Magnus Midtbø

Yesterday NRK was here to film, so I had no choice but to get on Neanderthal again, even though some of the holds were still wet. I was surprised by how well it went. I managed to link up to the wet holds from the ground, and continue through the crux after pulling the draw to get through the wet. Where I used to feel like a bag of potatoes it now felt effortless. I finally feel like the route is within my grasp. If the wet holds only could dry up, im ready to give it ground-up tries. My only problem now is that everyone is leaving. I desperately need someone to climb with! But I will do what it takes. I’m not leaving empty handed this time. I said “no retreat no surrender” and Im gonna stick to that statement. I’ll camp out in the cave for weeks if I have to.

While waiting for the route to dry up, I have been going to different crags repeating routes, onsighting and redpointing easier stuff. Obviously it has done wonders!

For you norwegians NRK will most likely show the footage on “Sportsrevyen” sunday. It will be on their webiste as well, and I will post the link as soon as it’s out.

Stay tuned…

Today Jarle and I decided to book tickets to Spain. Could only get away for a week – six days of climbing. I’m planning to spend all my time working the Neanderthal route in Santa Linya. By the end of the trip I will hopefully get a feeling of the route, and whether or not I think it can go. On my last trip I went through it once and did all the hard moves. Linking it however will be a completely different story. I hope to be back in Spain beginning of April for a longer amount of time, in sending mode!

Here is a film from Directa open your mind 9a in Santa Linya. Thanks to Kristoffer Thorbjørnsen for film and edit! This film is only filmed from the ground, though Henning Wang has footage from above that will be used in a bigger production later on.

This 9a took me slightly longer than expected. I got really close some days ago, but underestimated the top section and fell there a couple of times before I sent the route yesterday in the sun. The day before that I did what people tell me is the first on sight of Codigo Norte 8b. Really nice route! Tomorrow we are climbing at Oliana. Psyched to try some hard on sights.

Pictures and video will be posted soon…

Hello all and my apologies for not writing in a while. I tend to loose motivation for writing when my climbing isn’t going well. Though that is perhaps exactly when I should write. This competition season started off amazing, but ended terrible. I have been reflecting on what I could have done wrong and I am afraid I don’t have an answer. Normally at this time of year I like to take a break, but because I feel like I haven’t preformed, I’m feeling restless. So I will not take a break yet.

After the World Cup in Barcelona I stayed there with some good friends of mine; Jakob Shubert (Austria), Daisuke Konishi and Sachi Anma (Japan). I tred a few hard routes, which confirmed my lack of endurance, though made me really psyched to get in shape again. Therefore I’m flying back to Spain in only a week from now!
We spend some time in Oliana and Santa Linya. Being back in Santa Linya brought back a lot of good memories. In 2008 I slept in the cave for a week, to do La Novena Enmienda, which was my first 9a+. Since then a lot of hard routes has been put up. And when I go back to Spain now, that is where I want to climb the most. I just pray the weather will be good. At this time of year I have experienced weeks of nonstop rain in Spain.

After the world cup I managed to do couple of pretty hard routes, as well as many easier routes:

- Maroncita 8b On Sight

- Picos Pardos 8b Flash

Both of which used to be 8b+.

Here is the short version of the La Novena Enmienda Video from 2008.

Venga!

Nordic flower is sent and done! Have had some wet and cold days in Flatanger, however the cave has stayed dry, except for a few places where the water seeps through.

Tried the first 1/3 of the route one time in May on my first visit. This trip I only went through it one time to put chalk on the holds and fix the draws. Next try I surprised myself by sending the first part, without even trying the last part (my rope wasn’t long enough). Next try I did the whole thing. I’m not sure about the 9a grade, but on such a beautiful route I don’t thing the grade even matters. Without doubt the most beautiful route I have ever done!

I also tried my project today, and I did the only move I hadn’t done. That means next year I can start trying to link it. Though I have done all the moves it feels like I’m miles away from actually doing it.

If you look up steep hard climbing in the dictionary in a few years, I bet you it will say Flatanger. The cave surpassed all my expectations! During the ice age this cave took shape below sea level. The sea flushed away the weak rock. As the ice melted the country raised and woolah… the perfect cave is made!
I went there with my friends Runar Carlsen, Laurent Laporte and Øystein Johnsen. Eirik Birkelund Olsen also bolted for a couple of days. We started by boltiong the best lines we could find. I decided to bolt a route going through the roof in the middle of the cave. 65 meters long, with an anchor half way. To the first anchor I think it´s at least 9a. I tried the moves on the first length, and if I were to give the different sections of the route boulder grades, it has one 7C, four  7C+ and one 8a+ boulder. And that is only the first length. Though I don´t think the second length too hard. So it won´t change the grade too much. But it could definitely be 9a+.

Laurent bolted a 30 meter long route, even steeper than mine! Really cool climbing. It has a 7C boulder at the start, then it´s about 8b from there. So my guess for that one would be 8b+ or 8c. He also bolted a french ass technical route on the vertical. I didn´t even bother trying it. Looked really hard and awkward. Not my cup of tea!

Eirik bolted a route in the left part of the cave. More technical on smaller holds. But with “new school” moves! Think it´s around 8c. Has a burly bolder half way up.

Apart from those hard routes we also bolted a lot of easier routes on the left side of the cave. Øystein bolted a route on the right side that looks just amazing. Have´t tried it myself, but from what Øystein said, it´s probably around 8a/+?

The only problem with the cave is that the first 10 meters tend to be pretty blank, without too many holds. Therefor I think if we want to bolt more routes in there, we have to use the beginning of routes already bolted. Or we can just go check out one of the other 7 caves in the area.

I only got to try the routes one or two time, to brush and to suggest a rough grade. Since I want to take part in the event that is planned here for next year, I couldn’t try the routes too much. The plan is to invite some of the best climbers in the world. Four days to do the projects, and a cash price on all of them. Sounds like it will be a fun event, and I really want to be a part of it. But on the other side, I wish I could drive back up there soon and climb on those amazing routes! Not sure I can wait a whole year!?

Here are some more photos:

Bolted for 10 hours straight pretty much and got 30 meters through the overhang. It looks like nothing because of the size of the cave. Never seen anything like it. So overwhelming! Unfortunately I can’t post any photos for now. There is absolutely no way to get online here… its really in the middle of nowhere!
Had to write this on an iPhone.