First European

Not been on for a while, been training so much recently there just hasn’t been the time…

This weekend was something I’d been waiting for essentially since I started climbing: my first European competition. Due to my poor performance at the assessment day, this was my first one for a while so I needed to make it count.

We flew up on Thursday (on a flight that was more going up and going down than anything!) and arrived in a rainy Edinburgh late afternoon. The hotel was extremely dull, so after 2 days of that I was happy to be climbing again!

Saturday morning started early with a 7:30 wake up, breakfast then off to the wall. Our routes were being demoed by video, something which was new to me, but that wasn’t due to start for another hour so we set about reading our 2 qualifying routes. The first, a hard green on the old comp wall which began with a technical start that moved into some powerful spans and then an endurance-fest to the top, looked doable, but the long moves in the middle were likely to be the ones that threw me off. The second, a pumpy, technical roof with lots of heel hooks and some big spans looked far more my style, which was good as I was on there first.

This comp they had decided to split our category (as we were the largest) into 2 groups, running the 2 qualifiers simultaneously with some people doing route 1 first and the rest route 2. I disagree with this on the basis that this is applying 2 different groups to 2 different set of circumstances, which isn’t a fair system.

After we’d seen our demos, I was 11^th on our first route. The first straight up section looked fairly simple, with most coming off on a spanny traverse across the steepest section of roof onto a volume. I got to this section not too pumped, and moved through relatively easily, although I was now pumped out of my mind. I got a small rest at the volume, although wasted a huge amount of energy trying to clip a draw that was just too far away. I tried swinging the draw but it was still too far. I gave up on the clip and went for the move around the lip, something that lots of people had been falling on, and stuck it, although only just and got a toe hook on the volume. I was now beyond pumped, stuck one more move, and just couldn’t get my heel up for the final move. I slapped, touched the final hold but I didn’t get the best bit of the hold and was so pumped I couldn’t stick it. I was happy, but one more move could have topped me my first 8a flash! I was placed 6^th on that route, getting the furthest of anyone who didn’t top it by 3 or 4 moves.

I’d managed to pull my quad on the first route, so got it taped up before my second route. This looked much harder, and I got to a good rest on the volume and could feel a flash pump coming on. This was bad. I have a problem where after a short session of 6 or so routes, I seem to flash pump on absolutely everything. It doesn’t matter whether its 6a or 8a, I just can’t hold on. This time it just seemed to happen quicker than normal though, and I made the next hard move, a long, powerful reach into a thin crack before my arms just stopped working. I came off without having moved enough to warrant a + point on that move.

           

I was livid for coming off so quickly, but figured I still had a chance, as many of the climbers had come off a reasonably hard move much lower down. When the results came in I was gutted. 11^th, one place off a final and even worse I was just a + point on my second route away from coming in 6^th. Such a small margin, and due to the way the scoring worked I’d actually climbed further than many of the climbers in the final, but they beat me on position by making it that one + extra.

I know 11^th is good for a first European, but its just frustrating that it was by such small margins. On a positive note I ate lots of food that evening, won a trip to Spain for a week and am now training hard for my next European in Imst, Austria in August. Good timing, as I arrive back from Ceuse the week before, PSYCHED!!!!

The Ups and the Downs

Assessment day

It’s been a while since I last wrote on here, but I’ve had no good news to talk about! However, I do now, but we’ll start with the not so good stuff…

On the 3^rd of March I had an assessment day for the British team, and this has been my focus for the last few months. The idea was that we had 5 routes to attempt, a 7b, 2 7b+s and 2 7cs. Completing 3 would qualify you for selection to European events this year.

The day started well enough, a bit numb (because of the cold!) on the first route but got up it, and the second route was fine, although I was pretty shaky (not sure if it was nerves or excess caffeine…). Then it started to go wrong. The third route started up a steep wall, before turning a small lip and moving into a technical corner. I started off up the first wall fine, but as I was moving through the steepest part I got the worst flash pump of my life! It was incredible, my arms just didn’t work! By some ridiculous fluke I managed to pull the last few moves before the no hands rest in the corner, but it was very close! In the corner I had a rest and a breather, and moved on into the technical, crimpy, slopey corner. It was fine up until one move, where it turned out you had to use the feature screw-ons (which were a different colour to the wall and all chalked up!) which I thought weren’t in! Even without these, I managed the move with difficultly and cruised to the top!

Then it went really badly! After a good long rest, and some exercises to clear the remains of the pump it was time for our 4^th  route. This one was all about endurance, but on the crux, my foot slipped going for a good hold. I wasn’t happy at all… The worst part was I did the route the next day all the way to the top (we were only going to 2/3 height) with no pump at all, very frustrating!!

My final climb was even worse, I was frustrated about the 4^th route, so didn’t rest long enough before my attempt, and as a result I once again flash pumped at around ½ height. This time there wasn’t a no hands rest to save me, so I was off within a couple of moves! A lesson to be learnt there somewhere…

After the day I was selected for the Ratho EYC in May, along with the Imst EYC in Austria in August (just after Ceuse so should have some good endurance!). Then after that there’s the European Championships and the Kranj EYC that haven’t been selected for yet, so I better get cracking!

