Stewart Watson Climbing

Ski Touring

2012-01-08T12:40:00.001+01:00

2011

2011-12-31T19:47:00.000+01:00

2011 has been a great year full of highs and lows. I am looking forward to 2012, it's going to be an interesting year trying to live new adventures in my life. I'll be doing a few comps in Europe, trying projects at the local crags, dipping my toes into the World of alpine climbing but most of all making big changes in my career. I have big decisions to make to progress and this is the year to make them.

Have a good one guys.

UK Trip: Day 1

2011-12-27T19:33:00.002+01:00

I woke up in Manchester this morning to the sound of rain tapping on the window. This was typical, I thought, we'd planned a day up at Stanage and it was raining!

I checked the weather forecast for Sheffield and it looked hopeful. We set off and travelled through the rain until we were greeted by the sun in the Peak. This was going to be a special day.

We climbed Deliverance and started trying the Ace. I have always wanted to climb this bloc. We first climbed at the Plantation a good few years back and I always admired how the boulder stood on the hill so proud. I climbed the Joker a few years ago and, since moving to Austria, I have always hoped to find it in good conditions when I returned on short visits.

Today it felt great.... I had to wait for the sun to hide behind a cloud before the best conditions arrived. With Mart and my Dad spotting, I climbed the bloc after a good few attempts. Such a good feeling!

Mart was looking so strong on the Joker, so we'll be returning to the bloc in the next few days.

What's next?

2011-11-18T18:16:00.003+01:00

Since my trip to Spain I've been taking it easy. It's not been easy though, the weather has been unbelievably good and there are some incredible projects in Ötztal to be climbed. I have been trying a project of Hansjörg 's with Lukas. I have not committed myself to trying a route of this difficulty since I climbed Mordor 2 years ago. It is almost as though I have been intimidated by the commitment involved. It feels really good to have this focus again and I am looking forward to the journey.

Terradets Trip

2011-11-05T17:10:00.008+01:00

I have just spent a fantastic week with my Dad in Terradets. Paret de les Bruixes is one of the best climbing sectors I have been to. An awe-inspiring wave of perfect limestone covered with tufas provides a playground for climbers. The weather was perfect and we climbed, climbed and climbed a little more until it went dark. I have posted a few photographs from the area and LLeida below.

Passport to Honesty 8c, Oetztal

2011-09-30T12:51:00.005+02:00

On Wednesday I made the 2nd ascent of Hansjorg Auer's route 'Passport to Honesty' in Oetztal. The route is outstanding. The initial slab sets you up for an all-out dyno from two small crimps to a huge jug around the lip of a small roof. After this you can recover and re-focus for the scary upper prow. The route feels a little more committing than just a normal sport route, it kind of has Hansjorg written all over it. The last clip is impossible to clip so you end up climbing a good few meters above your last bolt with massive fall potential if you fall from the last slopey section. The redpoint went really well and it was a little unexpected.

Ötzi Trifft Yeti, Dolomites

2011-09-30T12:48:00.009+02:00

When Heiko mentioned that a trip to the Dolomites would be cool, I didn't really think much about it and just went with the flow. A few days before our departure Heiko sent me a link with the route info and at that moment I realised what I'd got myself into. I don't really have much alpine climbing experience, I have always tried to stay clear of it for some unknown reason. I analysed the route map and decided it was way too much considering my little experience. Heiko encouraged me that it would be fine so I went to the local crag and practised my rope work a little and decided to go for it. The night before I didn't sleep too well, strange thoughts were whizzing through my head and I felt unsettled. We awoke early and drove down to the Dolomites and my concerns disappeared as soon as I saw the mountains jutting though the early morning mist. The first couple of pitches went well and I slowly got into the style of the climbing. We started flowing up the wall and the pitches started to feel shorter as we ascended. It was a mega feeling pulling over the last roof with nothing between my boots and the ground 300m below. After a scary abseil, a few beers and a good pizza I was lying in my sleeping bag dreaming of the route.

Ötzi trifft Yeti (300m, 8+)

Kleine Zinne - Dolomiten

Topo

IFSC World Climbing Championships Arco

2011-08-01T18:54:00.010+02:00

The world's capital of climbing, Arco, held the 2011 World Climbing Championships. The event was not just a climbing competition, it was a celebration of the sport.

150 athletes competed in the men's bouldering event and it was going to be tough to reach the semi-final with so many strong climbers present. I was able to climb 3 blocs and qualified for the semi-final. The next day I chilled out and thought about the following round. I felt really determined. I ended up 9th. The final was incredible, the field below the stage was completely full of spectators and some of the performances from the athletes were just mind-blowing.

Thanks to Nick Clement and Tom Sugden for providing support throughout the event, it was very much appreciated.

Boulder Worldcup Sheffield

2011-07-18T21:06:00.007+02:00

The latest round of the 2011 bouldering worldcup was held as part of the vibrant Cliffhanger event in Sheffield. The competition was a mega success thanks to the experienced organisers and route setters. The British bouldering team performed fantastically with a number of the British athletes competing in the semi-final. I was satisfied with my 12th place in the semi-final and enjoyed a week back at home in Manchester after the event.

Boulder Worldcup Barcelona (ESP)

2011-06-29T17:09:00.006+02:00

The 7th round of the 2011 bouldering worldcup was held in the beautiful city of Barcelona.

The event was unfortunately held indoors and it was a real challenge to stay focused when the temperatures seared through the roof. Towards the end of the event the heat in the builing had beaten most of the athletes and the air was thick with disappointment.

Looking on the positive side, the British Team climbed very well and we had 5 athletes in the semi-final. I finished 14th in the semi-final.

Boulder Worldcup Eindhoven (NED)

2011-06-23T13:10:00.011+02:00

Between spells of heavy rain the Worldcup in Eindhoven (NED) ran very smoothly. The competition was, yet again, a mega success with a great location and some of the best competition blocs I have ever tried - good work Cassidy and team!

Dave Barrans climbed very well and made his first final of the 2011 season finishing in 6th place. Fischhuber won yet another event and looks unstoppable. Woods pleased the crowd with a display of immense power. Akiyo Noguchi made some strange shapes on the wall and Anna looks like she is going to take the overall worldcup title.

I was very pleased to climb in the semi-final again where I finished 14th. The next round is in Barcelona.

Boulder Worldcup Log-Dragomer (SLO)

2011-05-30T14:55:00.002+02:00

The second round of the 2011 bouldering worldcup was held in the sleepy town of Dragomer in Slovenia. The competition was very well organised and the semi-final and final well supported from a very loud crowd. I qualified for the semi-final and finished 9th.

Anna Stöhr (AUT) climbd exceptionally well taking the victory ahead of Akiyo Noguchi (JPN) and Alex Puccio (USA). By the guys, Guillaume Mondet (FRA) took first place ahead of Dmitry Shrafutdinov (RUS) and Kilian Fischhuber (AUT).

The next event is in Vienna, Austria.

Boulder Worldcup Milano (ITA)

2011-04-22T15:41:00.008+02:00

The 15th of April saw the start of the 2011 Bouldering Worldcup in Milano, Italy. The Qualification round went well and I qualifed for the semi-final in 7th. I was unfortunately very ill that night and the following day I entered the isolation zone and attempted to warm-up but felt terrible and had to pull-out of the event.

On a positive note, the season kicked-off with a great event and I am looking forward to the next round in Slovenia.

Tumpen Bloc

2011-04-02T18:23:00.003+02:00

I had a quick session bouldering in Tumpen recently and was a little disappointed to find some of the blocs in a mess. The tick-marks and other signs on the boulders such as 'project' markers are totally unnecessary. I can not dictate what people should do, but please, just one thing: BRUSH OFF YOUR TICK-MARKS WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED!

