Notes on an objective

This is the end...

2011-02-18T05:01:00.000-08:00

I've kind of fallen out of love with this blog, not that I ever was in love with it but you know what I mean. It's more than run it's course I think. I have thoughts for something new, a fresh start if you like, but I won't make promises I can't keep.
Anyway I think this is goodbye, it's been emotional.

It's A dog's Life

2011-01-19T04:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went out to Cow's Mouth Quarry, a local-ish venue, with a view to trying Daytona Wall and Daytona Wall Direct. Last year I did Boldness Through Ignorance which is on the same buttress and had seen that the other routes looked good so I had harboured ideas of a return visit. I turned up and visually the lines looked dry and clean, there was a bit of dampness in the depths of some low down cracks and breaks but that was easily avoided and the higher face appeared dry. The original route Daytona Wall takes a rising traverse line, starting on the far left and topping out to the right. There is also a direct start, and a direct finish. Daytona Wall gets E5, the Direct Start and Direct Finish are also both E5.
I decided to try the Directs first. The direct start is actually pretty straight-forward, maybe slightly harder than the original start but not a lot in it. The middle bit (which is common to all three lines) was surprisingly technical but a delightful move once I hit the right sequence. Then it's a couple of long but easy reaches to find yourself a move or two below the top at a couple of holds in a thin break. At this point Daytona Wall head off right to an obvious and easy finish. I was keen for the direct finish though. It all seemed pretty obvious, reach up with the right to a slightly gaston-y hold, high left foot in the break, rock-on and reach the top. I went for the gaston-y hold with my right hand and felt very stretched out, too stretched out?? I tried to get my foot up to the break but (as a short inflexible old man) I could only just get my toe up to the edge of the foothold, I tried to waggle it further onto the hold, and a bit of the part I was stood on crumbled under my foot, hmmm... A couple more waggles and the foots on, phew. But now I can't move up, the foot is too high and is fouling on my left arm so I can't get any weight onto it. This is getting a bit tense now. Right move my left arm, put my left hand back on the same hold but this time with my arm under my leg. Right now I can move, get weight onto the foot and up to the top, sheesh. The dog stops crying.
Back down to the bottom, give the dog a fuss, then off up the original line. This goes easily, it just flows really nicely and is over very quickly and with no fuss, although having done the direct start and finsh and Boldness Through Ignorance I've done the vast majority of the climbing before so it's hardly on-sight.
I think Daytona Wall is an excellent quarried grit E5, I also think combining the directs as a solo is well worth E6, that top move felt hard to me. However I have a sneaking suspicion that it may (only may, I certainly couldn't say for sure) be possible to arrange some gear in the top break before the final hard move, which would probably get it back down to E5.
I'm really feeling keen for some trad this season.

Report from the Font line...

2010-11-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back from Font. It was great weather, there were no kids to consider and I was rubbish.
Something about PPPPPP, prior preparation prevents and all that...
A summer of sport climbing is all well and good, but it certainly doesn't set you up well for a cheeky week of power in Font come the Autumn, especially when coupled with finger injury the week before departure. Lesson well and truly learned. This was compounded by the fact I felt rough for the whole week. I got home to discover I'd lost half a stone in weight, whilst holidaying in the land of the pastry, indicative of a serious case of consumption I'd say.
Anyway nothing of any note got ticked but a good time was had and I finally did El Poussif which has been a bogey problem of mine for several years. I've consistently tried it each year and it's always felt like it would go but I've reliably fallen short of the top. This Easter's trip I gave it a miss for the first time in several years, and then last week bosh first attempt it goes down, and feels pretty steady, and in front of a gang of young French hot(ish)-shots who then go on to fail on it for a couple of hours (well OK they obviously weren't anything like hot-shots, but they were French and young so the point stands). On a trip like this you need to take all the victories you can, no matter how trivial, so yay for me.
Maybe I should follow Keiths example and lock myself in a garage with a collection of dirty small crimps and a steep board...
Toodle-pip, what? what?

Phew, that was close...

2010-10-12T03:00:00.000-07:00

After my finger misery of the last post I continued to wallow in a depressed funk and was generally grumpy, not a great pleasure to be around for that time. Anyway come Saturday the finger, whilst still uncomfortable and not right, felt as though it could be climbed on. Obviously when I say it could be climbed on what I mean is any intelligent rational person would rest for a few more days and monitor progress before diving in at the deep end but obsession being what it is I climbed.
A delightful day was had with the Guru, the rare treat being a complete lack of curfew, this makes days out so much more pleasurable and relaxed. Guru made good progress on his chosen target and I likewise made inroads on a (hopefully) short term goal. The climbing was (or certainly felt) fingery and powerful so provided an adequate test-bed for finger damage assessment. And the verdict was that whilst it wasn't right, it wasn't that wrong either. Woop woop. Or so I thought...

Roll forward to Monday evening and I decide to try the board. The warm up went fine, although I still felt a bit stiff and sore from Saturday (it was a long day), and even the circuit went OK, two and a half laps (a couple of moves shy of my best) but then onto the power problems. Oooof, the finger didn't feel so good then. Hmmmm, a bit of thinking about things led me to what is a pretty obvious truth, sometimes when you think you're pulling hard on routes, you're just not. On the board or perhaps bouldering are when you really pull down.

Anyway whilst out on Saturday the Guru and I discussed our aims for the coming winter on grit and we both appear to be suffering from the same malaise towards grit bouldering. There's still problems out there to do, but the buzz isn't quite there. At first I thought maybe this was because (in my case at least) I wanted to cling onto the remains of the sport season and get a tick or two done. But a bit more analysis led me to the conclusion that the routes were calling, maybe it's time for me to get back on the trad? And to that end I think I'll spend the afternoon surveying a couple of local prospects. Cheery-bye...

Bum bum bum.

2010-10-07T02:07:00.000-07:00

I'm not a happy camper.
Last night I had a board session with Pasty and Memory Man (a newcomer to the fold). It was an enjoyable session, Pasty was looking stronger again on the steep stuff pulling on smaller holds and even his footwork seemed more crisp and precise. Memory Man struggled with the steepness but had pretty good positional awareness and reasonable strength in his arms and core, his fingers were his weak link (and footwork of course...). Anyway it was a fairly steady session with a healthy ratio of chat to climb. I didn't want to push too much as my left hand split tip was still at a critical re-splitting stage which would mean back to square one.

Roll forward to this morning and I am woken in the early hours by pain in my right ring finger and wrist, WTF?? This pain grows throughout the early hours making sleep difficult and causing my mood to deteriorate rapidly. Breakfasting the family and dressing Lard was undertaken through gritted teeth (caused by pain and poor mood) and now all family members are packed off to work/playgroup I've had a chance to assess the damage. My thoughts are thus:
1) This is very annoying
2) I don't think it's a pulley thing in the finger, it doesn't feel like it is and I don't remember doing anything last night that felt poppy.
3) I think the finger is probably some sort of lateral straining, I have noticed recently that my fingers have felt weak and painful when a lateral force is applied so I think I've aggravated this. I'm hoping it's just some light bruising/straining type thing and it will clear up in a day or two.
4) This is very annoying as I was hoping to get out and (assuming I could find dry rock) I was optimistic about getting some sport ticking ticked.
5) I am more concerned by the wrist pain, this is currently the less painful area but I think this has to be tendon (or some supporting structure) that has taken a hit. Again I don't remember anything that pulled it but that's all I can think of given the area/nature of the discomfort (as I dredge up anatomy from the far recesses of my mind...). Luckily this isn't so painful so I hope this is a minor tweak which will again sort itself in a day or two. My worry is that it could be a longer term problem, visions of G-lanks multi month rehab from pulley poppage...
6) This is very annoying as I'm going to Font in two weeks.
7) I'm annoyed.

Anyway enough negative stuff, I'll go off and concentrate on mending...

Sunday at Chapel.

2010-09-28T05:42:00.000-07:00

Can't believe that pun hasn't occured to me before now...

But first Friday on the board. Another reasonable session on the board, getting even closer to the long term project, the top now feels like a formality (after initially feeling desperate). The first "slap" is feeling more and more static, I've still not properly held the hold but I'm definitely hanging it for a brief period of time. Yes that makes no sense, so sue me. Also managed to get one more move on the circuit, three laps is close now. All of this is very boring though, reading about moves I can do a few times or moves I can't do once which aren't even made of real rock on a poxy home board that you've quite likely never seen. Maybe I'll sort out a bit of video of it, still dull, but even more self-indulgent on my part...
Anyway the bad thing about the Friday training session was a left middle finger split tip, annoyingly postioned for Sundays plans which I hoped to involve pulling down hard on shallow left hand two finger undercuts. Bugger.

Saturday was epic in length, constant activity from 6am until 2am Sunday morning then up again at 6am Sunday morning feeling a little jaded. But the weather was nice so myself and Lard packed up the car and hit the road. Mrs Me's enthusiasm to come along that she expressed at the tail end of last nights activities had strangely dissapeared in a mere 4 hours of sleep, odd. A blast accross and up the motorway saw us once again trudging across the scree to Chapel Head and it was rather wet. Sexpest and family arrived shortly and discussions were had about staying or heading for pastures alternate. Sexpest had the final word, we stayed (I agreed with his view, after all Surfing With The Alien was dry enough to try). So SP and Mrs SP set about warming up on a route that was approximately 18 miles long while I stuck some clips in Surfing. After they'd returned to terra firma and recovered from altitude sickness I had a dabble on Surfing and gave it a brush, then a rest then redpoint one. I surprised myself by getting through the crux move then my foot popped, bum. Then a bit more dabbling with the third clip (which is really hard), SP had a play and slightly refined the footwork to good effect (still nails mind). I had another couple of red-points, my best effort being getting the third clip (back clipped mind, doh) and then falling. Doesn't sound like much but that's only one move from having done all the hard climbing (leaving only a bit fairly easy stuff and the fickle conditionsy last move). Anyway my skin was VERY sore and the split was growing at a quite alarming rate so I binned it feeling sure that any further attempts would be less successful and more painful. The SP family persevered with their mountaineering efforts, surely they both ticked 8,000 metres. I had a rubbish play on Zantom Phone where I just managed to make myself appear completely incompetent and I confirmed my suspicions that I was very tired and pretty much climbed out.
So Surfer is definitely on, I got close today and about the only two postive things were (1) that I had a pre-worked sequence that only needed minimal tweaking and (2) SP had provided SYKE in the form of 13 wolf power fleece, monster. Whereas the negatives were (1) conditions were not amazing (but to be fair it wasn't awful either) (2) I was very much tired and not on top form (3) skin issues in the critical postion on the critical finger on the critical hand. Next time it should go.

Monday evening I tried to have a board session, I warmed up on monster holds and felt a bit sore and tired but OK. Then I got on the circuit, which has some smaller holds, and it just felt like the split was being ripped apart. Not good, so I binned it. I now feel like I could hit the board tonight and have a good session apart from the split, a bit frustrating. Maybe I'll chance it...

Positive Person, Negative Environment.

2010-09-21T03:31:00.001-07:00

How many posts with a weather theme? Jesus. I feel weirdly positive about my climbing right now. Given the lack of climbing I'm doing, both outside and on the board, I feel like I'm actually going reasonably well. On with the "thingz wot I hav dun" bit...

Last Thursday Lank and Pasty came round for an evening session on the board. A quick brew on arrival and then on to the board. It was another pretty good session which left me with a problem to come back to. Both Lank and Pasty seemed to have improved their footwork, although there was still evidence of some shocking foot-pops, tut-tut. Pasty definitely seems to be adjusting to the steepness well and was looking pretty strong, I think he might have a Winter of CRUSH if things carry on in this vein. Lank spent the evening trying to devise problems that revolved around doing a massive reach beyond mine and Pasty's span, so no change there then. Amongst his lank based machinations he managed to pull down in a convincing fashion. It's good having guests come to the wall as:
1) It gets me out there climbing on it.
2) I end up trying new and different style problems and linking holds in ways I hadn't considered.
3) Group sessions last longer and are more evenly paced.
This is all good stuff but I also need to get the keenie-beanie-ness to head out there seulment and put the effort in. Beasts aren't born they're built. Or something equally cheesey, right?

Saturday I popped up to Kebs with the family, the weather was grim. I didn't climb but I collected a Clip Stick that I've purchased off Nemo The Grumpy Teenage Fish (who incidentally appears to be going quite well right now, if he starts wearing trousers that fit him he might be not bad at climbing).

Sunday I had planned for a regular education session in the presence of the grand master Sex Pest at Chapel Head. The weather had different plans (i'll say no more about the weather) so I headed to Rubicon to meet up with Lank, Rick and Lagers. Now lets just get this clear from the off, I don't like Rubicon. It's all very nice next to the water leafy pretty blah blah but I find the climbing (bouldering) unpleasant and silly. The problems all seem to either be jump starts (which are just silly) or the crux is pulling off the ground (which is silly) or dirty hard sit starts (which aren't silly, well they are but in a different impressive way). Anyway I had a pleasant time despite the climbing. I think me and Lagers both agreed that the way to be amazing at climbing is to come to the crag with a ready supply of pastries and coffee. Sadly I didn't. ANyway afterwards I went for a cake and brew with Lank at Outside and made the extravagant purchase of some liquid chalk. Clip-stick, liquid chalk, just paint me in lycra and call me sport boy. I'm hoping the magic of liquid chalk (coupled with the granting of my wish for more PE and stamina) will change my current sporting vogue for failure into a lengthy line of ticks. Cake slices in Longlands are massive by the way.
Monday evening I went on the board with Mrs Keeg. She is also in training for Font-Oktoberfest and is looking like she's got the bit between her teeth. She's actually pretty handy at climbing in an annoyingly natural way but at times lacks focus and SYKE. Good to see her pulling down and going for (and hitting) moves which most times she'd not even attempt. I had a dabble of my circuit, it's about 16 moves and steep. My strategy is to go round as many time as I can without a rest, then take as long a rest as feels enough then go again (and theoretically repeat this process but I tend to get bored after attempt number 2 and move on to one or two move power problems...). Anyway when I first devised the circuit I could just do one lap and noow I'm up to two and a half laps. I think three laps is just round the corner and I think if I can do four laps then I will have the cling-on-ability to do my LTG sports project (which will then be replaced with a new harder project in the endless cycle of climbing...). I then went on to power problems (I am aware that mixing training like this is not considered optimum training but it's more fun and I'm all about the fun). I surprised myself by doing at the first attempt a problem that was devised at the previous group session on the board, I then worked a longer term project. It has a very hard first move then a hard few moves to the top. The top moves I have linked (albeit unreliably) but the first move is way off. Anyway today I did the top moves a few times in a row and they felt steady and for the first time ever I got my fingers into the pocket that you slap for the first move and for the merest sliver of a second I held it. I dunno where this apparent improvement has come from (god knows I've done nothing to deserve it) but I 'aint complainin'. It has however motivated me, the sport season is coming to an end and it has been thus for less than successful, and I have a Font trip coming at the end of October. I think the time has come to take this motivation and turn it into CRUSH.

September is drawing to a close, hopefully if the fates and the stars align October could be a month where things happen. And it's about bloody time...

Conditions: Fact or excuse?

2010-09-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was spent at Chapel Head Scar with the Sex Pest and his better half. They had implemented "Grandparent Creche Facilities Scheme 1" whereas I had the boy Lard in tow. On arrival there was significant evidence of dampness but SP dazzled us all with a party piece ascent of Wargames in the rain, my hero swooon....
After that we all took place beneath our respective aims for the day, intermingled with Lard entertainment. It was a very pleasant day out but success was somewhat thin on the ground. Sam snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by foot slipping after the last of the bouldery moves on the start of Wargames. SP was Calling Mr Hall but nobody was answering. He managed all the moves and did a pretty major link as his last effort of the day but nothing was tied up, put to bed, satched or whatever is the current vogue term for the opposite of failing. I worked Surfing With The Alien some more, got the move that I struggled with last time. A high hold was wet but I convinced myself that I could climb through that, hmmmm... Anyway at the end of the day I decided to go for a redpoint and it went badly. The crux move is near the start and it felt impossible. Whats going on? How can a move which I'd done earlier in the day and, whilst it was a stiff pull, it wasn't the total living end suddenly feel impossible? I dogged up to the top and then found I couldn't do the last move, and it's and easy move. I'd done it a few time easrlier in the day without any hint of falling and now I couldn't imagine holding the key right sidepull. What? Conditions. The air felt very still and close and I imagine humidity was high. It rendered, for me, the route completely unclimbable. WHich is frustrating, again. Anyway there you go Conditions is F A C T.

Still a great piece of rock, I shall be back...

Perfect alignment happens rarely.

2010-09-10T02:32:00.001-07:00

And it didn't happen yesterday. The plan was a Kilnsey day with the Guru. I had one aim which was A Smarter Martyr, Guru's new(ish) route from last year, or was it this year? I forget and I digress. Anyway, SYKE was high, the evening before I was feeling confident. I've committed all the moves to memory and had worked through the sequence in my head, there was no reason why CRUSH could not be engaged. And then I woke up Thursday morning to drizzle, low cloud, humidity and disturbed bowels. I won't dwell on the latter of these items, suffice it to say that as an ongoing affliction in my life IBS (or is it IBD nowadays?) has shitty (see what I did there?) timing. As for the other de-SYKEing items, the British weather is nothing if not dependable in it's undependability.
Anyway I set off for Kilnsey and on arrival was somewhat heartened to find that the crag was not fully condensation ridden as I expected but actually looked pretty dry and it was quite cool. Maybe things would be alright, I still felt bloated but that was only one factor of many, and surely I had enough of a buffer of success to overcome this? Or maybe a big fart would help??
Anyway Guru and Sean arrived and we chatted, they warmed up and the sun came out. Horror of horrors the temperature ramped up and conditions went to hell in a handcart. The climbing felt desperate, the holds were as I remembered, but just covered in a layer of damp slime (or that's how it felt). I pretty quickly binned the idea of redpointing my aim, and shortly after the Guru did likewise with his. Then in a flash of hopeless optimism I had another blast and failed horribly, yeuch, 'twas grim. Sean was working Biological so I also had a quick play on that inbetween times, nice climbing but a bit long to have any serious appeal to me right now. Anyway then I had to head home for family duty so left Sean and the Guru to CRUSH. Which it appears they did in fine style, Sean getting Biological and Guru rapidly dispatching Private Practice. Nice ones chaps.
Yet again I feel thwarted by my small time windows at the wrong time of day. I'd guess conditions improved as the day went on but staying wasn't an option for me. This is increasingly frustrating as I should have done this route by now (along with several others) but all the required factors are failing to align. I guess it's just part and parcel of being a person living in an imperfect world. Still grates though.
Then Thursday evening G-lank and Pasty came round for a brew and a board session. G demonstrated his immaculate as ever footwork to Pasty. Pasty seemed to take it all on board very quickly and was some emulating G's crisp accurate style. Apparently the footholds are all greasy...
Anyway Pasty was looking pretty strong, I've never seen him on a steep(ish) board before and despite his protestations of weakness he seemed to be pulling on some pretty poor holds. G mostly complained but again was looking strong on the steepness. It's just a shame he's so fat.
Anyway we had quite a long session, if quite low key, and didn't finish until half-ten. So quite a lot of climbing done, which is good, but nothing ticked again. Sounds like I might be of to Chapel Head again at the weekend so maybe some good will come of that...

Come on hips do your stuff...

2010-09-06T08:07:00.000-07:00

Bank holiday Monday was spent at Burbage South boulders with the Font Twenty Ten massive. I was mainly herding but had a swift trog up to the edge with G-lank to declare the Rib impossible for the short and stiff hipped in warm conditions blah blah bleurgh...
Not a lot during the week, one board session on Friday night. Saturday spent herding whilst the boss crushed Shipley, oh yeah.
Sunday I went to Chapel Head Scar on a gooseberry invite with the sex-pest and his family. I took the boy lard and a ready supply of fodder and diggers and a grand day out was had. Even the Guru turned up. Sex-pest redpointed Prime Evil, Guru flashed it (and everything else it seemed, he really is going a bit too well right now). Sam was looking strong on Wargames (which looks epic, powerful start then it goes on forever and ever and ever). SP had a play on Mr Hall but made it look a bit hard (but very good), something to look at next time mayhaps? The chaps were digging a mighty hole. All was well. I had a dabble on Surfing With The Alien and got a workable sequence but for one move where old man hips put pay to success. I tried doing some stretches but everyone laughed at me so I went and dug a hole with the chaps. It's a great venue with brilliant rock so I'm very keen to return at some (not too distant) point. Obviously not until I have indulged in some more stretching (away from prying eyes this time). Righty-ho I'm off to not touch my toes...

Enviromental Climber

2010-08-29T02:15:00.000-07:00

Friday evening I decided to go out for a run. I took the boy Lard up to bed, we read "A Dose Of Doctor Dog" three times and then there was a request for a story "about a train crushing two old ladies who were crossing the tracks too slowly", sometimes I worry about what I've created. I instead offered a story about an old lady who helped a dog find his lost ball, Lard wasn't impressed but it bored him enough to induce sleep. So in preparation for my run I donned my skimpiest shorts and a t-shirt, set the stopwatch running and then hit the road. It was pretty cold but I figured that I'd soon warm up what with all the running and such like, oh what sort of fool am I...
The plan was to run round the park, I'd worked out a circuit of the park was just over 1k so five laps plus the short run to and from the park would end up at about 5.5k-ish. Good plan, nay great plan. Were it not for a couple of small complicating factors. I'd forgotten to allow for the fact that 8pm Summer Friday evenings parks are populated by teenagers, lots of teenagers. So I enter the park, a quick scan of my surroundings yields wall-to-wall cool teenagers lolloping along, cruising on bikes and generally looking cool and young. No worries, I'll blast past them as a streak of grey (hair and clothing) and white (skin and footwear), they'll be impressed, oh yes no doubt. And they probably were. Unfortunately I had forgotten to allow for the fact that bodies of my vintage are prone to random acts of self-sabotage, which is why a hundred metres past the cool kids I pulled up with a calf strain. So here I am at the furthest point from my house, in a park full of cool kids, hobbling along, not even warmed up, shivering, wearing shorts that leave less to the imagination than anyone would desire with a collection of youths - that I have just run past- gaining on me rapidly. They overtook me and, despite my complete humiliation, the earth failed to open up and swallow me.

