Wishing for a star

Some wishing going on from a frustrated climber going through a hangover and reading others' positive posts (i.e. Tufa Tufa):

- strong head to be able to reach anchors on 7As

- strong fingers to be able to pull on one-finger pockets as a younger and desperate sister to Iker Pou

- inspiring projects to keep hungry

- and...as my friend Pau says, K SE ACABE EL PUTO FRIO !!! (let's be done with the cold...)

Tribute to Jefferson Airplane

After Janis Joplin,

Jefferson Airplane seems an adequate next step.  They are surprisingly good, and fresh, and .. relevant!

Reflections from the Mad Hatter

All men by nature desire to know.    - Aristotle

Writing about climbing is so much like writing about life - maybe because climbing is such an integral part of my life, as well as of my personal identity - at least at the current stage of my humble development.  After spending a couple of days cloistered inside with my books, class presentations, radiator, and antibiotics, i am ready again for the sensation of being outside and striving for a clear, designated objective.  An objective that requires technical skill, persistence, self-knowledge as well as self-management.  The sun is out, the streets smell of spring - people are walking in their usual blind way, rumbo por aqui, rumbo por alla.  And the rock is calling again.

What climbing offers are a plethora of appealing features to the initiated ones, the patient ones, the ones with a mind and body to understand.  It offers knowledge - only for a second or two, or for the eternity, - but it offers knowledge.  Understanding of basic things, movement, fear, physical limits.  And understanding of a deeper, intellectual kind.  Maybe Richard Sennett is right in his lamenting the disassociation between spirit and hands in our evolving and so highly advanced societies, the disrespect for what the greeks refered to as poesis, the making with your own hands.  This disassociation keeps so many of us seated, in front of our computers, typing emails, and moving the mouse until tendinitis, until only glasses can help our tired eyes, until only violent stupid movies can distract the dazzled mind.  So much information - so little knowledge.  So little time to acquire, internalize, and objectify the knowledge.  

Climbing is a synthesis, a physical challenge with a mental twist.  Maybe poesis is not the best metaphor for climbing given the absence of any concrete results of this "making".  However, can't the creation of memories be considered a good enough "making" result?  Memories of achievement or memories of failure, underlined by bruises on the knees, scratches on the elbows, torn nails, twisted toes, and dilapidated skin.  Memories of falls, memories of rage, memories of the state of total weightlessness, what Kundera so inspirationally called the unbearable lightness of being.  Their confluence leads to a perception of understanding, of commitment, defining a style of life, an identity worth pursuing, worth writing about, worth living.

To be continued...

Sense commentaris 2

 

Merci to everyone who spent time and effort belaying me there - Oriol, Salva, Pau, Par, Joan - and anyone else I could be forgetting....

Manel

all this to say ... Kalymnos in March!!! anyone else wanna join??

Epitaph for the Ukraine...

Against you i will fling myself
unvanquished and unyielding, o death!

(Virginia Woolf )

Siurana, l'Olla

It has been a while since i posted something here, so it is time to go at it with a vengeance!  There, two posts in a day, that is mainly due to some camera use, good climbing, weather, and fun company out there.

The sun came out and we ran at its call - the first day vising for the first time for me the impressive conglomerate heaven of Raco de Missa, one of the sport climbing sectors developed within the Montsant mountain.  It figures already in the new Montsant guidebook, as well as in the end of the Siurana guidebook - thus the number of people visiting is rather high - despite the grueling approach of 30 min uphill walking.  The spot is spectacular, especially at sunset, with views down the valley, all the way to the Siurana 'island in the sky', the col, and the villages in the valley.  The routes are very good too - long, conglomerate monsters, using up all of the 40, or even 50 meters of rope (see picture of myself toproping Llarg, a very very long route to end the day completely pumped and useless, previous more 'mystical' post).

Today, after a long discussion, we changed the original plan from Montral to the orange Siurana.  After seeing Sharma and crue at Margalef last w-end, this w-end it was time for the Czech crowd, debarking at Siurana for Ondra's try up Golpe de Estado.  We enjoyed the show sunbathing at la Olla from the distance - but the send did not happen, at least not before we left around 3 pm...Good luck, Ondra, you are young, strong, and - the world is yours!

After accepting my own downwards-sloping climbing performance, i took to the picture taking.  The candidates were scarce, nevertheless - here is one of my best picture so far - Sergi Sol Bros, giving it all at the crux moves of the Bistec de Biceps:

(notice the shadow and the pota d'elefant (7c+) in the background of the picture - a little self-praise needed there!)

