Gore-Tex Experience Tour Casting: Training Part 2 - Sport Climbing in Jerica

On Christmas, it was hard to squeeze in a jog, but I did. I ran 45 mins around town and made it back to shower and help set the table for a grand christmas meal with my in-laws...yoohooo!

It was a fun-filled Christmas Day. The day after a big meal, I guess its best to go climbing to burn some of that food & booze out of the body. So Alex and I teamed up to climb in Jerica. We started out on the "Castel" side where we only did one pitch of 5+ due to the wind and cold. Then we crossed the creek over the "Pared den front" where we were able to get in several more pitches. Enjoy the pics...

Gore-Tex Experience Tour Casting: Training Part 1 - Peñas de Guaita

A little over a year ago I got serious about training for mountaineering. I started researching, bought books, began some self-coaching, and mental preparation. What first started out as a short jog twice a week and two visits to the gym a week, has now evolved into a well-rounded training schedule that I stick to like super-glue. Less weight training and more specialized endurance training (with lots of focus on stretching before and after excersices). My training schedule is based on a concept called "Cross-play".

Mondays: Lower and upper body weight training
Tuesdays: Trail running (1.5 hrs)
Wedsnesdays: Bouldering (1hr non-stop)
Thursdays: Road running (1.2 hrs)
Saturdays: Multipitch climbing
Sundays: Singlepitch sport climbing

I should probably charge for revealing my workout schedule but in reality it is not enough. I am always striving to find ways to make a run more intense or to have a good day climbing to push the grade level.

This past Thursday was a beautiful day in Canet and it meant I should go run Peñas de Guaita.

(view from atop Peñas de Guita over Canet and Puerto de Sagunto)

It turned out to be an excellent trail run. Starting out in the Pucol Urbanization at the American School, I ran to the top of Peñas de Guaita, also known as a great place to learn sport climbing for its easy rock and outstanding views, and circled and retraced the GR10 and neighboring trails. With plenty of long steep sections, the intensity was high and the downhills were fun. Watch out for the rocks!

Back at the van an hour and a half later, a storm rolled in to ruin a beautiful morning over the Levante.

Cheers!

Switzerland HERE I COME!

(Overlooking Grindelwald)


So the adventure begins. On the 14 of Janurary, I will be on my way to embark on a new journey. To a place I've never been with people I have never even seen, much less met, all thanks to Gore-Tex.

The official annoucement took place today, just a few moments ago via Facebook. Click here to check it out. Read all about the contest, here.

It turns out we are 4 finalist. Two of the finalist want to summit the Matterhorn (one in a winter ascent) and the other two, including me, want to summit in the Ecrins Range. One of my fellow finalist wants to summit the Barre Des Ecrins and I want to attack the Dome de Neige via the Mayer/Dabona and consider a descent on splitboard. Those are our objectives. But first, we must be cool enough for school and show it off in Switzerland. I guess that means, whoever is the favorite of Robert Jasper (see link) and the people at Gore-Tex will go on to the next stage in the contest and actually do the proposed project.

You see, we signed up to be a part of this project on Facebook and we had to propose a mountain climbing project in the Alps. Then we had to get friends to vote for us on Facebook. Those that were chosen we done so by the Gore-Tex people in concert with the votes earned. Now, we're on our way to Switzerland to do a two-day casting in Grindelwald. A wild guess - probably close to where Robert Jasper lives and trains. At this point I'm just guessing and while I'm at it, I bet we'll ascend something close by. Lots of big mountains surrounding this little town in Switzerland like Jungfrau, Eiger, and the Monch. It's also curious to mention that there is a famous rail that goes up most of the altitude of these mountains and ends at Jungfraujoch, 3454mts between Jungfrau and Monch.....

Robert will be the man leading this whole project. An accomplished mountaineer well into his career with many credentials. Mostly in the Alps, of course, but with many other ascents around the world including the Himalayas, Andes, and recently he marked a supposed first ascent on Mt. Sarmiento in a weather window hard to get lucky by. It made for an excellent story in Desnivel. OOh, did you know that Robert Jasper stared in the IMAX film, The Alps?? Check it out on youtube.

