The new season has officially started for me! After a bumpy start and a few lackluster performances, this weekend has met (almost exceeded) my expectations. I have been yearning to try out my new biceps and shoulders so I selected the appropriate boulders.
Friday I went back to Canche aux Merciers. First stop: Poisson Pané (7A). I had spent two sessions (2-3 hours in total) on this boulder last year but could not send it. There is a reachy move in the middle (you need to reach for a crimpy sloper with the right hand) therefore I had to add three moves (including a compression followed by a heel hook on a non-existing hold). I tried to link for 15 minutes but the heel hook would not stick. The compression kept exhausting me and I knew I had to find a new beta. You can see what I came up with in the video that follows. I fell four straight times on the exit but the fifth time, I made it. I now know that the foothold I was using was too high.
Second stop: La Grande Marche prolongée (7B). I sent the shorter version within 90 minutes last year and had worked on the longer version but since then, the exit was wet every time I would visit the sector. This time and after a few tries on the lower traverse part, I sent the 7A+ version in only two tries and then sent the longer version in another two tries.
And the longer version...
By now, I was all psyched and knew my day was going to get even better. Next stop: Kéo (7A), a double dyno. Grabbing the exit hold with the right hand is rather easy but matching with the left hand is tough for someone with no coordination. Therefore I worked on my dynos during the winter to overcome my weakness. The immediate goal of my workout was not Kéo, obviously. Who cares about a 7A (probably a 6B)? But I knew the time would come when La Mare droite would dry up again and I would have to do that irritating first dyno. Anyway, I tried the double dyno for 30 minutes and would not stop. I was getting closer and closer with each try. And then, my body just got it. I understood how to free my left hand :-) I will now try to work on other dynos and get better.
And then it was time for Mardi Gras / Radio Crochet (7A). My beta consisted in using a heel hook that was hard to hold. It may seem easy in the video but it needs pure strength to pull that move off. As soon as I came down from the boulder, I sat on my pad and all of the sudden, I felt overwhelmed. And then, the most unexpected happened: I felt so proud of my overall performance of the day that I got teary-eyed. Having inherited a "being-mediocre-is-not-enough" ideology from my family, I am very harsh on myself and everything I do but that day, I had surprised myself.
And a short "bloopers" video...
Just after that, I revisited Poulaga Run (7A+), a beautiful traverse that combines many types of moves: heel hooks, shoulder locking, arm locking, underhangs, ... Same sitstart with Mardi Gras, same heel hook and then you traverse to the left. The moves are fluid. The second part, however, is difficult. There are too many holds and too much chalk and I kept getting confused. I tried various betas but none seemed ideal. Here's a video of my linking of the second part.
During my warm up, I approached a seemingly experienced guy who introduced me to a lovely traverse (around 6A-6B) that I sent quickly. I will try the there-and-back version next time. I tried to be as technical and fluid as possible. After watching the video, I thought I did alright.
I was hoping to visit Rocher Fin on Saturday in order to send numerous old projects but decided to join my friends at Rocher des Demoiselles. I had two projects in mind: Les Guérilleros (7B) and L'Olive direct (7A+). I should remind you that last September I fell on the last move of Gueris because the handholds were wet. I started my warmup on this boulder but from the first try, I got frustrated: I could not send any of the hard moves. Disgusted, I moved on to another boulder.
We later moved on to Olive. This problem asks for two right shoulder locks. I could not do the second one last year and even in the first one, I was not stable enough to reach for the left underhang with sufficient precision. This time, the boulder "fell" in four tries.
On Sunday, we went to Rocher Canon. After a nice warm up, it was time to get revenge on Lévitation (7A+). For some reason, this trav' had resisted me for a long time (four sessions since 2012). My climbing buddy sent it on his first try, which pumped me up even more. I started fidgeting and had to calm myself down. First try: I fell on the second move. There are huge, over-chalked jugs that attracted my attention during the linking even though I use small crimps that allow me to send the first part in only four moves (instead of six or seven). Second try: I fell on the sixth move after getting a left hand hold with only two and a half fingers. By then, I knew I had it in my pocket. I did not want to take any risks and decided to use my secret weapon: I went into batshit crazy mode. I calmed myself down, replayed the entire sequence in my mind, took a deep breath and started sprinting like a maniac. This method has already worked on two boulders (Les Guérilleros and Poisson Pané) so it is a proven method. I am getting the video of the linking in a few days so you will see what I'm talking about.
