December rolled around
more quickly this year, at least that’s how it felt, but I’d been training hard
ready for the team selection competitions the month bought. It was my first
competition in the upper end of A, but strong climbers I hadn’t competed
against for a couple of years were now back with me, so I was keen to see how
I’d get on.
We travelled to Sheffield, the home of the weekend’s competing, on the
Friday evening and arose bright and early for the bouldering at The Works on
Saturday. The problems looked perfect, and after a warm up in the cold wall, I
managed to top 7 of the 8 techy problems, which qualified me for the final in 2nd.
Qualifying
The final problems
contained a great spread, with some techy and a powerful one. The first was a
flexibility requiring high heel before a massive last move to a giant jug. I
cam out knowing no-one had done it, so I went out looking to take an early
advantage. Unfortunately, it was just too hard and after making it to the final
move several times, I had to settle with a bonus. The second was a lot more
powerful for me, but whether I had the beta wrong or not it felt absolutely
nails. I was attempting to hang a swing on a one arm lock, but to no avail and
I walked away from the problem without even a bonus.
Problem one in the final
I knew the last problem
would suit me when I saw it, but I knew it would be the same for others in the
final so I was not confident it would be of any help. I came out and, after a
bit of fumbling about, managed to top it first go! I was happy with the climb
but not the final overall, but had managed to secure 3rd place
overall, putting me in good stead for the overall championship.
The next day I woke up
tired, aching but massively psyched for the lead comp, ready to crush at The Foundry!
I was up early on my first route so began warming up as soon as I got to the
wall, to give me enough time before I climbed. It was not as long as I was
hoping though, and I got on the route without being ideal, but fortunately I
managed to top the route, along with about 6 others in the category. A good
second route would still be required to put me safely into the final.
Route 1
The good route I needed
tackled the very centre of the wall and looked really quite hard. It was all on
tufas and slopers and just looked sketchy and difficult. People were falling
off quite low down on a difficult move, so I was very much hoping the same
didn’t happen to me! I was on almost last in the category, so had a while to
wait, but while warming up got horrendous stomach cramps, not the ideal
preparation for a competition route! Never the less, I managed to get warm and
relax, ready for the second route.
Route 2
It was balancy and rather
awkward on the slopers from the ground, but I managed to get up into the
steeper, more powerful section, but the slopers (not my forte) had got me far
more pumped than I should have been after only that long. I pulled hard, but
with a misjudgement of beta on a tufa brought about by pump-panic, I was off.
It was enough though, and I was through to the final.
Isolation was long, and I
was tired when warming up. I really dislike the format the BMC brought in last
year. Having 2 comps on the same weekend doesn’t make sense for those looking
to perform in both. I personally need to be fully rested to perform at my best,
and having a hard boulder session before an important lead comp would be
ridiculous for me, yet anyone with ambitions in both lead and bouldering is
forced to. In my eyes it devalues the lead competition. I know there would be
an increased cost to run them both on separate days, but if climbing is to be
taken seriously as a contender for an Olympic spot then I think we have to make
changes like this.
Back to isolation, and I
was warm and psyched. I came out and saw draws swinging really high, so I knew
Pete had done well. I pulled on and sauntered up to the steeper section. It was
hard, on slopers and tufas much like the first route, as well as up the steep
wall once again. I powered my way onto a volume, but had completely run out of
foot holds. I swung them up high to my hand to get some push across to the next
tufa, but to no avail. I peeled off backwards into space, far short of the high point and frustrated.
Getting twisty in the final
I ended up 4th,
not the best result but it was enough to get me reselected for the GB lead team
as well as the GB boulder team, so bring on 2014!
I’ve competed at, as far
as I know, every Welsh Championships there has been, and this year was no
exception! Despite the fact that it was in North Wales, a 7 hour journey (further
than Sheffield!) away, I was psyched for the
comp! We travelled up late on the Friday, slept in the van in the car park and
were up early for the comp the next day.
The format for the Welsh
is different to most comps, in that you do a whole 5 routes in a day, from the
morning’s 3 qualifying climbs to the semis and finals in the afternoon. This
format is good in terms of getting as much climbing as possible into a comp,
and its great training having to climb that many routes in the day, though it
does take some getting used to.
I flashed the 3 qualifiers
and the semis pretty easily, but knew the final looked much harder, and would
be difficult to top. I qualifier into the final in 1st, so came out
last. I could see the draws swinging from the previous climber, so knew where I
had to get to win. It was a goal, a point where I knew if I reached I would
win. I set off, and passed the high
point. I powered through the 10 or so moves, knowing I
had won, but the psyche I felt was different. I was not climbing for a win, I
was climbing for pride. This was not the psyche I was ready for, fired up for a
competition final, and my mindset changed. I tried hard, and pushed through
some very powerful moves, but my foot slipped around half height and I was off.
When I got down it was
confirmed, I had won! I chilled out, watched the rest of the
finals and had a quick
play on the 8a+ senior final, falling on the last move!
The next day we headed out
bouldering in the OgwenPass, where despite the
cold conditions I came away with a V8 flash and a V9! It was just my style with
little crimps on gently overhanging rock; I just wish there had been more of
it!
