"Why England?" | Matteo Arnodo

I would like to tell you about my trip to England and to do so I take a step back and try to give a context of why I am here.
For some more, for others less.

The English climbing is a source of fascination and motivation, you want for high-sounding names like Jerry Moffat, Ben Moon and others, you want because the climbing "trad" and the English spirit have a lot of charm, you want because their way of bouldering-groundup enriches the experience of their climbs, you want for the fact that they have the gritstone, in any case we all know that in Peak District scale, we all suspended the notch of the B. 1000, we all pulled a grip to the moon.

I think it was 2014, I remember that I was training at the Runout, it was morning and it was cold, the gyms were not like today, and fortunately I would say. It is thanks to that place that my tormented soul has found a way of expressing itself. I was resting between the series at the beam sitting in front of the stove and browsing through the magazines that Albi had accumulated over time, I don’t remember if it was Grimper, Pareti or Alp; I saw an article that talked about trad and gritstone, It fascinated me a lot and how often happened I made the next series to the beam thinking of those photos. I read the blog of Niky Ceria almost as if it were the bible and the following year he published his ascent of Voyager sit, the first repetition. Naive about what it would take to get there, I thought, one day I would try it.

In those years I was going from climbing in crag to bouldering and understanding what I was going to do I found in that blog lots of food for thought and motivation to look for information about places that maybe I would never see. I knew blocks of Rockland, the Granpians, Redrocks, Font and other places. There are blocks that have been fixed in my mind indelibly, among these Voyager, needless to say I will probably never climb it but these are details.

Fast forward to 2023, with Gio and Ricky we tried several times to organize a getaway in the Peak in a long weekend or bridge but we never managed to combine. The search for information and motivation continued to grow, and I began to think of other areas as well, Yorkshire and Northumberland. In the spring of this year Gio and I did 4 days where we tasted a challenging rock and a discouraging weather, but we are like that, we fell in love immediately.

Deliverance, Matteo Arnodo

The month after we climbed again, on that occasion also added to us Ale moved by the desire in common with Gio to retrace the historical steps of Jerry in one of the most iconic passages of the Peak.

The Jocker, Giovanni Calisse

On that occasion, after their departure, I also visited a little Yorkshire. Those days alone made me discover that probably one of the things I like most about England are the English, besides the green and peace that can be found by breathing the moors. Over the years my vision of bouldering has changed but I have not stopped chasing chimeras and I have not stopped falling in love at first sight. I bought a book the first time I was here, Grit Blocs, as if it were a playboy number, for someone, I flashed my eyes in front of a photo, I absolutely had to try Lanny Bassham.

It was a very special year, but it gave me the strength to finally look outside the border, prepare the van, greet home and try to see what happens on this island where you drive in reverse and the elderly, characterized by a younger spirit than mine, They go to the pub to drink beer. I guarantee that they can warm the heart. So I left at the end of September with Nala and as many BrazzPad as possible.

Why are we leaving? For each one there is always a there. For every if there is always a but, in the search of an authentic presence I realize that nothing is achieved by negligence. Every choice requires a sacrifice and for each one on there is always a down. Remember Semola, you are a fish!