Day 10: Perfect Conditions

As I was chopping some garlic and onion for dinner, Caro asked Miel: So which one is your favorite crag (amongst all those we visited)?

We've gone north, south, east and west of Connaux, so far!
See the pink House icon for reference :)

“Entrechaux and Gargantua,” Miel answered within 3 seconds.

Caro followed up: How much of your decision is due to the area being favorable to your climbing style?

Ah, these conversations. They are perfect for wrapping up over 1 week worth of climbing, including the last one today, having spent a full afternoon at the crag. Our fingers were worked, legs and toes beaten from hiking/biking/so much face climbing (well, at least, Miel and mine were!), and bodies finally getting a breather after battling wind and cold all afternoon.

I really liked the crag today, which answered Caro’s question. I enjoyed the long routes; the technical, face-climbing style with a range of hand and foot placements (nice assortment of little pockets and finger jams in all directions, and not perpetually pulling down on cracker-thin edges); and the sheer exposure.

The approach to north face of Les Dentelles de Montmirail.
25 minute hike up!

It was, for me, a good mix of what motivates me to climb: To behold the world from a point of view I’ve never seen before, and in a process (climbing a route) that runs for roughly 10-20 minutes, I’m able to witness vivid, internal dialogues between two sides of myself: The sluggish vs. the driven, the brave vs. coward, the care-free vs. the pragmatic.

During these short periods, I get to know myself a little better, and get to widen my comfort zone a teeny, tiny bit bigger. Add the unfamiliar weather condition as a factor, and I was kept at my limit the whole time, making the voices in my head louder.

And how excitingly, unfamiliar the weather was today! In a previous post I talked about the windy afternoon we spent at Gargantua, but today was at even higher intensities and prolonged periods. Because the crag was facing the north, it escaped sunlight the whole day, not giving the rock any chance of getting warm. The group had limited down jackets, so we had to share; whoever wasn’t climbing would have to lend his/hers to whoever was not climbing (or was belaying). At times when the wind got really strong, we ended up using the rope tarp/bag as a shield.

It was great lesson on my (our) low tolerance for gust and chill, and as James said, a fitting “warm-up” for what we would encounter in Chamonix (further up north of France) and in Switzerland, to which we were heading to the next couple of days. And in all seriousness, we were indeed lucky that the coldness was just exactly bearable, otherwise, we would have ruined a day’s worth of “perfect climbing conditions” for the whole group!

Always in the shade

Maximum cover

Everyone trying to catch the patch of sun down the trail

On the other hand, it was also a great lesson of how fantastic friction can be. This is the most I’ve climbed in cold weather, and I was pleasantly surprised how my fingers and rock shoes didn’t slip on nibs and edges that seemed too small to stay on to. There were a handful of moments when my hand would be numb, and I didn’t know if it was from the cold or from my pump, but I’d tell myself to keep crimping anyway. Many times, they would just stick.

Local crusher Coralie, demonstrating the old-school face climbing style

The night grew on and dinner topics evolved. How people handle break-ups differently, film recommendations for downloading, the awe for ultra-runners (because we just don’t have the patience for extended periods of suffering). At one point it was about how Miel and I became a couple (next topic, please). But I think we ended with guessing the countries of origin of chocolate manufacturing companies (Hershey’s, Cadbury, Nestle?)

Opinions varied and preferences ran at wide ranges of degrees. Despite the differences, I think we can agree on one thing: A home-cooked meal, paired with good wine and shared amongst friends, is the perfect condition for these kinds of conversations. And none of us would have preferred to end the day in any other way.