This weekend it was the turn of the Irish to
host their national championships. This year the senior and junior events had
been split up, so I could only make it to one of them, and decided to go for
the senior title once again. I knew competition would be tough, and when the
whole of the Irish junior team and last years second place were on the entry
list, that was made certain!
The first route of the
day, starting on jugs and finishing with a spicy section on slopers, and I was
4th up. I like climbing early on my first route, it gives me a time
to target my warm-up at, and this time was no exception. Bar a couple of big
moves at the top, the route was no problem and I topped along with a good few
of the senior males.
The next route was an
entirely different prospect, with a big dyno around the 4th clip and
an incredibly balancey and technical final few moves across a volume. I was
relatively pumped when I reached those moves, so a sit down rest on a volume
was well received when setting up for the final moves. It was such a nice final
sequence, I squtted down on the volume, keeping my centre of mass low and
rocked over onto my foot. I reached the little intermediate and bumped again to
the finishing jug, topping the second qualifier. Dom Burns, the current
European bouldering champion, was the only other climber to top the route,
putting us in joint 1st
going in to the final.
Next up was the final! I
didn’t have a clue how far people had got when I came out. Normally you can
tell from the crowd how people are doing, but this time we were too far away to
tell. All I could do was top, or at least make a damn good effort at it!
I came out and looked up.
The route was very powerful and burly in the lower section, but I managed to
avoid most of the pulling with some high feet and a good few heel hooks! From
there it was just my style. Little crimps and heel hooks, Ideal! I rested as
much as I could, but knew that the final decider would be time in the case of a
tie between me and Dom, so I couldn’t hang around. I reached across to an
extremely tenuous side pull, bumped my hand in and reached up to the bottom of
the volume. I slapped onto the volume and rocked over, squeezing myself against
the volume to gain a basically no hands rest. I could have stayed here for
another 5 minutes, recovered completely and gone for the move, but I knew time
would be the decider if Dom reached the same point. I pushed up on the volume,
eyed up the hold, and threw! I was close, but just at the deadpoint of the
swing my grip failed and I was off into space. Just another centimetre would
have been enough, but not this time.
The final route! Credit:
John Banyard
Go big or go home! Credit:
John Banyard
It was all down to Dom
now. He set off and looked pumped from half way, but fought his way to the
volume and rested his forearms. He was trying to press up with his feet and use
the arête, but kept coming back to the volume to rest. After another attempt at
pressing up, he went for the jump, getting 2 fingers on the hold but, like me,
not sticking it.
It was down to time! A
nervous wait followed, and after the judges checked multiple times it was
decided; I was Irish champion again! I was so psyched to win this competition
for a second year, the first title I have ever defended and my first senior
title of the year! Bring on 2014!
On the podium Credit: John
Banyard
My next competition in the
lead and bouldering youth opens in Sheffield
in December, where I hope to be reselected onto both the lead and boulder
teams.
I was selected for the GB
junior bouldering team last year, at the December youth open, but last weekend
was the first time I’d had the opportunity to experience a European bouldering
competition. We met the team in Manchester
airport, and after a bumpy flight, a long wait at the airport and negotiating
the infamous traffic of Paris,
we arrived in the city. The competition was being advertised everywhere, so we
knew the finals were going to be a real spectacle.
After a long opening
ceremony on the Friday night, we headed for bed, ready for an early start on
the Saturday to watch the girls and prepare for our qualifications. The wall
looked amazing, 4 blocs separate from each other on the raised stage of a
stadium sized arena. We went for a run to warm up in the morning cold, and then
headed to the warm up wall below the arena. While bouldering to warm up, I was
impressed at just how strong some of the climbers were, and knew it was going
to be a tough competition. I’d not experienced European blocs before, so was
keen to get on them and see how they felt.
It was a frustrating
competition for me. I topped the first problem I tried, a quite powerful but
technical climb up a vertical wall on gastons, but it went downhill from there.
I seemed to be close on so many problems, but could not get the tops I needed.
I managed the first, easiest problem after that, but no more. The main
difference I discovered compared to lead competitions, is that while there is
less pressure on every attempt, as if you’re off that’s not it all over, you
need to keep motivated and positive throughout the whole of the 2 hour period.
If you fall in a lead comp you have hours or even a day between routes to
reflect, get frustrated and get psyched, but in a boulder comp every fall
builds up, and requires a quite different mindset to deal with, something that
with my relative inexperience of bouldering I have not yet learnt. This will
come with time, but its still going to be annoying to fall off with a hand on
the finishing hold, or come within a move of topping 3 others.
For Nathan, the captain of
the GB team, this was his last junior competition, and he went out with style!
He won the final in an atmosphere of the best psyche I’ve seen in a
competition. It really was inspiring to see, and it was great to see him on the
top step of the podium, the first I’ve seen since I stared competing.
The next day was the turn
of the Youth B’s, and they had their qualification in a separate venue. In
their first boulder competition, Pete and William both managed to make a
European final! I really do envy them for their qualifiers, a whole set of
slabs and crimps, hopefully something I get more of, rather than powerful
campus moves off slopers, not really my thing that! It was another great final,
and we cam away with another podium, with William making 3rd place!
