What I 've been up to

The beginning of the semester is always a busy time with lots of paper and emails flying around and less time for climbing or blogging than I would like. Climbing-wise, I have been sticking to logging lots of easy climbing on Flagstaff. My proudest send outside recently was the standard route on the Pinnacle Colada boulder which tops out at 20+ feet. I have not had much enthusiasm for tall bouldering in recent years but a renewed interest in understanding psychological factors in climbing well has led me to look again. The climbing while pretty easy, is not trivial in difficulty and the crux really is just accepting the situation for what it is, moving through it and keeping your reaction to it all together in the process.

I have not had the time for more distant destinations and conditions down low have been alternately hot or cool and damp which is frustrating.

On the difficulty front, I actually had a training session on Sunday that left me sore. I worked on my fingerboard(s) as well some bouldering. I am feeling much better on one-hand hangs on a .75 joint edge. and could do a pull-up off same with 85 pounds.

In climbing news I am not seeing much happening out there worthy of note, except perhaps the climbs of Enzo Oddo, age 14. He did within the space of two weeks two 9a routes of solid reputation with no fuss or fanfare. It is obvious that we are witnessing the normalization of this grade. Go here for more about these ascents (in French). I am beginning to think that once again American climbers are slipping behind the curve as no comparable things are happening here or abroad, as at the Gorges du Loup near Nice.

Kairn climbing puts it well:

Mais même si un "crew" de stars américaines est présent, ce sont les locaux qui ont réglé les plus gros projets ce week-end. Cédric Lo Piccolo a réussi sa voie "Just One Fix", 8c+, un chantier datant de l'an dernier dont il s'était fait piquer la première par le tchèque Adam Ondra. Quant à Kevin Aglaé, il en profite pour s'octroyer l'un des plus beaux 8c+ d'Europe, "Trip tik tonik".

"But even if a crew of American stars is here, it's the locals who have dominated the really big projects this weekend. Ceric Lo Piccolo has done his route Just One Fix, 8c+, a project dating from last year which he was beaten to by Adam Ondra. Also Kevin Aglae demolished one of the most beautiful 8c+'s in Europe, "Trip tik Tonik".