[r-man]

Mentioned in another thread but deserves to be news:

Italian Christian Core has completed the long version of a boulder problem called Gioia at Varazze, Italy, and given it 8C (V15). Core worked for four months on problem, which has 14 hard moves and bad feet, and said it was his hardest ever. Core originally sent the line at V12 from a standing start in the middle of the cave, but then decided to work on the full traverse.

Clip of the V12 version, starting from halfway in.

[Doylo]

Core is a lovely man, i love him

[Houdini]

Core can obviously crush us all into the middle of next year.   

But real men don't tuck their t-shirts in a la Simon Cowell.  They get their guns out and flex like beasts, not hairdressers.

 

[Fiend]

Is V15 a big number any more?

[Houdini]

Quite right to ask.  VS 4b innit?  Eminently flashable.

[r-man]

It is if it's proper V15, and good value for the grade, and a whole lot of V15 for your money.

 

Seriously, it took Mr Core 4 months. It has to be bloody hard.

[monkey boy]

Varazze anyone?! Looks an amazing problem, anyone got info on this area?

[Percy B]

Been there, and seen it. That is a hard bloc, be in no doubt. Probably 10c in Swiss! Varazze is Core's local area - close to the sea south of Turin. Christian gave us a tour when we went for a week a couple of years back. Spicy grades abound. I remember the Earl having a particularly torrid time on a classic 7c+ at a point when he could piss 8a+'s pretty much anywhere else. Very steep, with very small holds would sum it up. Christian demonstrated a few of his favourite problems (including warming up by pissing up an 8a that no-one else could do a move on - Johnny Brown syndrome but at a whole new level of difficulty ), and then proceeded to take us to his one of his secret spots to do one of his projects....'only' 8b I think was the grade. Britains Manliest Man was spotting and was suitable impressed - "dirty, dirty bastard" were I think Pickles' imortal words as he walked away shaking his head...

Highly recomended. www.infoboulder.com has topos.

[r-man]

CC writes, and google translates:

At the end of April released the first official guide Varazze, with all sectors and blocks of the place, where you can also find this beautiful line.

Which sounds like there may be a guidebook coming out soon...?

[monkey boy]

Cheers Percy! Have no doubt how hard it is but that boulder on its own looks worth travelling for. Did you do an article for friction on the area? Got a dislocated shoulder at mo so wont be going for a while but looks somewhere different to visit. Is autumn time good?

sadly those topos are in some silly euro language, when will they learn!! Will have to pick your brains about the area!

[Doylo]

Probably 10c in Swiss!

ha ha. yeah no doubt!

[RASTATA]

from www.planetmountain.com

Gioia, the joy of a perfect problem

by Christian Core

Discovering new boulders, cleaning them and exploring new lines is always exciting. This is an important aspect of bouldering, without it I feel this sport is incomplete. After seeing Dreamtime for the first time at Cresciano our most active Varazze local Marco Bagnasco was struck by the sheer perfection of the line. On our return he exclaimed: "I'm not sure exactly when, but some day I'll find another difficult problem, perhaps not as hard as Dreamtime, but just as beautiful."

His search for new problems progressed incessantly and, by now a true Varazze local, he mananged to unearth numerous worthwhile problems. One day though I received an excited phone call: he had finally discovered the line he'd been looking for. Standing beneath the boulder for the first time was an incredible joy: a small cave with lots of small edges, hardly any footholds and an exit to the right on small holds. Simply perfect. I got to work freeing different lines and variations, but above all I sent a standing start to "Gioia". This begins in the middle of the cave from an obvious edge and then continues to exit diagonally right.

The line was splendid but, without the first half, incomplete. I started to try this, worried that I'd perhaps discover an edge or crux foothold was missing, but I soon realised that I had exactly what I needed. So I set to work on the problem and as soon as I had a couple of hours off I went to Varazze to try the single moves. Then the rains set in and it even started snowing. The cave seeped for days on end and working the line became a difficult undertaking.

While trying the hardest section I broke a small edge due to the dampness and, worried that I might lose this perfect line, I decided to wait for better conditions. The weather soon improved and perfect stable conditions set in. My sessions on the problem intensified despite broken skin until, one day, I managed to free the problem. I was overjoyed. I think it's the hardest problem I've ever climbed, and I reckon it's Fb 8c.

Here's a brief "portrait" of Gioia:
- 14 holds plus poor intermediates, all small crimps and poor footholds. The problem is located in the cave to the right of the famous “Chiavi del regno” on the first big boulder in the sector Antro dei druidi, at Potala.
- Start sitting down on the right and follow the diagonal line on small edges to exit up right. The first official guide to Varazze comes out at the end of April and this details all sectors and boulders, including this beautiful problem.

Once again I'd like to thank my great friend Marco Bagnasco. Thanks to his ceaseless desire to discover new boulders and his generosity in preparing lines for others, for all, he has given us these "playgrounds" where everyone can find their ideal boulder problem.

[archclimbing]

Varazze is an awesome place - but until a proper guidebook comes out, you definitely need someone local showing you around for most areas apart from the Potala, which is pretty easy to get to from the road.

Grades are tough, but honest & the climbing is technical and burly!!!! :-)

Well done to Christian - a mate of mine has been trying Gioia with him for a while now & just blown away by the difficulty of the line. Like Percy says, if it's 8c in Varazze, then it's probably round a 9c elsewhere 

More seriously - wonder if it'll get any repetitions at all?????? Any front-runners?

Cheers,
Fred

[Jaspersharpe]

An "honestly" graded 8C by someone who is reknowned for fearsome strength and proper grades. Perhaps this is actually the hardest? Awesome. 

[unclesomebody]

An "honestly" graded 8C by someone who is reknowned for fearsome strength and proper grades. Perhaps this is actually the hardest? Awesome. 

Idle and inane speculation.

Probably 10c in Swiss!

ha ha. yeah no doubt!

Britain's chief route setter (how about that for a compliment!) showing his understanding of the complex world of grades!

Is V15 a big number any more?

To know whether or not this is cutting edge simple total up the number of climbers in the world, find out how many of them have climbed 8C/V15 in the last 12 months, then see that when less than 0.0000001% of people are operating at the level it is truly cutting edge.


But, seriously, I've never been to Varazze, but I genuinely hope that the rock on this problems is good. It would be a real shame if the holds were to break (as they did on A Beautiful Mind, one of Core's other hard problems) thus making the problem impossible or easier.

[Doylo]

Probably 10c in Swiss!

ha ha. yeah no doubt!

Britain's chief route setter (how about that for a compliment!) showing his understanding of the complex world of grades!

Calm down big guy, we all know General is the real deal (daniel woods 2 days!)

[Percy B]

Probably 10c in Swiss!

ha ha. yeah no doubt!

Britain's chief route setter (how about that for a compliment!) showing his understanding of the complex world of grades!

Calm down big guy, we all know General is the real deal (daniel woods 2 days!)

According to the malnourished one (the Bingley Bald Eagle, Mr Smith who did the problem the other day), General is now busted, thanks to a tubby yank pulling a grip off shortly after Martin had dispatched. (Rumour is it might be 8b now...)  

Just joshing, Keith. However, I wasn't joking about it being busted - that bit is true!

[Doylo]

Good effort Pencil! Tradgedy that its broken

[unclesomebody]

Go Martin! Perhaps I should head back to do Vecchia Leone before the said yank goes and breaks a crucial crystal of that pinch! Hope Martin crushed that also, as I know he was painfully close before...

[Percy B]

Painfully close, but no cigar this time. One 8b a trip is all they're allowed in Bingley

[Huffy]

Agent Smith livin the dream!