ESCALATION

The day started well: good luck in the first route, a nice knot in the 5th bolt

And really good conditions: sunny, cool and windy.. Kevin, Mar, Nicki(well hidden), me and Markus behind his camera.



I came to Berdorf again to try a very nice line I had worked on once before.
While working on "nikita" I recognized that nice overhanging, unstructured part of the wall, for me it looked imposive! After looking well I saw that its not that unstructured. There is just what you need and nothing more. A perfect line to the left throught that nice overhanging wall.
I started to figure out the moves, but I damaged my finger on that long mono move..

Small holds but a big problem, one crimp, one mono, a long move to a crimp and not so much footsteps...



When I tried it the first time I dameged my tendon on that mono move :-) This time I tried it a bit more carefully and figured out how to do the crux.


I tried all sunday, a lot of fights, I came closer and closer with every try but it also becomes darker and more dark with every try... So the last tries I had to use my lovely headlamp again. I didn' expect to send it this day, but after I changed my foot I finally send it..


"Escalation" starts in "Cima Ovest" and after 5m you traverse to the very left around the edge. There it ends when you stay in a nohand rest.

How to clip: after the 4th bolt of "cima ovest" you go on big holds to the good holds on the left. You can easily clip the bolt(4th of nikita) and go on for the crux to the left. When you reach the arête you find a bold infront of you. Thats the last you clip, you can jump out of the no hand on the left, so you have a happy end :-)

Burning fingers on the way home..


Other pictures and the german text are here....


All pictures (c)by Markus Jung

Weekends

Last weekend I visited Luxembourg for the first time this year. Berdorf is one of my favorit climbing areas and the best sandstone I climbed.
On sunday I could do the first ascent of a nice combi-route. "Nu-skool phunk" starts in Nikita and traverses on the nice pocketline to the right where you follow the edge of the roof. The moves are very nice bouldery in the beginning and after athletic in the very steep part. The route ends in the no hand rest were you can sit down on. For clipping you use the first three bolts of Nikita, the 4th bolt of Cima ovest where you should clip 2 or three for easy clipping (its more easy to reach the 3rd but it will be shitty to fall), one bolt of ayrton the one under the roof and for going down you have a bolt between your legs when you sit on top. Try it, it's big fun!!

I also climbed Isatis one of best 7c+ I did. First Isatis is a litle bit overhanging and close to the to is close to be a slab. Very small crimps in the best sandstone I know! On day later I did Yollin after a very long workout. one day before I thought that that Isatis is the hardest 7c+ I know, but Yollin is much harder! the beginning looks not much spectacular from the bottom but there is one very nice boulder. The hard crux comes at the top on the nice flat wall. The holds are very, very small and this route will for sure never get a ascent in the summer sun. During my work out I tried a lot but I coulden't do two moves. When I start my first try from the bottom I had luck to get a bit wind and dry my skin, before the crux you have a good jug for catching wind. Sending this crux was more exciting than my ascents of other 8cs I did. Here everything depends on your skin, a litle swaet and I have no chance to hold this tiny structures. Not possible to get controll because of power. Yollin has for sure one of the most beautifull crux I know!

If you want to climb in Berdorf you need a permission, there are controls!! You can order a permission for free for a few days. More infos here...


The weekend before I was in Ettringen to try my project in the cave. On the last day I fall 5 times on the crux move.
The next move is the hardest, snatching to the sloper on the roof edge...

Very nice trad warmups in Ettringen:

Pictures (c) by Markus Jung