Saturday we hatched a plan of a day-trip to Wales, bouldering in the pass and then ice-cream, fish and chips and culture in Llandudno. Three hours drive to get to the pass, it's raining, blowing a gale and fucking freezing. Five minutes on Jerry's Roof before a family vote (2-1) in favour of escape to a cafe. Then on to Llandudno for a cream tea (controversially served pre-jammed and creamed and lidded!) then an ice-cream for lard, then fish and chips (with a bit of sandcastle building and pier walking inbetween times). And suddenly it's half six and time to head home. Get home and have a brew, a twelve hour day and six hours driving for five minutes working one problem. Unlike Keith I'd have to say it probably isn't worth it...
I was actually impressed with the pass, if not the weather, I'd be keen to return. But next time I think I'd want more bang for my environmental buck.

Should I Tri Harder?

2010-08-26T03:07:00.000-07:00

Last week I was away on "holiday" with the in-laws. Holiday only in the sense that I wasn't at home, but in terms of a relaxing week away from stress it was an epic fail. God the in-laws are slow, and their extended family (that were also with us) are even slower. Never have my days been so filled with doing nothing, and when we did do something it was invariably sauntering round a Bakewell-esque town visiting tedious shop after tedious shop or handing over vast sums of money to look round a building which looks, in broad terms, exactly the same as the building we looked round yesterday. And even more gallingly is broadly the same as any number of NT properties that I can visit for free. A great holiday.
Anyway I managed to sneak out for a Cornice session with Guru. I failed to redpoint That Was The Sea and he made Ouijaboard look very hard, but did at least manage to tick it. In a strange reversal of fortunes it was the Guru who was time limited and we beat a hasty retreat.
I also managed an early morning run one day and got a PB time, which I wasn't expecting because I felt awful and heavy and slow whilst running. Anyway 5k in 22mins 17s, which gives an average of about 13.5kph.
Then on the way home I stopped at my dads for a couple of days and managed to get out for another run, 5.6k this time in 24min dead. Average speed of 14kph, which gives a 5k time of just under twenty-one and a half minutes, so getting close to the 21min target.
Since getting back home I haven't climbed, or run but have been swimming again. I felt very tired and my legs were strangely sore. I did another 8 minute 16 lengths breast stroke. I then tried to refine my crawl technique by doing short two length sprints. I managed a series of sprints of between 40 and 45 seconds. To be honest it was a pretty poor session, I was having issues with contact lenses and goggles which were really distracting. It's frustrating when things like this are the cause of disruption as I'm not sure I can really pin down what was wrong. It would be annoying to have a contact lens that feels wrong on race day and yet it seems I can't really do anything about it. Hmmm...
Anyway as has become apparent my climbing frequency has taken a bit of a hit, I'm hoping this is down to summer holiday based busyness but I fear that tri training may be a significant factor. And this is without any bike work (still not sorted a bike out) which will probably be the event that will need the most work, and take the most time. So I need to decide whether I just want to turn up for this tri and just get round the course in any time or do I want to give it a decent go and try and post a respectable time? I'm still thinking the latter, but climbing goals need ticking too.

Back in the pool

2010-08-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Doing lengths after a break of approximately 17 years. The local pool was surprisingly busy. There were lanes for people who looked serious and intense, one lane with a few people swimming quite slowly while looking grumpy and one lane with two people swimming pretty quickly whilst looking like they'd managed to trap an intimate part of their anatomy painfully amongst the gussetry of their high performance swimwear. I decided to steer clear of the lane swimming to start with, as I had no understanding of the protocols and unwritten rules that were seemingly hardwired into all the other pool users at birth. So instead I did battle with the middle-aged-overweight-doing-something-to-tone-up-supposedly-but-in-reality-just-looking-for-a-guilt-free-way-to-badmouth-my-consistently-disappointing-husband-to-my-equally-chunky-chums-under-the-guise-of-exercise-women. Which was nice. The trouble with the larger lady in the pool environment is their propensity to occupy a sizeable area of real estate, and a large collection of large ladies well you get the picture. Anyway this is serious swim training for a serious attempt at a serious triathlon so breast stroke it is right? The distance required is 16 (although maybe 17?) lengths of the pool. My first attempt including a couple of evasive manoeuvres the odd slow length tailgating and a scary moment when I was forced to stop by a group of menopausals comparing bingo wings was 8 minutes. I then went into the lanes for a go at front crawl, I managed four lengths in 1 min 40 before the intensity of the situation was too much for me and I fled to the free swim area. I think with a bit of work I should be able to get the swim down to low-ish 6 minutes.
So for two of the events I've got a rough baseline and I've also developed targets:
Swim 400m* - Current 8min - Target 6min 20
Run 5k** - Current 24min(ish) - Target sub 21min

*It might be 420m in the actual event but hey-ho
**I think the Tri distance is 7k, so I need to work those times up a bit once I've devised a suitable 7k route

Now this just leaves the bike. Now I've never ridden a road bike, ever. I don't even own a bike of any kind. So if any kindly soul has a spare/broken/unwanted road bike (or part thereof) that they are desperate to get cleared out of the garage/shed/hallway then (assuming it would be of an appropriate size for a stump, something 48-50cm I guess from my know nothing perspective??) I'll help you find it a home with pleasure.

Ascent Of Man

2010-08-10T23:42:00.000-07:00

After claiming that my legs didn't feel sore post run I spent the next two days stumbling round with legs that wouldn't work properly due to extreme muscle soreness. Hardly surprising given my complete lack of running based exercise for the last ummmmm, well many years.
Anyway Sunday 1st I went out with Doug and had a decent session. A couple of top-ropes (tut-tut) and several goes on a training traverse. All pretty long and relentlessly steep(ish) so hopefully will have some positive stamina/recovery type outcome?
Then on Tuesday evening I'd arranged to go out with Doug again, however his daughter got into an entanglement with a jellyfish (Man 'O War apparently!!) during the day with meant a family trip to A&E for the Halls so instead I took the wife to boulder at Laxey. This plan was less than ideal as we didn't have a bouldering mat and the pebbly landings rapidly get uncomfortable as height is gained (or more accurately lost). Anyway had a nice evening in the sun but no great shakes in crush terms. Although a new project line was discovered, one I'd discounted as impossible previously. Now it appears to just be ludicrously hard. I was also surprised to see chalk on the problems when we arrived, it would seem there is a secret army of boulderers on the Isle of Man...
Wednesday saw the family Hall suitably recovered allowing Doug an evening out. We went to the only sport crag on the island. I've been here once before when conditions were very poor and was keen to revisit. This is my favourite crag on the island, it is really actually very good. But it definitely isn't your standard sport crag. For a start the walk-in is epic, involving very steep grass slopes and coasteering to leave you on a small ledge to the side of the crag. You then climb out above the sea. The position is brilliant and the climbing is excellent, there is only one warm up, one route and one project here right now but there is no shortage of potential. I might have to head back to the island quite soon.
Friday I went for another run, this one slightly longer (5km 250m apparently) and also slightly faster (24min 14s) giving an average speed of 13km/h or so.
Sunday went bouldering at Peel with the missus, this time we'd managed to blag a mat which made for a better session. Spent most of the time devising problems for her ladyship on the eliminates wall but did managed to come up with a couple of new fingery up problems and a wicked slopey traverse. All of them are completely eliminate and silly training type things.
Anyway home again now, probably not going to b out this week due to work and then next week I'm off for a family trip to Matlock for a week, hopefully I'll be able to get out for a couple of sessions.

Laying Down A Marker

2010-07-29T00:08:00.000-07:00

I've agreed to attempt the Hathersage Hilly triathlon next year. I don't own a bike or any associated equipment. My only swimming clothing is a voluminous pair of shorts and until yesterday I didn't own any running footwear. So this is obviously going to be a complete farce.
Anyway yesterday I went to our local cheapo emporium TX Factory Max Shop or something and spent the princely sum of £10 on a pair of the finest running shoes. They might last a week. Anyway after visiting the shops the family packed up and headed off to the Isle of Man to spend some time with the in-laws. I decided to start my extensive training regime last night by undertaking an evening jog. I had a route in mind and using walkjogrun.net I discovered it was 5km, exactly the distance I was hoping for (actually it was 5km 30m and I don't know if it takes into account gradient etc but hey ho). Sadly the route was also a road course (not my preferred option) and really quite hilly (which is good from a training perspective but still...) Anyway I set off having told the wife that I was hoping for a time around 30 minutes but that I was probably less fit than I imagined and 40 minutes might be more realistic. I was most surprised to get round in 25 minutes dead. An average of 12km/h on a hilly course, reasonably happy with that. I imagine I'll get worse as time goes on...
Legs not feeling too sore this morning, which is surprising.
Ta-ta for now.

All different or all the same?

2010-07-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

Trad, bouldering, sport. Three very different facets of the activity of climbing. And yet sometimes they fall so very close to one another. Like three adjacent sides of a cube, each distinct and separate and yet all meet at a point.
Earlier this week I went to Stronstrey to try a couple of possibly unclimbed lines with G-lah. Top-roping, working the moves like a sport route, but there only short so bouldering on a rope, but then on the sharp end it would definitely be bold trad. I'm not at the sharp end at this time, but with more work... Turning the trad into a sport boulder problem??
This morning was an early start, a very early start. To the Nook where a kindly soul had rebolted Lockless. Sadly climbing chums tend to be thin on the ground at half-seven Sunday morning so only Bammers had to suffer witness of my flailings. I conspired to work my way up Lockless on the shiny new bolts in a bizarre improvised self-belay system of dubious safety. The route is very short, very much a boulder problem, and it consists of a couple of slappy moves that I wanted to wire. So I got them sorted and then checked the top was steady away. Now what to do? I can climb the route, conditions are good, I feel pretty fresh considering the early hour. Hmmm... In the end this route is a boulder problem, so a solo is viable. I stick the mat at the bottom and solo up dragging a rope behind to lower off. A bit bo(u)lder than clipping the bolts, but also easier and quicker. A trade off that I'm comfortable with.
Then I bouldered out Theorea start, but it's pretty dirty and I can't be bothered messing around with the rope anymore so I trundle over to Dog Dinner Buttress for a brief dabble on the uber traverse before heading out past the arriving masses at the Cornice. Bammers has a bit of a mental on the way out and starts barking at some incoming sportsters, apologies if that was you.

Turning up the heat.

2010-07-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Crivens it's got warm! Since returning from the Isle of Man work has featured to a disappointingly large extent in my life however I have continued my somewhat unsuccessful sport climbing exploits with a smattering of bouldering. I've made a couple of trips to Kilnsey working a project but the weather has done me little favour. My window of free time is generally restricted to a few hours around midday, which is also the hottest part of the day.
This oppressive heat has been somewhat demotivating, to the extent that I'm considering bagging off trying the sport for a couple of months until conditions cool and instead trying to get some stamina, endurance, PE and power through other means...
Of course if I get an evening/early morning of freedom I'll sling the rope in the van and head for the bolted steepness.
Also visited Woodwell with G-lah. Had a dabble on Art Of Self Destruction and with a bit of G-guidance it started to feel like a goer instead of being deeply impossible. Nothing else of note happened on a bouldering tip but we went to the Wolf House for a cream tea post lacklustre performance (not that we deserved it) and they had sold out of scones!! Totally ruined my day I can tell you.
I'm now sat watching the tennis feeling somewhat sub-par, my wife (a teacher) has been kind enough to transmit some germs from one of her grubby little darlings as a little challenge for my old mans immune system. I imagine I won't make it through the night...

TT Week...

2010-06-14T05:28:00.000-07:00

Was spent on the Isle of Man building a patio for the in-laws. However I managed to get out a few times.

Sunday, went out tradding and did half a dozen short routes all around the E4 mark. T'was nice to have a good day on trad after so long without doing it (notwithstanding the odd rare solo).

Tuesday went to a sport crag and tried a very wet 7C. The approach for this crag is epic and leaves you on a small ledge of to the left side of the crag 20 foot above the sea. The route heads out steeply right above the sea round the lip of a cave before heading up a steep headwall to finish up a groove, about 35-40 metres all told. A bit long for me, but it was very good (albeit in awful condition). There is also potential for several more routes here up to very hard grades. Keen to return.

Wednesday went to a training traverse which has been discovered. The traverse is about 7b+, but there is potential for a couple of low eliminate variations in the 8-something ballpark which I worked on.

Friday back to Sundays trad venue, and I was rubbish. Feeling a bit tired I think. Cleaned up a new line but the rock quality wasn't up to getting on the sharp end.

Also watched a bit of the races, it's hard to put into words just how fast the bikes are in the flesh (much faster than it appears on the TV). Brave, mad or stupid? Hard to say...

A Bit of Nookie

2010-06-14T05:18:00.000-07:00

The week before last I went to Newbiggin with G and G, had a pleasant enough time but...

Well it isn't Font is it?

Anyway later in the week, after tales of Cornice dryness, a day pass was utilised to visit Cheedale with the Guru. Powerplant was the first port of call. Guru worked it our pretty easily, I struggled with the crux move. The Guru then had a successful redpoint and I worked it a bit more. It's getting there but is too long for my current state of fitness.

I then ventured round the corner to the Nook. Now this is more like it, short hard bouldery routes. Sadly also filthy, I had a play/clean on Lockless and unlocked the moves. After a rest I had a very poor redpoint attempt but to be fair the route was still filthy and it was getting pretty dark at this point. I think to do Powerplant I need to work it again and get fitter and to do Lockless I need to clean it and it needs to be light.

First route of the year.

2010-05-25T13:07:00.001-07:00

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

2010-05-18T03:31:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-10T02:46:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-05-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Plans, Schemes, Objectives...

2010-04-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

There were plans in place for this week. A list (albeit quite short) of things to be done. There were a couple of targets, silly little milestones to be reached. Or not. A combination of factors (limited time, the weather, my abilities) have conspired to make it unlikely that said targets will be realised. The targets will be realised ultimately, of that I'm sure, but the self-imposed time limit on the scheme will almost certainly not be met.
Hopefully my next posting will be a positive report...

Significant Moments.

2010-04-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

Significant moments occur in all our lives. If we're lucky we realise that such a moment is coming, we prepare, anticipate, plan beforehand and then act in the "best" way we can. Other times the moment passes and hindsight allows us only a view of the moments significance, but no ability to change the course. Both of these situations will happen numerous times in anybody's life.

But then sometimes you catch the moment, you don't see it approach but it's there in front of you. Quick decisive action is required, there is seldom a right or wrong answer just different outcomes for different choices.

This morning was grey and damp. I choose to stay at home and work rather than hunt for dry rock with G. As lunchtime approaches the weather is improving but still overcast so nice and cool. I choose to forgo lunch and head out for a lunch-break session on the rock. I choose to not go bouldering, the obvious choice, but instead go to look at a local trad route. I get there and all is dry, there's a good breeze and the rock feels nice and cool. I had planned to put a rope on the line and work it, it is that kind of a route. But there is small amount of chalk on the first two holds, I follow the line up with my eyes, but the chalk goes no further. But those few specks of chalk are suggestive, a choice now needs to be made. Mentally flip the coin and then start to put my boots on. Tie on the chalk bag, fill it up, chalk the hands then set off. Up a few moves. I'm at a positive sidepull, my feet are good. I could jump off from here, it might be a bit sore but I could walk home with the dog and make some lunch. I look up, the holds are there, can see them, I can see the sequence. Half a dozen moves or jump off. Questions, will my fingers fit in the mono's? Will that foot stick? Will I reach the next hold? I look back down, maybe 15 seconds have passed, eyes back up. Go through the sequence in my head, it will work, a few more seconds, breathe chalk tenuous move to undercut,feet up, mono, mono, mono, crimp, it feels sandy, brush hand on jeans, chalk, crimp, better, compose, breathe, feet up, stand up reach, good hold, no it's not that good, feet up, compose, breathe, reach, big hold, head on rock, deep breaths. Relax, pull to top, sit down. And then the dog starts crying.

Oh yeah, went to Kilnsey on Friday and made decent progress on a project, back there tomorrow for more.

Fuck Fuck Fuck

2010-04-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuckity fuck.

The promising start to the sport season is looking to be short lived. Right hand middle finger has developed pain, quite a lot of pain. Oh well, heading to Kilnsey tomorrow, lets see how the finger holds up...

Tis The Season To Clip Up.

2010-04-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Back from Font with a goal ticked it's time to move on to the summer objectives. These being somewhat unchanged from last years brief forays into the wacky world of sport climbing. So a sport 8 is required to complete the triumvirate. To add a bit of spice and impetus to proceedings I have foolishly set the goal of ticking a sport 8 this month (i.e. by the end of next week!). Meaning that both a Font 8 and a sport 8 will be ticked in a single month. These silly goals and aspirations are nice little waypoints that I can (fail to?) reach as I head towards an ultimate goal.
Anyway the sport started with a trip out with the Guru. A revisit of a couple of new route projects started last year. One is in the 8a+/b ballpark and the other is likely to yield no change from 8b+, so neither is particularly suited to a quick "tick this month" ascent for a man of my meagre means. Anyway I feel as though good progress has been made with a couple of nice links starting to emerge. There are these two projects and one other project line (about 8b) to finish off from last year and to get one of them would be great. I won't say I'm confident, but to get some links going so early in the season is at least encouraging.
Then today I visited Malham again with the Guru. The aim was Raindogs. I had three top-ropes of the line. The first one I struggled with one move but did all the other moves in a go or two. Second time up I got a sequence for the tough move, but got footwork messed up so no significant links and found another move tricky. Third go I linked from the ground to the first tricky move, then worked out a better sequence for that move, then went up to the top(ish) in three or four sections. For some reason I was really struggling to remember my foot sequences, and remembering sequences is usually a pretty strong part of my game. Oh well, at the time I felt a bit disappointed with my performance but with retrospect I've realised I haven't even had a go with a properly worked sequence yet so I think a bit more refinement (and a bit more fitness) and it will go.
The Guru seemed to hit a sequence pretty quickly and after two top-ropes working it he cleanly top-roped twice. He's got it in the bag. Especially as it was in the blazing sun and warm and sweaty. A bit of shade and cool and it will feel easier (for both of us I hope).
So I'm still really enjoying the sport climbing and I'm confident an 8 will go down this season and I'm hopeful for something a bit more than 8a. Bring on the b :O)

Friday 9th April

2010-04-19T02:30:00.000-07:00

Last day. We called in to Bouligny so I could try Beaux Quartiers which I floundered on horribly. Conditions were less than ideal, I was very tired and my left knee was bleurgh so I couldn't pull on the left heel hook for the first move. Not impressive. I still think I can do this, but maybe not after a week or so of climbing...
Then we went to Cuisinierre. I've never been here before apart from one 5 minute look at Duel. It was really nice. PAIN was high though and SYKE was low so I promised myself I'd only try steep 7A/+ type stuff with big holds. To that end I went for Beetlejuice which went down second go and Le Mouton à 6 Pattes which also went down second go (and got a full team tick) but involved a left heel hook which totalled my left knee, arse.
Then we went to Apremont for a coffee. Most team memebers went home at this point but G-lah wanted to further torture his family by making them walk to Medallie En Chocolat. I went along to watch the fun. It was sizzling in the blazing afternoon sun and G-bob was a tired fat lankster so CRUSH mode was not engaged.
I should also mention that G got up at 6:00 in the morning and raced out to Sabot for a pre-brekkie CRUSh of Jet Set, now that is showing those Frenchies how to climb, go beast.
Anyway had a great trip with some very pleasing ticks, including the elusive 8. Things tailed off towards the end but that's hardly surprising. The big disappointment is the complete lack of video footage this year. Next year I'm going to video/photograph everything, when you get to my age you need footage as a memory aid.
Oh finally I forgot to mention that after my wife had met Dob-lah she expressed the opinion that he reminded her very much of an excitable puppy. An accurate description I feel.
Now to start on next years to-do list...

Thursday 8th April

2010-04-19T02:23:00.000-07:00

It was raining this morning so we went for a group coffee in Milly where we met Baz, Jay and the SYKE-o-saurus. The team wanted to head to Sabot once the rain cleared but I persuaded Rick that a quick detour to look at Fata Morgana was in order. I literally just wanted to look at it as I was battered and it was a humid hot day and it had just stopped raining. Anyway we walked up to it and it looked very appealing so I thought I'd stick my boots on and have a quick throw for the pocket. The starting holds were grimness feeling very damp but even so my first attempt was just below the pocket. I had two more goes and was ticklling the hold, excellent. Then Rick boosted me up to the pocket and I tried the top which was steady away. This is now game on top of the list for next year, just need to persuade other people they want to go to Long Vaux.
Then on to Sabot where I talked shite with numerous luminaries of the Brit scene and climbed not a jot. Another day with no 7 tick, tragedy. Although it doesn't feel bad as the Fata knowledge was gleaned for implementation next year.

Wednesday 7th April

2010-04-19T02:19:00.000-07:00

Ate a lot of pastries but didn't do anything else really. Went to Potala which was a nice spot then in the evening fell from the top of Attention Chef D'ouvre at Buthiers with very sore skin and low SYKE. As the trip nears it's end I am feeling increasingly weary and sore. Not an impressive day at all. No 7's shocker!!

