Oil crisis conquered!

Last sunday I climbed Ölkrise! It was a perfect spring day (in Februari...) with sun, cool air and a bit of a breeze. Together with Michelle and our dogs I drove to Avalonia in the morning, hoping to be ahead of the crowd that usually hits the area on Sundays like this. And we were, it was delightfully quiet. I warmed up by flashing 'Limbo für Anfänger' 6A and 'Limbo' 7A, two problems that I've looked upon a few times already, but never touched before because I wasn't sure about their definitions. This time I'd taken the effort to look them up. Both turned out to be good fun and very easy for their grades. In the meantime, Michelle and Cash enjoyed the sun that rids sector 'Galerie' from the cold almost all day long. Vienna and London were too occupied to mind any of us, chasing each other through the rustling leaves that cover the hillside.

I turned my attention to Ölkrise. I found two small improvements of my sequence the previous time and I repeated them in my minds eye. I knew I would only have a few good attempts and I shouldn't waste any of them on unnecessary mistakes. Ölkrise is a relatively long boulder with the hardest moves at the end, so once fatigue kicks in, the chance of success diminishes rapidly. The best attempts are the first. This time I made them count: I climbed it on my second go. Wether due to good conditions, the best company or the complete tranquility, everything felt right and I felt strong.

During two sessions I climbed the separate parts 'Kleine Ölkrise Teil I' and 'Kleine Ölkrise Teil II' and only then I realized that I could maybe climb the full line, something that seemed completely impossible last year. I started visiting Avalonia with the main goal of climbing Ölkrise, but it took another three days (including last sunday) to climb it. That's a lot of time for a single boulder, something I tend to avoid. But it was worth it! Although it doesn't reflect in the numbers, it certainly feels like the hardest boulder I climbed to date. I'm satisfied and happy I can turn to new projects again! Maybe something in Glees or Nideggen soon? Or maybe even some roped climbing if the weather stays good...