Money For Nothing – 2015 So Far!

I’ve been ill with a virus twice in the past six weeks, I’m currently stuck doing exams and I haven’t wrote a blog post since just after Christmas. Needless to say I feel pretty bummed at the moment.

Until a few weeks ago not enough exiting things had been happening close enough together to justify writing anything. I got a minor shoulder injury locking off cold, but fortunately a trip to the physio and a few weeks easier training saw me fit enough to put in a top 50 performance at the British Universities Comp up in Sheffield and a chance to repeat Conan The Librarian (6B) at Mothercap. It’s just such a good little highball! I also managed to onsight Barney Rubble (7a+) at Torbryan my hardest onsight to date and a bit of a surprise as I’d only gone up it to warm up and put the draws in. My lack of success on the granite and at night bouldering also ended with a send of the classic The Rippled Wall (6B) at Hound Tor.

Repeating Conan The Librarian Before The Snow Came Down.

However by the time Easter Holidays rolled around and with a month of Birmingham based climbing awaiting me I was feeling strong. Unfortunately whilst on a field trip/rest week the week before getting back I got a nasty chest infection and virus and it wasn’t until the last week and a half of my trip back to Birmingham that I started to feel back on form.

I went out climbing anyway and my first day out over Easter was a trip to Burbage North to spend some quality time with Mum and Dad and after falling off everything hard I tried I managed to send Remergence (6B). Definitely another grit classic and perhaps the hardest 6B I’ve ever done thanks to the heinous rock over on it! Remergence took me a few goes and I was so out of breath that it was clear I was far from recovered and the glorious sunshine probably didn’t help either. The following day I picked myself up a little and went out with Sarah and Ming to The Churnet and had a better session ticking of some quality problems up to 6C+ and having a play on a few harder things to work out sequences. The Churnet is definitely and underrated venue, there’s so many good problems once you find your bearings and get used to the rock.

Tops Off, Top Out On The Wafer Sit Start (6A+)

Trying to cram a few more days in around revision I had another two days out the following Friday and Saturday and definitely felt a lot better having managed to have a really good training session at Redpoint. On the Friday me and Sarah headed out to The Churnet once again both determined to finish off some unfinished business from the week before! I managed to tick off Simple Simon which is given 7B+ in the new guide and is definitely the hardest problem I’ve ever done, whatever the grade. My method involved having to campus the start and getting a bomber, but a little scary and tricky to get into heel-toe cam to do the last move. I also managed to do the stand start to Bizzare at 7A+ that day, but despite finding the moves from sit pretty steady just couldn’t link it into the huge pop/dyno at the end and even on the next session about a week later I just didn’t have the skin or the psyche to keep committing to the final move that session.

On the Saturday I went to Raven Tor with Mirf, Dom and some of the other RP strong men and to be honest wasn’t expecting much as my skin was pretty sore and I felt pretty tired from Fridays beastly session. However knowing I might have another session at The Tor the following week if I was lucky I decided to jump on a 7c+ just to see how hard it felt compared to the 7c+’s I did last year and if I felt stronger last year. I tried The Green Alternative which is pretty much a boulder problem on a rope, you pre clip the first bolt and the next bolt is the lower off. For something so short to get that kind of grade I knew the moves were going to be pretty much as hard as you’d ever get on any 7c+ route. The route breaks down into a 6A boulder problem then two moves into some crimps and then a 7A+ (maybe a little harder) boulder problem on top. I actually found it a lot easier than expected and did all the moves that session.

Next Wednesday with fresh skin and fresh arms me and Mirf headed back to The Tor early to make the most of conditions and on my warm up I made it to a high point and then managed to find a better sequence for myself and sent the route on my second go. It felt really steady and I’m pleased it felt so easy as hopefully it’s a good sign for routes this year especially if I can get some fitness.

I Dressed Myself, Honest!

I got one last session out the day after to The Churnet, where as I said I couldn’t send Bizzare but I did do a nice 7B problem called Slow Worm which I imagine would be impossible or super funkily dynamic for the short unless you were super strong!

It was really nice see everyone over the holiday and I hope everyone gets their projects especially Sarah and the Birmingham guys trying Call Of Nature (8a) at the Tor, good luck! I’m sure I’ll do some climbing with you all this summer I’m super psyched for the Peak and Dinbren! I’d also like to thank Mirf for going back to The Tor so I could finish off The Green Alternative, Sarah for going to The Churnet three weeks in a row so we could try send some projects and Mum and Dad for putting up with me been grumpy and ill and taking the time to take me out for the day, even if I was a bit moody cause I was still weak from been ill!

2015 So Far!

That’s pretty much how things have gone since Christmas, I feel a lot better now after been ill again and I am still training hard. My exams finish on Wednesday and after then I am free till September to go climbing and I’m definitely dreaming big again this summer!

The blog also marked its year anniversary not to long ago so I’d like to say thanks to everyone who has read it and supported it over the past year and don’t forget to tell anyone who might be interested about it and help it grow!

Blue Skies – A Winter Update

I went back to Redpoint over the Christmas holidays expecting nothing special. I thought it would be nice to get up a few 7B’s by the end of the three weeks I was back and do well in the second round of the Winter Boulder League, but I had no big ambitions. Redpoint setting is completely different to Life Centre setting so I expected it to take a few sessions to get used to the style there again. However on the first session back I sent a 7B barrel problem with a move on it I’d been unable to do in isolation before I left for university and by the end of my final session there before coming back I’d manage to do 3 7B+ problems and I think I won that round of the boulder league. A big confidence booster and some evidence that winter training is going well.