I really enjoyed my first
boulder comp, and really hope I get to take part in more next year!
Every year the British
Lead Climbing Championships is held too far away in the smoke fuelled north.
This year, happily, it was a little bit less north, with the event taking place
for the first time I can remember south of the border at the new Awesome Walls
centre in Sheffield. The wall looks amazing,
and is great to climb on, it’s just a shame it’s so far away or it would be
perfect for training. This was the first time the wall had be used, opening for
the comp, so it was the perfect level playing field.
The Saturday was the day
for the junior competition, so we arrived bright and early to view the new wall
and the routes that had been set for us. They looked great, and I was early on
my first route, so set about warming up. The first route was really easy, no
harder than 7a I’m sure, but the entire category topped it, so it was all down
to the second qualifier.
This was the first route
of the day up the main steep competition wall, and it followed the right arête
of the protruding roof. This wall just as steep as the Ratho hangar wall, and
is the closest I’ve seen in this country that comes close to that level of
imposingness. The route began with a technical section of crimps and undercuts,
before moving downwards onto a jug and a big move out around the arête. I hung
around for too long on the jugs under the lip, shaking out the pump building in
my arms but it was only getting worse. I had to go, and got my foot high and
threw for the hold, my feet swinging off but sticking the move. I was pumped by
this point, but kept moving and managed a couple more big moves before an
awkward cross under spat me off. With only 4 in the category making it through
to the final it was going to be tight as to who made it, and after Buster and
Connor topped the route there were only 2 places remaining. Fortunately the 2
people who got past the big move in the roof fell off the same move as me, so I
qualified for the final in =3rd place.
So pumped I'm dragging! Photo credit: Peter Wuensche
I was annoyed that the
route we were to be climbing was leaked before isolation, so everyone had ample
time to read the route and decide their sequence. I feel like the onsight
factor suites me with just a 6 minute observation, so to have climbers
discussing routes with their coaches or even drawing route maps is frustrating,
and ruins the feel of a final for me.
My final route went
straight through the steepest part of the roof, and looked particularly cruxy
through the beginning of the roof. I was first out, and the beginning section
was much more powerful and pumpy than I expected, and I had to throw for a lot
of holds, not the ideal style for a lead competition. I arrived at the roof
pumped, and despite shaking out on a sloper below the steep section I had to
continue climbing still pumped. I reached an undercut at the beginning of the
roof, threw out to a side-pull further out and got my heel under the undercut.
The move I had read looked too big, so I desperately grabbed for a volume that
I, and the rest of my category, had read as a foothold. I spent a good 2
minutes scoping out every surface of that volume with a pair of binoculars and
could see no hold, but to my surprise, there was a veritable jug on the other
side. I knew I would have to bicycle the hold next to my right hand to stick
the move, but my heel was on the wrong side and I was too pumped to switch my
feet, so I squeezed and hoped I could make the match, but was off. All but one
in the category read the move wrong, and Connor made it to the same place as I
did, placing my 2nd via count back. I’m pleased with the result,
though it was luck that got me there more than anything. I have defiantly
learned not to discount holds, especially if they appear to be the only way!
Heel up and moving to the mysterious volume... Photo credit: Peter Wuensche
The next day, and it was
time for the senior event. This is the first year I have be eligible to compete
in the senior competition, and was keen to make the most of it. I was on my
hardest route first, so was psyched and ready to go when the time came. I was
on early, so not too many people had gone, but there seemed to be big moves
between slopers low down, and then my perfect style higher up, technical and
crimpy on a slightly overhanging wall.
The route felt awkward and
hard from the start, with a match by the 4th clip feeling very hard.
I knew a big move was coming, and clipped high ready to jump between the
slopers. I moved into the first, it felt terrible and slippery, and I stopped
to consider my options, reversing the move. I knew it was big, and it looked
bigger from here, so I knew I was going to have to jump, boulder style or try
and get my foot up and static the move. I opted for the latter, a mistake it
would seem after I slid backwards off the route, only 14 moves in. It was
frustrating to fall off that low, but I know that next year I will be stronger
and taller, ready to tackle the harder moves in the seniors.
Starting up Route 1. Photo credit: Peter Wuensche
The second route was my
exact style, vertical and crimpy, and I topped it pretty easily, along with
about 10 others. A nice end, but not enough for the final. A frustrating end to
my first senior BLCCs.
Crimpin' on route 2! Photo credit: Peter Wuensche
I have just returned from
my first Boulder EYC in Laval,
France, so will
be blogging soon about my weekend and experiences. Stay tuned!
After my performances last
year, and with making 2 European finals, I was this year selected for the World
Youth Championships in Victoria, Canada along with a small group of the GB
team; Molly, Pete, Buster, Jim and William. The flight was long, dull and
filled with films, with the most exciting event being the finding of an
unattended in-flight cookie box around 5 hours in. Canada from the air is incredible,
so vast, empty and untouched, we flew for hours without seeing a town or even a
road.