Tuesday 6th April

2010-04-15T05:13:00.000-07:00

G-dawg and famile went to have their wallets emptied at EuroHowfuckinmuch??? The rest of the team had a day trip to Beauvais. There was a lot of jaded-ness and SYKE was running low. Tried L'epee De Sable, did the moves but was in no state to link it,feeling rather battered truth be told. Did a couple of 7B's which are a pair of variations on a white (number 7 maybe?). They were a bit rubbish to be honest.
Not a classic.

Monday 5th April

2010-04-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

The morning was spent at Cuvier as I needed to drop the trouble and strife off at Melun train station at lunchtime. G-lah and Mike were keen for Carnage, for about 5 minutes then they stumbled off muttering. Meestah Rick fancied a blast on Berezina, so I did too. It didn't go well.
Rick toddled off somewhere so I consoled myself with a 'flash' of Carnage having done the sitter last year. Then off to the train station.
In the afternoon the ladies climbed at Sablons. Then after dinner the menfolk headed back to Buthiers. Mike and G-pony went back to flounce at Magic Bus and Mestah Rick and I tried Mongolito which was wet, so we tried Dark Room which was wet (and felt a bit tough for 7A+) and finally we ended up at Coccinelle where I went for a repeat for the camera but dropped it at end. Was a bit academic anyway as the camera battery died mid-attempt.

Sunday 4th April

2010-04-15T04:58:00.000-07:00

Went to Apremont. Was a bit rainy. Did Egoiste, Mike flashed it after a tactical hang back and watch approach. Failed to do somthing else (Envi D'oile???), then it rained. We might have gone somewhere else, I can't remember.
In the evening I skipped the start of group dinner and dashed to Buthiers in the hop that Coccinelle was dry. It wasn't but it was dry enough and after sliding off on my first attempt it was in the bag go two. Managed to get back to Maisonbleau before the others had finished theirmain course.

Saturday 3rd April

2010-04-15T01:03:00.000-07:00

This morning we had various bits and pieces to do as we were moving from the hotel to Maisonbleau. Inbetween sorting this out we visited Buthiers where I briefly tried Coccinelle. This is a hangover from last year and I was keen to get it CRUSHED. Th trouble was a couple of the holds near the start (which is also the crux) were very damp and the finishing holds were pretty much wet. I managed to do all the moves in isolation pretty much straight off but linking it was not going to happen until it was a bit drier.
Anyway we got checked in to Maisonbleau (very nice) and started getting food ready for the troops arrival. The weather deteriorated so the plan to meet everyone at Buthiers was shelved and instead we met up at the gite. However once all had gathered it had cleared again and the boys were keen for a blast on Magic Bus so we jetted off down to Buthiers for a quick play. I did this problem last year but all of the other members of the boys team were keen for it this year. I did a demonstration showboat ascent,look at me, then got shut down by the left hand variant. The same grade? O'RLY?? Rick did it in pretty short order, half a dozen goes or so, look at him. Mike and G-lah made progress but it wasn't to be, either on this day or subsequently in the holiday. They can both crush it though, next year (or in the Autumn)...
I then jetted off to make pizza for 5 million hungry travellers.

Friday 2nd April

2010-04-14T02:37:00.000-07:00

Another grey day greated us as we rose from a pleasant nights sleep in the Ibis. We trudged through a damp Font to get some pastries and then formulated a plan, and that plan was to go for a coffee and see what happens. Thinking was that Canche would be a good bet as it's quick drying, short walk-in, child friendly and the Boss likes it. As she had to head back to the drudge of real life on Monday it was only fair that she got venue choice for the first few days. There wasn't much I fancied doing there but I figured a few warm up problems to get the SYKE rising for the arrival of team CRUSH tomorrow. Anyway after a slow coffee in Milly things looked a bit perkier so we headed to Canche. On arrival things were soggy but drying and there was a decent breeze. Boss decided it was all to damp for her to climb for the next half hour or so, giving me a window of clamber. The hunt for dry rock didn't go especially well with the only thing dry(ish) being La Puce, hardly a warm up. So I tried to do La Marche the 7A to the right of La Puce. It was dripping wet but has pretty positive holds so I figured it might be possible. I surprised myself by doing it first attempt and it felt pretty easy despite the running water. Maybe thing weren't as bad as yesterdays performance suggested. Anyway then I did the last moves of La Puce. A pretty easy mantle but not something you'd want to mess up if you did latch the dyno move. And then a few throws at the dyno with a few different foothold configurations. I got the feet positions I was happiest with the Mrs Keeg decidied the time had come for her to get BEASTY with it. After she'd done a few problems it started to shower so we messed around for a bit, then as things dried I'd try La Puce then she'd do a bit, then another shower, repeat a couple of times and bang I hit the hold but don't quite hit it so swing off. Next go I hit it and hold it, stick the high foot on the damp hold and mantle to glory. Very happy.
Then it's the bosses turn again, she gets ready and the heavens open with the mother of all hailstorms. Yowzers, we cower under rocks then bail back to Font for a Chinese, livin' the dream.
Font 8A on the first full day, when conditions are variable to say the least. Not expecting that.
Buthiers tomorrow and the arrival of team BURL.

Thursday 1st April

2010-04-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

We stopped off on the way down to Font at a Formule 1/"grim prison block of misery and doom" nears Lens so the morning was spent completing the drive down to Font and checking in to the hotel. T'was a little showery on arrival but the afternoon looked promising so we headed out to Sabot. I messed around with Lard while her ladyship had a clamber. Whilst wandering amongst the boulders I happened across Andy Jennings and lady, I meet this guy every year in Font. Then Doblah and the delightful Doblah-ess appeared. A spanking at the hands of the Dob was too tempting so boots were donned and CRUSH mode was definitely not engaged. An inauspicious start to the "lets show those Frenchies how to climb 2010" trip. Luckily the day was saved by a pizza at Chez Guy, that man's a loon.

Bleau Job

2010-04-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

Shit a brisk is it really five weeks since I last wrote anything? Oh well pre Font preparations continued a pace until the week before Font when it all went a bit pear-esque. I hurt my left knee and my back and was busy at work and ended up heading off feeling a bit stressed and hassled and not confident of CRUSH. Anyway my E key is only working intermittently right now so I won't go into a warts and all epic (although that may follow at some point in the future) instead I'll simply give you the ticklist (with grades cos I'm an egomaniac loon). The more observant of you will notice an 8A (or two if you believe everything you read in guidebooks) was ticked, yay.
Anyway here's the 7 & 8 list:
La Grande Petit Marche* (7A+)
Saut De Puce (8A)
Magic Bus* (7B+)
Egoiste (7A/6C+)
Coccinelle (8A)
Carnage* (7B+)
Le Sectaire (7B)
Je Broie Du Noir (7B)
Beetle Juice (7A+)
Le Mouton A 6 Pattes (7A)

*repeats, have done them on previous year(s), or in the case of Carnage I did the sitter last year.

I may have missed something out as it is from memory and the grades are just lifted out of the guidebook, I have an opinion which may or may not vary from this. Definitely my best Font performance by a lonnnnnnnng way. So happy days. But this E button is cocking me off now so further musings will have to wait...

Broken Resolutions

2010-03-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

It seems like, since I last blogged, huge swathes of time have been spent looking at a wet hold at the start of E-fix. Then trying Ebeneezer Goode despite knowing that said wet hold renders the problem unclimbable. Frustrating.
Having said that, I have also returned to Mytholm (host to previous adventures in DIY) and completed a new dyno there. Flight Path, 7C+. An ascent which I failed to video. G-bob has berated me for my video based forgetfulness and I have henceforth resolved to indulge in the filmic arts whilst climbing in a most reliable fashion, but more of this later...
I've also watched G-lah grow into an almost 7C crushing machine, there are now three or four 7C's out there that he can and will crush, just remember there is no spoon...
Anyway today I was back looking at a familiar damp hold, but this time with the Guru. A single attempt on Ebeneezer and I was convinced of its unviability. So instead I climbed (and entirely failed to film) the Ebeneezer start into Poison, huzzah. Probably 7C+ ish? I compensated for this failure at the first hurdle of my resolution to gather more footage by capturing in glorious technicolour the Guru effortlessly floating up Poison.
Now repeat after me, the camera is in the bag, the camera is in the bag, the camera is in the bag...

Drip, drip, drip.

2010-02-23T04:38:00.000-08:00

Went to Warton with G-lah yesterday. It was pretty dry but there is a tree growing out of the break above the lip of Poison/E-fix and it was dripping on the lip holds. Also the slot at the start of E-fix was wet. And there were a few wet patches and streaks on the traverse into the start of E-fix. So actually it wasn't pretty dry it would seem. Anyway I tried Ebeneezer Goode and didn't do it. I know I can do this,but I'm just not. Yesterday it might have been because it was damp or because I was feeling a bit shit, or a combination of the two. But whatever, failure reigned once again. I did actually feel rubbish yesterday, my back felt sore, my skin was thin and rapidly became very painful and on the walk up the hill I felt tired and wanted to stop. Not a great sign. Oh well, next time (perhaps...)
Anyway G was looking pretty beasty on Poison, he's getting the moves like a good 'un now. I reckon the crush will occur in the near future. Especially given the shit conditions.
The we went to Trowbarrow where the shelter stone was also pretty dry whilst at the same time having some wet holds. I did nothing, G did much the same. Home time.

Peak performance

2010-02-20T14:02:00.000-08:00

Since last posting I have been to Wet Pooh with G-lah and Pasty, which was nice. I've done a bit of crag based DIY, which appears to have been successful. And I've extended the board with a significant increase in the size of the 10 degree board, bonza.
Today I met Slopes and a motley assortment of reprobates at Cratcliffe. We had a pretty gentle day of Malt Loaf eating and shit talking interspersed with fits of climbing. I wasn't running high on SYKE for anything in particular, which made for a refreshing change. There was no sieging to be done today, a handful of attempts then move on (or more likely sit around for a bit). Anyway had a couple of goes at T-crack but didn't do the last move but walked on before getting heavily involved. Did a 7A traverse on the top of Cratcliffe. Did the right-hand roof problem in the cave at RHS, didn't do the left-hand line. Did Jerry's Arete. Then discussed the left-hand cave line with somebody and it became apparent that I was staying too far left. This rekindled a bit of curiousity so I trundled back up there and made a fresh attempt. I stuck to my "too far left" line and did it using a wild slap. A nice low key day, finished off with a lemonade in the pub - wild!

Highs and Lows

2010-02-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

Well after the high of Monday day I then spent Monday night and Tuesday morning in the low grasp of puke and pooh. Oh joy.
The rest of Tuesday was spent feeling shaky and weak, and this morning I felt much the same. Fancying a bit of fresh air I thought of heading back to the Steeps to get some photos with a view to putting a topo together. But then G-lah had an unexpected afternoon of freedom so I offered to hold a rope for him while he cleaned up a project highball line in some esoteric quarry. The line is now clean and I think G will ice it quick sticks. A nice problem in the making.
Feel very weak and tired again now, is this what it's like to be old??

Happy Birthday To Me!

2010-02-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

Today I turn 35, and yet I still feel like a child pretending to be an adult. And that's ace.

As a little birthday treat I had planned on meeting a friend at either the Plantation or the Cliff. However the early morning weather reports were not good. Snowing in Sheffield and gloomy mist doom in Leeds. So I decided to bin the trip and hang out at home, maybe making a start on phase 4 of the boards development. Not as exciting as getting out but hey-ho. But by 10 things were looking pretty good here so I ventured out to Mytholm Steeps just 5 minutes away to try work some previously mentioned projects. As I arrived things were looking good, it was cold and crisp, a good breeze was blowing on to the rock, I felt light and fresh (after not climbing yesterday despite having planned a session), the flask was full of fresh hot coffee and I had a stash of chocolate and malt loaf. Sometimes things just fall into place and you know it's going to be a good day.

I warmed up by cleaning off the upper section of the easiest of the project lines. The top is a slabby face with lots of vegetation above, it gets very green up there and is quite highball. So I went up on a rope with a yard brush, a scrubbing brush, a nail brush, a couple of toothbrushes and a healthy dose of chalk. Then I started working the start. The problem climbs up a forty-five degree-ish overhanging face to finish on the slab above. You do an easy big move from a jug to a very slopey shelf/rib. Then a hard match and traverse slightly left using cheeky footwork. Then the crux move a dyno up and leftwards to a good flake hold, it's a wild move and amazingly improbable. You end up with your left hand on the flake hold and the rest of your limbs flailing wildly. Get your feet back on, match hands then up with your left to the lip and finish rocking onto the slab for an easy topout. The climbing from the flake hold upwards is an existing 7A+ but the bottom is desperate.

Anyway long story, short story I managed to do it today, very unexpected and very very nice.

Titus Gaukroger - 8A+

A photo showing the line:

A photo showing the sloping shelf/rib:

There are still a couple of projects I'd like to do here, but they are very hard.

Wet Pooh

2010-02-05T05:42:00.000-08:00

Went to West View (rhymes with wet pooh, the title, geddit? Funny huh?) last night with G-lah and The Man Of A Thousand Pastry Products. G-lah was complaining that everything wasn't reachy enough for him or some such nonsense, I stopped listening to be honest, but he seemed to be going pretty well. Pastry also seemed to be gunning for glory, maybe if he stops making the schoolboy error of a skin softening, muscle tiring pre climb swim he'll be tearing it up.

I, for the first time this year, felt like I could actually climb. I didn't feel light or strong or anything, but just like I could at some point in the future be lighter and stronger. I still feel like I will forever be completely inflexible though. Anyway, hopefully this trend can continue upwards to pinnacle at the start of April, coinciding nicely with the annual Fontstravaganza. So projects outside and trip forthcoming, time to get the bouldering burl. And then after Easter I can unleash it on the bolted lime to tidy up last years unfinished business.

I'm off to build a fingerboard, ciao.

Local projects for local people...

2010-02-02T03:59:00.000-08:00

I was recently moaning to the Guru about the fact that to get stuck into a hard project I need to drive for an hour and there isn't anything near by. He nodded in his wise way and then suggested a venue that may yield fruits a little closer to home. I explained that I had visited said venue and felt it was not really worthy of further exploration. The conversation moved on to talk of chocolate and why my wife is trying to poison me with de-caf coffee, but the thought was in my head. Maybe I should revisit this place for one last search for esoteric gold?

A few days later I found myself with an empty lunch hour stretching before me so hopped in the van and headed out to quest. And lo the scales were removed from my eyes, what had previously seemed a damp and dirty venue was actually revealed to be...

Well still and damp and dirty venue if I'm being honest, but there was potential. A few more visits and the lines were slowly revealing themselves to me, and now I've climbed all the problems that I can climb relatively quickly I'm left with a handful of truly difficult problems to work and work and work. I doubt any of them will be below 8B, and I doubt I'll ever do any of them, but I can try. And it's close to home so I can try a lot. It reminds me of my time spent at Rivelin Quarries, and that is when things start to happen. When you get your focus on one or two problems that you can easily get to regularly. Exploit the good conditions when they happen and hope that you can become equal to the challenge. I feel inspired.

I've also been to South Lakes and Almscliff and done nothing, which puts a slight dampner on proceedings but hey-de-ho.

Climbing in a Winter wonderland.

2010-01-14T05:43:00.000-08:00

I wanted to hit the new year running in terms of climbing. My hope was to get out several times in the first week or so of the year to get my body and mind back up to speed on the climbing front after the Christmas lull. Obviously this hasn't happened, I dunno why I bother coming up with schemes as they seemingly never come to fruition, hey-ho. Anyway a combination of heavy snow, car problems, chasing up late payments and feeling a bit heavy and unmotivated has meant that this early dash hasn't thus far materialised.
On Monday I paid a visit to Rochdale wall, which was OK. I went there because in these freezing temperatures it is difficult to build up a lot of enthusiasm for going on the board (or it is right now), I think once I'm back in the swing of climbing the board will be excellent but it just felt a bit hardcore, so the wall it was. It was very quiet, not that surprising given the weather. I had a reasonable session doing something completely new, there were some (four I think?) link up problems which I had a play on. I'd normally just go for a pure power bouldering session so it was interesting to try something a bit different. Anyway I managed to tick them which I was a bit surprised about, maybe last years sport climbing antics have improved my fitness. I would say this though, if you do go there and try the links I think the grades offered are a bit wide of the mark, but then what would I know?
Yesterday I ventured up to Silverdale. I had a quick look at At The Heart Of It All and it is just crazy hard, but I'm still tempted to play. Then I went back to Anna which I got done in quick order, it felt significantly easier when not as glassy as a glassy thing. I had a brief play on Anaesthesia, the moves are hard but not that bad, but man is there a lot of them. Anyway the final port of call was Not Bad Dave SDS, I've spent far too many sessions on this. I managed to finally flounder my way up it, thank god, I'll never be getting on it again. It feels dirty hard to me.
As for the conditions, Anaesthesia was dry (although some of the feet were a bit soggy), Toms roof area was pretty seepy and damp, a few problems would have been try/dry-able but conditions were not primo, Not Bad Dave SDS was dry apart from one of the starting undercuts which was slightly damp but easily dryable, At The Heart Of It All was dry but most of the other problems there were damp. Also several roads had large sections of sheet ice which made for entertaining driving conditions. It was snowing as I left so it may all be white/wet now.

The board tonight I think, need to feed the SYKE.

Happy New Year

2010-01-05T02:20:00.001-08:00

Went out for the first time this year yesterday. A trip up to Silverdale with the G-unit. I was hopeful for a not too shabby performance as ongoing underlying plague infection over the festive period meant weight gain was probably at a minimum (although I have no measure of this fact so could be very wrong).

Anyway it wasn't to be, at Warton after doing Plubline in a few goes I then failed to do the crux move on Ebeneezer Goode and failed to do the Poison extension. Then on to Woodwell where I failed to do Anna, then failed to do anything else at all. Rubbish.

Oh well, things were pretty dry up there, though I guess they may not be now. But it was incredibly glassy, which is hardly surprising as G was predicting -4 as the max temp, so friction was pretty much non-existant. I think once the year and myself have warmed up a bit then some of these should get crushed/satched/rinsed/whatever.

Snowing like a very snowy thing now so I think it's going to be a week of board work to get the body firing again then out and about for a tour of CRUSH/DISAPPOINTMENT*

* delete as appropriate.

Brief update

2009-12-21T13:02:00.000-08:00

Went to Trollers, it was wet.
Went to Almscliff, did Real Keel, woop woop!
Went to Trollers, it was not quite so wet.
Went to Almscliff, worked Dialectics.
C'est tout.
Now I am ill and about to go to the Isle of Man, it would seem the climbing year will be going out with a whimper rather than a bang.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Common features to this blog...

2009-11-24T03:54:00.001-08:00

have mostly been the rain. How can it rain so consistently for so long?
Anyway, I thought I'd do a post just to prove I'm not dead. Recent activity on the climbing front has almost exclusively revolved around the board. It is growing holds at a reasonable rate and the number of problems is on the increase, however I do worry slightly that the new holds I'm making are generally a bit bigger than the holds that I was using when it was a 25. This isn't of itself a big problem as lots of the 25 holds are currently totally unusable by me at 40. But I am aware that I may never find them usable if I just stick to pulling on the new slightly bigger holds, to get to the point where I can use the smaller holds I need to be pushing right at my limit. Time will tell...
Also G-bob visited the board for a session which was excellent, it forces me to try new problems (invariably involving huge spans utilising G-lank) which I'd never think of for myself as I'd just discount them as too far. Training (which is a word that suggests a level of structure and discipline that is entirely lacking from my regime) alone is difficult, motivation is difficult and you almost always end up stuck in a rut of working only one facet of climbing. Maybe I should get a climbing lodger...

Aside from the board I have been out a couple of times, I'm still trying sport and I have found another new project line. I've done all the moves bar one (wet hold prevented an attempt) but I'm thinking the link will be hard work, we'll see.
Also went to West View with G-bob and Ginnster. It's been done up and is a big improvement on what was there before. I don't think the Depot and the Works need to panic but it is a more viable training option now. However the campus board is at the wrong angle and it's textured surface will yield painful tips pretty rapidly IMHO. La-de-da, I had a pretty good session there, managing most stuff I tried, but burning out pretty quickly. I think this may be a bit of post viral lethargy from an ongoing cold/cough/flu/consumption thing I've had. Or maybe I'm just the same old tragically unfit punter I always was.
Also went to the Works at the weekend, I really like it there and had a good time. I had lard in tow and he had the time of his life running round shouting. The trouble is the place is so big that I just throw myself in and get worn out. I'd like it to be nearer, and me to have membership, then I could go regularly and work through the problems, get on the comp wall and flail on the Beast-board. As it is I invariably end up there for an hour or two, generally with lard in tow and just rush at a few things. It's still good fun but I really don't think I get as much out of it as I could, but then that's obvious.
This week looks wet, hopefully next week will be better.

Is it raining, I hadn't noticed...

2009-11-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

Bastard weather, bloody bastard weather, bloody bastard twating weather. Arse cakes bum fart pooh.

