Social Climber

After putzing around on a local bouldering wall, three or four times a week for the last 3 months, Blogger finally had the chance to do some real climbing this week. Sadly, it was so enjoyable that the gym's bouldering wall is no longer an attractive alternative given the superiority of having his hands on solid, geologically pure rock. This, coupled with the amazing weather that has eveloped Barcelona, and the proximitiy of Montjuic...

<--(seen here by night)




and the fantastic climbing walls, both natural and man made that lie within its perimeter

(seen here by day)
make it very likely that Blogger's days at Can Carrellu are over, except for the occasional lunch time workout.

The first climb was extremely difficult, a 6B-6C for those who care. The initial problem was daunting; three consecutive holds with absolutely no footing, in other words one arm pullups. In retrospect, this was the easiest part of the climb as the holds were massive, and Blogger has practiced climbing with only arms for the past month.

The middle section of the route, Blogger's first crack climbing experience (not counting Ecuador) presented a bit more of a challenge, but was still quite managable given the severity and width of the crack. Unfortunately, beyond this point the "holds" became nothing more than slivers wide enough to squeeze two or three finger tips, each one smaller than the next. Blogger made a valid effort, reaching 3/4 of the way to the top before his arms turned to jelly, and he was forced to rappel down.
Luckily, the next climb was much easier, and Blogger made it to the top without much trouble, solidifying his obsession with climbing each and every weekend until his departure for London in June. Hopefully, he will be lead climbing in a few short weeks, opening the door for more independent activity, and the inclusion of friends who want to throw their hats into the ring.