Right after I finished my exam on friday the 24th I drove directly to Aalborg airport, flew to Copenhagen from where I continued to Zürich with my friend, Alexander. We arrived in Zürich at 19:35 (pm), and we had to continue our travel by train to Bern and afterwards to Interlaken Ost (in danish that sounds exactly like the translation of “a plate of cheese”, and after having had a very long day with both exams and long flights, we were both so exhausted and tired, that we were overly amused every single time the name of our destination was called up on the speaker. People must have thought we were completely retarded.) From “Interlaken Ost” we had to go by bus, to finally arrive at Grindelwald. At that time it was almost midnight. However, we were lucky that we lived only 150 metres away from the place of the competition, so we did not have to get up too early.

1) My boarding pass 2) The swiss high tech looking trains 3) Thomas and Alexander who weren't waiting for me 4) Grindelwald

The bouldering problems were really well built. We, the contestants, got tested in about every single way one could imagine. Specific techniques, balance, strength, flexibility, dynamics, power, reading ability. I have never been part of such a multi-faceted and varied bouldering competition in my life. Props and credit and all sorts of respect to the route setters.

The competition arena

The walls

After the qualifications I were not so satisfied with my performance. Beforehand I knew that I was not at all in my best shape. Too much time spend on the last part of my time in school since I wanted to maintain my grades and average mark before the exams. It is so hard to be spending so much time on something that feels so artificial, affected and forced, and when in reality I just want to climb.

Having topped the two most technical problems, one being on the slab, I knew that I had the opportunity to be placed well if I could just get rid of the annoying and disastrous thought that kept flickering through the back of my mind every time I had to believe in myself during some crucial moves on the more powerful problems. The idea that I had not trained enough and I therefore should not be able to do the problems flickered unwillingly through my mind each time I had to make a crucial move or a move for the top hold. In addition to that the stress of having only 5 tries on each problem which meant “no-screw-ups-allowed”, just made it impossible for me to pick myself up and believe enough in my climbing ability that day. After being really unsatisfied and almost unhappy with my performance after the qualifications, it actually cheered me up a bit when I saw the results; I came in 14th out of nearly 30 which actually was not so bad after all. I mean, this was my first international bouldering competition and I was not even in my best shape at all. However, had I just done one more problem it would have changed my placement in the ranking  drastically and I would have been placed 8th or 9th. Which, in my opinion, is not that bad after all.

First part of the slab problem

Last part of the slab problem

1) About to top out this other very technical problem 2) About to slip off of that right foot

Right now I am in the middle of the last exam race: Reading, writing, training, eating, sleeping, repeating. Before I get a chance to grasp it (I hope!), school will be over, exams will be long forgotten and I will be on my way to Chamonix, Briançon and Imst for some big international competitions. Soon after that I will be on my way to Ardèche to have myself a little bit of a rock climbing trip and vacation.

The top 15 girls in Europe!

Enjoy the summer everyone, peacee ooouuttt from Denmark!

Also, I have been preparing to open a restaurant with my brother and another mate quite a distance from the grampians. It has been pretty full on and has left very little time for climbing outdoors. Especially since I have started really getting back into martial arts. Even so, I have snuck in a few days here and there and have been able to start training properly, something that I haven’t done in years. So, even though I have been limited by time, I have actually been making some gains on the campus and fingerboard. Added to which, I have been able to train with some of my good friends and really push myself a bit. I have had a few days on the rock here and there and have managed a couple of FA’s, including a cool compression problem, Giant Squid, that comes in around 7c+ and will be at least another 2 grades from the sitter…

I also completed a trad route up a beautiful piece of rock that I had eyed up for years and years. It wasn’t the line that I originally envisaged, but climbed an absolute treat. Starting up an old school crack with some proper jams, it gave me a bit of stick, before you traverse left along a good break. Drop in a couple of reassuring cams and then run it out to the top on slopey, delicate and insecure moves. The are two distinct cruxes, a fall from the second would put you pretty close to the floor from a decent height too,thankfully I only took the ride once and that was from the lower crux, only resulting in a bit of flight time, pulling up a couple of meters above the deck, though I must admit my heart was in my mouth for a moment… The result, the last grasp, E6/7 6b… Stay tuned for the video, though I apologis for the low res…

