This winter season
has been pretty rad and It has been definitely a turning point in my climbing
life. Climbing a lot of hard stuff in the last few months signed the end but
also the beginning of a new path.
I'm feeling
definitely stronger in the head and my approach to the hard things is totally
changed, I’m not intimorated anymore to try problems at my limit and now I know that the
process of improvement is a long thing and you have just to try over and over
till one day everything will work perfectly together and you’ll finally be able
to get it.
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| Dt. Med Dent Pic. Stefan Kuerzi |
I’m not used to
spent too time on a single thing especially on a boulder because I always had a
lot of must-do thing that I could get in a day, so for me was much more
satisfying to climb on 8As or 8A+s then on a 8Bs.
This year I had
some no gravity days and I was able to pull off a lot of stuff from 8a to 8a+
range so I decided that was the time to move forward and to try something that
I had to spend a lot energies on.
What I’m going to talk about are the two days that have left a huge mark
on my life forever.
On these two different days happened something that I had never
experienced before, something that sometimes is not that easy to explain with
words.
-
It
was Saturday, January 31st when I was keeping in touch
with my friends Gabri and Luca about what we’ll have done the day after. They
were in Cresciano with some crazy friends that were in Ticino for a couple of
days, the conditions were awesome so we planned to head back to Cresciano to
join the crew again because we were sure that despite all, it would have been a
good day.
I
was keeping in my mind what I would like to try but when I was there I just
followed the flow and the crew. I could have never known, but it turned
out to be an awesome day, and by far the best of my life!
The
crew that had gathered was insane. It composed of Gabri,
Bazoo, Sbisi, Giulio Bertola, Davide Gaeta, Michelle and a whole bunch of other
guys.
The
first boulder I tried was “La pelle direct 8A+”, Bazoo explained to me the beta
he used the day before and I eventually found myself at the top after around
30min of trying.
Since
I was there I figured on trying the left variant [8A] also, that is way more
different to climb on and it definitely gave me more troubles than the
original one.
After a little
break I had a try from the start, the feet stayed, the fingers locked
and I luckily ticked another one!
The
day was still early so the crew split up. I moved with Bazoo and
Davide to Jungle Book and Sbisi wanted to get “La Pelle left” since he was soo
close.
Jungle
book was under the sun’s heat, that was quite strong even in February, but the
motivation was extremely high so we checked it out anyway.
Bazoo showed me the beta once again for the original sit start but it was so hard to have a good friction on the last slopy part of the problem when you come from the sit.
One attempt my both hands slipped off altogether and I dropped down onto the pad like a sand bag. Ahaha! My skin started to get worse and the finger tips were red but it eventually and rather thanksfully went down for Luca and me.
I guess I will remember this day for all of my life, because except the high quality and quantity of hard boulders I sent, that of course makes this day way more unique, I had so much fun and the energy we were all able to give one another was unbelievable.
Bazoo showed me the beta once again for the original sit start but it was so hard to have a good friction on the last slopy part of the problem when you come from the sit.
One attempt my both hands slipped off altogether and I dropped down onto the pad like a sand bag. Ahaha! My skin started to get worse and the finger tips were red but it eventually and rather thanksfully went down for Luca and me.
For
me the day could be called finished because 3 8A's in a day sounded pretty dope
and I was definitely satisfied but the motivation of the whole crew dragged me
in the right way so I was also able to finish off “La Nave va 7C+”, an awesome
technical slopy edge, with crazy rock quality, I finally finished off with “Gecko
7C+”.
I guess I will remember this day for all of my life, because except the high quality and quantity of hard boulders I sent, that of course makes this day way more unique, I had so much fun and the energy we were all able to give one another was unbelievable.
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| Boogalagga Pic. Stefan Kuerzi |
- -The
other perfect day that features this perfect winter season is about the highest
point of my climbing lifethus far.
What
I’m going to write about next is the result of all the hard work and hard
training. The result of a lot of failures, falls and days spent under one
single boulder or rather entire sessions spent trying to figure out just one
single move.
Boogalagga
is the result of all of this.
This
line has always been the main project for me, from the beginning of the
bouldering season in Ticino, in fact the first time on it was in December when
I spent a couple of days in Chironico with my brother and Niky Ceria.
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| Boogalagga Pic. Stefan Kuerzi |
I
did it starting from the second move to the top, that is not that hard at
all, but if you fail to make everything perfectly you can definitely
fall.
The
boulder itself consists of one single move if you use the beta
straight to the pocket (depends on the size) because the first move is damned
hard, but it is not all about strength, it requires perfect body
positioning and exact coordination as well.
Everything
for me had to be close to perfection for sending this beast, I mean, I had to
be in a good shape, my skin had to be dry and regenerated and also the climbing
conditions had to good.
I
came closer and closer and every time I figured out a new foot beta for the
first move because also a foot 2cm more on the right could make differences on
doing the move or not.
The
day that Andrea and Luca took down the problem I was super close and I quickly
realized that I had also one chance to get it.
So
three days later I came back. I felt strong in the head and ready to climb this
one. In fact after a couples of tries I stuck the first move to the 2 finger
pocket and I climbed all the way up.
It
was something so incredible to be stood on the top of this boulder. A boulder
that I had dreamed about for years and years.
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| Boogalagga Pic. Stefan Kuerzi |
Boogalagga
can be called “THE LINE” because it is a tall and proud bloc that follows this
awesome overhanging prow. The holds are insane and the movements are unique and
after all is is an 8B boulder problem that for me marks the end of a cycle but
at the same time signals a new beginning.
Here
there is the list of the boulder I was able to climb this winter (in order of
beauty):
 |
| Similitudini Aosta Valley. Pic Andrea Zanone |
- Boogalagga 8B (Chironico)
- Amber 8A+ (Brione)
- Zarmina 8A+ (Champorcher)
- Conquistador 8A/+ (Chironico)
- La Nave Va 7C+ (Cresciano)
- Similitudini 8B (Outrefer)
- Wie im Urlaub 7C/+ (Brione)
- La pelle direct 8A+ (Cresciano)
- Jungle Book sit 8A/+ (Cresciano)
- Gecko 7C+ (Cresciano)
- Conquistador direct 8A+/B
(Chironico)
- La pelle left 8A (Cresciano)
- Viva il Cavaliere 7C+ (Cubo)
- Le Pilier 8A (Chironico)
- Wrap Artist 8A (Chironico)
- Baby Mammoth 8A+ (Chironico)
- Second life 8A/+ (Chironico)
- Pure Addiction 8A/+ (Chironico)
- Souvenir 8A (Chironico)
