UPDATE

Someone asked me: "Are you still climbing?"
Yes! No! a bit less... maybe not enough... but there were other things to do the past months.

Long time ago

My first plan or let`s call it idea was to go back to Aachen in December, but it turned out different. Spain was great again, didn`t fell like wasted time at all to live in a car, close to a cave, in the dirt, smell a bit strange, to have a shower if you find a bathroom, to enjoy the heat of a campfire, to feel the cold in the Spanish climbing areas, to meet people all over the world.... to simply not to get trapped in a routine circuit.

Against all expectations... belaying worked well!

Anyway.... after climbing and bouldering till December and getting weaker every week, because the trip was to long and I`m still not smart enough to take more days off, maybe because it is boring or it feels like a wasted day, I had to step into my car and start driving north again.... just a small step for me, but in fact a big step because it felt wrong to go back. With the destination Erlangen. Yes... not Aachen.
In Albarracin I met some good friends who invited me to live in their house in Erlangen in the Frankenjura. I couldn`t say no, because I had no room in Aachen and it didn`t feel like I wanted to move back to Aachen even if it`s full with great people which make it really worth living there and visiting it once in a while. But why not another city? Something new? Would be boring without it :)
So off to the Frankenjura!

First day, first two hours in the Frankenjura.... my car broke. The engine broke. My little yellow home died... hard times, but it brought me back savely. Thanks. I hope in our next life, after being crushed in a big junk press with other cars, you`ll become a bigger car, a plane maybe even  a space shuttle... or you`ll end up filled with diet coke or beer.

RIP

No job, no car, new city, almost no money but a room in a big house with new friends. After working in a bar for some days and cleaning horse stables to earn some money, I found a better job where I build climbing walls in Germany. Hard work, great company but the part which I don`t like is that I can`t climb so much if I`m working. We work the whole day in a climbing gym and at the end of the day you go to sleep to save some energy for the next day. But sometimes you have to make a choice even if I chose work now. Of course work is not wrong, but this kind of work makes you really tired in the evening... but well paid and I`m traveling again which leaves the question: Why do I have a room in Erlangen if i`m on the road all the time?

Part-time job

After working almost 2 1/2 months starting at 8 and stopping at 8 or mostly later with just little breaks except a longer break where I hurt my finger really bad in an accident. Make sure you NEVER need stitches in your finger to keep your fingertip together (through your fingernail.... really through the fingernail!!! Thanks to modern medicine even without anesthesia).

...

OK... I`ll stop crying like a little child. Less work, more free time, there are more people in the world who have a really bad life compared to mine. Should be happy with it!
I  had a bit more than a month  off and the chance to finally spent some time on  real rock again. I`m happy that I scrambled up some rock, after working a lot, not enough climbing and my injured finger.

Climbing:
Frankenjura: Master of desaster 8a+, Hilti Syndrom 8a+, Berlin Calling 8a+, Ringbandschoner 8a, 2 Muskeltiere 8a, Dynamisch Tirol 8a, Armed response 8a, Magnet 7c
Trou Magritte: la marnuelle nue 8a+
Berdorf: Nu skool Ovest 8a
Kronthal: la terra de lune 8a

Bouldering: 
Frankenjura: Kriss Kross 8A, Who`s the man 7C+
Fontainebleau: Saut de Puce 8A, Gasthaus Unterschlag 7C
Zillertal: Hart wie Stein(i) 7C
Kochel: Ivan der Grausame 7C

Now I`m looking for a new car to travel around easier and more flexible and maybe to start a new trip this year. Who knows! :)

Climbing around Lerdia and bouldering in Albarracin

coniller

Climbing and bouldering is a good way to spent time outdoors. 2 more month passed really fast. Now as the days are shorter and you start using the headtorch at 18:30 to prepare your dinner time will pass really fast.

The last months I`ve been traveling around Lerdia. Figols, Coniller, Oliana, Tartareu, Camarasa, Terradets, Santa Ana and Agüero friki (not really Lerida). It is impressive how many good small crags Catalunia has to offer. Around every corner there is rock. The good walls are bolted but for sure there is plenty fresh rock left just waiting to be bolted. The landscape is mostly stunning. Green trees, blue rivers and lakes, sun und blue sky, mountain tops and valleys. I like it here!

 I could climb some days with Marvin Winkler in Oliana/Figols. He basiclly crushed every route he tried really quick and could top off the whole rampage of with "Joe Blau" 8c+ in Oliana. For sure he will climb some more hard routes with that appetite. Congrats Marvin!

Furthermore I could climb some days with a really active local "guide". David Gambus, who is maybe one of the most fanatic climbers I ever met. Climbing hard and bolting a lot at the same time. We spent some days climbing in Coniller, which is completly bolted by David. The climbing there is awesome. Not really overhanging, solid rock, good lines, technical climbing and hidden in the mountains. One of the best areas I`ve been so far. Thanks for your hospitality and your house! 

