New Horizons

Tuesday, 14th March. I’m sitting back comfortably against a crumbling sandstone structure, the only thing preventing the teetering building above from an inexorable slide into the Neckar river. In the surrounding trees and bushes, all the signs are present that spring has started to seriously ramp up proceedings. Territorial avian cries echo from all sides, filling the air with an incessant, high pitched melody of possession. To my left a lizard peruses me, frozen in position on the 45º slope, delicate claws effortlessly gripping the crystalline granite structure. Sun beats down from a marine sky. 

This definitely isn’t the UK. 

Lowering off 'Lustmolch in der Grotte' f7c+ on the Kesselwand, Lenningen. 

In January I made the move out to southern Germany, purportedly to accompany my girlfriend as she continues her studies to become a teacher, but I can’t deny that geographical location factored heavily. I love the UK climbing scene with the dramatic and desolate mountain environments, quaint quarries nestled in Lancastrian heather moor, bullet hard gritstone outcrops straddling the gentle fells of the Peak; but we certainly drew the short straw when it comes to weather.
Whilst my friends in the UK have been bemoaning the endless drizzle, I’ve been clipping bolts on sun-baked, overhanging limestone surrounded by the abrupt peaks and thick forest of the Swabian Jura. As the seasons roll by and temperatures rise, summons come from the endless limestone power-endurance paradise of the Frankenjura, the cool granite bouldering haven of Magic Wood, and the exposed, dramatic challenges in alpine terrain such as Rätikon. 

Cora enjoying good conditions in the Swabian Jura.

New experiences beckon. Tomorrow, I start working for Bergfreunde; a shift in career, but a positive one. As much as I enjoyed outdoor instructing, it offers little structure around which big adventures may be formed. Time invested guiding others into the outdoors allows precious little personal time for pursuing bigger things - I’m a little selfish in this way! After a few planned trips crashed and burned due to lack of funds/time, I knew it was time for a shift in tactics. All that said, the opportunity was surprising and welcome - in a country with surprisingly few opportunities for those who aren’t fluent, I somehow managed to secure an english speaking position that was not reliant on my budding German fluency. Cora and I are renting a tiny house in an even tinier village five minutes from my workplace, eight minutes from the nearest climbing gym and twenty minutes from the nearest crag. 

Wait, am I successfully an adult? 

Checklist

Place to live: Check.

Job: Check. 

Can I find my socks?: CHECK *gasps*.

The car that I bought in the UK for £350 that makes small rumbly noises and barely makes it up hills has been pronounced TUV worthy by a german mechanic and was deemed as “Driveable for the next five years.” 

All in all, life is pretty peachy. 

Bullet hard limestone with marginal feet and finger-wrenching pockets - bliss!

That said, I’m a climber. We’re goal driven people in a sport with truly open ended progression. We all know that satisfaction is short term; the key is being satisfied in the ongoing process. In that sense, the order of the day is business as usual. Adventures are a-planning, coffees are a-brewing, and the week is free from showers. 

Let’s do this. 

Thanks to Charko and Out There Gear for your continued support!