Let's talk climbing.
I met a Spanish guy at the gym named Victor. Little did I know, Victor is the unofficial king of a local group of climbers who, in true Catalan form, climb outside all weekend every weekend. This being roughly my sixth conversation with a spaniard about possibly getting out to climb, I was less than ecstatic when VIctor told me he would put me on the e-mail group of all these local climbers. When I checked my e-mail the following day, however, I had 15 new messages welcoming me to the group and wondering where we should climb this weekend. This group is the best thing since ORHO email. After heated debate, we settled on climbing one day in Santa Linya and one day in Santa Ana. I woke up at 7:30 on Friday morning, packed my things (what things I have, that is), and headed to Plaza Espanya to meet the gang.
We ended up being a group of 12! We headed west toward the town of Lleida, the central hub on climbing in Catalunya. From Lleida there are roughly 50 crags within an hour's drive, most of which offer world class limestone. We chose an area that would be full of moderates with a few more difficult climbs, as to accomodate the skill level of the entire group. The first day we climbed was at the Futbolín sector of Santa Linya. There were some fun climbs, very few of which suited my style. Victor, knowing my penchant for bouldering, pointed me in the direction of a 7b (5.12b) route called Cólera. the route is roughly 80 feet long and breaks down into 30 feet of 5.11, a v5, and 40 feet of 5.10a. Perfect. the boulder section revolves around grabbing a right hand pinch and left hand crimp and thrutching to a juggy edge. From there you high step, out right, back flag, grab a sharp right hand pinch, bring the left foot up and reach for a jug (which you can't see). from there, the route is essentially over. Onsite attempt: reached the crux dry-fired off the left hand crimp, held on to the pinch with the right, re-situated myself, and missed the jug (due to bad foot placement). 2nd go: breezed the crux and mistakenly grabbed the sloping mess of nothing next to the would-be "finish jug". Bummer! 3rd go: cruise control to the top. 7b is by no means at my physical limit. Frankly, it should be closer to a warm up. However, im trying to take my route climbing experience here as a learning experience and understand how to climb longer climbs efficiently. Thus, I'm proud of having sent something longer than "Under Attack" at Jack's Canyon (roughly 35 feet). I don't have a photo of myself on the route, but hopefully you can imagine it.
Futbolíin, Santa Linya.
Trying hard on some routes.
Day two sent us to Santa Ana, where there were a ton of new routes to be tried.We camped in a cave and slept under the stars (in a sleeping bag Victor graciously provided). Everyone on this trip was happy to share their dinner, water, and wine with everyone else. It never fails to amaze me how well climbers treat each other, even those that are total strangers. I brought nearly nothing on the trip and went to bed with a full stomach in a warm sleeping bag. My goal of spontaneity on my adventures here has, thus far, been rewarded. The next day we climbed at Santa Ana. I warmed up slowly due to some hand pain and tried for an onsight of a 7a+, but couldn't quite manage it. Not an ideal climbing day for me, but it was great to be out with nice people.
After climbing, a carload of us trekked back to town. As much as I was loving the climbing, i was eager to get back to see the events of La Mercè.
Matt and I woke up Sunday and walked the city looking for cool events. One of the most important aspects of this festival, according to locals, is the Castell competition, where groups of men, women, and children stack themselves into human towers. Here's a shot of one of the teams:
The thing I was most excited for, however, was the firework show. Each night of La Mercè a different team presents their firework show in competition for a spot at the event's closing ceremony, held at Montjuic. The group that won this year did a great job orchestrating a 45 minute firework show choreographed to the most random collaboration of classic rock (and Coolio's "Gangster's Paradise). These elaborate fireworks, set against the backdrop of the castle at Montjuic, and in conjunction with the fountain, inspired me to go big at the next family reunion! But seriously, this show was awesome. Here are some shots.
Apparently we were the only people in the crowd who didn't get the memos regarding the sparklers...
Overall another eventful weekend here in Barcelona. Due to the current situation with my hand, however, im taking a short hiatus (2 weeks) from climbing. No fun, but hopefully it will mean I can climb more in the later season, in Font, and in Hueco when I get back!
More soon!
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