One step closer!

So i kept Saturday free as i was going to a sports mans dinner on the Friday evening so thought i would end up getting drunk and Saturday would be a right off.

Wrong! I was disciplined only had a few pints and listened to the amazing speech off Dennis Taylor, who is, as i always thought a true athlete.

The plan was to head up to Trowbarrow, South Lakes, as of all the venues the shelter stone was the most likely to be dry. Driving up and the weather wasn't looking great, freezing fog pretty much all the way up there. But when we got there like magic the fog had gone but the ground was still frozen.

Conditions were pretty good and after warming up on the Red wall and getting shut down by Nicks Wall (6c) we headed over to the Shelter Stone. I was psyched to get Funk Phenomena done as i had a session on it in the summer and came pretty close and now i am feeling much stronger. But that changed when the top out was dripping wet.

Next on the list Pit Problem; i gave it a good go just from the stand start that still gets 7b+ but just couldn't latch that edge. Tried Vitruvian Man at the end of the day, but the weather was so cold that you couldn't rest properly and i just had to try, fall off, try again, fall off, try again..... until i was beaten into submission!

Leaving with no new ticks i felt disheartened so was psyched to get back for another session there as soon as possible.

Which luckily for me turned out to be Monday, we drove back up this time conditions were looking even more perfect, and we were joined by a new face Ged Mc from The Climbing Hangar. Always good to get out with new people they bring a fresh sense of enthusiasm to the venue.

Warms up on the Red Wall again, this time managed to do Nicks Wall (6c) longest siege of a 6c I've ever had, and its not even a hard one!!

Felt good, moved around onto the Shelter Stone and we were actually climbing in t-shirts, the sun was out it was a glorious day.

After a few tries i managed to the latch the edge and my heel-toe stuck! That was it, i knew i was going to do the problem as soon as it stuck, so the left heel goes on and i locked out to the lip, matched the lip, got my feet around and rocked out!

I was so happy, second 7b+ and it didn't even take that long.

Got a good feeling that this year is going to be the year i climb 7c!!

Will try and get some photos up soon but having trouble with the car reader ive got.

Grit Success

Yesterday was the first day ive managed to have out this year on real rock.

Either ive been working too much or the weather hasn't been upto much or ive been focussing on winter stuff, but whatever the problem was i had a great day and i am actually psyched to climb on some grit for a change.

So we headed out to Stanage Plantation this was a first as i had never been so was quite looking forward to it.

Starts off with a warm up on Pebble Arete, although the problem is only 5+ definately a technical one and certainly felt pretty high. Didnt manage to flash it but managed it after a few goes, all about the foot placements and balance, turns out this technique is harder than i thought.

Following the theme of classic problems is pretty much how the day went, we then moved down to Cresent Arete which i was psyched to flash, only for my hands to grease off near the top! Damn that was a scary fall, but got it next go.

Not to be taken away had been on my ticklist for a while now, but could i fuck manage it! just couldnt get that first move, then by the time i did i had wasted SO much skin.

Anyways went to watch Sean an Mike try Brad Pit, this was a comical scene as Sean rocked up really confident then just couldnt manage to find the body position for the first move, he kept trying and trying, changing through nearly all 5 pairs of shoes that he had with him. But all to no avail he just couldn't get that move.

Back down so Rich could try Capatain Hook, what a class looking problem, tension under a roof, lots of heels, looked like being back in the cave!!

Temps dropped but with the drop came the damp so he just couldnt hold the sloper on the lip.

Although we slagged off Green Traverse at the start of the day we thought we would kill the last of our energy on it.

Super choice for me as i managed it after a few goes, bagging my first gritstone 7a, definately pleased with that tick.

To finish off the whole day went back for another try of Deliverence, managed to get the slabby start dialed within a few tries now its just getting my body sorted for the jump, wasn't doing too badly as at the end i was only about an inch off the top.

Going to try and get back and get it done soon!

The Hangar

Jesus this place is going to create some proper beasts!

Went down to the opening of the new wall in Liverpool the Climbing Hangar on saturday.

Wow what a variety of problems, they have only managed to open phase one for the time being, but after spending 2 hours pottering round on plenty on different problems i was goosed!

Hoping to head back down tomorrow for a real lunchtime special £3.50!!!

Well i need to head down after hearing off Rich on sunday with the amazing news that we are goin to Cresciano and Chironico in April best pull my finger out and get into shape if i want to actually do well.

Hoping to finally go on a trip where i can be at full fitness and be peaking for the trip.

So plenty of swimming to shed the extra few pounds of christmas cheer ;) and plenty of sessions indoors bouldering and bot outdoors building up some more technique and decent skin.

New year and new injury already!

So 2010 has been and gone, Feels like it went so quickly but its been a pretty successful year both in terms of climbing and education. I managed to actually pass my degree and my ML, but now onto the things that actually matter "grades"!

"All i care about is glory, and you get no glory unless you get grades!"

So the biggest focus of the year was achieving the goals i set at the start 5 7a's and Clever Beaver.

Managed to dispatch these by May, ha! Surely i must be aiming to low so i upped the game and carried on trying more and more problems in different areas and on different rock types.

The year was full of trips, 2 to Font, a week in Kalymnos, 4 days down in Dartmoor, a weekend in Porth Ysgo and plenty of different UK venues for the odd day trip.

Also along with the plenty of trips of course came many injuries, mainly being finger injuries.

