the end of the route and coming in 13th place... a disappointing result seeing as I could have done way better, but not every comp goes well all the time. I was really nervous while climbing and made many mistakes, so in the end I just have to learn from the experience and do better in the next comps. After the comp I flew back to the US and now Im back in Boulder, Colorado for a few months before heading back to Europe in November for a World CUp, then making a Spain trip in December. All in all I had a great summer and am really syked that I could achieve two out of my three goals for the trip (8b onsight and 9a redpoint), and most importantly had a great time with friends and my family. So for now, its back to training really hard in the gym and preparing for the upcoming trips!!

Photos of the trip coming soon...

Last Days in Rodellar..

2009-08-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago my friends Magnus and Sasha arrived here in Rodellar, and with new climbers always comes new syke. Magnus was really syked to try Inconformistas, 9a, my project from last time, so I gladly showed him the beta and was very curious to see how he would do. Soon enough, two days later, Magnus climbed the route, and watching him really got me syked to step it up and try to finish it up myself. After his send I made my best link yet, grabbing the crux hold but not in the right spot, and consequently I was unable to move off of it. Although I didnt do it, I felt a lot more solid on the move then the days before and realized that the route was actually possible in the next few tries, as long as I stay syked and try really hard on the intimidating, low-percentage crux move. I figured I would rest for the remainder of the day, and try the route again fresh the next day. When I woke up the next day, I felt really strong and light.. and warming up on my usual 7c+ warmup, I felt more solid then before. On my first try I passed the first crux easily, feeling solid going into the last bouldery section. I got my feet set up and got ready to go for the falling-stab move to the crux slot, but when I did the move I suprised myself by nearly doing it static, for the first time ever. I grabbed the hold perfectly and continued climbing, all the way to the anchors!!

The move..

I was completely surprised as I reached the top, as the crux had felt so much easier then before. That day was a very calm one at the wall, almost no people except Magnus and Sasha, and I was completely relaxed climbing on the route. Perhaps this, or the bottles of wine the night beofre, was the key to sending, but either way I was very happy! This route mark a big step for me in climbing, my first route in the 9th degree, something I had been trying to achieve since last winter. That night we all celebrated, since Sasha also climbed her first 5.14a that day (Botanics, a long endurance 8b+ on the same wall), also a big step for her climbing! Needless to say syke was higher then ever that day, and continued throughout the rest of the week.

Two days later, we decided to head up to the Gran Boveda, another popular wall in Rodellar, to try some onsights. We all warmed up on a nice slightly overhanging 8a, then me and Magnus decided to try Alter Ego, 8b. Magnus went first and took it to the top, no falls, onsight. Since I couldnt let Magnus outclimb me, I would have to succeed too. I also onsighted the route, after a big fight, my first 8b onsight! After I felt really tired and decided to rest, but Magnus tied in and decided to go for an onsight try on Geminis, 8b+/8c, a route I climbed on my first trip to Rodellar almost two years ago. After pulling through both cruxes and reaching the top, Magnus was just about to clip the anchor when his foot popped and he fell, two inches from victory!!!! No one had ever onsighted Geminis before and Magnus made the best try yet, but unfortunately messed up, as close as physically possible to the end. Oh well buddy, next time!!

So today we all rest, and tomorrow go climb in a gym to train for the World Cup in Barcelona this weekend. After Barcelona I think I will head to Innsbruck, Austria to train for the upcoming comps, and also to do some climbing around there in Zillertal and Neiderthai. More to come this weekend from the World Cup!

6th place in Serre Chevalier 2009

2009-07-29T10:08:00.001-07:00

After our last few training sessions in Grenoble, me, Felipe, and Cesar headed up to Serre Chevalier to compete in the 20th International Masters Event. We got there a couple days early and ended up watching the finals for the youth comp, and got a glance at what the wall would be like. It wasnt so tall or steep, but full of crazy volumes the whole way. After the youth comp we got the chance to climb on their finals routes, which was cool since I could see how my shape was compared to the other Junior males. I tried their finals and super finals route and endede up falling on the finish moves of both, which would have put me in first place, had I competed. I was syked, seeing that I was in better shape then expecting, and felt very motivated to try and step it up in the Masters. I ended up climbing right in the middle of the group in qualifiers, which was nice because I didnt have to be first but also didnt have to wait too long in isolation. The bottom of the qualifiers route was really easy, so as I climbed I felt really confident for the upper part.

The beginning..

Midway there was a tricky mantle on a volume, where you had to get your feet really high in order to balance well. Cesar didnt get his feet up, as a lot of others, and ended up falling here. After this the route got a little more powerful on smaller holds, and right at the end were three really hard moves before mounting a big volume and clipping the anchors. After figuring out the tricky mantle midway, I still felt pretty fresh and climbed the next part fast, and ended up reaching the top pretty easily, a big surprise!

The mantle, and the top

Although the routesetters said the route was graded 8b, I felt it a bit easier, maybe 8a+, but definately more physchological difficult then physically (maybe more my style?) 4 others ended up also topping the route: Sean McColl, Tomas Mrazek, Sylvain Millet, and Manu Romain. The biggest surprises were that Klemen Becan and Aurelien Culvier (two really strong World Cup competitors) didnt end up making the finals, and Felipe also missed finals by running out of time just before the last crux. Anyways I was really syked as I had never qualified so well in an international comp, and felt really confident going into finals the next day.

The finals was really interesting because the routes were after work, where each competitor has 28 minutes to work the route, and then one try during the comp to get as high as possible. For the men, the route was probably around 8b+/8c, and around 8b for the women. The mens route was reall well set, with an easy part at the beginning, then a crux coming out the roof, a good rest, another technical crux on a volume, and finally a tricky bouldery finish. I figured out all the moves pretty fast and none of them felt too crazy, so I was pretty confident I could send it if I didnt mess up. Since I usually spend most of my climbing trips trying hard projects, redpointing is a lot easier for me then onsighting, so this format fit me pretty well! In the comp try my foot slipped in the first roof and I almost fell, but luckily the hold was pretty good so I was able to hold the swing and keep climbing. I climbed fast to the big rest and rested a lot, and felt fresh again entering the next part, the technical volume section. I also climbed this part fast and made it to the last part pretty easily, and at the last section got a really bomber hand jam in a big crack (yes, there was a big crack on a comp route..) and was able to recover well and climb to the top!

Resting in a kneebar I found, just before the top section

5 others also ended up topping the finals: Sean McColl, Manu Romain, Valeriy Kryukov, Fabrice Landry, and Tomas Mrazek. Therefore, 6 people made it to the super-finals, which was a hard onsight route later that night.

Previewing the super-finals

For some reason, I dont really know why, they put me as the last climber in the super-finals. This meant that after we proviewed the route, we warmed up a bit then all got taken out at the same time to an outside isolation. Since it was already late at night, and Serre Chevalier is up in the mountains, it was around 8 degrees Celsius when the first climber started. I had to wait over 30 minutes before it was my turn, so when I finally got to climb, my body was totally cold. I started climbing and by the 2nd clip, I already couldnt feel my fingers. As I entered the roof section there was a hard come-in move from one crimp to another, and as I was doing it my hand slipped off the hold and I fell, pretty low on the route. I ended up 6th as the other super-finalists went a lot higher, which kind of sucked since I wasnt pumped at all, just slipped because of my cold fingertips. I was a little dissapointed after climbing but then in the end, at least I climbed really well on the other two routes and either way ended up winning money and being on the stage. Doing so well in an International Adult comp is definately a step up for me, and really motivating to focus on more competitions in the future.

The bottom of the super-finals route

After the comp, I stayed one day in Ceuse and hung out with some friends, then drove to Spain the next day. Now Im in Rodellar, syked to get back on my projects from last time (Inconformistas, El Quiebralay, the route I bolted, etc), so for the next two weeks I will focus on completing as many of these as possible!

Comp Syke?

2009-07-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

So, I havent updated in a while, but not much has been going on since we left Rodellar. In my last entry I wrote that I competed in a bouldering comp in Rodellar and qualified for the finals. Well the finals turned out pretty well and I completed 5 of the 7 problems, and ended up 2nd behind Edu Marin, who climbed 6 boulders. In reality I feel like I could have done all 7, since I got pretty close to the 2 I didnt do, but thats how bouldering comps go.. its really hard to climb your 100% when you only have 5 minutes for each boulder. Anyway, I was really syked with my result and syked to be in good bouldering shape after only climbing routes the previous month. After the comp, we spent 3 days in the gym training for the lllead World Cup in Chamonix, 2 days in a boulder gym in Huesca and one day in a really nice lead gym in Oloron, France. I felt in pretty good shape, seeing as I hadnt been training at all before, so I figured I would just try to do my best and see how the comp goes. The qualifiers in the World Cup was a flash format where everyone tried the same two routes, and 26 people would advance to the semi finals. The first route wasnt too bad and I topped it, along with lots of other people, so it really came down to the 2nd to see who makes semis. The second route was a lot longer and pumpier on small, slopey holds, which really isnt my style, especially now that I had only been climbing in Rodellar. I got really pumped on the bottom and fought hard, but just couldnt hold on after turning the roof and fell about 8 moves from the end. I ended up 28th, just not making semis, which isnt a bad result at all considering the strong field and my lack of comp shape. After the comp I realized that if I want to do well in comps, I cant just show up unprepared and hope to do well.. I really have to dedicate my time and train a lot for them in order to do my best. Anyways, the finals was really motivating to watch and Patxi Usobiaga ended up dominating the finals, falling on the last move of the route, 6 moves above Sachi Anma who got 2nd. Patxi is definately in his best shape right now and really a step above the others!

As for now, Im not sure what my plans are but definately more gym training and preperation for the comps to come. I may head back to Rodellar in the next 2 weeks if I can, but otherwise I may just head to Innsbruck, Austria,to hang out and train with my good friends. EIther way, very syked to get in prime shape and step it up in August!

Bolting, Borrachos, and Bouldering Competition!

2009-07-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

The past few days here in Rodellar have been pretty tranquilo, with the heat constantly 35 degrees or above (Celsius), way too hot to feel good on the rock. After a few more unsuccessful tries on my projects, I decided I needed to switch it up again, and spent the next two days training in the Ali-Baba cave on its short, powerful roof climbs. I started working a really hard 8b+ called Los 40 Ladrones, and fell two times in the last crux. The route is really intense and resistant and a good trainer for the other hard roof climbs in Rodellar. I also tried an 8c called El Quiebraley, and on my second try fell at the very last crux before the jug! I also worked some hard boulders at the base of the cave and did a training go on The Hulk, 8c, before I felt ready to get back to the Ventanas. The next day was supposed to be a rest day, but when I woke up I realized I really wanted to do something I had been thinking about for the past 2 weeks. The overhang to the right of Los Borrachos has always looked really cool and full of holds, but was previously unbolted. After talking to my friend Dani Andrada, he let me and Felipe borrow his drill and told us to go ahead and bolt the route! The bolting and cleaning process took about 3 hours total, but by the end of the day we had established a really cool, short, powerful line which could be equally as difficult as Borrachos. The route starts on the arete to the right, and after 3 bolts heads left into the overhang and joins Los Inconformistas right before the anchor. The moves are really powerful and tricky on pinches and crimps, and really consistent with only two "jugs" in the hard section. Overall, a good and hard little project for everyone to try!

The next day, I was tired from the bolting but really syked to get back on Borrachos and to try my new route. On my second try I made a really good link on Los Borrachos and fell on the very last hard move, a big dynamic throw to a good pinch-jug thing. After this try I knew I could do the route really soon, as long as I had one flawless, lucky attempt, as the crux is really low-percentage. After this attempt I got on my new route to see how the moves were, and to my surprise they were exactly as I expected and totally possible! Since I wanted to save my energy for the next day, I decided to now try it anymore and rather rest up. The next day I warmed up and got directly on Los Borrachos, and surprised myself by climbing it to the top, first try of the day!! Although I was a bit shaky at the bottom, I was really able to get my head together at the big rest and execute the rest of moves perfectly, which is a big step for my in getting back my route-climbing shape. Finally I felt like I was climbing smart and efficient, and not wasting any energy on the first part. The route was really cool to complete and it definitely feels like my hardest route to date.. as for the grade, many people think it should be 9a (Dave Graham, Pablo Barbero, Erik Lopez, etc.) but many also think it is just a hard 8c+. For me, in this case I think the slash grade would be the best option (8c+/9a), as its way harder then other 8c+s I've done, but a little easier then 9a's I've tried before. The route is also very unique and a specific style which is easier for taller, powerful climbers and harder for others.. but either way, it doesn't really matter in the end, as the route is amazing and a challenge for everyone who climbs it.