Trainingslager Fontainebleau

2011-03-15T14:41:00.015+01:00

Fontainebleau is possibly one of the most inspiring climbing areas in the world. When I was invited to join Sabby, Babsy, Anna, Katha, Lu, kili and Heiko on their training week in Font I was obviously very keen. The aim of the trip was to mix days in the forest with a few sessions at Jacky Godoffe's bouldering wall at the military station in the old town of Fontainebleau.

Before leaving for this trip I'd checked the weather and there was absolutely no rain forecaset for the whole week and upon arrival it was clear that this trip would be packed full of climbing at its highest quality.

We often visited two different areas in one day and worked our way through some mega classics:

Controle Technique (balancy prow on perfect rock...hard)
Big Boss
Fourmis Rouges
Alta
Duel (didn't think I could do this until I found the right body position)
Megalithe
Tigre et Dragon
Ubik (incredible moves on perfect rock, had to wait for the sun to set)
Gecko
Synapses
pofs et sans reproches (went out to arete on the right)

and finally the fanastic 'la merveille', a highball with a hard long last move from a micro plate and smeers for feet!

Thanks to the Austrian Team (ÖWK) for a fantastic trip.

Weekend in Tessin

2011-02-01T13:57:00.000+01:00

I often find spontaneously made decisions the best. It was thursday evening and the Oetztal crew were havig a typical training evening down at the bouldering wall when we made such a decision to drive to Switzerland to avoid the bad weather in Austria and go bouldering.

We awoke the following day to fantastic weather and went up to Chironico for one of the best bouldering days I have had for a long time. We just climbed and climbed. Some classics were climbed such as 'le vent nous portera' and 'freak brothers' and some mega slabs were climbed in the main area of Chironico.

Castillion & Le Loup

2010-10-20T13:06:00.000+02:00

September: The heather covering the mountains turns red, the air is crystal clear, the forest yellow, the rock dry.

The competition season had finished. Sabby and myself packed the car and drove to France. First stop was Castillion to build some endurance and relax by the sea. Next stop was Gorges du Loup. This place is unbelievable. As you walk along the base of the crag the wave of limestone towering above is overwhelming. We had no idea where to begin until some locals pointed out some of the classics. At first it was a little unusual climbing on giant tufas but after one day we learnt how to move and started climbing some incredible routes. Some highlights include Super Tango (8a+), Deverse Santique (8a+), Hot chilli Beans (8b+) and Pas Vu, Pas Pris (7c).

Want to go back!

Back in Austria the weather has been amazing but time has been a little limited as we have started renovating our new flat....sometimes feels hardeer than climbing!

European Championships Innsbruck (A)

2010-09-21T12:20:00.000+02:00

The last event of the 2010 competition bouldering season was mega. As by previous events held in the Market Square of Innsbruck, there was a massive crowd supporting the climbers battle it out. Leading up to the event I didn't really realise what was about to happen in Innsbruck. I thought it was going to be just another competition but this event was a real break-through in competition climbing. I have never seen so many specatators fascinated in what they were witnessing. It is getting easier to understand how the competitions work thanks to people such as Tim Hatch and the interest in this sport in Tirol has boomed as a result of this event and I am very proud to of been part of it. The boulder setting was perfect with loads of different styles and interesting features, nice one Percy and the Innsbruck Team.

Performance-wise, I am satsified with my 8th place but again the final was possible.

More photos at www.euro-2010.at

(Elias Holzknecht)

Water-Cum-Jolly and Cheedale

2010-08-28T13:50:00.000+02:00

On Friday Sabby, Kathi, Mart and myself visited Water-Cum-Jolly. The conditions were perfect with a light breeze cooling the rock. We warmed up at Rubicon and went across to the Cornice. It was totally dry. We climbed some fantastic routes including Brachiation Dance (7b+), The Free Monster (8a) and Monsterosity (8b). I think Monsterosity is the best route I have ever climbed at that grade.

People were talking about how dry Cheedale's Cornice is and that one route was crying out to be climbed: Monumental Armblaster (8a+). I never saw the route in its previous condition but can imagine just how dirty it was. Thanks to the team who cleaned the route up and have made it a pleasure to climb, again one of the best.

Back in Austria now getting ready for the European Championships in Innsbruck, should be a mega event with the wall located in the central market square.

Niederthai Weekend

2010-08-16T16:01:00.000+02:00

The weather in Tirol has been atrocious over the past 3 weeks. Literally raining everyday. There was a short break in the bad weather over the weekend and the only place that seemed to be dry was Niederthai. My brother, Mart, is out in Austria at the moment and I pointed him towards the classic test piece "Glückshormon" Fr8b+. On Sunday he climbed the route after a good fight with bad skin, his first of the grade. The photo is of Mart setting up for the crux.

On Sunday I was able to climb the project to the left of Glückshormon. The line was originally bolted by the climbing legend Markus Haid sometime back. I tried the line last year with Sir Ennemoser and it was going well before we ripped a crucial crimp off leaving a big gap in the middle of the crux. The only way this section is now possible is with a really powerful dyno off two bad pinches. The dyno didn't feel possible last year and we declared the section impossible. I attempted the route on Saturday with Heiko and the move went. The route is named "7UP" and graded Fr8c.

Boulder Worldcup Munich (D)

2010-08-07T18:47:00.000+02:00

The final round of the 2010 bouldering worldcup was held at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. The location of the event was incredible with a huge glass roof sheltering the blocs and crowd from the thunderstorms. The qualification round went well and I was able to climb in the next round. I was really focused in the semi-final and wanted to secure a Top-10 overall position. I was very pleased with my 9th place but like in previous events the final felt close.

My overall position for the 2010 Boulder Worldcup is 6th- a result I could of never predicted.

(Heiko Wilhelm)

Arco Rock Master 2010

2010-07-19T11:14:00.000+02:00

The Arco Rock Master is and always will be one of the most prestigious climbing events and next year it will be the venue of the World Climbing Championships.

(Jack Geldard)

I battled through the nearly unbearable heat and finished in 12th. The legendary Rock Master was still a mega success with a massive crowd, a good atmosphere and good pizza, it was just a shame that it was held over the hottest weekend ever recorded in Arco.

(Elias Holzknecht)

Boulder Worldcup Sheffield (UK)

2010-07-07T22:55:00.000+02:00

Sheffield held the latest round of the 2010 Bouldering Worldcup at the successful Cliff Hanger event.

The competition was a mega success with perfect weather and a massive crowd creating one of the best atmospheres of the season. The competition was very successful for the British Bouldering Team where 7 team members were able to climb in the semi-final and ranked 2nd in the team rankings.

However, it was the first event of the season where I felt really nervous before climbed so I had to really concentrate and stay focused. I finished 13th but feel slightly disappointed with my performance in the semi-final.

(Heiko Wilhelm)

Next event is the Arco Rockmaster!

Boulder Worldcup Eindhoven (NL)

2010-06-28T19:10:00.000+02:00

The 2010 Bouldering Worldcup's next stop was in Eindhoven (NL). The event was a real highlight of the running season with good music, interesting blocs and a loud crowd.

I was very pleased to be able to climb in the semi-final again along with Dave Barrans. Dave put in a good performance and qualified for the final. I had some bad luck on the first semi-final bloc when on my flash attempt my foot went out-of-bounds meaning I had to jump off and climb the bloc again costing me one attempt more and a place in the final. Very disappointing but it was my own fault for not concentrating enough. I finished in 7th place and Dave 5th.