ALBARRACIN

But rope climbing is boring.... after some months. So I went bouldering for some weeks. Last year I`ve been in Albarracin for 2 weeks and I liked it a lot. No questions: Back to Albarracin! Got some friends to meet and some boulders to solve.

When I left Albarracin last year I left it with a project I found on the last day. Untill now no one climbed it. That could be because you have to be tall, really tall. Plus it is good if you like to carry big fridges in your freetime. Good thing for me! After 5 sessions I could link all the 12 moves together. First Ascent of "Abrazo fuerte" 8A.



With "Klem's traverse" in Accantilados I climbed my little dreamline in Albarracin. A traverse really low over the ground from right to left on edges that leads into a technical jump. I had the most problems not to touch the ground with my shoulders or my butt cheeks. A classic boulder in Albarracin. The trip was already a succes for me.

To go climbing with Giani, Till, Ingo, Janine, Mark, Pavel, Danielle, Michael, Kai and Hannah made it even beter. Running through the forest with a pad on your back, finding some problems, work on them, support other in their problems, climb them and having dinner together. That`s how it should be. During the weeks we climbed a bunch of other problems. Not hard, in a way, but challenging in many ways.

Again it is admirable to spend the short days in Albarracin. The village it self and the landscape here is always enjoyable. Especially in autumn when the brick walls share the same colour as the leaves on the trees.

The only thing many boulders should keep in mind:
It is nature! We are guests!
- Keep your dogs on the leash
- Digging a hole in the ground to burry your leftovers after answering the call of nature is really easy... maybe you can even teach your dog to dig the hole!
- It is ok to walk on the paths, but using your car isn`t walking! No cars in the woods!

For more information about the bouldering in Albarracin you can visit: NOROP.ES

If your skin is gone, you can either take a restday or move on to Siurana. Restdays will be good for me, but Siurana is good for me too. Maybe I`ll meet some friends there! Everybody is welcome!

 PICTURES:

ham-man!

It`s over. After 54 days working in Rodellar as a waiter and waterboy for trees I`m finished here. Time to say goodbye and time to move on. I`m not sad leaving Rodellar, but at the same time I won`t have a basecamp now. Just my Renault Kangoo and some parkings close to climbing crags.
During my time in Rodellar it was hot and wet all the time. I found myself always telling me to stop, because I`m here for climbing and traveling, but it turned out to be not as bad as I thought. Friendly workers ( always smiling at work... don`t know why?), mostly friendly customers ( exceptation -- > quotation: " You know what...? fuck you! fuck you!") and nice local climbers to go climbing with at 1pm in the morning ;) . I`m longing for beter conditions in some smaller crags around Lerida. Hopefully friendly people, beautiful landscapes, quite crags, almost no cars and nature. It can be so easy. Let`s see!
Thanks to all the workers and climbers in Rodellar for the time... a list with all the people will be to long.

sore muscles from carrying paellas like this.

I could climb some routes despite my time working here, 40degrees summer heat and 10cm water on the ground. Not as hard as I wanted, but more then I expected. Felt good to climb some routes I couldn`t do last year. Every year some more.

a crabita 8a, Escanciador 8a/8a+, Famila Manson 8a+, Paideia 8a+, Aporia 8a+, Citrus 8a+, Gladiator 8a+/b, La Kanabica 8a+/8b, el bicho 8b and some more.

 .... Aaaaaahhhhh!!!! I almost forgot! I won the yearly dynocontest in Rodellar, (again). Now I`m the proud owner of 11kg ham. Perfect to make new friends!

ham-man!

What will I do now? Climbing a lot and as much as possible. Got my goals and I want to achieve them. First I will visit some vrags close to Lerida to see where I will stay in autumn. There are endless walls and areas to go to. I don`t know where to start and if the autumn is long enough to see enough of them.
 My first days I spent with Marvin, who will stay here for longer too. Really motivating to climb with him. Getting up in the morning and climbing till it gets dark. Getting in shape for harder routes. Seeing some new areas and feeling really small amongst impressive walls down in the canyons.

100meters???

So enough writing. There is no real news. Let`s climb some rock and have fun!

                                                                    Some impressions:

heat

water

warmth

praying mantis

Rodellar

Venatas

pulling teeth in Aporia

dragons

stay in the shade

 

my own 127-hours moment: assholeplant got me

canyoning

Spain again

 I did it... again I went to Spain for working on a campground and a bit climbing. After some month in Aachen I decided to go back to Rodellar for 2 months working as a waiter and waterboy for trees. Boring but at least the weather is always good and climbable rock is omnipresent.

After some problems just 1 day before my travel (broken water cooling system), 3 seconds before my travel (broken navigation system), during my travel (for unknown reasons blocked bank account) and 1 hour extra drive (sheep drove on the road) I made it to Rodellar.

The bad thing is the heat and the work in the morning and in the evening till the restaurant is closed and clean, so I have to be patient to climb a lot more in September. Nothing changed here, usual campground business every day.

