Archiv der Kategorie: ALPINE SPORTCLIMBING

Last week it snowed and hailed in the Rätikon, perfect frictions for Silbergeier, I thought?!?

Not really, bundled up like a Michelin Men, it was not so easy to climb my project. I failed at that attempt because of the rain, I was too scared and hesitant due to the wet conditions.

A few days ago this last Saturday, together with the local legend Günter Habersatter, I was climbing with no hope for an attempt, since the last pitch still looked wet. The plan for the day was to show all the route beta to Günti.

I climbed without pressure, with a free and open mind, laughing when snowflakes started to fall on to the holds, this was great for my psyche. The first 8b pitch felt like a 7a warm up, on the 7c+ flat traverse, my feet were like glued on to the footholds, on the 8a+ my fingers felt like they were frozen on to rock, on the 7a I even tried on a new pair of climbing shoes, then rock’n roll the last 2 pitches, the 8b+ and the terribel 7c+ were also a perfect send.

What can I say? No pressure, no expectations….. the climbing was just awesome and it felt so easy.

For me, this was the perfect climb, my big dream, this will for sure be one of the most beautiful highlights of my little climbing career…

Monday, 16th of august. Aiglun, 20 degrees, little wind….perfect, let’s go climbing in  Ali Baba!

‘La paroit dérobée’. photo Fred Labreveux

Three weeks after my first working out togehter with Arnaud Petit, I was finally able to climb all the 8 pitches in one day and at the same time in one go.

It was defently the most beautiful and most ambitious climbing I ever did in my little climbing career and it was just a big big pleasure to move in this route. At this place, thanks a lot to the route setter Philippe Mussato and Ben Peyronnard.

10 days ago, I was giving a first try together with Arnaud Petit, Stefanie Bodet and Titi.

Always funny with Arnaud and Steph!

First try, 10 days ago

But I wasn’s strong enough, I felt two times in the 6th pitch on the top…out of the game. In contrast, Arnaud was the machine pure! More of his ascent on his web page:

www.vagabondsdelaverticale.com

After this try, I was just dead for one week…inable to do any afforts, Ali Baba costs you all the energy of your body. First you have to walk more than an hour in the forest and to climb on fix ropes to reach the foot of the wall. After you have to climb ‘cash’ an 8a and if you climb bad, your body is already full of lacatate!
The second 8a is full of slopers, the difficulty is more or less regulary, so you have to climb soft to avoid to be pumped.

I was surprised, because this time, it was a little freshness in the air and so the first two pitches the fritchness was really good.
After a little 7b+ you are reaching a good platform, the sandwich platform!

sandwiches, the sectret to be strong

Well and now Ali Baba begins! Pitch 4, a fantastic 8a with a hard boulder start ( after the sandwich….hard…:-)) and a special tufa nose in the end.
Pitch 5 was the most difficult for me. It’s a long 40 meter 8a+ and the conditions are really important because you have to crimp a lot of small holds and I think in case of a fall, it’s really hard to recover and to reclimb this difficult pitch.
I knew that, so I was concentraded and I climbed well, with big fights, crys and all this stuff…;-)

On this part, It’s time to talk about Cédric. Jep, the key for an ascent in multipitch climbing, is the climbing partner. Or in my case the jumar-partner. Cédric did everything for me: he was jumaring all the route the most quickly possible, he was hauling the bag, he was stressed more than me because he really wanted that I will have success. This is true love!

pure love. photo Fred Ripert

After an one hour break, I attacked the most physical 8a+. The last attempt I was falling two times on the top of this steep and 15 meter short 8a+. This time I was fighting like the real Ninamachina and I did it!;-)

short, steep and physichal, pitch 6, 8a+. photo Fred Ripert

Adrenalin, adrenalin….I had to stay concentraded for the last and ultimate fight….one more 8a+….I was’t thinking about a possiblity of the ascent, I was just thinking about this last pitch. I knew that I lost aldeady all the power in the six pitches before and I knew to reach the top, I had to climb perfectly and an ascent was just a game in my head.
Well, everybody knows that I have a strong character. ( Sometimes to strong….;-)) When I will do or have something, there is no way, thats Nina. And this is the reason why I was reaching the top of this route. A real bullhead!

the ultimade fight in the end of pitch 7, 8a+. photo Fred Ripert

Hihi, to be honest I was limite limite to vomiting when I clipped the chaine. The last 7b+ was really painfully for the skin, but more or less easy after the rest of the route.

