Wow, the first six weeks of work felt like one day, and before I could realize it my first vacations as a teacher are there.
Just one single plan: Let´s go to Tecino! Like every year again I have the wish to climb one of these proud and beautiful problems aka Vecchio Leone and General Disarray. After too many years of disbelief and refusing the facts, I accepted it! These both problems don´t fit me at all and I got every level of emotional feelings the days I’ve been trying and trying. Now I know that it´s not a matter of power! The crux must be something that is much deeper than only not enough power!
Above: Fabian Christof dispatching One Summer in Paradise, Font 8B.
Ah, what I am talking about? Let me speak about the things that happened during the four days stay.
Because of terrible conditions almost in the totally area of Tecino we spent two days in the Magic Wood. The circumstance that we stayed in Claro wasn´t that optimal for Avers but one hour drive is better than wet and humid Frankenjura boulders. It was more or less a lucky hit that my wife got the idea to climb in the woods on our way down to Tecino. As it is one hour closer than Cresciano or Chironico if we come from Frankenjura, it’s also a welcome stopover to stop driving and to follow the demand to move. We walked in and most of the stuff was soaked and green. Hm, this wasn’t the plan we were driven by as we started this morning. While thinking about what to do I could remember that the Pure Vida boulder sometimes stays dry for quite a long time and that´s how it was. I already climbed Pure Vida a few years ago but I didn´t tried One Summer in Paradise because it wasn´t done. One Summer is the very obvious line at the big and overhanging boulder. It´s not very technical! I would say it´s more a basic problem like on a board with crimps and more crimps. I figured out the moves and found my solutions quickly. Ok, it´s quite obvious how to climb it, but I could remember that I climbed a too hard ending at Pure Vida as I did a cross move to the last crimp and skipped the nasty two finger slot. The new method is much better if you recognize that the two finger slot is not a hold. It´s only there to find the balance to move the other hand to the crimp. Unfortunately I fell three times at exactly that move because of getting pumped on the problem which is more of a traverse not a bloc. After the third try I was done and gave up for now.
Above: Fabian Christof dispatching One Summer in Paradise, Font 8B.
The next day was a rest day with really nice weather. Sunny and windy, just a little bit foggy in the morning. We explored Biasca and found an amazing confectionary! They sell the typical Italian sweets like this incredible nut cakes! You should go there and try them by yourself! “Rest days are the best days!”
Above: Fabian Christof dispatching One Summer in Paradise, Font 8B.
The next days there were many clouds and some lightly rain in Tecino, therefore it was easy to come to a decision: Magic Wood today and Magic Wood tomorrow on our way home. As we came through the tunnel, which is the natural border from the north to the south, the weather hadn’t changed. Only as we drove on the parking place the rain stopped and gave me some hope! Most of the boulders were much drier than the last time, thank god! “I had a quick warm up and kept always the eyes at the sky.” It started to rain and it stopped and so on, so there was a kind of pressure to send it first go before the problem becomes wet. I didn´t sent it first go! The friction was bad and I couldn´t compensate it until the end. For god sake a little cold wind started to blew and suddenly the rock and the air was drier, just for one moment. I was very pleased to finish it right before heavy rain started again.
Above: Fabian Christof dispatching One Summer in Paradise, Font 8B.
The next climbing day in the Woods was not worth to be mentioned. No single boulder was dry, even not the huge Bruno with Unendliche Geschichte. After a short play on it the motivation decreases immediately and we escaped home! All in all a nice and short vacation with a happy ending.