Crack Addiction and Pockets

After all the excitement of having climbed “Bellavista”, Logan and I gave ourselves a little bit of a rest from the alpine environment and headed instead for some apparently, more relaxing sport climbing adventures in Zillertal, Austria.

The reason I say “apparently” is because relaxing was not the best way to put our time in Zillertal… It was always raining when we were there, the camping situation wasn’t the best and Logan was having a bit of a hard time on the tough granite (Schist) style. We just felt dirty the whole time, something I have gotten quite used to on climbing holidays, but it does get a bit old after a while… it is nice to be in a proper campsite that caters for your basic needs such as warm showers, toilets, wifi… (not sure if that last one qualifies?).

The rain was starting to depress us slightly. We would have a decent one day window before the heavens opened sometime in the afternoon and we’d get washed out. Then of course the next day was generally completely wet or the crags would be really humid. It didn’t really stop us climbing too much, but it would have been nice to have some better conditions to climb in.

We had a couple of days at an excellent crag called “Ewige Jugrunde”, a place where I am going back as soon as I get a chance. I tried an 8c+ there called “Love 2.1”. Although I only had two goes on it, I felt it coming together quickly and despite the bad conditions, I could link large sections of it together and felt that within another day or so, I would be able to do it from the ground and be aiming for the send! Unfortunately, Logan was having less of a good time here… We discovered that Zillertal tends to favour those with superior climbing abilities and technique… hahaha no only joking… we discovered that Zillertal favours those who are a little taller than 156cm (Logan’s height). Despite that, Logan never once doubted the quality of the climbing in question… only how God obviously hates him and designed this place to torment him…

At Ewige Jugrunde, we also did a few other awesome climbs, one of which was a 7a+ on the right, which we warmed up on. “Warm Up” is a choice phrase for this; I would have said it felt more like “Taking to Boiling Point”! I was almost off in one section and then again felt really unsteady at the second crux… First time I have felt this on a 7a+ in a long time! Logan began his “attempt” which swiftly ended at the first crux . This was followed shortly after with flying curses and swear words at the route (always a funny reaction climbers have to an inanimate blank face of rock). We’ve all been there :P

I then tried an 8a to the left very briefly after Logan had left his quickdraws from the previous day. I tried to flash it, but was quickly denied about mid-way through the crux. It took me about 20 minutes to figure out how to get through it semi-gracefully. Apart from being a classic, this route was bloody desperate and I am eager to return to send it next trip!

We then tried a 7c on the left that I think might be the hardest 7c on earth! I did it on my 2^nd go, but holy crap its hard to read! Logan had about 5 or 6 goes in total. He has done 8b quicker than that!

We then both sent a 7c+ on the right, Logan managed it 2^nd go and I onsighted it. This felt about two grades easier than the 7c (but it was longer and more endurance based) and with no moves anywhere near as hard as the 7a+ I was relieved to find out.

That was when we left Ewige Jugrunde. I am really keen to return as soon as possible for “Love 2.1” :D Anyone keen for any Austrian adventures?

Learning to Crack Climb… on 8a!

My experience of trad crack climbing is limited to the hand jam at the end of ‘Ethiopia” (8a+) in Arapiles, Australia. That is about as much crack as I have done… and none of the drug sort either!

Logan and I spied that there was a sick looking finger crack hidden within the valley somewhere called “Ganja” (8a). When we found it, we were in awe of how pure the crack was… It was a single line up an almost blank, dark face of Granite. There was literally one face hold in 8m of crack, the rest was just the fissure line before topping out.

We were both pretty excited about the prospect of trying something so wildly different and as soon as we had a break in the weather, we “cracked” out the trad gear and threw a top rope down it to inspect the gear placements and try the moves. As this was my first ever crack climbing experience, I was really eager to learn the techniques. I discovered early on that crack climbing is vastly different to face climbing (what I am used to). It was really bloody hard for me! It took me ages to figure out a good sequence and for what was graded 8a, it felt a lot harder initially!

After about an hour or two of trying the moves with copious amounts of tape wrapped around my fingers, I was starting to feel how possible it was to climb such a seemingly thin crack. The only unfortunate business was that my fingers were getting torn up in the crack and my hands needed a rest to regrow some skin. So Logan and I opted for a rest day before we would hit “Ganja” again for one last attack!

We decided that as the conditions were so bad in the alps and the Eiger was looking increasingly unlikely for a decent attempt within our time frame, we would move base to a different climbing area away from the mountains. Frankenjura was somewhere Logan and I had never been before and was high on the tick list of places to visit, so it made sense seeing as it was only a few hours drive away. We went climbing at the Bergstation crag in Zillertal in the morning and headed to “Ganja” in the evening. I felt strong on the day, I climbed an 8b+ called “Elements of Addiction” on my second try, only working it as a warm up. I actually think I could have flashed this with the beta! Logan tried an 8a+ but the conditions at the crag where not great, as it had rained all night, a lot of the crag was wet and there was high humidity in the air… The rock was very soapy and the holds on the 8a+ were not working for Logan, so he stripped it and we left for “Ganja”.

