This video is a memoir of our final Kalymnos climbing camp of 2011. Enjoy!
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Showing posts with label Climbing Camp: 2011 Kalymnos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Climbing Camp: 2011 Kalymnos. Show all posts
Kalymnos 2011 - Trip Report 11 (The finale! Odyssey & the SG)
Posted by Lee Cujes Labels: Climbing Camp: 2011 Kalymnos, Climbing Report, Kalymnos
This is the end my friends. The final trip report from Upskill 2011 Kalymnos climbing camps. This'll be a good-un though, so read on for your last little hit of Kalymnos for the year.
A bit of a fave, you've probably gathered by now. Day nine of climbing and there were some tired bodies! But only two days of climbing left, so time to pull out all the stops and give it heaps!
Besides, it had to be Odyssey, as Bo refused to leave the island without Atena 6b+ in her satchel.
We headed up to the left side of the cliff which is home to a whole host of 20m high pitches. Most are tufa-laden, and quite hard, hovering around 7b, although there are a couple of easier routes.
Mythos 6b+ provided a warm up for Owen and Bo, while Andy and Susy found Feta 6c to be exceedingly 'warming' :) I put the gear up on Kulturistika 7b which had caught Andy's eye and Island In The Sun 7a+ which had Owen and Susy's name on it.
DAY 9 HIGHLIGHTS
LIGHTFOOT CHALLENGE
Last year Andy set the challenge. One large margarita pizza from Prego Restaurant. He didn't achieve the send in 2010 and was up for setting the bar this year. All camp he was talking up the training he'd been doing over the past year and how this time, he'd smash it.
What he didn't bank on was having a couple of challengers to the title.
And now ... the results!
SECRET GARDEN - the final day!
We loved it so much the first time, we thought it would be an ideal place to finish.
DAY 10 HIGHLIGHTS
ROUTE OF THE TRIP!
We always like to find out what our guys thought was the best route they climbed all trip. And here they are:
Bo: Pirates of Kalymnos 6b+, Sector Ghost Kitchen
Andy: Nickel 7a+, Sector Kalydna
Susy: DNA 7a, Sector Grande Grotta
Owen: Ixion 7a, Sector Kalydna
Climbing is an evolution. Rarely do people have a linear progression of non-stop "getting better". We all have other things going on in our life, different amounts of time we can devote to climbing and training, injuries which crop up and hamper us, weird mental blocks, loss of confidence or decreased motivation.
ODYSSEY
A bit of a fave, you've probably gathered by now. Day nine of climbing and there were some tired bodies! But only two days of climbing left, so time to pull out all the stops and give it heaps!
Besides, it had to be Odyssey, as Bo refused to leave the island without Atena 6b+ in her satchel.
We headed up to the left side of the cliff which is home to a whole host of 20m high pitches. Most are tufa-laden, and quite hard, hovering around 7b, although there are a couple of easier routes.
Mythos 6b+ provided a warm up for Owen and Bo, while Andy and Susy found Feta 6c to be exceedingly 'warming' :) I put the gear up on Kulturistika 7b which had caught Andy's eye and Island In The Sun 7a+ which had Owen and Susy's name on it.
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| Owen ticking off Island in the Sun 7a+. Look at those tufas! |
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| Sam is on climber-watch. |
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| Enough rock for ya? |
- Andy had several solid burns on Kulturistika 7b which ended up going with one fall. Next year!
- Andy also went up Island In The Sun 7a+ with a rest and proclaimed it Mega Classic, like everything he got on on this end of the wall. Another 2012 project.
- Bo sent her project Atena 6b+!
- Susy ticked Feta 6c and came within a metre of sending the powerful Island In The Sun 7a+
- Owen went on a spree with sends of Mythos 6b+, Feta 6c, Island In The Sun 7a+, Satyros 6c+, Il Gigante E La Bambina 6c+ and Morfeas 6b+. He actually did 10 pitches of climbing on the day.
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| Bo is happy. She bagged Atena 6b+ on her second shot of the day. Stoked! "We can leave the island now Andy ... Andy?" |
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| Bloody knuckles, chalky digits. This is the life we love :) |
LIGHTFOOT CHALLENGE
Last year Andy set the challenge. One large margarita pizza from Prego Restaurant. He didn't achieve the send in 2010 and was up for setting the bar this year. All camp he was talking up the training he'd been doing over the past year and how this time, he'd smash it.
What he didn't bank on was having a couple of challengers to the title.
