Hmm, my first impressions on seeing the valley. Well, since I had never been to a large mountain range before, the excitement of seeing such an overwhelming beautiful natural wonder, did cause a slight hyperactive moment. After the hyperactivity had faded slightly, and the sun had risen, I took the chance to take in my surroundings. Aside from being shocked that these enormous creations which surrounded me were not even the actual mountains, the feeling from just being in the valley filled me with a sort of inner peace, yet inducing power in my chest and an urge to make the most of my time there; from wearing many hats to jumping in the mountain river!
I thought that the climbing was excellent! I could never quite make up my mind whether I preferred the crimps of limestone or the friction of gritstone, but I had never experienced granite before. It was amazing - it was like a cross between both limestone and gritstone, and so fresh; the rock was not covered in gunk, which is always a bonus. The problems were fun too, due to the amount of boulders; there were problems to suit every style of climber for every grade. However, the competition problems were really quite evil, but I WILL finish ‘THAT’ problem which I felt sooo close to getting, sometime in the future.
I felt that MelloBlocco as an event was really good. It gives one the chance to meet people from all over the world who are as crazy about climbing as you are in a relaxed environment. Everybody was really friendly and helpful (even if I did not always understand what they were saying) which made the event all the more enjoyable. Oh, and the party afterwards was a great idea, giving the chance to socialise in a non-climbing way. I hope that the event take place again next year so that we can all go climb and party again. *hint hint
From the experience I have gained an immense love for granite and London Stanstead (all the tax-free shops!). I believe I have gained a small knowledge on the Italian language, a new love for mountains - which I was originally not to fond of due to the amount of excruciating upward walking - and feeling of an enlightenment that comes only from being somewhere with an air and energy which possesses power, forgiveness and a knowledge of life due to having watched over the world for millions of years.
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