Here is what Dave Graham had to say about Borrachos on his blog: "Los Barrachos del Mascun. 9a rock climb supposedly. I have been climbing in the route with the master himself, Daniel Andrada (danimal, dandroidada, and other silly a.k.a.’s) who bolted the thing in 2005. It’s a roof, a huge one, and it’s quite cool to say the least. Starting with some cool, long moves on a skirt type piece of the cave, it leads out the white expanse, rock climbed only with more big moves. It’s very bouldery and power resistant, and one must breathe, and shake out the arms to clip the chains. It’s very height dependent, and if you are a little taller than me, you will be happy in the two cruxes of the climb. Dani and I rotated in 360 spins over and over, going crazy; speaking in poor Spanish, trying to find the right beta for what seemed an eternity. As the conditions sucked, we were always just trying to improve our sequence, and as it seemed wrong, yet to no avail, we would spin around more, looking for the right path. Finally, after the humidity (actually two hours from the weather change, as soon as the wind came, my wind, and my magical wind) I had a good run finally. On my 15th try, with much pessimism (I was not thinking I was about to send, yet I had an inkling) I did the route 1st try that day. Last words? It’s cabron! "

As for now, I am syked to stay in Rodellar for a few more days and really focus on trying to complete Las Inconformistas 8c+/9a and my new little route to the right.. time to step it up!

Today, there was a pretty big bouldering comp in Rodellar and me, Felipe, and Diego decided to compete.. the qualifiers were a redpoint format with 7 hard boulder problems to try over 2.5 hours. The sun was blazing on the wall the whole time and it was scorching hot throughout the whole qualifiers, but in the end I ended up completing 5 of the 7 boulders which is probably enough for the finals tomorrow. So tomorrow, a muerte in the finals and then back to the Ventanas, to try and finish up even more of the unfinished!!

The Past Few Days..

2009-06-24T00:37:00.000-07:00

So the past week in Rodellar was pretty eventful, with all my focus directed towards climbing my two projects. After a couple of good tries on both, the weather really started to heat up and consequently I started climbing worse and worse. When I climb in an area for a long time and only try specific projects, I always end up not climbing enough and slowly losing strength and motivation. After one day where I couldnt even get through the bottom boulder anymore, I realized I needed a change before I could start climbing well again. That weekend, there was a bouldering comp in Hungary, the Ambrosia Bouldering Contest, so I figured it would be a fun and useful detour from Rodellar to go compete and see what happens. Since I havent climbed in the gym for a while, I wasnt expecting anything in the comp other then a good time and lots of climbing to get me back in shape. So on Thursday I left Rodellar and went to train in Esparaguerras for a day, a little city near Barcelona where my sister and many other strong Spanish climbers train. After a long and hard ´a muerte´ training session, I took a rest day then flew to Hungary to compete in the comp. The qualifiers was a redpoint format with 20 problems to try in 2 hours, which was really cool because you could get a lot of climbing in instead of just doing four or five boulders, like in most boulder comps. I ended up climbing all 20 qualifiers which put me in first place for the semi finals! In the semi finals there were 5 boulder problems and you had four minutes to climb each of them, more like a world cup format. The problems were really cool and I ended up climbing all 5, which once again put me in first place for the finals. In the finals there was a really interesting format with 6 boulder problems, 2 of which you had 4 minutes to try, 2 where you had 2 minutes, and 2 onsight boulders. This was nice because it tested many differnent skills with a variety of problems, and also upped the pressure on the last 2 boulders, where you only had one try on each. I ended up flashng the first boulder, falling before the bonus on the 2nd, and flashing all the rest of the finals problems, which once again put me in first place. The prize was none other then a hefty 1000 Euros, which will be really useful for the rest of my trip here in Spain!! Overall I thought the comp was really fun and had lots of interesting ideas and boulder problems, so I am very syked to come back and compete next year.

After the comp, I spent another day in Hungary training hard in the gym, mostly on short powerful circuits and boulder problems. Later that day I flew into Barcelona and met up with my friend Seth in the evening, and after a crazy night of partying I drove to Rodellar the next morning, syked again and feeling in much better shape after the mini gym-excursion. Yesterday I was supposed to rest, but after ariving in Rodellar I got so syked that I headed straight to the Ventanas to try my project again. Although I was tired from the drive and the party the night before, I warmed up and suprised myself by linking Los Borrachos from the 5th move until the end! I also got on Los Inconformistas and did the moves in the crux, which also felt a lot better than before. I can definately feel a big difference in my climbing after the training sessions, and now have no more excuses not to finish up the two routes. Last weekend, while I was gone, Felipe stepped it up and finally satched up Los Inconformistas after falling 7 times at the last hard move! Very impressive, as he climbed his first 8c+ only a month ago! Muy bien bitxoo!! Now that everyone is climbing well, hopefully it will be my turn to step it up and finally get something hard done, so for now, intentos y motivacion a muerte!

Rodellar

2009-06-13T05:34:00.001-07:00

For the past week we have been climbing in Rodellar, mainly in the Las Ventanas sector, really motivated on our projects. Felipe and I have made some really good links on Las Inconformistas, falling in the last crux from the ground and linking it from the jugs before the crux to the end. At this point we should be able to do it in the next few tries, but it has also gotten a lot hotter in the past 2 days which makes it really hard to try hard.. So hopefully the weather will cool down soon and we can step it up! I also tried the original variation of the route yesterday, Los Boracchos del Mascun, and after figuring out the moves I linked it from the jugs before the crux to the end first try! This line definately feels a lot easier then Los Inconformistas, and many people still feel it should be 9a.. for me it feels like a harder 8c+ or maybe 8c+/9a maximum, but definately not 9a as originally suggested. So in the next few days I will try to finish up this variation first, then really focus on the harder one until we have to leave.

More from Spain

2009-06-06T05:36:00.002-07:00

The past 2 weeks have been really nice here in Spain, good weather and good times.. We climbed a couple more days in the Juncosa cave near Margalef, and after a mini epic I finished my project, the 45 move traverse Las 4 Estaciones (The 4 Stations). Grading it is pretty hard, but after realizing how pumpy the end actually is on link I think Dani´s suggestion of 8c+/9a route or 8B+ traverse is definately appropriate.. I think its more the former, but its really up to the repeaters to decide. Either way the traverse was really hard for me and I was syked to get it done before the weather got too hot. The day after, we decided to make a move to Rodellar, so yesterday was our first day climbing here. I tried two amazing routes, The Hulk Extension, 8c+ and Las Inconformistas, 9a or 9a+? put up by Eric Lopez. The Hulk extension feels very doable in the next few days as long as it doesnt get wet (Its been raining quite a lot the past 2 days), so hopefully we will have suerte! Me and Felipe also figured out the moves on Las Inconformistas, which is a harder variation of Los Boracchos del Mascun. They both start the same and do the first crimpy crux, and at the jug Las Inconformistas branches off left and does another 8A? boulder with crazy spin around moves in a negative roof. This route also feels doable, but will definately be a challenge to link. It definately feels more 9a then 9a+ as suggested by Erik, but either way a very difficult and impressive roof climb. So the next 2 weeks I will probably work this and Hulk Extension, and then go to Innsbruck to train for the lead World Cup in Chamonix. So hopefully the weather will stay good and we will be able to climb a lot before having to train for the comps.. suerte!

Back in España!

2009-05-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

So the past 2 weeks have been pretty hectic, including 3 international flights, a 23 hour drive from Budapest to Lleida, and catching a heinous flu along the way and not being able to climb the past couple of days.. but no worries, its all good during summertime in Europe! I arrived in Belgium on the 10th of May and stayed for 4 days to hang out with my parents, and train in the gym a bit to get back some route endurance. 2 days later my friends Seth and Felipe arrived, and after 2 more gym sessions we flew to Hungary to buy a car for the trip.

I ended up buying a 1997 Silver Honda Civic, in really good condition, the perfect car for traveling throughout Europe! We hung out in Hungary for 3 more days then drove to Innsbruck, Austria and climbed one day in Tivoli, then continued the drive to Spain. We arrived the next day, pretty tired but really syked to have finally made it to our final destination.

Dani Andrada and Chris Sharma had found a really nice cave earlier this year called Cueva de Juncosa, and over the past weeks established a bunch of hard routes in it, inclusing a 45 move traverse called Las Quatros Estaciones.

Las 4 Estaciones..

Felipe and Magnus climbed there a couple weeks ago and said it was really good, so we decided to go and check it out. It turned out to be really amazing and we got really syked on the traverse, which is a consistant power endurance climb with goods rests, but lots of dynamic, powerful moves with bad footholds. Although I have been sick for the past couple weeks and havent really been able to climb, the past 3 days have been a lot better and I got really syked on Las Quatro Estaciones. 2 days ago I figured out the different sections and suprised myself on my last try by making it all the way into the last crux, 4 moves from the end. I have linked all the differnent sections now and just need one good go to finish it up, so hopefully I will get it done in the next couple of days! Felipe had a really amazing day two days ago when he sent the traverse and another short 8c+ in the cave, both in the same day.. muy bien bixxo! Hopefully now I can get over the flu and also step it up.. As for the grade, since its a 45 move traverse it doesnt really deserve a boulder grade in my opinion, so we agreed on 8c+ route or 8B traverse, whatever that means. Dani and Chris Sharma think its more like 8B+/8C traverse or 8c+/9a route, but we discovered different beta and better rest positions and think its a little esier then what they suggested.. but who knows.. Its really hard to grade a traverse but regardless its a really amazing and challenging rock climb. In the next couple of days we are thinking of making a move to Rodellar to try Los Boracchos and Les Inconformistas, 8c+ and 9a, and then after go to Austria to start training for the World Cup in Chamonix.. Always Syked!!

Preparing for the Summer

2009-04-18T19:01:00.001-07:00

So lately the weather here in Boulder has been terrible, having rained and snowed constantly for the past week. Since rock climbing has been out of question, I figured it was time to step it up in the gym and start taking training to new levels.

Most of the sessions are pretty power oriented, mainly bouldering and circuit training, along with lots of power workouts. An average day for me at CATS consists of warming up, then making around 10-15 hard (usually between 7C and 8A+) boulders and trying to climb them all in as few tries as possible. After this I usually take a short break and then repeat the problems I had climbed in previous sessions, usually not the hardest ones but its still pretty challenging to try and repeat them all. This strategy works well for tracking improvement.. if the problems feel easier then before, especially being tired from the first problems, improvement is in effect. So after these boulders I usually take another short break then start the circuit training.

Right now in CATS I have around 10-15 circuits 8a and harder: one 9a?, one or two 8c+'s, one 8c, 3 8b+'s, and around 6 in the 8a-8b range. The first thing I do is try the hardest circuits. I try to make big links on them and then climb them from the bottom to try to get as far as possible, making about 2-3 redpoint attempts on each. After this I repeat most of the easier ones in the 8a to 8b+ range, trying to climb each perfectly and in control. Sometimes with others I do the "stick training", which is pretty much when someone else starts pointing to holds with a stick and I have to climb their sequence until I get so pumped I cant climb anymore. This training is really effective, however it requires that the person pointing with the stick makes good circuits, with powerful consistent moves and appropriate rests. Finally, after the circuit training I take a big rest then do power training to finish off the session. This usually consists of weighted pull-ups, leg lifts, ab-wheel, one arm pullups and one arm lowers, campusing, dead hangs, and lock offs.

So why all this training? Ive been really syked lately to be in my best shape for the summer, having multiple goals. My main goal is to climb harder on rock then ever before, hopefully 9a route and 8b or 8b+ onsight. I've never really been good at onsighting, so Im hoping to step it up and break through the mental barriers holding me back. The two main routes Im syked to try this summer are Abysse and Kinematix, both 9a in Gorges du Loup. Im also very syked to finish up Triptik Tonic 8c+, Asai 8c, and Totalite 8c+.

My other goal for the summer is to climb well in the three lead world cups I'll be able to compete in.. Im not really sure what this means, maybe top 15, maybe top 8, I don't really know. The main goal is to climb as well as I can and whatever place this gets me I'll be syked.

So with these goals in mind Ill continue the training for the next 3 weeks before my flight to Europe. With the crew in effect- Jon, Scott, Tieri, and Ryan, syke is always high.

Interview with Gomez the Cassanova..

2009-04-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did an interview with my good friend Felipe Camargo, an incredibly strong Brazilian climber, on MVM. Check it out!!
Interview here.

Interview with Felipe "Gomez" Camargo from Brazil!

2009-04-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

Having grown up in the US and traveled all around Europe, Ive had the chance to meet lots of strong motivating climbers. Many of these climbers are unknown to us here in the US, although their accomplishments would easily rank them high up in the American climbing scene. What’s more amazing is that most of them dont have CATS or The Spot to train in.. their accomplishments are products of pure motivation and syke, often having to train in small boulder rooms with old, painful climbing holds, no climbing partners, routesetters, or coaches. Having seen the gyms of Edu Marin and Ramon Julian, two of the strongest climbers in the world from Spain, I can easil say that most people would never be able to accomplish anything near what they have done over the past few years.

