There is hardly anyone who has gained so many 8er boulders as Fred Nicole. Some of them are in the Murg Valley, where Fred has been opening new lines for more than 15 years. After being with 2015 in the spring Arzak (8c) has cracked a long-standing project, he recently succeeded Netsuke (8b + / c) another stroke of genius.
In search of dirty blocks in the Murg Valley, Silvan Dermond discovered a somewhat hidden block in the Steibrächer sector. "Too bad there is only one side handle here," he thought. Nevertheless, he cleaned the exit, because the side edges made a climbable impression. Shortly thereafter, he showed the block Fred Nicole, who was immediately interested in the line across the roof.
Fred Nicole - the tireless first climber
Apparently there were some structures in his eyes that he considered durable handles. When Fred made his first attempts, it quickly became apparent that it would be a tough job. The entrance, as well as the last four moves he had bouldered relatively quickly. But these moves are something special. In the middle section he tried a long train with the right on the already mentioned side handle. This dynamic move or stabilization afterwards seemed almost impossible. To shorten the train a bit, he took a microleist with the right hand as an intermediate grip. With each additional session, he was able to capture this intermediate grip better and better.
Suddenly the impossible seems possible
After more than 10 days in the project, he was able to hold the handle so that it was suddenly conceivable to use this Microcrimp as a handle and pull it up with his left. Now it was clear to Fred that the line was climbable. There were still a few more visits needed until both the form of the day and the conditions were right. Then it worked. Fred managed the first ascent of 2017 in spring Netsuke (8b + / c). Congratulations Fred and thanks for this extra kingline you gave to Murg Valley.
A guest post by Silvan Dermond from bouldern.ch
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Credits: Image and text Silvan Dermond
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