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 Gabriele Moroni Climbs Bella Regis (5.14c), Trento, Italy
Video by Gruppo Struktura - Italian climber Gabriele Moroni climbs his route Bella Regis ["looks like the prow of a ship," Moroni says] (5.14c) at Bus de Vela, Trento, Italy. This crag hosts a dense concentration of some of Italy's hardest routes. Moroni bolted and made the first ascent of this line in October 2011. "To tell the truth, I had never seen such a wall in Italy," Moroni says in the video. "So many aesthetic lines... In Italy you cannot find such a concentration of difficult routes."  Alizée Dufraisse on Patinoso (5.14c), Siurana, Spain
Video by phil - French climber Alizée Dufraisse has repeated the climb Patinoso (5.14c) in Siurana, Spain. According to ukclimbing.com, she was aiming to climb the route Chikane, an 80-foot 5.14c in the Campi Qui Pugui sector. She instead redpointed Patinoso, a 130-foot endurance route in the El Pati sector. This is Dufraisse's first of the grade; previously, she had climbed two 5.14b's, including l'Arcadémicien in Céüse in 2010—a 5.14b established by Sylvain Millét that had not seen a repeat since a hold broke on the route.  Nalle Hukkataival Flashes Crown of Aragorn (V13)
Video by ZeroSkillz - Nalle Hukkataival's been tearing through the United States recently. The Finnish climber has spent the last several weeks traveling through Colorado, Utah, and Texas. He began by climbing Circadian Rhythm (V13) in Poudre Canyon, and has crossed more than 10 V11s or harder off his list since. His hardest yet was Esperanza (V14) in Hueco, but his most impressive may have been his flash of Crown of Aragorn (V13), shown here. Watch him on Esperanza here.  Sasha DiGiulian on Pure Imagination (5.14d)
Video by Adidas Outdoor/Andy Mann - On October 15 2011, Sasha DiGiulian became the first American women to climb the grade 5.14d with her historic ascent of Pure Imagination in Kentucky's Red River Gorge. Says DiGiulian about being the third woman behind Josune Bereziartu and Charlotte Durif to climb 5.14d: “I’m glad to be the first American woman to do 5.14d,” she says. “The men were progressing so much quicker than women, but there’s no reason for that. Women are training just as hard. I think a lot of it is just intimidation by numbers. I think it’s just a matter of pushing yourself, and not limiting yourself mentally.”  Pawtuckaway Bouldering in December
Video by Eric Heiden - From mountainproject.com: "Located in Raymond, New Hampshire, Pawtuckaway State Park is the southernmost of the major climbing destinations in the state. Hundreds of glacial erratic boulders line the forests while the assorted and scattered crags stay mostly out of sight. The three small mountains of Pawtuckaway are the remains of a ring dike formed by an extinct volcano and the rock is a smooth but fully textured granite of a different quality than the climbing elsewhere in this so-called Granite State."  Magnus Midtboe's Training: One-finger Pull-ups
Video by DagensNaringslivTV - Here's a video of Norwegian climber Magnus Midtboe's training regimen, including one-finger pull-ups and one-armed pull-ups with weights. Midtboe has climbed up to 5.15b (Ali Hulk, Rodellar, Spain) and V15 (Blood Redemption, Norway). He recently finished the route Nordic Flower in Norway, which Jorg Verhoeven gave 5.14d. "I’m not sure about the 5.14d grade, but on such a beautiful route, I don’t think the grade even matters. Without doubt the most beautiful route I have ever done!" he said about Nordic Flower.  Little Rock City Classics
Video by David Heerema - In August 2011, David Heerema began a one-year leave from his job in Canada and started traveling. After returning to Canada from Europe in November, he turned right around and hit the road for the southeastern United States. This video highlights a few of the many classic climbs to be found at Little Rock City (aka Stone Fort) near Chattanooga in Tennessee. Problems include The Wave (V6), Spyro Gyro (V7), Instinct Low (V10), Tennessee Thong (V7), and Storming the Castle (V1).  The Rocklands Files
Video by Ben Grubb - "In September 2011, me, my girlfriend Snooky, and our friends Matt & Jen flew the 6,000 miles (more or less) due south to visit the bouldering paradise of Rocklands in South Africa. Our trip was pretty short (in climbing trip terms), but in the two weeks we were there, we crammed a hell of a lot in! This video is a hugely condensed down account of what we did and saw, along with a choice selection of some of the incredible boulder problems we tried while there. Some of the classic problems featured include The Roof is on Fire (V5), Up The Spout (V3), Mary's Roof (V4), Esoterrorist (V6), Minki (V8) and Dirty Lies (V7), plus a fair few others which we enjoyed."  Adam Taylor on The Tube (5.14)
Video by Sean Stewart - Red River Gorge, Kentucky, local Adam Taylor climbs The Tube (5.14). Taylor has climbed the Red's hardest routes, including his recent first ascent of the direct start to Southern Smoke, which he thinks could be 5.15a. (The original route is 5.14c.) This would make not only the Red's hardest route, but the hardest line in the Southeast. Says Taylor about the grade: "It depends on style, and it's hard to grade." Will it stand? "Maybe, I'm not sure," he says. "I don't really care." Read more about his Southern Smoke ascent here.  Gabriele Moroni on Riti Tribali (5.14c) in Italy
Video by Granze - Italy's Gabriele Moroni climbs Riti Tribali (5.14c) at Angelone in Specchio del Grifone, Italy. This was the second ascent after Adam Ondra, who established the route in 2009. It only took Moroni four attempts. Said Ondra about the route: "Strange climbing on slopers." Less than two weeks ago, Moroni climbed Masoniamoci, another 5.14c in Masone, Italy, and another route of Ondra's. Both climbers believe Masoniamoci could be 5.14d.  Adam Ondra on Gioia (V16), Varazze, Italy
