emi's blog: December 2010

Life here in Hueco Tanks is getting more relaxing every day. We get up in the mornings and start off the days with a long breakfast in the sun, chilling on the pads, have some coffee... Then it's climbing all day long with burritos after it - perfect!

We checked out a lot of problems all over North Mountain and everybody kinda found his projects and favourite lines... One problem I really wanted to get on was Diaphanous Sea, V12. It's such a cool, pure line, the holds and moves are very very nice and hard to find on a rock climb just like that. I got on it once three years ago but couldn't do any of the moves back then. It's style of climbing is pretty basic: pulling on crimps in a roof. I kinda have a hard time on climbs of this character... coming back stronger and more confident this time I knew that it still will be challenging for sure. This time I first got on it at the end of day on North Mountain, tired and little skin left and to my surprise did all the moves on that first session! So I rested for two days, grew some skin and came back with high expectations on climbing the boulder. But no, I was to shaky that day and always fell on the big crux move where you throw your right hand to the big flake. Also my fingers and tendons started to hurt really bad after a few goes... frustrated I had to call it a day and leave. I was able to finish off the day by doing the amazing Dirty Martini on the Rocks V11 in a few goes wich was nice at least!
I decided to wait some days for when the weather forecast finally pronounced cooler temps (it still has been really really hot!) and climb on other stuff in the meantime. But I couldn't really stick to that plan and so I found myself back on Diaphanous Sea two days later at the end of a long day on North Mountain. But it was windy and overcast, temps were good and so I decided to give it a try or two.
After the burning sensation in my fingertips, caused by a horrible warm up go, disappeared I sat down again and pulled off the floor. And with no expectations or anything else on my mind I simply climbed better on it, stuck the big move perfectly and with surprising ease and moments later stood atop of the boulder... my skin was fried big time but I was just so psyched to have done this super classic line. Lifetime ticklist - check! :D

We are now in the second half of our trip and starting to feel better every day. Skin is getting thick and we are all psyched to get on tours now and explore more of the beautiful climbing this place has to offer.

Emi

Diaphanous Sea... pic by Flo

Dirti Martini... pic by Ingo

Flo sending Theater of the Absurd

Ingo

Joe enjoying some austrian Kaiserschmarren!

the dudes

I am in Hueco Tanks! Finally after a long long while back on the road, traveling, with all your focus and life revolving arround climbing... as it should be. I got here with two friends (Ingo and Flo) a week ago and we will be in the States for another 3 weeks, mainly here in Hueco.

Taking off in Munich, Germany, we left snowstorms and cold weather behind, just to arrive in El Paso twenty hours later, with nothing but blue skies all day long, every day... Psyched out of our minds we had three straight days of climbing on North Mountain right away. I have been here once before about three years ago so I already knew a lot of the problems and showed my mates arround. Still down from the jetlag (bouldering at like 4 o‘clock in the morning feels more than strange...) we kept it mellow, did a lot of moderate climbing, some classics like „Babyface“ or „See Spot Run“ and just enjoyed the mass of rock and climbs arround us. After months of gym-climbing or sessions outdoor with shit and cold weather it felt like paradise to move on those rocks...

After those first three days it was time to rest, get over the jetlag, grow some skin and enjoy the fabolous city of El Paso, Texas... :D

Two days later we where back on North Mountain. I had some unfinished business from the last trip, a problem called „Barefoot on sacred ground“ V12 didn‘t let me up back then and I was keen to get back on it. I goes up the Arete next to „See Spot Run“ and the climbing revolves arround compression moves on slopers and pockets. First though I wanted to get on „Dark Age“, a V11 that combines the two problems named above. I had figured out the moves before and so I decided to go straight from the start. I moved through the problem smooth and confident and the climbing felt amazing! Friction and skin where good and I got to the top feeling very comfortable all the time, finally the jetlag seemed to be over and I was starting to climb. Back down I did the final two crux moves of „Barefoot...“ again to get that tricky and high heel hook dialed, rested for a while and sat down at the start and set off. Feeling kinda nervous on the first moves I soon got my mind in the bubble and was up at the crux. I placed that high heelhook, pulled on, it stayed and before I knew I was at the big finishing Hueco. I made a big move to the right to get into „See Spot Run“ and toped out.

It felt really great to expirience progression over the years. Something that once felt hard for me just went down really controlled... Very satisfying!

The trip is on, psyched for more days of climbing and shooting fotos, tacos and burritos, meeting knew people, chilling and feeling the flow.

Emi