We now have a few days rest before the next round of the Worldcup in Sheffield at the Cliffhanger event.

(Heiko Wilhelm)

Boulder Worldcup Vail (USA)

2010-06-08T21:04:00.000+02:00

The third round of the 2010 Bouldering Worldcup was held in Vail, Colorado. We flew out to Denver on Sunday after the competition in Vienna and made our way to Boulder in two massive jeeps. After a few days of relaxing in Boulder it was time to compete. I managed to qualify in 5th place on Friday and in the semi-final I climbed the first two blocs and had a few good goes at the 3rd leaving me in 10th. I really enjoyed climbing infront of an American crowd, they really get behind the climbers and the energy is 'awesome'. The final was fantastic to watch with Daniel Woods pulling it out the bag to show an unbelievable amount of power.

The Austrian Team had some bad luck, Kili stubbed his toe the night before the Quali leaving him struggling to weight his right foot, he still finished 3rd though (incredible). Johanna was climbing so well during the quali when disater struck on the final bloc with a massive inversion injury rupturing all three ligaments in her ankle. Johanna has now got to decide whether surgical or conservative intervention is best.

(Heiko Wilhelm)

Boulder Worldcup Vienna (AUT)

2010-06-02T02:17:00.000+02:00

The bouldering World Cup in Vienna was very successful. I was able to climb in my first World Cup final and finished in 4th behind Fishhuber, Ondra and Rubtsov. Climbing in the final was an unforgettable experience, particularly on the third boulder where you had to perform a footless cross-over on small screw-ons...the crowd went wild.

Dave Barrans climbed very well finishing in 8th.

I am now in Boulder, Colorado, relaxing before heading up to Vail at the Weekend for the next round of the World Cup.

(Heiko Wilhelm)

Boulder Worldcup Greifensee (SUI)

2010-05-21T14:47:00.000+02:00

The 15th of May saw the start of the 2010 Bouldering Worldcup in Greifensee, Switzerland. The qualification round went well and I made it through to the semi-final finishing in 10th place. A real highlight of the event was watching the battle between Ondra and Fischhuber. Kilian demonstrating mega composure and winning the event.

Members of the 2010British bouldering Team climbed well with Mina and Diane finishing 25th and 27th respectively. John, Adam and Mason gained critical experience ready for the next event. The team will be flying out to Vienna next weekend where Barrans climbed very well last year making it through to the finals.

You can follow the British Team's performance at the BMC or the IFSC's website:

http://www.thebmc.co.uk
http://www.ifsc-climbing.org/?page_name=home

Wilhelm and British Bouldering Team

Der Schwarzer Schwan

2010-05-12T09:28:00.000+02:00

After Viktor and Tanja's wedding on Saturday we decided to head to Markus Haid's new climbing spot where he'd made the first ascent of an incredible route. 'Der Schwarzer Schwan' ≈Fr8c winds its way up a blank wall of pristine granite before a bouldery top out. We warmed up in a nearby area and headed up to the secret spot with Markus. The route reminds me of 'new baseline' at Averstal and I thought I might be able to do it in a day. I had a good flash attempt and on my 2nd attempt I made the 2nd ascent. The route is destined to be a mega classic in Tirol.

kitzrock bouldercup'10

2010-04-25T18:46:00.000+02:00

The 2010 kitz rock event was, as always, fantastic with a massive number of climbers participating. The qualification round on Friday night was very busy and had a great vibe with loads of strong climbers wanting to get through to the semi-final round. The semi-final and final were held on Saturday and were world cup modus. The competition was intense in the final with a battle between Lukas Ennemoser and Kilian, Luki looking like a mashine and pipping Kili to the title. Jonas Baumann took 3rd place and I took 4th. Highlight of the event has to be our 4th bloc in the final, a pocket problem involving a huge footless cross-over on 2 finger pockets followed by a one-arm pull up...I was loving it! Looking forward to some rock now before the next event in 3 weeks.

(Elias Holzknecht)

CWIF 2010

2010-03-27T20:18:00.000+01:00

When Graeme invited me and Sabby to climb for the Climbing Works Team at the 2010 CWIF alongside Gabri Moroni and Stéphane Julien I was a little suprised. Instead of worrying too much, I just used it as an incentive to climb really hard at the comp. The Qualification round involved climbing a circuit of 30 problems scattered around the Climbing Works. I got to work and started making my way through the blocs and was amazed by how good the quality was, every bloc had something special about. I qualified in 2nd place for the semi-final and the Climbing Works Team won the event ahead of some very strong teams including the beastmaker!

I made it through the semi-finals and was able to climb in the final with 4 other climbers. I slowly warmed up my aching muscles and enjoyed climbing infront of a cheering crowd. I finished in 4th.

work, train, ski, work, train, ski.....

2010-03-16T15:02:00.000+01:00

The past few months have been spent in the practice, at the wall and on the mountain. I was able to spend a weekend in Chironico last month but it was too cold to try really hard so we ended up just climbing lots of blocs to keep warm. On Thursday I will be returning to the UK for the Climbing Works competition and spending the following week with the Austrian Bouldering Team on the grit.

next phase

2010-02-03T10:13:00.000+01:00

The past month has been spent training strength at the gym and doing specific exercises at the wall. I have one more day of this training before I start the next phase which involves lots of exercises to improve my hand strength. I'm really missing climbing on the rock so we've planned a bouldering trip next weekend...can't wait.

los gehts!!!

2009-12-11T14:11:00.001+01:00

The rest phase is over and I have started training for 2010. I will be training basic stamina for the next 3 weeks in Innsbruck, Imst and in the local bouldering wall. On tuesday we had a session at Tivoli doing double routes in the 7a-7c range. Towards the end of the session it was a real fight to hold on to the biggest jugs and the next day my forearms felt totally "fertig"....great feeling. Heading back to the UK for Christmas with Sabby and really looking forward to boulderig on the grit. I would like to do the Ace at Stanage...hope I'm strong enough after the stamina training?!?

Resting

2009-11-26T13:24:00.000+01:00

At the moment I am taking a rest from climbing to let my body recover before I start preparing for 2010. I have been running and working on my core strength to ensure that I am fit enough to train effectively and I need to think of some attainable goals for next year to keep me motivated during this period. A great thing about Tirol is that you are able to do lots of diverse sports throughout the whole year meaning that you never get bored and you are able to take little breaks from training to do something fun like skiing through a forest of conifer trees with soft powder under your feet....can't wait!!!

(long slog up to 3000m peak Jan'09)

Siurana Trip

2009-11-09T15:03:00.001+01:00

The Siruana trip was fantastic but way too short. I was a little overwhelmed by the lines, I had a few ideas of what I wanted to try before the trip but as you walk through the siurana valley every route is appealing. My dad was climbing very well...respect. Very much looking forward to returing to this magical place.

Outstanding routes of the trip:

migranya...8b (3rd go)
la cara que no miente...8a+ (2nd go)
el prado del rey...7b+
brigadistak...7a (fantastic)
lo deje to blanco...7a
xerinola...7b+ (amazing route)

Alhambra, Niederthai

2009-10-09T12:42:00.000+02:00

On Tuesday I climbed a really nice link between 2 routes at Niederthai. Climb through the crux of Masada and finish through the last crux wall of Wargames. The link is called 'Alhambra' and it's probably around the Fr8b mark. Heading out to Siruana for a long weekend soon with my Dad. I am really looking forward to this trip but need to work on power endurance before heading out there.

Memento

2009-10-03T22:30:00.000+02:00

Today I climbed Memento (8B+) at Silvretta. I needed 2 sessions for the boulder. Cool line in a nice setting.