One of these crazy people is my good friend Felipe "Gomez" Camargo from Brazil. Brazil is far from ideal for a climbing oriented place, but the small group of motivated climbers makes sure to stay on top of things. Felipe has always been inspired by the professional climbing scene in Europe and last year had the chance to go to Europe for the summer to climb on rocks and compete in World Cups. He ended up climbing numerous 8c (5.14b) routes, onsighting 8a+ (5.13c), and 22nd place in the adult lead world cup, as well as finals in the european youth cup. He has bouldered numerous V11 and V12 boulder problems as well! All in all, Felipe is one of the most determined and syked individuals I have ever seen, and after traveling together last year and training together we ended up becoming very good friends. Here I have made a a short interview with him over the internet, check him out!

First off, introduce yourself mayyn!

Well, im Felipe Camargo, 17 years old and im Brazilian!!! Ive been climbing "A muerte" since 2001!

1.) We here in America dont really know anything about Brazil, other then the Carnaval and lots of hot girls. Whats Brazil like? How is the climbing, the gyms, the night life, etc.

Brazil is an amazing country to come for tourism, full of beauty and nature, and as everybody knows, lot of girls and parties (but i always heard that its better in the US...lots of blonde girls ahaha)!! Climbing in Brazil is still really small, but its growing and not at the same time, is really growing on the Rock part, but not really at the comps!! but well, with time thats gonna change!!! First 8cs (5.14b's) are being sent just now....so we still have so much to progress and develop!

Felipe making the first ascent of "Cabra Da Peste", 8c (5.14b) in Brazil

2.) Describe an average day in the life of Felipe Camargo.

This year, since i finished school last year, life has been about climbing only!!! !! So an average day - Wake up arround 8 o clock, and go to the climbing gym for my first trainning session...from 9 till 12! than back home, rest and chill until the afternoon! around 6 go back to the gym, and train untill 10 o clock! After, go back home....during the week i usually just chill and rest....and during weekends go out with friends and girls!

3.) You've widely known as Felipe the Papichulo or the Brazilian Cassanova over in Europe. How did you get that nickname? Will you live up to your reputation this year?

Aight gabor will have a pay back time!!ahha! Well, since im not in a serious relationship, im always syked to go around and meet new girls, and Europe is an amazing place for doing that! And also in brazil people are always syked to party and everything, so i think its kinda of the brazilian culture!!! I think this year im gonna try and be more mellow....try to get back my reputation! Ill try to be more serious man! ahahah (aight...just kidding.. im not gonna be quiet)!!!!

4.) Do you prefer boulders or routes? What are your goals for 2009, and in general.

I like both, but im always more syked on routes!!! My goals for this year, is first off all progress on rock.....try to do my first 8c+, and why not a 9a! And 8b onsight!! In comps, i just want to climb well and climb as hard as i can. If that works out, i think i can be in the top 5 at the world youth, and do really well at the word cups!!! this year no pressure...just climb as hard as i can and have fun with my hommies! For my career i would like to always be travelling arround the world....going to europe and the US every year to compete and climb on rocks!!! And always progress...9a+s and finals in adult comps are big goals!!

5.) For every word I say, write the first thing that comes to mind.

France -gorges du loup
the US - blonde girls
world cups - finals
training - always a muerte!
9a - coming soon!
tufas - i hate..
slabs - i hate even more!
traveling - my passion
sponsors - i want some!
progression - im on it
the best climber in the world - patxi usobiaga
parties- always syked!

6.) Tell us about your training - how much do you train? how often? you have no trainer.. how do you know what to do?

Well, i think thats my strongest aspect in climbing...I've always been so focused on training!!! And Ive always stayed syked...i live in a city where the closest rock is 7 hours away....and on top of that we only have one small gym in my city to climb in!!! Im not as lucky as the Austrians and others, so I dont really have a choice...if I want to achieve my goals, its either train hard or train hard! I train usually 5 days per week, and the last two years almost 6 hours per day!!! I've learned a lot about hard training by reading books, searching on the internet, and talking with other climbers...always going around and searching!

7.) what was it like to travel in europe last year? Tell us your top 3 most memorable moments.

Traveling in Europe was amazing....a great experience and I grew up so much!!! Its hard to choose one specific moment....there are so many...first off traveling around with Patxi Usobiaga, who has always been my "idol" and is now a really good friend! After that, climbing my first 8c, The Hulk in Rodellar! Than the comps (world cups, youth comps, etc) - so much frustration and then stepping it up in the end! Then, our epic climbing trip together... epics in Slovenia.....crazy nights stranded under the giant cave in santa linya....our syke nights at Dani Andrada's small gym...Klu Bar in slovenia....Big Bar in Llerida... room 325 (ahahha)....so many good memories!!

8.) What do you think is better for becoming a strong climber- the American, free-flow approach or the Euro mega-training mentality?

This really depends on what u have for training! if you are lucky to have huge gyms....training less, your training will be as good as the spanish crazy style in plafons (small boulder-rooms with lots of holds, kind of like CATS..)!!! Or if u can climb everyday on lots of hard routes on rock, maybe u dont have to train as hard as others...But in a big plan...the europe mentality for sure!!!

Another first ascent in Brazil - A Dor É O Poder, 8c (5.14b)

9.) In a few weeks we will embark to Europe, on a crazy climbing adventure. What are your predictions? Whats gonna go down bub??

Yeah!!!!! we are gonna be gypsies arround europe again!!!!travelling arround....without planning shit....and just let it be...get fucked sometimes for sure!!!but also have a lot off fun...and climb a muerte!!!!
Do hard sends on rock!!!! trainning really hard in Innsbruck....do well in the world cups and youth words....and off course also party a lot!!!! Really syked!!!is finally arriving!!!

10.) when u coming to the US mayyn? show us how to party like the brazilians?

I dunno man!!!! i really want to!!! see how the US is like!!! and to climb in hueco...bishop....i hope that next year i can do it!!!!

11.) Try to figure out what these American rap phrases mean!

chunk up tha deuce - "i dunno.. is it like, drink up the juice??"
wood grain grippin - "ahh, omg.. i have no idea.. like working hard?"

Bishop pt 1

2009-03-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

Spring Break - Bishop. I arrived a few days ago and so far the weather and all has been amazing. A little too hot, but conditions are still really good for hard climbing. On my first day I tried the Mandala (V12) and got all the way to the last big move but split a tip on my left index finger so had to save it for next time. I rested 2 days and got back on it, and sent it 2nd go of the day! Climbing such a challenging, iconic boulder was a crazy feeling, especially because the Mandala has always looked so hard and intimidating. I have tried it before on my last trip here, but couldn't do the first move so gave up and thoght it would be impossible for me. After the Mandala I tried The Buttermilker, but the hot conditions make it really hard to get good friction on the slopers right now so I gave up and decided to find a more crimpy boulder instead to try. Today I warmed up and climbed Thunderbird (V11) in a few tries and then started working the sit start, Direction (V13). I figured out all the moves and got close so hopefully I can climb it before I have to leave in a couple days. As long as my skin doesnt get too bad again I think I can do it. I hope so!

The Hug

2009-03-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday me, Seth, and my friend Mike Malakian headed to Boulder Canyon before our daily routine CATS training session. Boulder Canyon is a nice little area 10 minutes from Boulder with lots of good granite boulders scattered around. I warmed up on a fun compression V5 prow then headed uphill to try The Hug, a technical 8A mantle boulder. I gave it a flash burn but dabbed on the first move, so I decided to try it from the 2nd move to see how the rest was. I flashed it from here, which is kind of annoying because the first two moves are easy, but oh well, thats how things go sometimes! Flashing boulders has always been hard for me for some reason, the pressure of not messing up and executing perfectly on the first go. So I worked out the moves a bit more and ended up doing the boulder within a few more tries. Very nice, great success! I really liked the problem, very technical and interesting moves with a big heel hook perch move for a crux, my steez to the max. To me it felt more like 7C but others feel its 8A so I guess its just my style or something. Either way, progression! In two days I go to Bishop so Im really syked right now, trying to build up good skin and do some last minute training to get in shape. More to come from Bishop!

Back in the Game

2009-03-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I have been really focused on training - World Cup style training in CATS. Lots of hard boulders, weight vest training, power training, circuits, etc. My friend Seth has also been really motivated so together we have been preparing to take our climbing to new levels. So far things have paid off, I feel like Im getting a lot stronger and working on my weaknesses that I have kind of neglected in the past. One good way to measure progress is to try problems that you have tried before, and see how you feel on them in comparison. Last week I headed back to Clear Creek to get back on my project, Dark Waters V13. I warmed up at the Animal boulder, an amazing crimpy 7C+ overhang right off the road. I had tried this problem last year in May but had a lot of problems with the hard tension moves near the end. This time, after having trained a lot of body tensoin in CATS, the moves felt super easy and I climbed it within a few tries. Progression! Then I headed over to Dark Waters to see how things would go on that. I laid down the pads and first decided to try the bottom moves to see how I felt. I surprised myself by easily getting through the bottom first go, so I rested a bit and gave it a go from the start. First go I got all the way to the finish move but my feet cut right at the end! No! I had fallen here before and decided to end it once and for all. I rested for about 45 min and then it was on. I chalked up, brushed holds, and exectuted perfectly. When I got to the finish move I felt good so I switched feet, got my foot on the higher, better left foothold (move is easier but adds a hard foot move), and BAM, hit the finish jug perfect. It was complete! I was so happy to finally finish up this amazing river boulder. my first big send since I've been in Colorado. This marks my first 8B perhaps, a big breakthrough for me since this has always been a big goal of mine. Regarding the grade, although some people may find it easy for 8B, it definately felt hard for me, harder then any 8A+ I've ever done. As a point of reference, Dark Waters felt a lot harder to me then Right Martini, the standard 8A+ power endurance problem of the US that I climbed a couple years ago. Either way I don't really care, just happy to have done such a classic hard boulder finally. In a week I'll be heading to Bishop for spring break, very syked to be back in the Buttermilks again! My goals are to get back on The Mandala, the Buttermilker, and Direction and see how things go on those!

The Slump

2009-03-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

Every year, as my climbing schedule is pretty demanding, I go through an annual slump. For those of you that don't know, a slump is a period of time (for me usually lasting a month or two), when my climbing is just not going the way it should. I feel weak, I can't send things, and therefore lose motivation and feel pathetic every time I go climbing. In 2008 my slump came around springtime, just before my summer trip to France. This year it seems to have come pretty early and the worst of it has hit in the past few days.

Yesterday, I went to Eldorado Canyon in hopes of climbing two boulders that I have always been syked to try - Lost and Elegant Universe, both V11 and both amazing lines. Upon arrival I warmed up and started trying a V9 on the warm up boulder by the parking lot (not sure what the name is). On my first go, I pulled through the crux and missed going for the lip, not seeing an obvious good sloper right next to where I slapped. No worries I thought, now that I knew where the hold was I was sure to do it next try. However, for some unexplainable reason, it took me another 12 tries or so before I could finally pull through the crux again and top out the boulder. I was a little surprised at this, but figured now that I had the flow going I would head over to the Lost boulder and try the problems over there. After the grueling, epic hike to get there I re-warmed up and decided to start trying Lost. After 30 min or so I was unable to unroll from the weird pinch (3rd move) and even make a fable attempt to grab the crimp under the lip, so being disappointed, I walked over to Elegant Universe to see if I would feel any better on that. I did the stand start (about soft V10) within a few goes and figured since the sit only adds like 4 not so bad (V8 maybe?) moves into that, I would probably send it quick and get back on Lost to try to pull through the weird pinch move. The first move of Elegant Universe is a weird slap move from two small underclings to a good edge, a move that isn't easy per say but once figured out doesn't seem to be very hard for people to do consequently. I started trying the move and once again, I don't know why, it felt way harder then it should have. I could do it maybe one out of every ten tries, and even then it was very desperate and low percentage. I worked the boulder for about two hours and managed to make it into the stand around 6 times, but didn't get very close to doing the jump move on link. The bottom was very taxing for me and every time I got into the stand I was already very tired and simply didnt have the energy to pull and throw high enough to grab the lip. It was a wierd feeling, losing so much energy on four not so hard moves on pretty good holds, and after a few decent tries I felt so bad that I wasnt even able to pull off the ground anymore.