After short hop from Vancouver to Victoria
in the scariest little plane I have encountered, we were on the island, and
were to spend the next few days adjusting to the time difference and the place
as a whole. The city was amazing, and unlike anywhere else I’ve been to, every
person I met was happy and always ready for a chat. The amount of random
strangers I had conversations with was staggering! In terms of the time
difference I didn’t suffer too badly, and found waking up was actually easier than
in the UK!
The Team!
Friday rolled around, and
it was time for the first qualifiers. I was one of the last to climb in the
biggest category of the event, so waited for hours under the giant wall,
watching the competition unfold. I met a fair few new people on that day and
the opening ceremony the previous night, and it was great to talk to some of
them during the day. It was late before I started my climb, but I knew what I
was doing, knew I was fit and knew I was ready. In the first part of the climb
I felt sketchy and perhaps a bit nervous, but when I got to the rest I told
myself to relax, enjoy it and climb my best, and I did. I fought as high as I
could, and made it beyond any expectations I had, falling pumped within 2 clips
of the top. You can do no more than fall off fighting, and that’s exactly what
I did! I ended up 13thon that
route, which put me in with a very good chance of making the semis, so I could
relax some more and focus on my next route, and try to do as well as I could.
Qualifier 1 (Photo By Nick Pope!)
Like the first, my second
qualifier began vertical and steepened out into a roof towards the top, and
looked like my perfect style! I was on much earlier today, and this meant I
could warm up as soon as I got to the wall, which helped to calm my nerves.
Normally on routes in competitions they feel easier than they looked, that is
the holds are bigger than they look from the ground, and the moves not as long,
but on this route this was not the case! It was insecure and sketchy but I made
my way up to the vertical wall to a rest, where I composed myself for the
harder moves above. I moved off and up, and got to a long rockover around the
arête. It was one of the harder moves on the route, and required a fair amount
of commitment. I rocked to it, moving off the intermediate, but only got to the
bottom of the hold. I clawed at wall trying to move the last inch but despite
coming so close, I peeled off backwards into the air. I’m normally good at
rockovers, so to fall off here was frustrating! It was enough though, and I
qualified for the semi final in 17th.
Qualifier 2 (Photo By Nick Pope!)
The rest day was relaxing
and gave me time to reflect on my performance, but before I knew it, it was
back to the wall and into isolation. During observation the route looked just
my style, techy and vert into more steep, crimp climbing. It looked perfect,
and I was psyched to get on it! My time rolled around, and I was ready. From
the start I felt good, and pretty solid on the first section. I got past the
vertical and was resting ready to go for a big tufa that marked the beginning
of the steeper section. I went for the move ready to use a small foothold as an
intermediate, but it was terrible! I returned to the hold, ready to make the
move again but had to move my hand around the rope, or it would have been in my
way to do the move. I bumped it off, went around the rope, but when coming back
down I hit the hold again wrong. I popped off it, over balanced and fell. I was
devastated; to fall off with such a stupid mistake was completely frustrating.
I ended up 24th, which with my qualifying results being much better
I know there is lots of room for improvement, so bring on next year!
The Semis (Photos By Nick Pope!)
From Canada, after I got over my horrendous jetlag,
it was to Norway
for the final EYC of the year. The wall was in an ice rink, so warming up was
the first challenge! The group sizes were relatively small, compared to
somewhere like Imst at least, so I knew I would be on my first route reasonably
early. I warmed up as normal and felt ready to climb my best. This was my last
chance of the year to make a European final, so I had to get it right.
My first route was no soft
touch. The vertical wall was littered with slopers that I knew were going to
get my pumped. I sat in the chair, but was beginning to cool down as soon as I
got off the warm-up wall. By the time it was my turn to climb, I felt fine, but
as soon as I got onto the cold holds of the wall my fingers got cold I started
to get pumped. I sketched my way over an awkward move off a sloper and rested
on a volume, but just couldn’t shake off the pump. I had to press on, and hope
it got no worse. I dug deep, and pulled over a lip before a move to and
undercut defeated me. I came off pumped and frustrated with a final place of 12th
on the route. Not bad, but not good enough for a place in the final yet. I had
to do better, and I knew warming up effectively and staying warm would be
key.
I was dejected, but tried
to stay positive. The route looked hard, and I was particularly worried about a
section in the middle. I started and heel hooked my way up the arête to what
looked like a hit or miss slap to a sloper, and there seemed to be more miss
than hit. I got onto the hold below, looked up and reversed the moves. A high
heel to hand, a rockover and a bit of luck later and I was past it, thank god for
heels! I was pumped, but managed to fight my way to the next hard move, where I
managed a crucial match on a big sloper before pumping out and peeling off. Now
it was time to wait. For my efforts I gained a joint 4th place on
that route, and had to wait the agonising hours to see if I could sneak in. The
end draw closer and I was dropping places slowly. 6th… 7th…
8th… 9th… Then came 10th, the one place no-one
wants to be with the end still not close. There were 5 to climb, then 2, then
none. I had made it to the final of my first European this year, along with the
rest of the GB junior team!
