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.
Tales Of A Drunken Giraffe 