So first off, this blog post isn't about me trying to go on an ego trip and assume that since I cant climb V11 in one session I must be out of shape. The point I am trying to make is that I know my body pretty well, and know that usually I don't feel like this when I climb. I felt like I didn't have my usual power, finger strength, or explosiveness while climbing, and felt heavy and uncoordinated while on the wall. However, the root of the problem seems to be more of a mental thing rather then physical. Many times in the past I have felt weak, tired, and hopeless, but have been able to pull things out of nowhere and send climbs on the random. For the past few weeks (or even months), I seem to have lost this ability. Ive gotten really close to a lot of difficult climbs (for my standards) but cant complete the last step of the process, AKA the sending part. Once again I'm not sure why this is, perhaps its due to all the change that has going on in my life and having to live on my own away from my family. This is all very taxing for me and not always easy to deal with, having to take care of myself and plan things on my own. Hopefully, now that I am getting settled in and am back on a normal daily schedule, things will be easier to deal with and I can focus more on climbing and turn things around. Or, this could all have nothing to do with that and I could just be climbing like shit for no real reason at all.. who knows.. All I know is that I am getting really tired of all this and want to turn things around, to be back in the prime again and take things to new levels. I will tart training harder then before, putting more focus on performance and not accepting failure or loss of motivation. Perhaps the slump is not as uncontrollable as I think, and rather then complaining about it and not knowing what to do I have to force it instead and take myself out of it myself. One part of being a successful adult (I am referring to myself as that, because of the above mentioned reasons) is not having to fully rely on external factors to achieve your goals and instead making things happen for yourself. From now on I will take steps to do just that and try my best to take down the slump and move onwards to greater things. Shizaa!

I hate you Mother Nature..

2009-02-23T12:15:00.000-08:00

For the past few weeks a horrible disease has been going around here in Boulder and inevitably I, along with many others, caught it last week. I was supposed to go climbing in the Fortress last weekend to try the famous "Kryptonite", 9a, but on Friday night I started feeling so bad that I had to bail and stay home. It turned out to be a good decision not to go since I wasn't even able to get out of bed all weekend! Today is the first day so far that I feel relatively better, not recovered or anything but at least I was able to make it to some of my classes and eat something..

So before the sickness came, I spent two days in Clear Creek Canyon trying to finish up Dark Waters, my project from the week before. On my second day on the boulder I linked it though to the big rail but was too tired to do the powerful outro moves so I decided to save it for next time. Next time I ended up making it all the way to the finish move only to fumble it and miss the finish jug! I knew this would happen since the move is by no means easy or high percentage, but I was kind of hoping I would get lucky and stick it first shot, but oh well, Im not the first one to fall on this move! Most of the people that have done this boulder have fallen here at least once, so I wasn't too worried about it.. At that point it should go within the next few tries, right?

- The finish move.. Dark Waters 8B -

Well it seems like for some reason, ever since my Spain trip, mother nature has been actively working on preventing me in any way possible from completing my projects! Lets start with Spain - first the hold break in Santa Linya, then the rain, and now the sickness right before I send. I don't know what's up with all this bad luck I've been having, but its really getting annoying. As of now I will probably have to wait at least a week or two before I feel good enough to start trying Dark Waters again, assuming my sickness will subside in the near future. When I do get back on it I wont waste any time or effort, I will focus all my energy into completing the boulder as fast as possible before mother nature can once again thwart me in some way or another! Bring it bitch!

Oh and in the following days I will post a follow-up about this years ABS nationals, more specifically my opinion about the routesetting, the organization, and the event in general and how I think it could be improved for the upcoming years.

But as for now, I will do my best to regain my health and slowly start climbing again and prepare to take down the DW!

Return to Bouldering

2009-02-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

After a year of mostly sport climbing in Europe, my syke now lies more in the new, revisited realm of bouldering. I have been very motivated for the past few weeks to try and climb harder and harder boulder problems here in the front range of Colorado. After a few gym sessions, I took a one day trip to Eldorado canyon a few days ago to discover a new area and try some classic blocs. I had a good day by flashing both The Infinite (V10) and Pigdog Direct (V9), and finding a bunch of crazy hard projects further up in the canyon for future trips.

- The Infinite -

With this newfound motivation, I headed up to Boulder Canyon last week with my friend Philip to try Free Range (V13), a difficult sit start to a V11 I climbed earlier this year called Cage Free. This problem links four powerful moves into the crux dyno of Cage Free, with a really tricky sequence on bad pinches, poor edges and numerous heel/toe hooks. After working the problem for about an hour, I figured out the moves but each feels pretty hard, even in isolation. Climbing it will take a lot of effort, but I am very syked to try to finish it up in the next few weeks.

Yesterday I headed up to Clear Creek Canyon to try another boulder I have heard a lot about, Dark Waters (V13). This boulder starts under a low roof and follows a line of right facing edges and pinches up to a slopey rail, then traverses a bit left into a V8 finish. The boulder is really unique, starting with compression moves on bad holds and then finishing with more dynamic moves on better holds. I arrived pretty late at the boulder and didn't have a lot of time to try it (maybe an hour or two), but I did figure out all the moves and think it should go within the next few sessions. My friend Jimmy Webb from Chatanooga had a really good day by climbing Dark Waters in a few tries, his first day on the problem. Very impressive Jimbo!

So other then those three outdoor climbing days, I have been training a lot in the gym and trying to get all my school work here at the University done on time. Climbing can be very distracting, but the most important thing right now is to make use of my education and actually learn a thing or two! Also, Next week I will fore-run for the ABS Nationals which will be held here in Boulder. Perhaps my experience in World Cups will help the routesetters make interesting problems. Also, tomorrow I will start my real "training", meaning the program I made earlier this season to train for the world cups in the summer. So the time has come now.. time to step it up and take the bouldering game to new levels!

This Weekend

2009-01-21T13:20:00.001-08:00

This weekend I will compete in the SCS Nationals, which is like the US National Championships for route climbing. I've been training a bit for this comp in the past few days, doing circuits in CATS and climbing routes with Paul and Carlo at the Boulder Rock Club. I don't feel in nearly as bad of a shape as I was expecting, so maybe I wont do that bad.. we'll see. Today my friend Jon will arrive in Boulder and we will have one last training session, then friday drive down to Salk Lake City for the comp. I haven't done a comp in over a month now so it will be nice to do one again.. Venga!

Boulder Livin'

2009-01-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

About 10 days ago, I ended my year-and-a-half "adventure" in Europe and moved here to Boulder, Colorado to start college. Although it is totally different then Europe, I really like Boulder so far apart from just the climbing. The people are nice, the food is really good, and the weather has been perfect. I am really surprised at how warm it's been so far, much warmer then Spain.. which doesn't really make any sense, but I guess that's the way things go sometimes. Since I've been really busy with school and don't have a car, I haven't had the chance to go outdoor climbing yet. Instead I've just been climbing indoors, trying to get back in shape after my 10-day rest (after returning from Spain) and preparing for the SCS Route Nationals next week in Salt Lake City. I don't want to say "training" since I haven't been on a program or anything, just climbing for fun and getting used to the gym again.

Boulder is by far one of the best places I have ever seen for indoor climbing (other then Innsbruck maybe), so I'm really excited to start training again after route nationals. For the next two months I will focus on bouldering, specifically building lots of power and finger strength. My goal on rock is to climb an 8B boulder and flash 8A, and in the gym I want to climb the orange 8C at the Boulder Rock Club (just kidding Paul.. 7C+...)

Bienvenido 2009!

2009-01-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

As my Spain trip came ended, I figured it was time to take a break from climbing and figure things out for the upcoming year. This year in Europe has been really amazing and I'm a tad bit unhappy to leave it for the good Ole' States again.. The places, friends I made, and experiences were all very enriching. In a few days I will be moving to Colorado to start college at CU Boulder, and after having spent so much time in Europe it will probably be a big change to live in the US. As for climbing, this year I am very motivated to train "a muerte" as the Spaniards would say, and become "fuerte como la puta madre" (really f'in strong). In Colorado I will have the opportunity to climb with lots of strong boulderers, stronger then me, so something is sure to happen. In May, when school ends, I'll return to Europe, more specifically Innsbruck, Austria for 2 months. While there I'll work on perfecting my German and of course building lots of endurance with my Shit Climber crew (Felipe, Jakob, Mario, Magnus, and many others). With this combination of strength and endurance I hope to be in 'sehr gut' shape when the World Cup circuit starts. The following are my climbing goals for 2009:

- To make finals in at least one lead World Cup
- Climb 9a on rock
- Onsight 8b and flash 8b+
- To beat Jakob at the Youth World Championships..
Just kidding.. my real goal is to make podium (hopefully top 2)

As for my plans for the near future, will be going to the Winter Tradeshow in SLC and maybe competing in the adult route nationals, not sure yet. If I do compete, I will surely be out of shape and don't expect any spectacular results. A podium would be nice, but not that important. I'm also not sure about competing in ABS nationals.. we'll see I guess. Honeslty I don't care much about comps in the US and would rather spent that time climbing outside or training for the comps in Europe.

Of course, living in Colorado means I'm sure to get syked on some outdoor boulder problems. My goal for bouldering this year is to do an 8B.. Some ideas - Dark Waters, Ciracadian Rhythm, The Automater, etc.

So tomorrow I will enjoy my last day here in Europe, then its off to my next adventure in the States! Forever onwards!

Me on "Fuck the System" 9a in Santa Linya

Spain Finale

2009-01-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

Well, the time has come to wrap up the Spain trip and return home.. its been 2 months since Ive been here in Spain so its pretty hard to leave, my new home in a sense. The last few days of the trip ended in a pretty ugly fashion! Since my last post I spent another day in Alquezar and got really, really close to doing the 9a (El Tiempo del Cafe), linking it from before the crux until the end. Until there you have to climb a 7c with a huge rest before, so naturally I would have done the route within one or 2 more tries........ until the rain came! Again! As soon as I lowered it started pouring rain and still has not stopped, so the route is out of the game, no way to do it in its current condition. So once again, the weather ruined things and no send this trip.. oh well, things go on and at least now I have something to come back to! After that we also went climbing in Margalef and Santa Linya, but my motivation was really low and I was pretty dissapointed about the 9a so I didnt really feel like trying andthing hard. I did a bunch of nice 8a´s and 8a+´s instead, trying more just to have fun and not worrying about what I send or dont. So tomorrow I fly back to Belgium, pack my things, and then its off to Colorado to start school and training for next season.. The most importand thing I learned from this situation has been that a lot of times, things dont go the way you planned and there is nothing you can do about it.. its more important to have fun and enjoy the time you having instead of complaining about all the things going wrong. Even though I didnt reach my goal of doing a 9a this trip, I had a lot of fun with my good friends and did a lot of amazing routes, so Im not too dissapointed. A muerte until the next trip!

Alquezar

2008-12-25T11:37:00.001-08:00

After a few more days of bad weather and wet routes in Santa Linya, we decided it was time for a change.. we needed to go to a new place with new routes, but more importantly, better weather. I met up with my friends Magnus and Jakob, and together we drove to Alquezar, another huge cave in a further, sunnier part of Spain. Alquezar is full of high quality routes, but there is one that I have always wanted to try- a crazy 55 meter roof called El Tiempo de Cafe (9a). This route starts up a 7c+ and then continues with a hard boulder problem, a huge 8a+? endurance section, then finally links into the final crux of Tsunami (8c). Me and Magnus tried the route on our first day and decided that it was definitely worth the drive! The climbing in totally unique, unlike any other hard route I have ever tried. After a few tries Magnus satched it up and now I am also really close to doing it.. hopefully the weather will stay good and I will also finish it up before my trip ends. As for Fuck the System, I dont think I will have enough time to do it before leaving Spain.. the weather in Santa Linya is still bad and my motivation to climb there is not very high anymore. Oh well, there is always next time and next trip!

Santa Linya...

2008-12-12T07:56:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have been pretty hectic and epic, to say the least. Me and Felipe ended up staying an extra week in Slovenia (thanks Klemen!!) after the European Youth Cup because the others didnt want to go back to Spain, and of course they were our ride (using the car that WE also paid for..). In the end it ended up being another week with barely any climbing, and lots of parties, so when we finally returned to Spain we were completely out of shape for the cave and not very syked. The first few days were brutal, failing on everything and watching Ramon, Chris, and Dani destroying every 9a and 9a+ they tried! Ramon climed four routes 9a and harder (two of which could be 9a+) in a very short period, maybe the most impressive thing Ive ever seen in my life in terms of rock climbing. With all sorts of mutants around us climbing all sorts of crazy routes, our syke eventually got re-built and now we are almost back in decent shape. Ive been trying Fuck the System a muerte for the past week and am finally making better and better links. Hopefully Ill be able to climb it before going back to the States, so right now all my focus and energy is directed towards this goal.. we will see. Felipe is also making really good links on Ingravids extension, which Im sure he can climb very soon and will be his first 8c+! Our goals are set, and the sun is shining on us, so apart from the ghetto living in the cave all seems to be turning out for the better.

Slovenia

2008-11-25T16:14:00.000-08:00

After a few weeks of rain in Spain, the crew (me, Felipe, Jon, Jerome, and Ryan) drove to Slovenia to compete in the last WC of the season. The whole crew climbed bad, it was obvious that we hadnt really prepared for the comp.. only climbed on rock. However, I can easily say that it had the best after-party of the season! Props to Johana for winning, as usual, and to Klemen Becan for winning his first WC! The overall champions for 2008 ended up being Johanna and Jorg Verhoeven.. congrats!