(Elias Holzknecht)

8c after work

2009-09-09T19:04:00.000+02:00

I had the afternoon off work today to go climbing with Sabby at a limestone crag, Nassereith, near Imst. I warmed-up on some really nice routes and climbed Morpheus (8c) on my 5th go spread over 2 days. The route is great, it involves some really wide moves on a 45˚ wall and a really hard slap to a crimp from an undercut at the top of the wall. Sabby is trying a hard route there, so I am looking forward to returning and attempting some of the other routes.

I'm heading back to the UK tommorrow for the British Bouldering Team Training weekend....looking forward to aching muscles on Monday.

Mordor

2009-09-06T19:45:00.000+02:00

I don't know what to write........I literally can't express how I'm feeling right now. I first tried Mordor (8c+/9a) a few years ago and made really fast progress. The route took alot longer than expected and nothing has ever pushed me through so many physical and emotional barriers. I can't actually believe that I have done it and this epic is finally over.

(Elias Holzknecht)

Bloc Master Innsbruck

2009-09-04T12:48:00.001+02:00

(Photo: Heiko Wilhelm)

Silmarillion 8b-Zillertal trip with bro

2009-08-17T22:20:00.000+02:00

Just got back from a great trip to zillertal. It was mega warm but cool. Managed to climb Silmarillion 8b on my 3rd go and Mart is back on the rock...............!!

zwettler-master

2009-08-10T18:57:00.000+02:00

The 2nd part of the Austrian Bouldering Cup was held in Zwettl. The comp was really well organised and we had some great blocs to climb in both the qualificaion and final round. The final started in the evening and with Cody playing some good music and commentating, the atmosphere was fantastic. The battle between luki and myself commenced at the final bloc. We both flashed the first two blocs and climbed the tricky 3rd bloc on our 2nd attempt. I'd won the quali, so if we both flashed the 4th I would win on count-back, the pressure was on. Luki was out first and flashed the complicated bloc and the crowd went wild. I had some water, looked at the stars, chalked-up and walked across the stage to the final bloc. I pulled on and the initial hard move felt really good and then I wasn't sure what to do next so i just went for the sequence we'd worked out and fell. I realised I'd come 2nd but still wanted to climb the bloc so I got the crowd behind me and climbed it 2nd go...great feeling. Zwettl beer was one of the event's sponsors so Luki and Sabby recieved 2 massive bottles of beer for winning.....very nice.

Minas Tirith 8b/+

2009-08-03T18:51:00.000+02:00

Minas Tirith is a route at Niederthai that I have always wanted to do as in my opinion it follows one of the best lines at Niederthai. It winds its way up an incredible boulder towering above the green forest below. The route has always been slightly intimidating because it's quite long and involves an aggressive crux sequence on bad footholds. Sabby was psyched to give it a go, so I decided to go for it. I felt pretty bad warming-up, every muscle in my upper body was aching after the Austrian Championships held on Friday and Saturday. I climbed the route unexpectadly on my 3rd go just before a wild thunderstorm hit Niederthai. The weather has turned bad now, which is not a bad thing as it gives a good excuse to stay indoors and train for the up and coming boulder comp in Zwettl. Thanks to Lukas Ennemoser for the great photos of Minas Tirith.

bloc-battle Mayrhofen

2009-08-02T19:26:00.000+02:00

The Austrian Bouldering Championships were held in Mayrhofen, Zillertal. I finished 3rd in the event behind Mario and Luki. The girl's event was won by Babsy closely followed by Sabby in 2nd. The competition was really great but what made it stand-out was the fact that it was held in Zillertal and organised by some of Austria's climbing legends.

Céüse Trip

2009-07-30T19:41:00.000+02:00

A tick-list from my short trip to Céüse and La Balme. More pics and info to follow.
l'ami tout la monde 8b (3rd go)
violente illusion 8b (2nd go)
carte blache 8a (onsight)
les colonnettes 8a (flash)
l'ami caouette 8a (2nd go)
la coleur du vent 8a (2nd go)
Alien extension 8a+ (3rd go)
le privilege du serpant 7c+ (flash)
vagaond d'occident 7c (flash)
best route of my trip: Bibendum 7b+

Training evening at Piburger See

2009-07-17T18:17:00.000+02:00

I think this was the first time that I went to a crag with the intention of just training. The routes at Piburg are around 25-30m so getting pumped was the goal. We warmed up and flashed an 8a extension (no name) and then climbed another 8a and finishing with a 7b+. All climbed within 2hrs. I'm really enjoying routes at the moment but I need to get back to the bouldering wall to do some max before the Austrian Bouldering Champs in August.

Oetztal Fun

2009-07-11T21:31:00.000+02:00

Had a great day in Oetztal. Luki and I went to Piburger See just down the road to climb some routes that we'd not done before. I climbed the following routes:

7b warm-up
Metamorphose 8a+ (flash)
Nostalgie 8a (onsight)
A floater dreier 7b+

It felt really good to be flowing on the rock and I find Piburger See one of the best climbing areas around.

Atfer climbing we decided to go mountain biking. The ride ended up been mega and we finally arrived at a mountain hut with no money and really thirsty. Luki sorted of knew the old guy that owned the hut and he gave us some home-made schnapps and we just took in the view for a bit before the downhill fun started.

UK Trip June'09

2009-06-29T16:22:00.000+02:00

I attended a Kinesio Taping course in Manchester last weekend and decided to stay for a few days after the course had finished. I visited kilnsey and Yew Cogar and climbed the following routes:

Urgent Action 8a+ (one of the best routes I have ever climbed)
Dead Calm 8a (flash)
Love Sculpture 8a+ (2nd go)
Vorsprung Durch Technik 7c+ (flash)

I am really enjoying climbing loads of things at the moment but ready for some real red-pointing.

Eindhoven World Cup

2009-06-16T20:05:00.000+02:00

Back from NL after the World Cup in Eindhoven. Cool event that has left me more psyched for comps than ever before. The British Team did really well:
Ned 6th (final!)
Dave 25th
me 27th
Diane 15th
Leah 25th
Mina 27th
It feels really good to be part of a team of focused and psyched climbers who want to climb well at international events...next year will be interesting.

I am a little dissapointed with my result because although I felt like I was climbing ok, I lacked focus costing me a few top-outs. I need to work on this before the next event.

I am really looking forward to the BBC this year, just need to find some reasonable flights back to the UK for the weekend.

Boulder World Cup Wien

2009-06-02T13:58:00.000+02:00

Went to Wien on Thursday for the WC. The qualification round went really well and I qualified for the semi-final. The blocs in the semi were really cool with all different styles of climbing. I was well psyched on the 3rd bloc that involved a fight with some massive volumes. I climbed two blocs and finished 8th, my best WC result to date....well happy.

Driving out to Averstal on Friday for the weekend...I hope it's not too hot.

Weekend in Averstal

2009-05-24T15:45:00.000+02:00

Just back from a great trip in Averstal with Sabby and Eli. It was pretty warm, but still managed to climb some great boulders. Looking forward to going back. Here is a quick tick list of the trip:

NBL Stand 8A+
Electroboogie 8A+
Rythmo Brachial 8A (flash)
Jack the Chipper 7C (well good)
FightClub 7C (Flash)
Gollum 7C (Flash)

Next weekend is the WC in Wien....Vollgas.

Japan

2009-05-11T18:14:00.001+02:00

Bouldering at Shiobara: Heiko

The Team above Tokyo City: Babsy

Sabby bouldering at Shiobara: Nalle

more info about the trip coming soon......

