Not So Bad After All

After a very rainy start Sweden did show it's softer side to Antonio and blessed him with some sunny days and crisp conditions.  Antonio has a new lease on life and can once again be in the presence of sharp objects without an urge to stab himself.  Crazy what happens to desert folk when they are deprived of sunshine.

Here are a few picture of Antonio not sulking in the rain.

"I love Sweden......when it's not raining"

 Crimping 

 A new line we brushed up.  Unfortunately the tree interferes with the top-out.  Can't win them all

 Antonio climbing at the Golf Wall

 About to send Par for the Course

 Gunning for a jug at Hultasten

 Mölndal Lightning

Climbing at Kjugekull in the south of Sweden

Kjugekull and the Escaping the Impending Winter

The weather in Sweden has been incredible and I've been taking advantage of it.  Been getting out quite a bit, managing to polish off a few projects and repeating tons of local stuff.  Unfortunately Sweden's impending winter can't be far away but fortunately I will once again be escaping frigid Scandinavia for the sunny Southwest.  I'm flying into Albuquerque, NM on December 6th and looking forward to climbing with friends in the sun.  Hueco? Roy? Vegas? Other?  Anyone psyched?

Here are a couple pictures from a recent day in Kjugekull

Henrik on his project, KO sit-start.  Thanks to Henrik for showing me this one.  It was pretty sweet and I'm sure Henrik will fire it next time

Alla Vill Till Himmelen.  The one problem in Kjuge the continues to elude me.  Maybe next time.

Henrik toe-hooking on the start of Alla Vill Till Himmelen

Aerodynamite

Moby Dick

We will be heading back to Kjugekull over Easter weekend.  It should be crowded but that means lots of pads  to rally to some highball and many of the classics should be padded all day.  Here's a couple pictures of one of Kjuge's best, Moby Dick.

 Chris reaching the little crimp before the crux

A slopey top-out awaits

Persons Dyno

Persons Dyno in Kjugekull is one of those problems short people hate.  If you are tall you can just stand up to the lip while those of smaller stature must learn to fly.  

Lina winds up for the dyno while others spectate 

  

Josefin strikes a pose mid dyno

Lina takes flight

Josefin puts on her war face and gets oh so close

All That Goes Up Must Come Down

You know the month or so of listlessness that follows the finishing of a really good book? Well, Fontainebleau was that book. I didn't want it to end but when it finally did I knew that whatever unfortunate books I picked up next would be disappointing. That meant the land of granite that I love and call home would seem a little bleak for a short while.

So now that I've been back in Sweden for over three weeks I'm starting to feel the "Font Coma" begin to wear off. The first two weekends back did nothing for my psych as Sweden's largest bouldering area seemed like a giant choss-dump and my local projects just weren't as good as I remembered. Fortunately we live roughly an hour away from Bohuslan and this weekend we cruised up and I was reminded that Sweden is amazing. There is nothing like new areas with great lines and a beautiful setting to remind you that you live in a bouldering paradise (but it's still not Font).

Here are a few pictures from one of our first weekends back in Sweden at Kjugekull, Sweden's largest developed bouldering area.

Our psych wasn't helped by the fact that the weather sucked. Here is Chris using the "Swedish technique" to dry some holds.

Chris on Flaming Star

Lina cruising one of Kjuge's best, Mödomsrovet

The problem that will bring me back to Kjugekull, Alla Vill Till Himmelen

Good Prospects of Climbing and a Kjugekull Video

The probability of climbing here in Sweden is actually looking pretty good. I admittedly could have gone out for a couple hours last weekend but when you're flying solo and packing a toddler it's not always that easy. The good news is that if things continue like they are now then I'll be touching real rock tomorrow and then hopefully on a regular basis. This is all assuming that the temperatures stays above freezing and we don't get any more snow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed but we'll see what the Swedish winter holds in store for us.

I've still got more stuff from the States I plan on putting on the blog but I figured I post this video from Sweden in hopes that spring is near.

Most of this video was shot in November and was the last day I climbed in Sweden.

Kjugekull

We went down south for the weekend and I got in a day of climbing at Kjugekull. The weather was brilliant and while my main objective went unattained I did manage to tick off a couple problems I haven't done before. "Alla vill till Himmelen" had been tops on my list of problems but since it continued to thwart me I settled for Imperator and Huggsexa instead. I guess I'll have to go back to Kjuge at some point to do "All vill till Himmelen".

Here's a couple pics

This is an old picture of Eric on Huggsexa

Peter not sending Sonic. Falling after the crux must get frustrating around the 5th time it happens.

My nemesis

Peter on his way to falling off the very top of Monolith

Kjugekull

Another short video. This one is from Kjugekull Sweden

Kjugekull Bouldering from Walker Kearney on Vimeo.

Little Erik in Kjuge

While Kjugekull locals seem deadset on putting up lame sit/defined starts to every existing problem (Dude, it's like at least two grades harder!) there are still a couple undone lines in Kjuge worth doing. Here's Little Erik this spring on the FA of one such line. I find it odd that it took so long for someone to do it while grade-inflating sit starts are popping up everywhere.

Unfortunately for Erik I eyed that line years ago and it was my closed project. He will have to unclimb it, and beg me for forgiveness. The project will keep the working name of "I'm an egotistical maniac”.

Congrats Erik. I can't wait until someone put a sit start on that one.