After the comp me and Felipe stayed in Misja Pec to climb on some rock before the European Youth cup the next weekend. After a good day of climbing, I woke up the next day feeling really sick and wasn´t able to go climbing or get out of bed for the next two days.. I still competed in the Youth comp, I have no idea why, but still felt really sick and didnt climb very well.. thats life I guess, sometimes luck just isn´t on your side! So now we are still in Slovenia, waiting for the others to send their projects in Switzerland before we can head back to Spain. Hopefully Fuck the System has dried up now and I will be able to start the assault.. We´ll see!

Spain Update

2008-11-08T04:44:00.000-08:00

So the past few days have been pretty bad here in Spain.. the rain has taken over and all the routes I want to try have been wet. There are like 4 dry rotues in Santa Linya, so we have decided to climb in Margalef until the Kranj World Cup and then return to SL after, hopefully when its dry. Lately I have been trying Fuck the System 9a and although the bottom is wet, I have figured out the top part really well and have made some good links. I am syked to try to send it after Kranj, hopefully..

Also, Yesterday we went training in Dani Andrada's gym in Lleida, just to get some volume in before the comps. Me, Felipe, Jerome, Jon, and Ryan had an amazing session, climbing from 10 PM until 1 in the morning! We bouldered then did circuits with 4 kilo weight belts, then a bit of power training to finish it off. Although I never really do this kind of training, Jon and Felipe are very experienced and it was really motivating to train with them. I am destroyed after that session and will probably need two rest days to recover, but I dont really care and Ill probably climb in Margalef tomorrow.. A MUERTE!!

My Current Gear

2008-11-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

PETZL Hirundos

"A really nice, lightweight, good looking harness that is perfect for hard sport climbing. Petzl is always coming out with new gear and this harness is by far the best one that I have used. I highly recommend getting this for anyone who is looking to take their sport climbing to the next level, while still looking good on the wall!"

LA SPORTIVA Speedsters

"These shoes are perfect for hard bouldering and sport climbing, and definitely one of the best shoes I have seen for training in the gym. They are incredibly comfortable and stretch to fit your feet perfectly. The rounded toe also makes for good smearing, and the toe rubber on the front feels great for hard toe-hooking moves."

Annecy

2008-11-03T00:04:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I competed in the European Youth cup in Annecy. The comp was really fun, I felt in good shape but made a mistake on the finals route and ended up in 6th place. Now I am back in Spain! It has been raining a lot, however, and from what Ive heard Santa Linya is no bueno right now. Today we will rent a car (finally!!) so we can drive to a new area, maybe Siurana or Margalef?

Rampage has Started

2008-10-28T11:36:00.001-07:00

Conditions today were shit, cold and rainy. We woke up and it didnt seem like a good day to climb, but as the Spanish say, a muerte! Me and Jerome hitchhiked to the cave and warmed up, not expecting much but anyway just going for it. I tried a really nice 8c+ that I tried the two days before, the extension of Ingravid Serps. Spirits were high, and conditions werent enough to hold us back. I did the route first go, muy facil! Jerome then decided to go a muerte also, and also sent his project on his second try, Nueva Ola 8c+! What a day! Then we both climbed a short 8b in the middle of the cave, Jerome third go and me flash. Its amazing the amount of syke that me and Jerome can build up climbing together, the perfect climbing team. The ice has been broken, and the rampage has begun! Siempre motivado!!

Spain Update

2008-10-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Spain has been very bueno for the past two weeks! My friend Jerome flew in from Belgium a few days ago so our crew is now five, and the syke is very high. I climbed my first project of the trip a few days ago, Nueva Ola 8c+. A really nice route, much shorter then the others in the cave and more bouldery. Buenissimo!

As for the quest for 9a, I think I have found the one for me. A really amazing line on the left side of the cave called Fuck the System, which starts up a classic 8c and links into 20 really big powerful moves on pockets and pinches. After watching The Fanatic Search about a hundred times with Jon and Ryan, where Dani Andrada is filmed doing the 3rd? ascent, I went up the route expecting to get totally shut down. But suprisingly the moves are much more possible then I was expecting.. really my style! Im very syked to try to do it soon, and then maybe start working the ultimate proj, Enmienda.

European Championships qualifiers

2008-10-17T05:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the qualifiers for the 2008 European Championships in Paris. I climbed well and fell one hold from the top, so I made it to the semis. Tomorrow hopefully the semis will go well!

Wooah..

2008-10-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

Well, the days in Santa Linya go by fast and the trip has not gotten off to the best start. The conditions have been VERY hot and humid, and the rock often feels like a wet bar of soap.. no bueno.

Also, two days ago we nearly got in a frontal crash and had to swerve off the road, which resulted in the car flipping and landing on its side.. Totaled. NO BUENO!! We are glad we didnt get hurt, but now we have to buy a new car, so as of now we are stranded in Santa Linya until then. I am leaving for Paris toady, to compete in the Euroean Championships, and will also hopefully be able to figure something out with the car.

The Spain trip has begun!

2008-10-09T04:07:00.000-07:00

We are finally in Spain! We arrived two nights ago and now we are camping under The massive cave of Catalunya, better known as Santa Linya. Yesterday, as our first day was supposed to be a chill day.. but of course that never ends up happening. The syke was very high and after warming up I got on Traverse de Enmienda 8c+/9a, the second half of Novena Enmienda 9a+. I worked out most of the moves and it feels hard, but doable in the upcoming month. Me and Jon also tried another really nice 8c+ called Ultima Ola and we both figured out the moves pretty fast. Today we are resting and then we will try to send this route tomorrow, and then move onwards to more amazing, hard routes.

A muerte!

Off to Spain.. finally!!

2008-10-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

After a huge epic with getting a car and meeting up with my friends from the US, the Spain trip is FINALLY on.. I leave next Tuesday and stay pretty much until I leave Europe in December! This trip is what I have been looking forward to the most for the past year, so hopefully it will turn out as well as expected. The initial crew will be me, Jon, Ryan, and Melissa. Then in the winter I will meet up with my friends Jakob Schubert, Magnus, Sasha, Felipe Camargo, and probably many others.

I cant wait!! My goals for the trip are to have fun, climb many hard routes, and most importantly to get out of my "onsight slump", AKA stop climbing like a retard hen I try to onsight. Hopefully this will help my competition results as well, we'll see!

But more specifically, climbing a 9a has always been my ultimate goal for Europe, and nows the chance to make it happen. My friend Jon has already beat me to the 9a race so now I have to catch up fast.. or else, I will remain an 8c+ punter.. anything but that.......
As for which 9a, I really have no clue at this point. Some that I want to try are Ali Hulk, Fuck the System, Novena Enmienda, El Tiempo de Cafe, Estado Critico, A Muerte, etc. I'll go where the wind takes me, and the wind never fails.

Other then that I will compete next weekend in the European Championships in Paris.. I know, another comp, but I am really hoping to get out of my slump and maybe this will be the one. Also, this isn't technically a "world cup" so maybe the curse doesn't apply here! We will see..

WC Puurs

2008-10-02T11:00:00.001-07:00

The third WC this year was Puurs. I went into the competition with the mindset that all I want to do is not mess up, then Ill be happy. I didnt care about the result or anything as long as I climbed well. The qualifiers route was quite easy, maybe 8a+, and 11 people topped. I fell on the last move where I didnt notice an obvious heelhook, but no worries cause I was in 12th place going into the semis. Again, the pattern lives on.. good in qualis, bad in semis!! Its really annoying and never fails. In the semis I wasnt nervous at all and climbed quite well until I fell. As I approached a big slap move, I didnt bring my foot up and tried to keep it low, and missed the hold and fell.. It was quite suprising as I wasnt really tired and seemed to have climbed pretty composed until then. Oh well, another bad result.. 22th.

Today, a week after the comp, I tried the semis route again just to prove my theory. True, a route is much easier 2nd go, but still.. I tried the semis again and on my first try fell two moves from the finish hold, the same spot as Sean and Valeriy. If I had gotten there in the comp it would have put me in 8th place, just enough for finals....

I also went again in the qualifier and topped it pretty easily... I guess this mental block I have is not uncommon, but I just dont know what I can do to change it. Any advice?? Maybe the lack of a coach is the answer, but many other people dont have coaches like Sean Mccoll and he never seems to have problems with this type of stuff

Some 9a action

2008-09-24T08:08:00.001-07:00

Two of my good friends, Jon Cardwell and Joe Kinder, have both stepped it up to the 9th degree recently. Jon, after staying in Gorges du Loup this past month, made an ascent of Kinematix, the most repeated and probably most famous 9a (5.14d) of Southern France. He also repeated a few other hard routes including Zobble, an 8c+ I climbed earlier this season. Props Jon!

Joe has also been in top syke recently. After repeating Girl Talk, Dave Grahams new 8c+ in Rifle, he also cleaned up his old project Kryptonite, 14d at the fortress of Solitude. Good work man! I will try to convince Joe to head to Spain this fall as well, but chances are not very high it seems. Either way Im sure there is more to come from Joe in the near future.

As for me, the comp season has been taking up most of my time and I haven't tried any 9as yet. Its a hard level to reach, and one that shouldn't be rushed since my guess is that maybe half the current 9as will be downrated in a few years. So my plan is to keep it mellow and find the right one this fall in Spain, work it, A Muerte with Jon (and Joe, your coming man!!), and see what happens. VERY syked!!!!

Shit Climber Gang Chronicles, Part two

2008-09-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

A week after Bern came Imst, the second worldcup of the fall. The format for qualifiers was flash which was really nice, less pressure and less mistakes. To make the semis you had to top both qualifiers, which werent too hard, maybe 7c+, so 28 people topped both. On the first qualifier I was the second person to climb and was a bit nervous starting up the route. As I reached a nice jug at the 4th clip, my worst nightmare came true and my left contact lens fell out of my eye.... Since my vision is really really bad without these, I had to climb the rest of the route in a half-blind manner. Thank god I already knew the beta and was still able to top it, but it was definitely a bizarre experience. After coming down I found the contact, put it back in, and also topped the second route.

Semis - Ive already mentioned it before, but let me stress this again - for some unkown reason, I cannot climb well in a world cup semis. Too much stress, not enough warmup, bad beta, etc etc, always something goes wrong.. and ONLY in world cup semis.. nowhere else. This comp was no different. Already I was climbing like shit in the bottom of the route, but when I reached a big volume in the roof I realized I forgot to clip from the obvious jug before and had to do a strange extendo-clip back down to continue. Then I toehooked the volume, and as I reached for the next hold my toe slipped a bit and I didnt reach far enough, and fell... such basic mistakes. I ended up 26th which is quite annoying, I know I could do much better if I didnt mess up, but that never happens.

The rest of the Shit Gang also performed well. Jakob forgot to use a key foothold in the finals and did a completely unnecessary dyno and fell. Jerome climbed well in the semis but on the second qualifier, nearly timed out 10 moves from the end and in a punt-like fashion sprinted the last (crux) moves, nearly fell, and clipped the anchor with three seconds remaining. Whoopdie doo!

Anyways on the way back to Belgium, me and Jerome stopped to climb in a really nice sandstone crag in norther France called Kronthal. A small cave with a bunch of hard routes, and realy nice climbing. The routes are quite short and often a bouldery start to an easier finish. We both tried an 8c+ called Le Labyrinthe de Pan which is super fun, an 8A boulder into an 8b route. I linked almost all the crux section second try and am syked to return after the Worldcup in Belgium to try and finish it up.

So this upcoming weekend I will compete in Belgium. My goal is no more then to break the WC Semis curse and FINALLY not climb like a total wanker. But maybe thats too much to expect, who knows, I guess I'll find out in a few days. Wish me luck!

WC Bern

2008-09-17T02:14:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks I have been living in Innsbruck, Austria with my good friend Jakob Shubert. Innsbruck has one of the best training walls in the world, with many routes in the 8b-8c range to train on. The style is really resistance based, with the cruxes almost always being at the top of the routes. This is probably the single hardest style for me since in my gym the cruxes are always at the bottom, so needless to say it has been very good training.

After training for a week, I drove down to Bern, Switzerland, to compete in the first lead worldcup of the fall season. I had heard that the wall was pretty bad and the routesetting would not be so good, so I didnt expect much. The rumors, however, turned out to be true. My qualifiers consisted of 15 easy moves to one incredibly hard move off a bad undercling, where about 16 people fell. Some didnt even move off the undercling, some got positive movememt towards the next hold, and a few touched the next hold. Only like 6 people passed the move, and 4 of those were because they found a secret heelhook on the arete that no one else thought was allowed. All in all, a horrible qualifiers route. Only te people that touched the next hold after the undercling advanced to semis, and most of those were because they just desperately jumped to touch it. Many people like me, Jakob, Michael Fuselier, (both of which are consistant world cup finalists), etc. actually tried to do the move and only got positive movememt.. not enough for semis. Oh well. The only person to do the route was none other then Ramon Julian and to no suprise he casually passed this "impossible" move with no extra heelhook. Props Ramon, your my hero as always.

