apAdventures

“You just have to be a strong swimmer.”

In my jet-lag fog, this is the only sentence that registers in my brain as our friends share with us the fun plan they have lined up for our first day in Switzerland.

“…what the locals do on a hot day, fast current, just stay away from bridge pillars and the edge, tourists die every year, exit before the power plant turbines, SO FUN…”

Wait, we’re doing what exactly?!

According to Google AI (which I opted to read now, as I write this, not before myself and my family jumped in) ‘Swimming in the Aare River in Bern, Switzerland is a popular recreational activity, especially in summer, but it’s important to be aware of the river’s current and potential hazards. While the water is generally clean and safe for swimming, it’s crucial to be an experienced swimmer and to take necessary precautions.’

We arrive in Bern by train and head straight to the river, passing by a perfectly harmless and inviting outdoor public pool. As soon as the river comes into view we Americans all gasp audibly. The river is really moving. “Holy shit!” Paul blurts out. We watch people whiz by. I see ‘exit’ signs, warning swimmers on how many meters they have left before they need to exit. I watch an old lady reach out to a railing and hoist herself out of the current, clearly a local that’s done this before.

The swiftness of the blue-green glacier-fed river is memorizing, and irresistible. Silas and Paul decide to take a short test run with Manu and his son Rio. They jump in, sail past us a few hundred feet, and then paddle hard to an exit canal. “AWESOME! It’s not that hard! C’mon, you gotta try it!!!” Ivan and I agree that this looks way too fun to pass up. Let’s do this!

With the exception of little Rosa, we all walk up river for a nice long swim. We find a lesser-threatening launch off point. We wade in a couple feet until we can feel the current wanting to take us off our feet, then jump in, paddling hard to get away from the rocky edge. And…we’re cruising! Fast!! Awesome is right! We glide under a bridge, steering clear of the pillars and potential jumpers. We bob along past spectators and other swimmers taking a break on the bank. We attempt to swim up-river against the current just to see how hard it really is (impossible). And before we know it the joyride is over. I see the final exit sign and get positioned next to Ivan, making sure he’s seeing it too. We approach the exit canal, paddle a few hard strokes through the current to get into it and then grab the first ladder, letting the current pull us sideways, giggling our heads off.

Confirmed. The locals really like know how to have a good time on a hot day!

posted by ARR

Greetings from Switzerland! We are a six days into our two week stay here, having wild adventures with our wild Swiss-German friends. The most challenging part of this trip so far is not the jet-lag or the language barrier or the confusing train system, it’s deciding which wild adventure to do next. Shall we swim the river again with a current so swift that a bridge pillar could be deadly and an exit is required before you get chopped up by power plant turbines? Or venture out on a ridge traverse with a threatening snowstorm in the Pre-Alps? Or how about spending another night in a Swiss Alp backcountry hut, eating, sleeping and using the bathroom with 80 other people, all snug and cozy and stinky? Ah, so many decisions.

posted by ARR

For the last installment of bouldering photos from our Switzerland trip I chose Cresciano. This area is famous for the mega classic, Dreamtime 8b+/8c. However, since temps were a little warm our crew passed on attempting this one. We’ll save the world’s hardest boulder problems for next time.

We were lucky to visit this bouldering area several times and lucked out by staying dry as the weather threatened to rain us out. Each day in Cresciano left all of us tired from the many sends and the long list of projects we worked.

Enjoy…

Lots of slopers and compression climbing. Good stuff!

Chillin’ and smiles to go around

Fun Fun Fun

Here is what I mean by sloper. You have to squeeze.

Voci dalla cantina, 7b+

No name #4 in guide

Grit’s sequence on No name #4 in guide

Manu’s CRAZY sequence on No name #4 in guide

One of our favorites Toccami tutta, 7a+

Toccami tutta, 7a+

Toccami tutta, 7a+

Cool toe hook! Toccami tutta, 7a+

Hannibal Lecter, 7b+

After trying this on a million times I finally sent. Hannibal Lecter, 7b+

Ok…so we all had to at least hang off it: Dreamtime, 8b+/8c

Posted by pjv

A good hour drive away from our rustico was a place called Magic Wood. Famous for hard problems such as The New Base Line, The Never Ending Story, Massive Attack etc. Magic Wood hosts a large collection of boulders in a dense forest filled with ferns, moss and plenty of greenery. We only spent one day but managed to see hundreds of problems and try a dozen, at least. Unfortunately, we learned that our camera battery doesn’t hold an infinite charge and it only could keep enough juice for a few photos. From what we did sample, of course, we made a long tick list for next time.