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| A double thumbs up photo is required to start the challenge. Facial examination: 100% confidence. |
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| I thought I would up the ante by adding salami to the margarita. This gives a higher degree of difficulty to the challenge. Facial examination: 60% confidence. |
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| Owen went for broke ordering the Mexican. Extremely high degree of difficulty. Facial examination: 40% confidence. |
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| Valiant effort from the Hustler - two pieces remaining with all crusts gone. Next year mate? |
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| Done and dusted! Dual 2011 champions. |
SECRET GARDEN - the final day!
We loved it so much the first time, we thought it would be an ideal place to finish.
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| Bo starts up Achinos 6b |
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| Susy crushing tufa blobs on Melodrama 7a |
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| Susy on the final tufa curtain of Melodrama 7a. She flashed it! |
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| Andy blitzes up the start of Ballos 7b+ (we think more like 7b). |
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| Susy going for broke on Bratsera 6c+ Don't downgrade this Aris! Sam will come for you! :) |
DAY 10 HIGHLIGHTS
- Susy was absolutely torched. But still managed to redpoint Bratsera 6c+ and flash Melodrama 7a
- While the number might not look impressive, Owen's onsight of the pitch one slab of The Flood Gates 6c+ was "one of the best onsight fights I've done on Kalymnos". Hell yes it was! I got on after Owen to warm-up and nearly fell in several places. Super technical and hard!
- Owen's clean redpoint and Andy's one-hang on Ballos 7b+ (we actually thought 7a+/b because the routes are so squeezed in here)
ROUTE OF THE TRIP!
We always like to find out what our guys thought was the best route they climbed all trip. And here they are:
Bo: Pirates of Kalymnos 6b+, Sector Ghost Kitchen
Andy: Nickel 7a+, Sector Kalydna
Susy: DNA 7a, Sector Grande Grotta
Owen: Ixion 7a, Sector Kalydna
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| Upskill Kalymnos 2011 Team #2 Thanks guys, you're legends! |
FINAL THOUGHTS
Well it's been another amazing season here in Kalymnos and both the camps we've run have been terrific. The great thing about having such a high return rate from our team members is that we get to see their progress from year to year. I can honestly say that the crew climbed better on this trip than I have ever seen them climb before. Love that.
What I have personally learnt is that one of the most valuable things I can do as a coach is help people discover (or more commonly, re-discover) the pure joy which is at the heart of climbing. If you can remember why you loved climbing in the first place and re-connect with that, improvement will take care of itself.
We have the trip video coming soon but in the meantime I want to sincerely thank you all for reading.
Now go have some fun on the wall :)
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Kalymnos 2011 - Trip Report 10 (Kalydna, Iannis & Spartacus)
Posted by Lee Cujes Labels: Bolting, Climbing Camp: 2011 Kalymnos, Climbing Report, Kalymnos
Day seven of climbing. Perhaps the highlight day so far? I don't know, you be the judge.
We started with a group vote on where we wanted to go for the final four climbing days of the trip. Plans were made, guidebooks were consulted, and dates were made with dogs that had been left behind at various cliffs to date.
KALYDNA
If you were playing along at home you know we went to Kalydna on day two. You'll also know that Owen, Andy and Susy found a friend for life in the 30m Nickel which is a 7a+ pitch which builds and builds to a stunning climax right before the anchors. It was billed as the main event for today. Well, long story short, Owen did it as his warm up (yeah, he does that). Andy, straight up. Susy? Second shot. Thank you very much, let's retire to the gelateria for tasty treats and frappes. No? Okay, more climbing.
Bo managed to cleanly toprope the tufa blob route of Kaly-Nikhla 6b on day two and was bang up for leading it, which she did, seemingly with no hassles.
Demanding something harder to play on, Owen and Andy led the technical wall route of Ixion
7a and Bo jumped on on lead! It was awesome, fully bouldering out the
reachy cruxes, running out, taking whippers. On her second burn she went
all the way to the anchors and had done all the moves. Very cool to
see, and amazing for someone who was nervous on grade 5s only a week
ago.
Scoping out something else to do, I suggested Owen jump on the mega-pitch Aurora 45m 7b. It is monstrously long and starts out easy up a slab and gradually builds in steepness until it tips into overhung country at about the halfway point, and then you have about 20m of overhanging tufas to negotiate to get to the anchors, way up on a huge concave face. The crux is at the top when you're shagged.
"How many draws?"
"Oh I dunno, take 25."
Owen went great on his first shot, placing lots of extended trad draws and using Susy's 8.9mm rope ("Jezebel The Ranga Rope...a slim sultry redhead that handles well") to cut down on rope drag and weight. He was climbing super well, but missed a key foothold and blitzed off with his elbows above his ears about five metres from the anchors.