It is wet, it has been wet, it will always be wet. G helpfully counts the wet and dry days on his blog. Well no need any more just use this:
Wet days - infinite
Dry days - ha-ha-bloody-ha
This is annoying, I have things to do, projects to climb. The list of sport routes was growing at an uncontrollable rate before wet weather put pay to ever ticking anything. Now it's gone into overdrive, I went out with the guru yesterday and everything was wet. I came back with at least 8 new lines I'm desperate to try. That's a whole seasons worth of climbing, and then some. Add in the existing backlog of routes to do and it becomes clear the treadmill is turning significantly faster than I can run.
Frustratingly I have just reached a point where I am confident that the couple of things I am keen to get ticked are now possible for me, of course when they next dry I'll be fat and have no stamina at all (which is an important if small step below practically non-existant stamina, my current level).
Next week looked like it might be promising when I last looked but things are now so very wet I think I may just have to get on the boulders and rekindle my affair with filthy sport next year. Time (and precipitation) will tell.
Anyway all this moisture has meant a session or two on the board. I haven't managed to persuade anyone to come over and play so far and I rapidly become a bit bored of devising problems (I always seem to end up using the same holds just in a slightly different order). Of course this means I end up trying some of the silly party tricks that we climbers are so very fond of.
Last night I managed 3 one-armers on the right and 2 on the left, which is nice.
I also managed to lock a mono (feet on, other hand off, 40 degree board) which I was pleased with. In fact I made some monos and two finger pockets last week and I really enjoy (failing to) pull on them. It's a very different hand position to an edge and feels totally weird (and injury causing) to start with. But now I'm feeling the love (until the injuries start...).

Oh well, I've got to go and stir my lovely homemade soup (sweet potato, carrot and roasted peppers since you asked) a sure sign that winter is coming.

A merry bonfire night to you all.

As one season ends anoother begins.

2009-10-20T02:28:00.000-07:00

I have been to Kilnsey a couple of times, but I seem to be getting dragged into progressively harder and harder projects without sticking at anything long enough to tick it. You definitely need a good dose of patience to get things done in the sport climbing game. Still fun though, and plenty of skittles set up for a (hopefully) rapid knock down next year. And there's still a bit more life to be eeked out of the lime yet...

But I also went to Almscliff yesterday and the grit is pretty much in now. G-unit was trying Keel, and making good progress. So I lauched into battle with Real Keel. I very briefly tried this last year and it felt very hard so I was quite surprised to find that getting to the pocket move felt really steady this time round. I had a few flings for the pocket but didn't hit it, however I was getting pretty close so I think this will get done. Dare I say hard for the short? I think I dare.

Also tried Pebble Wall Right Hand, this is definitely harder for the short. G-bob should have done this, in fact fuck it he did do it he just chose to let go. I think he was perhaps a bit distracted by the chap who wandered over to tell us we were try a hard severe without ropes, and it was awesome. It was a chap who was apparently new to climbing and was looking for some top-rope problems, just a shame JB wasn't there to help him out...

This week? A bit of work, a bit of lime and a bit of grit. I am in my transition phase, having gorged my unwieldy caterpillar form on the lime I will now enter the chrysalis and emerge as a beautiful gritstone butterfly. Or some such crap.

Toodle pip.

As I approach 40...

2009-10-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

...degrees. The board has received some DIY this week. It now looms at an ominous 40 degrees, which is pretty steep considering lots of the holds were poor as a mere 25. I haven't yet climbed on it but am looking forward to getting spanked shortly.

The side panel needs extending but the gap shows how much steeper the board now is.

I still need to board out the top section.

I haven't climbed at all since last Friday until Thursday when I met the Guru at Kilnsey for another Massala session. I also had a secret plan, which I revealed as soon as we arrived at the crag so not that secret really. My current best onsight/flash performance was 6b, which is a bit lame and probably indicative of the fact that really I have done very little sport climbing, and most of it has been working harder routes. So I planned to try and get my flash grade up to something in the 7's, and there is a short bouldery little 7a+ called Smooth Torquer at the far right end of Kilnsey that seemed like an ideal candidate. And it was, first 7a+ flash, which is nice. Nice route as well, I'd recommend it to any boulderers tempted to try sport climbing it really is bouldering on a rope (are you listening G?).

Anyway that was a decent warm up so now it was time to get cold again whilst the Guru had a session on Massala. The I had a little play on the middle bit, which was feeling very steady despite my cold fingers, and then on to the first move. The basic idea was to approach it as a boulder problem, but with a harness on and rope tied on. Should I (or the Guru) hang the hold then the other person would quickly attach the pre-threaded Gri-gri and off you go. I was almost confident but it wasn't to be, the left hand sloper you dyno/slap off was a bit warm and it felt wierd having harness/rope on so my balance felt a bit out. Anyway neither me or the Guru managed to hang the hold and we got side-tracked on another bit of rock. But just before rushing off I decided to have one last throw, and promptly dropped it again. The Guru was the obliged to have a final pop, and landed the hold. Only to realise he didn;t have a chalk bag or a quickdraw for the first clip. We sort of sorted that out then off he went but the faffing had done him in. Oh well next time.

Went to the Cliff with G today, conditions were actually pretty ming. I almost broke my back greasing off Patta's Arete (which incidentally isn't as good a problem as is made out IMHO), G almost did Pebble Wall RH, I mean really very nearly almost. Next time, with slightly better conditions I'm sure he'll crush it. Feels a bit reachy for me though. Then we had a play on Fieldside which seemed really hard, I did all the moves but linking it wasn't going to happen today. I think it probably feels significantly more steady when the holds aren't damp under touch. Then we moved over to Caley, we had a brief attempt at Horn LH which also felt uber-damp, so I binned it to save skin for tomorrow (Kilnsey, get me a full on sport climber now) whilst G continued to cover himself in glory by cruching The Horn (having giving Horn LH up as a bad job). He then ruined the aura of climbing prowess that surrounded him by flailing pathetically on Mr Smooth. I had to head home then and now I'm contemplating a spot of DIY to fully complete the board steepening (apart from lashing on a load of new holds on the new top section). Gonna get strong or broken in the next few months methinks...

Grit, what grit?

2009-10-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

I'm still in sport mode, which surprises me. I've really enjoyed sport climbing over the summer, which I wasn't expecting. Especially given the fact that I have had less success than I was hoping for. I'm still strangely motivated to clip the bolts and work the moves.

Anyway over the last few days I have done the following:
Went to Longridge where I helicoptered off the last move of Big Marine and landed on my head. Maybe I should have just kept hold of the finishing jug? Bruised my wrists a bit but no lasting damage, it would seem my head is a pretty good thing to land on, certainly a better shock absorber than my knees. Also tried a new line which I think will probably end up as a dirty hard one mover (7c+/8a).

Went to Trollers Gill again. Failed again on the Guru's new route, it has one move that is very hard for me. But did tweak the sequence slightly which whilst it doesn't make the move any easier I think it increases it's percentage (if that makes any sense, probably not). Also did Spent Youth, I tried for the flash but got my feet all a bit confused. Then bolt-to-bolt to the top and a quick check of a couple of moves as I was lowered down then redpointed it first attempt. A nice route which I was pleased to get ticked pretty quickly.

Went to Kilnsey with the Guru, we were planning on scoping Yew Cogar but weather issues meant we opted for Kilnsey instead. We both worked our way up Massala Martyr from one move in and I've got a workable sequence up to the fourth bolt, Guru has a sequence to the top. The route is essentially three boulder problems then an easy finish however a hold has broken on the third boulder problem (above the fourth bolt) so current thinking seems to be 8a+ to the fourth bolt and 8b to the belay. After working the route we tried bouldering out the first move. This is the hardest move on the route and I was very clode to hanging it (it's a dyno). I think maybe next time it will go, and I'm sure if I do the move I can get to the fourth bolt. Which would be 8a+. Now OK it would be a bit wanky, only doing half the route and then claiming a tick, but it is still a quality bit of climbing to the fouth bolt and it is a obvious stopping point at a good hold in a break. So I'm not just picking some arbritary point to let go and claim a grade (well OK I sort of am but what the hey, it's only climbing). Anyway very keen to get back on this. Then went to a top secret Yorkshire Limestone bouldering venue, I'd tell you more but it's kind of an exclusive venue. You know only hard problems, access is not clear etc etc so to preserve access for me and my mates it seems best to keep schtum. I'm sure you'll all understand...

Smile, you never know who's watching.

This week I have been mostly failing...

2009-09-26T00:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday I went to Widdop with Lard to meet up with G-unit and Ginnster. I was hoping to crush Fight on Black, an ascent was looooong overdue. Unfortunately Lard was suffering an advanced case of Plague and decided he wanted to go home, so we left without even pulling on anything. Strangely Lard made a full recovery for sn afternoon at the park, hmmmm....

Monday work.

Tuesday work then G-bob attended crush school on the board. A pretty good session, only let down by G's shocking footwork. Have a word with yourself lankster.

Wednesday work then the Sexpest paid a visit to dabble on the board. Another good session, but my skin was getting sore by now and my finger joints were feeling creaky, old man!

Thursday went to Trollers Gill with Guru. We did a shocking route to warm up (the right arete of the big central crack), yeuck. Then Guru had a project to play on so we both dabbled with this, it is a steady start and finish but has a couple of stiff pulls in the middle. After a bit of working a sequence was devised and Guru dispatched it first redpoint, nice. I worked it again but was really struggling with one move which felt very reachy. I thought it was nails at the time and would be full on 8a but Guru felt 7c+ probably more accurate. On consideration I agree, allowing for my condition on Thursday (tired, sore, painful skin) I think a fresh attempt will yield more success.

So the training Tuesday and Wednesday (coupled with doing pretty heavy physical work this week) scuppered my chances of success on Thursday. Which is a shame, but should hopefully yield results on a more long term basis (i.e. I'll have more crush).

It's funny isn't it?

2009-09-18T11:43:00.001-07:00

Monday I think I went somewhere and did something but can't for the life of me remember what.

Tuesday went to a pleasant(ish) quarry with G-bob. Did a coule of problems but whilst the quarry was pleasant of outlook it was limited of potential.

Wednesday went to Earl with G-bob, I will say no more than this.

Thursday went to Kilnsey with Guru. Tried bouldering out the start of Massala Martyr, I' quite keen to get a rope on this. Then had a few redpoints on Comedy before dispatching after tweaking my clipping strategy. Happy days.

On the importance of angles

2009-09-14T00:57:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I headed back the Kilnsey with the Guru. This time it was somewhat drier so game on, it was however very hot so Metal Mickey was not really on the cards. Time for something different. Warm up first. I managed my first route at Kilnsey and my first sport flash, yay, however this was just the a 6b (can't remember the name) so perhaps not greatly impressive...
Then, as is traditional, I tried and failed on a 7a+. At least this time I managed to get a decent way up it before resorting to bolt-to-bolt.
Anyway then it was Comedy for me and Pantomime for the Guru. Guru was up first and on-sighted Pantomime in good style, it looked tricky from the ground but I am assured that once you start climbing the moves just fall into place, hmmmm we'll see.
Anyway then on to Comedy. I have previously had an attempt on this route. It turned into a bit of a farce though involving belaying difficulties and dog rescue which meant I had to be lowered of from half-height to rescue Bammers. Anyway this time I went up to half-height jug, had a rest, bolt-to-bolted the top then lowered off. I had another rest whilst Guru onsighted something else (that looked desperate) then I had a redpoint and fell off the move to the cigar hold. I wasn't pumped but the left hand sidepull that you go off to get the cigar hold was damp and felt very glassy and my hand just slid out of it. Anyway I then trundled up to the top and stripped it. Time was short so I couldn't get another RP in. Guru tried for a fourth onsight of the day but it wasn't to be (very close though). I definitely have a lot to learn still...
Friday evening I went to the Depot with everybody else, mosh pit. It was a good evening and I now realise I need to steepen up my board big time. The Beastmaker board at the Depot is bonza, and whilst it is perhaps too steep for my current abilities it is certainly indicative of the direction I should move the board in. My board is currently at the 25-30 degree sort of angle, which was ideal for me when I first built it, but now I think I need proper steepness to (try) and develop the sort of dirty filthy burl that was in evidence on Friday evening. Time to break out the power tools and hit 45 I think...

And just for you Jon.

The people have spoken...

2009-09-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

... so I'll keep it brief.

Went Kilnsey.
Wet.
Went to Whitehouses.
Worked Growled.
Went home.

With:
Bammers
Guru
Tanners

Is that succinct enough for ya?
:o)

Water water everywhere and not a rock to climb.

2009-09-04T05:20:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've got breaking news here when I say it's been a bit on the rainy side of late. However yesterday morning the Guru and I were engaged in an interweb debate about whether to venture out. I think we were both keen, but also neither of us wanted to drag the other out for a washout day, this was compounded by the fact that we were both carrying (very minor) injuries.
Anyhoo, after a bit of too-ing and fro-ing a Kilnsey based plan was hatched. I was not overly confident given recent cragside reports but the Guru assured me "Comedy never gets wet". He also advised me to bring wellies, good knowledge the stream was like a grade 5 white water rapid (or something...), the dog was almost lost in the crossing.
Anyway up the hill slightly late as usual to meet the reliably on time Guru who is grim of face. Everything is wet, even Comedy. There is a slight ray of hope though, the 7a+ at the left end of the crag is dry, as is Metal Mickey and Metal Guru. So we "warm up" on the 7a+, the Guru eases his way up, climbing smoothly, considering his moves, pausing for efficient rest and making steady relentless progress, he fairly effortlessly makes the lower-off. He even has the courtesy to pretrend that he found it tricky whilst I lower him. My turn. I'm a bit cold, can't feel my hands, overgrip everything and essentially bolt to bolt it before lowering off below the top too demotivated to make the last push up the easy finish. I don't think I've quite got this sport climbing warm-up thing down pat just yet... Kindly to the end the Guru claims that he wants to top-rope it again as a warm down so it's actually a good thing that I lowered off... Too kind sir, too kind.
Anyway on to Metal Mickey which we have both tried briefly before. This time conditions felt good and pretty soon we both had what we feel are workable sequences. But we also had very sore skin and no time, so a quick gear removal, pack up and we were off.
I think Metal Mickey is just about the perfect route for me. It is very bouldery, essentially it is two boulder problems on top of one another, but it is not so short as to feel like you're just putting on a rope to get a route tick rather than a bouldering tick. I.e. it is a proper route. Also it appears to stay pretty dry come what may, and that can only be a good thing given the current situation...
So I set out at the start of the Lime season wanting to do an 8a, and I haven't (failed again, spotting a pattern?). However I think I probably could have done an 8a I just didn't devote much time to the ones I tried, I guess they failed to inspire, and routes I have spent time on are a notch or two tougher. Right now I'd happily forgo a relatively quick tick of an 8a (assuming I could get one) for a more prolonged effort on the two routes that have grabbed me. They being Metal Mickey and Grooved Arete. Of these two I'm pretty much certain that the higher grade route (Metal Mickey, 8b) will be the eaier to complete as it suits me and I'm motivated to do it. I am equally motivated to do Grooved Arete but I feel that this will be harder for me (featuring as it does the ever elusive endurance) even though it gets 8a+. As ever grades are just a guide, climb what motivates and inspires.

Finaly I apologise for recent posts, they have been long, wordy and seriously lacking in the multi-media department. I shall endevour to rectify the multi-media aspect. The wordiness is because I want to explain a bit more beyond simply where I went and what I did, I've got a log book for that, but try to explain a bit of the why also. If it's boring don't read it (does anybody anyway) or post a comment telling me to shut up.

Right I'm off to concoct a negotiating strategy that will give me a pass out over the weekend, I may be some time...

Bridestones Revisited

2009-09-01T04:51:00.000-07:00

I've never really got on with Bridestones. I can see the appeal and understand when people say "it's one of the top bouldering crags in Yorkshire" and such like but.... well we just don't quite see eye to eye. Which is a shame as I only live five minutes from it. Anyway over the years I have spent some time there and ticked my way through several of the problems but never really had a huge burning desire to go there on a quest for crush, it always seemed a bit low-key, picnics and family days, throwing balls for the dog and lounging with occasional forays onto the rock. But today I was keen to climb but pressed for time. All of my BIG THINGS TO DO are at least an hour away so they were off the menu, what to do?
But then inspiration struck, there is a problem at Bridies called The Worm and it's always been a bit of a weird 'un. The thing is it's a traverse which then finishes up and up problem, but there has been a bit of a lack of clarity over which up problem it finished up. There is an arete problem it could finish up, and then another problem a bit further round which it could also finish up.
Now I always thought that it finished up the bit further round problem and would marvel at the slopey scallops that you'd have to pull on to do this, it looked lovely but hard. Then I saw a video on Yorkshiregirt.com here and this finished up the arete, which made the given grade seem, well, generous. Various debates were had with various people with varying levels of knowledge and the upshot was? Well it was all a bit unresolved...
Anyway Yorkshiregrit.com changed the grade of the problem to 7b (from 7c) and the world kept turning. However I noticed this morning that some had posted a comment stating that the finish I originally thought was right had been done and the feeling was 7c+ would be appropriate.
Well given a short window of opportunity and a new piece of information about a local curiousity what else was I to do? Me and Bammers loaded up the van and chugged up the hill, a quick tromp across the moor and we assumed the position at the tilted pinnacle.
It took me a while to work a sequence for the end, I wasn't wrong those scallops were slopey and you need to go a long way the the last hold (well the last hold before the awkward, fluffable but relatively easy finish). But after a hours contemplation/attempts a sequence was in place. It all felt pretty steady apart from the last move which is (I may have mentioned this already) HUGE. Then I started to work the first bit of the traverse, this was worked out more quickly but was trickier than I was anticipating, hmmmmm. I also noticed that there was a footblock on the arete that was pretty loose so I decided that in the interest of Bridies conservation (the place is already trashed, no reason to make it worse) then the footblock would have to be eliminated. A quick sequence re-work and that was fine (and not really any harder). Now for the link. I was a bit concerned about this because the start was a bit more climby than I'd anticipated and the last move crux could spit me off all day long if it chose to do so. Oh well, on we go. First attempt I got round the arete but didn't get the next hold at the right angle, was set up all wrong for the next move so stepped off. Second go got to the last move and greased off a sloper with my right hand, then sun had come out from the cloud cover and was burning into the sloper, eeeK! Third go and it all went smooth, solid 7c+ this way I think.
I then did it the other way finishing up the arete, which was a complete scrittle-fest but much easier, 7b seems fair.
Anyway apologies for all this grade talk, I know some people don't like it but it is kind of essential to the story in this case.
So in summary:
The Worm - 7C+
Traverse the face of the tilted pinnacle starting at the crack, stay low round the arete and finish up Ear'oule via a long move. Excellent

The Shortened Worm - 7B
Traverse the face of the tilted Pinnacle starting at the crack, finish up the arete. OK if you like that sort of thing, where that sort of thing is a scrittly escape from the main difficulties of the problem.

Over and out.

Rise of the Crooks

2009-08-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I ventured up to Crookrise with G-unit and Bammers. The weather was looking less than fantastic but the alternative was spending the day with the mother-in-law so I just asked myself "what would Les Dawson do?". Up the hill we went. I was keen to look at Jasons Roof and G was after Barry Kingsize and The Fly.
We got there and I had a blast on The Fly but discovered that the higher pocket was wet which pretty much stopped progress dead. On to Barry Kingsize, getting to the top move seemed easy but the final move to the top felt like a long way and weirdly committing. The landing is pretty good with a mat or two but there is an awkward block just back from the landing zone, you'd never hit it coming off but even so it weighs on the mind (or it weighed on my mind). Anyway several goes later and I latched the top and got stuck into the sitter. The moves on the sitter went in a few goes but the top move still felt hard. G was struggling with the top move also. It may well have been a bit damp which probably didn't help, there were short showers every couple of minutes and even though the wind was drying things quickly I guess moisture would still be present. Anyway enough excuses.

Then there was a bit of a better spell so rather than carry on with Barry Kingsize Sitter (which was rapidly eating my hands) we moved on to The Fly. Now a few years ago this would have been my thing but this visit led toa realisation. I have been entirely focussed on steep stuff of late, which has been brilliant but...
Slab technique has definitely suffered, previously I would have done this by just standing up on my feet but today I was trying to pull myself up. It didn't work, I think with a bit more time and dry, crisp conditions it would go down but it was interesting to have such a clear demonstration of how my slab technique has waned. I'm not surprised by this, or even especially upset by it, after all I'm sure with a bit of training it would come back pretty quickly. However it has been a practical confirmation of one of my theoretical musings.
Both me a G got to similar points on the Fly, neither of which were the top, onwards.

Then tried the groove left of The Fly, I don't think I'll say any more than that about this.

We trudged off to find a problem called Karjala which had been recommended to us. Managed to flash this, G seemed to have lost all SYKE at this point and despite my encouragement didn't really get his balls out for a proper go. I'd hope he'd go back and crush when the SYKE returns.

Whilst doing Karjala the weather took a serious turn for the worse, it looked set for solid rain and feeling tired we considered heading back to the car but after walking up the hill it was felt that the day should be fully milked. So we head down through the trees to Jasons Roof. I had a play on the moves as the heavens opened. I think I got most of the moves and a semi-workable sequence. It seems pretty hard to me but I think it might favour a slightly taller fellow. Keen to get back to this though as it is a quality line, it would have to be to get me back up that hill.

Finally we dropped in to Eastby to look at a Purchon dyno that G wanted to check out. It was huge, 230cm, with a poor sloper to catch at the top. We had a couple of throws each in the rain but didn't get terribly near, very timing specific I think. Looks mega though, I think it will be to far for me but I'd throw myself at it again.

