The weather couldn't be better

Back in the bosque 

For the past couple of weeks the weather has been fantastic and I've been hiking and climbing almost everyday. Going back three weeks ago, on Sunday I went to the annual boulder festival in Sierra de los Padres, a really cool event that has been taking place for 15 years. Typically, what the organizers do is find an untapped area of boulders in Sierra de los Padres and prepare about 35 new problems for the festival. I've participated in maybe ten of these festivals and my aim has always been to try and do as many of the problems as I possible can. Since I've managed to get in pretty good climbing shape, I was hoping to tear it up at the festival, but life is not without irony. The day of the festival was cold and from the start I was fighting to send the short, stout boulder problems before I got a chance to really warm up. After doing three problems, I bent down to cuff up my pants and suddenly tweaked the muscles in my lower back (probably something to do with the psoas, I imagine). My back stiffened up quickly and I decided I'd better go home right away, before the pain in my lower back made it difficult to hike out. In spite of this problem, in just a couple of days my back was much better and by Wednesday I was outside for a solitary bouldering session.

The following Saturday I went back to the routes in the bosque of La Barrosa with local kid, Fede, and Gaby (who's not climbing at the moment). Fede wanted to have a go at a 5.11 he had tried on the day that I had managed to redpoint it, for the first time in years. .

Fede went back to send this 5.11 in the bosque 

Meanwhile, I thought it´s about time that I should try one of my old 5.11+ routes (Argentine/French 7a). It's been years (eight? or more?) since I've even tried anything so hard, so I was kind of nervous.

I'm thinking it looks kind of steep and hard, but at least it's short and I've done it before

The crux of the route is climbing past that small roof to grab the point up at the top

In the next photo I'm just below the small roof in the photo above. There are two draws on the bolt protecitng the crux because the gate of the draw underneath levers against the rock.

The chalk bag reveals the true angle of the climb

A big move to reach a good hold and clip the last bolt before the anchors

Get the clip

Now grab that hold and get the hell out of there!

After some work, I manage to climb the route with one rest. I was a bit shakey on the exit moves, but I was close to the send and with a little luck I think I can get it next time.

A week latter, I got out two days in a row to climb in the Matrix, on the south side of La Barrosa. This was my first time in the Matrix since my resurfacing surgery.

Climbing in the Matrix

The weather was absolutely perfect: sunny and cool with low humidity and the Matrix, frequently wet (at least some of the routes), was completely dry. I guess I sort of tore it up in the Matrix, sending 13 different climbs (including a new 10d/11a put up by a climber from Buenos Aires and an old 5.11 of mine which I haven't done in years) and then I finished the weekend working out the moves on a hard, new 5.11 roof problem. Martín and Analia showed up to climb with us on both days (after about a month absence) and we aso ran into "la Renga", a climber from Buenos Aires, who was accompanied by a small group of clients from his gym "Realization".

Getting ready to clip the first bolt on a 5.11 in the Matrix

Starting into the crux 

I managed to send this on my second try

Martín worked the route on top rope

My daughter Cecilia came along with some friends and had fun, but she isn't climbing at all, right now. It seems she's entered into adolescence and climbing with Dad just ain't cool anymore.

Ceci and friends goofing around in the Matrix

We also did two new climbs, put up recently by a climber from Buenos Aires. Both routes have three bolts to the anchors. The left hand route (facing the wall) is maybe 10b and requires continuous pulling on steep terrain. The other route is maybe 10+ or 11a with a tricky and powerful crux. 

Sending a new 10d/11a in the Matrix

This is the crux