O Massa Expansiva

Good days and bad days and you never know when to expect what really.  Nico messages saying he’s motivated to boulder in Sintra, I haven’t bouldered in the past 4 days (felt like forever!!!) and was starting to feel weak so I was definitely planning on going today!  It had been raining for the past days and today the sun had come out, I prayed that some holds would be dry; Sintra tends to dry fast.

I got to the mountain before Nico so I started looking and feeling the rock, a lot of it was wet, especially the warm up problems that have more positive holds, but the rock felt ok… a little damp but it might be ok with some chalk.  So I got the mini-ladder I brought from home and walked over to one of the remaining hard lines in Peninha – the direct exit to Massa Expansiva.

This bloc is so called because for a while there was talk (fantasy) of using massa expansiva (a substance that you place in a tight spot to open up that place … ya…) to remove one of the rocks and thus open up the possibility of doing super low starts to the existing lines on the bloc.  There are 2 climbs there, Massa Expansiva and Massa Expansiva Direct.  The first climbs two really sweet moves and then involves a awkward move out left to a jug… I have never even tried it because that move looks so contrived… you start with two 3-star moves and then you go to a jug.  The direct version, however, is very nice.  After those two excellent moves on slopey holds you have a 2-finger pocket for your left hand and another 2-finger pocket for your right and then you have to figure out the top (I’m not giving you a step-by-step beta-spray here).

So I chalked up the holds and then Nico shows up and we decide to warm up on a cool looking 7b called Boomerang.  It wasn’t the best warm-up since its a climb that starts of basically campusing to a bad sloper with your left hand and then going again to a further better sloper… but it worked; we tried a variety of different beta on it until we finally felt warmed up and sent it in succession.  Motivated we decided to try and figure out the exit to Massa Expansiva Dir.  I had no intention of sending it this day since I thought it would be a project for a few days but in the end we both sent it with good style!  Very very good climb!

Still full of energy we drove to Tapada, 30 mins through the mountain, to show Nico Zeitgeist.  In the lonely nights trying this climb I felt that it would become a classic in Sintra and climbing on it again tonight, and seeing Nico enjoying the moves, definitely cemented that feeling.  A good session ensued and Nico managed to get the second ascent of the Zeitgeist sit start on the last go before it was time to leave, I tried to repeat it and came agonizingly close – the moves are excellent and it was a pleasure to climb it again.

An excellent day of climbing!!

Finally, the main news is that today was the first day with cool temperatures in Sintra!!  The winter season is beginning, when 7cs become 6bs and project become cagadas.

Some photos:

Nico and Rances on Abelha Maia a tricky 6c+

Nico on Massa Expansiva Dir. 7c (V9)

Nico working on Zeitgeist:

Good days and Bad days

Went to the mountain of Sintra again, super psyched, riding high from the recent great sends!  I decided to start aiming my sights higher, as high as Sintra goes actually: Mito 8a (V11).  I looked at this problem with Macau about three weeks ago, soon after I had arrived; it looked awesome and felt very tough but I felt it to be within my reach.  That’s what a project is.

So I went over to the Mecca, feeling great, the wind in my face, the temps felt great.  I walked over to the warm-up area and set down my things.  Chalked up and did laps on an excellent V2 or something.  And it was about then that things started to feel a little off.  I tried some lines I had previously done and was greasing off them.  What was going on?  And then I noticed that I was sweating.  The temperature had shot up and the humidity was ridiculous for Sintra.  What was going on?  The rock felt like soap.  I kept trying the lines, super frustrated, feeling like a shitty climber.  Arghhh…  Each time I fell the morale got lower and lower.  This is one of the downsides of going climbing alone, when things are going bad there is no-one to joke with, to lighten up the mood.

I packed up my stuff after finally repeating a line I had flashed three weeks ago and doing a traverse line I hand’t tried.  Upon topping out I noticed the large raincoulds in the distance and realized that the humidity and temps were because of the front coming in.

I headed back to the car.  Sitting in the car I planned on leaving Sintra and going back home, or going to the beach… but it didn’t make sense to be here now and to leave…  Sure it was frustrating but that was climbing..  I can’t expect to have rad 7c days every single time.  It was a challenge.  I just felt off.  Thinking of Jonathan Livingston Seagull I drove the car to the Mito parking, removed the crash pads, packed the bags again and hiked the 10 minutes there.

