What a crazy day

“Mossoul”
A route of 30 hard movements in a big overhang
A succession of 4 bouldery sections
Quite difficult to grade a bouldery section with a harness but I will try: 8A/A+ (no rest) 7C+ (very bad rest) 8A hard (no rest) and 7B

It took me about ten sessions to get there but I already knew the first part, which is the same for a 9A+ I did in 2019, which had already taken me about fifteen tries.

Among all these sessions, I encountered some obstacles:

The first was to find a solution to dry 2 wet holds at the route bottom. During my tries, my belayer had to go up and dry them, and come down. Then I equipped myself but when I climbed they were still wet.
The solution to this problem was to fully prepare myself before my belayer went up. A little painful for the one who has to go up at each try..
The second obstacle was the pressure.
During one session I really felt that I was quite close to succeed so I was very motivated then the next session I felt much less able to achieve it.

Weekend of April 15/16 and Monday 17, the weather announces a lot of wind for these 3 days and then nothing. It looks good…

Saturday 15
First try everything goes well, I arrived in the final 8A bouldery section feeling pretty good, then I fell on the last movement of the section. I waited 1 hour and I give a second try. I fell again at the same movement. Big disappointment because I really believed in it.

 

Sunday 16
First try I fell in the middle. Quite frustrated, I give a second try where I fell down. Physically I’m feeling good but I’m mentally exhausted. As if my head was tired of fighting against this route. I went up a third time, just to take pictures, and I went home very disappointed.

Monday 17
Birthday date with my girlfriend, I had not planned to climb. We were talking about my latest tries and she felt that I was upset. I confessed to her that I would like to go back there today, because it was the last day of wind. After a few minutes of discussion she said to me “Go ahead but give it your all without pressure on yourself”. So I prepared myself and went to the cliff with, honestly, some stress. I directly warmed up in a 7A+ then a 7C and I ended up on the board. First try I fell in the middle, I think the pressure was still too much present.

Second try I pass all the powerful movements until the very bad rest. I breathe 15 seconds and I start the crux. Everything is going well and I finally manage to catch the hold of my two failures from two days ago. Wow, I have only the last bouldery section left which I pass without problem then I catch the jug. I only have the final 6C left, and I finally, on Monday 17 April 2023, put the quickdraw at the anchor of my hardest route to date.

PHOTO CREDIT: @lunarfox_climb