Below is myself, giving it much less, in a very strange position to clip the first bolt at Burden chuchen, my second 6c onsight at la Olla, although i preferred by far the Mayling, very good route indeed.

So...does this all t-shirt fun mean that spring is here?  I hope my tendons will stay up to the test... And the test will come, very very soon - stay tuned!

Raco de Missa

 

 Alone, in the sea of rock

 

Colloque sentimental
dans le vieux parc solitaire et glacé,
deux formes ont tout à l'heur passé
leurs yeux sont morts et leurs lèvres sont molles,
et l'on entend à peine leurs paroles
dans le vieux parc solitaire et glacé
te souvient-il de notre extase ancienne
pourquoi voulez vous donc qu'il m'en souvienne
ton coeur bat-il toujours à mon seul nom
toujours vois tu mon ame en rêve non
ah les beaux jours de bonheur indicible
où nous joignions nos bouches c'est possible
qu'il était bleu, le ciel et grand, l'espoir
l'espoir a fui, vaincu vers le ciel noir
tels ils marchaient dans les avoines folles
et la nuit seule entendit leurs paroles (Paul Verlaine)

Infinite Margalef...

 

Gödel's first incompleteness theorem:  Any effectively generated theory capable of expressing elementary arithmetic cannot be both consistent and complete. In particular, for any consistent, effectively generated formal theory that proves certain basic arithmetic truths, there is an arithmetical statement that is true but not provable in the theory.

My interpretation. This statement is not provable: climbing offers infinite possibilities...(yes, don't ask!)

No luck involved in climbing?..

Salva in Freeblock mentioned an interesting idea to me yesterday, that there is no luck involved in climbing. Given his bias, he was certainly speaking about sport climbing, specifically about getting up projects, or doing what it takes redpointing routes.  That stroke me as probably true - and one of the biggest differences between sport climbing and mountaineering, or climbing longer routes.  Much more uncertainty based on weather, logistics, partners, approaches etc. are involved in the latter, and following Murphy's law there are many more things not directly under our control that can go wrong there.

Sport climbing on the other hand is not only much more concentrated on technical moves, the flow over the rock and affronting the pure difficulty, it is also about eliminating the uncertainty by all means away from the objective environment.  The uncertainty is there, it is still present enough to make the game interesting and filled with unexpected to the brim, but the uncertainty boils down to the subjective factors alone, it is you and the rock, rock and you - clear and simple, direct and real.  You yourself can make the redpoint, clip all the draws, and get to the chain.  Your strength or your head can fail the test.  It is rarely the belayer's fault, as much as one would sometimes wish to shift the blame, to find the 'bouc emissaire'.

All this to say that it is time to test the absence of luck and the presence of skill.  New project, new obsession.  La Rush.  Back to the game, and waiting for summertime, the perfect moment, the inspiration.  Or maybe not - I am ready, it is time to affront the orange, the rock, the wall.  Montserrat.

First steps working the Rush, picture by Oriol.

Into the wild

I have been again listening to Eddie Vedder's song (once upon a time he used to sing in Pearl Jam), Guaranteed, a soundtrack to Into the Wild, a good movie that has many things in there, mountains, courage, youthful idealism, searching - although climbing per se is absent, it is as if it were a climbing movie anyway.



On bended knee is no way to be free
lifting up an empty cup I ask silently
that all my destinations will accept the one that's me
so I can breath

Circles they grow and they swallow people whole
half their lives they say goodnight to wive's they'll never know
got a mind full of questions and a teacher in my soul
so it goes...

Don't come closer or I'll have to go
Holding me like gravity are places that pull
If ever there was someone to keep me at home
It would be you...

Everyone I come across in cages they bought
they think of me and my wandering
but I'm never what they thought
got my indignation but I'm pure in all my thoughts
I'm alive...

Wind in my hair, I feel part of everywhere
underneath my being is a road that disappeared
late at night I hear the trees
they're singing with the dead
overhead...

Leave it to me as I find a way to be
consider me a satelite for ever orbiting
I knew all the rules but the rules did not know me
guaranteed... 

Xmas in NYC

I have been enjoying the white Christmas in NYC, the City, Big Apple (nickname popularized actally by Fitzgerald in 1920ies within a horse-racing context).  It has been cold and full of people, the usual painful crawling along the avenues and staring on the Macy's and Sacks' window displays.  After the pilligrimage to the Rockfeller center and the Tree there, my father and  I stopped at the Bryant square snowy terrace.

