Ascents in Piatra Craiului

Did the original pitch, belaying off a rock. Dana tried the 5+ leftmost variant (quite friable), I did the 4+ right one (not friable, but grassy, some pro opportunities available on the right). The theoretical new bolt belay is actually a single bolt, and the following 4+ chimney is only protected at the base, so we continued on the original pitch.

Did the old pitch, but broken down in 2 pitches (can't increase pitch number on thecrag), by using the new P1 belay (1 bolt, 1 tree, not 2 bolts like on the drawing) as an intermediate belay.

First bit is cool but really pumpy - aided my way up until the overhanging dihedral, which I freed, but rested on the rope. 25m 7- if free

Second bit just has 1 draw I pulled on, at the initial overhang, and then easy (5 or less) terrain to the belay at a rock. 25m 70

Also broken down in 2 pitches on account of rope drag. Final belay on rock horn + red totem

Did the original version, with the photogenic layback (protectable by slingable chockstone). Belayed at a rock right after reaching the ridge, since Dana wanted to warn me about a very loose rock on the ridge (still there, there were people in the gullies below). Bolt belay (2 bolts) is 10m onwards on the ridge, at the base of the first face, which would be a 50m pitch then.

Had almost forgotten about that bushwhack

My favourite pitch. Accidentally stepped on a piton, so rather than 6/6+ let's say 6 A1.Fancy, balancy, well-protected 6 UIAA face climbing mixed with 5 UIAA friable alpine crap

Intermediate belay at the bushes since I forgot to turn right and climbed the peak instead

Tried to lead, got scared above the bolt (felt there was ground fall potential with my long slings, still had 30m of terrain to do), switched leads

Very airy and beautiful pitch, probably the most stylish

Rested on the rope a couple times in the crux but freed the moves. Reached the right exit all pumped, was informed I'd better not take a fall above the cam (red Totem, our largest) since it's a long pendulum to the point where ropes were slung across a horn. Waited until the pump went away, climbed half the crack, bumped the cam to a placement as high as I could reach, rested again, climbed the crack to good holds, reached down to remove the cam, continued. Still can't commit,it seems...

Gear placement practice to calm my nerves.

We found an extra peg on the right, 2m above the start (not the one on the left that makes your ropes drag). First time on Piatra Craiului limestone, long and balancy moves for the grade, I feel. Utterly lovely. Would have liked a sling around the horn at the chimney exit since the move is unprotected for the second (there's a piton under it for the leader) and falling on it means a 5m pendulum, but there comes a point in a woman's life when she needs to accept that she doesn't fall on 4 UIAA moves on dry sturdy rock in perfect conditions. There's an argument to be had against slinging that horn since it'd need a pretty long sling not to introduce some rather gnarly rope drag (we didn't have anything longer than 120cm, and not many of those either), I think a good compromise would be slinging it but not clipping the rope in it on lead, so when the second reaches the Move they can clip into it beforehand and remove it 15 seconds later - voila, no drag!

Meat of the route, two cracks with good holds and long and balancy moves - such a different style than my native Bicaz, I feel. Crux is supposedly on the first, pitoned-out crack (a balancy snaky layback on a stuck flake to reach from 1 set of good footholds to another set of good footholds) but I felt the move on the no-fixed-gear second crux was harder - think there's better beta than the balance-on-one-high-foot-and-reach-up thing I did though. We used a bunch of small friends (BD 0.4 to 1) and slings for pro

From here on up it's an easy scramble on the ridge, with little pro possibility (sling the occasional bullshit, but life's pretty friable here) but on super easy terrain. Belay when you find a good rock.

Most of it is more UIAA 1 easy scrambling, with a small chimney at the end (easy, obvious moves)