Chironico

2009-03-15T19:10:00.000+01:00

Amazing 2 day trip with Sabby in Chironico.

Day 1: Sabby really wanted to climb Dr Pinch (V11) so we drove out to Chironico on Friday for a quick trip. We warmed up by climbing a mega highball slab, Hans Jorg would of been proud! Sabby worked out moves on doc pinch and after an hour climbed the problem (check out her blog for some pics etc), respect Sabby. I really wanted to climb Boogalagga and started work figuring out the moves...amazing. I had the moves wired and was pretty sure I could do it. I had 2 attempts on the first crux move and felt the dreaded feeling of a split tip (so typical). I decided to leave it for the next trip and climb the V11 to the right 'Walker on Earth', involving a mono...was loving it.
Day 2: We woke up to goats surrounding the car, was pretty scared because one was bigger than Sabby, not exactly hard to achieve, but still scary. Today was going to be a day where we were going to climb as many blocs as possible. We climbed so much, but some highlights include a flash ascent of 'Serre moi Fort' (V11). Was echt a whansin, Gu gave me the beta and I got pretty psyched...cool topping out...totally surreal. Another highlight was 'Les Cliques a Claques' (V9); a classic problem. I think I have finally improved my slab skills thanks to Heiko's coaching.
Going skiing now

working, training, working, training

2009-02-24T20:41:00.000+01:00

The time is passing so fast this year, can't believe it's nearly march. Training is going really well, started campussing and climbing loads of blocs, and I'm feeling really fast. Sabby is looking strong, never seen her so strong. We are both looking forward to the WC in Japan, will be interesting to compete and climb on the surrounding rocks. I had a quick trip to switzerland last weekend with the Oetztaler team and some Innsbruck guys...was really cool. Managed to flash a V10 in cresciano and we climbed some hard slabs. This trip was a little unusual for me, normally I want to tick something hard and I put a little pressure upon myself, during this trip I just climbed loads of blocs and was more interested by the technical blocs. I did, however, have a quick look at Dreamtime, I really want to climb this boulder in the future. I have also decided to stop updating my 8a.nu logbook because it doesn't interest me anymore and I find the whole thing a little strange. On a sad note, an old climbing friend of my Dad's, Brian Roberts, had a walking accident and died a few weeks ago, really sad but at least he died doing something that every climber loves...been in the mountains.

2009-01-31T19:01:00.000+01:00

update

2009-01-18T11:09:00.000+01:00

Over the past few months I have been very busy with my new business 'body²' and training. I am really looking forward to this year from a career and climbing point of view. I want to climb things that really mean something to me and give these climbs everything, I need to fulfill a sense of adventure and climb in the mountains! LOS GEHTS!

Weekend on Swiss Granite

2008-12-12T19:41:00.000+01:00

It has been snowing so much in Austria...great for skiing and training! Last weekend I finally had some time away from work and went to Switzerland! We arrived in Chironico and discovered that it had snowed there too, found Dave and Ellie buried in the snow and went climbing! Climbed Dr Pinch (V10) and La Boule (V11). La Boule is amazing, the 1st hard move involves holding a press with left hand and you have to hold your body in the correct position to make the next move, it took me a while to get the right body position and then I climbed the bloc...fantastic last move to jug!

I started the 2nd phase of my training plan this week..Kraft training! I had a session in the gym on Tuesday and felt so weak! Another week of just gym work and then I start specific power training for climbing in addition to the gym work. It feels really good to be following a training plan, I feel so much fitter already and looking foward to another trip to Switzerland later this month to shock the body!

chiao

Endurance Training!

2008-11-21T12:48:00.001+01:00

I started phase 1 of my training plan this week and it's hurting big time, it basically involves getting pumped over and over again and been amazed by how much stamina Babsy has. Going skiing on Sunday with the Austrian Climbing Team...it´s gonna be awesome because I think there will be some powder snow. Hopefully going to swiss next weekend to meet Dave Barrans, will do a few sessions on fingerboard before to make sure fingers are feeling strong.

craziest project in Ötztal

2008-11-18T14:27:00.000+01:00

After spending Saturday moving snow around we went to have a look HJ´s new area in Ötztal. I was well psyched because he was always talking about it his new project, a crazy roof crack, and I wanted to check it out. When we got to the crag I couldn´t believe it, the project follows one of the best lines I have ever seen. I climbed a few other routes and made the 2nd ascent of a 3-star 7c+ with an all-out dyno to the last hold...amazin. Then I had the privilege of having a look at the project on a rope. Wow, the route follows a small crack through a huge roof with some of the best moves I have ever made with a rope on. There´s one bit where you have to make a cross-over jump into a good hold and then turn your feet around so they´re facing outwards and make a few moves in this position....crazy. I hope HJ climbs the route soon because I am so psyched!

Autumn Days

2008-10-26T19:15:00.001+01:00

Went to Tumpen Bloc yesterday and climbed an amazing new problem 'Autumn Days' (V10). It starts standing and you pull off the ground on two crimps and place a right heel hook on a thin edge and slap all-out to a slopey edge, slap again and then rock over onto a slab. One of the best problems in Tumpen. Tumpen Bloc is getting some traffic now and it's great to see so many climbers enjoying the area.

I have been trad-climbing alot recently and went to a local crag today with Elias to climb some classic routes ohne bolts....It feels great to be getting used to placing gear and think we're going to climb a new route soon....it's going to be crazy. I think it's a good job that I'm not based in the UK at the moment...I KNOW I'd end up on some hard grit route. There is one route that I would love to climb: Equilibrium. Who knows...........................................

European Bouldering Championships

2008-10-26T19:03:00.000+01:00

Location: Bercy, Paris
Position: =25th
Feeling: Satisfied
Due to a high number of competitors, the qualification round is now split, so there are 40 climbers in both groups climbing different problems. The top-10 from each group makes it into the semi-final. I finished 12th in my group missing the semi by an attempt. Ned climbed well in his group and made it into the semi-final where he continued to climb strong and finished 16th. The final was very inspiring.....I now know exactly what I'm missing and will get to work on it asap. A good finish to the season and I'm looking forward to next year. The 2009 World Cup is going to be mega...lots of travelling!

Tao 8c

2008-10-07T22:08:00.000+02:00

On saturday morning I looked out my window and snow greeted me....the thought of getting back on this beautiful route this year vanished. I ended up in the bouldering wall training with Luki und Heiko and we made some amazing blocs with loads of crazy moves, Luki climbed one of the craziest dynos I have ever seen...to put it bluntly he is an absolute beast! Sunday arrived and I looked out at snow covered mountains and a crystal clear blue sky...I was psyched!

Piburger is another crag you can find in Oetztal. It's located above a beautiful lake surrounded by snow peaked mountains. The routes are steep and involve athletic moves between amazing granite holds. Tao starts on this little ledge high above the trees with some really aggressive shouldery moves on bad footholds, it then leads into continuous technical climbing with some really long moves on goodish holds to finish. The route is a proper PE type route and I'm well happy to have made the 5th ascent.

Pic: Kili climbing at Piburger (H.Wilhelm)

Zillertal ho

2008-09-01T17:39:00.000+02:00

Had a cool weekend in Zillertal bouldering. On Sat we drove to magic places and climbed some nice classics. I really wanted to try the Riddler but the river was really high and couldn't be bothered getting my feet wet. Next stop was Wehr where I climbed Pitbull- an amazing move with a nasty crimp. On Sunday we went into the zillergrund wald and messed around checking out some nice blocs. It was nice bouldering again but seem to be more psyched for routes at the moment. I'm trying this amazing 8c above a beautiful lake. The route is perfect. Looking forward to gettin back on it this week. psyched!