My New Nickname At The Climbing Wall? That Stickman Has A Remarkable Resemblance To Me….

I’m now back at university for term two and climbing back at the Life Centre after the Christmas holidays is amazing, there’s a lot of hungry climbers there at the moment pushing hard to climb hard and psyche is high. 2015 already feels like it is going to be a good year for all of us training hard there. After our three weeks of hard training back home me and Adam managed to send one of our hard indoor projects the first week back after weeks of trying before the holidays (I think it took me three sessions alone to work out the beta). We both agree it is the hardest problem we’ve ever done (perhaps coming in at 7C?), so the only shame is that it’s indoors and not out. I came third in the inter uni comp at the Life Centre, and am really pleased with that result as I have never done a comp with an isolation final before and was pretty nervous. I know I could have done better, but I’m not a competition climber and it was more of a fun thing than anything super serious. The big goals for this year aren’t comp related anyway, it’s all about ticking of some hard stuff outside.

Out Night Bouldering On Dartmoor.

The past few weeks back in Plymouth has also seen a spate of bouldering sessions on the Tors both during the day and the night and every time I’ve been spanked and every time we’ve gone out more skin has been sacrificed and more new projects have been added to the list. Dartmoor Granite is hard and painful if you’ve never climbed on it before, but it’s still good fun, so hopefully I’ll get the knack, learn to pull hard despite the pain and at some point get up some hardish problems.

Dartmoor In The Late Afternoon. Even If I’m Getting Spanked By The Climbing, You Can’t Complain About The View!

What I’m really waiting for this year though is the chance to get back on the limestone, and more importantly go sport climbing again. There’s still 10 weeks I think till I can get my teeth sunk back into Peak Limestone and Dinbren and some of the projects I have left from last year and some new ones hopefully (including some projects down south if I get out on the limestone down here). The hit list is already far to long for everything to get done, but I’m optimistic and hopefully this will be the year I break into the 8’s. I felt close last year and I’m definitely stronger this year so I just need to keep training hard and giving it my all.

Welcome To The Jungle – First Tastes Of Plymouth

“Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated” – Russell Warren.

With a recent survey confirming my long held suspicions that it is my accent and not my looks that are holding me back with the ladies, I have been able to put my mind at rest and finally sit down and type up another blog post.  I apologise it’s taken me so long to anyone who’s been waiting/nagging me (*cough* Father Ratcliffe) but here at last there is one, so enjoy…

I lost my feet when it came to climbing for a few weeks when I moved down to Plymouth. I went out and had fun, met new people, had a good time, perhaps to much of a good time on some nights. I was still climbing but it was nothing like the kind of training I did before coming to university. The passion was still there but the psyche it seemed was not. I didn’t even realise I’d lost the psyche at the time, I was too distracted by the freedom coming here had given me. Of course eventually it all caught up to me and one to many drunken misadventures later and I was brought humbly back to earth. Although I still enjoy and want to go out occasionally, it was pretty clear it was time for my extended fresher’s partying to come to an end. Drunken escapades no longer such a regular occurrence, I have been reminded that my heart is that of a climbing bum and with that reminder the hunger has returned.

Psyched once again to climb and get stronger,  I’ve really started putting in the hours down at the wall, trying to climb as many days as possible. Although there’s no training room at High Sports, the setting is really good with some interesting beta often needed to send the problems. My “training”, as I like to call it, has just been picking a selection of hard problems I think I can do and trying them until I can do them.  Nothing new there then really. Eight sessions over a month is the longest I’ve spent on a problem so far, but failure in the previous seven sessions before the send only helped make me stronger (I hope). The problems aren’t graded and I’ve stopped suggesting grades as someone always comes along and suggests something different, so I can’t really say what my boulder grade is at the moment. As there’s no training room/systems board (not that I used them loads anyway)  I’ve also been trying to do some plank, lock off exercises and dead hangs at the end of most if not every session in hope of gaining some strength as well, so hopefully at Christmas after a few sessions down at Redpoint I’ll be able to get a gauge of how the training is paying off.

I’ve also learnt a lot about granite in recent weeks, however seen as a lot of that was in lectures I won’t bore you with the details of it’s petrology. In a climbing sense though, there are two key things that you need to know about Dartmoor Granite;

1) You need to add about 3 V grades onto the original grade of any boulder you try to work out whether you’ll have any chance of doing it.

2) It really hurts your skin.

Or at least that’s what I’ve worked out from the three trips I’ve had out onto the Tors this term. I assumed moving nearer to the beach would mean better weather, how wrong could I have been? The rain has been the main thing stopping me getting out climbing but the few days I’ve been able to get out have been good ones.

My first trip out on the granite was to Bone Hill and it left me scuttling home like a dog with it’s tail between it’s legs. I got shut down by a V5 called Llama Farmer and just about sent a V3 after been heckled by some locals who knew the crafty heel-toe jam beta. However it looks like there are some doable hard boulders out there and I’m definitely keen to go out and hunt them down in the spring and see if I can tick off some hard stuff on the granite.

