Tuesday 23 August 2011

Ersfjord new route


Centre Court 8b/+ first ascent, Tunga, Ersfjord. Gore-Tex jacket keeping the finishing hold dry until Donald pulled it away at the last moment. More pics on the Gore-Tex Experience Tour page here.
When jumping around the huge boulderfield at Ersfjord, one boulder stood out and had me  clambering straight for it and uncoiling my rope. Tunga is a huge leaning fin of granite. Currently home to the route Piercing (8b+ and currently the hardest route in northern Norway). 
I spotted a nice looking line leading across the wall into the upper half of Piercing and taking in it’s crux, so I got that bolted up straight away. I was hoping it would be a wee bit harder than Piercing, but in the end it’s about the same difficulty. There was only enough fingertip skin for 2 quick tries and then I was worried about split tips. So last night I returned but it was still so hot and humid I initially decided not to climb at all.
A whiff of breeze changed my mind, and it was just as well I succeeded first try since my fingers would not have stood another attempt. I can’t decide if its 8b or 8b+ (same goes for Piercing) so it has a split grade. Maybe if it wasn’t so humid it would have felt easier. I spent the rest of the session trying another line I bolted, 8b+/c or 8c+ depending on the chosen finish. I doubt I’ll have time to finish it before we leave, but I’ll have a go!






5 comments:

  1. Nice one! If this is a direct start from the ground instead of the kairn, it sounds like a great addition to the routes there.
    P.S: When it comes to the grade (although unimportant), last years visiting austrians felt that the right exit of Piercing could warrant 8b whereas the direct exit would be 8b+.

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  2. The fin looks fantastic!

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  3. Thanks Øystein. My new start comes in from the left actually. I also bolted the extension coming right out from the back of the cave. It's actually quite a lot of climbing - 20 odd moves of 8b+ or probably more just to get into the first move of Tungebandet/Piercing. To link into Piercing will make a tough route, but then I feel it might be very different if it wasn't boiling and humid! I'm super keen to try it although it's too hard for me on the days we have left.

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  4. Brilliant! In our young days we dismissed the low start right as too futuristic. However, Audun (who bolted Tungebåndet in the early 90's) always envisionned a line that would start just left (i.e. Center Court) and finish in Leppa (the short 7a+). Do you think this could make for a nice 8a'ish link-up?

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  5. So this is the new 8b you were talking about--wow! It doesn't get much more photogenic than that!

    Alicia

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