Thank god for nasal crack, that's all I can say. From when I last wrote, the day just got better and better. We drove to the altirolo end of chironico and met a couple who were there to try electric ant. He might have been fabian cristophe now I think about it. Will have to watch the shark hunt vid when I get home, anyway, they recomended against walking up from there so we headed back up the hill to chironico.

Loads less snow than previous days, far more amenable to get around. Walked to centrale (the warm up area) and did those fun slab things - brilliant. Went and did that thing on the scooped out wall with a couple of crimps in the middle. Then a cool 7a in a corridor behind the slab - hard for the grade I thought. Think it was called papa razza? I left ed with cliques a claques and went to investigate serre moi forte. Padded it out and got involved but the crimp is sharp. I was trying to start with my right foot on first and that was the problem. When I put my left on I could do the move easy. Bailed out of the jump a couple of times, but then nailed it. Topped out then went back and did it again it was so much fun. Started work on the. Sitter but struggled with a bit of foot beta in the middle, plus, could feel skin wearing, and wanted to get involved with le pilier, my supposedly in the bag problem. Ed arrives, ready for a rest from cliques. I explain my intention and we move the pads up to le pilier. There's already a couple there and I don't think they're dead pleased to be interupted. The sun is out. It doesn't look good for me and ed tries to talk me down, but I sort of know that its now or never, if I walk away I probably won't have enough skin. As I'm explaining why I want to stay the sun drops behind the mountain and the temperature drops. I put my boots on and Clean the holds. The germans step aside and I pull on. I'm all over it, climbing really positively and its all on. I get to the top but I haven't taken the top hold right, it feels greasy and I drop it - shit! The split is threatening, it really is next go or not at all. The nerves make me jittery, like caffeine overload. I try to think like freewilly and empty my mind, pull on and move to the sloping dish. Feels fine but after the rock over I feel shaky, manage to focus my thoughts and push through, take the top hold, amd although its not perfect it is enough, breathe, look back at my feet, POP! I'm well over the top and its done! Yes yes fucking yes! Some closure on this sharp skin ruiner of a shit! Fucking brilliant. Feel anti climax pulling over the top, but its just a delayed release. Collect my things and walk away. As soon as I'm out of sight of the germans, I'm grinning like a cheshire cat. Get in!

We go back to les cliques a claques and I join in on the stand. By process of elimination via millions of goes circa hillyard, we find a way and both dispatch the stand. Its a brilliant problem and I want the full tick. Work out a way on the sitter, again through process of elimination, and before too long am trying to put a into b. Ed goes and does norfolk and the other thing I was on about up above and I go to spot. The rest is all that was required, I'd decided on the sequence and was flogging myself on it thinking every go was the one. Spotting gave me enough of a break that I crushed it on the next go. Collected stuff and walked out. Delighted, a brilliant day.

Went to the pizza shop with ed's austrian friend dieter this evening. Now watching stone love and relaxing. Skin quite bad, but going to go for gold now to end of week.

Nasal crack

I feel superstitous that if I write that the weather is bon, a monsoon will drift in and that'll be the end of it. Let's hope not. The weather is bon this morning. Clear skies, 4 or 5 degrees in claro - colder up the hill, all sounds good.

Yesterdays nasal spray seems to have magical snot dissolution properties. I feel stuffy still, but a quick pump from that puppy and I'm clear within minutes. You probably can't get it in the uk. I dread to think what would happen if amy winehouse got her chops around one of these.

I am blogging outside bellendzona police station waiting for the trad hero to get a crime number for his insurance. Then its on to chironico. Going to leave shark hunt and focus on le pilier and serre moi forte I think. Ed to do monolith. You'll notice there's one persons burning ambition conspicuous by its absence - dylan. His ankles swollen up nicely overnight and is all purple - poor bugger. So, we've left him at home.

More as it breaks club kids...

An upward turn?

How massively frustrating. I just typed a whole post but then blackberry threw a wobbler and I've had to start again.

