Martin's yearly 5G standards meeting in Gothenburg was planned for August - a perfect match with the climbing season in Bohuslan. Plan was to pick up Martin friday at the local airport and then drive straight to either Norway or Bohuslan. Norway was looking sketchy weather wise and we decided to focus our efforts on Bohuslan with base in the climbers hut. I picked up Martin in the airport and we drove directly to Palimpsest 5+ at Galgeberget. [caption id="attachment_164" align="alignnone" width="225"]
Top block of Palimpsest.[/caption] Good route a bit wet in strategic places ment that the climbing was a bit more fiddly that it had to be and the overall experience of the route was mediocre. We walked down and continued on [caption id="attachment_169" align="alignnone" width="225"]
Palimpsest on the left, DNA on the right[/caption] DNA 6- A great clean line, more pure than Palimpsest. A notch harder in the but felt fairly easy. Quality climbing to the top. We abseiled down and decided to move on to one of the weekends objectives: Bergkistis Polska 6- [caption id="attachment_171" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Midway. Crux is at the top of the light streak[/caption] I had been at the base of this route twice before, route spotting, and basically it was time to do it. It is a great looking splitter, leaning to one side crossing the face of a 40 meter high rock. I led the pitch and nearly slid off in the crux. Martin took tight, without holding me and I did hold on and shouted "I'm on!" in case Martin was going to do the natural action on a Willerup Brother - prepare for impact. I knew there was handholds within reach and I managed to shuffle my way up and finish the route. This reminded me of Våroffer last year where I also almost slid off. But all good. Martin followed and negotiated the section with a layback - smart tactic when following. It was now time to up the style and Martin led the next route Slippery when wet 5- I was happy that Martin took on the sharp end and it turned out an excellent route despite a rather daft name. The evening was approaching and the sun was out and setting in the west and I thought we should try and see if we could make it to Swedens own version of sea facing blue and gold granite down at the south tip of the area. It was going to be a pushing it with time, but we went for it. A quick drive and a fast paced walk over the rocky peninsular and we arrived at Hoppene Nordman 5+ [caption id="attachment_165" align="alignnone" width="225"]
Martin about to negotiate the crux[/caption] Like a mini version of Bosigran this place is excellent as the sun sets. I started off a harder route but couldn't feel the yoor and backed down and we executed this one which I had done once before. It has a gymnastic crux which I was looking forward to see Martin negotiating in a static style. I was not disappointed as Martin was glued to whatever jams he could get to avoid a more monkey style pull up the roof. Excellent. We finished as the sun set in the west over the sea. Yoor. Off back to the local climbing hut and pitch our tent. It was full of people mostly young locals and several Norwegians and we had a most enjoyable evening inside the cosy hut discussing tactics, routes and ethics and the difference between a Norwegian and Swedish approach. We made a good dent in our Lager Stash. Also got the next days objective sorted out with a recommended visit to Beste Leden I Valserod 6- [caption id="attachment_172" align="alignnone" width="225"]
A underwelming photo of an excellent route.[/caption] We were promised "sinking hand jams" and we were not disappointed. I led the impressive looking roof crack and was quite nervous tying on the rope. It looked difficult and I was not that confident after the previous days semi impressive action (from me). It did look like the roof would go and with some reassuring words from an in-situ team I started up the route. First bit wasn't all that easy but once at the roo there were a good rest and once committing, the roof went like a dream. The jams were solid and sinkers. Yoor! Martin cleaned it and we were both pretty chuffed having climbed proper hand hurting jam action. Weather was suppose to deteriorate and we weren't sure how much time we would have for dry rock. Decision was made to tick a short route on a nearby crag and we went there quickly. Byggeman Bob 5+ A most idyllic location with a few route in the guidebook though not correctly described. We think we did this route - it was good but frustrating that we didn't know which route was what. So we decided to move on and go route spotting in what was now looking like a rainy afternoon. We arrived a while later and a good bit further North at Tag mig harifron 5- [caption id="attachment_166" align="alignnone" width="225"]
You can belay from the car seat.[/caption] A short and next to the car type of climb. It was bone dry even though the general region was wet, so we were pretty pleased. The route was surprisingly stiff and maybe harder than the grade 5- suggests. The granite jams were sharp and crystallic and it was good to feel the pain in the skin and get sticky jams in return. Having ticked this we went south again to check out one of the main big crags of Nordens Ark. Here we bumbed into Ödhumlan 4 Which Martin led in deteriorating conditions as it started raining once he had started the route. I finished this three starred beauty of a route and we were super pleased to get a full day of climbing on what was really a rainy day. Repeat evening with hut socialising and emptying the remaining stash of Lager. Next morning we went back to Nordens ark and I started up Berguven 6- Which didn't feel hard at all (good for boosting confidence) but neither was a particularly interesting route. It looked good from afar but the route wasn't nearly as interesting as Martins led on Amurleoparden 5+ [caption id="attachment_167" align="alignnone" width="225"]
The gear is spaced out after this.[/caption] A 5+ slab beauty. Spaced out gear and weave your way up a 40 meter slab of granite: Martin in his element. I was super pleased to see how well it went and this fired me up to confirm that we could now go and do Prismaster 6- [caption id="attachment_163" align="alignnone" width="225"]
Route follows the light streak to the top.[/caption] The ambitious objective of the weekend. It is a three star classic of the main crag Hallinden of Bohuslan. Intimidating to look at and daunting to take on. We were both on for it though and Martin took the lead on the first short 15m pitch which wasn't all that easy. I arrived at his stance and I was totally ready for the continuation. It had been haunting me all weekend and here I was finally on route and with only one way out: up. I loved the climbing. It had everything in the toolbox - bridge, gaston, jam, layback, gnarly crimp, and exposed moves. I never really felt there was a crux, just good times placing gear and flowing up. I arrived at the top and had to look down to Martin and shout a most unethical "YOOOR" into the valley. [caption id="attachment_161" align="alignnone" width="225"]
Martin at one of the many exposed moves[/caption] Martin joined a while after and we both agreed that this was a route from the very top shelf in the route cabinet. We still had a good afternoon ahead of us and we left to a recommended crag called Skyggeberget, where Champagnefrukost 6- lives it quiet life. A more shielded and shadow crag and thus with a more manky feel to it, but once we found the routes we realised that this was excellent stuff. Huge cliff with a large roof going across most of the routes. We started up the first bit and I belayed at a ledge to get Martin up and assess the next bit. As he arrived rain started to drop and we decided that we probably had made most of the weekend at this point, packed the ropes and walked off the ledge. We left the amazing looking roof for another day. We will definitely be back. There we three good looking routes there. This concludes the climbing. Bohuslan is an excellent climbing area. The crags are all spread out within an area where it is really quick to move around to each crag with the car. Each crag usually have a few routes within your grade ability and Martin and I have been now consistently flashing the 6- grade (probably translates to E1) and I think we are ready for 6 and maybe even 6+. There is even a pure sinking hand jam splitter route at Hallinden which is grade 7-. I am thinking this is within reach. The grade system in Sweden is a bit tricky to break down as it is only one number. We found the long 6- to be quite easy where the short 6- are super hard. We shall see. We are ready for the next objective: Ettan at Hallinden. Search it on Google. It is a beauty of a route and it is waiting for us on our next visit. I can't wait.