Hard start
It all started with aching fingers and on a low note. Constantly having pain even during the night made most days sad. At work I had some stressful times with a big project release.
By the end of spring I managed to finish my work project and I was moved into a different team. This didn't reduce the stress by much but helped to keep things interesting and have some support as I wasn't working alone anymore.
In the meantime I took some weeks off of climbing and when I started again I only climbed easy grades and not trying anything even close to my limit. While I started my running journey too and made pretty good progress from barely being able to run 5km to run 10km (still barely). By the end of the year I did two races and ended up with good results, finishing in the top half.
The pain started to feel more manageable in my finger and in autumn I climbed indoors some 7A boulders and 7a routes.
Finishing with a bang
In December I did my first 7A+ and the second on the Kilter board. I started to project a very long boulder with the other in Boulderbar Hauptbahnhof. I finished it on the last day of the year on the last go, classic.
This was the best present I could have wished for. The problem itself does feel like a 7A+ without a doubt. The individual moves are not super hard but it is long, probably around 20 moves with my beta. This took me 4 sessions to figure out and climb it, even on the last session I made new changes that unlocked some parts for me.
The beta
The problem itself starts with a traverse on a 35 degree wall. First move into a good hold to match then going for a left hand side pull. Here I need a drop knee to grab a flat hold above the left hand. Then with the left hand into a right facing side pull and bump to a good pinch far left.
Second drop knee incoming here, right hand go to the good side pull then crossing under into a slopey hold on the volume with a small flat part. This I tried to hold it as a crimp and only changed it to a very wide pinch on the last session. With that I could move out statically to an intermediate pinch and bump to a good pinch with the left hand. Cross with the right foot, flag out with the left and catch the starting hold of the 6C+ with the right hand. Move the right foot up to the long hold on the other side of the volume then match the hold with the left hand.
Now only a 6C+ left to climb, which is probably soft if one did it separately. First move is with the right hand to a sloper then bump to a narrow crimp. Here move the left foot to a hold on the left side of the volume, this I tried with the other hold on the right of it and it felt much harder.
Now is the second crux of the problem: grab a small pinch with the left hand, hold it and right hand goes to the next hold up then bump to further right. This sequence is hard by itself and much harder after doing that many moves previously. From here left hand goes to the next side pull, right hand goes further right, left hand follows again, right foot goes higher and a big move to the very good last hold.
This is one of the most physical and technical problems I have ever done. It took me a lot of tries and so many small tweaks to be made in the process. Now I truly believe I can climb the grade.
