Climbing above Balsthal

 The difficult weather continues.

The forecast wasn't stable enough for us to plan a four-day trip for the Ascension weekend, so we decided to start with two days climbing in Grandval.

Thursday's climbing

Klus Sector Alter Klettergarten. Grades from SAC guide

• 31 Geneigte Verschneidung 5a
• 33 Geneigter Pfeiler Dächli 5c+
• 35 Kleiner Überhang 5b+
• 36 Zaff 5b
• 37 Bohrhakenübung 5c
• 43 Körnige Platte rechts 5a+ (A only)
• 38 Halbschräg 6a (A top)
• 40 Rubble 6a+

Super fun climbing (as usual). Started to fill up in the afternoon, so we moved on.

Sector Neuer Klettergarten. Grades from SAC guide

• 34 Flipper 5c (fudged to the left due to water)

The rock on the right side of the Neuer Klettergarten is odd

We might have climbed a bit more, but it was crowded by then. Still a good day of climbing!

It would be worth going back and checking out Odeon (https://www.rebolting.ch/wAssets/docs/topos/jura/Topo-Sektor-Odeon-Klus-Balsthal.pdf), which was completely empty, and Graue Platte, was not (and which requires a longer rope). 

Friday's climbing

Holzflue. Grades from SAC guide

• 3 Yak und Yeti 5b (A toprope)
• 2 Out in the green 5c+ hard overhanging boulder, G toprope, A progress on trying, but then tired arms
• 5 Basel meets Solothurn 5c
• 7 West Side 5c+ lovely short crack climb
• 21 Willi 5c+
• 34 Out of Altersheim 5c+ A only

Nice climbing on mostly technical vertical/steep routes. Great rock. Grades often felt harder than the day before.

Only got busy in the afternoon

Nice hike afterwards around the back to the Holzflue itself (partially along a pig path) and then down and back to Balsthal