When I wrote before I was massively frustrated and at a psyche low point. I'd spent a day of a climbing trip lying on the sofa watching borat ffs! Took the recycling for a walk, got some stuff from the supermarket to make supper for my hungry boys, and stocked up on flu remedies. Got home and texted dylan to see how they were getting on. Ed had dispatched Il partner with foreign beta whilst dylan had managed to fall between the pads and hurt his ankle - thankfully not really badly (lovely purple bruise tonight). Delighted for ed and not the least bit jealous. Its a great line and probably perfectly suited for the member of the team with a penchant for highball trad solos. Glad at least someone is having a good trip (hark; a violin).

The lovely honey monster said she and I could come back if I was completely thwarted this trip. Bless her. Its not over yet though, and On collecting them I started to feel a bit perkier. Hopefully I will wake up tomorrow full of beans and be able to crush!

Got to take ed to the police stazione in bellendzona, then I fancy chironico to look at serre moi forte for me, monolith for ed. I'd love to do shark hunt, but I think it might be too late already. Then there's no mystery - one move to do only. Hmm.

Bedridden in bellinzona

Woke up with almost clear nostrils, but then I sat up and felt my sinuses start to fill. Bugger! Still no better. Ed says these things take 48 hrs, so perhaps tomorrow? Bloody hope so. Discovered the forecast for bellinzona for the rest of the week is not good. Hope this is inaccurate, although the weather today does suggest a change in conditions may be in the post - Its gone from bright sunshine to overcast and cold.

We head down to bellinzona for ed to report his camera but they need an interpreter and there isn't one until 1400 (time was 11), so we arrange to pop back tomorrow morning. I drop them off at cresciano where they are to try 'Il partner'. I am gutted. It looks a great problem and I really want to do it, but its got to be the sensible option for me to stay warm and rest today. So frustrating. I'd prepared really well for this trip, I felt strong, my head was in a good space - this should have been the one when I tore it up and came home with some good ticks. Perhaps it still will be! Finger skin is obviously healing fast, so by the time I am able to climb again maybe this lurgy will prove a blessing...

And, as james says - at least I'm not at work!

Lost cameras, lacklustre sends and lurgy

Woke up this morning absolutely full of snot. Overnight a filthy head cold has taken hold. I can't hear properly, my eyes are streaming and my nose is pouring snot. Felt like it was just a head cold whilst at the house and decided to come out anyway. Figured we'd go to chironico to look at shark hunt. I drove on the way out, thinking it'd give me something to focus on, which it did, but I couldn't see properly and my driving was probably terrible. Anyway, we got to chironico and I felt terrible.

Ed found shark hunt and shouted us. it looks great, and doable. The bit to the first undercut looks hard, but I'm sure kb said that it wasn't and that the hardness comes from the second undercut upwards.

still a lot of snow about and getting around in it is v.wearing. Found a cool problem that was very long called the lonliness of the long distance runner. Had a go and got into the scary top bit but felt pumped so dropped off. Ed and I did something called arabald, which was fun. Nice big holds, which was all I could have possibly managed today anyway. Dammit. This trip is not working out how I intended. Didn't bank on getting lurgy just before heading out. Perhaps with rest I might claw something back by the end of the week? There's much derision from the other two about this arabald wall, and its not the most beautiful of spots, but it does climb well.

We walk back out and find dr meddent. I feel so terrible by now that I just want to go and sit in the car, but dr meddent looks ace. pad it out and ed the trad king has a go. He gets further than I expected he would, and for a minute I think he is on for the flash. He drops off just before the top and I have a go getting to the same place but making all the same mistakes. Dylan does the same. I see a way and do it to the top from stand, ed follows and then dylan. Wish I had started from sit as am fully knackered now - my enthusiasm has waned and I just want to go to bed. Manage to dispatch it after a styleless struggle and we head back out to the car, which dylan gentlemanly runs ahead to retrieve.

Drive to altirolo and I am going to go to sleep in the car while they check out some nearby blocs but then ed has a heartstopping moment as he realises he's left his brand new canon eos 400d at dr meddent. We race back round, but there's no sign of it anywhere. We drive down to biasca to report it to the police, but they're the wrong police (!) And aren't interested. We have to go to bellinzona tomorrow to find the real ones. Bugger. Poor ed.

