First route of the year.

Today I did my first route of the year. I've spent muchos time working projects without actually ticking (or indeed trying) anything at a slightly more rapidly achievable level. Which is fine, but it's nice to actually get a tick for all the effort expended thus far.
Anyway last week I spent a day mostly avoiding climbing by indulging in an epic bolting job for a new (probably very hard) line. But I did also venture to Trollers Gill where I had one quick toprope of Smouldering Globules Of Lust (previously of 7b+ fame but recently upgraded to 7c). Then on Sunday I found myself at Trollers once again. This time I managed to avoid climbing for most of the day by indulging in daddy daycare activities. However as a warm-up/main event/warm-down all in one combo I had a redpoint of Smouldering. It was all going swimmingly until I fluffed up a reachy clip. My mojo was blow-joed and I fell off the next move after spending an inordinate amount of time on the clip. Bah, oh well.
Today I was once again at Trollers, again the warm-up was a redpoint on Smouldering. This time it all went pretty easily, hell I was even putting the clips in on the top half, get me. Anyway on paper it sounds a bit naff, 7c in three sessions. But the reality is it's gone in three attempts (not counting a very brief failure at the start with a bogus sequence some time last year). Reasonably happy with that.
Also worked a new sequence on The Tinderbox, Andy's new route from last year. It has recently lost a hold on the crux so needed a new approach and I got a workable method and had a couple of redpoint attempts but weepy skin coupled with poor conditions meant no dice. This was originally given 7c+ but I think it is now going to be 8a. In fact I think it probably always was 8a but what do I know? When it comes to sport grades almost certainly not enough...

Lets get objective

This blog started back in the dim and distant past as a record of my efforts to reach a particular objective, that being to tick a Font 8A problem in the forest. Hence the title, Notes on an Objective, see? Anyway said objective was ticked at the start of April in my annual Easter trip to Font. So I guess new objectives need putting in place. In keeping with tradition this objective will be simply grade based, however to reflect my broadened interest in the church of climbing there will now be two goals. The aim is to get both by the end of the year.
1) A Font 8B boulder problem
2) A sport 8b+ route

Both feel a way off right now but the year is still quite young so time will tell.
As an additional goal, given that an Autumn Font trip is looking likely, I'd like to tick another 8A in the forest before the year is out.
Anyway 'tis the season to be sporty so time to get clipping.

Aim High

Friday was another sport session. A different venue and a different project but much the same outcome as Kilnsey. Links were made, things are feeling easier but the finish line is still somewhere in the distance. This project is probably the hardest "active" project I have going. Obviously there are other lines I've seen but I'm yet to get on which will be harder but they are currently pie in the sky. Mind you so is this right now, I am not going to climb this route on my next session, it's too hard. For me it's very hard. But that's good. Not because it will be x-grade (although it is easy to see the attraction in that also) but because it's a challenge. Climbing is a total "because it's there" game, there is no higher point or purpose, it is purely about personal satisfaction. So to all those who go out and strive to push themselves harder and further, regardless of where on an arbritary scale your challenge lies, I salute you.

To that end on Sunday I went to Jumbles with G-lah and Captain Convenient Forecourt Lunch Option. This place is filthy dirty and largely falling down but holds a couple of gems in the Lancashire sense of the word ;O). Here there is a modern classic by the name of Clowns Pocket, it's nice moves on good rock, low enough to boulder but high enough to feel spicy. Pasty has been trying this line and on Sunday (with a post stag do hangover) he was looking good. In the end he had several nearly goes but finished with an impressive backward exploding dismount from the last move. I think a slight tweak to his postioning for this move and he'll rinse it. He fully went for it, something I approve of heartily.

Sadly my spotting was less worthy of note. I apologise Pasty, I hope you're not too sore today...

Busy failing.

Had a couple of sessions at Kilnsey last week working a project and started getting some decent links together. Which was nice. I'd been kind of hoping to get it crushed but realistically that wasn't going to happen, I'm chronically unfit with respect to sport climbing even for bouldery routes. Fuck knows how shameful the performance would be on a proper stamina plod.

Then Friday evening I headed up to Silverdale with G-bob. I did Crushinator, a problem that G dispatched a couple of days earlier. Then tried a few other problems in the fading light, things to come back to (wow that list is getting long...)

Today back to Kilnsey, another couple of red-points on the project. I still lack the fitness for this, and I also don't have the ability to recover on a "rest". I'm hoping with a bit more effort these improvements will come but stamina (along with flexibility) has always been a very weak part of my game. Anyway it's starting to feel easier so I think it will go soon(ish), as long as I don't get bored and disheartened by failure. Maybe time to try another route/project and come back to this in a week or so? Anyway the Guru crushed it on his second redpoint of the day, bon effort.