Anyways, the rest of the comp was pretty lame as well with 15 girls falling at the same spot in the semi finals and 7 of the 8 male fialists falling in the same three moves on the route. There was even one Austrian who managed to get an honorable zero points in the semi finals by falling on the first move of the route with not even positive movement towards the first hold. So pretty much this comp can be summed up with the words, WTF??

PS Props to Sean Mccoll, Canadian superstar, for making the finals. Being in top boulder shape was no disadvantage for this comp, and Sean made a truely spectacular performance, coming in 7th place. We love you Sean!!!

After the comp all us bitter non-semifinalists decided to gang up and made the facebook group The Shit Climber Gang, with Jakob being the leader. The Shit Climber Gang will also be making an appearance in Imst this upcoming weekend for the next worldcup, so stay tuned for some more punter results.

More Photos

2008-09-06T05:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some more photos from the youth worlds, this time the semi-finals route:

Sydney Qualifiers Photos

2008-09-04T04:31:00.000-07:00

Some photos from the 2008 youth world championships qualifiers

4th in Sydney

2008-08-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

This past week I competed in the IFSC Youth World Championships in Sydney, Australia. The wall wasnt too impressive but the routes were really well set and seperated the field well. I placed fourth in male juniors and am really happy with my result. The field was very strong and everyone was in top shape so I dont think I could have done much better. As usual, Jakob ended up winning but Min, an incredbily strong random Korean guy wasa nearly just as strong.

GDL Finale

2008-08-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

I am now back in Belgium, a few day of training and then I'm off to Australia for the IFSC Youth World Championships. My last few days in Gorges du Loup were fun, I climbed a few classic easier lines and got close on two more hard routes that Im syked to return for. I climbed Honk 8b+ in a few tries, Zulu Man 8a+ first try, and also flashed Dies Irae 8a+ and did SIKA 2 8b.

I also put in a few more tries on Total Eclatch 8c, but the wet holds in the crux section prevented me from success. I also tried Asai 8c the last two days but in the end didn't have enough time or energy to finish it up. After Australia Im pretty sure Ill be back for a week or two to finish these up, so no worries for now. Just syked to have had such a nice trip and hopefully Australia will turn out just as well!

Also, my friend Magnus from Norway had a nice finale to his trip by climbing the notorious Kinematix 9a after quite a valiant battle. He had really bad luck with the conditions throughout the entire trip and the bottom part of the route was still wet when he sent. A proud send or sure, and definitely much harder with the shit conditions. Props Magnus!

Finally, a few days ago my friend Jon Cardwell arrived just as I was leaving to start his trip to the Riviera. Already he has climbed Last Soul Sacrifice 8c and New Power Sacrifice 8c, and Im sure in a few days he will complete the trio with Ultimate Sacrifice. Kinematix next? We'll see.. Venga tio!

Next update, Ozzieland. Stay Tuned

Quenelle Trophy and extension

2008-08-13T07:21:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I climbed Quenelle Trophy, 8c, on the Deverse Wall. I tried this route last year and it felt super hard, but this year it took only three tries to reach the top. Since it went so fast I decided to give the extension a try, an 8c+ that climbs another 20 meters to the top of the cliff. After working the moves out I didn't think it would take too long, but since I am so sketch on face climbing I ended up fumbling the crux (which is at the last bolt, 35 meters up) four times before finally sending it. The route turned out to be the biggest mental challenge so far, but still didn't really feel like 8c+ so I am calling it 8c/8c+ or just a hard 8c.

Having done that, I have now officially run out of dry routes to try on the Deverse wall. So time to start working the wet Triptik Tonik, Abysse, or Total Eclatch (not sure yet which one). Will be interesting.

In other news, Sean has climbed some more hard routes including 7 PM Show and Hot Chili X, both 8c, as well as flashed Hot Chili Beans 8b+. JJ had a good last day by climbing Hot Chili Beans as well as Oudai, 8b/8b+.

And last but not least, my friend Jerome de Boeck from Belgium has has an amazing few days by climbing Ultimate Sacrifice, Hot Chili X, and New Power Sacrifice. He found some new beta at the crux of Ultimate that make it a lot less powerful (maybe just a hard 8c), so maybe that will turn out to be standard from now on? Only time will tell. Good work Jerome!

Gorges du Loup Update

2008-08-09T06:17:00.001-07:00

Ultimate Sacrifice (8c+)

The past week has been a good one here in Southern France. I finished up my project Ultimate Sacrifice 8c+, after falling three times in the upper crux. It was pretty suprising to do it so fast but once you have the moves dialed its just a question of doing a few hard moves after an 8c start. A lot of my friends showed up this week as well, including the Canadian crew Sean, JJ, and Marshall. Sean climbed New Power Sacrifice 8c and also flashed SIKA 2 and New Power Generation, both 8b. JJ also flashed New Power Generation, and Marshall climbed Qussai 8a+.

After Ultimate Sacrifice I also climbed Hot Chili X 8c, a direct and harder exit to the classic Hot Chili Beans. The route is nice but it has one rule that you are not allowed to rest on one of the tufas that you would normally rest on in Hot Chili Beans. I didnt end up resting there but in general I think this is pretty stupid.. you should be allowed to use every hold on the rock. Even so I found it pretty soft for 8c.

Other then that I am still waiting for Abysse and Triptik Tonic to dry before trying them.

Projects..

2008-08-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

The past two days I have been trying Ultimate Sacrifice 8c+ on the Deverse wall. This climb is an extension to an 8c I climbed last year and it involves around 10 more hard moves after the anchor. The rest after the first part is really awkward on an undercling pinch and a slopey gaston, so for me the key is being able to recover for the top moves. Yesterday I fell on the last hard move (the crux), a deadpoint from a slopey crimp into a left hand vertical slot. Hopegully only a few more tries and it will go!

Its pretty cool to see how much I have progressed since last summer. The 8c first part took a lot of effort and I remember I was so pumped at the anchor that there was no way I could have kept going. Spending a year in Europe and training mainly resistance has definitely been paying off.

In other news, the Spanish crew has left so I don't know what they ended up climbing. Magnus has been trying Kinematix for the past few days but he has been having trouble on the bottom part. I'm pretty sure he will do it next go though and then start making good links.

Back in Nice

2008-07-29T10:27:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my first day back in Nice after the Serre Chevalier competition. About the finals – it was supposed to be an after-work format but because of the bad weather they canceled it and made the finals onsight. This was bad news for me because I was sure that my pattern of doing good in qualifiers and bad afterwords would continue. In the finals I fumbled one of the easier moves on the route and fell pretty low, taking the last place. Im pretty sure I could have done much better, maybe not in terms of what place I got but rather how well I could have done on the route. Competitions for me are much more of a psychological challenge then physical, and I think that this is what I need to train more for the upcoming World Cups. Of course I am nowhere near as strong as the top competitors and still need to get much stronger, but all in all my biggest problem so far this season seems to be a lack of focus and misreading sequences. Im not sure how to train this, other then by doing lots of onsighting, but the weird thing is this never seems to be a problem outside of competitions. Perhaps I just need more experience, and the only way to do so is by competing more and more.

But anyway, after the competition Andrea took off to Spain to train for the Youth World Championships and I went back to Nice to climb in Les Gorges du Loup. Yesterday was a crazy day at the cliff – I showed up and already there were quite a few strong climbers there, including Tomas Mrazek. Then a few minutes later none other then Mr. Chris Sharma, Dani Andrada, and Daila showed up. Then another hour or so later Magnus arrived. So all in all there were about five world class climbers present. Quite a day! Chris warmed up by trying “Kinematix” 9a, nearly flashing the first part of the route which is 8c. He wasn’t too syked because of the chipped holds so he then tried to onsight an 8c and fell on the last hard move, 40 meters up. Dani started trying Inga, 8c+/9a and worked out the moves pretty fast. It was pretty surprising to see them here and it was obvious that the routes here aren’t much of a challenge for them. I’m not sure how long they will stay but it will be interesting to see what they will get done.

Me and Magnus started trying “Total Eclatch” 8c and worked out the moves on it pretty fast. I found some really nice beta and I think as soon as I can do the bottom boulder it will go quick. I also put my draws in “Ultimate Sacrifice” 8c+ and worked out the moves. It felt much easier then it had last year and I also think that it can go pretty fast, as long as it doesn’t rain. This is usually the first route to get wet, and it has been raining a lot this season, so hopefully it will stay dry. And finally I also tried “Quenelle Trophy” 8c and it also felt much easier then last year, so all in all I now have three projects to try to get done. A lot of the other routes I want to try (Abysse, Triptik Tonic, etc) are really wet so Ill have to wait at least a week before trying them.

Made the finals!

2008-07-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

After the Serre Chevalier youth comp, I want able to find a ride/place to stay in Nice so I decided to stay in Serre Chevalier and compete in the adult invitational. This is just like a World Cup except they invite the top 26 people in the IFSC ranking to participate. There is a qualifiers, 8 people make it to finals, and then there is a super-finals with the top three. The finals is not an onsight but after-work format where the competitors get 30 minutes to work a route (usually 8c+) and then one try to redpoint it in the comp.

The qualifiers was 8b and I surprised myself by making is pretty high up the route. I ended up taking 8th place, just enough for finals! So tomorrow Ill get a shot on the after work route and see how it goes.

Andrea didn't climb so well and had trouble with a clip, so she ended up in 11th place.

Serre Chevalier

2008-07-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

The day after doing Zobble I went climbing in "Cayenne", a rarely visited sector of Gorges du Loup. I had tried an 8b+ there last year that felt impossible to me, a really hard 8 move boulder to 10 hard moves of bouldery resistance. Since this is almost exactly like Zobble I decided to try it again and finished it up in a few tries. Definitely not an easy one so I was satisfied. Im pretty sure this was the third ascent ?

After that, I took a rest day and drove to Serre Chevalier to compete in the international youth open comp. It went well and I ended up winning. Andrea didnt do so well but still she ended up in second place. It was fun but my syke right now is more for the hard rock climbs..

So now, its back to Nice to try my projects on the Deverse wall.

And so it begins..

2008-07-17T04:59:00.000-07:00

Today I finished up my first big project in Nice, "Zobble" 8c+ in the Jurassic Park. I needed around 5 tries this trip and fell three times from the final crux before sending. In total it took around 5 days of work which is the longest I have ever tried a route. My hardest so far, but the future looks promising..

So about the climb- Zobble is a short, steep 30 move resistance route. It starts with a 10 move 7C+ boulder which leads to a decent rest. After this rest comes another bouldery section, maybe 7B+ or 7C, which involves a really cool sequence of heelhooks, toehooks, dropknees, etc. After this there are two easier moves and finally one last hard stab move to a slopey pocket. This move is really low percentage and only works if you hit the pocket just right. After this, there are 10 more easier moves to the top. Overall the climbing is quality and much more interesting then a lot of the other routes here.

So next up is the Deverse Wall. I have so many projects there that it will easily keep me occupied for the rest of my trip - Asai, Umtimate Sacrifice, Abysse, Hot Chili X, Total Eclatch, Honk, Sika2, Les Maux de La Fin, Quenelle Trophy, Triptip Tonic, etc etc. There is no way I'll get all these done but hopefully some will go by mid August, before I take off to Sydney for the Youth World Championships.

World Cup Chamonix

2008-07-14T04:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the second IFSC world cup of the season in Chamonix. I did well in the qualifiers (around 15th or 16th place, not sure because the category was split into 2 qualifier routes and one was easier then the other), but as usual I messed up in the semis and ended up 28th. This is the fourth time that this has happened and its getting really annoying. Just once, I want to do well in a world cup semifinals. Why is this so hard for me?!?!

But on the other hand, my sister Andrea made a truely spectacular performance in the semis and missed finals by one place. She actually called a technical after her go, the judge granted it, and she went again and ended up in 8th place, which would have been just enough for finals. However, the Austrian coach made an appeal after and the jury decided the judge had made a bad call, so they only counted her first go which put her in 9th place. This, in my opinion, is ridiculous and if someone is allowed to go again then they should not be deprived of their better result. Either way the judges were very unclear and unorganized and I was not impressed with their way of handling the incident. No one seemed to know what to do and everyone made the wrong calls, which resulted in my sister losing her opportunity to compete in the world cup finals.

For those of you that dont know, an adult lead world cup is NOTHING like US nationals. Making the finals is extremely difficult and only the worlds strongest climbers have any chance of doing so. I really hope people realize how amazing of an accomplishment this was from my sister. She has been training extremely hard for the past year with Spanish coach David Macia and her effors are now starting to show. I dont think this 9th place happened by luck because nearly every strong girl was there, so Im pretty sure she will be able to make finals in one of the upcoming worldcups. I hope all her friends out there will send her a message of congratulations and encourage her to place even better next time.