The guide he had mentioned a skyhook placement that was pretty useful on the run out section, unfortunately my guide omitted this bit of info!! So Id left my skyhook at home cause when do you ever really need it!! We came up with an idea, two small wires taped together to form a crude slider type thing to go in the pocket instead. So off I went in the full sun because this according to the photographer Mike Hutton gave the best light on this particular route. Doh!!!

I bouldered up to the first bit of gear, a nest of bomber friends and wires. The next section gave the 6c crux and landed me at a jug and a choice… Clip the bolt way out left or not. I clipped it cause not to would be well daft. The next section is the bold bit, pretty easy really but just a bit fall off able. The taped together nuts gave some piece of mind and I danced up to the top piece of pro, a small wire that I had been given some  beta how to place. The only thing was that my hand was in the placement and I was getting boxed. I started free styling on dirty holds and managed to find a position to slot in this crucial wire. Phew no longer a ground fall…

So really only a move from glory jugs I started getting a mighty pump. The sun glared in my eyes, my finger tips just seemed to grease up every hold I touched. This started to fell really unfair, having battled my way up here I could feel my flash attempt slipping from my grasp. Next thing I know is that I am testing the small wire and joy of joys it holds and I don’t take a massive whipper like Jerry did back in the day. I lower down, have a rest, let the shade take over the wall and pull the ropes and walk up it next go. The photos will be ace and I had a fab time.

Well the next day dawns and I feel good, really good. We head to malham, to finish off the deed. I had not really tried Rainshadow from the ground this year. This was my 5 th visit this year and I had been mainly sitting on a bolt jalf way up Raindogs and trying to go to the top from there. In all my redpoints on it last year I had only got throught the crux once before and fell off 6 or so moves from easy ground. Today I felt light and was up for going from the ground. In fact something really felt different today. I was no longer visualizing the crux. All I could think about were the final moves. Today something felt different I just wanted it over, no longer there to just go through the motions. I meant business. My first go was a bit of a warm up go and I fell high ion the crux.

The next go I was awesome, at the rest I felt rested and through the crux I flew. All I had was the upper wall to finish off, gritting my teeth and making a few grunting cow noises I set off into the steepness ahead. Knowing I had been up here before and fallen really made me concentrate. It was a flawless bit of climbing and so satisfying clipping that belay. Its not everyday you clip the chains on a 9a!!!

So when the next day came I was feeling even better, even more psyched. Its not everyday you wake up having done 9a the day before.

Today was a comp at The Climbing Barn in Bingley. It was a good fun comp that had good prize money. The qualifiers went well. Nao went into the finals in first and I went in in second.

I had seroius competition in the shape of Dave Jones, I knew I would have to pull pretty hard to pip him to first place. Thankfully there was a mantle problem that only I managed to get up which seemed to be the problem that made the difference. The Barn put on a really good show, they had a gear stall from Moon, a bar with real pints and a roast hog van.

Anyhow both myself and the wife took first place. Happy families!!

Here is the video from the day http://vimeo.com/66654390

So now Im just crusing, not trying to to get serious about anything now. Just enjoying the moment… Till the next route comes along.

Happy climbing,

Jordan

I wanted to try Le Toit du Gréau 8a, a north faced roof problem without slopers. That one felt hard, I couldn’t even do the first move. Luckily the first move was the crux, the following moves still felt hard but not as vicious as the first. I doubted if I could do this one within a few days. In the evening I checked some video’s of the boulder and noticed some differences with my method. Especially the foot placement of the first move was different, maybe with the new beta… The second day I didn’t return to Le Toit du Gréau, I wanted to do Opium 8a instead.