The feelings are just incredible after a realisation of a dream….and normally, after an ascent, your body needs a long break. This was not the case. The next two days were a big mission to film and to take phots in this wall. I had the pleasure to work together with Röbi Bösch for the photos and with Julien Nadiras and Fred Ripert for the film images.  A big respect for theese three guys because working in this wall is defently not easy!

with Julien Nadiras on the top of the route, the day before the ascent

Röbi Bösch was fighting a lot with the static ropes!;-)

overhanging, overhanging

Fred Ripert has had a hard filming job!

Hmmm….I’m ready for the beach now. Climbing have to wait a little bit…

Depuis quelques mois j’ai revé d’aller dans Ali Baba et cette semaine c’était finalement le moment pour y aller.

Cette grande voie majeur se trouve bien dans le sud de la France, à Aiglun, un petit village troup chou.

Après une marche d’approche d’une heure sur des cordes fixes un se retrouve sous la grande paroi dérobée, un mur très impressionant et très deversant.

J’avais la chance d’y aller avec Arnaud Petit. Lui il connaissait un peu car il a déjà assuré l’ouvreur dedans il y a sept ans. Du coup il a essayé de faire quasiment un  ‘à-vue’ et moi ça ma donné la possibilité de travailler là voie en second.

Il est quand-même bien doué ce mec car il faut tellement bien grimper dans cette voie et il a fait les premiers cinque longeurs à vue avec les dégaines Petzl hyper lourd autour de son cul!
Faut dire aussi, qu’on était bien detendue. On a fait des bonnes pauses, on a toujours rigolé et surtout on a tellement prit nôtre pied car l’escalade est absolument géniale!!!

Longeur six, Arnaud il commençait à être vraiment fatigué et ce qui est méchant c’est que les longeurs six et sept sont bien les plus physiques et les plus dures. Alors il était un peu perdue dans ce grand dévert. Il a bien travaillé et aussi moi j’ai commencé à bien travailler la voie en tête. Vue comme j’étais bien moins fatigué parce que avant j’ai grimpé qu’en moulinette, je lui ai trouvé toutes les methodes et après une bonne pause il a enchaîné avec en faisant un grand combat, trop beau!

En ce moment là, il a vraiment voulu faire la voie mais non…..il est tombé trois fois dans le dernier 8a+ bien technique. Même si on a un niveau de 8c, dans Ali Baba on n’a pas le droit de tomber plusieurs fois car la voie elle te bouffe! Il faut vraiment un gros gros volume, un bon biceps et il faut grimper tout leger dans ce dévers, si non tu te crâme.

Malheureusement Arnaud il était crâmé et il a du abandonner. Mais ce n’était pas fini. Les rapelles ne sont pas donné n’ont plus, on est bien dans le vide toujours!

Jours deux: La mission pour trouver la sortie de la voie par à haut! Après deux heures on a quand-même reussit et on s’est mit a travailler les derniers trois longeurs. ça c’était super mais on était tellement fatigué du jour avant et dans le dernier 7b+ j’étais comme une grosse vache pendue dans la corde. J’en pouvait plus, j’étais morte!

Olala, on était dans un état après les deux jours! La voie nous a vraiment vidé tout nôtre energie et on avait mal dans chaque muscle. Mais malgré tout, je suis tellement tellement heurese d’avoir trouvé ce projet car je pense qu’elle est faite pour moi la voie. J’ai hâte d’y retourner!!!!