Adam Ondra made the second ascent of Christian Core's Gioia yesterday, confirming that it felt like a V16 boulder problem. In an interview with planetmountain.com, Ondra says: "Every single move is at the very limit and so I do think it's V16. I'd compare it in difficulty to Terranova [V16]. If you were to give this V15, then the bouldering grades wouldn't make much sense anymore. You'd have to downgrade all the V14 and most of the V15s as well. When Christian sent the problem he thought it could be V16, but he first suggested V15 to play things safe. I can only congratulate him for this superb ascent three years ago."  Nalle Hukkataival Climbs Esperanza (V14)
Video by ZeroSkillz - Nalle Hukkataival recently repeated one of Hueco Tanks' testpieces, Esperanza (V14), a problem established by Fred Nicole. On 27crags.com, he states: "Pretty unique problem! Climbed it when it was raining. Had to change my beta because it was so humid. Must be the most classic contrived drop-off in the word?" Hukkataival's last V14 was a first ascent in Finland, which he called Circus Elephant Syndrome. More about that here.  Joe Kinder: Sometimes Sending, Sometimes Sucking, Always Psyched
Video by Sterling Rope - In this episode, Joe Kinder steps in front of the lens (props to Collette) and reflects on being “on the road again.” While in Nice, southern France, he talks about checking out new routes, testing out new areas, sometimes sending, sometimes "sucking," but always psyched on trying! Joe and his girlfriend Collette live the climbing life! Follow along in this video series filmed and edited by Joey Kinder while he travels the globe connecting with some of the best climbers in the world  Phil Schaal on Midnight Express (V14), Boulder Canyon
Video by Phillip Schaal - Phil Schaal climbs Midnight Express (V14) in Boulder Canyon, Colorado. According to Peter Beal on mountainproject.com: "Up the hill from the south face of Castle is a low outcropping/boulder with an obvious arete and flake. Start low on sharp sidepull with your right hand and a very low sidepull for your left. There have been ascents done starting with the big pinch just left of the right sidepull but the FA was done with the first method. Battle your way past several desperate moves up the flake to a perilous finish at the lip."  "The Long Hope" Trailer with Dave MacLeod
Video by Hot Aches Productions - A trailer for the award-winning The Long Hope film by Hot Aches Productions. St John's Head on the Island of Hoy is a wild and remote 1,150-foot sea cliff. It was first climbed in 1970 by Ed Drummond Oliver Hill. They took seven days to climb the cliff. Now, 40 years later, one of the world's top climbers, Dave MacLeod, sets out to climb the cliff in a single day, finishing with a new desperately hard final pitch up the headwall. MacLeod's historic new climb, The Longhope Route Direct (E11), is captured close-up with the latest HD cameras and contrasted with the challenges of Drummond's first ascent through interviews and archive material. The film also follows Drummond, now in his late sixties and suffering from Parkinson's disease, as he makes a pilgrimage back to St John's Head to look upon the route one last time.  Enzo Oddo in Fontainebleau
Video by Prana Living - "I was born into a family of climbers. My great-grandfather and my grandfather were high mountain guides. They died in the mountains, and now they both lie in the cemetery in Chamonix. My great grandmother and my grandmother climbed in Fontainebleau, and my parents and my sister are also climbers. Climbing is part of our family story! (or you could say... Climbing is a family thing!...)" —Enzo Oddo  Sean McColl at the Kranj World Cup (1st Place)
Video by Žiga Janež - Sean McColl of Canada took home a gold medal at the Lead World Cup in Kranj, Slovenia in November. McColl is a force in both the Boulder and Lead World Cup competitions—he ranked in the top 10 seven out of 15 times in 2011 events. He ranked sixth overall in the 2011 Lead World Cup. Also in 2011, he won the American Bouldering Series National Championship in Boulder, Colorado.  Rings & Slings Parts 1 & 2- Climbing in Germany
Video by Boreal - Ignasi Tarrazona takes us for a climbing trip to Saxony, Germany—perfect landscapes, beautiful routes, pure adventure. A place to visit, for sure. Enjoy it! Routes include Traum und Wirklichkeit, 1,000 Thor, Ebbe undFlut, Hurengebra, Domane, and Sabel. Find out more about climbing in Germany here.  Ethan Pringle in Fontainebleau
Video by Sandstones - Ethan Pringle and company boulders in Fontainebleau. Problems include Big Jim (V4/5), La Baleine (V6), Double Entorse (V8/9), Entorse (V6), Big Dragon (V11/12), and Tigre & Dragon (V11). 27crags.com has topos of some of the problems, including Big Dragon and Big Jim. Click here to see them.  Gabriele Moroni Repeats Masoniacmoci (5.14c/d) in Italy
Video by Granze - Italy's Gabriele Moroni has repeated Masoniacmoci (5.14c/d) at the crag Masone near Lecco in northern Italy. Adam Ondra established this route in 2009, saying it could be 5.14d. The route starts with a 12-move boulder problem—"a kind of jump start to get a sidepull, two terrible shouldery moves on gastons, a very high foot step, a crazy small undercling to match, and a final brutal deadpoint move to get a slopey rail," says Moroni on his blog. And that's only the bottom section... Read more here. |
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