Driving to Spain

Normally driving to Spain takes me 14 hours and two short stops for filling my van with 60 liters of diesel. Not this time. We decided to make a drive a little less stressful and with some more stops on the way.

First stop was in Swizerland where Anja wanted to do one route for a long time. The mountain was called Piz Badile and with the top 3308m high it just couldn't be one day expedition. Firs we had to pack everything and start walking for around 3 hours. Once we came almost to the base of the wall we set up a base camp and soon it started to rain. Why we didn't bring normal tent with us I still don't know but I'm sure it would be much more comfortable than the thing we had. Good thing with rain was it saved all our drinking water problems. If you have LifeStraw with you of course.

Piz Badile was our first stop on the trip

Our "tent" was light but not the best

Drinking water everywhere. With LifeStraw

Next day we woke up early and wanted to start climbing. But the route Another day in paradise that we wanted to do was still totally wet. Plan B and we started to climb another dry, easier and longer one and after 8 hours we reached the summit. Yey, and now rappelling/down climbing for 1000 meters. All good until last two rappels when weather changed again and it started to rain and hail storming. Also the fog didn't help us enjoy the descent. Luckily there were some scary lightnings around to show us the way to our "tent". We survived the night and we woke up in a nice sunny day, perfect for walking down to the car and get some sleep.

Morning walk to the wet wall

Close to the top is some strange climbing/walking (up and down)

Trying to get as high as possible

Way down was fun... until the last few pitches...

...when the fog came

Good morning

Sunny day after stormy night

Time to go back down

We were tired after this route so we decided to make a next stop in Briancon and rest for a bit. Well rest in a canyon full of climbing routes. We contacted Onza and he was happy to show us around his "garden". 

Good rest is part of the good training

Perfect cold secret spot for hot summer days

Anja in action

Local party in Vallouise

Full of new energy we continued our way to Grenoble where we visited Petzl factory. It's an amazing company and now I'm even more proud to be part of it. Thank you Marie for showing us around. 

Petzl base camp

Our plan was to go to Spain as soon as possible. But in May I was climbing in Ariege area in France and I liked it a lot so I wanted to spend some time there as well. Phil gave us some cool ideas where to climb so we enjoyed one day climbing together in a new area around Les Cabannes on a granite wall and next day we decided to go in one big wall close to Ax les Thermes.

Secret spot in Les Cabannes

8b os attempt (unsuccessful) 

Barkes was following me until the end of 2nd pitch

And Anja until the top :)

Now we drove further, over one high pass and after almost two weeks we finally reached the tunnel where we could see Spain on the other side.

I want fish for dinner. Not rabbit again...

Good by party from Foix

Next time more about discovering north of Spain, on sighting and climbing on one of the best walls in Picos de Europa.

Summer climbing on 2600m and 8b+ OS

In the summer is usually hard to climb in ordinary climbing areas so we had to find some other places where we cold enjoy rock climbing without struggling with the heat. So last weekend we went climbing some multipitch routes in Val Bruna in Italy. First we had to walk for a few hours but than we were rewarded with nice fresh air and cool long routes. We stayed up there sleeping under the boulder for three days and than unfortunately we had to walk back down to the valley.

Back down to the valey

Another week of incredible heat was a good motivation for another walk in Italian mountains. We went to Avosantis where you have a lake and amazing solid grey limestone routes. Most of them are slaby but there are also some vertical and slightly overhanging technical routes with small holds and interesting betas waiting to be found. The wall gets in the shade after 4 p.m. so there is plenty of time to chill and wait for perfect conditions.

Perfect summer destination

On internet we found another climbing area in Lienzer Dolomiten in Austria. Roter Turm is a crag on 2600m above see with some harder routes from 7c and all the way until 9a. From the picture in the topo I thought they made a mistake since it doesn't look so good but the grades convinced me to find out some more about this area. Someone said "It's Shit. Don't go there". Luckily I decided to take 5 hour walk and feel the place with my own fingers.

Wall is better for climbing than it looks

In the end it was only 3 hours of walking and for the reward we found a perfect summer crag where you can climb all day even on the sun. Slightly overhanging routes from 30-50 meters long. All of them are nicely bolted and most of them also have all the quickdraws in. By the side we also found some easier BS routes in really good rock.

Enjoying the view

Every route I tried there was amazing and one after another was better. The last one I did was Traumfänger 50m 8b+. Not the hardest or the longest route I did on sight, but definitely it's on the highest altitude.

There ar routes for everyone

After successful climbing day we decided to go to the top of the mountain where Barques did his altitude record on 2702m. Probably he also did 1st dog ascent of Roter Turm.

On the top of Roten Turm 2702m

Way down was another story. I will not explain it, I will just say we got lost and luckily we had rope and helmets with us.

Easy part of the descent

Albania Climbing Festival

Albania was on my wish list of climbing destinations for a long time and the climbing festival was the perfect excuse to go there. 