Well down to the business of what climbs and what grades i got done in total:

Boulder

7a

Right Wall Traverse

Right Wall Traverse - Lip Stick RH

Lipstick

Parisella's Original

Bizarre Bizarre

Pif Paf

King Of Drunks

Angel Deelite (flash)

Fire Starter

Pill Box Original

Lapin Au Canard

Blind Bat

7a +

Clever Cleaver Stand

Clever Beaver

Bust Lip

Fleur De Rhum

Pantys Down

Sanctified Strong

Nothing To Say Dyno

Last Stand

7b

Lip Service

7b+

Clever Cleaver - Clever Beaver Start

Route

7a

Hot Stuff

Calipso

Kastor

7a+

Aphrodite

E1

Gogarth

Managed to climb the hardest in every discipline in this year. Lets just hope 2011 can bring the same will have to do some serious training if i want this to happen.

Latest injury is a knee injury, not quite sure what i have done to it yet but i have spoken to Matt and he has given me a few things to research and i think it could possibly be Lateral Colateral Ligament issues and just a mild strain. Hoping it is as the new wall opens soon an im really keen to get there on a regular basis and fid my motivation to train again as i lost it working too much at the wall. At least a new wall will be a completly new atmosphere and somewhere i can truely chill out and focus on the climbing.

Depot Dismay

Headed the Depot yesterday for the battle of britain, personally i wasnt expecting to do well as the problems are always hard.

But damn i didnt expect to be that shit! haha, managed to haul my fat arse up 17 of the 30 problems set, although i only managed to flash 15 of them. puntered about and fell off a v2 an v3 just for being an idiot.

Gotta say i do have ultimate respect for the boulderers who compete, the level of fitness needed is unbelievable.

Pretty keen to get back there and have a go on some of the harder problems i couldnt do, maybe really work them an put some effort in.

Well we will see if i can improve this week if we go the Rockover for there comp on Friday.

A Week of Power

The title sums up my week so far!

Went to a new venue for me on sunday headed out to Anston Stones and Roach Abbey on Sunday.

Had a cracking session managed to get a new 7a and 7a+ done at Anston, not sure of the names of them think they are called Blind Bat and Last Stand.

When walking upto Anston i wasn't expecting much as the air was damp and the floor was soaking, but turned out to be pretty dry up at the crag itself. However that cant be said for when we were at Roach Abbey as the air was damp and i took a big ping and bail!! Hurt at the time but wasnt half funny looking back at it.

Monday morning woke up psyched for a Cave session... after working Beaver Cleaver for most of the session i thought i was going to leave and have a tickless session until i asked Rich about some problems on the right of the lip. He showed me the beta on Lipstick RH which i managed to do first go with the beta, after that i was psyched for the original Lipstick so jumped on it pretty knackered but it didnt feel impossible... as it was getting dark i could barely see the footholds i managed to pull it out of the bag! So left the cave with 2 new ticks 6c and 7a!

Tuesday i woke up and felt like i had been in a train wreck i was shattered!! good sessions tho!

So Thursday comes and im super psyched to go back an get back on Beaver Cleaver to try get it done, warming up would prove to be the main constraint today as there was a baltic wind blowing right into the cave and it was freezing.

Noticed on the guide that RWT into Lipstick RH gets 7a so mid warm up i jumped on it and did it first go! proper happy.

Warm up deffo went well for Rich as he jumped on Oppatrocity gave it a quick RP falls mid moves then a few more warm ups and crushes the fuck out of it!!! Another 8a in the back for the strong Ginger. Good work fella!!

Gets on Beaver Cleaver and tried again.... and tried is what i did! i put so much effort into but just cannot stick the move from the undercut into the pinch on the lip! Well i suppose a way to look at it is that i am making progress each session so hopefully will build up the strength to get it nailed before the end of the year!

Again right at the end of the session as everyone was sat there freezing their tits off i asked rich for some more beta this time on Clever Cleaver from the stand up start, pulls on an trys to get the heel up but bailed! Psyched i had a rest jumped back on an crushed it!!

I think its a new pb to get a 7a+ done in like 4 goes!

Gives me a goal now to do it from the crouch start an get the 7b+

So rest the weekend and back monday again!

Krispy Kreme's All Round!!

Yes as you can guess from the title of this post i have done it! finally climbed my first 7b!!

WOOO im so psyched.

Well getting down to it im sure you want to know what one it was, Lip Service in the cave.

After a weekend of drinking we headed out to the cave this morning and i didnt have high expectations as i was feeling overweight, dehydrated and with a sore elbow, the winter is definatley coming as it was freezing when we got there, found it really hard to warm up.

Pulls on the regular warm up problems and we all found it hard work to get motivated. anyways about an hour after we got there finally started to feel fully warm, pulled on and about third go managed to get the thumb catch. This was the progress i needed never actually managed to hold this before in my shock i forgot what to do for the next move and fell off. After a quick break a sandwich and some h2o pulled back on and warmed back into the moves then crushed it.

i was so psyched to get it done! Really motivated for the winter now time to keep gettin more ticks in different places so a trip to Rotherham at the weekend will be well earned after the next 5 days in work.

One thing i do find hard about working in a climbing wall is the different shifts, its so hard to find the time to train, work and actually have a life! So applied for a different full-time job and lets hope i get it, if not at least i will hopefully get some feedback!

anyways people

Peas out! x