UKC

UKC Fit Club is not a substitute for the training diary but to use with (or without) it as a motivational tool for all.

For those wanting to find out more about training for climbing a number of physical training articles here:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=274502

A new thread is posted each week on Sunday for anyone to jot down their previous week's activity, noting goals, successes and failures and to swap ideas.

Anyone interested in starting is very welcome but you should aim to post each week, every week, however little or much you have done. By making such a regular public record of your activities and by restating your goals every week this new habit will hopefully improve your training habits to help achieve your goals whatever the level of your chosen activity.

Link to last week's (333) thread:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=558824

Si dH - Get the DIY done and once you've got a nice house, you'll get the psyche back
Nick Russell - Well done on the E2s.
mbh - Another solid week. Sorry to hear the BGR didn't go to plan. Well done for giving it a bash.
AJM - Lets hope the window opens fully on the 8a then!
Needkraken - A bunch of good sessions there.
Luke Owens - Well done on the deadhangs. Did you get the f7b+?
IainRUK - Congrats on the 2nd in the half marathon. That's an impressive time.
Biscuit - There's lots of good ultras in the UK, I'm sure you'll find something to do. Get on those weaknesses and crush them!
mrchewy - Those goals seem sensible. If you can do 6b clean, E3 will go as well.
stevemarkperry - The short intense sessions can sometimes be the best ones.
annak - Lots of cycling there. Well done on the VS. It's great when they feel steady isn't it!
Nomics4sale - That Saturday run sounds lovely. Good luck with Ground Effect.
Chestwig - 8b+ in the MTG? You beast! Hope your feet/legs/ankles are better. Glad you didn't hurt yourself worse. When you say Cave do you mean Parisellas? Or elsewhere? Either way well done on the repeats.
grubes - Hope the knee and shoulder are better this week? Hang in there, I'm sure it'll get better soon. Sunday sounded like a good training sesh.
Garrouli - Did you manage to get out much this week?
Eagle River - Any progress on The Ashes?
maria85 - I feel for you about the allergies - I'm asthmatic and as result allergic to everything. Well done on the E1 and the HVSes. Get on the E2 and don't let others psyche you out.
NMN - Hope you had a nice relaxing holiday.
leon - Lots of mtbing there. It's great fun.
Sankey - Any ticks this week?
Nathaniel Larsson - Grats on the 7B. Fall practice is great. Good to see another skater on here.
useful - Does sound like a nice week tho despite the lack of E1.
Ali - Sounds like a great week. Good place in the orienteering.
mattrm - Stop being lazy yeh slug.

In reply to mattrm: Cheers for starting, matt

M: Swimming
T: 4 mile run, core
W: Climbing at Wintour's Leap: Kaiser Wall (E3 6a!) and Joe The Lion (also E3 6a)
T: Swimming
F: Climbing at Avon: Howhard (E1 5b) and Clan Union (E1 5b) on suspension bridge buttress
S: Climbing at Berry Head: Dreadnought (E3 5c)
S: Rest. I baked a cake this morning... good rest day activity...

So, positives... I onsighted the 6a pitch of Kaiser Wall: that was one of my goals for this season so pretty pleased with that! Technically, I think it was easier than the crux on Kangaroo Wall last week, but the progress is more in breaking down a psychological barrier.

On the other hand, getting on a route called "Joe the Lion" later in the day showed me that not all E3 6a is that easy. After trying the crux roof must have been almost 20 times, going back down to a good rest each time, I work out where the holds are, go for it, fall off. Next attempt sees me reach the jugs with no energy left and have to aid round the lip.

Equally, my performance on Dreadnought was a bit of a let down as I hung off a cam just post-crux (and 2 hand movements away from the next rest, not that I knew that at the time...). I'm not sure what to take away from this really. I made it hard for myself... by comparison to the crux of Mirage in the gorge I'd put my sequence at tough 6a and my partner found a much easier way... ("I don't know what you did there, but there's no way I was going to try that!") but route-finding/reading is all part of the game. How do I improve this? Setting off on that tenuous sequence, in that position, shows some commitment, so that's a positive... and completing the sequence shows some technical ability... but I can't help but feel that I should have been able to try a bit harder and push on rather than take a rest on the cam.

Anyway, enough of my introspective ramblings! At the end of the day it's a big, committing sea cliff, a fantastic route, exposure all the way and some really wild positions, and we got to the top safely (albeit in almost 6 hours), so not a bad day!

Running... back to rest. The Tuesday run was pretty painful, you can probably all guess what the problem is. I'm going to give it 7 clear days without shin pain before going again (so I can run next Sunday) and in the meantime continue swimming to keep some semblance of aerobic fitness.

Short term plan (~1 month)
Running: Injury management. Try to get some sensible training in without antagonising the shins, swimming for fitness in the meantime.
Climbing: Get out locally when weather permits, regular fingerboard and core sessions.
Medium term goals (end of 2013)
Running: Snowdonia marathon in October
Trad: Consolidate E3, it's pretty on/off for me at the moment, get on a few E4s but only if I'm feeling good.
Sport: Try to do some... difficult without a car. 7a/+ onsight and 7b redpoint would be nice
Longer term goals (probably not this season)
Sport: Paradise Lost, Cheddar
Trad: The Axe, Cloggy
Running: More endurance events, try some fell running

In reply to mattrm:

Cheers Matt. Progress but still some way off!

Goal: The Ashes

Mon: indoor bouldering. Still able to do V6s at boulder UK, still unable to do the V7s.