It was a few weeks before I had suitably recovered from my first experience of Dartmoor Granite before I headed out again, this time around it was to Haytor to try my hand at some trad. Full of confidence and keen to get some ticks under my belt I went and promptly fell of the E1 D’argtagnan. I then went and fell off it some more, before finally managing to pull over the roof and onto easier ground. Clearly I have a lot to learn about climbing on granite, but with plenty of time left before I finish my degree, I’m sure I’ll learn. I did manage to flash Haggis one of the classic E1’s at Haytor before the end of the day, learning that if you trust your feet on granite slabs they generally stick. After you’ve managed to get up the slab on Haggis you are left with some good gear and some fun moves on good holds to get over the roof and it’s easy to see why it’s such a popular climb.

What do you mean it’s the end of November?! Enjoying the glorious weather on the easier moves at the top of D’argntagnan.

Chris starting of the Plymouth Uni send train on Haggis.

Psyched for more trad as well as more bouldering I managed to get out to Hound Tor to look at some of the harder routes there after learning there was the potential for some good highballs. Limbo Dancer an E4 5c was a route I especially wanted to look at and after looking at it, I think it would make a really good highball with enough pads. I flashed the crux on a top rope and probably would of flashed the route if I hadn’t had my rope bag covering half the holds on the top as I was using it as a sheath. Rope bag moved I got it clean next go and did it one more time before the end of the day, so I’m confident if I got the chance I’d send it. There are also two E2’s at Hound Tor,  Aerobic Wall and Anaerobic Crack, that look like they’d go as fantastic highballs, so I’m hoping after the new year they’ll be a Plymouth Uni team send day at Hound Tor.

Me enjoying an end of the day lead on the classic VS – Suspension Flake.

Anyway with a week till I’m back in Birmingham for Christmas it’s time to start getting exited for some grit action!

Here’s a few more pictures from recent weeks –

Apparently Father Ratcliffe  saw this picture and thought I was merely enjoying the scenery. No prizes for guessing what I was actually up to…

Will enjoying the easier moves after getting through the crux od D’argtagnan.

 

Sunset on Low Man as Nick seconds the classic Outward Bound.

 

New Kid In Town – The Final Summer Write UP

Independent life has truly begun, I’ve left home and I’ve headed south for the coming winter and the next three years. The melodrama of moving away is now behind me, suitably numbed by the nine nights of drinking throughout fresher’s and the discovery that I can in fact use a washing machine when all you need to do is feed it some money, make sure the tablets are in and press the button labelled “Colours 40 degrees”.  Although I was forced to sing “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” in order to bring a tear to my mothers eye on my departure and fulfil my duty as a son, moving out was far easier than I expected. Back on the rails and having found my feet with the style of climbing at the local wall, I’m hoping to start getting out climbing soon and hopefully put another good winter of training under my belt in order to get stronger. So with no exiting tales from Plymouth to tell yet it’s probably about time I rounded up my summer adventures from “up north” as it is referred to in these southern lands –

Following mine and Craig’s successful but cold, hungry and tiring, almost week living under Cornice, I didn’t expect to feel up for much climbing in the following days. However pizza, a few beers and a good nights sleep and the psyche was as high as ever. The following Sunday I found myself in Dan’s trusty (but now no longer with us) Ford on my way to The Roaches to do some trad and some bouldering.  My new found confidence in trad gear and with the stupidity fearlessness of youth on my side I decided to go for an onsight of Wings Of Unreason (E4 6a). I made it through the boulder problem start pretty easily and to the crucial cam placement. The next move was a tricky mantle for the tall where you hav to get your foot into the pocket where your hand and cam were. Eventually my fear of committing to the move was overcome by my fear of blowing the onsight and I entered the mythical trad bubble and made the move. All that followed was a pop for the top, after checking I couldn’t just lank it out in my usual fashion I took a deep breath and with a lack of fear, made the double handed pop. Luckily I didn’t notice I had half kicked the cam out when I made the mantle, but hey it probably would of still held…maybe?

Committing To The Mantle On Wings Of Unreason

Transformed by my successful onsight of Wings from dumb into dumber, I decided to try and onsight San Melas (E3 5c). If you wanted to find a route more unsuited to my style San Melas is it and it’s was hardly surprising that with the gear below my feet and my feet unable to smear I quickly found myself acting out a Wiley Coyote scene as I attempted to find something for my hands. Fortunately Dan’s years of trad belaying meant the rope caught me and I didn’t end up in a bush. Lesson learnt though I decided it best to save any future lead attempts until after I’ve learnt to smear and have tried the moves on the safety of a top rope.

Dan Onsighting San Melas

Me Falling Off San Melas

Mirf’s Peugeot has also sadly left us and the final weeks of summer were spent in his new Ford Estate (I’m hoping the Metro survives the winter). Although both me and Mirf had projects up at Dinbren the sudden and un-British return of the summer heat meant eventually we lost hope of success in such harsh conditions and went bouldering in the peak instead. I was pretty psyched to get A Lack Of Colour (7B) done in a day after been inspired to try it after watching the film Escaping Norfolk and I managed to get mine and Mirfs ascents on film as well (https://vimeo.com/105877424). I also managed to drag my parents out bouldering for a day at the Churnet before I left and despite been a little hungover after an impromptu night out and dad trying his best to upset me by blasting “Money For Nothing” as loud as he could when I had to help him out that morning, I had a surprisingly successful day.  I flashed High Speed Imp Act (7A) and The Nose (6C) and then sent Martins Mono Problem (7A+) and got it all on film (https://vimeo.com/106103687). It would of been a pleasant end to the summer, but I had to go and ruin it by getting spanked trying Kudos (7B) and The Press (7B+) at Rubicon before I left and getting close to both, but succeeding on neither.  Oh well I’m sure they’ll both be just as polished when I get back on them anyway.

