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Rod's Euro 2010 - Trip Report 30-May-2010 At 5:01:00 AM rod

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Finale Rocks!

Pretty sick place to regain form and definitely not a place for holiday grades...if you climb "6b" expect anything from there on up to 7a+ in the "same" grade range, awesome for progression and curing ego problems.

Summary:

Day 1 climbing on steep pockets 6a through 6c, find my project of the week

Day 2 obligatory multi pitch climb - desperate crux pitch with a falcon watching from a close perch

Day 3 climbing on REALLY steep pockets 30m to 35m on each route with the beauty being that if you managed to get past the crux then its a run out pump fest to the chains...many, many flame outs with 2 metres remaining

Day 4 tape heavily, climb steep pockets

Day 5 Are there any columns here? More steep pockets

Day 6 Flame out on warm up routes, lower off mid-pitch from yet another 6b defeat on only the third run of the day...early gelati

Day 7 After yesterday's semi-rest FINALLY send the week's project, a lovely 6c pocket run for which the name has something to do with Anchovies. Split for Eco and spend the rest of the day onsighting 6a/b stuff.

Day 8 Rest

Day 9 Rest, explore a cave system and send a late in the day trad pitch in order to merit the gelati and beer run

Day 10 Morning rain results in a change of program wherein we climb to exhaustion in a cave full of tufa's...failed to redpoint the week's first 7a (but at least I managed to reach the chains...Bernard I could have done without the run to recover all the gear), do some more in the 6b/6c range then change spots to Maleducato for some late in the day 6a/6b technical face climbs that seemed ridiculously hard.

Day 11 Torched, pack up the tents and head back to Swissie with Pincette whilst Bernard and Bastian head West.

Socially things were pretty hectic down there, struggled to maintain the combination of night and day time antics with many a headache the next morning and plenty of sore finger complaints.

Finally a photo of some Alveoli rock formations just down the road from our camp, according to our local hosts its become a protected site as there's a cave just above with neanderthal links.