World cup circuit here we go!

Exited to do competitions again! This year I decided to do all the three world cups in Europe and the world championship in Munich. Already two world cups down; one in Grindelwald, Switzerland and last weekend in Innsbruck, Austria.
After not competing in any world cups for a while I didn’t really know what to expect. Though I knew my fitness was good and psyche high.

The first comp in Grindelwald was inspiring! Amazing boulders, and such a beautiful place. The boulders had a really technical and low percentage style to them. It was all about finding the right body position, with footholds close to nothing. A very European style of bouldering, where you're not able to cut your feet, or rely too much on pure strength. Instead of just powering your way through, you had to find the right sequence, which is always more interesting for both the climbers and the audience. Very good route setting!

Fourth quali boulder - not the most technical one

Kenneth showing some technical skills in Grindelwald

Even though I like this kind of style, I find it really difficult, and it’s very different from what I train on at home. I really need to improve and find time to work on more technical vertical/slab kind of bouldering:)
The second comp in Innsbruck was definitely much more powerful. The walls were steeper and the

Kenneth getcha's on the second boulder

style was more physical with pull-through moves and some double dynos. But I guess you never will escape the more technical boulders in the world cups. I struggled (again!) with the «easy, but technical»- boulders.
In the qualifier I got shut down by the first slab-boulder, the boulder that almost everyone did. Luckily I did the three next boulders, the more athletic and powerful once. The fifth boulder was (surprise, surprise!) a slab, by now I probably don't have to tell you how that went

Second boulder semi

The semis started (of course) with a slab. Even tho it was more of a dynamic slab, I got shut down. The rest of the boulders were all a combination of physical and technical. I thought they would suit me, but I just couldn't find the right beta on any of them.

The fourth and last boulder in semies

Regardless of the result I feel I have gained a lot of experience, and I’m really motivated to train on my obvious weaknesses. The boulders in the World Cups are just so different from what I usually climb on. Since I feel I have the necessary power, I will from now on be hanging out more at the less steep sections of the gym, doing more low percentage moves and getting rid of the trust issues I have with my feet.
Next World Cup for me, will be in Laval, France in just 4-weeks time. Until then I will be a busy bee, improving my weaknesses!

Happy travelers. Getcha power <3 good spirit

10 days in amazing Albarracin

Well well, 10 days of world class bouldering in Albarracin just came to and end. It's been an awesome trip, and LOTS of climbing! This was my first time in Albarracin and it was just overwhelming how much great climbing Albarracin has to offer. It was hard to save anything, skin and energy was not a topic, we run around like kids in a candy shop, trying everything that looked tempting. I actually did send some boulders even though I left many many more projects behind. Kenneth, impressive as always, seemed unstoppable and just kept climbing and sending so many amazing hard boulders all the time. Very inspiring to watch him preform, he gives it all and has a ability to pull out everything and more than that. He's my motivation to give it all, and to not let the mind limit yourself. A muerte style!  Since a picture is worth a thousand words I will leave most of the talking to the pictures :)

El Varano 8A

One of the boulders I got the most psyched on - El Varano 8A. Really happy to actually send this one! Sooooo my style.



Kenneth showing how it's done - El Varano 8A.



Not the best photo, but a really good boulder - El Orejas de las reglatas 8A. Some compressed move in the beginning and then two big moves around the edge, before a more technical finish. Kenneth did this the first day. I felt close, but not enough power to stick the move up to the sloper after the undercut. NEXT time!

 
The classic! Cosmos 8A. No send for any of us, but many good tries. Kenneth had to stand low and jump for the hole, I could step up and go for the hole more controlled but I missed out the hold with a few centimeters. Kenneth managed to get the hole but just got too big of a swing to keep it up. I guess if he had been fresh he would have nailed it. One to be back for for sure.

El Camino del eceso 8A. A cool steep thing. This one felt hard. We did not really figured out all the sequences think you can do it with some kind of double heal. We tried it more the getcha style way - but not getcha enough. Need a bigger biceps for this one.  

Zombie nation - after the big foothold broke = zombie SPANK.





Fuerte a muerte 8A - soooo close to send this one, fell on the move from the shoulder up to the flat hold. If I knew that the rain that supposed to come the last two days did NOT come, I would have rested for one day in hope to feel fresh and get some much needed skin to actually send this one. Damned weather report, made us completely wasted :P  At least Kenneth sent this one. My fighter!


I did not send Fuerte a muerte, but I happily sent the straight up version to the right, Manuchakra 7C. with a JUMP to the top :D oh yes.



Zaitos 8A going DOWN by Kenneth. Easy match. He was soooo close to flash this one, ended up doing it in his 3.go. Máquina!

Zaramora sit 8A - what a shame not to execute this one, so close! Really good boulder, looking forward to get back on this one :)

Kenneth sends ZARAPARILLA 8B!!!! Amazing!! That's how you execute.  Really wanna do this boulder, just have to stick the crux move on Zaramora :) Psyched to train hard for coming back for this one! :D

Kenneth SOOOO close on sending Esperanza sit 8B. Looking so strong and abel to have ridiculously many tries without seemed to leak any power. A mystery why he did not send it, guess it's karma for going back. Easy next time.