And that sums up summer, there was another weekend in Yorkshire where I led a nice VS and fell off trying lots at Malham trying to onsight 7a’s and I think that was it.  Anyway here are some more photo’s that got taken throughout the summer. I’ll keep you updated on my life down south when I start getting out climbing.

 

Dan Sending C3-PO (Roaches)

Just Before I fell Off San Melas

Me And Mother Ratcliffe At The Churnet

Trying The 50p Problem (Churnet)

The House Martins At Dinbren

(Dawning Of) A New Era – A Farewell Before Uni

It feels like the end of an era. Things are coming to a close and although I don’t want to admit it, something’s are never going to be the same again. Although I understand that by going to university I am not abandoning my life here in Birmingham completely, it is hard not to accept that when I return briefly during the holidays that things will be different. Perhaps it is easy to feel that I am been a bit melodramatic about the whole thing, but come tomorrow Plymouth will be the place where I spend most of my time living for the next three years. I’m hoping I’ll have an amazing time at university and I’m excited and really looking forward to it, but I definitely feel nervous about going and a little sad to be moving. Going to university is going to the biggest change to my life to date, I am going to have to become an independent young adult and make a new start when I arrive in Plymouth. I am going to have to look after myself, meet new people, make new friends, and I’m going to have to juggle university work with a social life and climbing. There’s going to be a lot on my plate in those first few weeks whilst I try and settle in and I imagine I am just as nervous as anyone else who is going to university and moving away from the safety and sanctuary of their home. There’s also a thrill to this whole new thing that lies just around the corner, a new place with new people, opportunities and the chance to be independent, definitely makes for an exciting prospect. But moving somewhere that is so far away also means that the only time I’ll spend any length of time back home is over the summer and I’m going to miss a few things when I go. No matter how much they have irritated me over the years I’ll miss my family, I’m going to miss Mirf and Carrie, who’ve been unbelievably kind to me these past few years and have taken me climbing on countless occasions. I’ll miss Zac, because who knew that been bullied by a three year old could be so entertaining. I’ll miss Lil’ Dom, my partner in crime as the other member of “the boys” as Carrie has endearingly named us. Tim my best friend and one of my few non climbing friends, I’ll definitely miss him and I think it’s my turn to bring the bottle of rum over this Christmas Eve, let’s hope it isn’t cut short this year because my sister has forgotten her keys and I have to go home to let her in. In fact I could list lots of people I’ll miss, but I’d rather instead, just like to put out a big collective thank you to anyone who has been part of one of the adventures I’ve had in recent years, anyone at RP who has taken me climbing, everyone at the 177th Scout Group who’ve always been so nice and anyone else who feels they deserved a mention but I’ve unfortunately left out.

I guess I’ll probably end up changing the most whilst I’m at university, but I hope that when I come back for holidays I can continue the adventures that I’ve started here.

If I didn’t see some of you who I know that read this before now, wish me luck! See you all at Christmas anyway.

 “A journey is best measured in friends, not in miles” – Tim Cahill

 

 

 

Always Wonder – The Penultimate Weeks Of Summer

According to the Met Office the length of a season can be split into meteorological time periods or astronomical time periods. In meteorological terms a season lasts three months and the three months that summer falls into are June, July and August. In astronomical terms however summer starts on June 21st with the Summer Solstice and this year ends on September 22nd with the Equinox. In reality the weather dictates whether or not we feel a season is over and a new one has begun, and any way you chose to look at it, what is clear, is that soon summer will be over.

For me personally I think I’ll call an end to the summer when I go to university and my fifteen months of gap year come to their conclusion. It’s definitely been eye opening trying to make money and balance climbing for the first three quarters of the year and then just trying to go full time as a climbing bum for the past few months. There were definitely points where I wondered what the future would hold and whether university was going to be the right next step for me. However what I’ve learnt this year about the real world and about myself has shown me that perhaps I’m better equipped than I thought for moving away from home and that university is something that I want to do. In the meantime though, I’ve still got a few more weeks to put off thinking about university and enjoy the rest of the summer, so here’s part three of my summer update –

I think the train I’ve booked is at the wrong time!” I said with a hint of my panic in my voice as I rang the only person you can in a time of such crisis. My mother.

“If that’s the case you’ll either have to try to swap trains or just catch your train and meet Craig at the other end,” my mother reassured me.

In reality I had gotten so excited for our weeks trip I had convinced myself I was leaving an hour earlier than the times I had booked my trains for and didn’t realise my mistake until I was halfway to Birmingham New Street and had unnecessarily called my mother in a state of near panic. An hour spent drinking coffee and catching up with some of my friends who I used to work with and I was on the way to the Peak limestone with Craig. The rest of our journey went without a hitch and we soon found ourselves deposited next to Worm Hill by the bus, the only question being, where do we climb first?

Being lazy we went for the nearest option and headed to Chee Dale. What was normally a fifteen minute walk took a good half an hour of pain measurable to any spell in hell and we quickly decided that actually Chee Dale would be quite a nice place to spend the week, so why bother going to Raven Tor or Water cum Jolly?