Cringlebarrow

2009-08-28T03:50:00.000-07:00

Another visit to Cringlebarrow on Tuesday. The weather was awful as I drove past Blackburn, but then it always is. Is Blackburn the wetest most depressing place in the world? However the rain was still beating down at Preston, but I kept the faith, fortune favours the hopelessly optimistic. Still raining at Lancaster, hmmm this really isn't looking good. Oh well too far gone to turn back now. As I came off the motorway there were one or two dry-ish looking spots on the road, maybe the gamble had paid off? However as I parked up and trudged up the footpath the ground was very wet, optimism was replaced with resignation to the fact that I had nothing better to do than walk up to a wet piece of rock, then walk back.
However upon arrival things didn't look that bad. The start of Curtain Call (the problem I wanted to do) was soaked but everything further right was pretty dry. So first off I worked on linking the end of Curtain Call into White Venom which is possible but quite hard and will be desperate after having done Curtain Call. The I ground upped White Venom (a three bolt sport route) which is a nice highball. Apart from the soaking wet pulling on dead tree roots top-out, yikes! So the link up of Curtain Call into White Venom is definitely on, I'm not sure if it's been done before (Greg?) but his Godskins probably did it as a training exercise at some point, then he probably did it there and back. Anyway Curtain Call is given font 8A, I think the link from Curtain Call into White Venom is probably font 7C-ish and then White Venom is Fr7b+. So in combination that would give? I dunno, a Font 8A+/B?? Or maybe a route grade would be more appropriate, but I have even less idea about them, 8b+?? Anyway I'm SYKED to try this link.
The I did Ichabod Spooklemous (sharp and painful), Discohesion SDS (soft but desperate top-out due to extreme wetness) and Revenant (hard). All good. So just a few of the routes to do here and then that will only leave the hard stuff to tick. Nice little venue, I likes it.

Cheery-bye.

Cream Tea Day (with a tiny bit of climbing)

2009-08-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Went to G-units this morn. We debated with great indifference about potential venues and in the end entrusted our fate to the flip fo a coin. The two venues of choice were Langdale or Silverdale and the mighty tuppence of fate chose the Dale of Lang. Onward rock warriors...
Anyway several miles up the motorway the sky was looking somewhat leaden and the cows in the adjacent fields were doing something that may or may not have indicated that rain was or wasn't either happening or about to happen, or something. Given the dampness potential we unveiled our secret stash of wisdom and bailed of the motorway early for Silverdale.
First port of call was Cringlesport. I had unfinished business here in the form of Brane Damage. On a previous session it should have gone down but fear of success (coupled with an excess of letting go) had yielded nowt but failure. After a warm up and an attempt at high altitude G-unit-icide I got my crush on. ICED LIKE PAPPA SMURF. Shamone. Then I had a play on a Gaskins special and a top secret pro-jay shhhhh. I think I've got a workable sequnce for the Gaskins but will need tres good conditions. As for the other thing, it's gonna be hard but I think do-able with plenty muchos burlificating.
Then on to Trowbarrow, where the nemesis of the crag was the poxy traverse of Red Wall. Previously the G-unit and I have both failed on this but today gravity was our friend, twas a double-doody-first-attempt-win-win-crushty-fest.
Reward CREAM TEA.
Then home, a good day.
G has footage of Brane Damage so should he upload it I'll do a likkle-linky-loo...

Ta-dah...

Brane Damage from GCW on Vimeo.

Aimless wanderings of an old fool

2009-08-15T01:06:00.000-07:00

To climb without focus,motivation and drive is for me (in terms of getting anything done) a pretty wasteful exercise.
Went to Kilnsey on Thursday and didn't feel the SYKE. Met up with the Guru, Waffles, G-unit and J-Kay. I had half-baked plans before getting there and had failed to develop any solid aims so in the end I failed to do WYSIWYG as a warm up for failing on everything else.
Grooved Arete felt horrible conditions to me, though nobody else seemed to be struggling. Comedy felt like a goer but attempts were curtailed by a dog chasing Bammers down onto the road - not happy (me or Bammers). Hmmm, I think I have too many unfinished pieces of business at Kilnsey and I need to get focussed. But what to choose?
Comedy - I can probably do this quickly but that would be the only reason for choosing it
Metal Mickey - is very bouldery so suits me but could take a long time to link it.
Grooved Arete - isa bit too long and sustained for me, but is very good and would be good training for further route based aspirations.
Hmmmm, I think I'll probably back-burner Comedy, or have it as the reserve option should the other two be unavailable. But which of the two left should I focus on? I think I'll have a ponder...

One for all and all for one, Muskerhounds are always ready.

2009-08-13T00:14:00.000-07:00

8:00 a.m. Thursday morning, the boss is still in bed and lard and I am eating toast watching the Muskerhounds, old-skool-eighties classics ROOL.
Yet again it's been a while. I can't remember exactly what and when has gone down but here's a brief rundown.
I've been to Kilnsey a bit, Grooved Arete is still on the list and Metal Mickey has joined it. As have a couple of other things but they're top secret so shhhhh....
Also been to Silverdale, went to Cringlesport and did a route called Discohesion (boulder problem wearing a rope really) and then failed to do Brane Damage, next time. Quite a nice bit of rock. Also went to Hutton Roof which is another nice bit of rock, did several problems/solos here including a flash of The Cause.
Heading off to Kilnsey today.
I'm really getting into this sport climbing, I'm finding it enjoyable even though I haven't really cliimbed anything yet. I'm still not tempted by any of these thirty metre stamina beasts but the extended bouldering sort of stuff is fun. I am however awful at clipping, to the extent that I am practising clipping on the board at home (how sad is that?). Another thing is the time involved in doing sport climbing, it really is a full day event to get a good session going, whereas bouldering can be done in just an hour or so. Sadly I seldom have full days free for climbing so I tend to leave the crag feeling like I should have done more. Hey-ho.
Anyway Dogtanian is about to get on board a ghost ship, sounds exciting. Until next time....

Death of a problem, or is it...

2009-07-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

Went to Silverdale with G-unit yestermorn. Conditions were poor but we were worse. Not a good session nuff said.

Then G met Tanman at Denham where the bronzed adonis was keen to get Snatch done. He's been close previously so was hopeful that it would go down this session. Sadly on a "feeling good" go he pulled off a left hand crimp. Aaaargh.

When I heard of these events last night I was in part saddened that this problem had been so short lived, partially confident that a new sequence would be workable and a little bit confused about which hold had snapped. The more I considered this breakage the more convinced I was that the hold I used for my left couldn't snap off, well it could but it's a wierd scallopy thing rather than a thin crimp so unlikely to snap. At last curiousity got the better of me and with the aid of an extended lunch hour I quested off to Denham. As I arrived I could clearly see the problem was well chalked and....

My left hand hold was still on the wall, yay! It would seem Tanman had been using a slightly higher crimp for his left hand to set up for the move to the jug, a hold that I didn't use. So whilst the rockface isn't in the same condition as for the first ascent the sequence of handholds is. In fact Bronze-a-saurus did me a favour by snapping off the higher hold he has prevented cheaty easy sequences being utilised :o)

Anyway I'm happy that the problem still stands and maybe a repeat will happen, get to it Tanners...

Busy doing nothing, working the whole route through...

2009-07-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, lets not dwell on exactly how long. A period of time has passed. And how have I filled this time? Am I set to unleash a ticklist of such proportions as to inspire and impress the reader in equal measure? Not so much. A blow by blow account of my activities over this passed time would test both my memory and a readers patience so in short I have tried some and ticked naught.
How sad, what a waste of my time. Well no because today I had something of a revelation. The scales fell from my eyes and the truth was (in part) revealed. I'll let you in on a secret that has only just become apparent to me. When climbing a sport route you can fall off from above a bolt and not die in a horrible and painful fashion, in point of fact it is even possible to fall from above a bolt and not even hurt yourself.
Not much of a revelation? Well from the comfort of your (and indeed my) armchair no it isn't. However on the sharp end all scientific bumpff regarding loading forces and breaking strains becomes a bit academic, after all you are about to test these theoretical limitations in a manner which would be very much final should the lab technician have sneezed whilst placing that crucial decimal point...
Anyway for me falling onto bolts has been, well it hasn't been truth be told. But today I took a whipper (of about a foot) after climbing above a bolt. Progress.
So now I'm keen for Grooved Arete at Kilnsey, Chimes at the Tor, Caviar at Rubicon and something at Malham. If I could get two of these four ticked this year (hell even one) I'd be Mr Happy.
Off bouldering tomorrow in Silverdale, which is nice...

This report is to report that there is nothing to report.

2009-06-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

Can't remember exaclty when my last blog was and how it fits in with my ongoing assault on Peak lime. It's a bit academic really as Ihaven't actually done anything since my last missive. A brief run-down of activities would be:
- Tried Caviar, found a couple of moves tricky but I think it's possible for me to do this. It does climb nicely but felt harder and more sustained than I was hoping. On a slightly seperate note Rubicon shut me down in general, I'm hoping this is just "first few visits" issues and once I've got my head round the crag and style things will flow a bit more, but for now it all feels a bit awkward and out of balance. Oh well time will tell...
- Tried Chimes, I'm fairly confident this will go down. The conditions were horrible when I tried it really hot a humid so the soler/pinch thing for the left below the lip felt horrendous. Better conditions, we'll see...
- Been out to Peel beach on the Isle of Man a couple of times with Spud. Didn't realy climb much as humidity and awkward tide times coupled with extreme heat were demotivating. But I did get a bunch of crag shots which (at some point in the next ten years) I may well turn into a topo.

Anyway now I'm stuck on the Isle of Man for a week with really tricky tidetimes making climbing pretty much impossible. So time to try some new things. Yesterday was jetskiing which was a very fun way of getting wet but I can see how its participants could be unpopular. It was interesting talking to the guy who took me out as he was also very understanding of the fact that jetskiers were widely regarded as arses. I guess the trouble is some (lots?) of them are tits, out razzing about the bay at popular beaches in the middle of summer (showing off?) rather than trying to find a quiet spot. Curiously the guy I was with and his mates are the people who go out and help boats/yachts/people/whatever that get in trouble at sea, and they use their hated jetskis to go to the aid of the haters. I guess it's like many other activities where the mass perception is skewed by a few idiots. At the end of the day most of these "extreme" (god I wish I could think of a better all encompassing term) activities could (and frequently are) quite easily enjoyed by the participants without negatively impinging non-participants. It's not so much what you do, rather whether or not you're a twat while you do it. This is applicable to climbing as much as anything else. Go forth climb and have fun, but be aware your actions affect the publics general perception of climbers as a group not just its perception of you. God save us from twats.

Anyway tonight I'm having a blast on a mountain bike. Second time and I really enjoyed it last time so should be good.

More Peak lime time.

2009-06-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

Tuesday evening went to that Tor. Wanted to try Chimes but belay lack meant back to Staminaband, yawn. This is hard. Managed to get a link to halkway through Powerband but was as boxed as a boxed thing put in a box. Then pottered around for a bit, then tried Pump Up The Power. I've tried it once before briefly but this time it seemed to work better, I'm keen to get on this again. but maybe as a route. As a final flurry I tried Weedkiller Traverse Footless and dropped it at the end when instead of slapping for a hold I slapped for the bit of rock next to the hold, tiddley-pom...
This evening went to Rubicon and got shut down. It's all fiddly little fingery biddly-boddley nib nobs there. And painful, grrrr. Anyway Katherine was trying Caviar (and looking mighty smooth on it) and I got really SYKED to try it, but I didn't want to disrupt her Feng Shui as she seemed to be in the zone so instead made a mental note: TRY THIS ROUTE NEXT TIME. Instead I trundled round to Salar which is, as everyone says, a one move wonder. I didn't do the move, but I'm not mega SYKED for this route anyway. It was just something to try. So did nothing at Rubber-con. In an effort to ease my shame at such failure I called in to thr Tor (at 10:20PM) and t'was deserted. How novel. Anyway a quick bish bash bosh and it became apparent that whilst my fingers were feeling the Rubicon pain my arms still had the ummph to drag a weary carcass across Weedkiller Footless, so not a total waste of a session.
The heavens surely did open as I drove Macc-wards. I hope the glorious Peak lime survives this precipitation for I have but two evenings of crush remaining. Monday and Tuesday eve will see me venturing forth through Buxton again for a final onslaught. I don't think I've yet found a route that has really grabbed me, there a things I'd like to get back on and give a whirl and all that but I am a monster that feeds on passion for a problem or route. It being nice or classic or soft or whatever often isn't enough. I've got to really want to do it to do it. Maybe Caviar will be this thing.

The Tor again, surely not...

2009-06-13T05:09:00.000-07:00

Went to the Tor Thursday evening. Planned to try Chimes but it was busy busy busy so tried Rattle and Hump instead. Didn't go well, I was trying to save myself for a Chimes attampt (that never materialised). Then messed about, then managed to do the start of Staminaband into Powerband (first time I've done this) so that was quite good. But general impression was not a lot achieved. Back on Monday then may try Rubicon on Thursday, woot woot.

Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor

2009-06-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

Went to the Tor again on Monday evening. In the absence of a chum my only option was bouldering. So got stuck into Staminaband. I think I'm making some progress but it is very slow going, I'm finding it very hard. I think the start bit (i.e. the bit that isn't Powerband) is harder than Powerband, and by a pretty significant margin. And Powerband isn't easy at the grade IMHO. The link is looking pretty tough. Having said that I think if I can get through the start (something I haven't managed yet) I will be able to link it. I'm not saying I'll do it straight away or anything just that I feel I'll be able to make progress through the second part rather than just hitting a wall beyond which I cannot progress. I still expect that last move to be a heart breaker (should I ever get there). Hey-ho.

Back there tomorrow evening with buddies this time so I'll be mostly dangling off Chimes and renewing my dislike of sport climbing. Or maybe I'll enjoy myself...

How to make friends and influence people.

2009-06-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

On Thursday evening I ventured forth to the Tor. I'd commited to going out with a friend who rarely climbs and I knew that the Tor was pretty much the worst place in the world to take a non-obsessive climber but hey I'm a selfish twat so fuck him. Actually I was willing to go elsewhere (though undeniably keenest for the Tor) but he wasn't arsed and was happy just to get out for some fresh air, eat some biscuits and watch the world go by. So Tor it is, yay!

We were meeting Sam there but we arrived before him (he was busy waiting in traffic for an Oasis concert) so bouldering was going to be the first course of the evening. I had a notion to try Staminaband as Powerband had gone down quickly and pretty easily. I don't whether I was tired, it was bad conditions or Staminaband is brutal but I got pretty well shut down. Hummph. I think conditions were less than classic as several people appeared to be struggling but enough with the excuses already. Anyway I managed to do all the moves in isolation. Hardly cause for mass celebration though as the idea of linking them all is a waaaaaaay off. Ho-hum. Also whilst Powerband got crushed I think the last move shimmy-shankered my left hand somewhat. It's not espcially painful but feels a bit weird and weak in the palm area. Maybe Staminaband should be back burnered for now.

So by now Sam has arrived and after he has a bash at this and that we toy with the prospect of getting out ropes and harnesses. I had a vague notion of getting back on Rattle and Hump but lack of beastliness means that I am more prone to aimless wandering and pondering. Sam suggests Chimes, I laugh and inform him that it is far too long, he mentions that lowering from the lip is permitted at 8a. What? Tell me more? This is interesting. So we get on Chimes, Sam does all the moves, I do all the moves apart from a long move above the lip. I'm hoping that I'm just powered out and a fresh attempt on a new day will see the move bested. The rest of it feels pretty steady I think so maybe this will be it, my great sport objective realised. Time will tell...

Then went home and had a massive takeaway pizza and watched a shit vampire film, can life get any better than this?

Back to the Tor again this week, see you out there kids...

Busy doing nothing...

2009-06-03T03:26:00.000-07:00

Went to Widdop on Sunday with family and the G-unit. Spud did a couple of slabs and failed to top out on Red Edge again, next time. G wandered about trundling up various bobs and bits. I didn't put my shoes on. The only thing I want to do there is Fight On Black and it was too hot (or more accurately I was too lazy to even find out if it was too hot). Then went home and had a cream tea a barbeque and cheesecake. I imagine I'm pushing twenty stone and a coronary now...

Tuesday evening I met G-bob and Chattery Sam at Longridge. It was hot, sweaty and greasy. I felt deeply uninspired. Ended up not doing any real climbing, just messing about trying to find hands-off rests and footlessing. All very entertaining and pointless I' sure. Longridge is a bit of a wierd crag. The holds are all generally good (in that they are mostly positive and/or large) but the conditions are critical. I've been a couple of times with reasonable conditions and felt SYKED to try stuff but this time it felt grim and I just lost interest. Mind you got a couple of decent looking lines to go back and try when the grease disipates.

Thursday possibly at the Tor. Debating between Staminaband and Rattle and Hump, choices schmoices....

Just a quickie...

2009-05-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

Just a brief update. Been back to the mighty Tor a couple more times. On Monday it was in grim condition, I tried Powerband and got all the moves but there was no chance of linking it (for me) because my hands were wet after touching a couple of holds. The holds weren't seeping or anything, just very warm and humid, yeuck. Met Ru for the first time. Another very friendly and knowledgable chap, wonderful. I won't say what he was doing in case it is for some reason top secret but suffice it to say I was mighty impressed with his performance given the awful conditions.
This evening back to the Tor. The aim was get Powerband and then get stuck into a route. Got Powerband first attempt, in fact it was my warm up, very unexpected but nice. Then messed around trying numerous other problems in a half-arsed fashion whilst Mike and Sam made progress on Ben's Roof and Powerband, neither were ultimately successful but I'm sure they will be in due course. Then I tried Rattle and Hump on a rope, and ooooooof tough paper round. At the time I was disheartened but after an hour or so's reflection I have realised that I was probably a bit trashed and that I was closer than I thought to doing the moves. So I'll get back on it fresh some time soon and we'll take it from there.

Tour of the Tor

2009-05-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

Having previously briefly tried Ben's roof a couple of weeks ago I headed over to the Tor Tuesday evening with the intention of crushage. I met Mike there and got my angry eyes in. Sadly I forgot to engage brain so completely bished my footwork sequence through the crux. Rather than realising I'd got the numbers wrong instead I scratched my head and carried on trying the same thing and expecting a different result. Should have used SCIENCE. Finally the light dawned and I remembered the right thing to do,only I was now to boxed to do it. Went home. Mike was looking like he could get it done with a bit of work, he floats through the start moves with the grace of a short balding middle aged swan, and that's a thing of beauty my friends.

Back Thursday evening with Rick as chaperone, he wasn't even registering a simple enthusiasm rating on the SYKEOMETER. But still gamely put on his shoes and did a bit of sitting on the mat and touching holds, sweet skills. I warmed up with my first attempt but dropped off with painfull fingers (not a classic warm up but hey-ho), second attempt felt cruisey but a foot slip saw me stood on the ground looking foolish. Third attempt and it was in the bag, steady eddy, really should have done it on Tuesday but pleased with the tick nonetheless.

Rick then got into Powerband, I also had a dabble. Hard last move still, ooooof, something to come back to. Also had a go (literally A go) at Pump Up The Power, quite keen to get on this as a route maybe. Get me a sport 8 tick to complete the triumverate, yeeee-haaaaaaaaaa....

Isle of Man Again...

2009-05-18T02:47:00.000-07:00

I've been in the Isle of Man. It really is a funny little place full of weird people with strange insular views. It's like little Englanders, but even more little, crazy.
Anyway I find my regular jaunts over there quite dull to be honest. There is climbing but it's not amazing and as I invariably lack my own transportation and have to rely on lifts and favours worked around rain and tides things rapidly get frustating.
Anyway the amazing thing about going to the Isle of Man is the chance to climb with a genuine, proper, belts and braces legend. Dougie Hall. This is the man whose diary was published and called the Chew Valley guide. He is everything I want from a legend, possessed of an enviable climbing heritage, short, friendly and devoid of any dress sense. Brilliant. Anyway we had an evening out climbing at Santon in a little gully along the side of a small bay reached by scrambling down a wall of vertical grass after walking for half a mile along the cliff top path and stopping at a point that looked exactly like every other point on the path. You could spend a lifetime searching for this venue and never find it, but then thats what climbing's like here. The occassional gem in the midst of a lot of pap. Anyway I spent an enjoyable couple of hours in the local climbers company, and very nice it was so cheers chaps.
I also revisited Laxey boulders and reclimbed a few problems that I have previously tried and also finally managed to force my way across a traverse that has become something of an Isle of Man obsession. I have mentioned it previously here, and at the time I suggested a grade of 8A. Well now it's done I'm going to stick with that. It felt very hard to me, easily as hard as problems of that grade that I've done recently. However it is not really in a style that suits me, being very powerfull and fingery. Anyway there we go, if people want to journey to the Isle of Man and repeat this problem and downgrade it then knock yourselves out. I've even done a PDF guide which I'll put on the Vimeo UKB group.
And now I'm back home and the weather has been awful. Ho-hum, of to Ravens Tor on Tuesday evening to (try and) crush Ben's Roof. Then on Thursday I may possibly be back that way (or Rubicon) to either try some more bouldering or get on some sport!!

NOTE:
1) Not everyone from the Isle of Man is mental, lots of them are very nice and the climbers there are an enthusiastic and welcoming bunch. But there's lots of nutters.

Success? Not with my reputation...

2009-05-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

[NOTE: The following was written on Saturday the 9th May but this is the first opportunity I've had to get it ONLINE]

Thursday evening I headed over to Sheffield, I'd arranged to buy some Dragons and also meet a couple of friends at the Works. But the weather was looking nice so I decided to head over a little earlier than planned and call in at Ravens Tor. I'd been having vague notions of trying Ben's Roof and Powerband for a while and this seemed like the opportunity to get stuck in. I was heading over from my mums house (in Macclesfield) and the first thing I realised was just how close Ravens Tor is. It is probably only half an hour door to rock if you get a good run and know where you're going, which suggests future visits will be on the cards when visiting the parentals.