Anyways, for me, I dont really care what place I get as long as once, just ONCE, Im able to do my best in the semis; Whatever place that puts me in, Ill be very syked.

So yesterday after finals we drove to Nice and now I am here for a few weeks. Im very syked and hopefully will be able to get my projects done from last time! More on that to come soon..

Roctrip

2008-06-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I took off to France to take part in the Petzl Roctrip in Millau. I arrived Thursday night and met up with my friends from the US and Canada, making plans for the next day and seeing what the deal was so far. The event was a bit unorganized and hectic, but the climbing itself was amazing so I definately had a good time. Petzl reserved campsites for the athletes and I ended up staying in a cabin with my friends Joe and Colette, as well as some of the Petzl France crew including Christophe Zehani and Alex Chabot.

The cliff where the event took place doesnt have many routes, so pretty much every route had a waiting list. Day one we warmed up and me and Joe climbed an amazing 8a+ called Big Bug. I also tried an short bouldery 8b+ (dont know the name) but didnt really try work it much because of the massive amounts of people waiting to try it as well. The next day we hiked up later in the day and waited until people started leaving before trying our projects. I tried the 8b+ again and climbed it on my second try. Saturday night was a HUGE party and all of us had trouble waking up the next day, but even so we eventually decided to go climbing. I tried a project that is a left linkup into a classic 8a called M'enfin Marie. It was one of the Roctrip projects but no one had really worked it, so I decided to see what it was all about. It was way easier then I was expecting and I ended up climbing it pretty fast, the grade being around 8a+ or 8b, not really sure. The line itself is amazing and very creative, definately a good one to try. I was very syked to free such a nice route and hopefully others will approve of it as well.

All in all I wouldn't say the event was nearly as good as the one in the Red River Gorge, but I definately had a good time at the least and am satisfied to have gone. The next Roctrip will be in Zillertal, Austria, and I am planning on going so more on that to come.

Millau Roctrip

2008-06-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend it looks like I'll be heading down to the Petzl Roctrip in Millau. Im very syked to finally climb outdoor routes again, and not to mention in one of the best sport climbing spots in the world. More updates to come soon..

3rd in Wuppertal

2008-06-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I competed in the European Youth Cup in Wuppertal, Germany. I climbed well and ended up getting third place in my category behind Jakob Schubert and Martin Stranik. Full results on the IFSC website.

boulder proj in trou magritte

2008-06-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

Earlier in a post I mentioned a boulder project that I chalked up in Trou Magritte.. I originally thought it would be 8A+ or something, but today I went out to try it with my friend Nicolas and all I can say is, its really really hard. It is basically one hard move off an OK left hand crimp and a complete shit right hand one to a left hand edge, then a 7C exit. Or, there is a potential sit start that would add two moves into the start. We worked the stand for about two hours and got nowhere near sticking the move. I havent tried many hard boulders yet, but it definately feels harder then any 8A+ or 8B ive tried, so from the stand it will probably be hard 8B or 8B+, and a potential 8C from the sit??

Ill post pictures soon. I need to get someone really strong on it to confirm my thoughts, but I think it could definately be up there in difficulty. I really dont think I can climb it, but Ill put a few more days of effort into it just for fun.

back in europe

2008-06-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

I have returned from my US trip, back in europe and ready for the next adventure. I kind of miss Colorado, the bouldering and hanging out with my good friends. In my experience the best part of a trip is being zith your friends and having fun, which makes the climbing so much better. I wish I could have stayed longer but I know soon I´ll spend at least four years there, so now its time to make the best of Europe while I have the opportunity. I´m kind of on my own here, but thats life sometimes, motivate yourself and get things done. So my plans for the summer... I will spend the next two weeks training here in Belgium, then I will compete in the European Youth Cup in Germany. After that, off to France hopefully to finish up my rock epics. In August my friend Jon arrives to Belgium and we weill train for the World Cup in Bern, then off to Spain for our four month roadtrip.. can´t wait. Once again, dreams of Spanish life keep me going and motivated.

A Muerte!

Colorado part 2

2008-06-09T10:12:00.001-07:00

(Both Sides of the Spectrum, V12)

So continuing the colorado trip.. I decided that since I would be climbing routes all summer, I would make use of my time in Colorado to regain my bouldering strenghts a bit. A few days after doing Off the Books, we went to Morraine Park, an area in RMNP, to try the classic Both Sides of the Spectrum (V12). This climb was established by Harry Robertson and originally rated V13, but has since been downgraded to a solid 12. It is by far one of the most amazing boulders I have ever tried, a crazy mix between power, precision, and balance that you rarely find. I worked the boulder for about two hours with my friends Daniel and Toshi, and after figuring out the final slap move, both me and Daniel sent. I then went to check out another nice boulder, Veritas (v11). It was pretty wet but I sent it fourth go, falling at the very last move on the flash. SHTEP! (german for shit!).

Our next destination was Mt. Evans. We went here for a day and I tried the classic Clear Blue Skies (V12), another climb which used to be V13 but has been since downgraded. I spent about an hour trying this problem and after falling a few times on the finish move, I ripped a HUGE flapper in my index finger and wasn't able to try it any more.. SHTEP!! I got really close and am very syked to return next season to finish it up. The Dali wall (where the boulder is) is truely one of the best walls in the world for hard climbing (V7, V9, V10, V11, Three V12's, and V14) and one of my plans in the long run is to do every boulder on it.

That sums up the outdoor climbing part of the trip. The rest of the time was spent training at CATS, The Boulder Rock CLub, and The Spot, chillin in the Shadow Factory (top secret.. cant reveal info), crazy dance parties, and hanging out with a lot of my good friends. I am now back in Europe, training for a few weeks and then off to France for the start of my next roadtrip. A muerte!

Colorado pt.1

2008-05-26T13:58:00.001-07:00

Ive been here in Boulder CO for the past week, hanging out with my friends Jon and Harry. Its been a good time, climbing a few times around Boulder and an unsuccessful trip to Rifle (snowed out). Upon arriving we went to Boulder Canyon and I tried a really amazing dyno boulder called Cage Free (V11). I climbed it pretty quick and thought it was more of a V10, but either way its a true classic. We also went climbing in Clear Creek and we climbed a new boulder in the Nomad Cave called Off the Books, also around V10 or 11. Jon got the FA and I repeated it soon after. Really fun compression climb out a roof, worth trying if your in the area. I also tried Shine (14a) and worked out all the moves, so soon I will return to finish it up and also to try the harder variation, Prime Time to Shine (14b). Also, I may return to Rifle soon if the weather permits. A muerte!

USA Trip Part 1 - New River Rendezvous

2008-05-24T12:35:00.001-07:00

After returning from Nice, I stayed two days in Belgium then took off for West Virginia to participate in the New River Rendezvous. I flew to DC and stayed in Maryland for a day with my good friend Philip London. We went climbing in Northwest Branch and I tried a problem that James O'Conner had established earlier, Curtain Call (V10). I was really jetlagged and tired so I couldnt quite stick the crux from the ground, but it was a fun session and a great new problem. After this I headed to The New, in hopes of trying a nice project in the Narcissist Cave at Summersville. When we got there, everything was wet because it had been raining for the past week, and the forecast said it would rain during the weekend as well. QUE PUTA!! So pretty much I didnt get to try anything hard, but on Saturday I competed in the sport comp and won, winning $300, which kind of made the trip worth it (kind of). I climbed Suicide Blonde, Deeptroat, BC, The Pod, Mercy Seat, Apollo Reed, Tobacco Road, Surfer Rosa, Narcissist Direct, and Reckless Abandon, all first try. So all in all it was a good time, as well as a good opportunity to check in with my sponsors. The after party was really fun too.. But by the end I was very syked to leave and fly to Colorado, in hopes of better weather.

Short Nice trip

2008-04-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'm leaving for Nice, France, for a short (9 day) trip with my family. I'll be climbing at the Deverse wall the entire time, my home away from home, so it should be a good time. My goal for the trip is to try to climb "Ultimate Sacrifice", a really rad 8c+ up the middle of the wall. The first part of this route is an 8c that I climbed last summer, and the extension adds about 10 hard, bouldery moves and another 10 moves of resistance for an extra 15 or so meters of climbing. Although the 8c part is cool, Ultimate Sacrifice is definately the full, proud line.

Its crazy that I've been climbing at this wall for the past three or so summers, but have never really gotten tired of it. For some reason, although all the routes are pretty similar, they are also very unique. There is still so much here for me to do. Its a wall that you definately grow to appreciate over time. At first glance it isnt very impressive looking, the lines arent the most beautiful ones in the world, but they are deceptive. They climb WAY better then they look. In my opinion it is one of the greatest walls in the world for hard sport climbing, chipped or not.

The obstacle is the path.

2008-04-27T03:23:00.000-07:00

It seems like everything has been going wrong since I returned to Belgium. I had to leave Spain, got the flu AGAIN have been really sick, a f*d up shoulder injury in the gym, etc. but not to worry because thing can only get better from here.. hopefully.

Yesterday, I still felt sick but went to check out a new crag anyway.. its a Secret spot and has no name yet, but pretty much its a small cave with like 5 routes in it. A 7b, 7c, 7c+, 8b, and an 8c.

I tried to climb but felt like complete shit, I had no power. The doctor told me not to leave my bed for a week and of course two days later I'm out rock climbing, so I couldn't expect to feel much better. I fell on the 7b and did the 7c second go, then tried the 8c. I tried the moves and although they felt really hard right now, I know once I feel better it will be in the bag, for sure. The first route in Belgium that isn't crazy sandbagged!

There are also two more potentially hard lines that can be bolted, which is my next goal as long as I can get hold of a drill somewhere. One line will be around 8b+ and is a really rad looking steep dihedral, compression style climbing. The other one is a direct start into the 8c and will probably add a hard boulder into it, so maybe that can be 8c+, I don't know yet, we will have to see.

Photos to come soon. I'm going back tomorrow, so hopefully I'll feel better by then.

gdl goals

2008-04-26T05:24:00.000-07:00

goals for gdl:

ultimate sacrifice
hot chili X
dies irae
les maux de la fin?

Plans

2008-04-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

So after getting back from Spain, Ive spent the past two days trying to figure out my plans for the upcoming year. Heres what Ive came up with so far:

Next Thursday I go to Nice for two weeks, then May 14th I will go to the US for around 10 days. My plans are to attend the New River Rendezvous and then fly to Colorado to check out CU and maybe take a short trip to Rifle after.

When I get back I plan on going to Spain to meet up with some friends and go climbing. Ill stay until it gets really hot and then after, Im not sure where exactly I want to go. All I know is that I want to spend at least one month in Nice as well.

In the fall, going back to Spain!

So if anyones around in Europe this summer, let me know and maybe we can make plans to go climbing. Im pretty much down for anywhere as long as its not too far of a drive from Spain/France/Belgium

Mediterrian Open 2008

2008-04-21T04:05:00.000-07:00

Andrea, Future, and I competed in the Mediterrian Open this past weekend in Aix-En-Province, France. The comp was pretty cool and we all did well, all in good shape after the Spain trip.

I ended up winning my category with onsighting my finals route, around 8a+? Future placed third, falling close to the top. Andrea, of course, dominated her category and won with ease.

Spain Finale

2008-04-21T03:37:00.001-07:00

So I havent updated in a while since its so hard to find internet on the road, but I'm back in Belgium now, done with the trip. So I left off at Rodellar.. after I climbed Welcome and the Hulk, it rained like hell for the next two days, not just there but in all of Spain. All that was potentially dry was the Ali Baba cave, so I hiked down alone two days and climbed in there while everyone else rested. The only thing that was fully dry was Pichacho, an 8A boulder established dy Dani Andrada. I climbed this in one day and also started trying The Hulk sit, 8c+. I did all the moves on the sit but The Hulk was wet so I couldnt link it. I was hoping that it would dry up but since the rain persisted, we had to leave. Terradets was also wet so my other project, Essencia de Resistencia, was also soaked. The only dry place to climb was Santa Linya, so we made a three day stop there before heading over to France for the rest of the time.

In Santa Linya, since I didnt have a lot of time, I set my sights on La Novena Puerta 8c+. (The route is the one in the photo of Magnus above) This 30 meter route is the first part of the famous Novena Enmienda 9a+, one of the hardest routes in the world established by Dani Andrada. It is basically an 8b+ to a good rest, to another 8b+. An amazing resistance route, and definately something that felt possible in the 3 day time limit.