With Cornice in good condition it made sense to head there and make it our base for the week and feeling fresh after a few days rest I had no excuse not to get back on This Is The Sea, it was on the hit list after all. I had definitely put off trying This Is The Sea again on my previous trip to Cornice and was definitely nervous that my head would go down the drain if I made it to the run out top section. However a quick top rope and I had gotten the hard start redialled and knew that if I could keep it together I would do the route. My first redpoint went amazing and I cruised through the start and up to the final bolt before the lower off.

“Shit, I have to do the top section now” I said to myself.

A few seconds later and I had clipped the chains. My second 7c+ in the bag and on day one of the trip, whatever happened now the trip was already a success. It was one of those leads where every movement flowed and every move went as perfectly. My feet and my hands working together in a natural harmony. My head clear of everything but the move I had to carry out next. My worries that my head game would revert to how it was in Spain disappeared, clearly the commitment I had put in to changing it for the better since then was paying off.

The first of what ended up beingbeing five very cold nights was spent sleeping out under the stars and one thing that I could be grateful for was at least I hadn’t substituted my roll mat for a slackline like Craig had. Both of us however had managed to forget any cutlery and I ate my tortellini that night with a bottle opener.

Too Cosy?

With one route on the hit list ticked off it was time to move onto another and with a further four on the list located at Chee Dale all I had to do was pick one. So on the second day I went to try Sturgeon In The Cupboard (7c), however being unable to memorise my foot sequence for the lower section left me in some doubt as to whether I wanted to come back and continue working the route. In the end I didn’t go back as both me and Craig got too psyched watching a group of people doing Jug Jockey (7c+) to want to venture too far from Cornice again that trip.

I did look at the moves on Jug Jockey the next day with Craig and although inspired by the route, I knew on such trips that sometimes working something so hard can be quite upsetting and have a big negative effect on your psyche if your partner does it before you. Sometimes it’s a big help projecting something with someone and you carry the other persons send psyche with you on your own send, but Jug Jockey didn’t feel like one of those routes where that would happen and besides it wasn’t on the hit list. So instead I headed round the corner to The Nook to look at The Lockless Monster (7c+) which had dried out since my last visit.

Lockless itself is an extended board problem with a four move 7A boulder problem crux in the middle, that means you have to skip third bolt, sandwiched by two 6B board problems maybe. It definitely suited my style and a quick change of foot positions on my last go of day three meant the final hard move of the 7A sequence, a big pop/dyno to a jug, was sent with relative ease and saw me just a few moves from the chains. Thinking I was over my premature ejugulation and having done the top section at least five times to get it dialled, I was definitely feeling optimistic, to say the least, about my chances of making it all the way as I shook out on the jug.

The Hitlist

One rest day later and I found myself putting the draws back into Lockless with my clip stick bright and early. After falling off after the crux two days earlier I knew my chances of getting it were good, lighting never strikes twice in the same place, right? I wasn’t going to suffer and fall off on the hand swap after the crux again, was I? Without even warming up I jumped straight on for a redpoint and despite nearly blowing the dyno I somehow held on and caught the jug. Staying calm I got through the crux and managed to get through the hand swap. For some reason my onsight head then kicked in and I did the final few moves in a completely different way to the way I had dialled. A risky move but I actually found an easier sequence and had soon clipped the chains. A 7c+ before breakfast, and not warmed up, I definitely felt good although I was really lucky not to hurt myself by doing something that hard when I was cold. Now all I needed for the trip to be a true success was for Craig to send Jug Jockey and it would be celebrations all round.

That day Craig looked like he was going to get it, even after getting a huge flapper. He kept getting through the first crux, over the roof and falling on the final hard pull onto the headwall. Despite evident frustration, he kept his psyche and kept giving it his all on every attempt. It didn’t go that day and another long and cold nights sleep followed, despite moving to The Nook and putting the tent up to try and get warm. When Mirf told me he was coming up on the Wednesday morning as we went to buy coffee from the van in the car park, all I wanted was for Craig to send Jug Jockey so we could go home two days early, finally be warm again, have a good meal, get a good night’s sleep and let our hands recover.

I Did Eventually Buy Some Forks – One Thing Of The University Checklist Sorted!

In the end it all came down to Craig’s finally attempt of the trip, after accepting that we’d struggle to enjoy ourselves anymore if we stayed, Craig went up to get the draws out. Everyone wanted Craig to get it, he had definitely put everything into doing it and he definitely deserved to send it. There was a deathly silence as we watched on, everyone wordlessly willing Craig up it. As he got through the roof and to the final crux everyone held their breath. Somehow he managed to pull himself onto the headwall, please don’t blow it now Craig, was all I could think. Craig seemed to spend an eternity shaking out before committing to the final few moves. He knew as well as I did, even after the crux it isn’t over until you’ve clipped the chains.

Craig avoided the curse of premature ejugulation though and moments later I was jumping round shouting “What a trip!” over and over.

And what a trip it was, so maybe we weren’t as hard core as we seemed, going home two nights early because we were cold and tired. But living rough for so long is a lot harder than I expected and I can’t think of many people who’d be willing to live like that just to do what they love. Once I’d recovered from that trip I’ve been as psyched as ever to go climbing. So maybe Summer is nearly over, but if I’ve learnt one thing so far this summer, it’s that even if I’m not hard core, I’m committed and I’m going to be a climber no matter where I am and how tough it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth – A Summer Update Part Two

I finished my last A-Level exam on the morning of June 13th 2013. That afternoon I went climbing at Dinbren with Mirf and Geoff and climbed my first 6b and my first 6c route. I remember having to run home after the exam in order to get back in time after catching the wrong train by mistake. On both routes I was pretty scared but despite this, the feeling I got from clipping the chains was enough for me to know that I wanted to keep climbing outside.

