Czech Climbing - Zpravodaj

We had some experience with other first ascents, so after learning the local ethics- that routes must be ground up without power drills- we decided for the least probable variant of logical a route on this particular rock monument.

Well there would be more places, but climbing in a stone quarry or a botanical garden of cactuses is not the best choice, so the relatively firmest rock is in northeast or north face of the Sugar Loaf. Relatively firm, because even there you find loose stones, but the worse we had already broken down by ours skyhooks or hands and feet.

So it is a three pitches route. The first pitch is 6b+/30m technical plate. The first bolts Tomas put in a heat of 35 degrees Celcius. So after dropping down we realized we had to wait for shade or continue the next morning. In the evening I continued and added two more bolts, then Tomas went on and we had a belay station. We were under the overhang.

The second pitch is 8a+ /25m and their creating got the working name "psycho", about 70% of what we held came off and sitting in skyhooks was a bit of an adrenalin rush.
Its my turn to try to put in a bolt, but I do not want too run it out on loose rock. Then Tomas tried it and put the bolt a bit further. The master continues in cleaning. A slight traverse left down and several long moves on crimps, you would hardly believe with even a skyhook. He finds a position, carefuly sits, covers teeth, but the hold doesn´t hold. Many falls, and then he tries a loose hold and it keeps, so after ten minutes psycho the bolt is on. Another five metres are ahead. Continuing on. Two giant jumps follow and a good ledge, bolt and another one and one more and change. The same psycho with every bolt, I put two bolts and the belay station. The hand drill is after the first bolt dead so I go down and Tomas hammers down the second one. Uf, the hardest pitch on the Sugarloaf mountain is ready. We enjoyed the super adrenalin experience.

The third pitch goes along two bolts by Tomas and he shows nice style like on Czech trad sandstone. And he joints to the older routes, there for we continue by Italian route to the summit.

Well and ours feelings?
The route is nice, well bolted and in sport style. And is literally attracting the other adepts to try it to climb and do the first repetition after Tomas who climbed the route on 7th February 2007. (In his Czech articel on Hudy site Tomas explaines he did it in an afternoon under the dark sky and during rain and on the several atempt RK). You will have to speed up because Brazilians may going to cancel the route. Allegedly the Pao de Azucar was declared by natural preservation and new first ascents are forbidden there specifically in the north face. In the south face they are allowed, but the cactuses would defend any attepmt to try to go through. Well we will see how they will decide, each time they say something different. In Brazil everything is possisble so the removable heads of the bolts will be able in climbing center Vertical Limit in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro.
Be aware that everything you do not take away from the route, could disappear in one day. Including slings you leave on the belay station.

After the fulfilling the old dream we were satisfied and we enjoyed more and more adventures in the city of gods, where man has sometimes feeling that it was bought by hell.
Simply when you think, that something has just finished, it has just started. But it is for a long story. Viva la Brasilia, greeting to all fellows.

Jirka Lautner
(photos by Jirka Lautner and Tomas Sobotka)
The other participants: Vodar, Parek, Monrou and Peta.

Beda:
Mesto bohu RP 8a+ (Cidade de Deus, City of Gods), Pao de Azucar, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 26, 27 and 29 January 2007 - Tomáš Sobotka x Jirka Lautner, Czech Republic (Hudy Sport, Rock Empire, Direct Alpine a ČHS)

The inspiration for the route setting came from the movie City of Gods.

Translation from the original article in Czech on: www.Lezec.cz by Lezec team

City of Gods, 8a+, on Pao de Azucar

Rion de Janeiro, Brazil

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