The summer was knocking on the door and i knew i had not many days left down there in chironico. Finally after 7weeks of falling on the very last move i managed to figure out the very last micro-beta-detail for the "fisch-project". After a painful week of wating for the rain to stop i was back down on the second dry day. And there it was, the perfect go!!! Everything went like it was suposed to and i had no power left for even more move when i did the rockover of the mantle. Thats how it feels when you climb on your limit -it was just perfect ;)

     

A long journey has come to a good end. After more then 3years, 100+ days of struggle a dream came true as i finally managed to climb the "fisch-project" in chironico!!! On the first day when i was sitting underneath that problem i was not able to do one single move. I came back some years later to climb on the already established problem "einfisch/keinfisch" where i met markus windisch (a strong frankenjura local). We discussed the obvious lower start that would complete the line and he motivated me to try as well. First i did not wanted to try as it seemed (and was) way above my limit. Nevertheless i tried and was again unable to do one single move. But there were holds and somehow this 3d-puzzle catched me and did not let me go anymore. The time down there at the project was filled with alot of joking, cursing, climbing with good friends, climbing all by myself at 2am-5am (to catch the cold in spring), with 9hrs travels by train, with many days spent working in the office when conditions were great, with all the days waiting at home for good conditions and driving my girlfriend crazy, with all this days/nights of pushing my body and mind for 150%, with all that days of coming super close but then had to come back for one more year to finish the line from the proper starting-hold (which added just one move but completed the line!).

     

It was just great to finish up something that was once way above my abilities. And as others have demonstrated, it shows that you don't need to start climbing with 2years (i started with 20), nor do you have to be a wonderkid, nor do you have to be a pro to climb crazy stuff like that line! and that experience is something you can't buy anywhere. But there is no number to express it and is not for free. No 2day-mini-epics. no shortcuts. You have to go all the way by yourself! The name: "Der mit dem Fels tanzt" (dances with rock) is a good description of what this boulder is like. A friend who has seen me climbing on it was like: Thats more dancing then climbing ;) Then some weeks ago i lost a good climbing friend. Working as a mountain-guide he was taken over a huge cliff by an avalanche. Despite he did not knew me, he took me out to my first longer climbing trip back in time and showed me what climbing is about. He used to climb always very smooth and elegant, like dancing, also on hardest and scary onsights in the mountains. So that one is also for you "Günti". Rest in peace my friend, you are greatly missed!!!

    For me the difficulty of "Der mit dem Fels tanzt" can be best described as about a 4-move-8B/B+ into a 15move 8B (or a 7move 8B+ into "einfisch/keinfisch 8A+/B"). The 6m-6A-slab-topout just adds some spice, but no real difficulty ;) Compared in difficulty to a classic 8B+ like "the never ending story" (8A/+ into 7C+) in magic wood, this is another story. So when you want to use grades to express differences in difficulty, the only grade that makes sense for me is 8C. But i am sure there will be some experts who will evaluate and calculate that precisely in the future - while i will be looking for the next "impossible" looking line... ;)