The rock looked just as beautiful as I remembered, even more so.  My fingers were in pain when I touched the rock, the moves felt impossible and the rock felt greasy.  With a more understanding mentality/outlook I spent the next hour working some of the moves, failing relentlessly but persisting.

The sun went down and I headed back to the car feeling some satisfaction.  I’m glad I didn’t leave right away.

O Kalashnikov!

Four days spread out over 3 years; two days 3 years ago and 2 more since arriving at the beginning of September.  That is how long it has taken to do the last move of this problem.  3 years ago I tried it and quickly made it to the last move, a long dynamic move with the left hand from a crimp to a high sloper.  The second day on I met up with Filipe and we both worked on the climb, he sent and I fell a couple of times on the same last move before it got dark and people left… I was on a short visit to Portugal and the next day I flew back to the US.

Today I met up with Nico Favresse and with Rances Rodriguez and after a nice little warm-up we went to check out this climb.  Second try and I was back to falling from the last move.  But this time the mood was different.  No-one was eager to leave, sunset had come and the headlamps were out, and there was a lot of psych going around.  I fell two or three more times then I stuck the move only to fall matching the sloper.  Super amped I added one more element of motivation by putting La Roux’s “Going in for the kill” on the little sound system.  With little rest and much motivation I sent and let out an immense yell of satisfaction!!

Soooo Goood!!

What a climb!  5 stars!  The first 7c (V9) in Portugal and such a beautiful line!  Tall, unique (not an eliminate), excellent sequence of moves…  SO PSYCHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zeitgeist

It was the fifth day trying the problem and I was still stumped on the same move, a slap with the left hand from a good crimp to a good but far pocket which juan can’t see because it is around the corner, the slap always caused my body to barndoor immensely.  It was the only move that I couldn’t do.  I figured out the last move, a left-hand dyno from the pocket to a good sloper with the right hand on some terrible divets which you have to crimp or bear down on, the setting up for the dyno would be tough though…

It was 9:00 pm and I was alone in the Sintra mountains.  There was a crescent moon.  The air had a faint breeze.  It was quiet and too warm to be bouldering on granite slopers.  Like many other boulder problems here this one had only seen one ascent, by the abominable Macau.  Similarly to what I have been doing for the past few weeks–bouldering alone–Macau has been exploring and sending in Sintra but for many years.  He graded this climb 7b+,  It was my fifth day on and I was getting sceptical.

After lying on the crash pads with my headlamp off, enjoying the forest soudns, I put the shoes back on, switched the headlamp on and decided to see if a proper sit-start was possible.  The way this problem had been sent and tried by other climbed was get a right hand crimp, to crouch down and place a right heel hook, then place the left hand on a side pull, lift the left foot off the ground and do a left hand deadpoint to a good crimp.  Needless to say it was an awkward start.

The sit start looked improbable but I had nothing better to do, I soon found out that improbable was really only its appearance.  The rock revealed a very nice and natural sequence leading up to the previous start, adding two excellent moves.

Having figured out the new start I managed to climb the problem in two parts and was again left wondering how to do that one middle move.  I examined the whole boulder again, like a chess problem, convinced that it was possible to do and that I just needed to figure it out, to observe it until something clicked.  Then it clicked!  A new foothold, a different body position unlocked a new way of going for the pocket while keeping the body locked close to the rock.  Then I would release the foot and have to hold a less violent barndoor.  It was now close to 10pm, my fingers were raw and close to bleeding and I was super psyched to try this new sequence!  I gave it three good goes but with the low start I was getting to the hard moves without enough juice.  I had to call it a night.

Today was the sixth and last time I had to work on this climb.  The warm up was lame, my body felt great but my skin hadn’t fully recovered and I imagined I would only have a few goes before it might bleed; I found myself resisting doing any effort on the warm up problems in order to save skin and so instead of wasting time I went straight to the boulder.

I brushed the holds and felt them.  The temperature felt warm but the holds felt ok.  I was feeling more and more motivated it was hard to contain the psyche.  I just wanted to get on the climb and do it.  Its a feeling that I have when I know that the climb has now fallen into the possible side of reality.  I can see it happening but it hasn’t happened.  Just possible.  And a part of me told me to relax or I would rush the moves, to contain the motivation… I already had the shoes on and my fingers chalked up but I sad and tried to calm myself down.  After about a minute I got worried that I would calm down too much and begin to be putting off the climbing, hesitating; I told myself I would give it a few burns just to help me warm up and maintain the adrenaline flowing.