Day one I worked out all the moves but had problems with the second crux, where you have to do a big move off a pinch to a three finger dish. In order to do the move I had to heelhook a really slopey tufa and my foot would slip everytime. Day two I had the same problem, but one go I did the move and made it to the third crux, the mono move, but missed it and fell. Day three I was pretty tired and fell all over but I had one go, at the very end of the day, where I made it all the way to the finish move of the route which is a big throw off of a slopey crimp to a jug, but was so tired that I missed it and fell. PUTA MADRE! At that point I knew the route was possible but only had one or two more opportunities to send it, because Chris and Future wanted to leave for Spain the next morning. So next morning I woke up, warmed up, and felt so tired I nearly fell off the 7b. I tied in and gave my project a try, but fell really low. Again it was a footslip. I figured I was too tired to send that day, but decided to give it one last go just to see what happens. I put on Chris's right shoe for the heelhook, which is a Womens Muira. I started up the route and somehow battled my way through the first part to the big rest in the middle. I took a long rest, beared down, and made it to the anchors! I ave no idea how I was able to do it so tired, but it was definately suprising and a random send. Very syked, my first 8c+! Future also ad a good 4 day trip by climbing Ingravid Serps and Digital System, both 8c, and falling off the finish move of Rollito Sharma Extension, another 8c!

So right after I sent we packed up and drove all the way to Nice. The next two days we climbed in La Turbie and Les Gorges du Loup, but I didnt do anything really hard since most of the climbs were wet. I climbed an amazing 8a at La Turbie, 40 meters of technical tufas and crimps, all above the famous Monaco.

So that pretty much concluded the rock climbing part of the trip. After these two days in Nice we drove over to Aix-En-Province to compete in The Youth Mediterranian Open. All in all I am satisfied with my trip, but I think we could have gotten a lot more done if it didnt rain so much. I definately have things to go back to now though, so A Muerte until I return!

Spain Update #3

2008-04-06T04:29:00.000-07:00

Another day on Essencia 8c+, another day of one falling it a muerte.. its becoming quite an epic for me, but as long as I persist it will fall at some point, hopefully.. eventually. Oh and also two days ago I turned 18, a nice night out at the Kalandraka bar was the celebration. Now that Im an adult its time to get serious and finish up the project!

Other then that we drove to Rodellar yesterday and I climbed two more 8c's that day, Welcome to Tijuana and The Hulk. The Hulk is more like 8b+ but since I climbed it with the rope and had to clip, it definately made it a lot harder, so I just left it at 8c. Most people just climb it without a rope because its like 15 feet off the ground, but since its a roof I didnt want to take a bad fall.

So tomorrow, back to my project. Wish me luck!

Spain Update #2

2008-04-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

So we´ve been climbing in the Terradets for the pat few days. A few days ago we stopped in Santa Linya for an afternoon and I climbed Ingravid Serps, 8c on the third try. I had tried the route once in January but I forgot all the beta so I had to work it out again. Its a cool route but the first anchor it ends at is completely pointless. The headwall above is really cool and only changes the grade to 8c/8c+, so theres really no reason to end at the first part. If I go back Ill re-climb it to the top.

In the Terradets I have tried La Essencia de Resistencia, 8c+ 6 times now and have fallen 3 times on the very last hard move. Hopefully tomorrow Ill finish it up, which also happens to be my 18th birthday!

Spain Update 1

2008-03-30T05:06:00.000-07:00

Well Ive been in Spain for 4 days now. Originially we were planning on climbing in Santa Linya, but Future and Chris were syked on Rodellar (I wasnt really but Im in no position to complain...) so we drove over there when I arrived. The next day we climbed but it was very cold and snowing so it didnt go very well. I tried The Hulk 8b+ and made it into the crux twice but didnt do it. Since the weather was so bad we left the next da and drove to Terradets. The next day I started working a nice 8c+ route called La Essencia de Resistencia, which is a right line up a big cave. It involves climbing a 8b start into a hard, powerful boulder, then finishing up another 8b to the anchors. I gave it maybe 4 tries and was able to link it to the crux, then one fall to the top, so I think I can get it done soon.

The next day we drove to Lleida to compete in the X-Tone bouldering event which is kind of like the Meloblocco event but much lamer. They picked a small, chossy area with maybe 20 problems and whoever climbed the most would make finals. Finald was the same format but in another area. warmed up and climbed a 7B+ 2nd try, three 7B flashes and a few easier ones, but then as I was working a 7C I got this wierd pain in my chest. I couldnt lean forward because my peck would start hurting a lot, so I talked to a doctor who told me I shouldnt climb anymore that day. So none of us made finals but it was cool to watch, Tony Lamiche ended up winning.

Not sure if we are climbing today, I really want to but Future and Chris dont. More updates to come soon. We are planning on staying in the Terradets until I finish up the 8c+ then off to Rodellar or something.

Spain Tomorrow!

2008-03-24T15:56:00.000-07:00

Ahh, SPAIN tomorrow!! Soo excited. I know Ive been posting way too much but I'm so syked I can't resist! Finally, the entire winter and spring training that I've been doing will be put to the test on the most perfect, immaculate Spanish rock there is.

Before I left for Font I climbed with Michael Fuselier in the gym. He was in the area so he decided to check in and do some climbing. I had a project - the black route. Really hard, it starts with a boulder in the bottom, some consistant hard climbing, going straight into another really hard boulder. After this you get a rest and it is maybe 8a+ to the top. Overall the route is probably a hard 8c. Michael just returned from a one month trip to Hampi and so his power was up to its max. He warmed up up and tried the black route - 6 tries later, he sent. This got me really inspired and at complete random, four tries later I was also up at the top of the wall. Im not sure how or why but that go, the route felt really easy and I climbed it very controlled. The syke was very high I guess! But also I feel like my training has really been paying off so Im very syked to see what I can do in Spain.. we'll see in a few days!

Anyway my next update will be from there. As Joe wold say, JYYEEAHHH!!

Font Day 3+4

2008-03-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

On day 3, we decided to check out the Bas-Cuvier sector of Font. We warmed up and tried the famous dyno Hale Bopp, 8A. The problem is basically one big jump off of two very small but positive crimps to a jug lip. The feet are good but pretty low, so either you can reach it or not. For me, it was the latter. I could get an inch or so under the lip each time, but just couldn’t jump far enough to get it. After I felt like I couldn’t possibly jump any further, we packed up and moved on to try another famous boulder, Karma. This boulder is really really hard and is the universal standard for Font 8A+. It is also probably the most known boulder problem in the forest. The problem goes as such - You stand on a root and jump start to a good pinch. You then set your feet and do a huge right hand slap to a really bad sloper, then heelhook the pinch and rock up on your foot to a good left hand edge. I tried it a bunch of times but never got the right hand sloper good enough to be able to get my heel up. Although I didn’t send it, it was nice to finally try this boulder that I’ve heard so much about. I will definitely return someday to finish it up. After this we moved on to another area and I onsighted a 7C traverse called Eclipse, and also got really close to flashing the 7C+ to the left, but was too tired in the end to finish it up. All in all it was a fun day and we still managed to climb despite the rain.

Day 4 - Rain, Rain, RAIN!! Another day that started off with an early shower and then continued to drizzle for the rest of the day. We visited a really classic area called Cuvier Rempart. This sector is home to classics such as Fatman, Gourmandise, Sideways Daze, Fourmis Rouge, Noir Desir, etc. We warmed up and I climbed a 6C, 7A+, and 7B. We then moved on to try Noir Desir, 7C. This boulder has three problems on it, two 7C’s and a 7B+. I climbed the first 7C third try, then flashed both Noir Desir and the 7B+ to the left. Right up the trail from this boulder is a small roof with one perfect line coming out of it called “Grand Angle du Fond” 8A. The crux of the problem is only three hard moves and involves really huge slap moves between bad crimps and slopers. You start with your right hand on a small pocket it the roof and your left hand on a crimp on the arete. You put your left heel next to your left hand and do a big cross move to a really small and sharp gaston crimp on the lip of the roof. You then toe in really hard with your right foot and match this hold (its really bad with the right hand), and then do a HUGE left hand move to a perfect flat jug on the face. From here its maybe 6C to the top.

I worked the boulder for about an hour and finally near the end figured out the beta that worked the best for me. I fell a bunch of times slapping the final finish jug because the left heel that you do the move off of it really small and slippery, so I would have my hand on the jug but my foot would come off. After about maybe 50 tries, I finally hit the jug without my foot slipping and matched the hold quickly before I swung out. I still hit the pads a bit, but I’m taking it anyway because its pretty much impossible not to dab on this boulder. There was no way that the dab helped me anyway, I wouldn’t have fallen, so whatever. Maybe its invalid but I don’t care, for me it felt like a send.

So today I go back to Belgium, train in the gym for two more days then I’m off to Barcelona! All in all I was pretty satisfied with my Font trip. The weather wasn’t perfect but we still did a lot of amazing climbing. I climbed better then I thought I would, since I haven’t bouldered at all since January, and hanging out with my friends was also really fun.

On one final note, although I didn’t climb so many big grades, I want to point out that the grading scale in Font is WAY more stiff then that in most areas in the US (Hueco, Gunks, Bishop, etc.). I got shut down on a lot of 7B’s and 7C’s that I felt would be graded way higher in the US. Most of the 7C’s I climbed here would be at least V10 in Hueco, or maybe even harder sometimes. It makes me wonder.. Which scale is off. Is Font really stiff or is Hueco really soft?

Font Day 1+2

2008-03-20T04:33:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm here in Font, trying my hardest to get back into bouldering shape and climb a bunch of nice problems. Chillin with my crew of Hungarian friends Balint, Martin, and Akos. Word! The weather has been suprisingly good for the past two days so I'm pretty satisfied.

Day one was pretty cool. I did a few classic 7A and 7B boulders, technical blocs on really bad slopers and hard topouts. I climbed two classic 7C boulders, an arete and Eclipse. Both felt really hard, pure power boulders. I tried an 8A called the Maxx but there was a really sketchy heelhook on it that hurt my foot so I stopped trying.

Day two went a bit better. I warmed up and tried La Balance, 8A, but it felt really hard so I left it alone and tried a 7C called Aerodynamite. I climbed it second try, which was suprising, so my and Balint started trying a project to the left of it. It involves grabbing a really bad left hand crimp, and the pocket starting hold of Aerodynamite with the right hand, then jumping to a pinch and doing a huge move with the left into a good crack. We worked it for like an hour and it felt really hard. Then, all of the sudden Balint climbed it, so I got syked again and started working it some more. After like 100 tries of almost getting the crack, at the end of the day I finally stuck it and topped it out. Super classic new boulder, and probably around 7C+/8A.

So more to come, today we're resting but tomorrow, if it doesnt rain, were gonna try Fata Morgana and Stan I Helvete.

Belgian Nationals

2008-03-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I just got done with competing in the Belgian adult "difficulty" nationls. The reason why difficults is in quotation makrs will be explained soon.

The comp started off with two flash qualifiers. The first route was maybe 7b+, cool face climbing, while the second was maybe 7c+, also up a face. They weren't too hard so naturally, there was a 7 way tie for first going into finals.

The finals route turned out to be so easy that five of us topped it with ease. Since there was now a five-way tie for first, the rulebook stated that we had to go again on the sae finals route and the fastest one to climb it would win.

At this point I was so pissed off that I didnt even care anymore. I didnt try at all to be fast and still ended up getting third.

So first off, why did the routesetters set a 7c finals route? There were at least four competitors there (me, Nicolas favress, my friend Jerome, and Olivier - Nicos brother) who have onsighted 8a+ and 8b routes. I understand that they wanted the othe rcompetitors to get high as well, but they could have at least made the last section of the route really hard.

And the second thing,why couldnt they just set uo a regular superfinal like every other comp in the world? Since when doe sspeed decide who wins the difficulty nationals? It pisses me off because I have been training really hard lately and definately felt that I could have won this comp if I climbed well. Now speed, NOT strength, decided who won.

Im pretty sure the rulebook needs to be re-written for cases like this. Also, Belgian routesetters need to do a better job in assessing the strength of the competitors and setting an appropriate finals route.

Nicolas Favresse ended up being the fastest with his time being 1 minute and 56 seconds. So he climbed the finals route at an adult nationals (around 70 feet long and 8 quickdraws) in under two minutes. Great finals route....

But whatever, tomorrow I'm off to Font then after that Spain. I dont have to deal with it anymore. And also, I finally met Nico again and Im planning on going climbing with him this summer at a bunch of new crags hes developing in Arco.

Spring Plans

2008-03-13T08:39:00.001-07:00

So after much revision, I came up with the following as a rough plan for my spring and summer schedule. This is still likely to change, but I'm pretty sure it wont be by much.

This Sunday is the Belgian adult difficulty nationals.

March 16 - 23 : Short (1 week) Fontainebleau bouldering trip

March 25-April 20 : Spain Trip

April 20-24 : Perhaps climbing in the Calanques, France

Then in May, I am planning a two week trip to the US. My plans are:

May 15-18 : New River Rendezvous
May 19-29 : Colorado

Then after I'll return to Europe. Not sure yet what my summer plans are, more on that coming soon!