Too hot to trot

Its boiling here today. Woke up early, checked outside - another perfect day, not a cloud in the sky (and none forecast until thurs), but the temperature is high. Car reckons 25 degrees! Ed's never been to cresciano so we're letting him burn off some skin in the sun whilst I read dickie dawkins and dylan takes pictures. This was written from the warm warm up area at cresc.

Dylan has hurt his shoulder. He did it on tomahawk, and although it didn't stop him from doing vitruvian man, he has sat with ice on it all night. I've let my enthusiasm get the better of me and am letting my skin recover today. Only one hole (and that's small), but the rest are thin, and I would rather take days off and do less climbing that's harder rather than more easier stuff. At current rate of success perhaps there won't be anything done at all!

Day1

So. Its kinda warm here. The wind when it blows is the temperature of bath water - tepid. I would prefer it a bit cooler to be honest, but you can't have everything. I wonder as we walk in how cold or warm it was for ed and james when they came? Perhaps this week in the year is now too warm? By rights it should be colder now than it was in december, or whenever it was, perhaps its a sign of climate change. Anyway. Woke up well early. Went back to sleep. The next time I woke up there was noise from the other two, and inspite of trying, I was roused from my slumber.

The problem with blogging from my blackberry is that I just can't bear to read it back. Which means it will probably read badly. Sorry.

We got up. I made omelettes, we drank coffee. Was a bit careful on this front as last year I felt close to the edge after far too much caffeine. Anyway, we head out at a reasonable time and drive to chironico. Its deserted, no sign of any other climbers anywhere. Strange. There's lots of snow about, and, walking in its evident why noone else is there. Walking about is epic. The snow is knee deep and within minutes my feet are soaked. We've chosen to start the day at the freak brothers bit of the crag, and after depositing the stuff at tomahawk I quest off after schule des lebens. I spend about 45 minutes slogging thru the snow only to have to admit am massively lost and sack it back to tomahawk. We do a warm up problem called die roboter, and then look at something behind it called holborn something. Its quite a rubbish problem but involves quite a desperate match and rock over on a sharp sloper. I get there but I don't want to commit to something that's not on my agenda so I drop off. Ed does the deed shortly after and dylan sees the light and sacks it too. We return to tomahawk. Remembering the video with nige's beta we try to put it in practice but it all feels wierd, I need to watch it demonstrated. Work it out after a couple of goes and I'm soon teetering up the slab above. It feels quite scary as you end up bouling (thanks adam) the arete and facing down as you scooch a foot onto nowt to get in balance. Dylan and ed both crush it too. Its a great feature, but I don't think its 7b+. We quest on for schule des lebens. This time we find it and I get really excited - it looks allright! The top of no mystery is wet, but there's an alternative hold. I manage to work an alternative sequence and it all looks like its on! However....

I don't know if this is right, but what I think I have to do is start on the crimps, left heel on, left hand up to edge that's far away. Right toe to left heel, left foot on edge, rh reaches through to good edge, left out to pinchy hold, right to sloper, left way out to finishing jug - done. But, I can't do the first move. I keep getting my left hand to the hold but never in enough control to hold it. Very frustrating. I do it from there to the top a couple of times but I have to admit defeat as I start getting a hole in my finger (on the first day! Jerry has taught me nothing). Trek off and find those two and we walk to soucoupe. Dylan wants to do vitruvian man, I show him the beta and ed and I push on to the main area. Rah plats plats is soaked with melt water. Le pilier is dry. I do it from stand. Ed does it from stand, I try from sit, get to half way and can't remember what to do. Remember and get to the top, jump for it but fall short, miss the pad and land on arse. A bit shaken, but fine. Rest up. Have another go and really throw for the top but my confidence is dented and I hadn't got the crimp right so I try, and its good, I'm really close, get my hand over but slip back off it. Admit defeat and after ed does lemon tree we walk back out again. A long day.

Back at the ranch I make tea and we are relaxing to the most ridiculous soft porn channel when the woman who runs the house pops in to check our passports! 'Ah yes' she exclaims, I see! Very very funny. I look good as I'm in the kitchen cooking. Ed tries to turn the telly off without her noticing but it doesn't work. Anyway I'm going. Dylan is electrocuting me with his tens machine. Jesus. Its only on 12 and my arm is fully spazzing out.