Opium is another ‘summer’ problem and I previously tried it a couple years ago. Feeling stronger than the last time I tried Opium, I hoped to make a quick ascend. Things turned out differently. For some strange reason the crux heelhook didn’t stick, and normally heelhooks are one of my strengths. I couldn’t send the problem in one session, so we came back in the evening. The temperatures where way better and that was noticeable to the friction. The only downside where the mosquitoes Finally I did Opium, a so called easy 8a but for me a tricky one.

With regained confidence I went back to Le Toit du Gréau the next day. The new beta worked pretty good, thank God for the internet This one is a hard 8a for sure, maybe even 8a+. After sending Le Toit I was happy, sending two 8a’s in three days is not a bad score. But a climber is always hungry! So I began trying the moves of Chaos 8b, the sit start of Le Toit du Gréau. It adds about 10 really physical moves to Le Toit. I had a good session in Chaos and could link all the moves to the starting position of Le Toit, but arriving there I was completely exhausted. Another one for the project list and a good one for warm weather, maybe a summer project?

All photos by Sophia Bitlloch

I was lucky with the weather so I managed to climb one of my ‘most wanted’ boulders: ”Barry White” 8b+ bloc

On the last try of my second day my fingers stuck just a little bit better to the rock so that I could do the first repetition of this beautiful peace of rock.
Thanks to Micha Vanhoud for the boulder, and to my great spotters and shouters.

I just love the part of the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdWSxkWUYw8 is, when my bro flo scheimpflug jumps before the camera, right at the crux sequence just to get another cover shot done

peace & love
-berni

My favourite place to climb right now (I mean a place that I can go to for one day) is Trnovo by the Soča river. It’s an amazing ambient with a lot of potential. You can climb new problems every day, so much to do and so much waiting to be found, cleaned and climbed. So when I have a day off and the weather is good I go there to climb projects from last year or just search for new ones.

Beside working as a climbing coach I also did some route setting. This was what I wanted to do for a long time and this year I got an opportunity to set boulder problems  for the youth national team training sessions and a national competition. It’s hard work but so creative and fun.

Two weeks ago we had a World Cup bouldering competition in Slovenia. I didn’t compete for the first time. I decided so one year ago and I didn’t change my mind since then. But it was an interesting experience anyway. The route setters invited me to come to try some problems for the comp. Of course I found them hard to climb, but it was cool to hang out with Jacky Godoffe, who was the chief route setter, and the rest of the team who were all Slovenian climbers. After we tried everything that was on the wall at the time, Jackie thanked me for my skin that I left on the brand new holds (real skin eaters). He’s a real legend and still unbelievably strong. On the weekend it was even more interesting to watch the competition, because I knew what the climbers were supposed to do and I knew how bad the holds really are.

Now it’s time to work a bit more and then at the end of the summer I plan to go on a trip. I think it’s about time to go somewhere!

I didn’t think twice and I decided to participate in all 10 days to have the good opportunity to enjoy the environment of the valley without the frenzy of the last days.

I decided to leave on 26th of April in order to escape the chaos of Rome and recharge my batteries.

I don’t want to tell about performances or important names, but I want to try to make people understand what Melloblocco  is, especially to those who never had the chance to be there.

Melloblocco is a huge climbing “Woodstock”, where people from all over the world meet to share something simple: climbing without barriers, without prejudices, without limits, all together.

Adults, children, addicteds, champions… all together in a land before time to share the same passion in hearts that beat together.

I had the chance to climb with people from Colombia, India, Lituania, from the furthest unthinkable places in a huge ensemble of colors and cultures that I never thought that climbing could move together at the same time.

Even if the weather conditions didn’t help us in the first few days, it was important to be in the valley in order to get together and share the desire to climb even if for a few moments only.

