Yannick Flohé has made a brilliant start to the new climbing year: in Ticino's Bouldering Mecca Chironico, he climbed two tough test pieces in one day on January 24th: Ephyra (8C+) and From Dirt Grows the Flowers (8C).
Yannick Flohe is one of the strongest German climbers - not only with but also without a rope. While he was demonstrating his sport climbing skills during a US trip in December of last year and scored some of the hardest routes of the Red River Gorge in just a few attempts (Lacrux reported), the new year will see the Ticino bouldering classics get down to business: In Chironico he climbs within a day Ephyra (8C+) as well as on the same block From Dirt Grows the Flowers (8C).
Hopeless Mantle
During his last visit to Ticino, he tried the two lines for a few days. "I came pretty close to climbing Ephyra," says Yannick Flohé. However, he was not able to climb all the way through the test piece that Jimmy Webb had climbed for the first time.
Things looked a lot more hopeless in Dave Graham's line From Dirt Grows the Flowers (8C) on the same block. "I didn't even consider calling the boulder a project because the mantle felt so hard that I never even tried it from the start."
"I didn't even consider calling From Dirt Grows the Flowers a project because the mantle felt so hard."
Yannick Flohe
Top conditions, good skin
Yesterday Yannick Flohé returned to the sector Shadow Valley back in Chironico – in optimal conditions and with good skin. As soon as he started warming up on the From Dirt Grows the Flowers mantle, he found it felt surprisingly good.
"After a few attempts, I climbed my main project, Ephyra."
Yannick Flohe
Still having reserves of strength, the 23-year-old devoted himself to the start of Dave Graham's Testpiece from 2005. «After falling out twice at the very end, this time my foot didn't slip and I was on top of the block. What a day!"
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Credits: Cover picture Xavier Quintus