So, that's about all I know right now. Meanwhile, STAY TUNED for more information. This will be my main news feed as this story develops. It will everything worth telling including news from Gore-Tex, the journey to Switzerland and everything we do there, and preparations leading up to the trip with training articles, etc.

That reminds me, I should bump up my training and get with it!!

Cheers to all and Merry Christmas!!

Monsieur 6b+/A0 (5.10d YDS), 7 pitches of sport climbing in Montanejos

Alex and I have been trying to plan a multipitch sport climb for at least the last 3 months. Everytime we get around to it, something comes up. A buddy wants to tag along, so we do something with a little less commitment, or the weather's not right, or we've just got other things to do. But last Saturday it all came together. We had originally planned to do Argos in Orihuela, a semi-protected route consisting of 5 pitches graded 6a on the Pared Negra. However, a last minute check of the weather produced a negative result. We changed gears and decided to do something a little more difficult but, as a friend of ours told us, much better protected. Bolted all the way up.



We had the gas tank full and hit the road at 7am out of Sagunto. Arriving in Montanejos at 8:05, the town bank marked the temp. at -1ºC. We stopped at the only open cafe in town, had a coffee and a bathroom break and began our approach from the old rural house (across the creek from the new rural house or refugio). Passing the initiation sector and underneath the single-pitch routes of Xulo Panderas, we arrived at the base of the Wall of Agualcil. From here there are two ways to get to the base of the Monsieur. You can climb 30m to the base of the Agualcil (II) and keep traversing until you reach the largest tree on the far left hand side of the wall or you can follow the creek until you reach a large canal on your right hand side. This canal leads up to the same large pine tree at the base of the Monsieur.







Now we climb. I led the first pitch graded 5+. Great pitch to start. Easy moves, obvious holds. Hands burned with pain from the freezing cold but by the time I reached the first anchor, I was warmed up and the sun was peeking through the clouds.


Alex led the following pitch graded 6a+ and I followed. We both commented that it was an easy 6a+. With our light pack and hauling the full length of our second rope, the moves on the second pitch were just as easy as the first. Keeping our momentum, I led the third pitch. Again, rated 6a, it could have easily been a 5 or 5+. At this point, we had the sun on our backs and it felt good. Finally a break in the clouds to warm up a bit and sit to have a bite before the second part of the climb.

Upon coming out of the first part, we arrive at a large natural balcony. One meter from the anchor that you see in the picture above, there is a cable to guide us to the base of the second part of the climb. Having climbed easy grey limestone for the first three pitches, looking up the next 4 pitches can be intimidating. The first pitch is rated 6b+ and the anchor is hard to spot but located underneath a huge overhang.

We were able to knock out pitch 4 with a couple of moves in A0. At around 90º, the moves on pitch 4 were no doubt 6b+. Alex led this pitch with grace and progressed slowly between bolts, resting and planning the next move. Only once did I see him tug on a bolt over the most exposed and inclined move on the pitch. I followed the pitch and struggled quite a bit due to a bad decision I made when I left the van. I chose to bring my trad shoes instead of my technical climbing shoes which don't grab the rock as well and slip on steep limestone. Slipping my way up, I mostly pulled myself up the tough moves by my arms leaving me exhausted by the time I reached the anchor point.

We were excited to get to this anchor because we knew from here we could easily make it. With only 3 more pitches between us and the anchor point and the tough moves conquered, it was in the bag! I led pitch 5. A really nice splitter exited the anchor and ran out 3 bolts up onto easier ground. At around 50º, pitch 5 was a nice rest after the exhausting pitch 4. It traversed underneath the red overhang and provided us with excellent views of the valley. Alex took advantage of the easy ground and took some pictures.

Pitch 6 & 7 went by in a heart beat. Coming out of pitch 6 we followed a big crack onto the final wall of the climb. Both easy grades, we alternated finishing the route and we were both kings of Montanejos for brief moments while we celebrated on top of the Monsieur.

And I leave you with some technical details:

Material: Double/twin rope 60m (or two sport ropes) for rapping purposes only, set of stoppers, 2 cams, 12 draws, and 2 slings.


Cheers!