I got set up, did the first two moves and hit the left hand crimp slightly off, crimped down and continued, put the right heel on and locked off the left arm, the bad sloper was right there so I reached statically to it with my right hand and my healing fingers told me the hold was exactly on, I locked the body in and reached for the pocket, then tightened the core and slowly released the feet, the hands stayed on!  I adjusted the feet with the right heel on the hard-to-see foothold, felt ok, moved right hand to the miniature grooves and tried to bear down on them, I’m at the dyno, I know this is just a test run, a warm up but I’m here now and it would really suck if I fell from here.  Raised the right foot and fired for the sloper, and hit it!  I remembered Macau saying he still fell a few times after hitting the sloper, and this was my first time here on link, I got the right foot up high and stabbed right hand to a high groove which turned out to be a very positive hold!  Yes!  Climbed up, turned around, gave a good yell and sat at the top of the boulder laughing.  So psyched.  This was supposed to have been the test run, do I have to go again?

Grades are all subjective, I’m giving it a 7c (V9).  It is an excellent climb, highly recommended.

Not sure what I’ll try next though.  I really enjoy climbing with other people but recently I’ve been bouldering alone and noticing an added depth to the experience.  It’s just me, no-one to complain to or climb hard for or receive psyche from… no spotter on the sketchier moves.  I’m finding it to be a very good learning experience when I go bouldering alone.  You’re doing it only for yourself when you’re alone.  So, I look forward to days when other people show up and to days when no-one else comes.

And now a link to the Zeitgeist movie (note, no climbing in this movie):

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3932487043163636261#

<embed id=VideoPlayback src=http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=3932487043163636261&hl=en&fs=true style=width:400px;height:326px allowFullScreen=true allowScriptAccess=always type=application/x-shockwave-flash> </embed>

Just Enough To Dream

It’s 4:40pm and I’ll be going to Sintra again tonight, not sure which blocs to go to but I’ll be going somewhere.

Two days ago I met up with Rasta at the Mecca and we repeated some of the nice easier blocs there.  I really like the lines that already exist there.  I figured out the correct foot placement and sent Megalito 7b; the first day on it I had gotten stumped on one move which I kept trying the way Macau told me to and my foot kept cutting.  The lesson is to always try to do the bloc the way it feels/looks right for you, then listen to what others say and try their beta, I could have saved a lot of skin!

Then Rasta and I eyed a new bloc which was uncovered due to the epic deforestation that has been going on in the name of fire prevention.

We looked at it and both found some possible lines.  Rasta cleaned up the left side/arete of this bloc and I cleaned the right side of the roof.  With headlamps we both sent Rasta’s line and dubbed it Transilvania 6c; we were hesitating between A Morte do Vampiro (the death of the vampire) or O Crepusculo do Vampiro (the sunset of the vampire) because the if we were to fall and roll off the pad we would be staked to death by the sharp wooden spears caused by the deforestation.  Then we went to look at the other line and had a good laugh.  I titled this post “just enough to dream” because there are just enough hold there to dream of doing this problem.  Good start feet on the back wall, a small yet solid undercling crimp on the roof, a small one/one.5 finger divet for the right hand on the bulge, and just one hold for the right foot.  Just enough holds…  We couldn’t even budge on any of the starting moves but there is something there.  8a? 8a+? 8a++?  Someday this is going to be a solid Sintra 7b+!!!

O Karma da Serra

For some reason wordpress was crashing when I tried to post two days ago… I’ve already written and lost this post 3 times because of that! Well, besides pictures, the main news today is that two days ago I felt strong after a two-day rest by the beach and I crushed a classic 7b+ (V8) in Sintra called O Karma da Serra!! It was my third day trying this climb.

On the first day I figured out some beta which seemed to work really well but my fingers weren’t ready for the sharp rock.

The second day my beta simply was not working anymore so I spent most of the time figuring out new beta and ended up using the method everybody else trying it uses; I gave it two or three good burns with that method but my shoe kept pulling off my foot on the second-to-last move which is heavy on the left heel.

