Rock the Rock and Rock 'n' Roll

Month: February 2013 (Page 1 of 2)

The Dawn Wall

Tommy Caldwell’s dad introduced him to rock climbing at the age of three — and by 16, Tommy was a world champion. For the last five years, Tommy has been attempting to climb a shear 3000-foot rock face that many consider the most difficult free climb ever attempted. How do you stay motivated on such a climb? See how Tommy brings the encouragement of his friends, family and fans along for the ride.

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Ondra Begins New Mega-Project in Spain

Adam Ondra, who redpointed the world’s hardest sport route in early February, has begun working on a project that may be at least as hard. The “Somos Cromosomos” project at Jaén in southern Spain was bolted in 2009 by local climber Sergio Serrano, who had climbed a pair of new routes to the right but decided, after equipping and cleaning this line, that it was too hard for him. Thirty meters (100 feet) long, it consists of a 20-meter section that is believed to be 9a/9+ (5.15a) followed by a second 10-meter passage of 9a (5.14d). Unlike La Dura Dura, the longstanding project at Oliana that Ondra completed earlier this month and graded 5.15c, the crux of Somos Cromosomos is likely to be right at the top.

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Stephen Maguire win the Welsh Open

Stephen Maguire edged out Stuart Bingham in a thrilling match to win the Welsh Open at the Newport Centre. The Scot won 9-8 as both men battled for control after going into the final evening session at 4-4. “I forgot what it felt like to be a winner at the end of a tournament – it’s the best feeling ever,” Maguire said. Continue reading

The “Einstein” of Billards

Er gilt als der genialste Billard-Spieler der letzten 100 Jahre. Niemand beherrscht die Physik der Kugeln besser als er: Ronnie O’Sullivan löst binnen Zehntelsekunden sogar komplizierteste Gleichungen – schneller als jeder Physiker. In seiner Karriere musste der Brite immer nur einen Gegen wirklich fürchten: seine eigene Psyche …

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The Nose and the attempt by Gelmanov

The Nose, it’s no secret, is one of the most famous and sought-after rock climbs in the world. For everyone. Even for these two Russians who last summer, after an initial period learning the ropes of offwidth climbing and placing friends, headed off into Yosemite valley to repeat the climb of all climbs. The duo failed in their attempt to repeat it all free – as only Lynn Hill and Tommy Caldwell have done so far – due to the intense cold, but the ambitious project certainly had a sound basis: the first climber is the expert alpinist Pavel Dobrinskiy while his partner is no one less than Rustam Gelmanov, the winner in 2012 of the World Cup … Boulder!

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Chris Sharma frees a new 9b at Santa Linya

American climber Chris Sharma has freed Stoking the Fire 9b at Santa Linya in Spain.”The last couple of years I’ve been focusing all of my energy trying these in insanely hard projects that I’ve rarely had the pleasure to actually send a route. Today in Santa Linya was one of those illusive moments… It’s nice to remember what that feels like and that I still have it in me!” This is how Chris Sharma sums up his latest experience, his new route at Santa Linya called Stoking the Fire. A “pretty solid 9b” bolted initially by Czech powerhouse Tomaz Mrazek and freed yesterday by the 31-year-old American. And yes, given the quantity and quality of the projects that still await a first ascent (first and foremost the famous Dura Dura at Oliana), it’s nice to know that Sharma still has it in him. We never had our doubts!

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