It can be a bit soul destroying falling off so high on such a mega onsight attempt. "It's such a big investment going again on a pitch like that!" he said. We were unsure what he'd do, but sure enough he lowered off and left the gear in as we clapped in approval down below. Lowering from the anchors on a 70m rope left him hanging, stranded about 20m off the ground, and this necessitated some handy slab climbing from Susy to get them both to an intermediate station conveniently placed about 10m off the deck, presumably for this very purpose.
The second shot on the monster, I am sad to report ended in a fall from the same place, just shy of the anchors. Oh well, can't win them all. It's the effort that counts, and that was a biiiiig effort. Project for next time OG?
The team was mostly cooked by this stage except for Susy who was keen to head around to Iannis for more...more...MORE!
Iannis is a small sector with about 10 worthy pitches. The one that grabbed Susy's attention was one of the vertical wall routes on the right side of the cave, the near 40m Sens Unique 7a. A technical and absorbing challenge. At one point on the vertical wall, I looked up to see both her feet slip off the holds at the same time. For some reason she didn't fall, reasserted, and kept climbing. She was completely in the zone! Soon came the seemingly inevitable clip of the anchors as the sun hit the wall, and Susy's best ever onsight, a 40m 7a/23/5.11d.
Upon lowering down I went over for obligatory USA-style congratulatory fist bump and got the low down. Out of her chalkbag came her "cliff notes" which were reminders of things to concentrate on which we had unearthed during one of our video analysis sessions (if you haven't watched a vid of yourself climb, do it!). They included a handful of points like...
Susy said this made a huge difference. Not only did it front-load her brain with the right kind of thoughts, having something technical to focus on actually removed some of the pressure over the possible outcome of the ascent. Hence, a more relaxed, yet focused climbing approach. And a personal best onsight!
The ever popular Spartacus hosted our eighth day of climbing.
Andy, Susy and Owen got psyched on the bouldery, pocketed, short wall of Alexis Zorba which was always 7b and has been downgraded in the current guide, like most of the popular routes on the island it seems.
Owen came away with the tick (nice!), Susy was too afraid that a fall at one point would end with her fingers remaining forever in a curious finger-locking pocket, and after working out all the moves, Andy ended up lying on a rock with stomach cramps. Bummer!
Susy had her eye on one of the crag classics Kerveros 7a since the first trip. It's a long, tufary (it's a word), pumpy beast which demands respect. She promptly tied on and went straight up the thing! She's on fire.
I racked up for a quick attempt on the short, pockety Magnetus 7c and then noticed that one fixed hanger on the route was no longer a fixed hanger and was now a missing hanger. So just a stud remained. Nuts coming loose and falling off is a problem with the tru-bolt style of bolts used on Kalymnos. It's rare to encounter a route which doesn't have at least one loose nut and hanger and climbers often have to do the nuts up with their fingers as they climb past.
Anyway, because we're Australian, a removable bolt bracket is never far away and thanks to Bo we had a hanger we could use, and she even managed to find the nut on the ground beneath the route. So I managed to hang off a two finger pocket and do the re-assembly.
Bo managed a run up the 35m Le 13eme travail d' Hercules 6b+ before calling it quits and retiring back down the hill with Gutache Andy, so this gave me some time for an attempt on the epic Spartacus Maximus which takes the 25m 7b+ crag namesake Spartacus and stacks on a 20m extension to make a huge 45m pitch at the grade of ... still 7b+? Hmm! It was great having the draws on the whole way and I fought my way through for the redpoint/onsight/flash/whatever-you-want-to-call-it (I'd previously flashed Spartacus years ago but it was my first go on the extension). So I was mighty happy with that. Love the long pitches!
Well that's about it for now. Two more climbing days, one final trip report coming your way. Soon my pretties, soon!
We started with a group vote on where we wanted to go for the final four climbing days of the trip. Plans were made, guidebooks were consulted, and dates were made with dogs that had been left behind at various cliffs to date.
KALYDNA
If you were playing along at home you know we went to Kalydna on day two. You'll also know that Owen, Andy and Susy found a friend for life in the 30m Nickel which is a 7a+ pitch which builds and builds to a stunning climax right before the anchors. It was billed as the main event for today. Well, long story short, Owen did it as his warm up (yeah, he does that). Andy, straight up. Susy? Second shot. Thank you very much, let's retire to the gelateria for tasty treats and frappes. No? Okay, more climbing.