The 2nd Qualifier
The next day, finals day
and I was set to go. I felt strong, and fit and ready. The route during
observation looked desperate, with a hard double dyno move at half height. I
read with a number of people, but knew the sequence was hard to read, and
ensured I had multiple options for every move. I sat in the chair, put my shoes
on, and then my favourite song came on in the arena. Perfect. I walked out,
stood under the wall and read the climb. Time to go!
I had a huge scare at the
second clip, where I had missed that one of the volumes was in fact a giant jug
and went too statically, and almost didn’t reach it. Fortunately I held on, and
fought my way through the lower section of the climb. I rested on a heel hook
over a small lip and made my way, with some fighting, to the crimps before the
dyno. It looked even bigger from here! I rested for what felt like an age on
the crimps, and knew I would have to go for it. I got my feet up, and went!
Looking back, it seemed like I was trying to do the move statically, or at
least keep a hand on. I touched the hold, but couldn’t bring my other hand over
to match it, and fell.
Looking back, maybe I
should have rested longer on the holds, and gone for it with full commitment.
But, I must say, the dyno was inappropriate for our age category. 4 fell at the
same spot, and count back had to be used to separate us. One climber made the
jump, and won the competition. This seems to be a new thing in competition lead
climbing, dynos on the route. There were 2 in Norway, for some categories
suitable and others perhaps not. Most recently on the male final in Purrs a
sideways dyno caught out many of the strongest climbers in the world. Will there
be more? I don’t know, but I will definitely be practising from now on!
I finished 5th
in Norway,
My best result in a European to date, and in my first year of the category.
Hopefully next year we can bump that best up a place or four! My next comp is
the junior and senior British Lead Climbing Championships in Sheffield next
weekend, and then my first bouldering EYC in Laval next month, and am training hard!
Massive thank you to Paul
Allen Wealth Management for their support, and bring on next year!
Sat in my final maths exam
staring out at the sunshine, thinking about how the next weeks would pan out, I
would never have imagined some of the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been and
the climbs I’ve done.
We set off from the
conclusion of that very exam, straight from school to begin the 7 week long
roadtrip we had been planning since the beginning of the year. After a family
wedding in Cambridge, we met up with Billy
Ridal, one of my friends from the comp circuit who was also on the trip to Spain earlier
in the year, who would be accompanying us on our journey. We were packed,
psyched and ready to go, and boarded the ferry with high spirits. Bar the black
foot marks in the cabin from constant "cabin bouldering", the 2 day journey passed
relatively painlessly and we arrived in Bilbao
ready to hit up the first stop on the list, Baltzola cave!
The one place we didn't
have the guide for turned out to be the hardest to find a topo for, obviously,
and we spent many hours in the city searching! Not to be outdone, we found the
position of the crag online and decided to venture out topoless, and got on one
of the nice lines until (we hoped!) some locals arrived. I managed the climb 3rd
go, after falling from the last move on the second, and when a group arrived I
was happy to find out it was in fact an 8a called “Blandiju”! As well as the
route identification, we were also pointed to a topo online, which gives fairly
accurate information about the routes in the cave. Fresh from my success on the
first climb, I decided to try another 8, and settled on the 8a+ “Iluminatis”,
another steep roof line, which despite trying it intending to get up the next
day, I managed 2nd go! A very successful first day!
Second day, and I got on
another 8a+, “Black Kongi”, which starts up the classic 8c of the crag, “White
Zombie”, then ends with a boulder problem. It was an awesome line, and when I
didn’t manage it that day I was deliberating whether to come back and finish it
off or to move on to the next crag without the risk of another failure. Nice
one to Billy for getting his 2nd 8a, and his first of the trip at
this amazing crag! I made the decision to give it a last few attempts, and
managed it, after a few good falls from up high.
I made a video of our time
in Baltzola, including all the hardest climbs we managed. Some of the zoomed
shots really capture the scale of the place!
After finishing the climb
we left the crag and headed out to our next planned destination, Rodellar!
There are very few, European destinations that allow for hard summer climbing,
but with its North-South gorge giving morning and afternoon shade, and its
proximity to the river, Rodellar is perfect, as well as having a great climbing
scene!
My goal for the entire
trip was to manage an 8a onsight, so with the aim in mind I set out to try as
many 8a's as I could find, and it seemed like Rodellar would be the perfect
place to do it, with plenty to choose from. We began with some fun mileage in
the morning then set off for some more serious stuff on the huge wall of Gran
Bovida. The goal for the day was an onsight attempt of Coliseum, the most
onsighted route at Rodellar and a 40m long stamina fest. I set off, but despite
easy climbing I was pumped out of my mind by half height, and came off fighting
as hard as I ever have. I was going to need to be fitter!
I tried many more 8as in
the coming days, falling off most in the last hard moves. I’m not sure if it
was a mental block, or I wasn’t fit enough, or the routes just didn’t suit me,
but despite coming within moves of success, the tick eluded me! I managed some
great climbs in Rodallar though, with 3 8a ticks and a 7c+ onsight (almost
falling clipping the chains!). Perhaps the most significant for me though was
redpointing El Delphin, the mega classic roof climb through a huge arch well
above the valley floor.