Every opportunity I’ve had since then I’ve climbed outside if possible and I think I’ve enjoyed every day out, despite all the frustration, anger and upset on the days where things aren’t going your way cause, because at least at the end of the day I’ve been able to go out and do what I love.

Me On Just Another Rote Name, My First 6c

I had definitely been frustrated and upset about not been able to do an 8a before my trip to Yorkshire and I knew after that trip, that if I didn’t put climbing 8a on the backburner and was still unsuccessful or at least didn’t start to get close to sending one, that fundamental fun I got from climbing would soon go missing. Instead I took my psyche from the trip and focused on using it to help consolidate my 7c/+ grade.

The week after Yorkshire I went out with Mirf again to Cheedale Cornice to make the most of it been in condition. Although I had, had two sessions on Powerplant, a classic 8a, earlier in the summer, I decided to stick to the plan and get on something slightly easier. I had initially wanted to get on Cry Of Despair (7c), however after a quick read of the guide book, Mirf suggested I tried This Is The Sea (7c+) instead. This Is The Sea definitely suited my strengths been like a Cornice version of The Rivals, a hard boulder problem start followed by a 6b+ route to the top maybe. I managed to work out the start moves relatively quickly, making a big pop to a back gaston off a sidepull and an undercut rather than use these two horrible crimps. Then on my first redpoint attempt of the day I got through the crux and onto the easier climbing above. Having done the top section twice with ease on a top rope I hadn’t put enough focus into memorising the moves and soon found myself struggling to make the last easy move around a bulge to the jug you clipped the chains off. Trying to pop my foot across in a final desperate commitment to send the route I barn doored off and took a five metre lob of the route, cutting up my arm as I came crashing back into the wall.

Looking Happy, If A Little Battered, After Falling Off This Is The Sea

A week later and I was back at Cheedale Cornice, but after belaying Mirf on his send of K3 (8a+) I wasn’t feeling psyched enough to get back on This Is The Sea and instead we headed over to Rubicon so I could try Too Old To Be Bold (7c). Unfortunately though whatever had cursed me last week struck again and I fell of matching the final jug. It is a phenomenon I am naming premature ejugulation.

In between my those two trips though I did get out in the peak and did have two sessions trying an 8a at Raven Tor. Having done the 7A+ boulder problem start to Rattle and Hump super quickly, I already knew if I could work out a sequence for the top I’d have a good chance of doing it and having a vague idea of the sequence from a brief look at the holds on the upper wall I couldn’t resist having a look at the moves when I ended up at The Tor. I have found a sequence that works and I have managed to do the 7A+ start almost every time since, unfortunately the crux move on the upper wall is skin dependant and my skin hasn’t held out enough for me to have more than three serious redpoint attempts. I’m not to disappointed though as I know I can do it and it isn’t to hard to relearn the sequence, so who knows with a bit of luck it might go and I did manage to send my first 7B boulder (in under ten attempts) after no longer been able to try it on my second session, so I didn’t come away empty handed.

I also took a day of sport climbing and went out for a days bouldering and trad climbing at Stanage Plantation. Although perhaps been unable to do a V2 layback a day after doing a 7B didn’t fill me with confidence, I did have a fantastic time and got up some stuff. Not To Be Taken away is a fantastic boulder and one definitely worth doing if you boulder 6c or above, the hard part is definitely the start and once on the ramp, all you need to do is stay calm, enjoy the position and feel super cool as you heel hook your way to glory. I also did Telli (E3 6a), I’m happy to admit I top roped it first and led it on a bomb shelter of pre placed gear in the break, but I still got a proper buzz from the adrenaline when I sent it. I even took my first trad fall as I fell off it on my first attempt, although I think I fell of as in the back of my mind I knew I needed to take a trad fall and that was as safe a position as any to take it in. However I can definitely see how people get addicted to hard trad and I’d definitely like to do a few more routes on the grit before I head down to Plymouth.

Dan On Not To Be Taken Away

It also looks like my summer update is going to be a three parter as I’ve wrote far more than expected. Hopefully I’ll get that wrote up pretty quickly though.

Heroes and Villains – A Summer Catch Up Part One

Perhaps climbing is an artwork and the rock that we climb on a blank canvas to create masterpieces in the routes that we do. However I really think this quote is about how his passion for art provided the colour to his life.  Anyone with a passion for something feels the same and with my days as a full time climbing bum soon coming to an end with the move to Plymouth for university looming on the horizon,  it’s almost time for some of the dust of an everyday life to return.  I’ll always be a climber at heart though and having returned from what might be my last big trip before I become a part time climbing bum, I think it’s time to start sharing my summer adventures…

Dinbren will always be a special crag to me, the place that really first inspired me to climb outside and then to push myself beyond what I thought I was capable of.  Last year my goal was to climb 7a, Babycrusher was a big step up at 7b.  But with two 7a’s under my belt and inspired from watching some friends try Dyperspace (the direct start) I was psyched to at least give it a go.

