From The Ritz to the Rumble

This should be actually be entitled from the Morgue to the Ritz, but I like the Arctic Monkeys. This due to our relocation from Santa Linya to Siurana, via Terradets.

Top to bottom Terradets, Santa Linya & Siurana 

This dramatic relocation ment leaving the car park that had become our home & de-pitiching the Morgue from the near by hillside where I had hidden it from view SAS style. The last day at Santa Linya proved to be a good end to that chapter of the trip (we will be going back though). Jen, having sent her nemesis a few days earlier (a tricky 7b that had resided almost 20 times over three trips (think these facts are correct she's off being northern somewhere right now)) spent was snap happy whilst Marco got his first ever 8a in great style.

This had been Marco's project for 3/4 days now, on the 2nd go of the last day it all came together, with every hold and move looking sweet. By putting in a serious amount of effort it looked like Marco had fully earned this route. Battling his way through the crux and keeping it all together for the balancey top section.

Similarly I decided that I needed to fully commit to trying as hard as I could on the climb I'd been trying sporadically (Iraq Attack). I'd been experiencing weird levels of psych on this route for some reason. I feel that normally I'm ready to give it my all every go and really try my best, but this had not been happening, the only possible reason I can find is that the other person trying the route at the same time as me was Dick & pissing me off, taking my psych at the same time. Anyway these psych levels had ment I either hadn't been trying the route (literally) or getting on the route & still not really trying to climb it. This go the 1st of the day I (and this may sound weird) just told myself I was going to have to try really fucking hard to climb this thing, but that I could. I did.

Edited to have the correct horizon, check the quickdraw

That chapter truly closed as we left that afternoon in search of new rock, new homes & new adventures.

All of these were found In Terradets, the knowledge is to camp near the disused train platform (or bivy on it), right next to the brand new one! It seemed fine though as from our very isolated home of the car park, this place was positively metropolitan with maybe 7 other groups staying. Here the Morgue was a little warmer, a lot flatter & not pitched on stones. Not the Ritz but not far off. The plan was for Me & Marco to Frag & Clear the crag whilst Jen had 2 days rest. For Me at this crag I planned to get warm and then look for classics in the 7c/+ area to hopefully flash or get 2nd go hoping to rack up as many routes as possible. Efficiency. I should mention that Terradets is one of the most amazing walls I have ever seen, 25-35 meters high, bulging out of the hillside, overlooking crazy scenery with a beautiful lake at the bottom. It comes with tufa's streaming down it allied with blank sections between them that yield hard face climbing. It's frickin' great! Oh and there must be 20+ routes in the grades I mentioned earlier, everyone as good as the next.

Found on google

Day 1 was a good day learning how to climb on these very different features with good results coming from hard work battling up thin parallel pipes whilst looking for rest on the face climbing (there must be holds). This is the complete opposite to every single local it seemed. Never the less routes were ticked.

Jam sesion	7b	Flash
Pasta Sin Agua	7a+	Flash
Red Bull	7c+	2nd go
Occident	7c	Flash

Day 2 started with a similar warm up, which showed the style was definitely making more sense & with that the crag was just looking better & better, I seemed to be settling into the notion that if I tried really properly hard, climbed by instinct & arrived at the chain pumped out of my tree I could get away with flashing 7c with next to no beta. So I did. due to the temp climbing in the shade isn't really an option this combined with the length of the routes means that it is hard to get to much done, so we just climbed as much as we could. I managed to get two routes done & fell off the last hard move of the third Xarop de Basto on the flash, a strange routes whose grade ranges from 7c+ to 8a depending who you talk to (I think hard 7c+is fair). I was done. The Terradets leg was done. (again however we will be back.

L'Ansie	7a+	Flash
Avant Match	7c	Flash
Orient	7c/+	Flash

Roll out the red carpet, we have arrived at the Ritz. We've pitched up in Siurana campsite, & there was no frost in my tent this morn. 1st day ever. The artist (tent) formally known as the Morgue is now the Ritz. We have showers, sinks, a washing line, tables, chairs & we sit down to defecate. All very foreign things (I think my bowels work better when squatting). Are stay for the 1st is also legal, meaning we don't have to try to be so fully subtle that we are actually living were we're parked. Amazing. Hopefully the climbing here (the stuff I haven't done on previous trips) will be even half as good as our new home & twice as cheap. Bring it on Siurana.