The route itself isn’t
particularly good and the climbing for the most part is not too hard, but the
mental battle for me to clip the chains was intense. It wasn’t the difficulty
of the route, but the combination of the exposure, the (from my point of view)
poor fixed gear and insecure looking rock flipped some sort of switch in my
head, and I just freaked out. When I fell off on the onsight, I was a gibbering
wreck of fear. I haven’t been scared of falling for some years now, in fact I
have come to enjoy it, but this climb made me feel like I didn’t even want to
weight the rope, for fear of the rope snapping on the worn draws. If I stopped,
let the route beat me and moved on, I felt like I could develop a mental block,
and it could slow down my rapid progress on the trip. I had to get back on the
route, just to show myself that I could do it. The next go I came off again,
panicked, but less so than the first attempt, which was good. I got back on,
and with a fight I slapped through the last boulder problem and clipped the
chains. Not a route I plan to do again in a hurry, but an important step in
improving my climbing.
El Delphin
From Rodellar we headed to
Terradets, but even with the morning shade the heat was unbearable, and the
rock felt slick in the humidity. The sixes felt hard, the eights felt just as
hard, and when the sun finally peaked over the top of the crag, with no
meaningful ascents under my belt, I left feeling frustrated. We drove off to
find the next crag, Tres Pons.
Tres Pons is exactly my
style, long, not too steep and on positive crimps, and with the summer heat
being kept at bay by the river and the shade, was the perfect destination. We
arrived too early on the first day for the afternoon crag, but as soon as the
sun was off it we got on an unnamed 7b to warm up, and wow was it amazing! This
is the single best route I did on the trip, and I’m not even sure why. All the
moves just flowed, and gave me a route that meant I came down smiling. Perfect!
Fresh from this fun I
geared up for an onsight attempt of a route to the left, Alt Urgell, a 7c that
extends into an 8a. I had wanted to go for the onsight of the 7c, but put a few
extra draws on so I could try the extension if I got there. I set off, and
after choosing the wrong line of holds at the start and having to down-climb to
just off the ground, I was soon at the end of the 7c section looking up at the
final steep moves before a hard looking slab to the chain. I was already about
30m up at this point, but I could recover for the last 10m on jugs by the first
lower off. I composed myself, and went for the crimps above. It was hard
climbing, but all the onsighting I’d been doing meant I knew what to do, and
with some high feet and long rockovers I was stood on the slab, shaking out my
arms and staring at the chain some metres above. It was a case of moving
slowly, taking the route one move at a time and ensuring I didn’t make any
mistakes. Every move was a calculated risk, but when I latched the final flake
that I knew would take me to the top, I let out a shout of delight! I climbed
to the chains, clipped them, and lowered off. I’d done it, my first 8a onsight!
I left happy that night, and looked forward to the next day at this perfect
crag. Effort to Billy, who also managed to top this route, despite being a bit
under the weather.
We warmed up on the 7b
again, but it didn’t seem as good as the previous day, which was a shame, but
it was no matter, and I decided, after some recommendations from locals, to try
for the onsight of another 8a. This again was the extension of a 7c+, but also
extended again into and 8a+ finish. I took enough draws for the whole thing,
more out of hope than any real confidence I would reach the top. I pulled
through the 7c+ well, and got to the angle change that marked the start of the
8a extension, another slab! The moves were technical and balancey, with every
movement a risk of a foot pop or a slip. A few tenuous metres later, and I
clipped the chain, surprised to have ticked my second 8a onsight in as many
days. But there was more to come! Just 15 metres of slab climbing stood between
me and bettering the whole goal of my trip. I was high up, but I relaxed and focused on the next move. I committed where I needed to, rested where I could
and after battling with 60 metres of rope drag, a sketchy mantle and almost
falling clipping every clip, I had reached the top of my first 8a+ onsight. I
lowered off ecstatic, but sad to be leaving this perfect crag. Props to Billy,
the hero of the day, who, when a storm stopped his attempt, battled to the top
through the heaviest rain I’ve seen, and the loudest thunder I’ve heard, to
strip the route. Not something many people would be queuing up to try!
After picking up my Mum
and Brother from the airport, Billy and I were deposited in Ceuse, the crag I
had visited last year, while the rest of my family enjoyed rainy days in the
Verdon Gorge. Ceuse did not escape the rain however, and after the first day or
so rain was a constant delight we experienced almost daily. I managed to climb
far harder than last year though, ticking Dolce Vita (8a+) before the rain set
in and climbing the steep and powerful L'ami de tout le monde (8b), after a
problem latching a long move by the 3rd bolt. I also spent some time
working Slow Food, and extremely powerful 8b+ that begins with a V8 boulder
that I was very close to linking, for me the key to the route, and definitely
something to got back for when I’m stronger. Ceuse, as with last year, was full
of great people, and the atmosphere is amazing, so I will of course be
returning lots in the coming years.
The last stop on the
outdoor leg of our journey to Imst was in Gorge Du Loup, the group of crags I
had visited earlier in the year. Just an afternoon there, in the dry tufa-lines
of Deverse was enough to convince me that this was in fact a good crag, and
after climbing the mega classic 8a+ Deverse Satanique, I was keen to return to
the many more hard lines this steep wall has to offer.
