The Italian Job

Guest blog number three and this time we have the uber strong Italian climber Marco Zanone. I meant Marco for the first time out in Ceuse last summer and we quickly became good friends. 
 I would have never have made it up two of best sends if it was not for his inch perfect beta! So cheers for that one buddy!
Since that trip, Marco has been in a serious rich vein of form ticking hard sport routes and world class boulder problems. Below is a brief account of a couple of his best days out from the winter.
Hope to hook up with you again soon man!

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What I’m going to talk about are the two days that have left a huge mark on my life forever.  
On these two different days happened something that I had never experienced before, something that sometimes is not that easy to explain with words.
It was Saturday, January ^31st when I was keeping in touch with my friends Gabri and Luca about what we’ll have done the day after. They were in Cresciano with some crazy friends that were in Ticino for a couple of days, the conditions were awesome so we planned to head back to Cresciano to join the crew again because we were sure that despite all, it would have been a good day.

I was keeping in my mind what I would like to try but when I was there I just followed the flow and the crew. I could have never known, but it turned out to be an awesome day, and by far the best of my life!

The crew that had gathered was insane. It composed of Gabri, Bazoo, Sbisi, Giulio Bertola, Davide Gaeta, Michelle and a whole bunch of other guys.

The first boulder I tried was “La pelle direct 8A+”, Bazoo explained to me the beta he used the day before and I eventually found myself at the top after around 30min of trying.

Since I was there I figured on trying the left variant [8A] also, that is way more different to climb on and it definitely gave me more troubles than the original one.

After a little break I had a try from the start, the feet stayed, the fingers locked and I luckily ticked another one!

The day was still early so the crew split up. I moved with Bazoo and Davide to Jungle Book and Sbisi wanted to get “La Pelle left” since he was soo close.

Jungle book was under the sun’s heat, that was quite strong even in February, but the motivation was extremely high so we checked it out anyway.  
Bazoo showed me the beta once again for the original sit start but it was so hard to have a good friction on the last slopy part of the problem when you come from the sit.  
One attempt my both hands slipped off altogether and I dropped down onto the pad like a sand bag. Ahaha! My skin started to get worse and the finger tips were red but it eventually and rather thanksfully went down for Luca and me.

Le Pilier, 8a | Chironico

For me the day could be called finished because 3 8A's in a day sounded pretty dope and I was definitely satisfied but the motivation of the whole crew dragged me in the right way so I was also able to finish off “La Nave va 7C+”, an awesome technical slopy edge, with crazy rock quality, I finally finished off with “Gecko 7C+”.

I guess I will remember this day for all of my life, because except the high quality and quantity of hard boulders I sent, that of course makes this day way more unique, I had so much fun and the energy we were all able to give one another was unbelievable.

Conquistador, 8a+

The other perfect day that features this perfect winter season is about the highest point of my climbing lifethus far.

What I’m going to write about next is the result of all the hard work and hard training. The result of a lot of failures, falls and days spent under one single boulder or rather entire sessions spent trying to figure out just one single move.

Boogalagga is the result of all of this.

This line has always been the main project for me, from the beginning of the bouldering season in Ticino, in fact the first time on it was in December when I spent a couple of days in Chironico with my brother and Niky Ceria.

I did it starting from the second move to the top, that is not that hard at all, but if you fail to make everything perfectly you can definitely fall.

The boulder itself consists of one single move if you use the beta straight to the pocket (depends on the size) because the first move is damned hard, but it is not all about strength, it requires perfect body positioning and exact coordination as well. 

Everything for me had to be close to perfection for sending this beast, I mean, I had to be in a good shape, my skin had to be dry and regenerated and also the climbing conditions had to good.

I came closer and closer and every time I figured out a new foot beta for the first move because also a foot 2cm more on the right could make differences on doing the move or not.

Boogalagga

The day that Andrea and Luca took down the problem I was super close and I quickly realized that I had also one chance to get it.

So three days later I came back. I felt strong in the head and ready to climb this one. In fact after a couples of tries I stuck the first move to the 2 finger pocket and I climbed all the way up.

It was something so incredible to be stood on the top of this boulder. A boulder that I had dreamed about for years and years.

Boogalagga can be called “THE LINE” because it is a tall and proud bloc that follows this awesome overhanging prow. The holds are insane and the movement is unique and after all is is an 8B boulder problem that for me marks the end of a cycle but at the same time signals a new beginning.

 

The Italian Job.