Rian Cornei, Falesia del cinghiale - long, sharp and demanding

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Finale is known of demanding routes and pockets. I heard from one fellow climber how he used to have 6b:s as a warmup but in Finale he ended up having a projects on his warmup 6b routes. His tip for me was to have humble attitude when choosing routes.

Today we had humble feelings. Our target was Falecia del cinghiale at Rian Cornei. Approach is quite long and demanding but guidebook had good and correct instructions how to get there. Crag offers great rock, good bolting and tall routes, on average 20+ meters.

Grades of the routes start from 5c and end up to 7c, majority being at the 6a+ range, but don't be fooled, routes are more demanding what the grade states. Wall has pockets like in many others crags in Finale, here the speciality was pockets with sharp rock.

Heta in the cave. Few 7 routes started from here.

Sharp rock and pockets makes overhanging routes and bulges painfull in same cases. The sharp edge of a pocket on an overhanging route can be painfull for fingers when you have to keep up the body weight. I was able to manage vertical routes with sharp pockets but immediately when the route had overhaning bulges my fingers started to scream.

Artistic rock shapes.

And then about grading. Finale is known to have demanding routes and majority of the routes start from the 6 or 7 range. Even the easy 5 routes are sometimes surprising. Grading on the best case is tight but correct like in Falesia della luna.  Today I climbed 25 meters 5c as a warmup and in some crags that would have been typical long 6a. And the 25 meters 6a would have been 6a+. But once I took the 17 meters 6a+ I felt complete beaten up. At the Falesia del cinghiale the difference between 6a and 6a+ was more than typical difference between 6a and 6b. Typically I onsight all 6a+ routes and some 6b routes, but today the overhanging 6a+ got me. And after that I decided to have a nice cooldown route, overhanging 13 meters 5c, I did it, but it was a true fight.

6a+ just under the bottom bulge.

Great long and challenging lines, recommended if you are 6a to 7 climber!



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Finale Ligure,Rian Cornei, Falesia del cinghiale, 5.10.2013

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