Supermartikainen, tick.

Jim Lindholm warming up.

Today was my second session on "Supermartikainen", if I don't count my attempts in 2004.

The weather was perfect and I had carbo loaded with a pizza the night before. The only worry was that I would not have enough skin because I had been running low on that lately.

We started with the usual warmup at "Västernblocket" and then it was off to the main attraction of the day where both Jim and I did a couple of ascent of the standstart just to feel that it will not be a problem when arriving there. The only thing for me on the standstart is the final move which never feels totally safe for me. Then I did some attempts on the final move I had not got yet, the letting go with the left foot to get into the starting position of the final part. I tried to find the trick but later it turned out that the trick was just to hang on to the crimper a bit harder. Got it a couple of times.

On my first two attempts after learning all the moves I fell on the crimper, feeling that I could almost hold it. On the third attempt I crimped harder. I had told Jim to remind me to do so, I don't know if it helped but at least we got documented on film what swearing sounds like in "åländska". ;-)

I can't tell how happy I was to do the problem but you can probably hear from the video. The happiness did not just come from the fact that I was doing one of my best climbs ever but also because I could now move on to something else, the season is short and I didn't want to spend all of it on this problem, it's not that good. What's next? Lets see where we end up this weekend, hope for good weather and good company from sweden and take it from there.

My Wet Dream

Felt a bit desperate driving to Geta. It was raining yesterday and the mist this morning and yesterday was not of this world. However, I had been looking forward to this all week so the slight chance that something was dry was enough.

Arriving at Djupviken I could see that at least the snow was no longer an issue, although a bit annoying at times. It was a bit strange that some problems were soaking and others were velcro dry. I was able to find warm-ups and then repeated "Hammas" in a couple of tries and "Steel pulse" which took a bit longer, I can never remember my beta for this problem but once I got it, it felt quite easy. It was only the third time I have been able to climb this problem.

Then it was on to "Supermartikainen". This is the one I have started dreaming about now after "Dodo", unfortunately it was wet. I was able to dry it to an acceptable level to start trying the moves. After looking at videos I have realized that my earlier tries in 2004 something when I broke the starting foothold was the proper sitstart. Now I'm going for the crouching start which seems to be the standard. I was able to do most of the slapping and the falling into the crimper but I was not able to control the swing when letting go with the left foot. Didn't try the top part because I was alone and it can be a bit dangerous without a spot, at least when it's a bit wet like today.

The original "Martikainen" is one of the problems in Djupviken with the most "first ascents" and I think if we should be strict it should be called "Gammelgäddan" because I think it was the swedes who climbed it first, then came the finns and did "Martikainen". A year or so later, around 2000, Jim and I did another "first ascent" and we named it "Nemas Problemas", I'm probably a bit biased but I think our name was the coolest ;-). Whatever name, the line is one of the best in Djupviken and it will be nice to work the low start because it's not really a climbingstyle that I'm used to.

Did Dodo

It's spring again, at least a little. The easter was supposed to be the big kick-off for the season but almost all problems were wet. Fortunately "Dodo" was dry so we were able to climb on it on thursday and friday.

Dodo is a bit hard to warm up on so on friday we had learnt our lesson and went to Vikingahallen for some indoor warm-up.

My first more serious attempts on the problem was last fall when Marko and Kikka were visiting but then I had a recently split finger tip and an aching knee so I didn't get much more out of it than the idea that it was very possible for me. Then came a finger injury so most of the fall and early winter was spent on the still rings and only a couple of months of climbing so the plan was to do the problem "this spring".

Thursdays attempts was no better than in the fall because I didn't find the correct footposition for my left which for me was the key to the problem, on friday I got the position right and that in combination with Erik Massihs contagious energy and Jim Lindholms trusty spotting it all went well. Ok, after my first success on taking the upper crux-move crimper I was helicoptered down from big holds on the lip but the go after that I was able to hold it and after that the top-out is a formality.

This opened up my climbing calendar for the spring but that's not a problem, I have much left on my ticklist. Ah, it feels good to be alive and ticking!



Photo and video by Erik Massih.