Europe 2023

All Europe trips inevitably start in Vienna - that is were our roots are, our family and some very old friends. Childhood memories are everywhere and time travel is a real thing cause in the words of Billy Joel: Vienna waits for you. I was blessed with good company: Louise, Chris and Roman and most impressively Leo who saved my climbing soul and followed me all the way down to the depths of wet multipitch slabs, hideous runout limestone cliffs and those beers waiting at the end of very long dehydrated days.

Hakuba was our first stop, a shuttle bus straight from tht not fee

We were lucky and it was not busy so Roman got in straight away. While I filled out forms the doctor pushed both his ulna and radial bone back into his elbow socket. The verdict was Posterior elbow dislocation (PED) oc

Everyone has a favorite place in Europe and for sure there are many depending on what your adiction is. If you into climbing then Arco or Lake Garda or the Valle del Sarca - whatever you may call it - is one of the most salubriously prodigious places on earth. I have been smitten before and if you can be resmitten than that is what happened again, but this time I was in good company. Louise and Leo where there to tear up the walls with me. Felix and Tullia joined us for a few adventures and some glamorous dinners in the old town that is Arco. Felix told us about the Placche Zebrate or "sunny slabs" as they are known the world over with long multipitch slab climbing where the angle straightens the higher you climb.

This massive limestone plate ranges from the short left side, where the height decreases to 2 pitches or 70m (Mara 6b) to the every steepening right side where the trully audacious longe routes of 400 meters await. Felix and Tullia started very early and went for the fully experience heading up Rita (400 meters in 16 pitches)

Leo and I slept in and arrived at the wall with a full belly after a good old lavish Italien breakfast. By the time I called Felix they were on pitch 10. Hmmmmmm? Okay so we just left it to chance and had a look what was free in the glorious sunshine. It was still spring so climbing in the sun was still possible with chilly conditions, but in summer you would be roasted here. Most of the easier lines were taken so we aimed for something a little more spicy to flavor the day. We decided on Mon Cheri (6c, 290m 8 ptiches) which seemed to gradually move from slab to vertical as the altitude increased.

There are several routes nearby and pitch 3 takes a distinct leftward direction with another hard slab going straight up. Once we creamed off the wrong line a few times we realised that 6c should not be this desperate and located the correct line just to the left. After that the 50m slab sections with huge runouts became where heady. We forgot to read the description that recommends bringing some trad gear, oh well, more punishment for us. It was our first slab climb in Europe and maybe we should have practised a little beforehand - na not really. We spent most of the afternoon fighting our way up the wall with burning calves and not enough water until the glorious shade caught us near the top, conditions just quickly and we layerd up and lightened our pig a little more. After about 6 hours Leo pushed through the top pitch to the walk down trail just after Tulia and Felix had also finished. Looking up we realised that the "sunny slab" lies in the shade of a much bigger wall above where the trad lines reign supreme. We had barely scrached the "surface" but what a great surface it was. Dinner at an Italien restaurant with a few Helles finished of a dream day in the paradise that is Arco. https://www.thecrag.com/en/climbing/italy/pietramurata/placche-zebrate

Some final words to sum up and incredible family trip with lots of highs and lows but a lifetime of experience in a moment of madness. We wouldn't want it any other way and there has never been a need to leave anything behind - just get it all done one way or another and she will be fine.....

One thing is for certain - we will be back one fine day.

Copyright sushiclimber 2024

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