Having just returned from Greece, I am trying to make “baby steps” with all my business, as I am feeling quit overwhelmed! Physically worked from the big trip in Kalymnos, what was supposed to be a five day event, was virtually a three week rampage for myself! Tons of friends, and never ending food, I am taking a big, deep breath, or maybe like one every three minutes as I have about ten thousand things to do, and a long drive to my next destination, Spain!
Kalymnos was a great place to have an event and everything work perfectly! The routes where a bit humid in the beginning, however everything dried up quickly due to a badass wind from the North Pole, exciting everyone who had been struggling In the super humid conditions. The people were super cool, really embracing the climbers like nowhere I have ever seen, and we all really appreciated the good vibes. The international scene that formed in the past weeks was one to rival any other historic climbing events, and to put it quite simply, shit went down!
Even though it was really humid for a while, I climbed some really amazing routes, one that I tried two years ago called Titanthrope (5.14c) was my personal highlight. This is now the hardest on the island, and at 65 meters, and only slightly overhanging, its pretty gnarly; very small grips! It starts with a very strange crux coming out of a small cave, climbs for a while on some strange sharp stone which can be called easier ground, and then launches up a huge grey wall. There is a long crux section on this grey prow feature, with some super small holds, and eventually culminates with some desperate clips and slap moves to a very slopey colonette feature. This is kind of just the beginning, because, when you start from the ground, the sick yellow-grey patina wall is a never ending redpoint crux with increasingly spaced bolts and and slabbier sections, which push one into a strange type of overdrive mode. One of the more delirious sensations one can attain is by linking the entire wall, and ending on the top of the giant cliff, with numb feet, a shaking body, and a strange lingering pain throughout the fingers from the extreme crimping, and resting on crimps. You really feel empty when you hit the ground finally, and all I can say is its one of the most beautiful, special pieces of rock I have ever climbed!
The last week we extended our tickets for was exactly superb. It rained like hell, and it was really cold! It was even snowing one day, and the wind, good lord, was one of the coldest I experience. It was kinda funny though, going to a island for vacation, and eventually having the temps drop like 60 degrees! No more beach, and no more worries about sun on the crag, it was ironic, as it almost did a 180, the situation! We were normally searching for crags in the shade, but we ended up looking for ones in the sun, and on the days that had no sun, holy shit! Artic!
I had a great time climbing with Layla, and, as well, my good friend Laurant Triay. He was working his ass off most of the time, but it was fun to get to climb with him when he had time off! It was nice having Chris Lindner, the Petzl crew, Lafouche and his family who are super cool, Guiallaume and Eric (the bad ass little climbing couple), and further more it was nice to climb with Chris Sharma a bit, and catch up a bit with him as its been a while since we saw each other last. The quebeqoirs, Julien and Kat, were forever great to have around, and the Slovenians Martina Cufar and Klemen Becan were great company, as well. I can't even begin to list all the nice people who where there, but it was such a great time, I am sure everyone had an unforgettable trip!
Now that I am back in germany, I can hardly think with all the shit I must do before I rally to Spain, but I just hope I live to see my next destination, Catalunya. A MUERTE!!!!!
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