Medveja in full HD

The long anticipated return to rock has happened in grand style. After wrapping up the exams I teamed up with some friends and we hit some crags in Istria. There was a spell of good weather, no more real life things-and-thingies to worry about, endless psyche stemming simply out of the wish to move body over rock:

Climb difficult stuff, get challenged and give your best, engage fight mode and step into the zone of heightened awareness. Finally it was time to see and climb at some new places, attempt some new routes.

Scale steep terain, the more overhung the better. Screw "classics" in popular crags that everyone does, I'd almost forgotten how fun it is to onsight climb routes with NO chalk, no tickmarks. 

Crystal clear sky, a light breeze, hanging at the crag with no one but a few friends. What better place than Medveja.

The contrast with previous weeks is so strong. As if someone flicked the switch from black-and-white into colours. Life is now full HD.

the full hd :)

The Croatian super-crag has obviously impressed me the most. Criogenetica 8a+ is a masterpiece climb with a style I like so much, pumpy tufa climbing into the top crux where everything boils down to knife-edge precision footwork and crimping on small edges, barely recognizable amidst the blank white wall. Some classic testpieces of Siurana come to mind comparing to that top slab...

thin and delicate... don't screw up

tufa paradise. Mario on Criogenetica L1 7b+

Indeed I had to get on The Core. I had only one working session on the lower part before it got dark, but that was enough to justify its position on my tick-list (it's been there since always) and get me totally psyched on it.

in Kompanj, on "Grenouille" 8a, a beautiful mix of tufa pump and techy roof tackling

Juki on the return to rock!

Anja in the warmup slabs

Kompanj warz

After a last day in Kompanj we returned to Ljubljana. I was feeling super sore after 3 days on. Still, I couldn't say no to another two days. Saturday in Mišja was just great times. A well psyched crowd of friends, sending atmosphere and good vibes. There was no more soreness and I got stuck fully on working Človek ne jezi se, some less often climbed routes I haven't done yet (Godla 7c+) and finishing training laps on Mrtvaški ples. We ate a ton of pasta and pancakes and drank wine in hope of a good recovery for Sunday.
Sunday welcomed us with shitty rainy weather, but people were still motivated. Thank god Mišja Peč is so steep.

I don't think I've ever seen or even heard of anyone climbing Klobasa, 8a+. It's and old route by Tadej Slabe, apparently overlooked due to it's bouldery style and a much more prominent neighbour, Preobrazba 7c+. I suddenly realized I was really curious to try it. It really has a hard crux involving a horrible slopey crimp and some desperate stretches from undercut to undercut. Maybe a 7b+ route into 7A boulder problem? I did it on third try, not having worked it more than actually trying it, so it can't be any harder? Anyway, I was happy. This one is not about the grade, it's about the name :)
The complete low-down on sending in Mišja&around can be found @Climb Istria. Congrats to Jurica and Rok on finishing their projects! Yet we all know this satisfaction always lasts surprisingly short... onto the next!

Shout out to crew; Ana-Anja-Jure-Tilka and Jarm-Bizi-Petra-Mojca-Ajda-Grega, plus the international team in Mišja, it's so good to see friends from everywhere in a home crag. Also many thanks to Mario and Nino, the Medveja locals, for the belays, kindness, infectious psyche. And pomegranates :P

Nino on Venga Vecchio 8a. do it man, aLe!

BIRTHDAY!!! Thanks friends for the cake! ahh the sweet 12 yrs old!