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13 Apr 2010

A break from the Alps

Author: TheAlps  /  Categories: Blog  / 
This time I pass the pen to my daughter, Nastassja. I hope you all will enjoy this blog post. Until next time / Marta


I will never look at a rock the same way I used to.

A break from the Alps to go rock climbing.
Natures’ great diversity amazes me. Seasonal changes or regional variations are really fascinating.  But usually you have time to adapt while winter becomes summer. That’s one reason why my last road trip was incredible. Monday morning I left the Alps to be at the sea at noon. I went from snow covered pines to citrus trees with heavy fruit-filled branches. I took a break from the fresh but cold mountain air to enjoy a little hot sea breeze. I changed snowboarding for rock climbing

Finale Ligure is located between France and Genova on the Italian coast. There is loads of climbing spots for people with different interests and skills (http://www.climb-europe.com/italy/finale-ligure.htm). We went to three crags (climbing spots) in the valley that worked out very well for me who had never climbed outdoors before. I have only practiced on indoor walls in Stockholm for a few months. Thanks to my friend who’s becoming a mountain guide I got the help I needed and felt safe all the time. Alberto climbed first and all I needed to do was try and get to the end of the rope that he’d led trough the final bolt at the top of the route.
The light colored limestone rocks were full of holes and cracks to try and use to get up the rope. Some spots were real soft and eroded and others were more spiky and hard. All crags we saw were bolted and most of them had names on them so that you could locate them in the guide book.
I thought I was going to miss out on my last skiing of the season by going away to the sea. I could go there in the summer and I could climb at home right? But when I felt the sea water on my sore toes after the great experience of climbing up a whole rock I knew I had done the right thing. Climbing is for sure one of the best sports I’ve ever tried. And when you cannot ski because there’s no snow there’s probably some climbing to do real close by.
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