This third day I quickly found myself at the same situation, I tried taping the shoe on tighter but it wasn’t working, then I decided to try a different shoe which has a looser heel and, counterintuitively, it worked. The extra give in the heel actually allowed the shoe to adjust to the rock whereas with the other shoes once the heel opened slightly the shoe would come off. So I fell once on the very last bump move off a crimp, got super adrenalized, put on La Roux’s “Going in for the Kill” and sent it! Feeling super pumped I drove over to A Tapada to try Zeitgeist, another 7b+ that was close, but got shut down. It was my 4th day on it and I still haven’t figureda way to do the slap move; my body just swings violently out everytime I try that move… Oh well – projects projects projects!

And here are some photos taken by Macau:

Trying to open a new line.

O Dia da Besta 7b

Grande Canhao? 6c+? (so many names I get confused)

Megalito 7b

O Mito stand 7a+

O Mito

The Mecca and The Myth

Macau sent his usual email informing about 10 people that there would be another night-bouldering session last night, other than himself the only fanatics to show up were Isabel Boavida and I.

The meeting place was Lagoa Azul, another gorgeous place in Sintra.

Last night we went to two more new (for me) sectors: A Mecca e o Mito and these were the best thus far.  The boulders were really sweet!  It was like a little Hueco Tanks.  Good texture to the rock, nice lines, tall boulders, good landings…  Sintra has grown!

Macau setting up to try a project in the Mecca sector.

Quality bouldering at The Mecca sector.

The Mito area really has one main bloc, the Mito bloc.  This bloc was discovered over a decade ago by the elite boulderers back then but it was discarded at the time because of its difficulty and then it was lost.  Literally, it was lost for many years, it was found by chance and the rapidly growing foliage in Sintra made it so that it was extremely difficult to find again.  Only two years ago was it rediscovered with the help of GoogleEarth and a lot of persistence.

Two problems are on this bloc: the Mito sit start which weighs in at 8a (V11) and the stand start which is a powerful 7a+ (v5).

O Mito

Macau on the sit start of O Mito

We ended the night session at an early 11:30pm under a perfectly clear and starry sky.  I was definitely feeling much better on the rock and had an excellent session at The Mecca, sending several boulders in the 7a/+ range in a few goes.  My skin, though, is suffering, the fingertips feel pretty beat up so I’m planning on taking a full 2 days rest!!  …  let’s see if I can manage to stay away that long!  Autumn is coming soon and with it the cooler temperatures which will make bouldering that much better, so I will definitely be back to work on O Mito!

The Day of the Beast

The fanatism continues, today I met up with Macau, Rita, Bibs, Alex, Rui, Ramel, Marco… (I think I’m missing someone) for another day for energetic bouldering.  Today was Sao Pedro, yet another sector with some very nice boulders.  We warmed up on a nice 5/6a and then worked on a project for a while and ended the day trying a very nice 7b called O Dia da Besta.  I got very close to the send but that is beside the point, I’m starting to feel some semblance of familiarity on the rock again, some better movement, which is really encouraging.  I’m sure the transition from climbing on plastic to climbing on rock will take a few more weeks but it is feeling so good to climb outdoors!!

Macau will be leaving to visit the New England area so I may have to get on rope for a while since the all-night-fanatic-bouldering will not have enough participants… we’ll see!

Photo by Bibs.

Just Some Photos

These are photos which Macau took of me about a week ago.

Lagarta Titanica 7a+ or so since a few good climbers have tried it but it has only seen one ascent… by Macau.

Chapavao, 6c or so, I saw the line but Macau papa-FA’s got the ascent.

A hard Macau slab project.

Yes, my foot is cutting, found out I can go static with a heel instead of a tip.

The last move on Zeitgeist, that right hand sucks!!!

Diamonds in Sintra

Went bouldering last night, Sintra of course.  In fact, this post includes climbing on the 9th and on the 11th.

In the previous post I talked a bit about the grading system in Sintra.  The grading is something that is talked about nearly every time we go bouldering, not because we are addicted to number, no, it is because it is SO interesting!!!  We (and by “we” I mean the totality of boulderers in Sintra who were present for the debate yesterday) have come to the conclusion that the grading in Sintra is scientifically correct, and we have arrived at this fantastic point because the grading is based on a “universal” scale.  You may be aware of how the temperature scale came about; of how it was necessary to have two points, two fixed points (these being the freezing and boiling points of pure water at a certain atmospheric pressure and so on), in order to establish the temperature scale.  Such an idealized situation is necessary for scientific reasoning.

