We woke up just before 8. The alarm kept on ringing. We looked at each other and shook our head.
Mika, the Latvian guy sleeping in the same apartment (the opposite bed) slept...he just slept on...through his alarm.
We took our cutlery, plate and went down.
As Paul was a bit more injured then he said, he wanted to take a 'relax' day. So Markus and Paul swopped groups.
We were scheduled for the sector Caporal. A big wall with more then just a scent of Yosemite...
Lucy, Roberto, Markus and me would climb a 7c+ multipitch. We divided again in two groups. Markus and me, Roberto and Lucy. After the first to pitches of Crazy Horse as warm-up, we decided we'd go further in Crazy Horse whilst Lucy and Roberto went for the harder 7c+.
In the 7b I really started feeling my wrist again. Annoying...sometimes I'm just strong and can do any move whatever I want and sometimes it just hurts...
Markus and Roberto discussing what route to climb on the top of the 2nd pitch of Crazy Horse
So Markus went up and realised after almost pulling out a big piece of rock, that the aid-part really was just for aiding. After me seconding the route we both concluded that this was even harder then 9a... I went up, and down again in the next pitch and got nicely demotivated by all the bird-shit in that pitch...So, we decided to get into something else. Diedro Nachos maybe?
Impressive, impressive, interesting, scary (when I didn't have a no.6, was clipped in on some rusty piton and later when my no. 4 got overcammed and I still had quite some meters to go...)
Me in the scary 6b layback at the top of Diedro Nachos
What an adventure. But, we were way too late. We guessed it was already around 7 and had to abseil and walk back. But then, when we were half way down the path Mauro walked up. He was a bit worried and drove all the way to pick us up. Too kind!
Caporal again, on Wednesday
As the groups were still similar. We decided to climb together today. Dennis and me swopped groups and later Roberto and Markus joined as groups of 5 sound unhandy.
We'd try to climb the first free repeat of Tempi Duri/Strapiombi delle Visioni (6c+, 6a, 7a, 7a, 7b).
Markus in the first pitch of Tempi Duri
Roberto and I went up together and before us Markus and Dennis climbed up. As we were with four it went all pretty slow... In the second pitch (the first chimney I ever climbed) I was a bit in a hurry and forgot to lengthen my placements. Resulting in way too much ropedrag. So I made a belay in the middle :( Ashamed of my unhandy action I had Roberto climbing up after me and finishing chimney.
Roberto leading the 7a in Tempi Duri
Dennis was calling if I had a no. 6 and 5 with me. Apparently they were needed in the next pitch. When I was up I gave them to Dennis and understood why they were needed: a big crack with quite some loose crumbly rock.
Markus went first, I was last.
Then another tricky pitch with a bit of slab.
And then, the last pitch. A difficult to protect 7b...
Markus was a bit demotivated: we were slow, he didn't climb too much and just, well, just didn't had 'his day'. So Dennis and Markus went back. Roberto and me went for the last pitch.
And actually, when I was relieved Roberto didn't fall off (and would have ripped out all the old pitons) I seconded the route. It was easier then I thought. Oh, if this is 7b, then I can climb much more on trad!
Today we were back in time and had an amazing dinner again.
In the night we had a slideshow from Rolando Larcher of an area that really inspired me: Patagonia!
Announcement of the Pata slideshow
It was amazing, impressive, to see the three climbers in ‘an ocean of granite’ as Mauro poetically said. With my mouth open, holding in my breath, not even blinking with my eyes, I watched the movie. For me it looked like love, and I didn’t have goosebumps, but little butterflies in my stomach by the view and the imagination of me doing this kind of climbing as well!
Patagonia presentation