From Loup, it was off to
Imst, so, after stopping at the Arco and Innsbruck
indoor walls to re-remember how to climb on plastic and 2 days or driving we met
the team. A couple of days of rest later, it was time for the comp. My first
route and I felt calm, confident and fit, but a slip moving off a pinch ended
the climb short of where I wanted, and needed, to be. I came 40th on
this route, but just 4 moves more would have put me joint 10th, so
to be so close and coming off relatively fresh is frustrating. On my second
route, I climbed well, but with a small mistake higher up I was off in a much
better 15th place, so I was reasonably happy. Overall I finished 28th,
my worst result in a European competition. I needed to stem the mistakes and
climb to my best to make the final in this comp, but the fact I can be close on
many of my climbs in encouraging, especially for next year when I should be
stronger and fitter after a winter of training.
After climbing on the
final problems on Sunday, we started to leave when we experienced the first
breakdown of the trip! The muppet of a mechanic they sent out didn’t have a
clue, but with a promise of having it seen to in the morning we were left at a
campsite. Turns out the problem was electrical, and with an hour of tinkering
we had found the trick (which involves pulling wires around the ignition when
you go to start), and we could drive consistently. Off to Font!
Font was so much better
than I expected. Even though we only made it to Bas Curvier, the sheer volume
and quality of the problems that were there made me want to go back as soon as
I could! While there, I managed Carnage (F7B+) and was excruciatingly close to
the sit start, which is definitely something to go back for as it is such an
amazing problem. I also climbed many easier problems, as the heat made it
difficult to redpoint, but even these we a far superior quality to any boulders
I have climbed in the UK.
I am not the greatest fan of pebble pulling, but this place was definitely the
best argument I’ve had for giving it a good go!
More driving, another
ferry and the European leg of the trip was over, but we still had one final
destination, the annual summer Youth Open comp in Leeds, and the first to
include bouldering in the form of the Junior BBCs (British Bouldering
Championships) round 3. The Saturday was the bouldering comp, and being a close
second in the overall rankings behind the ever strong European bouldering
champion Dom Burns, I was in with a good chance of taking the title. In the
qualifiers I climbed ok, but not at my best and came away wit 6 tops in 7
attemps, but was within 1 move of another. This meant I qualified for the final
in 4th place.
The finals were really
good. Isolation actually had places to warm up, we weren’t in there for too
long, and the problems actually looked really good! After observation, I was
out early but from the speed people were coming back into isolation I knew I
had to flash the problem to be up there and in with a chance. It was my turn to
go, but a foot slip caused me to fall on my first attempt. I got back on, and
despite taking a monster swing on the finishing jug I held it, and had topped
the problem second go. The next problem was harder for me, with a long move
from a sloper to a gaston which I couldn’t reach from the foothold, meaning the
move became a full footless crucifix between the two. I didn’t manage this
problem, and I didn’t even get the bonus so I was behind going into the last
problem. The last problem started with powerful moves in a roof, into a long
press and crimp moves on the headwall. I knew this problem would suit me, and
when I came out I knew I could do it. I stepped out, read the problem and
climbed it first go. I was slightly disappointed, as the problem felt
relatively easy and I knew it would not be enough to put me in a better
position, but I finished this comp in 4th, and the overall series in
2nd! I’m really happy with this for my first year in Youth A, and
will certainly be back next year to challenge for the title. Off of this
performance, I was selected to compete at the final bouldering EYC of the year
in Laval in
October, which will be a great comp!
Photo credit Peter Wuensche
The next day was the lead comp,
and after coming 2nd in the last youth open I was hoping to go one
better. My first qualifier was exactly my style, a vertical crimp-fest that
actually required some technique, which was nice to see in a comp. I topped it,
and was looking to repeating that on my second climb. Sadly, that was not the
case. I made every move hard, got every hold in the wrong place and came off
low down. Was it not for my first climb I could not have made the final, and
when I came down I expected just that. Fortunately, in a final of 6 I made it
in 5=. Not where I wanted to be.
In isolation I didn’t feel
100%. In fact I felt terrible. I had a pump in my arms that I could feel, and
knew it would surface as soon as I pulled on to the final route. Isolation was
crap as well, warming up on vertical walls is never easy! I came out, climbed
as well as I could and tried hard, but the pump appeared, I went for a long
move and was off. It was better than I expected to do, as I finished 4th,
and were it not for my abysmal qualification I could have been higher, with count
back deciding against me. Not my best comp, bouldering the previous day and
just the fatigue from the whole trip really took it out of me, but I’m ready for
the next national comp, the BLCCs in Sheffield
in October. I will also be competing in seniors, so I look forward to seeing how
I compare!
Its been an amazing
summer, and I’d like to thank my Dad for putting up with me all trip and making
it happen. Also to Billy for coming and keeping us company! Cheers everyone,
and stay tuned for my next blog about the World Championships in Canada!
I will also be competing
in the final EYC of the year in Norway
this weekend, so follow me on Twitter for updates and to find out how to watch.