For a cherry on the cake of this family reunion we went to see Cirque du Soleil's new show, the Wintuk at Madison Gardens.  It was an interesting performance, a change of style to more of a street-style gang dance, that improved in the end with more of a usual Cirquesque imagination stunts using talking lamp posts, garbage-can-disguised Godo (or that's what i called him), and two big walking birds.  The commercial success did lead even the Cirque to some standardization of entertainment, unfortunate as this might sound.  Nevertheless, seeing one of their performances remains a treat.  I might use Cirque in one of my upcoming classes, so if anyone has more informaion about the company, their founder, strategy etc. please let me know! (Michel?..)

After the show, we went on traditional family skiing in one of the hard-core NY resorts, Hunter, in the Catskill mountains.  My dad proved to have better technique and resilience than myself and outperformed me on several runs!  Maybe that is why i am keeping so much to climbing lately - it is the only sport (maybe besides rollerblaing) i have ever managed to master at least slightly...

On this note, Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

El placer de escalada...

Sense comentaris

 

 

Siurana - Colico Nefritico

Montse recommended this fabulous line to me, my favorite 6c in Siurana, one and only, Colico Nefritico at Can Gans di Onis.  The start from atop, after some tree climbing:

First crux - getting off the tree and through to the second bolt, exciting for the short ones:

The line, enjoying Siurana by myself (yes, the ego-istic, ego-tistic sport or pass-time of climbing...):

Done! (the crux):

Pictures by patient Josep, and belay by Pau, thanks!


Can Tonigros and long live the new project...until next Saturday!!!

 

Arboli

This long w-end turned out to be a raid on the little village of Arboli.  This is one of the lesser-known climbing areas in the Sierra de Prades, of Siurana fame.  We started very hardcore at the Falco, an incredible wall looking directly at the Siurana village and climbing walls.  It boasts very tasty lines, although the fun starts at 6c and up.  This wall has been equipped in St Benet style, and graded consequently (some older pictures of the same in a recent Luichi post here). 

I tried my new 9.1 joker at La millor de..., a delightful 6c both of us, Pau and myself, happily onsighted.  We turned next to Jinja, a deadly 7b with 3 consequent boulder problems and a 'micro' rest in-between.  Did i mention 6 bolts in 20 meters?  It does not seem that little - but it felt and looked crazy.  Props to Pau who fearlessly put the rope up it from the ground while i froze up and looked on from the belay post.  Deciding it was definitely too hard and out of reach this year, we turned next to another incredible line, Pa ella y pa los guiris, a 7a+ crack with the crux on top.  Not figuring out this one either, the day finished with another great 6c+, Trenca'm els pinyos, where i disgracefully hanged at the crux, but enjoyed the ride nevertheless.

We liked el Falco so much that taking pictures was forgotten for the day.  The camera came out of the bag only the next day that saw us attack Can Simiro sector.  I worked a 7a called CataCrack.  People keep calling it Supercrack for a reason, and seeing the line made me concentrate directly and only on this one climb, being a crack-freak myself for a couple of years now.  The crack was sent on 3d attempt, without any top-roping, whining, or additional draws ("alargos para los alejes") required, maybe due to the Falco experience of the previous day:

Pau went crazy at Can Simiro, below he is happily leading his 6th grade 7 of the day (Agua de Fuego, 7a) with the Siurana dam in the background:

Last day, we 'rested' at the Ermita.  This is a short wall right above the Arboli village, close to the actual ermita, another mountain refuge now invaded by crazy climbing lizards.  We tried a couple of 7s there, Pau got his 7a second try, and one day i'd like to come back to send the Caipirinha, 7a+, the only one i liked of the routes there so far.  Here is Montse and the crazy sky:

To finish off sweet desserts were consumed 'en masse' at the very recommendable (one and only) bar l'Hostalet d'Arboli, also selling the topo of the area.  Great team, awesome raid, and welcome to Josep, who apparently finally discovered that sport climbing could be a rewarding experience, and also took some good pictures in the process! 

Sant Benet

St Benet is a very special place.  It is located in the heart of Montserrat, above the famous monestary.  It takes over 1000 stairs (or a train ride, but that´s not hardcore, only for the wusses) to get there, and a proud soul to start the rather engaged climbing.  It is one of the places where hard sport climbing started in Cataluña in the 1980s, and it remains special and not that visited given the amount of incredible bolted lines there.  It has also some multipitches where week-end warriors enjoy themselves and bring the girlfriends to show off the view that points to the sea behind Barcelona on the clear days. 

