So after almost five months in Chamonix I am back in Sweden to check in with family and friends again! It's always nice and mellow to come home! As always I couldn't wait more than one day before I was eager to get out to the blocks around my home town and try my new won powers. And as always I get so screwd on the boulders at home. This time I went to the classic Hulta-block a.k.a "the boulder sent from heaven" with my little red home made crashpad (read: thin sleeping pad with a badly sewn cover). I tried a few problems and realised it wasn't a good warm up to have driven for 22 hours from chamonix to sweden yesterday, so without any luck I went home again and more or less slept for 15 hours.
However I am soon going up to Stockholm to meet up with my brother and try the sport climbing up there, so psyched!
5/1/11
4/16/11
First Mission Complete
My goal this winter has been to train enough to be able to step up my climbing level a bit, I wanted to project an 8a because it has always been the magical grade for me (and for many other climbers I guess). But the big goal has of course just been to become a better climber.
Since I practice most diciplines in climbing including big routes in the mountains it has always been important for me to have a high lowest level. Even though I now have managed to do two 8a:s it doesn't make me a solid climber at that level, non of the two routes came easy and I had to struggle really hard both physically and mentally to be able to do them. I still won't jump on harder trad multipitches than 6c+, maybe 7a.
I guess all I want to say is that I'm freakin stoked to have done an 8a but climbing is such a lovely an complex sport that you're making a mistake if you take a grad for granted.
I keep on struggling with my 7as and 7bs and I'm going to be almost equally stoked when I send them.
Here's a movie about my fight on the Vampirella projekt filmed and edited by Bjarne Sahlen.
Also check out his amazing videoblog, which is getting a lot of attention!
Endlessflow.posterous.com
Carl Granlund is climbing "Vampirella" 8a from Bjarne Sahlen on Vimeo.
Since I practice most diciplines in climbing including big routes in the mountains it has always been important for me to have a high lowest level. Even though I now have managed to do two 8a:s it doesn't make me a solid climber at that level, non of the two routes came easy and I had to struggle really hard both physically and mentally to be able to do them. I still won't jump on harder trad multipitches than 6c+, maybe 7a.
I guess all I want to say is that I'm freakin stoked to have done an 8a but climbing is such a lovely an complex sport that you're making a mistake if you take a grad for granted.
I keep on struggling with my 7as and 7bs and I'm going to be almost equally stoked when I send them.
Here's a movie about my fight on the Vampirella projekt filmed and edited by Bjarne Sahlen.
Also check out his amazing videoblog, which is getting a lot of attention!
Endlessflow.posterous.com
Carl Granlund is climbing "Vampirella" 8a from Bjarne Sahlen on Vimeo.
4/12/11
A lot of text
The last few months, I've been projecting routes. This is something I have never really done before, at least not to the extent that I have done now. The most I have spent on a route before is one day, two at the most. Since the outdoor season started in february, I have just been focusing on two routes. In other words, during the 16 days that I've had outdoors so far, I have spent maybe 11 of those on these two routes. I did one of them just two weeks ago and I am as close as you could possibly be to send the other one.
I have to say that I have found something new in projecting routes that I, to some point, also have found in bouldering. It's some sort of love and hate game.
You find an inspiring route that you just dream to be able to climb, you think it might be possible but it's going to be really hard and take a lot of time and work. In the beginning you feel no stress and you get happy for every new move you can do, you puzzle out new sequences and change old beta for new beta. After a few sessions you have done all the moves and maybe you've even done big parts of the route in one go.
Fourth or fifth session the anxiousness and frustration of being close and having spent some time on the route sets in a little bit. Maybe you've even done the route with just one hang? It starts to come down to redpoint (sending the route). You know you're strong enough and that you have the stamina for it, but still it's on your limit enough that a tiny foot slip, a bad hair day or smallest distraction can be enough for you to fail on your redpoint attempt. Every time you go home without the send it gets more and more frustrating, because you know it means another day of dragging your ass out to the same crag, hanging up the draws again and probably do the same warm ups just to MAYBE send the route. Then one day, often the least expected one, you send the route. The award and to some point relief is bigger than something you've probably ever achieved so far in your climbing carrier. In the end it didn't matter that you spent five days and twenty tries more than you expected. You did the route that you didn't even know if you could do from the beginning, the battle is over, you won, you conquered and no one can take that away from you. No matter grade it's a different satisfaction doing a route that you had to work hard for as opposed to a route you've been able to do in a few goes.
It's a bit like ski touring, instead of taking the lift you walk and really earn your turns!
I have to say that I have found something new in projecting routes that I, to some point, also have found in bouldering. It's some sort of love and hate game.
You find an inspiring route that you just dream to be able to climb, you think it might be possible but it's going to be really hard and take a lot of time and work. In the beginning you feel no stress and you get happy for every new move you can do, you puzzle out new sequences and change old beta for new beta. After a few sessions you have done all the moves and maybe you've even done big parts of the route in one go.