Days go by, the weather recovers and the valley comes to life until the awards ceremony on Sunday on the stage of the Filorera Mountain Centre, where every year the most deserving who climbed a number of blocks is called to the stage to be honored

I came back to Rome happy and enthusiastic, with the memory of those days spent with my old friends that I can meet once a year at Melloblocco and with the new climbers I met.

For the records of numbers and performances, I am attaching the  link of Planetmountain.com with the guide of all 10 days of the event.

http://www.planetmountain.com/english/News/shownews1.lasso?l=2&keyid=40849

Video1 on YouTube

Video2 on YouTube

Video3 on YouTube

the newly attached hamstrings back there where they belong

my hamstrings 6months ago...

isokinetic testing of my hammstrings-power. fancy, yet very effective computer aided training/testing

Overall I am doing really good, but I can feel how weak and tight my hamstrings still are. Lots of “daily stuff” is just not possible yet, some disconfort here and there…. but nothing against how I was doing before surgery!

I still have quite a journey in front of me. But I am happy that I am now cleared to really step up with training and to go for 100% in the next few weeks. I really lack coordination, flexibility and speed as well, so we started to work on that in pt….

speed up

basic strechting

Climbing wise I am doing better and better and I can feel how some power is coming back on the holds (feels great actually!). It looks like the campus and hangboard-training at the climbing-gym really pays off. Also angela makes great progress but we both are still far away from a one-arm pull up though… But while climbing i can feel that you quite often need two ok legs, especially when it gets steep. I just can’t pull down full weight with my right leg yet… but Iam working on it…

campustraining - something i have never done before...

getting some climbing feeling and power back

Once the weather gets better (horrible spring so far…) I may will make my firsts (easy) steps back on real rock soon. But I have to be careful not to slip on pads and going into splits… so we will see. The gym provides much more safety as the ground is flat and not moving when you come down. Three more months and I will be cleared to fully heelhook again… still bit scared when I think for that moment to come. But we are working with exercises in pt on that as well. Till then training (2-3times pt and 2-3times climbing) to get ready for the “highlander” in fall

I thought to participate as a spectator, but Gianluca (Moon Italia) has the brilliant idea to try and show what the moonboard is and he proposes a small contest.

On behalf of Gianluca and his staff, Andrea Zanone and I were asked to organize the first contest in Italy on a moonboard.

I’m used to organize competitions, but a contest with such a small panel had several unknowns…

After a few weeks of developing the concept we depart to Milan: Gianluca, Andrea and I met for a quick lunch and we started to carry the material for the moonboard to the location of the event.

Towards the evening the contest began with nearly 40 people, we improvised the rules using the one of the launches competition, but with maximum two errors instead of three.

After 45 minutes, we had the winners of the first Moonboard contest: the top steps of the podium were for Marco Zanone (men) and Chiara Limonta (female)

The competition was improvised and very nice and I think it’s a starting point to organize other moonboard contests;).

My thanks go to Gianluca Fasci and to Moon Climbing for giving me the opportunity to have been able to be part of this great little thing.

In the beginning of april my outsideseason starts with a nice eastertrip to cataluna spain, where I could climb the fivestarroute ‘Paper Mullat’ 8b+/c in oliana. The 45 meter of tufapumping took me three days. It was quite challenging, considering the sixmoveplasticbouldershizzle I was used to.

Great time, great crew, great routes… cataluna is dope

Back in Vienna I started bolting some new projekts I am currently working on. Nice steep and not so steep limestone in styria . In between the rain I catched some good conditions for my propably hardest slapclimb to date: ‘himmel ohne wolken’ 8b (hard to great) the 20 meter slap affords a lot of rubber and nerves. Another nice 8a firstascent is called

Can`t wait for my short deepwatersolotrip to mallorca and the sweet days out working on my homeprojekts

By the way, in the last Climax-issue I found two pictures of me, one with a qite funny caption

cheers to everyone

-Bernie

 Pictures:  Jakob Schrödl of Berni on “paper mullat” 8b+c

Berni on Fisheye 8c