If you just want to see the photos then click here.
We have been wondering for some time now if it would be possible to have a holiday where both, winter and summer activities could be combined. And now, almost accidentally, that dream is actually coming true.
After the day at Madonna di Campiglio's snowy slopes we decided to see if the nearby rock climbing cracks are already accessible. Plan was to find a reasonable late winter climbing crag nearby Madonna di Campiglio. Based on the climbing guidebooks we spot a suitable crag called Sunny Place nearby Stenico. Guidebook claimed that it would be perfect during the early spring but too hot during the summer months. And it would take less than hour and is located only 45 kilometers away from Madonna.So we decided to head down to Stenico. After the first 20 minutes once the narrow serpentine road was cleared down to Pinzolo we noticed that the outside temperature had raised up to 16 Celsius degrees. Day actually started to look promising for rock climbing.
After half an hour of driving we realized that our path would pass one of our favorite crag, Coltura. Pretty soon after that Coltura's high walls were in front of us facing the sun. It became immediately clear that instead of the additional driving and 30 minutes approach march we would start climbing immediately. At the same time the outside temperature was showing amazing 22 degrees. All of a sudden winter changed into a warm summer day. Luck or what, but for some reason we had packed our summer clothes with us. Now it became clear that light clothing and sun lotion were actually needed.
Temperature at the wall was even higher than 22 degrees, most probably around 26 Celsius degrees, giving a distant glimpse of the hot summer months. So season's opening climbs reminded us about the requirements for hot summer days, you just can't drink too much! This was an excellent opening for the upcoming rock climbing season!
Oh, about the routes, I don't know if it is the weather or lack of skills but my maximum heart rate during the hardest climb was 202. It is high even for younger fellows, so I guess that the route was demanding enough for an old fart.
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| Heta is pushing hard. |
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| Madonna is somewhere there 35 kilometers away. |
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| Sun is just slipping behind the mountains. |
See all photos:
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| Madonna di Campiglio, Coltura, 17.3.2014 |
Mitäs kiipesitte?
VastaaPoistaLämmittelynä ja kauden avauksena se pitkä 5c (Il Pilastro del Brenta). Sopiva aloitus kun piti taas hallikauden jälkeen opetella kiven lukemista. Sitten siitä tien vierestä lyhyet 12m 6a (N.N. Frish Freshin oikealla puolella) ja 6a+ (Frish Fresh). Huomasin jo kesällä, että lyhyet on greidattu tiukasti. Eli olivat kyllä vaikeusasteeltaan enemmän 6b+ kategoriassa. Pulttaus oli tukeva, mutta jo ensimmäinen klippi molemmilla reiteillä nostatti sykettä, toisen ollessa se pahin, koska oli pitkä väli ja vaikeat muuvit alla. Sain varmaan moiset sykkeet siitä, että 2. klippi oli sekä pelottava, että fyysisesti raskas.
VastaaPoistaNäiden jälkeen menimme vielä yhden helpon 6a:n (Leyla) ja loppuvoimilla 5b:n (Beber) jota en ollut aikaisemmin kiivennyt.