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| Climbing shoes on the water, ready to freeclimb those cliffs |
I've tried many different types of climbing, from iconic places like the Cosmiques Ridge or the outlandish pillars of Montserrat, to more homebound Kullaberg and even my own backyard. I've done a fair bit of ice climbing too, both in Sweden and abroad. Now it was time to try something new, get out of that comfort zone and get some beautiful adrenaline kicks! There are few things that scare me, and I thought I'd be fine, but I was in for a
surprise.
As the autumn season entered Northern hemosphere, I gathered a team of climbers and
headed to the Mediterranean, more precisely to the Balearic islands. The target
was Mallorca, known for its plentiful sport climbing crags - but also for being
a world-class Deep Water Solo destination.
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| Welcome to the wild Mallorcan nature! Cliffs all around if that's what makes you tick. |
Deep Water Solo, or psych, is a style of climbing without belay. Basically,
you do not have any safety - but if you fall, you land in the water. To make
this possible, the cliffs have to be vertical or overhanging, and have to be
located above deep water. If you are into bouldering, you'll recognize it
- however, it's much higher, more slippery, and you can't rest a bit once you
fell - you have to get to the surface and stay afloat.
In order to reduce the risk of injuries, you have to enter the water in a
certain way. This means you have to quickly turn into a correct position while
you're falling, a technique that needs practicing. Some climbing routes are 20+
meters, and some have shallow patches below that need to be avoided, so great
care should be taken.
Another thing to consider is the sea state. With a big swell, it may be hard or
impossible to approach from the water, or to exit the area. Sometimes, kayaks
or other floatation help is used to approach, but with steep waves it may be a
question of choosing a climbing spot on the opposite side of the island
instead. Or going for some traditional or sport climbing, as there are plenty of choices!
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| So many amazing options for climbing in Mallorca. |
The island is small on the map, but quite large in practice - reaching a good
climbing spot on the opposite side is possible given that you have a car, but
may still become a full day's project. This means that choosing a good base
camp location is key to time well spent climbing.
There are many different areas on the island suitable for different kinds of
climbing. DWS has a few spots along the coast. We tried out several, starting
with the North and finishing with South-East.
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| The dramatic coast of Mallorca, ready to be climbed! Thank you Valeriya Kirdyaeva for the beautiful drone photo. |
We started the first day with climbing near to where we were staying, Puig St
Marti. Amazing views had opened, this is what we came here for! We did some climbing to get the team work going.
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| That's me, mid-climb! Thank you Valeriya Kirdyaeva for the drone photo |
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| After climb selfie |
Then, we moved
along to trying the Deep Water Solo. Now, I'll be frank. I really dislike jumping into water from high heights. I'm
a climber - climbers don't like falling. Also, the fact that many spinal
injuries originate from diving into water incorrectly does not really make me
more fond of the idea. Both my body and mind scream "Don't do it!" and
it can be a very torturous exercise. Nevertheless, now as I was here, I had to to mobilize my willpower and just get it done.
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| Kayaks ready for approach to the DWS spot |
We rented kayaks and also tried to hire a DWS-instructor to be safe. Unfortunately, the one we encountered did
not account for much safety - rather the opposite, from my own perspective as a
guide. In short, the guy's attitude was more of a daredevil, trying to trigger or bully the group members into doing something they did not feel comfortable with, rather than first expanding the comfort zone through training, information and guiding, and then coaching further in a controlled way. There were some lessons to be learned, so we can ensure the safety even
better next time. People will always be on different levels, but in order to help someone develop and grow there are better tools than carelessness and cowboy attitude.
After these initial difficulties we finally started the actual climbing. The approach to the spot was
made with kayaks. Everyone made a few tries, coming up to certain points and then practicing the fall. After a while, we changed the spot, moored the kayaks and did
some more soloing.
It was quite a challenge for the mind. Normally, the harness and the rope leading to the
belayer remind you that if you fall, you're safe (given that all parts of the
protection system will do what they are supposed to). Here, your body quickly
learns that if you let go, you fall. My body reacted with adrenaline bursts. My mind
wanted to minimize all risks, basically to stop climbing. I had a hard time
pushing myself to continue past the firm and safe, towards the tricky parts of
the climbing route. Since my body did not want to fall, it definitely did not want to climb further. So I
got to gently push myself to go forth, in a controlled way. It was difficult. Climbing
is generally about both physical and mental strength, but here it's even more important. No
wonder it's called psic or psych.