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| Andy starting up Nickel 7a+ |
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| Nickel don't know it yet, but Nickel goin' down. |
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| Bo dispatching Kaly-Nikhla 6b |
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| Susy on Kaly-Nikhla 6b |
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| Susy on Kaly-Nikhla 6b |
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| Bo loving life on Ixion 7a |
"How many draws?"
"Oh I dunno, take 25."
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| Owen high on Aurora 7b. Telephoto lens, yo. |
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| He's off! You can see the anchors up there. Bloody close! |
The second shot on the monster, I am sad to report ended in a fall from the same place, just shy of the anchors. Oh well, can't win them all. It's the effort that counts, and that was a biiiiig effort. Project for next time OG?
The team was mostly cooked by this stage except for Susy who was keen to head around to Iannis for more...more...MORE!
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| There are two climbers in this picture. |
IANNIS
Iannis is a small sector with about 10 worthy pitches. The one that grabbed Susy's attention was one of the vertical wall routes on the right side of the cave, the near 40m Sens Unique 7a. A technical and absorbing challenge. At one point on the vertical wall, I looked up to see both her feet slip off the holds at the same time. For some reason she didn't fall, reasserted, and kept climbing. She was completely in the zone! Soon came the seemingly inevitable clip of the anchors as the sun hit the wall, and Susy's best ever onsight, a 40m 7a/23/5.11d.
Upon lowering down I went over for obligatory USA-style congratulatory fist bump and got the low down. Out of her chalkbag came her "cliff notes" which were reminders of things to concentrate on which we had unearthed during one of our video analysis sessions (if you haven't watched a vid of yourself climb, do it!). They included a handful of points like...
- Visually assess the hold options first - don't feel each one
- Make a choice and go - don't hesitate!
- Move dynamically and with confidence
Susy said this made a huge difference. Not only did it front-load her brain with the right kind of thoughts, having something technical to focus on actually removed some of the pressure over the possible outcome of the ascent. Hence, a more relaxed, yet focused climbing approach. And a personal best onsight!
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| We weren't the only ones buzzing. What? Too much? |
SPARTACUS
The ever popular Spartacus hosted our eighth day of climbing.
Andy, Susy and Owen got psyched on the bouldery, pocketed, short wall of Alexis Zorba which was always 7b and has been downgraded in the current guide, like most of the popular routes on the island it seems.
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| Susy on Alexis Zorba 7a+ |
Owen came away with the tick (nice!), Susy was too afraid that a fall at one point would end with her fingers remaining forever in a curious finger-locking pocket, and after working out all the moves, Andy ended up lying on a rock with stomach cramps. Bummer!
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| Gutache. |
Susy had her eye on one of the crag classics Kerveros 7a since the first trip. It's a long, tufary (it's a word), pumpy beast which demands respect. She promptly tied on and went straight up the thing! She's on fire.
I racked up for a quick attempt on the short, pockety Magnetus 7c and then noticed that one fixed hanger on the route was no longer a fixed hanger and was now a missing hanger. So just a stud remained. Nuts coming loose and falling off is a problem with the tru-bolt style of bolts used on Kalymnos. It's rare to encounter a route which doesn't have at least one loose nut and hanger and climbers often have to do the nuts up with their fingers as they climb past.
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| Bolt type: Tru-bolt. Problem: the nuts come loose over time and the hangers fall off. |
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| Bolt type: 12mm Flushhead Dynabolt. Why good? No problem with nuts loosening, and easier to replace. |
Anyway, because we're Australian, a removable bolt bracket is never far away and thanks to Bo we had a hanger we could use, and she even managed to find the nut on the ground beneath the route. So I managed to hang off a two finger pocket and do the re-assembly. |
| French crusher of the future Sasha resists my attempts for an autograph. |
Bo managed a run up the 35m Le 13eme travail d' Hercules 6b+ before calling it quits and retiring back down the hill with Gutache Andy, so this gave me some time for an attempt on the epic Spartacus Maximus which takes the 25m 7b+ crag namesake Spartacus and stacks on a 20m extension to make a huge 45m pitch at the grade of ... still 7b+? Hmm! It was great having the draws on the whole way and I fought my way through for the redpoint/onsight/flash/whatever-you-want-to-call-it (I'd previously flashed Spartacus years ago but it was my first go on the extension). So I was mighty happy with that. Love the long pitches!
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| Spartacus 7b+, rockin the new b+n shirt. |
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| Sam and Owen chat on the way down to the gelateria :) |
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Kalymnos 2011 - Trip Report 9 (Odyssey & Goat's Bitchin')
Posted by Lee Cujes Labels: Climbing Camp: 2011 Kalymnos, Climbing Report, Kalymnos
Time is ticking by and when you hit day five of climbing and realise there's only five climbing days to go it's panic mode! Ahh, cobras!