Anyway I arrived and realised I really didn't have a clue about this place, I didn't know any problems at all having only been once or twice before back in the day. I knew vaguely where Powerband was but not where it started, and I also knew roughly where Ben's Roof went, but it looked very sequencey so I settled in for a “working it out” session. Luckily a kindly young lady took pity on me and demonstrated a sequence which saved me a lot of work. Duly informed of a workable technique I set to work and in the end I did all the moves and managed to do a couple of decent links. I'm fairly confident I can do this on my next session, however time was moving on and I wanted to try Powerband. Powerband is pretty steady until the last move, which is brutal. I couldn't even do it in isolation. Although to be fair I was probably getting pretty tired by now and I only had a couple of quick goes as it was time to depart.

Off to the Foundry, bloody hell this area has changed. It all looks like a young professionals wet dream nowadays, obviously the inside of the Foundry didn't appear to have changed in the last 10 years. Anyway a quick exchange of readies for footwear and I am now the proud owner of a pair of Dragons. In the past I have mocked the multi-shoe owning climber, but now I stand proud amongst you my comrades. Mind you they felt bloody uncomfortable compared to my lovely baggy Verdes, this multiple shoe phase may be short lived....

Then the Works where I spent a couple of gentle hours on the red circuit with a couple of friends. Very nice it was, I was feeling pretty battered at this stage but still had an enjoyable time. At the end of the session I had a brief attempt at some classic training/posing test-pieces. First off I went for the newcomer, the Beastmaker and managed to hang the 45's for a short time (about 7 seconds) then the campus board where I did 1-4-7 for the first time but failed to 1-5-8 and finally the chin up bar where I amazed myself by doing a one armer with each arm. Obviously these “feats” are nothing more than party tricks but that doesn't mean they're not fun, trouble is on the odd occasion when I do try these things it's invariably at the end of a session which means (a) I'm not performing at my best and probably more importantly (b) I'm tired so not moving in a crisp and co-ordinated fashion, instead my sloppy slapping is more likely to result in injury than improved performance. Hey-ho...

Leap forward to Saturday, I am heading over to the Isle of Man for a few days torture at the in-laws. I'm sailing from Heysham in the afternoon so a plan is hatched to head up that way early doors and pop in to Silverdale for a raid on Hyning and Woodwell to crush Transgenic and Not Bad Dave SDS. I've got Dragons now so surely these will be crushed to dust? The weather was supposed to be awful but in fact was pretty good, there was a wet streak next to the pocket at the end of Transgenic but all the holds were dry so things were looking good. However I'm an arse. When will I learn. I cannot warm up on an 8A. So instead of getting the body prepped for bearing down instead I pull on and get pumped and powered out. Also my skin is feeling very sore for some reason and my back is feeling stiff and sore, but these are just excuses at the end of the day I ruined any chance I had of doing this problem in this session by leaping on it and assuming I could just monster it, I can't. Obviously it didn't go down but I did manage my best link yet so not a complete failure, just stupid stupid stupid. I was rewarded for this idiocy with a sore left elbow and shoulder and shooting pains down my arm, hmmmm.....

Anyway on to Woodwell. Not Bad Dave is surely in the bag, I mean I've got the right boots for the heel hook move bring it on. But yet again I was to be denied. My skin was too sore and my core too tired. I went for a coffee and cake and then tried again, with much the same result. So not only had my stupidity on Transgenic cost me any chance of doing it, it had also cost me any chance of doing this, arse. The truly enormously stupid thing about this is that the evening before in debate with the G-unit the proposed strategy was warm-up crushing Not Bad Dave then go on to Transgenic. I am absolutely sure that if I had done this I would have crushed Not Bad Dave and would certainly have done no worse on Transgenic. Hindsight and all that. Anyway they are both good problems so I'm happy to return to them again at some point, the rock isn't going anywhere.

Living for the weekend...

2009-05-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I dropped the wife and offspring off at Liverpuddle airport as they head over to the in-laws. Once deposited I headed West to try my luck in the cave. The cave is somewhere I've been meaning to visit for a while. I've heard all manner of different things about it. Some good, some not so good. Everybody tends to start describing it in the same way.
There's no real obvious lines
Arbitary starts and finishes
Spanks you on a first visit

And then depending on the individual expressing the opinion will either say it's amazing or it's a bit shit. Different folks, different strokes I suppose. Anyway anything that can be so consistently described and yet give such variety of opinion has to be worth investigating, if only to allow me to form my own view.

Saturday afternoon in Llandudno was B U S Y. Some sort of Victorian funfair thing going on. Anyway once I'd managed to get through and parked up at the cave I went for a nosey. I was meeting Sam there, he's been before so could show me the lines etc. But I was there way before Sam so got stuck in to what some other folks were trying which turned out to be Lou Ferino and Rockattrocity. Then Sam turned up with Baz and was trying Trigger Cut.
I found one move of Lou Ferino desperate but the rest of it pretty steady. Rockattrocity I should have done but dropped it at the end. Sam was looking good on Trigger Cut, he hadn't done it when I left but he was looking very solid on it so I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he did it later on.

So what did I make of the cave? Well I didn't leave feeling like I'd been completely spanked, but then I was expecting to get shut down big time so expectations were low. I did think that it was all a bit no clear lines/random starts and finishes though. Overall.....hmmm... lets say not my favourite venue. I don't feel in any great rush to return, though I probably will to get Rockattrocity done at some point, but then will I return? I dunno. It's a long way to go and to be honest I much prefer the Silverdale limestone which leads us nicely onto....

Sunday. Early start, picked up G-bob and bashed up the motorway to Fairy Steps. The predicted wall to wall sunshine had not materialised so we arrived at Aeons wall to find it dripping wet. Hmmm. Anyway lashings of toweling, chalk and brushing left enough holds sort of dry to try Aeon. Then I drew some thick chalk eyebrows on all the holds to soak up any water running down the face before it got to the holds. A few attempts working the moves then several goes later (and lots of ongoing drying) and it was job done. Just it time to as my skin, which has been in shocking condition since returnign from Font and was getting stupidly sore, finaly split. A split tip, can't remember when I last had one of those. Anyway it's a nice problem and it was satisfying to do it in very much less than ideal conditions, I'm keen to get back for Aeon Original (without the undercut), Aeon Reverse and Aeons. And I suppose Aeon Prow, but this looks nails. Anyway we cleaned off all the chalk from the face and then left for a celebratory cream tea.

After the cream tea we trudged up to Farleton. G wanted to show me New Rose, which looks hard and sharp, my skin was too sore to pull on but I'd go back to try it when (if?) my skin improves. Then we looked at a coupleof other problems, again sharp limestone coupled with sore skin meant little progress was made. Finally we went to Surfer Rosa which is a cool looking traverse line, or it would be scaled up 200%, as it is it's a bit small but still quite compelling. I gave it a few goes but to be honest I was feeling kitten weak and it felt hard. Still a nice line so I'll be back.

Back to work tonight, oh joy...

Taking little Fairy Steps...

2009-04-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

Went to Fairy Steps today with the family. Met up with G-unit on arrival and he looked glum.

What's the crack daddy-o?

Turns out he's nicky-nacky-nooed his A2 pulley whilst unleashing the uber-crimp. I, ignoring the fact that he is actually quite knowledgable in all things musculo-skeletal 'an all dat, think he's being a girl and should really put his man pants back on.

Anyway we venture cragwards. G ain't climbin nuttin' sucka and her ladyship is wearied by the epic trek in so sits down for lunch with lard. I make an opening gambit by trying Axiom (I think it's called Axiom, the thing to the right of Walk Away anyway), classic warm-up material. Errr, no. It's extra large headed clout nails hard, not helped by the fact that I can't reach any holds. Then I realise that whilst I can't reach the high starting hold I can reach a HUUUUGE pinch out right (which is totally not in for the problem) and easily attain the break. Ergo the line is eliminate and morpho, next...
So then I try the crack left of Walk Away, V4? Ooooof, several goes in I contrive a woefull sequence to the break then refuse the top-out. A few vague attempts at the sitter which largely revolve around sitting and grunting and I'm feeling nicely demoralised. So why not try Walk Away? I'll tell you why not, it's hard. I mean properly hard. Anyway I pull off the ground, then step back onto the ground, shake my head, look at the sitter, shake head some more then Spud does some climbing. She doesn't fare much better and we head carwards feeling dejected and humiliated.

In a last gasp attempt to save face we call in on Aeon. I try the moves and pretty quickly get a sequence together. The hard bit seems to be positioning your feet for one move, rather than any of the actual moves, which is a bit wierd but hey-ho. So then as a break I do the dyno, should have flashed it but put no effort into the move to the top, did it second go. G gets it on videocordergram, and also shows me the footage of his pulley pop, the noise is loud and wince inducing and I start to realise he probably has fooked it, bad pennies G. Get well soon. Anyway back to Aeon, now I'm trying it without using the undercut which is apparently the 8A way. But I'm struggling with this foot movement bit so then I try it using the undercut (which is apparently 7C) and a bit of sequence adjustment and I've done all the moves for the easier way. But I'm not mega syked for it that way, I don't want it this way I want to follow the true path of the JG. But I give it a (completely pathetic) attempt anyway. Scuppered by pretty much the worst power fade I've ever had, criminal. Anyway skin inspection whilst driving home revealed that my tips are well and truly mullered, two weeks in Font, a week working with cement and a day on grit in warm conditions before hitting the lime had done for my skin. I think on a decent day with decent skin and no power fade Aeon should go down without too much of a fight, and no cheaty undercuts for me siree, no it's the way of the JG true believers..

Had another cream tea on the way home, this shits addictive.

First Cream Tea of the Season.

2009-04-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

The grit season is over, temps have risen and the lime has been called. With the car thermometer showing high-teens temperatures I though I'd celebrate not touching grit until the cooling grasp of Autumn blesses this land by trundling off to...

Almscliff!!
Hey-ho. I only had one thing I wanted to do there and it isn't especially conditionsey so thought I 'd give it a whirl. Spud wanted to head either there or Widdop and Lard was keen to climb anywhere. I didn't fancy Widdop so we loaded up the beast and made tracks (once I'd jump started the flat battery..). Anyway the Cliff was warm, but there was a reasonable cooling breeze so not horrendous. Spud had a go and Lard dug a hole. Then they had some lunch and I went to attack my nemesis. I started with working all the moves, they all went down first time with the exception of the slap to the lip. But a couple of goes working it and this was in the bag, as it's the crux for me I wasn't surprised that it took a couple of goes to get the timing right. Then I had a bit of a rest and went for the link. The start is pretty easy, but steep so a bit draining on the arms. It went smoothly, very smoothly, I was feeling nice and light when I got to the crux slap. Fling for the slap, boosh hit it. Then a tricky foot movement to get a toe lock with my right which is a bit blind. Then a short sequence of moves that need the foot to stick and uber body tension to leave me holding a hold under the roof with my right and a chipped hold with my left. Feet off and lock-off the left arm and bring the right out to match. Feeling tired I somewhat unconfidently slapped for the high pocket which signals the end of the hard climbing Leaving just the awkward top-out. I hit the edge of the pocket, a quick udge and it's in. I fluff about on the top-out for ages, what a goose. All in all probably fifteen minutes at the problem (plus several previous sessions working the sequence).

And the problem? Keelhaul, happy days.

It would seem there may well be a bit of life left in this blog after all...

I celebrated with a cream tea, very nice it was too, roll on summer.

Honey, I'm home....

2009-04-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

I am back from Font. To save you reading pages of my rambling twaddle I'll start by stating that I DID NOT CLIMB 8A.
Anybody still here? No, didn't think so. Oh well here's a slightly deeper analysis of Fontal going-ons.
First off. I want to move to Font. It's amazing. Great pastries, relaxed pace of life and the best bouldering in the world (OK I can't make that statement from a position of knowledge but god is it good). Anyone under the impression that the Peak, or Yorkshire can compete with Font for bouldering is frankly delusional. So that's a new objective, move to Font in the next five years.

Anyway the climbing. I tried lots, most of it was amazing. The weather was pretty good in the sense that we climbed every day but also pretty poor for harder (for me) problems as it was consistently very warm and quite humid, especially in the early mornings when the slightly lower temperatures were ruined by the fairly persistent morning mists. I didn't get to go everywhere I wanted to, on family holidays you never do. But I went to some new places and also visited a few old favourites and a very good time was had.

Specific problems? Well from my master list of 4 we've got:
1) Fata Morgana - didn't get to this one, I felt it was the least likely to fall to my skill-set. Might try a visit next year...
2) Toit de Greau - went to this one morning in the pouring rain, the starting holds were dry but everything else was soaked and conditions were horrible (hot and humid). I pulled on and could reach the next hold with a bit of umph but it was dripping wet. I'll probably head back next year and try it in the dry.
3) Beaux Quartiers - went to this one evening. Again it was crazy hot and humid and we bailed after half an hour when it started raining. Did the first few moves and the last "hard" move and the easy finish. Couldn't get anywhere on the two middle moves but I think on a crisp cold day I could definitely do this.
4) Noir Desir - Got very close on this but the condition of the top slopy pocket coupled with my fluid leaking tips meant no cigar. I think if I get good conditions on this I'll get it in a couple of attempts. Next year.

And other things
Carnage Assis - first 7C in Font so that's nice. Not a classic, would have much prefered Noir Desir but hey-ho.
Coccinelle - I struggled on exactly the same move as Uncle. Neil showed me the numbers but I just couldn't get the heel or toe hooks to stick for the drop with the left hand into the pocket. The rest of this problem is straightforward. Went back on the last day and sorted the move, I use a similar technique to Unc but as I'm shorter my right foot is further left. After a bit of manning up I was sticking the pocket every time, boom. The problem was the next move is a dynamic slap for a pinch which is pretty steady with your right foot on the obvious take-off hold. However in a wide bridging position with your left foot on the take-off hold the trajectory is all screwed so it's much harder to hit the pinch. It's also (at my height) completely blind. I tried swapping my feet but a lack of sufficient body tension/height rendering this a no-no. I managed to hit the pinch and hold it a couple of times but at this point it was last thing last day with a two year old and a wife who were both ready to go. I was battered so left it for next year (are you spotting the theme here?). Again I think this will go down rapidly when I next try it.

Coccinelle failure from nik jennings on Vimeo.

Magic Bus/Barre Fixe - I flashed/onsighted Barre Fixe and did Magic Bus in three goes. They are not problems at earth shattering grades but it was nice to do problems so quickly that last year I would have been ecstatic to even get close to doing after a siege.

Magic Bus from nik jennings on Vimeo.

Barre Fixe from nik jennings on Vimeo.

So in summary 8A didn't happen. Nothing on my list of 4 was crushed. However I am totally happy. I had a great holiday, it was huge amounts of fun. I had my best ever performance in Font. Could I do 8A in Font? Honestly? Yes, I think so. I am confident that in my current condition I can climb Beaux Quartiers, but I need very good conditions coupled with me feeling fresh, an unlikely combination in Font on a two week Easter trip. Next year I will hopefully be a bit stronger, a bit more flexible, a bit wiser and a bit of a better climber so my margin for error will increase and as such my chance of climbing 8A.

This objective has from the outset had a grade based focus, and as such lots of my posting has had a grade focus. However the thing I have really got out of the last 12 months is a renewed enthusiasm for climbing. No matter how much I put in to climbing I always get more out. The grade chasing is inevitable, but more importat is the passion and the pleasure. Most of this blog is the little grade based side story of the much bigger picture.

Will this blog continue? I honestly don't know. The timeframe is over so is there any point? But then was there ever one? Why don't you pop back in a while and see...

And the scales were removed from his eyes...

2009-03-24T00:26:00.000-07:00

A week or so since the last blog and what has happened. Well not that much, I've got out climbing a bit but not completed on anything and I've had an indoor session. There has however been one revalation, I may have to eat some humble pie with respect to those with multiple footwear. But more of that later.

Chronological order seems as good an order as any so first off I went back to Hyning earlier this week with sore skin and a painful elbow. I worked a sequence and did every move but the link felt hard. Several of the moves use heel hooks and these felt really tenuous.

Thursday went to Widdop. I wasn't really planning on trying anything as I wanted to rest for Friday but had a couple of falls of the move to the break of Fight on Black. I can do this, and quite easily, I just need to stop falling off. Bit frustrating really.

Friday back to Hyning with G-unit and Lincoln. Back on Transgenic. Again did all the moves in isolation, again didn't feel in great shape and again the heels felt stupidly tenuous. Left feeling that I hadn't really progressed on the problem but I'm still keen for it. It's such a good line (albeit slightly spoiled by the block at the end). Then went to Woodwell to try Not Bad Dave Sit Start and to have an epiphany. I'd tried NBD once before when it was dripping (and I do mean dripping) wet. I'd done all the moves bar one which involves a left heel hook in a vague scallop, right hand on a painfull edgy thing and reach out over the lip to a good flattie for the left. I couldn't do the move in the wet, and I couldn't do the move in the dry. The heel just wouldn't stick. I was wearing my Verdes which are big and pretty baggy but comfy. Mr Lincoln kindly suggested I try his Dragons for the heel hook move. I was unconvinced by the whole scheme as in the (not terribly distant) past I had mocked people with a climbing shoe fetish. My thinking being that footwear was not the limiting factor in my climbing (strength and flexibility are generally). However I humoured him and put on the left boot. What an unbelievable difference that made, the heel stuck solid and the move felt pretty steady. Which, considering how blasted I was feeling and how painful my skin was, was remarkable. So here it is, an unreserved apology. Boots can make a huge difference in certain situations, carry on with impunity you multiple footwear owning Imelda Marcos's. I'm now very keen to get me some Dragons and get back on Transgenic, I think those nice tight skinny Dragon heels will feel solid and secure where my big baggy Verdes felt.... well shit really.

Saturday I felt caned. Went to Shipley with G-unit and families. Quite a nice spot. G dispatched Red Baron in quick order, beast. I did Parker. Then did a traverse thing that was 7B in the guide, but the rules were not especiallly clear (is the footblock in or not?). I used it and did it on my third? attempt. But come on lets be realistic, I'm shot, sore skin, tired body, low energy, last problem of the day. In that situation I don't do 7B in quick order. Luckily Tom Peckitt toddled along, flashed it (using the footblock) and declared it too easy for 7B. And he was right.

Yesterday went to the Peak, I was going to go outside but weather on arrival coupled with non-climbing commitments later on meant that indoors was the only option so we went to the Works. I tried the new board, it revealed that I am weak, nuff said....

Lets get multimedia, boom.

2009-03-15T01:37:00.000-07:00

Some more video, me on Pig in a Pokey and me making the (possible?) first ascent of Okey Dokey:

Nik bouldering at Buckstones from GCW on Vimeo.

And a photo of GCW on the Fridge Hugger Project when it was still a project:

My sequence has my right hand where GCW's right is, then I put my left toe on a foothold that can be seen just inside the bend of GCW's left elbow whilst my left hand is on the obvious chalky hold just left of GCW's right hand. Then once my foot is on I slap my left hand out to where GCW's left hand is in the photo, this tends to make your left hip joint feel like it's going to explode. Then move the right hand onto the hold just left of GCW's right hand and press it down to get your right foot up next to the right hand. Then stand up and reach up with the right past all the chalky holds on the two aretes to a reasonable hold just below the flake/ripple/do-dah at the top of the photo. A hideous sequence for the tall, not much better for the short.

Something old, something new...

2009-03-13T12:27:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I was working in Huddersfield and it just so happens that with judicious route taking I can drive past Blackstone edge and Buckstones on the way there, and on the way back. Which is nice as both crags have a single piece of unfinished business from last year. I called into Buckstone on the way to Hudds (the walk-in is about 20 seconds) and checked conditions, it was damp in places but drying rapidly in the roaring gale. So I carried on to Hudds with the intention of visiting on the homeward journey.

A few hours later, job done and back to Buckstone. The wind had done a pretty good job, things were perhaps not in primo nick but not bad, not bad at all. Buckstone basically has one block of interest which is an obvious big roof. Last year I climbed a problem out along the right arete of the roof (Pig In A Pokey-7A+) and did a possible new problem along the left arete (Okey Dokey - 7B), I then linked Okey Dokey into Pig in a Pokey Reversed finishing with a right to left traverse under the roof and then up the side wall to give Okey Pokey - 7B+. I also tried the link the other way round (Pig in a Pokey, reverse Okey Dokey, left to right traverse under the roof then finish up the side wall) this however had the better of me last year. The crux move involved a not great right hand and double toe hooks the reaching between your legs to get a poor sidepull all whilst fully inverted under a horizontal roof. Anyway I went back and warmed up by repeating the three problems I'd done so far, then I worked the crux sequence had a rest and went for it. Success, it felt significantly harder than Okey Pokey so I think solid 7C and the name (in keeping with tradition) is Pig in a Dokey.
Anyway if your looking for a roadside venue with a couple of good roof problems and a couple of really rather silly link-ups then Buckstones is the place to be (as long as you can ignore the discarded bottles, graffiti, litter....).
Me on Okey Dokey (from last year)

Nik at Work on the First Ascent of Okey Pokey, Fb7b+, Buckstones from GCW on Vimeo.

Then to Blackstone where there was a "fridge hugger" project from last year. I worked a sequence that I suspect will be impossible for the tall and also managed this. Felt very hard but I was probably a bit tired. Didn't use a single fridge hugging move on the problem but the name has stuck so Fridge Hugger - 7B+ (although it may be harder, or easier)

A good day.

Today there were various plans for the afternoon playdate with G-bob. But in the end the weather dictated Silverdale, which was where I wanted to go to be honest. First venue Trowbarrow and G flung himself with gay abandon at the first move of Vitruvian Man, and his persistence paid off. Whilst he didn't fully stick the move he got about as close as it is possible to get to sticking it without actually sticking it. Good work fella, I think if he keeps his dander up then this will get crushed, beast. I spent my time not really doing anything, nothing dry was grabbing me so I mostly spent my time providing G with an unhelpful commentary....

