[ghisino]

i'm starting to lay down some plans for my next cragging trips. i'd like to make everything work together and i'm basically looking for advice concerning potential inconsistencies in my plans and go-to routes.

i should have 1 week end of april, 1 end of june and 1 in early september. for june and sept southern france and NW italy are much better logistically.

my objectives would be, in order of priority:
- confirm or increase my redpoint best (8a).
-be in a good bouldering shape until the end of march.
-confirm my best onsight (7c),
- possibly, trad climb one letter below my limit in any style (rp/os/flash).

i find i'm naturally more efficient at two kinds of routes:
1)a 10 to 20 hard moves sequence, noticeably easier climbing before and above, punchy climbing. "run to the top"
2) any number of 5 to 10 moves cruxes of any kind, with obvious shakes (or no hand rests) in between. "stop and go"

i know need to train more seriously and specifically for anything linking longer sections, requiring the ability to milk poor shake-outs, or "not to get too pumped" on semi-easy terrain. Plus, these routes often ask me a few extra tries just to get the pacing and "flow" right.


for june and september i'm looking at céuse as the first option, finale as a second.
for april i'm considering céuse, FJ, st léger, tarn, cantobre, depending on conditions.

in céuse the only 8a i've done is carte blanche. i'd like to try couleur du vent properly (had one beta inspection) and have a look at l'ami de tout le monde. Wonder what routes in the low 8's are closer to the two styles required above and which are definitely not.

in fj i have to finish witchcraft and dream about slimline. dunno about other routes, i'd only like them to be "endurance routes" for the location.

in tarn: gullich sector?



any ideas and suggestions?

[thekettle]

In terms of campaign management it looks very oriented towards your first and third goals. I'd be asking myself:
Can you quantify your bouldering goal?
Do you have a similar route list for your trad goal?
Do you have technical/tactical/psychological training plans to progress or just physical ones?
Do all 4 goals fit into a bigger (multi-year) campaign plan?

Not much help for picking routes sorry 

[jwi]

In Tarn you have "Jour de perf" if you want short crux & loooow in the grade (8a). The hard part of "Hoy me voy" (8a) is not long, but you need to be able to hang on on sustained 7b after.

The 7c/+ that crosses Air France is eminently onsightable and should be your style.

In St Léger there are many onsightable 7cs, but I have to look in my guide book for details.

[bendavison]

Re locations: I'd have thought jura would be better in september than ceuse as you'll only have 3-4 hours climbing time a day in ceuse at that time of year. In april, Ceuse could be a risk with snow (I think). So maybe tarn in april (could also be hot), ceuse in june, jura in sept?

Suitable routes: all at ceuse
Encore 8a+ fits style 1 quite well. Maybe a bit long, and crimpy - it sounds like you like pockets.
Correspondance imaginaire (sp?) 7c+ is pretty stop and go
Privilege du serpent 7c+ is worth a flash/onsight go.
Seures froids 8a+ is boulder (after a bit not-path-but-ok intro) -> good rest -> run to top
Face de rat 8a+ is ~20 move sequence (or two ~10 move separated by a poor rest) -> full rest -> boulder
Collonettes is the obvious 8a I guess. I can't remember how restful the upper section is, but its a boulder followed by longer, easier climbing.
Femme noir 7c is worth an onsight - if not then definitely flashable.
Loads of 7c/7c+ at ceuse which fit the bill, though lots of the 7c's, esp at berlin, are more cont I think.
Can't remember the details/names of routes in tarn and never been to jura - but the popular 8a at gullich in tarn is pretty short.

[jwi]

In FJ there's Herkules for an onsightable 10 move 7c. If you don't grease of the opening slab...

[ghisino]

In terms of campaign management it looks very oriented towards your first and third goals. I'd be asking myself:
Can you quantify your bouldering goal?
Do you have a similar route list for your trad goal?
Do you have technical/tactical/psychological training plans to progress or just physical ones?
Do all 4 goals fit into a bigger (multi-year) campaign plan?

Not much help for picking routes sorry 

bouldering.
i've had two sessions on beaux quartiers that make me think it could be possible next season or even this one if we have good conditions late in spring, other than that i have several open projects in the 7B-7C+ range (i'm a font local). I could try to find a couple of 7c/8a traverses for the warmer months.

trad, or rather cracks- i have a few ideas in cadarese, annot and orco but i need to be able to climb 8a+/b sport before considering them realistically as they would be pumpy 7c/8a's on toprope. If not i love these places for more relaxed climbing, but it's not the focus of this discussion.

for the tactical/psychological training i'm limited by holiday time (more than usual, but never more than one week at the time) and my available training venues: font, excellent 15 meter indoor walls, occasionally two relatively close crags that are both FJ-like: short, steep, powerful affairs, mostly pockets. 

i see no way of becoming psychologically and tactically better at monster routes such as ailes du désir or tennesse other than investing a lot of time on them, which is impossible unless i leave paris and move to millau.


all goals are a "2015" campaign.

[ghisino]

Re locations: I'd have thought jura would be better in september than ceuse as you'll only have 3-4 hours climbing time a day in ceuse at that time of year. In april, Ceuse could be a risk with snow (I think). So maybe tarn in april (could also be hot), ceuse in june, jura in sept?

Suitable routes: all at ceuse
..

céuse in april can be brilliant, especially cascade on mixed weather days. of course you need a local contact and a b plan, but i can arrange the two.
the idea behind several trips to céuse would be to try the same route a few times over different trips, so i can train specifically for it and consider it is really at my limit.

i've been there on at least 8 trips and at different times of the year, the only time i found it pointless was july, too crowded and greasy even in the shade.
I like to have very lazy days up there...sleep late, walk up slowly under the sun, nap/eat/chat in bio, tie in the rope 4 to 6 times in total, walk down late.

privilege was my first 7c+ a few years back!

i've done berlin, la chose, queue de rat on the left side of berlin wall, they may be tiny bit "long" for me but i find them ok ...although very resistant types might chalk up and shake out every 2 holds like charlotte durif, they can easily be climbed full speed stopping only on the real jugs (ie 2 or 3 times max), the moves occasionally require finesse and mastery but are never overly precarious or complex.


To give perspective:
-i recall hang dogging le poinçonneur des lilas and that is much more my anti-style...more crimpy, small feet, real face climbing, hard to accelerate in order to beat pump, gets harder near the top.

-recently in st léger, on a 4 day trip, i've checked out the moves on al andalouze and left it. the first section is neither easy nor hard but pumps you up a bit, the traverse is ackward and slow, etc...it takes time to put all the pieces together, even when it is not at your absolute limit.
 
I switched to the short routes in the beginning of face sud (spit bouse etc) and climbed two of them in 3 days - could have been 2 in 2 if it wasn't for a dumb fall while curling my hands around the glory jug.

[abarro81]

Sounds to me like Seurs Froids would suit you for a Ceuse 8a+. Notably easier than poinconneur too, irrespective of style!

[ghisino]

loooow in the grade (8a).

then it can be seen as a hard 7c+? :p