Paul Steinig on "Witchcraft" (8a+)When we arrived at “Ganja”, we found the route in perfect condition, apart from a really wet part of the crack right at the start. We chalked it up loads and tried our best to dry it, but it never worked that well. Logan went for an attempt and did really well, breaking through the first crux and falling right at the very top after the point he felt he would not fall off after. It was really unlucky, but a good attempt nonetheless. I then went for an attempt, similarly to Logan, I did really well and even got further than Logan again making the jug crack at the top! I was only a move off topping out when my foot slipped on one of the smeary footholds and I came flying off! This was frustrating, especially as I had used up a lot of skin jamming my hands and fingers in the crack all the way up the wall. I knew I could repeat this effort again, so I chilled out for a bit and belayed Logan on his next attempt. Unfortunately, Logan never faired as well as he had on his first attempt. Now he was struggling getting past the first few moves… The crack he was using was damp and he kept slipping out of it. He was getting more and more frustrated and I could tell it wasn’t good for him. Eventually he decided to sack it off and not bother trying… I figured he just needed to have a rest overnight and try again the next day, but it was also due to rain and we had planned to move to Frankenjura the next morning.

I felt a lot more rested now and decided to give it a 2^nd go for that session. The crack felt even harder now, but I was absolutely determined to do it! I stuffed one finger into small pod at the third move, locking off deep, this allowed me to place a high nut into the crack (my first piece of gear). I found this first boulder crux the hardest physically. The mono ring finger jam was painful and a deep lock took me to a high sidepull jam that I couldn’t quite get to work properly, it always felt like it was slipping out.

Thanks Jacopo Larcher for this awesome photo :)

This was scary for me as my ring finger jam was solid and even quite difficult to get out once I was stood up. The smeary feet felt insecure and I was worried that if I slipped, my ring finger would remain where I left it i.e. inside the crack! Luckily, I never slipped and I managed to lock off into a crimp on the side of the crack. The rest of the climbing was really insecure for me; the jamming was never perfect, largely due to the lack of experience more than the holds, but nevertheless I pressed on and somehow managed to get to my previous high point. This time I was determined not to let it slip away, and soon enough I had latched the final jug hold and mantled out on top of the large boulder. I was so relieved to have sent the route on this try but more so satisfied with just having climbed the crack in the first place! It was such a wild style of climb and for me, and introduction to new potential climbs and adventures in this style J

Frankenjura – Land of Pockets, Beer and Cakes

The Action Directe!Frankenura is a fabled land in climbing… It was here that some of the worlds hardest routes have been put up in the past. By legendary climbers such as Wolfgang Gullich, Kurt Albert, Jerry Moffatt and others… It is in Frankenjura that the world’s first 9a, “Action Directe” resides, and visiting this amazing route was more for me a history lesson than a climbing experience.

On our first day, we visited two crags. One of them was to try an 8c I had heard was really good called “Raubritter” and the other was to an easier crag where we climbed an 8a+ called “Witchcraft”. I did “Witchcraft” on my 2^nd go. I had a flash attempt but didn’t feel warmed up and when I arrived at the final moves, I didn’t really want to pull hard on the pockets and gave a half-hearted attempt at making it to a two finger pocket. Logan was really strong in this style and was close to doing “Witchcraft” on his first day, but needed in the end a second day and a few more attempts to lock in the send.

On our second day, I did the famous 8a+ called “Slimline” next door to “Action Directe”, the world’s first 9a! Being at this crag was pretty special; to look up at “Action Directe” and to realize how much effort had gone into doing this piece of rock by Wolfgang Gullich was pretty inspiring. There were walkers in the woods watching us climb and I felt a little bit of hilarity thinking that these people didn’t realize that what they were looking at was actually one of the world’s hardest routes and a piece of climbing history.

Paul and Logan Duelling for the next go on "Slimline"“Slimline” was an awesome route and pretty hard for me. It took me 3 tries in total but I had to work hard on my 3^rd attempt. It’s funny because usually 8a+ doesn’t feel this hard… in fact 8b+ doesn’t usually feel this hard hahaha but that just goes to show you how style has such a big impact in climbing. Climbers are too obsessed with being the best in every style and it is just impossible! On this trip I have climbed 8c multipitch in the alpine, 8b+ on granite in a day, crack climbed granite 8a, runout scary trad pitches on dodgy rock and climbed 8a+ pocketed limestone (so far). Every one of those is vastly different from the next and requires a huge range of skills, few of which I would say I am good at. It’s just impossible to always be on top form in every discipline, but I do have problems telling myself this… I want to be doing the best in all disciplines and styles at the same time and it’s just not possible.

I knew full well that I would struggle with the style in Frankenjura. Bouldering on pockets is probably my weakest style and that is essentially what Frankenjura is all about. Most of the routes are very short and the difficulty of climbing resides largely in being able to pull hard on shallow three, two and one finger pockets with bad feet. Of course weaknesses are meant to be trained and it’s only by visiting these crags that we learn how really weak we are, this is what gives us motivation to train and improve. Also to learn how strong climbers such as Alex Megos, Wolfgang Gullich, Jerry Moffat and my friend Felix Neumarker actually are. What they have achieved in Frankenjura blows my mind and inspires me to push harder and train harder than ever to achieve my goals!

The Magic of the ForestI am psyched now to get stuck into some serious training when I am home and hope that it will prepare me well for my upcoming projects and for maybe a trip back to Frankenura in 2015 :D

Post Blog Update: In my remaining days in the Frankenjura I climbed a few more classic routes in the 7c-8a+ region including a classic boulder-esque 8a+/b “Masterblaster”. This was interesting as it has the slash grade and for me was easier than most of the other 8a+’s that were considered low in the grade! “Masterblaster” is short, powerful and the only pockets are a split two finger that’s juggy enough to clip and shake from… Looks like I’m gonna be training the pocket strength a lot more from now on!

                             Leaving Frankenjura... for now :)