Most active climber in Albania :)

First day I visited Bovilla, area 20 minutes from Tirana. You park on a lake and first sectors start already at the parking. Many of them are still without routes but when they will be bolted it will be a cool area with a nice view. Anyway I still had enough routes and it was a great climbing day.

Empty boltles walls

Just one of many walls

Tufas everywhere

View from the inside

Second stop was Brar. Few kilometers of driving on dirt road brings you to another canyon where you can see many rocks and possibilities for climbing. But you have to continue driving and finally you see big and long overhanging wall with a lot of tufas just above the road. Park here and for warm up climb up the protection fence to reach the first routes. No, there are no routes there yet. Why? If you continue walking up you can find even better lines already bolted and there is space for many more to be done. Definitely the place where I would like to return with my drill and bolt something new.

Warming up

There is also easier way up but why not here?

Last area on the festival was at Gjipe beach. This is the place where every climber should go for holiday. Nice sandy beaches with routes 5 meters from the sea (just enough not to get wet when you belay). There is also a canyon with walls facing east and west so you can basically climb all day and deeper you go, better it looks. Since there is not enough routes there yet, I made 2 new ones and next time I'll make some more of them.

Perfect touristic place

If somehow it get's too hot over the day there is also option of Deep Water Bouldering on a nice smooth sloppy rock but unfortunately there is not much easier staff. Anyway it's still fun to try to get out of water and...

Canyon with a pit stop before you enter

In the end I had a great experience and I enjoyed climbing there with local climbers, it was very fun and definitely I'll go back as soon as possible. 

Next time... I'll add some more routes

Pecka Climbing Festival

Last year we wanted to go to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the Pecka climbing festival but our plans fell into the water. Since than we couldn't find time to visit this place and see what Bosnian rocks has to offer. This year looked the same. On the weekend of the festival it was raining again so luckily they decided to postponed it for the next weekend and ordered some sun from the sky spirits.

Making pancakes for the breakfast

South of Banja Luka you enter the canyon where you can see rocks everywhere. Good quality limestone with a big potential and by the road we saw some bolts. Perfect resting place with routes on a parking. You can't see this everywhere.

Just one of many cool looking rocks

Next day we continued our way to Pecka where the festival took place. In the middle of nowhere we park a car but we couldn't see any rocks. 100 meters of walking through a forest and a view opens on a cool sectors with many routes up to 30m high. The routes were on the sun so we had to wait until evening to start climbing.

The overhanging sector "Marshal"

Routes are nicely bolted and mostly with small pockets and solid rock. Soon we came to the overhanging sector where the hardest routes of Pecka were hiding. After doing two of them I decided to make another one for Justin Case I don't run out of them. This one is hard and now I can return here without any fear of doing all the routes fast. In the following days I was trying also many other routes there and I must say I liked almost all of them.

I like my job

The festival was one of a kind with a lot of climbers and we climbed a lot. In the evenings we had big fire and after we were making Banjaluški čevapčiči and for the dessert Griled bana with chocolate. The nights were made interesting with "Forest film festival" where they screened some movies and everyone had a great time.

Klemen & Klemen in action

In the end I was happy I went there and found a new climbing spot with friendly people where I will definitely come back soon.

Grilled banana with chocolate

Chulilla, Abella & Ardege

In end of April I went to a small trip in Spain. I spent two weeks in Chulilla where I was first trying to onsight some harder routes and than I bolted a new 70m line in sector Balcon. It's amazing route and I hope many climbers will try it all the way to the top.

Somewhere in Chulilla

Anty Gravity, 8b+, 70 meters high

1st pitch is 8a+

2nd is 8b

For the rest day we went on a search for some new crags in Titaguas. Approach was not the easiest but we had a lot of fun finding new amazing rocks where we will bolt next time.

New hot spot in Spain

Amazing rocks everywhere

In Chulilla was getting too hot but I still managed to climb there and make one more route in the canyon. Heat and mosquitoes didn't bother Anja since she did her first 7c in the worst possible conditions. 

For me it was too hot to climb but Anja still did her first 7c

New route with a little different approach 

Perfect qualiti of rock from opening bottoms up

Many new possibilities

Getting food is sometimes not so easy

It was time to move to Abella de la Conca. One week of bolting and I managed to make a nice summer sector where you can hide from the crazy heat.

One week of work for bolting, for climbing all the routes maybe a bit more

Last week of my trip I went to France. On a EXPLOS film festival in Ax les Thermes where I was presenting my movie Bala Bala! Ardege is an amazing place with many different kind of climbing areas, caves and cool people. I don't know why I didn't visit this place before but I'm sure I'll be back soon. (here you can find the topos of most of the places)

Welcome to Ax

Sector with harder routes

8b

Just before the fall

Cave has cool long overhanging, pumpy routes

Dodaj napis

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