This morning, even though I had no spotter, I did take an extra crashpad with me to Apremont Fond des Gorges to try "Saïgon" again. At least the extra pad would increase the confidence level with at least one point, increasing my chances at the same time.
Coming from the other side this time, as I parked on the other parking, I had to walk much less and I felt fresh and in good shape when I arrived at the magnificent pillar of "Saïgon" in Apremont Fond des Gorges.
It was still early and the sun hadn't warmed up the left arete yet, on top of that, the air last night must have been quite dry, because there hardly any sign of morning humidity on the right arete of the boulder. Add to that the motivation, the skin that felt good and the deep desire to climb up this beautiful piece of rock. I was good to go.
Already on my first try, I felt more confident than before, but to keep the friction as good as it was, I took my time between attempts.
The big advantage of the better friction was that I could focus more on my foot placement, which suddenly put in a position that was good enough for taking the good, but surprisingly slopey rail.
I matched my other hand on the rail and in a fraction of a second, I was doubting to either take an intermediate sidepull on the right, like I had seen everyone else do on videos, or go straight up to the good top. In that same fraction, I decided to go straight up dynamically and couldn't resist shouting out the relief when I grabbed the top.
I almost couldn't believe it. It was just passed 10h am and I had already finished it.
Big thanks to the opener Grégoire Thibault for having opened such a gem. Five stars well deserved!
Fontainebleau - Apremont Fond des Gorges - Saïgon 7C
"Saïgon" from the other side.
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