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| That's me half way up the cliff, if you watch closer. Thank you Valeriya Kirdyaeva for the photo from the water! |
The day on the water and the cliffs made sure everyone was exhausted, so we went back to the villa we were renting, and had a dinner and some well-deserved sleep. Renting a whole house in Mallorca is a great deal when you are a group of people. Everyone gets their own beds, shares the kitchen and the showers, hangs out on the balcony for breakfasts or dinners, and there is always a possibility for a post-climb chat.
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| Some grilled seafood for dinner? |
The day after, we headed to a climbing area called Tijiana. Indeed it was hot
and dry! The climbing routes were fun, the area being quite different from yesterday's climbing.
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| View from the top. Do not come too close to the edge if you are not belayed! |
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| Approach to sun-scorched Tijuana |
However, I found that after yesterday's Deep Solo I had a very hard time to climb even though I was belayed. My body remembered that
if I fall, I fall. So after reaching a few metres up on a vertical route, I was experiencing stress reactions, like having a hard time to trust the
gear and the belay partner, and not trusting my climbing grip in case the shoes are slippery - despite dryness. It was all
in my mind - but if your mind is strong and imaginative, it will be a tough
sparring partner once it has turned against you.
Far away from the comfort zone, I opted for the only thing that was logical. I
was going to continue to both climb traditionally and to do Deep Water Solo until my mind gets used to it.
From all the climbers that came along, only one was as eager to continue to do Deep Water Solo, the rest wanted to continue the traditional way. Me and the other climber teamed up and went off to the nearest DWS spot. She did an amazing job
developing the skills!
We kept on every day, interchanging sport climbing and DWS, sharing a pair of
dry shoes and a pair of wet ones. We credited each other and had long talks in the evening about nothing and everything. We found many climbing areas on the East coast, all very different from each other in difficulty, feel, aesthetics and surroundings.
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| Pretty places on the approach - an overgrown portal in blue hues |
One could spend months here, never climbing the same route. And never Deep Water Soloing the same route eaither, really. Only once we had a day with no Deep
Water Soloing, it was because of the wind causing a large swell that day, making it too dangerous to get out.
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| Some beautiful DWS spots on the East coast of Mallorca |
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| Resting in between the climbs. The water's nice in September, and the sun is still very hot! Sailing is very tempting too, and could be the perfect sport to combine with DWS. |
The last day of the Balearics stay was packed with adventure. Trying to meet
the agenda of everyone involved, we got a full tour of the island with
different destinations and activities, on a tight schedule. The last of the climbing had to be done, this time in Felanitx.
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| Pernilla is reaching for the top |
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| Pernilla, a climber and a firefighter, just like me - in the midst of leading a route |
One of the
activities was visiting Santanyi again - where I finally on-sighted my very
first Deep Water Solo route! With shaking knees, I stood on the top. Victory! We also did some unrelated activities just for fun, such as horse back riding, wine tasting and sightseeing.
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| Soft hangout on a horseback! |
On the way back, I got some photos of the legendary Es Puntas. Here is the
hardest DWS climbed ever. My ambition is to get back, do some more DWS training, and
enjoy this place more. And of course, try some Es Puntas routes. Such an inspiration!
It was not really time to head back home though - I was going to do some Mediterranean
sailing too! A skipper I've sailed with before was going to pass Mallorca on
the way to Southern France. I was welcome to join, and so I did. A gale was
brewing, but off we went. That's another post though.
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| Sailing off the coast of Balearics |
So since then, as I talk about Deep Water Soloing, I often get the question why the heck I am doing this if I find it so difficult mentally. Well, the answer is: what's in the way, is the way. If I was to grow and develop, I need to challenge myself. And I truly have seen the difference after training DWS. It's the heightened mental resilience. It's the higher ability to stand calm when there is danger, and fear tries to get control of your body and mind. I did not know this at the moment, but during the years to come after this trip, I would be in very many difficult situations that may scare the living crap out of you. Being near front in war zones, or people being lost overboard during storm, horrible accidents involving fire and open wounds, or being a first responder when deadly violence is ongoing in a civilian setting. Basically, the more you expose yourself to situations that make you react with fear, the more you train controlling your reactions. That can make all the difference one day.
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| Fear or peace of mind? If you practice, you can choose. |
