The name could be a play on words meaning ‘short circuit’ in English but whatever, it has a nice ring to it. The Korto Circuito is a annually recurring circuit of 4 bouldering events, each one held in a different Italian city. It had first captured my imagination a year or so ago when I noticed it on the Pareti website. At the time I had neither my own transport or knew anyone else who wanted to give it a go. I was also nervous having entered a competition in Preston many moons ago and immediately disqualified for lifting both feet in the air to get a better starting position!. But this year was different, I had at least my own wheels so I signed myself up.
The first leg was held in Genoa at the Sciorba climbing gym. Hidden underneath an athletics track it is a somewhat unlikely place to attract the best of Italian bouldering, but there it was. I drove down from Milan with Adam who would be doubling up as my personal trainer and John Dunne look a like for the day.
To cope with the high number of entries each leg is split into a morning and afternoon session. Each session lasts 3 hours with 25-30 problems to complete. Each change in difficulty is signalled by different coloured labels. ‘Real’ chalk was banned in favour of ‘liquid’ chalk, a weird substance that I hope I never have to use again. Having arrived early for the afternoon session we could take it easy, memories of Preston faded when I saw that it was a fairly informal affair; there were climbers of all ages and abilities, self regulation and a kicking sound track. I signed in and initiated some warm ups.
The greater number of problems are found in the lower grades, think of a triangle with the easiest climbs making the base and the most difficult the tip and you will have an idea of how the routes are distributed. There can be a wide degree of overlap between grades so you might find that there is one white (easiest) that you can’t do, but you may do 2 blues (the next hardest), it all depends on your own climbing style.
3 hours is a long time to keep climbing at your limit, so it is important to pace yourself. WARM UP, go for a run or do some stretching. This is THE most important thing I can advise. Even if you have only come for the social it is all to easy to get sandbagged into some contorted position. Get over your embarrassment and don’t cut corners, tendons snap quickly and take months to repair. Warm up facilities are not ideal so it is an idea to take some finger exercisers and a foam mat. It is also worth taking water and some light snacks, it relaxes the stomach and therefore the mind.
The start of the session provokes 80 normal looking people to throw themselves at the wall. Most go for the easiest climbs, the stronger a yellow or a blue. Don’t panic, take your time, things settle down. My preparation had not been focussed but I had at least been doing a little stretching and I think this was valuable. I managed to complete the whites, all but one green and three yellows. The reds were out of bounds for me requiring a considerable step up in performance, but I was very pleased finishing 37 out of 96. A great day out, and since it was nearly christmas; ending with a slice of Panatone.
A nice thing about these events is that you start to recognise people. They are very social occasions, and you get to meet both serious players and punters all hanging out with their own groups of friends. Anyone can enter the circuit but you will enjoy it more if you have a basic level of competence (5+). I can climb French 7A and over the circuit averaged mid table. Enjoying yourself is what it is about, watching people who are better than you, and working out how to get your body where you want it to go despite gravity and small holds.
I think it is fair to say you will always find one problem that you know you can do but it defies you, teases you, a cats whisker out of reach. I experienced one of these black sheep in every round, they draw you in at the expense of other ‘harder’ problems, but persistance pays off and the satisfaction gained can be immense.
The final leg at Arco was one I had been looking forward to. I was even more delighted to find out it was actually taking place in the open air on the famous Rockmaster structure. It was not a warm day so after a quick visit to Red Point to pick up a pair of trendy bouldering trousers I was ready. Now that I was an old hand I started coyly, taking my time to tie up my boots and avoid the mad rush. I moved slowly, not really pushing myself to great heights. I was generally pleased with the day but no fireworks. The best thing about being outside is that you don’t have to use liquid chalk or breath in chalk dust.
Since this was the last event in the series we were treated to the North Face Highball Challenge. Two routes were set on the leading wall reaching a height of 6 metres (actually not much higher than the men’s semi final). The winners of the previous rounds were invited to take part (although curiously not the winners of this round). Unfortunately it did not live up to it’s hype; the finalists failed to get past the first moves to mid height. Despite the pasta the crowd was restless and the climbers were given a break whilst a couple of holds were added. This time things went better, Paolo Leoncini topped out, only to injure his ankle on re-entry!
One of the things that must put off a lot of people from entering these events is thinking they are not good enough, and that they will be stuffy serious affairs. From my experience I can say that you will only compete against yourself. I think everyone soon finds their own level and adjust their expectations accordingly. You can then forget all the blacks and blues and concentrate on what you can achieve, you will know instinctively by the end of the session if you have achieved what you are capable of. In summary a great experience and one to be repeated.