Blasius 8b+

2008-08-04T19:38:00.000+02:00

I climbed a really cool route yesterday at a crag pretty close to Imst. The route is called Balsius (8b+) and involves some powerful moves on undercuts with a tricky top section. Here is a link to a video of me trying the route last Sunday made by my good friend Elias:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ldPTeMEDJ4

UK Trip

2008-07-25T19:19:00.001+02:00

Back in Austria after visiting the UK for the BBC. I was so psyched for some classic lines on limestone but the weather was pretty bad leaving some of the crags wet. However I did climb some great routes including Ben Moon's classic 'Zeke the Freak' 8b (pic). On Sunday we went to Chee Dale and I climbed 'Entree' 8a and then I decided to have a go at the 8b to the right...the rock is perfect but I split a tip on the first move...putting a stop to my attempts. Well psyched to do it in Sep when return for the British Team training day.

British Bouldering Championships'08

2008-07-14T12:00:00.000+02:00

What an event! The 2008 British Bouldering Championships was a mega success. The event was so much bigger and better than last year. I was amazed by how many strong climbers turned up to compete from around the UK. The qualification round went well and I felt proud to get into the final. During the break before the final I chilled out in the Sun catching up with friends, which was great. The girl's final was fantastic to watch and it's good to see some new climbers on the scene. The guy's final was one of the best ever. The final bloc would decide who would get the title between Dave, Ned and me. Dave was up 1st and missed the crucial beta on the final move and fell, then it was my turn and I missed the beta.......Ned's turn; on his 1st attempt he missed the beta and I thought I'd won but then on his 2nd attempt he climbed the boulder perfectly topping out and winning the title. I finished 2nd and Dave 3rd, complete results available at the BMC website.

So perfect venue, massive crowd, lots of respect for the comp.....it must be time to hold a round of the Bouldering World Cup at the Cliffhanger event.

Frodo's Journey 8b+

2008-07-06T17:08:00.000+02:00

I climbed a cool link today at Niederthai that starts up Gondor and after the slopey ledge goes out right to join Waldlaeufer via a really powerful cross-move. I named it "Frodo's Journey" and graded it solid Fr8b+.

When will the journey end?

2008-07-02T19:15:00.000+02:00

I've spent 14 days on Mordor so far and it's getting a little closer everyday. I've never had to dedicate myself to a route like this. At the moment I'm getting through the 1st crux slap and falling off the next, but on Sunday I found a bit of beta that should help on this move. So now I'm just waiting for the right conditions to go back to Niederthai and attempt it again because the weather is pretty strange here at the moment. I am enjoying the journey but looking forward to having a rest when it's complete and just climbing lots of routes and blocs. I hope to climb the route before visiting the UK next week.

Magic Wood

2008-06-23T14:49:00.001+02:00

Chickenhead 8A (Flash)

Riverbed 8B

Had 2 days in Averstal with Sabby. 1st day went to Chickenhead with Ned, Tom, Dave and Tony and managed to flash it. After played on Riverbed and got it wired. 2nd day woke up super early to avoid sun and climbed Riverbed 1st go...perfect.

Oetztal is wet!

2008-06-15T18:47:00.000+02:00

The weather is so bad at the moment in Oetztal. I decided to leave Mordor today due to my back and poor conditions and have a look at a hidden sector in Niederthai. The sector is located in the woods behind the main areas of Niederthai and you end up going down this big hole type thing before reaching the routes...cool. The sector has three routes 6c, 8b, 7c and they were first climbed by Markus Haid sometime ago. I cleaned up the 8b and dried some holds and I was amazed. The holds are perfect consisting of crimps and slopers with perfect flowing moves between them. I was really pleased to climb the route today but would of been best to have rested my back.

Fierra Bouldering World Cup

2008-06-15T09:00:00.000+02:00

Two years ago I injured my back in Fierra at the Wc and it happened again this year. I'd warmed up for the quali really well and felt ready. I flashed the 1st bloc and then messed up the 2nd bloc, sat down for the 5min rest period and when I put my shoes on I felt something go in my back. I sarted to panic because I couldn't breathe deep and rotate to the right without lots of pain. I decided to just carry on and see if it got better. It didn't and I was unable to give 100% on the remaining blocs. I finished 28th climbing just 2 problems. I was very dissapointed because the blocs were perfect for me-crimpy and basic. My back is still painful but starting to ease. I have had back problems for a long time now and I am really lazy when it comes to back exercises but this has shown me just how important it is to train your whole body. The next WC is in 3 weeks so hopefully I'll be ready for it.

Grindelwald Bouldering WC

2008-06-07T11:14:00.000+02:00

The world cup in Grindelwald went well. On friday I qualified in 3rd place but dropped to 16th in the semi-final. Dave Barrans should of been in the semi too but another climber found a way around the hardest boulder (didn't get done the original way) using holds from the girl's bloc and so he ended up in 21st. I have something to work on before the next comp in Fierra; flexibility.

Tumpen Bloc Topo

2008-06-02T20:34:00.001+02:00

There is a now a topo for Tumpen Bloc available at http://www.oetztalclimbing.com/

Map of Tumpen Bloc

2008-05-18T10:59:00.000+02:00

Paul's Kotz-Attacke 8a+ (Heiko Wilhelm)

I'd heard from some local climbers that Markus Haid had climbed a really good new route at a crag just 5mins down the road. The crag, Nosslach, is amazing with so many 3star routes in the 7th grade. I climbed a few of these routes and decided to give the new route a go. It involves an amazing overhang with some athletic moves on crimps....perfect. I had a quick go onsight but it didn't work and climbed it 2nd go. I thought the route was around the Fr8a+ grade but Markus had given the route Fr8b and other people agreed with 8b. Keine Ahnung.

Quick Update

2008-05-11T19:26:00.000+02:00

Just had 2 days on Mordor and it's feeling much better this year. The crux seems to feel much easier because i'm putting in a small drop knee before making the move meaning my body is closer to the wall. I just need to work away and hopefully i'll climb it soon. Before trying Mordor today I climbed 'Oman Calling' (8b) 2nd go which was nice because it's really technical.

Frankenjura Trip

2008-05-06T11:35:00.000+02:00

Just got back form a great trip to frankenjura with my Dad, it was great to climb with him again. He is inspirational and it's funny to watch the reactions of younger climbers when a 59 year old burns them off!!! Here's what I did:

Day 1:
Went to Zwergenschloss and climbed PlanB (8b) and the Angry Inch (8b+). I'd just worked the crux of the Angry Inch and not bothered looking at the top pumpy section, so had to onsight that section...a tense moment. I asked some guys for the beta on Powerplay and I'm psyched to give it a go next time.

Day2:
Went to Puettlacher Wand and climbed a great 7c with a really powerful move at the top. I was psyched to have a go at killer (8b) at Schuettersmuehler Wand. Walked up and it was in the Sun but tied on anyway and had a few goes. I nearly climbed the route on my 3rd go but fell just after the crux (big fall!) and decided to leave it for the next morning when it would be cooler.

Day3:
Woke up really early and went to a crag to warm-up. Felt really good and headed for Killer and climbed the route 1st go....fantastic route with typical Frankenjura pockets. After went on the Pottensteiner tobogan..well good. Went to Grossweinsteiner wand and flashed a classic jura route Sautanz (7b+). I really wanted to try Unplugged but couldn't find the crag and ended up on the Burn 4U sector. Had a look at Burn 4U but couldn't work out which way to go on the crux. I didn't know at the time that the route to the right was Corona (9a+) and thought that Burn 4U goes up right and back left so ended up doing some of the crux of Corona. Def gonna have a go at Burn 4U again.

