France is in its third lockdown due to the new coronavirus (Covid-19), but restrictions have been eased and indoor climbing gyms reopened on June 9, 2021. In addition, the curfew has been adjusted to 23:00-6:00, and things are slowly returning to normal. The loosening of restrictions comes just in time for the holiday season, and shows the flexibility of a French-style lockdown 😁
On the first weekend after deregulation, we went climbing at Le Château du Vieux-Windstein, as it was the first sunny day in a while. This area, located in the northern Vosges Mountains, is one of my favorite climbing spots.
Normally, Vieux-Windstein is visited by many German-speaking climbers, but this time, due to the French & German lockdown, all the climbers were French-speaking, including nine friends I know 👱🏻👱🏻♀️🇫🇷. We had a lively and enjoyable time, catching up with climbing friends we hadn't seen in a while.
Le Château du Vieux-Windstein : Associés (7b+)
Finally, on this day, I was able to make my 20th attempt at the long awaited "Associés (7b+)"
The crux of this route is between the fourth and fifth bolts, where you traverse to the right, climb straight up, and then traverse to the left. There are no bolts in this section, which makes it mentally difficult. The technical difficulty is in the moves after the fourth bolt: traverse right, climb straight up. But traverse left, which is very mentally challenging.
On my second attempt of the day, I managed to make the ideal moves and break through the technical crux. Then I traversed to the left again. The altitude was so high that it was mentally numbing. Technically, it's about (6a+/6b), so not too difficult for those who try this route, but the altitude and runouts make it mentally tough 😆 My friend who belayed me also said he was thrilled 💓
I was able to get through the last overhang because I had the holds and moves figured out, even though it wasn't easy! Finally, I climbed a project that had been years in the making since my first attempt on July 27, 2014.
The climb was now complete and it was a very satisfying day to conquer "Associés (7b+)",, a long time project. Climbing in Windstein is a fantastic area for beginners and experienced climbers alike. I encourage everyone to give it a try!
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