Untill now I couldn`t climb so much hard routes, but I`m trying to climb a lot to get in a good shape for September. Even if there is so much rock the motivation suffers from working, routine (get up, breakfast, work, climb a bit, shower, eat to much in 30 minutes, prepare tables, run around with food, clean everything, go to bed) and having no more energy to try hard. Sending no routes is normal here, but sucks really bad.
 But I don`t want to complain... I like it and I pretty sure many people hate their jobs more :)

graveyard in Rodellar

For everybody who wants to travel to Spain: Tell me. Maybe we can meet somewhere or I can help you or just pick you up somewhere. See you!

May

What can I do? I climbed my wishes here for this year except some routes. Too weak, too far away, sometimes lack of motivation and/or no money for smaller trips... because I`m saving again for a new trip to Spain. First stop will be Rodellar again starting in july. Working and climbing, but mainly working to travel afterwards. No further plans until now.

I started to boulder again to gain some power for projects in Rodellar. Old ones and hopefully new ones. Luckily the amount of harder boulders around Aachen isn`t really, really low (there are not many, but a few) and the gym is open too... YEAH!

I could send some lines pretty quick this year which I couldn`t do last year, even if I just started to train somedays 2 weeks ago. I even got some videofootage. There are more, but I`m still not the owner of a good camcorder and a new laptop...

Spunk: 
a boulder by Markus Jung in the Avalonia cave opend this year in spring. It should be around 7C, but even if it was easier a great line straight trough the little roof.


Rainbow Warrior:
From Mustafa "Muzti" Eren opend in 2004 in Nideggen at "Zementwerk". You need a periode of dry weather to touch the holds. Original it is graded 8A, but with my armspan it is easier. For those who`ll try the line now... It is clearly a topout boulder!


Öcher Crack:
Daniel Hinkelmann, a friend and a hard-working student, found this nice crag close to the university in Aachen. We decided to give it a try with meters of tape and almost now useful experience and skills in painful fingerjamming. With success we could open the buildering line "Öcher Crack". Who will give it a try?



Tocix Desire:
Before I started bouldering I could climb my personal project in Bomal. I combines 9 routes right in the middle of  the wall. I don`t know if it`s a new combi, but no one could tell me anything about it.
It`s a long slowy rising traverse route from right to left and then up to pump your arms! 50 moves! Good to train your endurance in Bomal!

Start = "Toxic Climax"
bolt 1 = 1 bolt "Tantaloc"
bolt 2 = 2 bolt "Manhattan transfer"
bolt 3 = 2 bolt "Enchatillon"
bolt 4 = 2 bolt "Enfants de I'care"
bolt 5 = "Newton T'encule"
bolt 6 = 3 bolt "Bidis"
bolt 7 = 3 bolt "l'Insoutenable Légèreté de l'être"
bolt 8 = 4 bolt "Flagrant desir"
then to the top!

entering "bidis"

traversing

only rest

In my opinion it could be the hardest combi in Bomal. Maybe someone is interested to confirm or deny it :)


Now I`ll work a bit more, save money, train more and sort things out to make sure that I can stay a long time in Spain.
Who wants to join? Let me know! You`re welcome!

cavemen!

Finally the sun is back and as every climber I`m never happy with the weather. Heat beats up the friction. There`s only on way to avoid this... let`s hide in caves!!!

Last weekend I could climb my project in Ettringen. It`s called "Krieg ich gerne" and graded 8a+/8b (in my opinion really hard 8a+/8b) located in the caves. I worked it last year 1 day, but was way to weak to climb it.
This year I felt better,  had some problems with the weather and some holds that are always wet but thanks to the heat the caves were almost completly dry and I could start some serious attempts.
I always fell at the buzzkill move at the lip due to some wet underclings. I always thought "If I stick it, it`s done." But as always in climbing... it isn`t working like this.

buzzkill

stick it!

the lip

The bouldercrux at the lip is harder if you made it through the whole roof and the last holds are always wet so you need a little bit extra strenght in the last section.

After some frustraiting tries and a really painful knee from a kneebar in the roof and falling of at the lip 3 times because the holds were still wet, I could climb the route on the first day with dry holds at the lip.

green leaves... nice!

Feels good and I`m looking forward to try the original line "Krieg der Sterne" which is harder but in my opinion "the line" in this sector.
Thanks to: Thomas Schermer for the pictures!


Different day! Different country! Different cave!

With Koen I found another caveman and we made it over night to the Kronthal. Honestly we couldn`t climb our projects, but we had a really good time. Drinking coffee, eating, climbing, falling, swearing, sweating, cooking, sleeping, laying around and doing nothing. Hakuna matata!

in green

falling over and over again

civilized caveman

uncivilized caveman

wake up

the roof line

just 1 more try.... please!!!

I hope everybody had a nice easter climbing or bouldering trip to different areas. See you at the rock!