  We tried yet another classic, Klems travers 8A. Kenneth really close, me not so close, could not do the looooong move up where Kenneth is going on the picture.

Super nice!!! El Apeadero 7C+. 

Kenneth shows us some hidden slab skills and sends Grasshopper 7B+ 

We met some other norwegians, here is Lars looking comfortable on the slab.

Trond gives it all and sends the super classic Arista de los belgas 7B on our last day!

Our last day feeling completely TRASHED and having multiple holes on the fingers. My body is down but my mind is still on, here sending the classic Escaramuza (sit) 7B+. Had to fight for this one.

Well, our time in Albarracin is up. It has been a great trip and  it feels sad to be home, while wanting to climb so much more in beautiful Spain and completing all the boulders we left behind. Guess we just have to stay psyched and train hard. We will be back FOR SURE Albarracin!! Hasta luego. And thank you for a great time :D

Summertime in beautiful Flatanger and Fosen :D

Our two week summertrip was spent at Flatanger and Fosen! This area is the best of two worlds - high quality boulders and routes, all within an hour drive. 

After a 10 hours drive from Oslo we (my boyfriend Kenneth and I) arrived to a charming old cottage we rented, just by the Sea, with a beautiful view in quiet and relaxing surroundings… and only a 2 min drive from the notorious cave of Flatanger :D

Welcome to Flatanger!

We changed between bouldering and route climbing and some days we even did both. We would then start the day with some bouldering and end it with some routes in the cave.

A day in Vingsand

Harbak in the sun :)

Even though we were surrounded by world-class bouldering, my eyes were set on the cave.

I had only climbed in Flatanger for a weekend previous to this trip. But already then I knew I had to come back for a longer time soon. I was captured by some of the classic, yet newly established routes. Nordic Flower was one of them. The route starts far inside the cave and goes out the overhang for the entire time. It has two anchors, the first after 35 meters and the extension (the full link) adds another 10 ish meters.

"Nordic flower"

After working the moves and finding the right beta, it only took me something like four redpoint attempt to send it. Really happy to rap that one up! So close to pump out in the very top, clipping the anchors felt so hard with the massive rope drag. As we didn’t have that much time, I will be back for the extension next trip (don’t know when yet), really psyched on this route. It has a bouldery start then continuously pumpy steep climbing on good holds, with semi crux in between. It has a nice flow.. and makes you really exhausted ☺

I of course tried some other routes. Did two very nice 8a’s “Flaggermusmannen” and “Litt på kanten” and also a beautiful 7c named “Eventyrblanding”.  The very last day I also went through “Muy Verdes” 8c+. Super nice bouldery route! Felt hard, but for sure want to get back on it when we come back ☺

Great end of a great trip when my MAN sent a really tricky hard boulder “Baboonmasters egde” 8A on our last day! Oh yes!

Baboonmasters egde (8A) going down

Spain with mixed emotions

Even though it’s the same house, climbing mostly at the same crag Santa Linya, hanging out with the same people and with the days looking quite the same, this season in Spain has been completely different from last season. Trying to live in Spain when your boyfriend is home in Oslo is not easy.

When I first got here in late November I went straight on my long term project, La Novena Puerta (8c+), the route I left unfinished last season. I kind of surprised my self by sending it after less then two weeks on it. Going back on a route that you’ve spent a lot of time and effort on, is sometimes hard. But after training a lot at home before returning back to Spain it felt really good and the route felt a lot easier then I remembered it.

Passing the first bouldery crux on La Novena Puerta (8c+)

End of the second crux section, La Novena Puerta
(Photo: Henning Wang)

It’s a great feeling to send a route after putting lots of work into it. It gives you the right motivation to keep working on pushing your self and your limits, it opens your mind to how good the body can adapt to hard stuff if you just truly want it.

Into the main crux

Sending time! La Novena Puerta
(photo: Henning Wang)

Longing to get home to my boy, I’ve ending up traveling a lot of back and forth during this season in Spain. Exploring the Barcelona airport, like never before and getting phone bills of the makeable kind.

Anyway, after sending La Novena Puerta I’ve found it hard to get motivated to try something even harder. The thought of having to spend many weeks on a route is a thought that usually would just turn me on, but this time it just feels unmotivating. On the bright side this season has been a lesson on what a more aggressive approach has done to my climbing. Redpointing amuerte style, wanting to make short process of hard routes. I guess wanting to get home put things in action.

Down for business, going all in on Aitzol (8c)
(Photo: Henning Wang)

Sending Remeneo (8b+)
(Photo: Manabu Yoneyama)

Once again I’m back in Spain, this time after spending almost a month in Norway. This trip will be the last before returning back home to Oslo for good. I don’t have the ticket home yet, but I guess I will stay here for about 2-4 weeks.

My time in Spain is coming to an end, the remaining time I will spend on trying to finish up some 8c-ish routes I’ve been working, routes I’ve been feeling pretty close on. Routes like Aitzol in Margalef, Open your mind and Aplom pa la Remeno in Santa Linya. I might also check out the new linkup my brother did recently, Analógica Natural Extension (9a) in Santa Linya, but only for future reference :)