2015-08-16

Climbing Lungern

Our plans for a mountaineering trip this weekend got shot down by the weather. Zero visibility, snowfall and high winds are not really ideal for the high country. So we went climbing to the crag in Lungern instead. The wall is overhanging with a huge natural roof above it, so it stays dry even in rain. It was quite crowded, with a lot of regulars from the Minimum bouldering gym hanging out and working on their projects. Vladimir, Eduard, Tereza and me stuck to the easier side of the wall. The relevant climbing guide is called "Extrem Ost" - so even the easy stuff is quite challenging.

The "easy" section of the wall. So tall that my rope was just barely long enough.
Tereza and Vladimir.

I successfully lead Schleicher 5c and Absolut Beginners 6a+. Tereza, the strongest climber in our group by a huge margin, treated this as her rest day but still put in a top rope in Kuhhandel 7a for us mere mortals. I put up a decent fight on that and can see myself climbing this route cleanly after more training. However, it went downhill from there. I've tried Schleimer 6b. Again on top rope. It was a pathetic struggle. Despite hanging on the rope a lot and Edo basically pulling me up through some of the sections, I just couldn't get a grip on the route. The last few meters were especially depressing. Small finger pockets are impossible with my crippled hand. No matter how I try to use it, the broken middle finger is involved in any combination of fingers I could squeeze into the tight holes. No chance. Also no chance for this to ever get better, which dampened my mood more than a little bit ;-/

Anyway. Still a fun outing with a strong group.

Edo hanging around while Vladimir is coming up.
I have definitely looked happier at the top of a climb...

No comments:

Post a Comment