Day4:
Went to Wiessenstein and met Patxi warming up for Action. Climbed 4 routes upto 7c and then left for Austria. I'd love to try Action but nervous because I don't want to bugger my fingers up. Think I'll do some training and have a look netx time.

Ski Season Ended

2008-05-01T18:26:00.000+02:00

Brandy Tarte 8c+

2008-04-13T21:24:00.000+02:00

I woke up this morning and looked out the window...finally good weather! We drove to Niederthai and I warmed-up in the sun. Walked up to Brandy Tarte in the snow and on my 2nd attempt today I climbed the route. It's a fantastic route, really steep and powerful. Very typical of Niederthai the route is situated in a beautiful location and it felt great when I clipped the top and got lowered off in amongst the trees with the valley of Oetztal behind me. The route was first climbed by Markus Haid and graded "Hard" 8c. My ascent was the 5th behind Markus, Heiko, Kilian and Luki. The route feels more like 8c+ because when i compare it to the other 8c's i've climbed it feels considerably harder. I've chatted to heiko and luki and they agree. After i climbed brandy I went down to the steep sector and climbed some more routes in the sun.

KitzRock2008

2008-04-06T11:40:00.000+02:00

I entered the KitzRock Regional Event in Kitzbuehl on friday and Saturday. The qualification went very well and I qualified in 3rd place behind Marcus Hoppe and Kili. In the semi-final I felt very strong but had some bad luck on the first boulder popping off with my hand on the final hold a few times. The comp was good practice but I felt a little uncomfortable in the comp situation again. Last season I entered many local bouldering comps to break the nerves, whereas this year I've had no practice and i wasn't flowing. I finished 9th and missed the final by an attempt. When you have a bad result you sometimes question whether comps are worth the hassle but they are because one day you could have luck on your side and climb fantastically and you will never forget the feeling of the crowd behind you......hope I'm feeling it in Hall.

Two Days in Chironico

2008-03-25T13:09:00.000+01:00

The weather is really bad in Austria at the moment i.e. lots of snow, so we decided to have a quick two days in Chironico. We arrived at around 12ish on Sunday and went straight to Team Work (8A). Sabby was psyched for the boulder and she climbed it pretty fast. It involves some good moves on nice crimps and some cool moves to top out. I then wanted to try the Great Shark Hunt (8A+). When I found the boulder I was amazed by the steepness and how good the holds were. I messed up the move to the sharp undercut a few times through trying to static it and then wimped out slapping for the sloper on the edge but on my 5th go i climbed the bloc...such a satisfying bloc but I don't think it's 8B because the holds are just too good.

The Great Shark Hunt

My skin was pretty bad after Sunday but I was psyched on Monday to look at the top area of Chironico. Warmed up and climbed Les Doigts Vert (7c+) and flashed Le Pilier (soft8A). Back in Austria now and it's totally white. I have a competition in Kitzbuhl next weekend, nervous but It's good prep for the World Cups.

sabby getting psyched

2008-03-01T17:10:00.000+01:00

I went to Tumpen the other day with Sabby and found a wall that had a few nice blocs on it (already chalked and cleaned). I climbed the middle bloc (pic above) at around v7 and then had a quick go at the problem to the right...well hard. It involves a really hard move rocking over onto the wall. I don't think that this bloc has been climbed...but who knows??? Heading to Zillertal soon to try and climb the Incubator.

UK Trip

2008-02-20T10:02:00.000+01:00

Just got from England and had a brilliant but short trip. On Friday we went to Stanage and the conditions were amazing and I was loving climbing on the Grit. I warmed-up and climbed the Joker V11. I've wanted to do the Joker for ages but have never found the right conditions. It's really nice when you catch the last sloper perfectly and then just swing to the jug...classic problem...well pleased. On Saturday I went to the Climbing Works for Team Training and had a really good training day but it was so cold in the Works. We spent Sunday in Manchester and back to Stanage on Monday. It was really warm on Monday ad impossible to climb hard in the Sun, But climbed Not to be Taken Away and Sabby climbed Brad Pitt!

UK Trip Booked

2008-02-05T14:14:00.000+01:00

The weather is perfect here at the moment. Last week I went to Niederthai and attempted 'Brandy Tarte' Fr8c, I quickly got all the moves done and climbed it in two halves. I had already tried the route 2 years ago but couldn't do the crux involving a crazy lock to a 3-finger pinch and a powerful move to a flat hold. It snowed last night, so the route could be wet now, but will hopefully try it on Thursday if the sun keeps shining...not long before Mordor is ready!! Feeling strong. Heading back to the Uk later this month..will probably try the Ace or Voyager sit. Hope the weather will be good!?!

Training and skiing

2008-01-10T17:39:00.000+01:00

I have just 2 more weeks of my system training..it's going very well, but I'm looking forward to starting the next period of my training which will involve campus board, fingerboarding and hard boulders. On a skiing front, it hasn't snowed here for a few weeks....but we managed to go on an incredible ski tour. It took around 4 hours of climbing until we were on top of the mountain "High Wasserfall" Oetztaler Alpen. The view was incredible and the ski down was amazing with perfect powder snow. Hope it snows soon.....

Weekend in Cresciano and Chironico

2007-12-24T16:13:00.001+01:00

I can't believe I've never been to these two amazing bouldering areas.....there's a crazy amount of stuff to do! We stayed with Gaz, Martin, Liam and Micky in Claro on Saturday night and they talked about so many good problems that I need to climb....I got crazily psyched and couldn't sleep that night because all i could think about was climbing. On Saturday, me and sabby made the 3.5hr trip from Laengenfeld to Cresciano. We warmed up and went up to the "La Pelle" bloc. I climbed the direct method of "La Pelle" V12 within 5 minutes and then spotted Sabby on the 7b+/7c to the right. It went dark pretty fast so i couldn't try anything else in cresciano. We wanted to go to Brione on Sunday but Martin didn't feel too well, so we headed to Chironico instead. I was quite psyched to try and flash "Schule des Lebens" V13. I had a go and got through to the move up to a sloper just before top and my foot popped...after a few more attempts I did it. I then went on "No Mystery" V12 and did it first go. Here is a pic of me climbing "No Mystery":

I spotted sabby on "That Goes Left" V10 and then went to "Miss Swiss" V11 and watched Gaz and Micky dispatch. The problem is really high but climbs amazingly involving big moves on positive crimps. I flashed the problem and didn't look down. Can't wait to go back.

Ski Instructor and Physio

2007-12-13T17:46:00.000+01:00

For the last month and a half I have been taking part in a ski instructor course run by SnowSport Tirol. It was pretty intense because the whole thing was in German. Yesterday was the exam and I was pretty nervous. First was the theory section and I'd revised loads so it wasn't too bad and then came the practical part...I was so nervous but managed to ski ok and passed that too....phew. I really do believe that climbing has helped me through some of the hardest things that I have had to overcome in my life, for example in the ski instructing course, the first day I harldy understood anything and I felt like giving up but my inner drive just pushed and I basically learnt all the German around skiing everyday for 4 weeks. Climbing has taught me so much about self-belief and motivation...it really is a fantastic sport. Anyway, so now I'm a ski instructor in Tirol and I have a physio job in Imst starting soon but in the meantime I'll probably do some ski teaching to earn some money.

