HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Saturday. Christmas Eve at Nico and Arjee’s rental house in Cornudella de Montsant. A nice BBQ in the living room’s fireplace.










Sunday. Derzou finishes Boys don’t cry (25m, 7C) at Ca la Isabel sector. We meet Lowie Lamberechts and his Croatian girlfriend Maya. He finishes La bestiola (20m, 8A+) at Can Melafots sector.
Lowie does is last Bachelor year ‘political science’ in Barcelona as an Erasmus student. He brought his books with him for the coming exams, climbing and study at the rocks.

Tuesday. I finishes El prado del rey (30m, 7B+) and I try the route La ardilla roja (32m, 7C) at El Pati sector.









Wednesday. Easy climbing at Grau dels Masets Esquerra. A sector with beautiful 6C’s and 7A’s.

Rest day today, together we pamper ourselves with some cakes and connection to the World Wide Web.

Note: during Christmas Holiday many people from all over the world come to Siurana, it’s the best time of the year. Abond and Ting have a guesthouse in Yangshou (Rockabond inn), contacts for our next destination are made. Of course the Belgians are also well represented. Many world-class climbers end their competition season with rock climbing, such as Japanese Sachi Amma, Mina Markovic (SLO), Gabriele Moroni (IT), Enzo Oddo (F) who climbed La Rambla Original (40m, 9A+) this week, …

MERRY CHRISTMAS to each and everyone of you!

Sunday. Fog surrounds Siurana. It is cold. Derzou meets Jordi, a local climber who he met in Magic Wood (Swiss) in 2008. Together we climb at Ca la Isabel sector. Derzou tries the route Boys don’t cry (25m, 7C). Due to cold fingers during the climb, he doesn’t attempt a second time.






Wednesday. Derzou tries Anabòlica again, this time with one “take”. We meet a first Belgian during our stay, Nicolas Favresse. He will be in the area till the end of February.

Thursday. I climb Cruella devil (32m, 7B).

Friday. We take a walk halfway to Prades through the forest. Derzou spots a fox, frames it in the viewer and “click”. He has the image on color negative. Is it the fox from Panchi’s story? Did he visit the camping or is he after the chickens from the nearby farm?

Sunday. Derzou climbs Llet de boja a beautiful traverse (30m, 7A+) at Esperó Primavera sector.

Monday. It is winter. For the first time frost on the car front window. With this we feel a fatigue, today and the coming day.










Wednesday. Derzou finishes the route Avance cangrejo (30m, 7C). A left foot mistake in El prado del rey (30m, 7B+) prevents me to send the route. Let’s try again later.
It seems paring time for the wild boars, during the day you can hear them screaming and grunting.
We take the pig trail GRUNT GRUNT!

Thursday. Derzou finishes the route Berrio cabrero (30m, 7B+) at Siuranella Centre sector. (photo: Paul Lahaye)















Friday. I receive two new pair of Boreal climbing shoes, the Lynx and the Kintaro womens. I can’t wait to test them.

Monday. Easy climbing at La berruga, sector Siuranella Center. This week vacation for all the Spaniards (they celebrate the end of general Franco, Spain becomes a democracy in 1978 and one of the solemnities of the Roman Catholic Church)

Wednesday 1PM. I climb Gamba gamba (32m, 7B) at Piqui Pugui sector. Derzou tries a classic route, Anabòlica (22m, 8A), bolted in 1987.

Friday. We meet Siurana local Panchi. Derzou recognize him from our last year visit during Christmas holiday. Panchi stays at the Siurana camping all year round, living in a small caravan. He reminds me of Urbanus in the movie Koko Flanel (1990) but in a skinny version. He tells Derzou the funny story about a fox living near the camping that steels people food. One day Panchi stands in his caravan face to face with the fox carrying his untouched French baguette in his mouth.

Saturday 4PM. Prospecting the sector Can Famal, there is a classic 8A route named Fer fum fa mal fal fit in our interest.
On the way we pick almonds.

Monday 2 PM. On the way back from Reus, we see prickly pear cactus fruit at the side of the road. I put them in a smoothie together with oranges.









Wednesday. I try Lo dejé to blanco (30m, 7A, # 22) on the Siuranella Est sector. Difficult clipping made me “mentally snatched” at the end.

Thursday 7 PM. We have a farewell dinner with Paul & Isolde at the Refuge Siurana. There is back meat on the menu, delicious pork steak! Thanks again for the goodiebag.

Saturday 9 PM. We visit Reus for a new gas bottle and food. Derzou makes pumpkin soup and prepares a ‘carnera’ steak from the ‘carnicería’ in Cornudella de Montsant, the meat is outstanding.

Sunday. If you ever eat baked porridge slices with soya sauce in Sweden it is because today we have showed Stefan & Anna Ida how to make them. They just love it.

Monday 1 PM. Derzou climbs El prado del rey (30m, 7B+). Eating bananas seems to work.

Tuesday. We both climb Brigadistak (30m, 7A, # 21) and Derzou tries Avance cangrejo (30m, 7C, # 19) on the Siuranella Est sector.










Friday. In the morning Anders the Danish climber shows Derzou how to make typical Scandinavian pan bread.
We say farewell to him, he continuous his trip to Margalef. This is another famous climbing area 40km from Siurana.
Together with Stefan & Anna Ida, they are heading to Margalef tomorrow, we climb in Siuranella Est sector. Later on the day I do a good attempt in El prado del rey (30m, 7B+) at El Pati sector.