An astrophysicist, a engineer and a biologist are asked to predict which racehorse will win the horse racing derby. The biologist bases his reasoning on what the horse ate, the horse’s caloric intake and its energetic output, and the ATPs and so on and so on.  The engineer looks at the horses in the race and gets mesurements of their legs, looking at the legs as fulcrums, and then measures the curvature of the spine and gets ready to calculate the air drag and so on.  Finally the astrophysicist says “I know, if we assume the horse is a sphere…”.

That’s the joke, physicist always make these kind of outrageous approximations/simplifications.

SIMILARLY, and getting back to the grading in Sintra, anything that is easy is given 6c/+ or 7a, then anything for anything that is hard we say: “well, it was hard but it’s kind of warm today and maybe a little damp even but if it was dry and 0 degrees Celsius outside then this boulder would be a 7b or possibly 7b+.  So the grade is 7b+.”

I mentioned to Macau that I’m having a hard time imagining something that is Sintra 7c or higher.  I’ve played on 7c+’s and seen plenty of 8a’s and above outside of Portugal but not in Sintra… hummmmm

But what I wanted to get to is mentioning the next level of bouldering in Sintra, boulders such as Diamante Branco (White Diamond):

Ricardo “Macau” Alves trying the moves on a new line which goes right on this giant bloc.

A number of large blocs have recently been found and they contain some powerful lines which even Sintrenses are agreeing are not easier than 7c.  That is a bold statement out here.  The Diamante Branco bloc has three main lines: Sete Vidas 7b+, Diamante Branco 7c and the new line out right that is still an unnamed project and some of the moves are shown in the above pictures.  In these pictures Macau is already halfway up the bloc, the first crux is below him and hard to photograph.  The fall is well padded but it is a small caos of boulders so very uneven.  Spicy!!

Two days ago we went to another sector: Eden.  We were 4 this time, the usual Macau, Pena and I and then Alex.  This was Alex’s first climbing experience in Portugal and now I wonder if I will ever see him again…  We met at the parking lot at 6:30pm.  Headlamps – check.  Jackets – check.  Music – check.  Snacks – check.  To all who join us – please remember to bring sturdy long pants.

We first climbed on a really excellent boulder which somwhat resembled a large piano turned slightly on its side ; it is made up of large rounded smooth-granite blcos.  The moves are on sidepulls and underclings, technical and a lot of tension.  5 star climb rated somewhere between 6c and 7a.  It is still unnamed–the rate at which new boulders are being discovered is faster than the climbers can name them!!  Macau and Pena have to have a list of names for future blocs or else there would be many unnamed lines.

The first crux move on this new line, going to a two finger divet.  Photo by Macau.

Photo by Macau.

Photo by Macau.

Matching the undercling. Photo by Macau.

Going up to the sidepull. Photo by Macau.

At this point some very heavy fog started rolling in, setting some nice mood, and Alex was already feeling the effects of the granite on his skin.  We decided to move to another sector: Arca de Noe (Noah’s Arc), so named because when it was first climbed on there was a lot of rain coming down and yet it remained dry.  Likewise, no this day, a few minutes after getting there the rain started coming down!  The foliage in Sintra grows rather rapidly… and agressively, and to get to get to this sector required some trampling through well armed sharp bushes and brambles.  Alex only had capri pants…

Alex on the right, feeling the effects of the hike, the cold, and the drizzle while Macau and Pena prep the main line.

Pena on the first move of the Arca de Noe 7b.  The first move is probably the hardest move but the last of the 11 moves was the crux for me.

The transition moves, requiring some tension on good holds.  Photo by Macau.

These moves are soooo good!! and on excellent quality rock!  Photo by Macau.

Photo by Macau.

The second-to-last move on A Arca de Noe.  Photo by Macau.

It was a good session at this sector.  Pena sent two of the three lines and made excellent progress on the third.  I got to the last move on the Arca, 3 or 4 times, and Macau made a new line going across all three established climbs possibly baptizing it A Arca do Dragao.

I wonder if Alex was yearning to go home because the blocs were a bit hard for his first day and he ended up sleeping on the crashpad for a while… however, after this sector we still tried a few lines on another bloc which was overhung enough to have stayed dry and by then it was something like 1:20am.  We ended another fanatic session in Sintra, I hope it only served to inspire Alex and not frighten him away… we will see in the coming episodes.