Another year is coming to an end, and I am probaly the first one to write a retrospect. I was asked about the highlights, a few times now and I was thinking: What has been my highlight of 2010? After making the second ascent of Entlinge and From the Dirt Grows the Flower (both Fb.8C), Kings of Sonlerto and Dipende ( Fb.8b) and some other problems in 2009, I should have done something harder this year so that I could post a new highlight. On two projects this year I was very close, falling on the last move. I thought I still had enough time to finish them, but two days later they were covered with snow. Paul was lucky and finished one of my projects just in time. I will come back next year.
This was definitely not the highlight. My Highlights have been the different exploring trips to unknown places and the chance to make a new boulder movie. In march I was in India with Fred Nicole and Elie Chevieux. We had a great time, met many nice people and with Elie we had the best "Guide" for the real India experience. We searched a lot, cleaned a lot and we did some nice first ascents in some crazy mountain scenery.
After India I headed back to Europe. In Trondheim I met my friends Justin Hawkins, Torstein Eide, Therese Johansen and Belinda Weiss. We did a Coastline Exploring Tour up to Lofoten. On boat was also Josh Knox , an extraordinary talented Filmmaker from London. Josh has been a professional since he was 16 years old and is known for his Skateboard, Snowboard and Skiing Videos. We had two weeks of filming, but the weather was not always perfect and made everything a bit hectic. The TV version is finished by now. I will get the dates when it will be on TV, but Josh and I are just working on another version of the movie which be available online....soon!
I fell in love with india ...so i went back to the Himalayas in June for six more weeks. Together with my brother Alex, Julia, Belinda and Valle Eisen we did some more exploring in some other valleys in North India. First we wanted to visit Zanskar and Ladak, but the strange weather this year made us stay further south. It comes as it comes, and the first monsoon wave hit us just one day after leaving Manali. We got stuck in a lonely valley. But after four days of tea and whiskey the army opened the roads again. We just traveled around a bit more and combined sightseeing and bouldering in this beautiful and interesting country.
These experiences far away from home, getting in touch with another culture and meeting nice people have been the highlights of 2010.....and of course the great boulder problems we opened on those places. But the year is not finished yet, and maybe the snow is melting away again. Enough words, just enjoy the gallery!