There used to be many hidden hermitages in the surrounding caves.  Many have been destroyed by Napoleon and his happy soldiers, some survived well into the 20th century, but now climbers occupy the refuge, an old church transformed into a hippy squat, and the hermitages remain abandoned, welcoming the passing visitors for a night of full stars, calm, and reflection.

The climbing is very technical on good rock.  Routes are generally short, Frankenjura-style, although longer ones are also there, one just has to scratch below the surface a littke.  Below is the topo from Tranki of the sport climbing at the base of the Elephant, the formation to the left of the famous Mummy (and its Brown Sugar line i still have not done).  The lines are very good, and my plan is to come back to the first thee on the right this winter...

Gustavo Dudamel

An incredible concert and conducting experience, I have come over this today and am thinking about using it as the finishing part of my leadership class - that I want to give by analogy, using the orchestra metaphor throughout the class (inspired by this)...



It is the young Orquesta Juvenil Simón Bolívar from Venezuela, the product of their institutionalized "la sistema" of producing musicians, similar to Cuban doctors or Soviet mathematicians.  The orchestra is led by its star, Gustavo Dudamel, now in charge of the LA orchestra at the respectful age of 28...

This one is also very good, where Gustavo plays the violin himself:

re-Montgrony

Montgrony is a beautiful spot and a very good sport climbing crag for colder and shorter winter days, especially when you have the ability and willingness to suffer humiliation on its hard, mostly overhanging routes.  For those not wiling to invest 24 euros into another Luis Alfonso topo of Ripolles, some info available here.

We spent day 1 at the Mal Pas wall, where the sun reached us in the afternoon.  I concentrated on a route called El Tortell Poltrona, after a famous local payaso, located at the far-right end, just after a nice warm-up 5.  It had a short but interesting crux, requiring good footwork and positioning.  Not getting the onsight, i did it on the second go, partly thanks to help from Pau, who rightly shouted at me and made me do the crux move, and clip after that instead of stupidly clipping from a mono-dedo (one-finger pocket).  The team struggled with other harder and easier routes around the wall, but my day was happily done.

After a very good dinner, night, and revigorating breakfast at the near-by Refugio de Col de Merolla, we warmed up at Cinglera de la Freixa just in front of all the parked cars and finished day 2 at la Vena.  Both Pau and myself tried Espantaocells, a supposed 6c+, one of the easiest routes on this incredible wall, and a strong 7a for me.  It is an overhanging dihedral that made me work and puff hard, especially when i dared to lead it after touching the holds on top rope. 

The things i have learnt on Maugli have been put into good use on this climb, where i gave it a lot of effort and did the second part after the crux almost without feeling in my hands or right foot - maybe due to the very intense stemming required all the way - see picture below, this is actually a rest before the crux. 

And here is Pau doing the same thing, but harder, while putting up the draws:

Pau down from the climb, autumn scenery and Gombren village in the background:

I grabbed the draw on the first bolt thus spoiling the red point - but did finish the climb anyway, a fun exercice before trying any of the harder lines of the wall.  Getting to the anchors with the whole gorgeous line in the view:

(pictures by our gifted Julietta)

Sunset and the road back home...

Momo

A  mix between Bacon and DeStael, just what i needed for today - Maurice Marechal and his paintings...

Autoportrait, 2005:

L´espoir, 2007:

Albert Pla

Have spent the w-end listening to Albert Pla, a musician from the near-by Sabadell, who has both rythm and good lyrics. The rythm to go with my recent life, Sonando:



Yo estuve al borde de la muerte
tantas noches...
y sin embargo estoy en pié,
yo sigo aquí
yo que estuve al borde de la muerte
tantas noches...
y sin embargo sigo vivo
y aunque parezca estar durmiendo
no, qué va,
yo no estoy durmiendo, no
Yo sigo soñando, sigo soñando...

Vivo soñando, vivo soñando
Vivo soñando, vivo soñando

Sueño dormido
sueño despierto,
yo sueño mucho...
sueño un montón
sueño de noche,
sueño de día,
sueño con lluvia
sueño con sol.
sigo soñando, sigo soñando...

Other ones that are really good - Buscando and Ciego. And this song and video are too fabulous to resist:



Thanks again to Silvia for the discovery =)