Of course, it then fills me with pride when other talented climbers climb my routes and then hopefully find them beautiful. Basically, for me, it's always about finding the best solution to get to the top.

How a line becomes a route
My approach is always the same: First, I look for an area where I think there is a lot of potential. A good example is my current favorite boulder spot Val Bavona. Here I can be found very often. In the climbing breaks I walk the area and usually find a lot of beautiful lines. Then it's a matter of assessing whether it could be a potential new route or not. Means concretely: Is the relationship between effort and return right?

With my King Lines I look carefully to see if there are enough holds and footholds to get to the top with beautiful moves. And of course it is also crucial how the rock is. Oh yes, another point is also very important to me: the location and the aesthetics of the boulder. In addition, the line should of course be close to my limit. When I find a king line for me, I start cleaning the holds that I think I can hold. This does not take so much time and gives me the opportunity to try out the line. If it appeals to me and meets my criteria, I then of course brush more extensively to add even more flexibility.

What do you use to clean a rock?
Sometimes people ask me what I use to clean a rock. I can't answer that directly. It depends on what kind of rock it is. Whether it is very hard or rather soft. Since I don't always know what I'll encounter, I honestly have a whole assortment of different brushes with me. Basically, it's very important that all the dirt is gone. That makes a lot of difference afterwards when climbing. The nicest feeling is then to touch the holds with chalk for the first time. Other important utensils for me are: a fan to blow the hands dry and keep a cool head and strong spotlights to illuminate the route and all its details well. Every now and then it gets a bit late. :-)

It's also important to say that for safety reasons I'm generally not out on my own.

Yes, I love to climb outside, because I appreciate nature very much. That's why it's also very important to me to always take my trash with me and clean up my tick marks.

Thanks for many ratings and comments here on Blogofinterests. By the way, I would also be happy if we would meet each other climbing sometime.

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