We spent the rest of the day on two great boulders: Passage Piétons (7C/7C+) and Exposition Rétrospective (7B+). In the first problem, I was able to send all but one move in two or three tries but the linking will be excruciating. Each move is exhausting. I linked the first 2.5 moves and I had flashed the second part a few days earlier. Exposition Rétrospective is much harder. I got the sitstart in two tries. The second move is hard. I linked the rest of it except for the exit. I spent an hour on the exit but could not find any beta for my size. Definitely going back for both boulders!
Speaking of La Mare droite, it was under 40 cms of water two weeks ago. I passed by yesterday and... surprise surprise... no water left! The ground is wet but with a few tree logs and branches, it will be ok. That means that we should start the countdown :-)
I want to visit Rocher Fin tomorrow but my fingers are in poor condition: pink and sensitive. Damn it!
And then it was time for Mardi Gras / Radio Crochet (7A). My beta consisted in using a heel hook that was hard to hold. It may seem easy in the video but it needs pure strength to pull that move off. As soon as I came down from the boulder, I sat on my pad and all of the sudden, I felt overwhelmed. And then, the most unexpected happened: I felt so proud of my overall performance of the day that I got teary-eyed. Having inherited a "being-mediocre-is-not-enough" ideology from my family, I am very harsh on myself and everything I do but that day, I had surprised myself.
And a short "bloopers" video...
Just after that, I revisited Poulaga Run (7A+), a beautiful traverse that combines many types of moves: heel hooks, shoulder locking, arm locking, underhangs, ... Same sitstart with Mardi Gras, same heel hook and then you traverse to the left. The moves are fluid. The second part, however, is difficult. There are too many holds and too much chalk and I kept getting confused. I tried various betas but none seemed ideal. Here's a video of my linking of the second part.
During my warm up, I approached a seemingly experienced guy who introduced me to a lovely traverse (around 6A-6B) that I sent quickly. I will try the there-and-back version next time. I tried to be as technical and fluid as possible. After watching the video, I thought I did alright.
I was hoping to visit Rocher Fin on Saturday in order to send numerous old projects but decided to join my friends at Rocher des Demoiselles. I had two projects in mind: Les Guérilleros (7B) and L'Olive direct (7A+). I should remind you that last September I fell on the last move of Gueris because the handholds were wet. I started my warmup on this boulder but from the first try, I got frustrated: I could not send any of the hard moves. Disgusted, I moved on to another boulder.
We later moved on to Olive. This problem asks for two right shoulder locks. I could not do the second one last year and even in the first one, I was not stable enough to reach for the left underhang with sufficient precision. This time, the boulder "fell" in four tries.
On Sunday, we went to Rocher Canon. After a nice warm up, it was time to get revenge on Lévitation (7A+). For some reason, this trav' had resisted me for a long time (four sessions since 2012). My climbing buddy sent it on his first try, which pumped me up even more. I started fidgeting and had to calm myself down. First try: I fell on the second move. There are huge, over-chalked jugs that attracted my attention during the linking even though I use small crimps that allow me to send the first part in only four moves (instead of six or seven). Second try: I fell on the sixth move after getting a left hand hold with only two and a half fingers. By then, I knew I had it in my pocket. I did not want to take any risks and decided to use my secret weapon: I went into batshit crazy mode. I calmed myself down, replayed the entire sequence in my mind, took a deep breath and started sprinting like a maniac. This method has already worked on two boulders (Les Guérilleros and Poisson Pané) so it is a proven method. I am getting the video of the linking in a few days so you will see what I'm talking about.
We spent the rest of the day on two great boulders: Passage Piétons (7C/7C+) and Exposition Rétrospective (7B+). In the first problem, I was able to send all but one move in two or three tries but the linking will be excruciating. Each move is exhausting. I linked the first 2.5 moves and I had flashed the second part a few days earlier. Exposition Rétrospective is much harder. I got the sitstart in two tries. The second move is hard. I linked the rest of it except for the exit. I spent an hour on the exit but could not find any beta for my size. Definitely going back for both boulders!
Speaking of La Mare droite, it was under 40 cms of water two weeks ago. I passed by yesterday and... surprise surprise... no water left! The ground is wet but with a few tree logs and branches, it will be ok. That means that we should start the countdown :-)
I want to visit Rocher Fin tomorrow but my fingers are in poor condition: pink and sensitive. Damn it!