I sent Babycrusher on my first redpoint after having only bolt to bolted the route once.  It will be a lead I think I’ll always remember, although leading 7a had taught me how to commit to moves, Blockhead showed me how to switch on that redpoint mentality where it becomes only about the climbing. That sensation where time is forgotten and you are totally committed and lost in a route, is along with been able to push myself at my limit,  the reasons why I love sport climbing.  Fast forward almost a year and having already sent Dyperspace I was ready for another Dinbren Project, looking at raising the bar once again I began trying The Rivals.  After my second session on it I knew it would go and it was a case of just linking the 7A+ boulder problem start together and keeping it together on the far easier upper wall.  July third rolled round as did my final day of been eighteen and I was definitely hoping for an early birthday present. My first redpoint was nothing special and neither was my second catching the key crimp on the boulder problem completely wrong.  Fed up of falling of that move over and over, rather than giving up and hoping to catch it better next time, I lunged for the two finger pocket and somehow caught it.  Despite feeling a little cold I kept it together until I’d clipped the chains and then when absolutely mental with excitement. My first 7c+ and having done it in only three sessions I was keen to try and raise the bar once again.

Hot weather arrived putting Dinbren out of condition and my attention returned to the peak limestone. I spent the next few weeks in desperate search of that first 8a tick, never getting on one project enough to get anywhere close to sending it and eventually I started to get frustrated. I begun worrying too much about climbing one grade and although part of climbing to me is the numbers game, numbers aren’t enough to keep you psyched and when an opportunity for a weekend trip to Yorkshire with Mirf came up at the end of July, I knew it was time to start trying some easier routes again.

The Slate Quarries On A Brief Trip Where I Did Fools Gold (E1)

After a five hour car trip on the Friday afternoon to get there we arrived at Kilnsey. Despite fading light we were super psyched and I jumped straight on Comedy, a classic and super steep 7c, in hope of getting it done by the end of the weekend. With two good top ropes on it that evening I was ready my first night ever sleeping out under the stars before a days redpointing the following day. After the sun provided a wake up call at half six the next morning everyone was up and ready pretty early,  so we went to the pub and waited for some shade and better conditions to return to the crag.  Having managed to avoid the temptation of a pre lunch time pint I felt my chances were pretty good and after getting the start dialled on my first few redpoints I felt some glory was on its way. Unfortunately though pump and excitement got the better of me and despite the good rest at mid height, I arrived at the final draw before the last hard move and discovered I was to pumped to clip,  getting exited at the prospect of having to skip a clip to do a route I instantly forgot my entire sequence and decided to just wildly leap for the next jug. Unsurprisingly I found myself quickly dangling in space and to boxed for another decent attempt. A pleasant day seconding Mirf on an E3 at Gordale and been to pumped to lead a 7b followed before we had to head home, and although disappointed to have not done Comedy, the psyche was back and I knew that for the time been at least, trying to get some quick ascents of some more 7c’s and 7c+’s in rather than getting demoralised by not been able to do an 8a was the best plan of action.

Me On Comedy Courtesy Of Ming

A big thanks has to go to Ming for her amazing pictures of me on Comedy, so Yorkshire I’ll be back to get it ticked so I can say I’ve done the route in the picture.

Here’s a few more pictures from those months and I’m hoping I’ll be pretty quick in getting part two wrote up 🙂 –

A Climber Trying Comedy By Headtorch

Mirf On The Second Pitch Of Face Route

 

D.A.N.C.E – Catching Up

So I’ve been a bit behind the past few weeks on writing up my climbing adventures. But I’m going to try and be better and with four days in France coming up with no climbing I have plenty of time to write things up. So hopefully I’ll be a little more up to date in the coming weeks.

This post however is quite an old one which I had wrote and for some reason hadn’t got round to posting. It’s about the week beginning on the 23rd June:

Part One – First Trip To Rubicon –  The first trip of the week was to Rubicon at Water-cum-Jolly with Mirf (low key legend),  Zac “good one mate” mini Mirf (age three) and Bramble (dog who thinks she’s a seal).  So early on Tuesday morning with child and dog in tow we headed out early in search of some sport climbing.

With 8a firmly planted in my mind I started of by trying the v7/8 boulder problem start to Hot Fun Closing – Kudos. It was not a success as I got the beta all wrong and couldn’t even get two moves of the floor. However having seeing some videos since our trip there I am tempted to have another go with the right beta. Moving on from Hot Fun Closing on that day though, I decided to jump on the top rope Mirf had left up on The Sissy. The first go gave me a good feel for the moves and how I would have to do the route.  With the start and the end of the routes been almost jug fests the difficulties of the rout lie in its middle section which is very sustained and technical, requiring good footwork and some matching/swapping of the hands on small crimps. The final move of this sequence is the redpoint crux and involves popping of two tiny crimps to a really positive crimp before you get back to the jugs and a short romp to victory.

Even though with a lot of work The Sissy felt like it could be a potential project, my heart wasn’t in it and I realised what I really wanted to do was just send a route in a day for a change rather than expand the project list any more. Because of this I jumped on  A Bigger Splash a 7b+ route which is basically a soft 7A boulder into some jugs to a break. After the break you go into an undercut before getting some good holds before a bit of a tricky top out if you’re not used to climbing over bulges. Although I blew the flash, I had a sequence within the next ten minutes. A short twenty minute rest and four quick redpoint attempts later to get through the boulder problem and the route was in the bag.  I was a little surprised to do it so quickly especially seen as 7b+ was a grade I didn’t even climb last year. However I have been climbing outside a lot lately, training has been going well and the route was definitely my style.