Fourth or fifth session the anxiousness and frustration of being close and having spent some time on the route sets in a little bit. Maybe you've even done the route with just one hang? It starts to come down to redpoint (sending the route). You know you're strong enough and that you have the stamina for it, but still it's on your limit enough that a tiny foot slip, a bad hair day or smallest distraction can be enough for you to fail on your redpoint attempt. Every time you go home without the send it gets more and more frustrating, because you know it means another day of dragging your ass out to the same crag, hanging up the draws again and probably do the same warm ups just to MAYBE send the route. Then one day, often the least expected one, you send the route. The award and to some point relief is bigger than something you've probably ever achieved so far in your climbing carrier. In the end it didn't matter that you spent five days and twenty tries more than you expected. You did the route that you didn't even know if you could do from the beginning, the battle is over, you won, you conquered and no one can take that away from you. No matter grade it's a different satisfaction doing a route that you had to work hard for as opposed to a route you've been able to do in a few goes.
It's a bit like ski touring, instead of taking the lift you walk and really earn your turns!
4/4/11
The Vampirella project
I've had my eyes on this line since I first got to Leverogne in Italy! It's the most estetic line I have ever seen and it's going up in the middle of a bowl shaped formation. The hard part involves about 12-15 moves of technical and bouldery climbing including to BIG crux moves. The pictures below shows the last big move which has pulled me off about 10 times now. I'm holding a bad left pinch and a small right crimp and then it's a big move out right to an okay right pinch, it's not a crazy hard move but it involves a lot of coordination. Hopefully it goes down next time! 
Last hard move before grad 5 climbing to the anchor 
Next time I'll do it! :)
Last hard move before grad 5 climbing to the anchor 
Next time I'll do it! :)
3/30/11
Random stuff!
A lot of work and bad wheather the last week here in Chamonix has kept us from going out sending our projekts. So with nothing in particular to tell and wright about, I thought I might as well upload some random pictures from a few bouldering sessions around chamonix with friends Jonny Baker and Will Sim.
Me on a delicate problem on the new (upper) sector in Medonnet.
Jonny crusing the 7a-extension of the classic boulder in Medonnet
Me trying the same thing
Trying the completely chipped but fun 6c-boulder in the forests of Bosson
Me on a delicate problem on the new (upper) sector in Medonnet.
Jonny crusing the 7a-extension of the classic boulder in Medonnet
Me trying the same thing
Trying the completely chipped but fun 6c-boulder in the forests of Bosson
3/27/11
New movie from a day in Haute Savoie !
Bjarne, Micke and me went to La Maquise a few days ago to check the condition of the crag and of course to climb a few nice routes.
This is a north facing crag just an hour from chamonix. It has alot o nice routes from 6c to 8b, most of the routes are between 25 and 35 meters with alot of jugs and athletic climbing. Very steep and very 3D. A great place to build endurance!
However Bjarne made a little film about it!
Don't forget to check out all the movies Bjarne has done on his videoblog!
http://endlessflow.posterous.com/
This is a north facing crag just an hour from chamonix. It has alot o nice routes from 6c to 8b, most of the routes are between 25 and 35 meters with alot of jugs and athletic climbing. Very steep and very 3D. A great place to build endurance!
However Bjarne made a little film about it!
Don't forget to check out all the movies Bjarne has done on his videoblog!
http://endlessflow.posterous.com/
Sport Climbing Is starting from Bjarne Sahlen on Vimeo.
3/22/11
Chasse a Cour!
At last my project in Bionnossay went down! My proudest ascent so far and a bit of a milestone in my climbing carrer :). Even though I could link the route in two sections on the second try, it ended up taking about 5-7 days and maby around 15 tries before I finally did it. I got one move closer every time the last three days that I tried it, and it felt more like a mental game than lack of strength and stamina.
When I did it yesterday on my second try it just felt so easy and every thing was in harmoni :)
If your a climber you know what I'm talking about.
However Bjarne Sahlén is one of the guys that's been with me to try the route a couple of times and he has also taken som nice pictures. Enjoy!
Michelle belaying
Half way up the crux 
The last part is on easier ground but insecure enough to be able to fall of.
The good rest hold before the top
So cool to be able to do an 8a but if it wasn't for the quality of the route I would never be able to motivate my self to go back and try it as many times as I did!
Satisfaction!
When I did it yesterday on my second try it just felt so easy and every thing was in harmoni :)
If your a climber you know what I'm talking about.
However Bjarne Sahlén is one of the guys that's been with me to try the route a couple of times and he has also taken som nice pictures. Enjoy!
Michelle belaying
Half way up the crux 
The last part is on easier ground but insecure enough to be able to fall of.
The good rest hold before the top
So cool to be able to do an 8a but if it wasn't for the quality of the route I would never be able to motivate my self to go back and try it as many times as I did!
Satisfaction!
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