Viva La Vie from ARC’TERYX on Vimeo.

Rock climbing season continues….after some wonderful days in Buoux, were I spent the Easter  fest with a couple of good friends, I continued my way more to the south, direction Spain, Margalef.

I was climbing there with Mike Fuselier and Victor Estrangin. As usual, Mike made us laughing during the whole week, he could start a second career as a comedian.

I already spent three week’s during last spring in Margalef and I felt in love with this place….fot this trip, Mike and me, we’ve had a clear objectiv: Era Vella, 9a.

Directly we tried to climb in this route, which was kind of a desaster during the first day. We were jumping from quickdraw to quickdraw, unable to climb more then a couple of moves…

The route is more then 50 meters long, so our bilan after day one was definitely not as such as good as we were hoping.

After a good restday we continued to try hard and the progression was huge. We found all the little tricks and personal betas we needed, fantastic!

Last day, Mike was super close to send…. For myself, the more and more I was climbing in the route, the more I was loosing my skin in the ‘Margalef-pockets’ and blood was running out of my fingers. I had to climb with full taped fingers, which is not really pleasant.

But I’m super positive and optimistic! I spent a fantastic week in a magic palce, I was figering out all my personal betas and I was sharing all these experiences of trying really hard with Mike. In my eyes, this is one of the richest thing in climbing…

History to continue….;-)

Le sud de la France est quand-même un super endroit…Pas seulement pour la grimpe, il y a tellement des beaux trucs à voir, il y a des bonnes dégustes de vin à faire et on est souvent un bon groupe d’ami qui descends en camion pour passer des bons moments ensemble.

Les locaux Gérome et Florence sont toujours motivés à nous montrer leurs belles falaises et à nous filer des bonnes méthodes dans des voies! Flo est une amoureuse de Buoux et il me semblait bien que ça lui tenait au coeur de me faire découvrir cette base de l’escalade.

Et ben vous savez quoi? J’ai adoré! Premier jour j’ai mit directement les dégaines dans ‘les mains sales’ et après deux jours de pluie la croix du premier 8b de France est tombé assez vite.

Le lendemain, changement de style dans ‘Chouca’, un 8a+ bien mythique dans le secteur ’bout du monde’.

Une petite montée de travail et hop, la voie est torché au premier essai.

Et pour bien finir mon petit séjour dans le sud, j’ai finalement clippé le relais de ‘Beau gosse 84′, un gros 8b ou j’ai mis au moins 15 essais, toujours dans le Lubéron.

En ce moment ma vie elle est trop belle. Tout roule, j’ai vraiment la patate en grimpe, j’ai fait la belle découverte de Buoux, j’habite dans ma maison camion et je suis entouré des gens superbes avec qui je passe des moments inoubliable….merci Flo, Gé, Victor, Cèdr, Axel, Tomtom, Emeline, Alex, Lafouche, Seb, Mémé et Chacha.

Photos: Lafouche et Seb Richard

Petit week-end de Pâques à Pau…Venez nombreux pour voir Silbergeier et Rockin’Cuba sur grand écran!

Pour plus d’infos, cliquez ici

A broken Subaru and a broken camping car, my last few week’s were a little bit problematic….it was time for me to escape europe for a certain time.

With my friend Victor we took a plane ticket last minute to Turkey. Orient, we are coming!

I already heard a lot of the good climbing in Antalya and it was the right moment to go there. I needed to feel far away from home and I also needed to life a little bit in another culture.

Turkey is juste amazing, there is nothing else to add…

We had the chance to sleep at Rido’s camp, a new campground full of lovely peoples with good vibes and with a big familiar atmosphere.

The rocks of Geyikbayiri were similiar to me like for example Seynes or St.Léger in France. Full of little tufas, pinches and pockets, a lot of dream lines.

First we arrived, we were super impressed by the huge tufa lines in the sector Sarkit and how cool it was even to climb a 6b! Quickly, Victor and me, we both clipped the chain of ‘Olympus’ a long 8b and local tourist, 8a, nice for the first day.

After that day, we were mostly climbing in the north sector, Trabenna. There we found our hard projects and I really appreciaded the construction of the wall. It’s like a little tunnel system and you are climbing mostly on little pillars and small caves.

After three tries, I was able to climb ‘Serpedon’, a super physical 8b+ and ‘losing my religion’, 8b. But beside that, we were climbing tonnes of new routes. Every day was a on-sight challenge and this is one of the most coolest thing for me in climbing. The lecture of a route, improving, fighting….on-sight climbing teaches you a lot and it gives you a huge sensibility for rock climbing.

All in all, Turkey is one of the most fantastic and easiest destination I have been to. You can reach every cliff without car, the people are super friendly, the food is sooo amazing, restdays in Antalya are great and for your sore muscles, you can go to a Hammam every day if you like!

10 days full of fun, discovering new cultures and pure climbing. What else do we need to be happy….;-) Thank’s a lot to Ridvan from the Rido’s camp and to Victor Estrangin, for this perfect trip!

Photos: Adam Okrasinski and Andreea Coman

I’ve had a fantastic week in Vancouver! Thank’s a lot to the whole VIMFF team for the great organisation, thank’s to Cynthia Chow for her lovely accomadation, the suisse consulate for the invitation to Vancouver and thank’s to all my riders friends for the great time we spent together…

Beside my two presentations, I’ve had the pleasure to carry the award for the ‘Jury price’. The great artistic style of Vladimir Cellier from Barakaflims has had a big success in canada. I’m so psyched for that!

Im Januar war ich während drei Wochen in Spanien zum Sportklettern. Dann gings ab ins Prättigau, wo Cédirc, Axel Ballay und ich während einer Woche für die Bouldernacht am schrauben waren.

Dieser Event liegt mir sehr am Herzen. Nicht nur weil er in meinem Heimatdorf Küblis stattfindet, sondern weil mir sehr viel daran liegt, anderen Leuten die Lust und Freude am Klettern zu geben.

Dank Martin Bryner, dem ‘Hallenchef’, haben wir ganz freie Hand und können mit der Halle anstellen was wir wollen! Nur somit kommen die verrücktesten und kreativsten Boulderporbleme zustande und nur Dank einem genialen Helferteam, haben wir die nötigen sauberen Griffe, Volumen und Matten, um den Event perfekt zu machen.

Mehr Infos zum Event gibts auf der Internetseite des SAC Prättigau.

Eine schönere Pulverschneewoche hätten wir auch nicht erwischen können und somit gings zwischen Griffen anschrauben auch  mal ab auf die Ski, wo vor allem Cédric seine grossen Akrobatikkünste so richtig zur Geltung brachte. Saltos, Tannenbäume und Absperrungsnetzte, vor nichts machte er halt…;-)

Ein kulinarischer Höhepunkt ins unserer kleinen Kochkarriere war diese Woche auch auf dem Programm. Wir hatten die Chance im Landgasthof Sommerfeld, beim 14-Gault Chefkoch Bruno Bertoli einen Kochkurs zu machen. Ein einmaliges Erlebnis!

Nach all der Schrauberei gehts jetzt ab nach Vancouver für eine Woche. Auf dem Programm stehen zwei Vorträge am Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, ein Treffen mit dem schweizer Konsulat, eine Radioshow für Radio Vancouver, Produktentwicklung im Headcenter von Arcteryx und hoffentlich geiler Powder und coole Klettersessionen.

Mehr Infos über die Vorträge und über das Programm vom Festival findet ihr hier.

Und dann, voilà, back to the cliff….so sieht etwas mein Job aus….

Chömend zahlriich am 8. Februar und gnüssend di kniffligä Boulderproblem vom Cédric und miär…hehe!