Manu saying “No way dude, no holds on top”

Paul saying “No way dude, no holds on top”

The next picture is of a climb that I saw while walking down the trail looking for problems. From the ground the line looked amazing. Obvious holds up a tall face. Near the top it seemed like the holds get bigger. Only one way to find out…

Grit topping out. Yes, the holds are good at the top

Posted by pjv

Here is a little sampling of an area called Chironico. It was a little too hot to try anything super hard but there were plenty of easier problems to keep us busy. This spot reminded us of Cooper’s Rock, WV in many ways. However, there were a few hundred more problems than what Cooper’s has to offer.

Grit warming up on Weather Channel, 6c+ in the Boogalagga area

Grit on Shock Wave, 6b

Grit on Shock Wave, 6b

Grit on Shock Wave, 6b

Grit on Matusalem, 6c+

Me, getting ready to go for the top

Whoaaa, hold on!

Grit on Mea culpa, 6a+

Manu on Mea culpa, 6a+

Goat – peeing on the ground near a problem I was going to do

April on Shock Wave, 6b

Me on Lemon Tree, 6c+

Scenery along the approach

A perfect place to relax, enjoy the surroundings and climb on fun boulders

Manu trying a classic, Selection Door, 7a

Posted by pjv

In need of a rest day adventure our climbing crew discussed the options: Shopping, going for a drive, hiking, relaxing, or picnicing. What we decided: All of the above with a trip to the Matterhorn!

Our adventure started with a 4 hour drive, winding through narrow mountain roads, passing through a portion of Italy, and finally a short train ride to the town of Zermatt, at the base of the Matterhorn. In our tour book Zermatt is a town that is described as a place “to see and be seen.” For us climbers it was the obvious place to go. Gucci stores, expensive food and a tram ticket that cost about $100.00 per person to ride up to a vista point. After a few seconds in town we quickly decided on a more affordable way to enjoy the natural beauty of the Matterhorn: Go to the grocery store, get a few snacks and have a picnic in the grass with a perfect view of the mountain. Oh, and if we were crazy enough to have bought the tram tickets we would have arrived at the vista right when clouds blew in, completely blocking any views of the upper portion of the mountain.

Our picnic spot below the Matterhorn

Driving across the border to Italy

Italy

3km? More like 300km of winding roads and being car sick

Waiting for the train to Zermatt

Waiting to see the Matterhorn aboard the train

Walking through Zermatt

The Matterhorn towering above Zermatt

Walking to our picnic spot

Heading out of town, getting away from the Gucci stores

The view from our high point along the trail

Window shopping with an appetite (dangerous!)

Driving our car onto a train to ride through a mountain. Wow! The Swiss have it figured out.

Car on train

Driving over the St. Gotthard pass looking for any signs of the summer time bouldering spot

Still driving on winding roads through more mountains

Mountains!

Mountains, more mountains!

Beautiful mountains!

Posted by pjv

For our trip to Switzerland we decided to travel light and not take any camping gear. Similar to the gites in France and the cottages we stayed at in South Africa, Switzerland has its own version of chalets called Rusticos which make for a nice alternative to camping. These stone houses all over the mountain sides have been renovated (from their original purpose of housing farm animals) and make for a great cozy place to make basecamp. They aren’t the cheapest option but we justified it by saying that we were paying for the excellent view in addition to the cute house.

A view of the entrance to our Rustico

The view standing in front of our Rustico

The kitchen

Grit and Manu walking from the car with goodies from the store

The view from the porch

Our daily breakfast routine

Making coffee

Our friends relaxing in the yard

Here is the first installment of photos from our sampling of Switzerland’s bouldering. I say sampling because we only had two weeks to spend. It actually worked out perfect because we had great weather and were able to pack in each area on our initial tick list.

The first area we visited is near Brione. If you are a climbing video junkie and 8a.nu reader you may recognize some of the photos. This area is breathtaking! We were instantly blown away by the beauty of the surrounding mountains and the vibrant green all around. There is not yet a published guide for this area (probably to limit crowds because the area is close to a small village) but we were lucky to get a small tour by our friend’s friend.

One of the most beautiful climbing areas in the world 

The approach trail to the boulders 

Walking out of the forest into a meadow near the boulders 

Part of the approach involves walking past these mountain homes 

Grit – Sending, with style, the little Matterhorn problem 

Paul – Entranced by the beauty of this colorful problem 

Grit – Topping out a fun little warm up 

Manu – Hurrying to warm up and try the other amazing lines 

Grit – Working out moves on a slopy traverse 

Manu – Topping out the slopy traverse 

April – Working the moves of the slopy traverse 

Grit – Climbing for the photo crew on the Little Matterhorn problem 

Chillin’ by Grit and Manu’s VW Caddy 

Finishing the day checking out problems by the river 

Posted by pjv

For those who don’t know yet (like you…Feralboy) our most recent Switzerland pictures will reveal our BIG surprise: The coming addition to our family!!!

posted by pjv

…Not anymore people. Swizzy…here we come…

posted by pjv