CWIF and Peak

A week later, I took a train up north to Sheffield to compete in CWIF. I’ve always seen this comp online, but this year was the first time I actually got a chance to compete, so I was pretty psyched! Looking at the problems, they all looked hard, with just one that I could confidently say I could do every time, although most of the rest looks like they were do-able. I started off on some of the slightly easier ones to begin with, but quickly moved on to some of the harder ones before they became too crowded. Apart from the occasional route with a long move, it went quite well, and I ended up scoring 156, putting me in 58^th place overall and 4^th (I think) in the under 18s! I must be better at bouldering than real climbing…

On the Sunday it was looking really nice, so we headed out for a bit of a boulder at Stanage. Turns out it may have been a bit TOO nice, as the rock was really greasy! After a bit of a mess about on the pebble we moved on to the only problem we knew would be in the shade, Brad Pit. I looked at it last year when I was up there, but never had a go, so this time was my first session. The beta is generally match the rail then heel up to the left of the rail, then go left hand up to the bottom of the sloper and then match with the right. From the sloper, hand up to a rubbish crimp then slap or just dyno off the sloper. Might as well start with the tall beta!

My first attempt seemed pretty promising to me, and I managed to touch the sloper. The next was even better, and I managed to get a bit of a hold on the sloper! After a few more goes, I stuck the sloper with the left hand and then in a few more I managed to match the sloper. Then it started to get really hard! The next move was huge! Even with the top crimp I couldn’t even slap for the finish! I worked out the problem was it was so warm, meaning my hand was slipping off of the sloper when I got to the crimp, so I had to readjust it so it was back on before the slap.

By this point, I was about to miss my train home, so after a couple of incredibly close slaps (almost holding it) I had one final go:

Will defiantly go next time if it’s a bit colder!

Cider Soak

Finally some success!

On Sunday, I went up to Ansteys Cove for a bit of a play, and the draws were up in Cider Soak, the classic 8a of the crag, which I’ve wanted to do for ages, but this was my first real go. On my first bolt to bolt I surprised myself, getting every move either first or second go! I had a few more bolt to bolts that day and was getting mot of the moves first go, apart from the move off of the resting jug. I was getting worse, so decided to call it a day, so took the draws out determined to come back soon.

That day came soon enough, the next day in fact, but I only had about an hour get it done (I should have waited really, I was 4^th day on!)! I bolt to bolted it to get the draws in, then went for the redpoint! My first attempt was a flop, my foot popping while clipping the third draw.

The next go I was feeling strong, moving though the first section well, and was quite surprised when I latched the resting jug! The first section is the crux, but the section from the jug is almost as hard and entirely droppable. In my bolt to bolts I’d done the move off of the jug in a very powerful way, and when I was resting and had a couple of test go’s, I realised I wouldn’t be able to do it that way this time. I made up a bit of beta involving a match on a crimp, and I had the sloper. Right hand to the crimp, heel on, left hand to the sloper , heel up, slap to the crimp, slap with the right hand to the jug! I’d done it :D My first 8a outdoors, and come to think of it, about my 10^th completed route on rock… Time to get some mileage in! Anyway, I have completed one of my goals, to climb 8a outdoors before I was 15!

A video of the assent is here:

In Easter I’ll be headed up north to Malham, Scotland and the Lakes! I’ll keep you posted!

Alex 

        

New Blog and GB Team!

Hi everyone,

This is my first blog post, so it may all go horribly wrong!!

I’ll start off by introducing myself, my name is Alex, I’m 14 and have been climbing for 3 years. At the moment I am on-sighting 7c and redpointing 8a indoors, and haven’t been climbing outdoors much!

 My main interest is comp climbing, and I have recently been selected into the GB youth climbing team in my category. This followed a very successful competition at Sunderland wall, a HUGE wall that just goes on and on. The qualifiers were relatively easy, but pumpy for me, and I topped both, along with 6 others! 

Isolation was interesting to say the least, a blue tarp tent covering a slab and a single fingerboard, and was really quite difficult to warm up on! When the first of our finalists went out I was really psyched, and it sounded like he didn’t top it, but the second and the third went out and by the cheers I could tell they’d topped the route. At least I knew what I needed to do…

The final route was a long undercut infested orange that was relatively juggy until the final headwall, where you had to dyno off 2 tiny crimps, really off balance to a rubbish hold. I stuck the move, but only just, a flag below my foot was the only thing that kept me on, and to the top. Good thing too, as 5 of the 7 of us topped it, meaning a big superfinal!

Our superfinal was the Junior male route, a 8a/+ red horror! In observation I really could have done with some binoculars, as you can’t see the top holds from the ground! Looking at the first move, I was a bit worried I’d drop that because it was quite a big move but in reality it was ok. You then turned a small lip into a slight slab, which was balancey but reasonable. Then the hard bit started, a big move off two rubbish crimps, then a move or two until a big reach from an undercut. I got all this, and then a long move out right to a sloper. I needed to clip but I just flash pumped on my right arm! I looked down at the draw, then up at the hold, and again, before dynoing for the next undercut over the top, hoping there’d be something there, there wasn’t, and I fell. I was annoyed about flash pumping, but when I came down and someone told me I was winning so far, I was so happy! There were only two left to come and that meant I was guaranteed a podium! The next climber out put in a good effort but came off just a few moves below, but the final climber, an Irish team member, clipped the draw and stuck the move, and beat me by just 2 holds. Frustrating, but I still had second, my first national podium!

It was on the Monday that I was selected to the 2012 GB youth team, PSYCHED!!!

Happy Climbing,

Alex :)