28.12 Casa Roccolino Agarone, Switzerland

Swiss Alps Ahhhh, sun. That big golden fellow in the sky never looked so good. Woke up this morning, opened the front door and almost died of happiness. Just beyond the little vine covered porch which surrounds our new home, underneath the most dazzling sunlight, were the Swiss Alps practically yodeling their presence. In the middle of all that immense grandeur was a thin strip of a valley and several Swiss-Italian villages surrounding a lake nestled right in there at the base of the steep hillsides. Vineyards are strewn about the valley floor and can also be found as the main attraction in most of the resident's backyards. No shortage of winos in this part of the world and I don't think it will take all that long until I become one as well (as if I'm not already well on my way after France). Our only distraction from aforementioned mountain ogling was the lack of running water in the homestead. Not such a big deal, until you finish your morning coffee and realize that there is no working toilet either. No fear, just call your local plumber - and figure out how to say "no water, no flushy flushy" in Italian. After about 30 minutes of adding vowels onto the end of every noun, hoping to luck upon some intelligible communication, our water was running. Check out the view from Casa Roccolino, Switzerland. (click on photos to enlarge)

07.12 Partage Buthiers, Fontainebleau

Perfection Found on undoubtably one of the proudest boulders in Fontainebleau, rising almost 7 meters out of perfectly flat ground in a graceful curve, Partage is the perfect boulder problem. First climbed together by Jacky Godoffe and Marc Le Menestrel about three years ago, the powerful and balancy arete has seen few repeats. At the end of a long day, after many near successes, Randy Puro pulled through both cuxes and fell, no doubt a bit tired, from the top of the boulder. He returned a week later and after just three tries, pulled right on through the cuxes and topped out the airy finish. "It was a highlight of the trip," he said, "it's the perfect boulder problem."   Randy Puro on Partage.   (click on photo to enlarge)