Anyway we then went to Hyning Wood as I was keen to get on Transgenic. However the start was soaking wet, but looks pretty easy. And the last couple of moves were also gopping, and these don't look so easy. But the middle section was dry(ish, still a bit damp to be honest but pull-on-able) and I was pleased to pretty quickly get a working sequence. I also had a vague play on the last moves, but they were too wet for any meaningful pulling. However I think it's on. A great looking line, just need to get back in the dry.

All in all a nice couple of days and reasonably productive.

Indoors again

2009-03-10T02:24:00.000-07:00

Sunday night G came round for a session on the board. It's good to have someone else to climb with on the board as it keeps motivation up. By myself I tend to get a bit bored after 40 minutes or so but with the G there we managed to keep on truckin for almost 2 hours, yee-ha.
Also having someone else devising problems means that I get a bit of variation in style, rather than just getting an enormous tract of problems that are climbed using deep drop-knees. Also, given G's massive reach, there tends to be some dirty long moves, longer than I'd conceive alone.

Anyway it's all good, but I want to get some more outdoor mileage in over the next few weeks before loading up the car. Objectives would be:
- a couple/few ticks in the 7C-8A range
- a 7A+/B flash
- fix the car boot lock
- get a new pair of Verdes and start wearing them in

Also noticed I have the best part of no photos or videos on this blog, which makes for a very boring read for modern man and his miniscule attention span. Moves are afoot to remedy this.

Final BIG news is that I have put a chin up bar in the kitchen at the little ladies request. She is determined to be able to do a chin up before the end of time, good luck to her I say...

Lessons in lank

2009-03-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

Went to West View the other evening with G-unit. The session started well but I got weirdly pumped quite early and powered out big time. I'm thinking a bit of stamina work might be no bad thing. I guess this lack of stamina is inevitable as I tend to just try and do the hardest moves I can on the board, and most problems are only three or four moves long. Pretty much pure power stuff. Which is great bcause that's kind of the problems I aspire to do in the immediate future. But if I can only have a couple of goes at a problem before being burled out for the day then success is going to be hard to come by. Hey-ho.

Then today I went to Bridies with G. And, well, I'm trying not to write this, but, well dammit it's true, he lanked everything. I got totally shut down. We tried Jerry's and I couldn't reach the higher pinch, just the lower one that was awful and I couldn't use and blah blah blah. G failed to finish the deed but he got to the last move and looks steady away, he'll get it once he's overcome his usual fear of success. Then we tried Nine, which is reachy and I couldn't do it, G pathed it sideways with cheese. Then we tried something else, it was reachy, I couldn't even climb to the starting holds. G released his inner tiger and scrabbled his way upwards to victory.

Me and Kebs are going to have to have some serious words...

To fail to prepare is to prepare for failure.

2009-03-02T02:47:00.000-08:00

It is now just under five weeks until I head South to the land of good coffee, exceptional pastries and climbing glory. Which realistically means I have four weeks of training time and then a week of generally trying not to get injured.

The problem is I'm nowhere near where I wanted to be at this time. I was hoping to be at the point where I'd ticked some more hard (for me) problems and could then spend four weeks just consolidating the burl and picking on specific highlighted weaknesse (this all sounds far more scientific and organised than the reality of what would have happened but hey-ho). Instead I feel like I've hardly climbed anything since the new year. In reality this isn't true, I've done several 7's including a 7C in a few goes which I would never have expected to have done last year. I think the problem is I've set my expectations to high and am disappointed when I fail to crush things that I think I should. It's easy to forget that 7A is hard, lots of people never climb 7A. So if you've recently done one give yourself a pat on the back regardless of what grade you normally climb.

So anyway this expectation has had a very negative effect on my motivation. To be honest this little Font aim (and the various other aims that have gone on as stages in the ultimate aims development) is the first time that I have ever focussed on a grade based goal. I've always previously had aspirations (as we all do) but they have been less well formed and specific. I'm not used to being so targetted in my approach and I have let it take over and remove some of the fun for me. And for me fun is everything for climbing. When I say fun I don't mean the "ooo aren't I happy and smiling so this is great" fun I mean in a broader sense, perhaps satisfaction would be a better word.

So my satisfaction has been reduced, not because I was climbing badly. Far from it, I am on the best form I've had for the last well... several years. But because I felt I was failing to achieve my expectations. I fell into the trap I've been wary of from day one. What a fool.

Anyway I am unlikely to tick any of my BIG 4 problems in Font. I'm still going there with the same list, and I'm still going to try and crush them. However whilst I'm not approaching this in a negative fashion, I am perhaps being more realistic. The ultimate goal was always going to be longer term than this years trip to Font and I think over the last couple of weeks I sort of lost sight of that. Enough of my warbling, the upshot of all of this is that now I am super psyched to climb, I had a good session on the board last night and I'm keen for more.

Bring it on...

St Bees, the patron saint of Cumbria

2009-02-22T14:43:00.000-08:00

Went to St Bees today with the G and Bammers. First time for all of us so excitement and psyche was high. Well it was for G and I, Bammers was just a bit fed up of sharing the boot with a bouldering mat for 3 hours....
Anyway we got there, down the slippery slope of dooooooom, G celebrated our safe descent by flinging himself headfirst down a rocky gully, good skill. I went for a more traditional celebration of a sit down and a coffee, I'm proper old skool me. We decided to warm up on Headbanger. First attempt I missed the slappy first move, second attempt I got to the (easy) top-out then turned into a moron who had never climbed before, didn't know what he was doing up here and frankly didn't like it, dropped off, had a word with myself, third go crushed. Gets 7B in the guide, I'd probably go for 7A+ personally. But then G failed to make anything even vaguely ressembling progress and he can crush things, sometimes, honest, I've seen it with my own eyes and everything. To be fair G did seem to struggle with positioning his right foot correctly in a heel-toe-y type situation for the first move. He claims this is because he's tall, but maybe he's just shit? Who's to know.... No, I'm sure it's just he's tall.
Anyway the G wanted to get on Clash of the Titans. I didn't. I thought it looked hard and reachy in photos and video clips, and in the flesh I thought it looked... well even harder and reachier. I vaguely waved my hands at the starting holds before say "no not for me, but you try it as much as you like G, I'll just watch these chaps trying Undercooke, my that's a good looking problem". A couple of moments later we moved on...
Undercooke is ace, took two goes to crush this one but this time G put in his angry eyes and joined the party in a footless sty-leeeeee, go beast. I think this felt very similar to Headbanger so would think 7A+ ish. However it did seem very reachy so a less midget scaled person may find it easier, I think it gets 7A in the guide, but everybody knows that there all written by giant men.
After that we did a 7A prow/arete thing that would have been easy if you didn't have to work so hard keeping your back from dabbing the adjacent block. Then we did Fishermans Dyno (nice), I fell of the top of Hueco Crack Sitter (twice) and we both failed to do an arete.
All in all a nice venue and a nice day. I'd go back, even though it's a long way.

(P.S. St Bees isn't really the patron saint of Cumbria, she's the patron saint of monocles, stoats and sideburns)

Drizzlebarrow

2009-02-20T14:02:00.000-08:00

An afternoon at Trowbarrow with G-unit in the drizzle, what fun.
On the way up I stopped off at Hyning Wood to have a gander at Transgenic, it was damp/wet but looks like a cracking line so I'm keen to get on it (add it to the list, which is getting silly long now). Anyway then on to Trowbarrow, G was already there as was Jordan of Buys. Having never met him before he came across as a thoroughly splendid chap. Another brilliant climber who also happens to be a very good egg, I love that about climbing.

Anyway I tried Pit problem as did G. We both failed, G at least managed to look like he was making movement upwards towards the next hold. I on the other hand managed to pull off the ground, not move at all, then fall back to the ground. Wank, wank, wank, I hate this problem. Some people seem to like it but I have to say I think it is a stupid contrived shit problem which climbs really badly. There I've said it. I'm not trying it again.......probably.

Anyway the we moved on to Vitruvian, or rather G did. I've already done it so I had a few goes but lacked that extra psyche that comes from doing something for the first time. Jordan was trying Iron Man, and was using a very different sequence to me. Basically he was going much further left than me, then back right to get into the start of Vitruvian. Whereas I went pretty much straight up into Vitruvian. It was interesting to see this as I had never even considered trying it the way he was. I guess that's the risk of working a problem in a vacuum.

Anyway G was getting closer on the move on Vitruvian, even if he doesn't think so. If he keeps working it I'm sure he'll stick it, just get the muscle engrams programmed and blah blah blah.

Then I tried Ned's Problem,which is awesome. It does the start of Iron Man (which is really nice climbing), then does a really nice sequence to the top holds on Pit Problem (which is really nice climbing) and then does the top bit of Pit Problem (which is the only bit of Pit Problem worth climbing and is really nice climbing). So all in all really nice climbing. Anyway I tried the middle move in isolation, then Jordan flashed it, then I tried it from the start and fluffed the last move, then did it. It was drizzling so the finish rocking onto the slab felt interesting... Anyway it's a really nice problem, highly recommended if your in the area and want a 7B tick. It was nice to do it quickly too, just a couple of goes.

Then it started raining more earnestly and G was getting no further on VM so the tiime had come to move on. A speculative trip to Woodwell found Not Bad Dave SDS to be damp, but we tried it anyway. The first few moves felt pretty steady to me, then there are a couple of hard slappy moves that I didn't stick, then the top which seemed fine (I only had one go at it and missed a slap for a hold but it was quite damp and yadda yadda...). I think in the dry and fresh the couple of middle moves should go down. Just need to heel the heel right up and applique le boeuf, n'est pas? And another one joins the list, and another on joins, and another one joins, and another one joins the list...

Off to St Bee's (probably) on Sunday, so I'll doubtless return with an even longer to-do-list. Toodle-pip old beans.

Back to the coal face.

2009-02-15T11:47:00.000-08:00

A combination of illness, visiting friends and Spud and the D-unit falling foul of infection meant that I haven't climbed for two weeks. Certainly the longest non-climbing stint I've had over the last twelve months by a significant margin. There weren't even any sessions on the board and even my (admittedly very minimal and ill researched) stretching regime fell by the wayside. But today was a day of freedom, the family had been boxed up and posted off to the in-laws and I was feeling, well average.
First thing this morning was spent trying to establish where, if anywhere, had escaped the rain, mist and melt water. Enquiries were not yielding te positive responses I so craved, but amongst this there was one beacon of hope. A turd of grit that appears to occupy a climatic bubble. Of course it could only be Almscliff. Now this place takes a lot of stick from lots of people but for me it is a great bouldering crag. If anyone else can name me a crag of similar proportions containing so many great lines at so many grades. It covers the full spectrum from the very easy through to the nigh on impossible. That in itself would be enough to cement it's classic status. But it goes one better than that, it is (and this is purely my opinion and I have on stats to back this up) the grit crag with the most reliable conditions. In fact I would imagine that it is THE most conditions reliable crag in the country with a decent spectrum of problem types and grades. In fact I'm not surprised it's popular, I'm surprised it's not more popular.
Anyhoos enough bigging up the Cliff, and on to the climbing. My Ciff aims list consists of Keelhaul and Jess's Roof. However when I got there they were both wet (typical, I write a rant about the dryness of Almscliff on a day when it's wet), also it was windy so I felt cold and yet it was also quite warm so the friction felt poor. I decided to have a dabble at Streaky's on the Egg block. Bad move. I should have found some shelter, drank my coffee and told the dog a story. Instead I got tired and demotivated trying a damp-ish problem in poor conditions with my mats getting blown every which way. Arse. Anyway then Guru and Sam turned up and conditions started to improve. We headed up to DWR and I got stuck into DWR-LH. Conditions were OK, but not great but I ended up with a workable sequence that I think should go fairly quickly next time (in better conditions), it's a pretty basic sequence and not at all elegant but it works so tra-la-laa. Then I got tired and powered out so left the party to head home for pizza. As I departed I noticed that the Keel block was dry, and well populated with climbers, bum. Oh well, in reality leaping on an 8A project after a two week lay-off and illness probably wouldn't have been desperately productive so not to worry. Hopefully get more done this week, and maybe even tick something. Quite psyched about plans to head over to Wales but we'll see what the weather holds....

Anyway I've decided to unveil the top tier of my Font ticklist. This is basically 4 problems that I'm really up for trying. This list does not discount other problems, it may be that I'll try these, get shut down and move on to others on a more exhaustive list (or, hope of hopes I'll crush the 4 then move on to the 8B list). There is also a lower tier list which is of (generally) easier problems, but which is vast. And I'm not going to be typing that out anytime soon. I've picked th 4 problems which have really grabbed my interest, they may not be the best for me or the classics or soft or hard or whatever. They are just problems that appeal to me for reasons that are numerous and doubtless undefineable. Anyway this is they:
1) Noir Desir (7C) - Rempart
2) Beaux Quartiers (8A) - Bouligny
3) Toit De Greau (8A) - Greau
4) Fata Morgana (8A) - Long Vaux

There's a few things to note. First off, one of them isn't 8A. But I really want to do it, it looks amazing. And anyway even though this whole thing was about doing an 8A it really isn't about that it's about setting an objective which focuses my aims within bouldering. 8A is just a convenient marker, in much the same way as picking a specific problem would be convenient, but ultimately limiting. Anyway this isn't a job, I can move my goalposts will-nilly. These are 4 problems that satisfy the main thrust of my objective. In that they are steep (so not something I would previously have tried, let alone succeeded on) they are in Font (which is important) and they are harder than I have climbed in Font in recent years.
Am I setting myself up for a fall by naming these problems? No, I don't think so. I'm just letting the two or three people who read this know which problems are top of hit list. Should I fail to manage any of them I'm not going to die of shame or lose sponsirship or have my child taken off me by social services. I'll just come home and get back to work.
There's always next year....

The Cheat Is Revealed....

2009-01-29T11:30:00.000-08:00

Went to the Peak at the weekend. Hardly did any climbing though. Saturday had a brief play on Flatworld after seeing the Dob-beast crush it in Vimeovision. He made it look piss, suffice it to say I didn't. Oh well something to go back to. Sunday went to the Works and did the competition wall problems (apart from the ones I didn't do) all very nice.
Anyway today I'd arranged to crush the Cliff back to the dark ages with G-unit. However the weather had alternative arrangements in place, mist, rain, fog, arse. The suggestion was made that a session on the wall of burl could be undertaken. G stepped up to the plate and it was game on. I've been keen on getting some willing gineau pigs on the wall to get a measure of what I'm doing. It is difficult to operate/train in a vacuum so G would provide a valuable point of reference.
In actuallity he provided much more than that. He pretty much immediately spotted that my default technique was to stick in a deep drop knee or egyptian everything. I have woeful hip flexibility and I'm not a strong climber so this is a technique I exploit a LOT when I'm climbing. However in terms of training and really working the POWER it is more of a hinderance. Here was I thinking I could hang all these poor holds (feet on) when in reality I was over reliant on my feet, and my technique was taking a large part of the load. So now I'm committed to training on the wall with a straight on technique, no drop-kness or egyptians. I'm hoping that another outcome of this will be that I will rapidly become frustrated with my flexibility (or lack thereof) and thus encourage me to undertake a concerted period of stretching.
Training is about training, it isn't about doing the hardest problem you can by using all your wiles and tricks, it is about being basic and pulling hard to brutally beat a problem into submission. The graceful use of tactics and techniques to overcome a boulder problem or route is to be applauded, but to transfer this to a board problem actually defeats the point of the board. It is cheating in that environment, and I have been a training cheat, my apparent gains have been due to refined technique as much as improved power.
So thank-you G for removing the scales from my eyes, I promise to train in a more honest fashion from now on. Just think, what would Malc do.....

Stock Check.

2009-01-23T02:24:00.000-08:00

Well the new year is well and truly started, it's only a couple of months or so until I head off to Font for two weeks. I guess the time has come to take stock, check on progress and assess my chance of success in reaching my ultimate goal. Thinking about it it is now almost 12 months since I started climbing again in any continuous and sustained way. So looking back what was I up to a year ago?
Well here's a summary:
Generally operating in the mid-sixes area
Occassionally getting a 7A in a session, but usually multiple visits
Failing on anything harder

And now?
Generally operating in the mid-sevens area
Have flashed up to 7A+
Have done some 7C's, generally in two sessions
Have sieged one 8A, multiple sessions until success.

So there has been definite progress, but is it enough? Honestly? Probably not. I still fully intend to go to Font and try to climb an 8A there. But I intend to do this with a realistic expectation of success. As such I imagine my 8A attempts will be either to rule problems out as not being appropriate for me or as groundwork for successful ascents next year (or the year after). This isn't to say that I am resigned to failing to achieve my goal, far from it. I am psyched out of my tiny mind to get on any of a number of 8A's and pull down as hard as I possibly can. But to approach the goal with an excess of confidence would lead to feelings of negativity as deadlines loomed and success receded into the distance, a downward spiral that would have no benefits on my future climbing (yes I have goals beyond 8A). It is often said that goals need to be achievable but I'm not so sure it's that simple. I think in order to really push yourself goals need to be right on the very limit of achievable. And if that means that on occassion these goals stray over into the realms of unachievable then so be it. As long as I am prepared to accept that this goal in this timeframe could go beyond my limits then I can accept failure. In fact it won't be failure, it will merely be that I reach some other goal that was that little bit more attainable.

So for the rest of the run up to Font? Well I have several lines worked that I need to get finished off. I'd like to try and flash a 7B. Another 8A would be amazing, preferably on grit. But right now I'm carrying a bit of a left shoulder/elbow injury so the main priority is getting that straight, although I am still desperate to climb, aaaarghhhh....

The Wickey Wickey Weekend.

2009-01-19T08:44:00.000-08:00

Had a heavy week of work/childcare last week as Spud was preparing and attending interviews for teacher training. So climbing consisted of time on the board, which was actually quite nice because I hadn't used the board for a while and was a bit lacking in motivation to get on it without the impetus of otherwise not climbing. However it was also a bit depressing because I started by going through some of the old problems expecting (like an idiot) to do then fairly easily/quickly. Oh no, it was a spanking. So I quickly moved on to devising new problems which I kept telling myself were much harder and more specific to my goals than those older problems. Blah blah blah, what bollocks, I got caught out and that's that. I think part of the problem is board climbing is a unique thing and even if I think (in fact know) that I am a better climber now than the months ago when the first problems were done it doesn't transfer onto the board medium. Or at least it doesn't for me. Or am I just making excuses....
Anyway enough of the dullness of training the final interview was on Friday and Spud was accepted onto the course, hoorah! So I checked the weather forecast and cashed in a pass for Sunday. There was an open invitation to Spud and Lard but I did explain that wind was predicted and I would want to stay climbing and not run away when one of them (Spud) gets cold. Lard was still keen, but as he is only twenty months old Spud played the veto card and they stuck with the home fixture leaving me with an away match alone. The plan was go to the Cliff, meet the guru, crush Keelhaul, crush Jess's Roof, crush Demon Wall Roof Left Hand, crush Stu's Roof, have a coffee, some cake then head home for the final of the snooks.
Meanwhile in the real world it was blowing a gale at the Cliff, I got shut down completely, horribly and depressingly on Keelhaul, I couldn't be arsed dragging the mats very far through the hurricane so prepared to bin it. Then I thought I'd have a quick go at Underhand Extension, which got crushed but was a bit scary due to the gnarly landing coupled with the winds mat rearrangement efforts. Wind has no concept of Feng Shui. Anyhoos something ticked so I'm off. A quick text to let the guru know and I hightail it to Caley...

Which is damp. Oh well the guru shows up and gives me the tour (thank-you kindly sir) and I leave with a list of a couple of things to come back to.
Zoo Yorks - looks quality but was wet and has a "several mats and a couple of good spotters" landing
Ranieri's Reach - amazing line, obviously hard, but could have a go (even though slightly damp) and I'd like to go back in decent conditions.

And now it's snowing.

Tactical childcare faux pas.

2009-01-12T06:40:00.000-08:00

Since the New Year I have made a couple of trips out.
First up a couple of days in the Peak. Kirsty had an interview for a teacher training course looming so I volunteered to take the youth away for a couple of days to give her some preparation time. Over the two days I managed to do Zippy's Traverse and breeze the part of Jerry's Traverse that was shutting me down last time, only to get shut down by a part I was breezing last time. Huh? Oh well. Then in the evening watched On-Sight which was good and entertaining and all that, but didn't quite live up to the hype in my mind. Filming onsight climbing must be about the most frustrating thing in the world (up there with filming Badgers feeding and Pandas mating I imagine) so the shortfallings of the film were not that surprising but still...Sunday had a couple of plays at the Secret Garden. G managed to crush Beachball in awful conditions, he's my hero.
But the moral of the tale is that what I did was perhaps not politically the best move. I had Dylan for two days solid but I was climbing so I was "having fun" and as such this childcare was not officially recognised by the rota executives. That is to say I haven't earnt myself a weekend (or even a day) of family free climbing through this venture. Which would be fine were it not for the fact that because I had Dylan I only had about ten attempts at climbing. In two days that is not an impressive work rate. OK it was nice to tick Zippy's but in terms of moving me closer to my objective those two days wil have done not a jot because the work rate was too low (volume and intensity) to be improving my climbing.
It would seem being a dad takes significantly more tactical savvy than I currently have, perhaps a new training regime is required?
The other day out was a family trip to Almscliff to meet up with Rick and family and The Stallion. We got there and it was baltic, the mums and kids wanted to leave immediately. Apart from Dylan who was having the time of his life climbing to the top of the Morrells Wall block over and over again. I was spotting him so I soon got warmed up. Anyway wives and children dragged Dylan off to the cafe in the farm shop up the road (good knowledge if anybody else gets stuck with a cold family at Almscliff). Dylan displayed his dissapointment in the weakness of his compadres by screaming all the way to the car, good lad :o). Anyway family duly dispatched Rick and I had a brief warm-up then onto the Keel block. I was working Keelhaul, which went quite well. I had a left shoulder/elbow problem so wasn't firing on all cylinders but I've got the crux (for me) move pretty sorted so hopefully this should get done. Rick, Stallion and Drew got stuck into The Keel after The Guru and myself had demonstrated two completely different approaches just to add to the confusion. Rick did it, effort. I think that's his hardest problem to date which is ace (as so many things seem to be this season). I fear Stallion was denied, as was Drew?...
Then the wives and offsprings returned and rang from the car, they were refusing to even come up to the crag to meet us. Very poor show. However I could hear Dylan in the background on the phone shouting he wanted to go climbing. I tell you this boy is keen as mustard, watch out world...