ODYSSEY
You guys know all about Odyssey now. You don't need me to tell you that it is the single most varied and diverse crag at Kalymnos and hosts the biggest grade range of any sector (3s to 9s). Could this be why it draws the climbing celebrities?
You know I'm all about the laziness. How about I just copy in some of the team's achievements from today from theCrag.com?
Susy
I would have to say that this season, Ghost Kitchen has been the single busiest sector on the island in terms of # climbers vs. available routes.
Some memorable achievements from today included:
These guys are on fire. I can't wait to see what's to come in the second half of the trip!
ODYSSEY
You guys know all about Odyssey now. You don't need me to tell you that it is the single most varied and diverse crag at Kalymnos and hosts the biggest grade range of any sector (3s to 9s). Could this be why it draws the climbing celebrities?
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| Recognise this guy? Yep, none other than climbing superstar Iker Pou. Rumour has it that he has been sent here on a secret mission by The North Face to scope out potential for a TNF festival type thing in September 2012. True or not, you heard it here first :) Edit: Are we on it or what? Festival now announced. |
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| As you can see, we run the biggest, baddest cameras in the business. |
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| The steep, tricky and slippery Mermezeli 6b+ provided more of a warm-up than the crew were bargaining for. NAILS! :) |
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| Bo takes a quick warm up on Eyreclea 5b. |
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| Owen bagged Dionysos 7a |
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| Typical view from the cliff. |
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| The Hustler. |
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| The lovely Tiia who works in the climbing shop was hard at work on Polifemo 7c |
Susy
- 7a Dionysos - Trifecta! Morning tickage by Owen and Andy and myself. Superb steep line on big holds. Loved it. ...
- 6c+ Itaca - Woo-hoo! Having tried this in 2008 and 2010 it just HAD to go this trip. One shot today working it out with Sam, and sent 2nd shot at the end of the day with Owen and Andy as it came into sun. Awesome steepness on pockets and crimps. ...
Andy
- 7a Dionysos - Great climb! Cleaned up last years proj in 1 shot today :) ...
- 7b+ Inti Raymi - Two working laps.
Owen
- 6c+ Itaca - Flash
- 7a Dionysos - Redpoint
- 7b+ Inti Raymi - Two working laps.
Bochere
- 5c+ Laertes
- 4c Argo
- 5b Eyriclea
- 6a+ Poly Retsina No Good - mmm not so sure with this one.. could have been a combination of pumpage ruining my reading skills but not a fan ...
- 6b+ Atena - FANTASTIC!! i love this route :D ... (off the final hold on the flash attempt!)
Well that copying and reformatting was actually more time consuming than I thought. Probably won't do that again.
GOAT'S BITCHIN (or, GHOST KITCHEN)
I would have to say that this season, Ghost Kitchen has been the single busiest sector on the island in terms of # climbers vs. available routes.
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| Buoyed by yesterday's success, Bo warmed up by flashing Exotic Ambelli 6a, and then... |
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| Andy: Man, that was hard. Do you want to top rope this Bo? Bo: It looks awesome. I'm leading it Andy. Andy: It's 6b+! Bo: Pull the rope! I'm leading it! Result: 6b+ flash. Previous best lead = 6a. WTF!? :) |
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| Sweet! Love the b+n gear. |
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| I use a bowline, but Sam prefers a figure 8 with Yosemite
follow-through. Super neat, more compact than using a stopper knot, and
pretty easy to untie. What do you use? |
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| Andy onsighting Axium 6c+. One of my faves. |
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| Susy and Andy both found Totenhansel 6c+ scary. Polished footers down low and dynamic pops between glassy tufa flows. They both persevered and sent. |
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| Owen is well behaved as long as he has his toys to play with. |
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| Goat's bitchin' |
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| Bo dispatches Zyklop 6a+ first try before her toes say NO MORE! Ghost Kitchen sector. |
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| Post send review. "It was like this, so then I did this..." |
Some memorable achievements from today included:
- Owen's redpoint of the nails Sisyphus Junior 7a+
- Bo (who'd previously led 6a) ticking off 6a, 6a+, 6b and 6b+ all first try today! MVP!
- Susy overcoming fears to dispatch Totenhansel 6c+
- Andy's easy onsight of Axium 6c+ and having fun up high on Totenhansel extension 7a+
These guys are on fire. I can't wait to see what's to come in the second half of the trip!
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