Belasten V12

2007-12-03T18:07:00.000+01:00

We had to abondon a trip to Brione due to bad weather so I headed to Tumpen for a few hours to try my little proj there. The problem involves just 2 moves up a really steep face on the craziest crimps I've ever pulled on...normally i like crimps but these are just too small. Pulling on must be v10 alone and then you have to get into this weird eygptian and make a move up and left to this one finger crimp..when you have this you have to weight it and pop to a goodish hold and keep the tension to hold to the swing. The problem is called 'Belasten' meaning 'to weight it' and I've graded it hard v12.

Training

2007-11-26T15:51:00.000+01:00

I have finished the first phase of my training plan last week and I am starting to feel very fit which means my body is ready to start training hard. The second phase will take me up to Christmas and once thats finished I am ready to start specific training for my 2008 goals. I am really looking foward to Jan'08 because I have some trips to Switzerland planned. It's going to be hard to keep disciplined during December because I am so psyched to get over to Brione to try "Vechia", because it is just 3 hours away! Maybe I'll head over for a weekend to give it a go.

Tumpen Bloc

2007-11-05T13:05:00.000+01:00

So Ben and Rachel have checked out Tumpen Bloc and the grades and quality have been confirmed. Here is a list of the hardest Tumpen Bloc boulders:
-Die Perfecta Welle v12
-Stick it Extension v11
-Diamonds are Forever v11
-Crocodile v10/11
-Stick it v10
-The new Am Wasser Gebaut v10
and lots more in the v4-9 range.

Here is a list of projects that still to be climbed:
-The 1st proj by the path....prob v14?
-Proj on Steep triangle boulder (pic below)....prob v12/13
and a few more that need to be cleaned.

Going to start work on a topo asap, if you want a copy email me: s.watson@gmx.at

Plans 07/08

2007-11-05T12:47:00.000+01:00

Well I've had to forget Mordor now until next year...it's just too cold. I've waited for a warm day for the last 4 weeks but it's just getting colder and the snow is falling! It's kind of cool because now I have a major focus in the winter and I've planned my training so that I will be able to climb it in March next year. To be honest I have no stress with this route and I just enjoy trying it, on my last days trying it I was able to climb the 25m 8c section around 3/4 times in a day so my fitness has improved alot! The other day I sorted my training out with Sabby...it's kind of cool and I've never tried it before but it seems to be what all the good climbers in Tirol seem to do so lets see what happens! Next year I want to be able to establish myself in the 8c route/8b boulder grade and I think with training I should reach this goal. But for now I'm just focusing on my training and climbing some hard bouders on granite. I have been trying a bloc in Zillertal called "Incubator". It was 1st climbed by Markus Schwaiger but was originally Jerry Moffat's project. It's graded 8B and is one of the best boulders i have ever tried. It's on a 45 degree overhanging granite wall with perfect edges and big locks. I went to try it on Sat but couldn't do one move until some cool Austrian Boulderers came and told me the way and now it is on! I'm england now for a week but will go back and try it early next week. I think this week i'll head to Raven Tor and see what looks good. Hooligan sounds good..boulder into 8b!

Again....

2007-10-07T19:45:00.000+02:00

Went to try Mordor again today, felt much better today but still need one rest just below crux! Here are some vids taken today on Sabby's phone.

Niederthai....again.

2007-10-06T20:18:00.000+02:00

Tried Mordor again today and now it is getting soooooo close. I did it twice with just 1 short rest below crux section (the route is approx 25m-30m). I realised today that WHEN/if I do this route I'll be the 2nd brit to climb this grade abroad. Going back to the UK next Friday for 1 week for Team Training and to attempt the Ace so should be cool. Can't wait to feel the grit again. Here's a pic from Slipstones earlier this year, it makes my hands sweat looking at it.

Die Perfekte Welle

2007-10-02T11:39:00.000+02:00

I climbed another new problem at Tumpen (Austria). It's a perfect 7m overhanging arete with really nice bouncy moves between slopey holds. I found it tough to grade but I think v12 is about right. Hopefully the grade will be confirmed soon. check out the website http://www.oetztalclimbing.com/ for more info about climbing in this valley. Hopefully a small topo will be produced for Tumpen and I would like climbers who have climbed in this bouldering area to contact me.

Tumpen Bloc

2007-09-30T12:14:00.000+02:00

Climbed two new problems at Tumpen the other day: Crocodile v10/11 and ? v8+ The bouldering in Tumpen is fantastic, it's basically Magic Woods but just smaller. There are a few hard problems here now in the v10/11 range on pristine granite with perfect landings (better than Magic). Yesterday I started work on a new project, its a 25ft overhanding arete on amazing granite and has perfect moves....it overhangs by 45degrees and the ground travels up behind it so it's perfectly safe. I did all the moves yesterday and it feels in the region of v12 and it will be a world classic (seriously it is one of the best lines I have ever seen). I am thinking of writing an article in a British climbing mag to try and get some people here. Ben Meeks is planning a trip over here to check this place out and it will be cool to see what he says. If you want any information about this place just contact me by email: s.watson@gmx.at

Frankenjura

2007-09-25T18:18:00.000+02:00

I decided to pull-out of the World Championships after having a in-growing toe nail removed....ouch. However, last weekend the pain went and I could wear a climbing shoe again (typical). It was really annoying to be not competing in the world champs because I felt strong and psyched to do some hard moves. Anyway, I decided to go to the Frankenjura to attempt Jerry Moffatt's "Stonelove" 8b+. We arrived and went straight to the Eldorado sector, I warmed up on a cool 7c and then checked out the moves on Stonelove, had a few minutes rest and did it. I was really pleased because normally you here climbers talking about a hard swing move on a 2 finger pocket but I managed to static the move by getting my feet really high. I climbed lots of nice 7c's and a cool 8b called "Subway". I thought it was hard for 8b and I'm amazed that Simpson on-sighted it....incredible. Hope to go back next week to attempt some more classic Frankenjura routes.

Castelbianco

2007-09-12T11:54:00.000+02:00

Arco

Went to Castelbianco in Italy sport climbing. An awesome area with big caves and long pumpy routes. I finally onsighted an 8a+...a really steep powerful thing with beautiful moves. Psyched for a trip to Frankenjura soon...a 3 hour drive up the motorway! Austria is awesome!

Weekend Trip to Avers

2007-08-23T20:25:00.000+02:00

Voigas V12

Headed to Averstal for the weekend and met Dave Mason there. The weather was pretty bad, so I was pleased to find some dry rock. I climbed Voigas v12 and tried New Baseline v14/15. The moves felt hard but I could do all but one where you have to bring your feet from the right to the left, it needs a little more work but I think I can climb this problem by the end of the season. It's annoying having two things (Mordor and New Baseline) that feel possible but need time....which one do you chose? I think Mordor is more important to me........

2007-08-12T19:42:00.000+02:00

Attempting Mordor

Surf Trip

2007-08-11T11:56:00.000+02:00

Back in Austria now from an attempted surf trip. We went to Tarifa but it was the wrong season for surf (like skiing in the Summer). But we had a go at Windsurfing...psyched to get really into this sport, boardsports seem to be my thing and I can't wait for the winter season to ditch my Atomic Skiis and buy a board, I'm thinking of getting a race board where speed is the main element.

Anyway, even more psyched to do Mordor now.

Gondor 8c

2007-07-22T18:59:00.000+02:00

Gondor is an amazing route. It is around 25m long and very sustained with hard moves from start to finish. I am so happy to have climbed this route becasue I didn't think I would be fit enough for such a hard sustained 8c, especially after all the bouldering comps. Now I am psyched to do the right hand variation called "Mordor" 9a. I hope I will be able to climb it this year with the start of Gondor fresh in my mind.