I'm back....

2009-01-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

Right then lets start this new year as we mean to go on.
My last meaningful post was at the end of October and since then I have....
ummmm
I'm not really sure what I did in November, which suggests I didn't do very much.
I think that I mostly worked a few things that are currently a bit (or a lot) beyond me and was frustrated by the weather and work schedule. In fact thinking back November was a frustrating month because I was desperate to get out and climb but every tiime I did it was not good conditions. Some beasts can just crush through these things but kitten weak me needs everything just so. There was quite a lot of visiting the wall in November, which is very expensive and whilst lots of fun probably doesn't have the same training value as sticking to the board. That's not to say I regret doing it, I don't, just that in terms of absolute maximum gain achieveable the board would have been the ideal choice. However that is to discount one factor which in my case plays a huge part in my ability to train and that is motivation. I think I needed a break from trying to achieve these goals I had set myself, and November was it. As it happens it was a break of unplanned circumstance rather than scheduled rest, and I was still climbing pretty actively. But in terms of focussing on targets and such-like it was a bit of downtime. I can't say it felt like a great month of rest and such like at the time but looking back it apppears to have served it's purpose. In as much as a totally unplanned sequence of events can have a purpose at least.
Anyhoo, on to December. I got a couple of things ticked. A couple of 7a things at Burbage South boulders which were OK but nothing spectacular. Flashed Beachball at Secret Garden and did Zaf's Problem which was nice but took me several more attempts than it should have done due to incompetence, hey-ho...
Also visited Stoney in a day of rubbish weather and did two or three of the dynos there, quite good fun but useless in terms of getting better at climbing. Beats sulking in a cafe though.
Then it was off to the Isle of Man for Christmas with the in-laws. Now climbing on the Isle of Man is not great. The rock quality is pretty poor to be honest and it doesn't really lend itself to bouldering in a big way. It is probably good for adventure style trad, but that isn't really my bag. Even when I was a route climber I only ever stuck to short solid grit routes and whilst the idea of going for it on some not entirely solid sea cliff does have a certain romantic "the road less travelled" appeal I think I'd lose my resolve at the uncoiling the ropes at the start of the day stage if I'm being honest. This sin't helped by the fact that the last time I did a route on the Isle of Man the butress I was climbing on fell down a couple of days later. Anyway the bouldering is limited but there are some reasonable bits. The big problem is it's all tidal, and at this time of year daylight hours are short so awkward tide times can mean no real prospect of climbing. However I managed to get a couple of decent sessions in and did a couple of projects from previous visits. One is a sit start to a stand up 7a/+ ish wall problem which goes at about 7b/+ and the other an sitter to a 7a arete which is a steep bulging rounded slappy arete at about 7c. There is also a traverse into this arete which is yet to go, I think it would be pushing towards 8a when it goes, but time will tell. Obviously these grades are doubtless innacurate as they have had only one ascent (to my knowledge) and I doubt there will be huge queues forming to repeat them. Anyway there is a nice circuit of about a dozen or so problems in this spot now ranging from pretty easy to pretty desperate so I might put a little guide together, obviously it will never get used but thats like 99% of all the stuff on the internet anyway.
And then back to Blighty. On the 29th I got the ferry to Heysham. The family were staying over on the Isle of Man for an extra couple of days so just me and the dog which suited me fine because I had sneaky plans to pop up to Trowbarrow from Heysham before heading home for a quick hour or two on a nemesis. Iron Man is the sit start to Vitruvian Man on the Shelter stone. Vitruvian Man is a 7c and Iron Man gets 8a. Previously I had been geting to the first move of Vitruvian Man (a hard slap out right) but lacked the uumph to do the move. I was confident that if I could do that first move of Vitruvian Man after having done the sitter then I could do the rest of the problem. I also had picked up a sneaky bit of foot beta from watching a video of Adam on Vitruvian which I was hoping would help. It certainly made the first move of Vitruvian feel much steadier when done in isolation however on the first couple of attempts I still felt powered out by the time I got the move, aaaaargh....
Conditions were pretty good, it was very cold but dry. However there are, for me, two critical holds on Iron Man, the first is a blobby pinch at the top of a groove near the start, and the second is the left hand pinch which is the starting hold of Vitruvian. When the blobby pinch is feeling good the slap up with the left to the Vitruvian starting hold feels solid however it was feeling very glassy and almost frictionless so I was pinching the arse out of it which is obviously a bit tiring. The Vitruvian starting hold pinch also felt very glassy, for the stand-up this isn't so bad because you just pull on and immediately throw out right then you can move your left up to the next hold so you are only on the pinch for a short time, you can also get it really well as a pinch before you pull on so you are in the optimum position. However for the sitter you are hanging on to this left hand pinch for ages, I do a totally of nine "movements" with my left on this hold and for most of that my left hand is taking the majority of my weight. Also I can't get the pinch in the optimum position from the sitter and due to the postioning of my body I twist my left hand off the pinch as I go up so it is in an increasingly poor orientation to use the hold. Anyway all of that combined with the glassiness of these two holds meant that after a quick warm-up, work the moves and then a couple of goes I was feeling less than optimistic. So I decided to throw a stick for the dog for fifteen minutes, get a good rest and then throw everything at it in one last hurrah. So fifteen minutes later, boots are clean, hands are chalked, holds are brushed, mats are positioned, dog is watching I pull on do the first few moves then slip of an easy move, aaaaargh....
I resisted the temptation to leap back on and instead have another few minutes scootling about. Then brush holds, hit rock with towel, clean boots, chalk hands, a couple of deep breaths and away we go. The start felt easy and I got the left hand starting hold of Vitruvian. Now comes a sequence of several moves to get the right hand starting hold. Each one seems to make my grip on the left hand pinch slightly worse but I get to the position, position the left foot on the edge, put in the right toe-hook and it feels just perfect. By now the left hand feels pretty poor and ther's no way to re-position, and I wouldn't have the reserves even if there was so I just throw the right hand for the big hold, catch it, the left foot comes of and I'm desperately bearing down with my left hand on this glassy pinch trying to fight the barn-door. But my left hand is at completely the wrong angle and it feels like it won't stick but I just try a hold the body position, keep the toe hooked, keep tension and then the pull of the barn-door is controlled, a quick repositioning of my feet and then slap my left hand up for a good hold. Hit the hold and start feeling confident now, just a couple of moves left now. But the next move, up to the top with the left, feels a loooooong way. Adjust feet and just throw for it, it's all a bit wild and graceless but I'm wasted now so it's just an all out fight. Hit the hold, sort feet, match and then top out like a beached whale - nice.
Obviously the above all happened in a handfull of seconds, rather than the several minutes it sounds like.
But 8a ticked by the end of the year (just). Which was the first aim, now it's serious consolidation time, hit the board and it's game on for Font. Time to get the tick-list refined.
The final thing I would say is that generally when I get to the top of a problem I tend to think it was easier than I thought it would be, not this. It felt like the living end. And that's great.

I have also constructed a UK ticklist of 10 problems for this year. I'll not reproduce here because doubtless everyone who reads this (if anybody does) will have seen the list elsewhere. I think the list is partly made up of realistic achieveable goals, and partly hopelessly optimistic. But time will tell :o)

Oh and just to take the wind out of my sails, I went to Stanage on the 30th to try Jerry's traverse which was on my 2008 ticklist and got completely shut-down in a total and quite depressing way. Although I was very sore and tired after Iron Man the day before and I think conditions weren't great (an old excuse but a good 'un) as the Plantation was shrouded in mist and the slopers were feeling quite glassy to me. Oh well next year, or should that be this year now?

Sorry for writing so much about so little in such excrutiating detail.

Happy New Year.

Well this isn't going very well is it?

2008-12-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm, no updates for quite a while. Sorry.
Oh well Merry Christmas one and all.

I'm currently at the in laws on the Isle of Man grabbing brief sessions on stuff that only vaguely resembles rock, I will write more upon my return to civilised rock venues.

Off subject ramblings of the elderly

2008-11-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a while since my last missive, I imagine my dear readers have been frantically refreshing my blog page in anticipation of receiving nourishment from the font of wisdom....
Well refresh no longer, here is the latest installment in the continuing adventures of a middle aged family man. So whats been happening, what have I done to initiate this post? Well nothing really. Um, I've been to the Peak, and it was wet. I went to Almscliff, and just worked some stuff without ticking anything and I've done a lot of very sloppy shits in the evil clutches of gastroenteritis, happy times.

However some people have been doing things. Some cheeky Americans have come over here and apparently rather easily dispatched several testpieces on our beloved grit in really rather good style. Stevie is embarrassed, along with a couple of other people and the obituary for British trad will appear in this weekends Telegraph. How terrible.

Well done chaps, I'm impressed.

At last.

2008-10-25T00:30:00.000-07:00

Busy week again, also spent most of the week feeling pretty ill. Had a brief wall session on Wednesday which wasn't terribly impressive if I'm being honest. But a good restful week probably was no bad thing.
So yesterday (Friday) saw me journeying over to Almscliff in the afternoon to meet up with GCW. Driving up I saw Andi and Andi's mate walking up the road so gave them a lift for the last 200 yards to the crag. Pretty much assuring my sainthood I imagine.
The to-do list was pretty much unchanged from last time:
1) Underhand
2) The Keel
3) Jess's Roof

Round 1 - Underhand
Right this is annoying. I did this on my second attempt after making a complete hash of the right heel hook on my first attempt. So I should be pleased right? No, I was just a bit pissed off. Because it's pretty easy. I should have done it in the first session, and definitely the second. So finaly getting to the top didn't feel very satisfying, I just felt a bit stupid for wasting time and energy on it, grrrrrr. Oh well at least it's done now.

Round 2 - The Keel
This is more like it. Again I did this pretty quicly. I had a quick play with my sequence for the last move to slap the pocket just to check that I can't keep my feet on, and I can't so it's cut loose time. Then did it on my fourth (I think) attempt. Should have done it on the first attempt really but decided to hang around for ages on the chip before slapping (and missing) the pocket. Second attempt didn't release my feet properly so got a dab on the cut loose. Third attempt, really should have done it this time slapped to the pocket and had the reach but was a couple of inches to the right, aaaarghhh. Fourth attempt, it's in the bag. Again didn't feel that hard when I finally did it. But I still felt very satisfied and pleased unlike underhand. I'm not sure why this is but happy days.

Round 3 - G gets his crush on (sort of)
We went up to DWR where G wanted to do DWR, DBS, Pebble Wall Traverse and Pebble Wall. I also suggested he try HDF (with the heel-toe) as I thought it would suit him. G was carrying a stairgate/childs toy related injury so wasn't at full burl. He looked a bit floppy when he was climbing, lacking a bit of body tension. Anyway he got to the last move of DWR, the last move of DBS and the last move of Pebble Wall Traverse. Are you spotting a pattern, this fear of success is holding him back... Anyway he'll crush the all next time. He didn't try HDF either but he'll crush that to. I did Pebble Wall which was really nice. There was a dad there with his two sons, one was top-roping Demon Wall (think he was about 12) the other (aged 6) was trying Demon Wall Roof. They were brilliant, it's really good to see kids climbing and having the confidence to just go for it. I think the dad was slightly worried that his kids might be pissing off the "hardcore" boulderers but nothing could be further from the truth in my mind. I ended up having a pretty detailed discussion about the best sequence with the kid trying DWR. He could talk about the moves and explain what he was trying to do as well, if not better than, quite a few adults. Brilliant.

Round 4 - Jess's Roof
I was getting tired now and it was pretty dark. Realistically I knew that I probably wasn't going to get this ticked today. I worked the crux sequence and think I have a workable solution now. Sadly it was so dark that I couldn't see the footholds and I was feeling pretty battered so called it a day.

A good afternoon out, feels good to finally tick a couple of things. I was begining to lose heart a bit as I seemed to be constantly working things without getting anything done. Mega psyched again now, and the weather looks good next week, sadly I'm uber busy with work. Oh well bring on the crush...

Almscliff tours.

2008-10-18T00:08:00.000-07:00

Monday I still had sore skin, trashed body and a vast list of work to be getting on with. So when Jim suggested an Almscliff afternoon I leapt at the chance. UTG was the tour guide of choice and the to-do list went thus:
1) Keel
2) Underhand
3) Jess's Roof
So in my usual dedication to warming up I started on the hard sloper traverse on the first block, nice one me. I popped off about halfway along and pulled my shoulder a bit. So thats the warm up done then, when will I learn?
Anyway given the above hit-list obviously the next port of call would be Demon Wall area?!? So everybody got on Dolphin Belly Slap, Demon Wall Roof, Stu's Roof Left Hand and Hot Dog Fromage and there were various successes and failures. I managed DBS, DWR and HDF (easy variant with heel hook). Jim declared everything easy and 7a+, I ignored him. Then had a brief go on Underhand before having to dash off to tend to the family. Nice afternoon out and cheers to UTG for the excellent guide work.
Spent the rest of the week feeling very ill, as did the boy lard. We were both wiped out all week. Anyway yesterday (Friday) was Almscliff II - The Crushening, or at least that was the plan. Turns out I still couldn't do Underhand and the Keel defeated me also. However I think I can do them both, allthough I always say that. Maybe I'll have to start proving it.....
Once again I needed to get home so left a bit frustrated as I felt I could have carried on climbing. Oh well, to be honest I was still feeling crap and had really crampy guts all day so walking away and leaving it for next time was probably no bad thing.
No climbing this weekend by the looks of things, unless I bag a quick session on the wall. Bob the builder has just won the contract to develop Sunflower Valley, happy days.

Blue sky? Lets watch snooker...

2008-10-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

No blogging for a couple of weeks, hmmm, this doesn't bode well. Hey-ho.
Since the Sheffield weekend I have been mostly working. Which is great as it pays the bills and all that (not that I've been paid yet) but it does eat into the free-time somewhat. Most disapointing...
Anyway I've had a couple os sessions on the home wall but my left hand is really feeling the pace right now, it's frustrating because on the one hand I want to keep trying things but realistically what it needs is rest, grrrr. Also had another night-time session with the uber torch. This time I went to Earl with G. The learning points from this session number two:
1) Earl is a deathtrap of ankle snapping holes and boulders in the dark and not an ideal venue for night-time bouldering in my opinion.
2) Earl is a crag that my body just doesn't get. I imagine this isn't a phenomenon that is unique to me but some problems/boulders/crags and me just don't get on. It's not as simple as the style of the problem or conditions, it's a deeper antipathy. Another example would be the trackside boulder at Curbar, I hate it and it hates me. I don't know why we just don't see eye to eye. The trouble with situations like this is that you don't know that thats the case until you've invested the time and effort in getting consistently spanked. Anyway suffice it to say that Earl is on my shit list.
Moving on yesterday I went back to Stanage, I was keen to get back on Jerrys Traverse but first we called into the Buckstone so G could lank his way up the dyno. I had a quick go and surprised myself by getting pretty close, and next go got my fingers over the hold. Ooooo, this was interesting. I then predictably spent the next 20 minutes getting tp pretty much exactly the same place. G spent this time climbing like an arse, making some of the least convincing dyno attempts I have ever seen, fucking amateur. I would apologise to G for the previous sentence, but he knows it's true. So as a break we did the groove round the back of the buckstone. I then got engrossed in trying it no-handed. I love getting sucked into stupid pointless stuff like this. Some people are very stuffy about messing about all "that's not proper climbing" and "it's just silly". HELLO, wake up and smell the coffee, it's not like climbing is the most point laden activity in to world. Fools. Anyway it took a bit of working out but a footless sequence was dispatched, hurrah! Back to failing on the dyno. For this series of attempts G upped his game and started failing much nearer the finishing hold,good work fella. Eventually got bored off losing skin on it so gave up. I'm confident that both G and I can do this.
Then onto the Plantation where three things rapidly became apparent:
1) Conditions were far worse than we imagined
2) I had no skin on my right hand fingertips
3)Deliverance was the place to be
Jerry's felt awful and my hand very painful so I tried a few of the moves then pretty much binned it straight off. Then went to try Green Traverse, which is a problem I've never done. Fell of the last move on my first attempt, stupidly I assumed it would be easy after the crimpy bit so didn't look at any of the holds which meant I was just papping about at the end and fell off. Greased off the crimps second go then did it. Felt hard to me, but it was greasy (got to love these excuses). G stuck to his guns and consistently fell off before the end of the problem, such dedication to failure is rare indeed. Next time he'll crush it no doubt. Tried a couple of other things but not worth writing about.
Now the sun is shining and I'm sat here with skinless fingers watching the snooker, but about to change over to the F1. Is there a lesson to be learnt here about flogging yourself in poor conditions, patience and wisdom? Probably, but I can't be arsed to work it out....

London on a weekend like this? I don't think so...

2008-09-29T02:23:00.001-07:00

I was supposed to be going to London at the weekend to meet up with some uni mates but just couldn't face the extortionate travel on the rubbish train service into a polution hotspot for a weekend of good climbing weather miles from any good climbing. I can't quite pin down exactly why I wasn't keen to go.... It would have been really good to catch up with friends but hey-ho.
Anyway Saturday was glorious blue sky and Kirsty was all for going climbing, I was slightly less enthusiastic for two reasons:
1) It was hot and we'd invariably have picked a crag where the only thing I'd want to try would be some conditions dependent slopy skin-eating horror show.
2) I had plans to arrange a Sheffield trip for Sunday and didn't want no skin due to repeated failure on the aforementioned theoretical horror-show.
So we went for a walk and had chips and lemonade at a pub, I tell you this rock-and-roll lifestyle takes it out of you.
On Sunday we woke to overcast cool conditions. Things were looking good so we quickly loaded up the car (quickly being about an hour nowadays) and set off for Sheffield. As we got closer and closer to Hathersage the weather got worse and worse and I was starting to curse my forethought of the previous day. Arriving in Hathersage all was damp and wet but at least we could go to the wall, so not a complete washout. We went to a friends for lunch (bacon sandwich) and during consumption the weather did an abrupt about face and it was game on. Unfortunately we have a baby who needs daytime sleeps, and our friends have two babies who need daytime sleeps, and none of these daytime sleeps coincide, aaaarrggghhhh.
after some hasty delicate negotiations (anyone with kids will know the nature of these, if you don't have kids suffice it to say the the Cuban Missile Crisis negotiations are just a friendly chat down the boozer by comparison) we were out, yes! To Burbage North where we sweated at Remergance. I'd forgotten how badly it catches the sun, luckily there was a bit of a breeze so it wasn't too bad. Did all the standards which are really nice, still now after all these years of being climbed, just the epitome of classic problems on good solid grit. Then tried an eliminate on the arete problem which is basically right hand on the pinchy rib/arete left hand up to sloper and then right straight through to the top hold. Supposedly "at least 7b+" so I was quite pleasantly surprised when I did it in a few go's. It then git really hot and the wind dropped, i briefly tried Submergence and Blind Date but just couldn't battle against waning sking, strength and conditions. Back to the friends house for sausage casserole and then home happy, a nice weekend.

And as the sun sets the timid boulderer comes out of his cave.

2008-09-23T23:52:00.000-07:00

Last night was a first. Not a first ascent of a problem or of a grade but a first night time boulder session...

...and it was awesome!
I went up to Silverdale with GCW. He wanted to go to Warton to finish some long averdue business on Debaser LH (7b+) and I wanted to go to Trowbarrow and crush Iron Man (8a) to prove to myself that my aspirations weren't pie-in-the-sky. First stop Warton just as the sun was going down, G worked the moves a bit to warm up then my homemade portable sun (don't ask) was ignited and G got down to the serious business of falling off the last move. Awesome. After several successful "last move failures" we had confirmed G's fear of success so decided to move on. At Trowbarrow it became apparent that I to feared success as I failed to crush. I was actually quite pleased with my performance and I am confident that I can do this problem, just not last night.
Anyway the main point of last night was the torch experiment which was a resounding success. I was really pleased with the torch, the light is nice and powerful and it seemsd to just light up a boulder problem sized patch of rock really well. It lasted pretty well also. I think next time it would be nice to have a low lighting lantern for rest between attempts to conserve the batteries but otherwise spot on. I don't think it would work for a "lets just go and try a few problems and see what happens" session, it's quite a bit of faffing setting up the lights etc, but for a focussed "we're going to do this/these problems" session it's ideal. Also we were expecting video to be a complete disaster but it seems to work quite well, you appear to get quite moody atmospheric shots with really sharp shadows. I've only seen it on the camcorder screen so the true acid test will come when i get it onto the computer but i think the footage looked quite reasonable and the probable loss of image quality will be offset to an extent by the atmosphere (or at least I hope so). Anyway I'll probably edit the clips and upload something even though there was no success on the climbing front, just to show the success of the lantern session.
Right I've got a nappy to change, rock and roll...

And here is a (somewhat poor) video:

Iron Man Failure By Torchlight from nik jennings on Vimeo.