Journal

Thursday, October 28, 2010

BD Athlet Adam Pustelnik climbs Action Direct at Frankenjura

I first visited Frankenjura  in 1999. Squatting in the bushes behind Barenschlucht Wand, we spent two weeks crimping the best pockets available. I went there annually for next 4 years, and it really pushed the level of my sport climbing. After repeating Shangri-La (XI-/XI), Action Direct seemed the next logical step. But the mind can play dirty tricks on you, so I decided not to try Action until I felt ready enough for it. This way, just another climbing route became my nemesis, and was harder to break than anything else.

Adam Direct

Fortunately, you can always count on your friends. When it comes to partnership, crags are not the usual place to discover its true value. It is more in the mountains where you can understand just how much climbing is a team sport. Surprisingly, this time I've found friendship on the only-15 - meter- high Waldkopf.

I've been trying to redpoint Action Directe for two years. Going back and forth 800km (or 8hours of driving if you prefer), I've made nine 3-day trips to Frankenjura with a friend of mine, Konrad Saladra. In this time, we've both injured ourselves twice, and have encountered probably all conditions possible on the route. From mint-conditions to absolute pouring rain, with +30° C (86°F) heat in between. But thanks to working on it together, we  kept believing in realizing what is a dream to many sport climbers.

Last weekend, after two long years, I finally linked it all up, and send the route in perfect conditions. On midday Sunday, with slight wind, clear blue sky and finally dry rock, I flashed the 17 hard moves without a good rest, thus completing Action Direct!

A dream come true, for sure, but it involved a lot of hard work as well. For many reasons, finding the time to come to Germany has often been more difficult than giving all I could on the route. The same thing goes for training. It's funny, because before when I had time to go on 3-month long trips and get myself in really good shape, I was often afraid to fight for it. Now when time is not easy to find, belief has to be stronger than ever.

It's all in the mind - stay strong!

- Adam

 

Adam Postelnik is 28 years old and lives and works in Poland. He focuses on sport-climbing, multi-pitch routes, big walls, and even route-setting for World Cup competitions. He took part in climbing some new, big routes in the Charakusa Valley in Pakistan with Nicolas and Olivier Favresse and Sean Villanueva. With his brother Paweł, he put up a new route in the Kara Su Valley in Krygystan. He's freed Silbergeier in Ratikon (CH), Air Sweden in Indian Creek (Utah) and several 8c+ sport routes. Adam lives with his fiancée, Anna and their two dogs in Łódź, Poland.

Photos