It’s been a great few
months for me and my climbing, with new personal bests and excellent
competition results. Just recently, around 2 weeks ago, we had a GB team
training day at Westway in London.
The day took the form of 3 routes, interlinked at half height, meaning we had 9
routes to attempt and get pumped on! The day was similar to the Northern
training day at Kendal, but the routes harder and pumpier on the steep Westway
competition wall. Compared to my clean sheet of tops at Kendal, Westway proved
hard for me, and a combination of onsight mistakes, foot slips and pump kept my
total as low as 6/9, not the best result but great training for the Ratho EYC
the following week.
Last week, I competed in
the first EYC of the year in Edinburgh.
No matter how often I go there the venue looks incredible, but the weather is
normally drab at best! This year was different, and the sun meant a new first
for Ratho; no down jacket all weekend!
Competition wise, I’m
disappointed with the result! I didn’t climb badly on either route, but then I
had no performance I was happy with either. The first climb tackled the most
technical section of the wall, a slightly overhanging flat panel on the old
comp wall, just my style, but everything just felt hard! The holds were smaller
than I thought, the moves much bigger and I ended up the most pumped I’ve ever
been on that angle, perhaps ever. When I went to shake out on a jug after the
climb, my left hand literally couldn’t grip, and all I could do was stroke the
hold in hope of grip returning for my next climb.
The first route
Pictures by Sandy Carr :) http://tinyurl.com/myblqpm
It didn’t. The route was
up the centre of the main wall, and was a long easy section of about 20 moves
to a “rest” (rests in EYCs consist of a greasy sloper caked in chalk), before a
hard section over a bulge to long moves on good holds in the roof. I felt fine
through the easy section, milked the rest and went for it through the bulge. I
felt strong, the moves felt fine, but suddenly, on an undercut and a crimp,
pump returned instantly and viciously. My grip was gone; I couldn’t even make
the plus point.
I ended up 21st.
This equals my worst result ever, and without making any major mistakes. It was
my first competition in a new category, with harder routes and better climbers,
and it’s clear to me after the weekend that I need to be doing more. I need to
do that extra circuit, take risks and suffer a bit if I’m to get to where I
want to be. It’s going to be painful, but the rewards will be worth it. Hell, I
may even enjoy it!!
I’ve also spent a fair bit
of time out on the rock recently, taking momentum from my spring trips and
making use of the drier weather. In bouldering, I have been continuing work on
my project, Jungle VIP (font 8A). This incredible granite roof line, put up by
my coach Mikey Cleverdon, is just 10 minutes from my house, making it the
perfect project. I made a breakthrough recently, doing the move and the
problem, but a small dab on the pad as I swung made, for me, the ascent invalid
and I didn’t take the tick. I know the dab did not make a difference to my
holding the move, but to spend this long on a project it would be frustrating
for me to not be entirely happy with the final ascent. It also gives me an
excuse to carry on climbing on this perfect move, so I can’t complain too much!
So Close!
In sport, I have also made
significant leaps; my project at Anstey’s Cove, the classic Tuppence, recently
succumbed to my continued attempts! The powerful and short 8b on Ferocity wall,
which I have been working for a few months now, should be my antistyle, but the
draw of the steep limestone within relatively easy reach was too much! The
climb is amazing, straight up the centre of the wall, every move hard. I fell
off every move while working it, and most quite a lot more than that. After
getting close a few days earlier, only being thwarted by a foot slip, I was
ready to do the climb. A couple of false starts later, coming off at the 3rd
move, I was up and past the crux, and setting up for the final hard moves. They
are all powerful and dynamic, and after the bendy, crimpy, madness of the crux
it is all so easy to come off. The last move is a killer, but I just caught it,
throwing a thumb on to keep- me on the wall. I’d done it! My first UK 8b, and my
first one solid at the grade.
I’ve had a couple of other
competitions since my last post. I managed to win the Leading Ladder final in
Kendal, where I was the only one to top the 8a+ final route. I have also had
the second round of the Junior British Bouldering Championship in Glasgow, where after
jumping off before the top of an easy problem in qualification, I got through
to the final in second place. The finals were hard, and I was suffering from
flash pump on the first 2 climbs, topping neither. Fortunately the final
problem was a slab, and I topped out, bringing me to second behind an extremely
strong Dom Burns, European bouldering champion and monster. I am now in second
in the ranking overall, with the result between me and Dom most likely deciding
the winner!
SYBCs, the last qualification problem
Finally, some really great
news! After much discussion, I would like to announce my first real sponsor,
Paul Allen Wealth Management, a tremendously successful local business dealing
in the financial industry, specialising in the areas of Investment, Retirement
provision and Inheritance Tax Planning. This is a big step in my climbing, and
has been one of my goals for a while now, so to achieve this and with such a
great firm is fantastic. I look forward to working with them!
Only two weeks to go now
until exams are over, and the Europe road trip
begins! Tres Pons, Terradettes, Oliana, Rodellar, Tarn, Ceuse, Loup, Grenoble, Innsbruck,
Imst and Font all on the ticklist……. Its gunna be a good one!
