And now ... maybe the future, challenge and beauty ... FRIENDSHIP, not a reality show !

[9b]

" Fanculo ! ".

Adam is learning italian.

 

 

 

He's driving his rented car and he didn't take the right road to Archidona:

it seems somebody had already teached him the most used italian bad word :-)

 

"This morning I couldn't sleep, I woke up at 6, I was so excited to go climbing !".

What are your plans ?

"I want to climb just for fun, just some 8cs on sight".

 

8c on sight "just for fun" ?!

(Archidona cave)

 

Yes, it seems strange, but yesterday he did the first ascent of "La planta de shiva", 9b:

the whole process to transform that monster project in a new 9b was a real hard work, 7 days of "obsession, ... cleaning, trying and brushing", reinforcing with sika some holds, figuring out the moves, flying down (yes, if you skip bolts, You can fly ... :-), thinking how to solve some psychological blocks, ...

 

And during the rests, studying italian, by himself with his book, or, more boring, with me :-)

(Miroslav Ondra trying to break the monotony of the above mentioned 9b "work", joking with ... how is it call ?)

 

 

We discovered a very peaceful corner in the fantastic olive tree grove, just under Chilam Balam cave:

If you go to Villanueva del Rosario, it's the best place to be if you want to study.

 

Relax and meditate.

Povero (poor) Adam. All the world writing and speaking about you, photos, videos, ...

" Povero ? Why ? I'm not povero, sono felice (I am happy :-) "

 

 

Routines from Adam are improving really fast, becoming more and more out of ... routines.

 

In the past days, before La Planta de Shiva, he climbed another 9b, Chilam Balam

 

So Villanueva del Rosario became the first crag in the world with two 9bs.

(Chilam Balam at left, La Planta de shiva at right)

 

 

 

(Adam on Chilam Balam)

 

 

And, in the same day he climbed Chilam Balam, for the second time after Blankita (in italian we call it "la doppietta"), he onsighted another 8c+ ...

It was his second historical "perfect climbing day", maybe more historical than the first one:

you can be lucky the first time, but the second ... you are doing something really new.

 

(To "warm down", "for the end of the day" he climbed another 8b+ on sight ...).

 

 

So we're driving to Archidona, where is possible to ceck an important piece of climbing history : Orujo (1998).

Before Orujo there were just:

- Weisse rose (1994, maybe the first 9a+ ?)

- Open air (1995)

- Akira (1995)

 

 

Will be Orujo a little more difficult than Open air ? Maybe the first 9a+/b ?

Maybe, there was another reason why he's so excited to go there ;-)

Adam wants to see, touch, understand the history of sport climbing.

 

It's impressive how he climbs, his achievements, but more impressive is how he remembers the dates, every historical ascent.

It prooves he studied a lot "the classics", his precursors, date after date, ... hold after hold.

Mind and fingers together.

 

His present is there are not so many 9b remaining for him.

 

At the same time he's ready to go exploring the future.

Discovering new other things, new grades: 9b/+, or even 9b+.

Two options are possible:

to continue and finish to "study" the history, old and recent.

 

Or just go to new adventures, exploring the human limits on rock:

one project was recently bolted in Villanueva, Chris Sharma is already at work on 9b+.

 

And on bouldery routes, now impossible to onsight, the history of 9a second go can be updated.

 

We'll see what he will decide to do.

"For me the most important things in climbing are challenge and beauty, but there is beauty in challenge itself " he told me under the challenging, beautiful Chilam Balam.

 

 

 

For sure we all REAL CLIMBERS can find our own challenge and beauty, even on ... a 6a, or an 8a at 60.

 

 

So, in rest (or working ... ;-) days it's interesting to read about the last ascents from the best climbers, watch their videos, but it's always better to find a balance between getting inspiration from them and going outside to climb a real rock.

Today is really cheap to travel to change rocks in order to improve:

 

why not using internet as a party where to find new friends to climb and travel more ?

 

If we don't participate in real offline climbing, our "climbing" can become, with internet, like a reality where is too easy sitting down in our own chair, eating popcorn, reading (sometimes discussing), just about what the others climb:

more "confort zone" than finding a way to go outside and making our muscles sore ...

That second historical day, Adam was starting to go trying onsight La Rubia, 8c+.

It doesn't happen all the days to see a climber climbing an 8c+ on sight.

 

"Do you want to watch Adam or do you want to try your own 9a project ?"

Asked Bernabè's friend to Bernabè.

(photo by Noemi Garcia)

 

"Vamos independientes :-) "...

Climbing is important, real friendship with climbers more.

 

We can't climb alone.

In real climbing, real (not facebook) friendship is like a "tool", like our rope, with the difference that we can't buy a friend.

 

We can't "add" a friend with just one click.

 

We always need to conquer a friendship, respect and demonstrate it, time by time.

[9b]

"How many climbers now climb routes for their history ?"

Steve McClure