Champagne.... +2... Hope soon 3!

Last WE I was in Gréolières with Petr and my roomate Michel... hoping to send my project Zumozol! Every runs I'm closer and closer to succeed in the crux move, but still not succeeding! I've got the classical climber problem... I need more strenght ;-). Anyway, even if I'm always falling on the same cruxy move, I'm still injoying each attempt, that's what does matter! This day, Michel did his first 7a, a really nice verdon like slab called Flagrant délire. It's so nice to see him psyched and therefore improving his climbing quite fast! This send came just before the cliff became completely wet because of the snow that just began to heavily fall.

Lately, I've been pleased to meet much more people than usual up there... maybe the fruit of the publicity I've been making for this awesome cliff! Ben Guigonnet quickly send Cornichon explosif (8a), Ura Nagé (8b), and Le poinçonneur délira (8a+). His brother Maxime also did Ura nagé, his first 8b! Congrats!! Ben is now trying my new route Dépucelage minéral, along with Blaise. The first repeat should come soon! It's so cool to see people try my route and like it! The now classical one Le poinconneur délira have also quickly been repeated by Sylvain "Fred Nicole 2", and "Boule"!

After last Saturday snow fall, I spent my Sunday drilling a new project right left to La comète. I have to say it was a bit scary to stand on top of the cliff to install my static rope, with 15cm of snow!!! This new line is for sure another perfect really hard route!!! Can't wait to try it!

Champagne absolute perfect ambiance!

Last Tuesday, I received a call from Thibault, who was belaying Quentin during his ascent of Champagne, saying that he was driving down from Gap with Arno Petit in order to go back in this route. I joined them so that one of them could take picture! Wednesday, we spent the day just figuring out the betas... hopefully Thibault already had some, that eased a lot the process. The least that we can say is that the route is not nice to fingers and toes! Actually, after just two goes in the route we were done!!

You'd better choose carefully your climbing shoes for this one!

We went back on the route the day after to start giving it some real tries. After a first go to warm up and review the betas, Arno gave it a fully motivated shot... and sent it on his third go! It's inspiring to talk with him, we can feel his huge climbing experience, and really understand what being technical means (in climbing, but also in photography).

Arno returning in Champagne just after he redpointed it to take pictures

Psyched by this ascend, Thib finally figured out all the right betas for him (tall people betas) and started to link the moves. I also gave it a shot and ended up linking all the hard first section... and slipping in the last hard move of this section, right before catching the saving jug! Too bad, It could have been the right one...

Pic of Laurent Jacob in Champagne, by Olivier Grunenwald in the Vertical N°15, 1988... Thanks Arnaud!

The three of us in the Laurent Jacob move ;-)

After one rest day in Gap, Thib came back this Saturday! Psych was high, and late afternoon conditions perfect... After the warm up go, I gave it another shot, and this time made it to the jug at the end of the first hard section! I rested untill I barely didn't feel my toes anymore, knowing that, on contrary to the first part of the route which consists in really statical technical climbing on small crimps and even worst feet, the second part requires more finger strength and ends up with a dynamic move from two bad holds to the big saving flake! Useless to say that you need to stay fully focused for these last moves!!! Luckily everything went well, I felt strong and made it to the anchor... So pleased!!! This route really is a rare jewel!!!

In the first part of the route...

...and on the final movement to the last flake!

Right after I sent it, Thib felt slipping on the same move as I did the day before... He is now resting to regain some skin and finger strength. Considering how psyched he is, I'm pretty sure that the redpoint will come soon! Send it man and let's have some more Champagne!!!!

Thib doing the tall people crazy full extension move to start the first section... Inspired by Fred Oddo

Celebration time!!!!