Before we left I had one last top rope on The Sissy,  which Mirf had managed to send that day (before going on to flash A Bigger Splash). It definitely felt better second time around and I feel it is doable, but it would take a fair few attempts to get it wired and smooth enough to do it, so with so many other routes on Rubicon I’d like to try it might be one for the backburner.

Part Two – An Evening Session At Dinbren –  Mirfs project or the proj as it has become known is one of the last few hard lines at Dinbren left to be unlocked. Although it traverses above the also unclimbed roofs of Dinbren, it still looks super hard and must be at least 8b+.  With blue skies and hot daytime temperatures over the past few weeks it has been almost impossible to climb at Dinbren between around midday and threeish, so on the Thursday I headed out with Mirf for an afternoon session in hope of finding some cooler conditions.

I wanted to get back on The Rivals and see how it felt in cooler conditions after trying it the week before and nearly getting cooked well done in the process. I warmed up top roping the upper section (which feels about a 6b/+ route) a couple of times, before taking another look at the hard 7A+ boulder problem start.

Looking “Well Done” After Trying The Rivals First Time Round

Having only tried the start a few times the previous week I had no idea how I would find it in more idyllic conditions, but at least I knew where the holds were and had an idea of what the sequence for it would be. The first move and the last two moves of the boulder problem are the hardest and every move in between is droppable. The problem also relies on good foot placements on either really small footholds or placing your feet on sideward facing holds. I don’t know if someone else has been trying the route or the chalk marks where just ones Max placed the week before that I missed first time, but they revealed some foot holds out left that were more positive than the ones I was trying to use and definitely made the problem slightly easier. So after a few quick goes getting the moves wired on top rope I was ready to start trying to redpoint it.

Mirf was also ready to start redpointing the proj, so psyche was high and I was hoping we could get the send train rolling. However it was not meant to be and I dropped the last hard move twice after only getting through the first move twice out of about ten times.  At least Mirf is still psyched for Dinbren for his project and this means I’ve been able to go back and get on it again…

If you want to see my best effort on The Rivals on that day here is a link to the video.

 

 

Fancy – The Project List Increases

8a is a mythical grade to many, but with the rise of indoor training facilities it is becoming ever more achievable. Last year 8a was my lifetime climbing goal, but as a result of access to training facilities that mean I have been able to train four to six times a week over the winter, it has become a possibility for this year. So with two 7c’s now under my belt and three months until I go to university I have started heading out and projecting a lot of harder routes.

Although not quite 8a, The Rivals, 7c+, at Dinbren, was the first of two routes I tried the week before last. With no wind, no cloud and temperatures of 22 degrees it was a scorcher at Dinbren last Wednesday. However Max was the only person around to go out climbing with and as he doesn’t drive either, Dinbren was the only place we could get a lift to thanks to Dave who was heading to Trevor for a training day. Mirf had recommended The Rivals to me, telling me it was a 7A+ boulder problem into a 6c route. It definitely sounded my style and a lot nicer than The Boltest had done. Jumping on the route on a top rope the route above the starting boulder problem actually only felt around 6b, however the opening boulder felt as hard as the start to Agent Provocateur, so 7c+ seems a fair grade. The boulder problem itself has positive handholds, but the foot holds are appalling little things that are like tiny smears.  Despite the heat and thanks to Max working out most of the beta I had managed to do all of the moves by the end of my third top rope on the route.  Unfortunately though the day just kept getting hotter until it was unbearable and we ended up heading to Trevor in search of some cooler conditions after we realised there was little hope of any redpoint success.

As none of the routes at Trevor are harder than 6c we just picked one at random and lead it one after the other. Max said it felt around 6b and I said 6a+, the guidebook when we checked however said 6c.  Well I’m not going to complain, I’ll happily take it as a 6c onsight. It made for  a pleasant end to the day even if I had appeared to shake my way up it and the 6a+ I onsighted afterward. I don’t know why but I just seem to shake on onsights. Max descried me as the only guy he knew who could look smooth trying to redpoint an 8a+ but look terrified trying to onsight a 6a+.

The following day, not wanting to risk frying at Dinbren again, me and Max headed out to Crunch Buttress with. Mirf wanted to investigate the other 8a+ and the 8b there following his knee injury on Agent Provocateur the week before. This of course gave me the perfect excuse to try Agent Provocateur again with the new beta I had discovered after re-watching some videos of Ethan Walker and George Carmichael doing it. The new beta definitely worked for me, making the top sequence  few moves shorter and a lot easier, it also made the bottom sequence feel easier, however watching the videos again I have realised a slight change in my left foot position might make it even easier again. Despite not having this valuable information about my left foot at the time I still had four redpoint burns on the route and managed to do it in three parts, doing the upper boulder problem in one and the bottom half in two parts. This gives me the confidence that if I can get through the 7A+ boulder at the start and catch the first jug that I have a really good chance of doing the route. So for now all I can do is try it whenever I can persuade someone to drive down there and enjoy the process of trying it. I’ll only get stronger trying it and hopefully this means if I get a few sessions on it this year I’ll send it. If not I’m still really psyched by it and enjoying trying it and there’s still plenty of other routes I’ll hopefully do.