Chironico is one of the oldest and more established areas in Switzerland. There are hundreds of boulders scattered over a hillside about 5 miles long. Several of us commented on the suprising amount of hiking we have been doing here in Ticino. Anyways, the rock here is more grainy than that of Cresciano, but there are over 1000 problems to try. Not unlike the Park, most of the classic lines fall into the 8A and up range, which of course is what we look for. The setting is majestic and we are often treated to the company of goats.
One of my goals for the trip was to climb a problem in the Soucoup Roof, which has several well known lines such as Shadowfax 8B, Soucoup 8A+/B, and Roswell 8A+. The roof was much lower than expected but Roswell is a nice three move power problem and I was psyched. The first two moves are really burly power moves on pinches and pockets, and this sets you up for a huge dyno to the lip. It felt impossible at first but slowly the beta came together and after fumbling the dyno a few times I reeled it in. I was happy to do it so quickly.
Roswell 8A+, photo by Jason Pinto
We left the Soucoup Roof and made our way over to an old classic Le Pellier 8A. I decided to rest and Olson made quick work of it.
Le Pellier 8A
I continued to rest while Olson, Brian and Ange played on The Real Shield 7C. Brian did it first try after pulling on in his tennis shoes and Ryan did it soon afterwords.
The Real Shield 7C
Ryan Olson on a classic 7C+ in Chironico called Salut a Toit, which he sent at the end of the day.
Yesterday we made our way up a long and winding road in an obscure valley in Ticino. All over Switzerland there are beautiful old stone houses. People live simply and with out the clutter and trash of typical American culture. After 45 minutes of driving we came upon a very nice cluster of boulders with perfect granite.
I tried several problems, including a classic 8A Marylin Monroe and an amazing 8B General Dissaray. None of us sent either line, and they were both challenging. I am sure that we will head back to this gorgeous valley in the next few days to put some more work into these great problems.
Brian Capps
Marylin Monroe 8A
I also ran up the hill and climbed Molunk, a gorgeous 7C (V9/10) on perfect rock. This is the best 7C I have ever climbed.
Today was a rest day and we went to Chironico to meet up with our friend Daniel Woods, check out some new boulders, and just enjoy the Swiss scenery. Daniel crushed two amazing problems Collateral V12/13 and The Electric Ant V13, both first day on them. Well done! Here are some pics.
Today was our second day of climbing and our first day of climbing at Cresciano. The rock at Cresh. is some of the best granite in the world and there are hundreds of great problems. The boulderfield sits on the side of a steep mountain about 10 min from our apartment. The road that winds up to the boulders is the steepest, narrowest road I have ever been on. We had another great session, and I managed the classic 8A La Boule. It was a bit warm, but I am starting to settle in a bit.
Olson on La Boullette 7B (which in America would be V8)
Yesterday was our first day out and we were all pretty jet lagged. I got close on a couple of very nice problems but the highlight of the day was Herm climbing Ganymede Takeover 8A+. Well done Herm!
After 30 hours of continuous travel, Angela, Jason Pinto, Ryan Olson and I have arrived in Claro, Switzerland. Brian Capps and Herm Feissner are staying just down the road. Of course, we drove up the extremely steep and winding road at midnight to see Dreamtime, which is unbelievably good. Our apartment is huge and motivation is at an all time high. So happy to be here with good friends.
The comp went off tonite, we were all really psyched about the routes and it was quite a show for the absolutely packed house at the Spot. Ryan Olson and Mark Hobson both climbed really well, as did Alex Johnson and Alex Puccio. In fact, Olson got the high point on Men’s Number 4, the hardest problem in the comp., besting Paul, Chris Sharma and Shawn McColl. Here are the results.
Women
1. Alex Puccio
2. Alex Johnson
3. Paige Claasen
Men
1. Paul Robinson
2. Chris Sharma
3. Sean McColl
Tuesday we leave for Switzerland. Psyche is at a maximal level!