Thurs: Kilnsey. a couple of working attempts (new sequence for start of crux and new sequence for redpoint crux at the end) and couple of redpoint attempts falling a few moves before the 'boss' (which is where you clip the last bolt from). finished of with a couple of goes up Sticky Wicket

Sat: Kilnsey. Four redpoint attempts on the ashes, got to a new high point and forgot the sequence, then got to another new high point and AGAIN forgot my sequence. Then fell off earlier so had another go at the crux to reinforce sequence. Couple of goes up sticky wicket.

Still not reached the boss from the floor but should do next time. That's 5 sessions on the route so far, still feels like I'm not yet good enough to do it but hopefully won't take too long to get there. Even falling a few moves before the redpoint crux means you've climbed about a 7b+ so doing that multiple times a session is really decent training for the route.

In reply to Eagle River:

Glad to hear you're making good progress on it.

In reply to mattrm: Thanks Matt!

M - nothing
T - nothing
W - Biscuit Factory - wasn't with it mentally and struggled physically. Was tring to create a circuit on the board, but the holds were all too poor and small so every move felt at my limit. Very frustrating as was hoping I could set soemthing up for PE training. Left wrist started aching in sympathy with right wrist and skin super painful!
T - Run - 8.5miles, 81mins, poor. Short core session.
F - nothing
S - nothing
S - 30min gentle run in morning. Routes at Reach in the afternoon - 9 routes up to 6c all clean. Worked out a circuit on the training board but its still a bit hard. It was really hot too so I was slipping off the holds a lot. Short core to finish.

Been a bit of an emotional trainwreck for a good part of this week - unfortunately I don't find that I'm able to channel this into climbing (or indeed any exercise where you have to push yourself) so if I climb when upset I then just get annoyed at myself and more upset. Gah!! Stupid woman - honestly I wish I was a bloke sometimes

4 weeks to Kalymnos - lots of training needs to be done :-S

In reply to mattrm: ticked meescalito in the first attempt after putting the clips up. Perfect conidutins pretty much and very quiet. then stripped it and buggered off to the pub. .xshortest session in ages. Very very happy

Then tried kilnsey yestrday. .and bouldering at wall today

Daily cycling sessions and three core sessions

Ppg

In reply to pork pie girl:

Congrats! Just goes to show that all the effort was worth it!

In reply to Ali: do what you can to do to take any pressure off yourself x

In reply to Nick Russell: feels good to have something to show for it

In reply to pork pie girl:

Woooooo!!!! CONGRATS!!!! Well done. So happy for you.

In reply to pork pie girl: This is what fitclub is all about! Stonkin' good effort - I hope Sarah got the beers in!

In reply to mattrm:

Well done PPG! Excellent and just reward for your hard work and perseverance.

I didn't manage the BGR, not even close, as I have reported over on the Running forum. I felt pretty down about it, given my high hopes, but now its fine. I learned a lot about my capabilities, pluses and minuses, how to cope mentally and how to manage the logistics. I might walk it in three days in May with my wife, then try a one day effort a couple of days later, with her support. If I can get up there again before May, I might, and try helping someone else, but I don't think I will have the time.

Anyway this week was:

M - drive to lakes
T - Find the Moot Hall and way out of Keswic, then BG leg 1, then 4 mile run to Keswick. Was just 10 minutes outside the 23:15 schedule for this leg, despite getting badly slowed up by bogginess.
W - BG leg 2, starting in darkness, then 3 miles of leg 5 and back to Keswick. I thought by this time that I had injured myself, probably due to running in my Inov8 Roclites, which I have described as feeling little better than Converses. That is unfair, but they are old and I was getting such a sharp pain in one shin that I couldn't even walk quickly, let alone run.
T- drive home
F - 2 km swim, 10 mile run. No pain at all in the shin. So what was that all about?
S - 1.8 km smim
S - 13.3 mile run

In reply to mattrm: Thing is - I've never done 6b clean... I boulder better tho.

Today was the 14th day in a row at work - just 5 to go. Only had 2 days off in 33 now and the tiredness is creeping in. My arms are falling apart (decorator) and I'm getting irritable, this is starting to affect the training. That might be the early starts and late finishes to be honest.

83kg but as much as I want to diet, it's just too much to try at the moment.

Mon - Did put harness on but just not psyched for routes. Boulder room. Good session if tired from the day before but got on the V2 under the roof. Bit tricky.
Tue - Rest. Dislocated finger still sore.
Wed - Boulder room. Third day in four. Much better on V2, maybe the most solid I've been ever. Finished a tough one, that had had me beaten for a while. it went first go after four weeks of ignoring it. Managed some pullups on the slopers on the Metolius board!!! Well happy. Then actually went for a 3 mile run...
Thu - Knackered
Fri - Boulder room. Warmed up but finger was sore. repeated the V2s I'd completed this last week and went home.
Sat - Bone tired after work. Fell asleep on the sofa.
Sun - Too tired to climb after work, so got on the campus rails to dead hang. 4 sets of 14 x 7/3, shuffling between the smallest and biggest rail with one foot on.

So looking forward to Saturday in the Peak. A quiet day of teaching Mel belay setting up and no climbing, even if it rains. Hands in pockets all day and the arms need the rest to be honest.
Worked a made up move on the slab over and over all week that's a bit like the crux on Goose Creatures. More to get flexibility to be honest as the slab is the wrong angle, the holds not right and even tho the foot hold is tiny... it's mahoosive compared to slate! Been trying to skip holds on the slab to make the easier problems harder as the only one I've not done (V3/4 depending on height) is just too tough for me yet.

May yet take all of September off and just climb... I want to but the sensible person inside me says no!

In reply to mbh: Take the positive - you actually got up there and had a go!

Logistics can be tough. I've done the welsh 3s a few times and the van has been parked at the bottom of Tryfan and that was it. Even when finished I had to head all the way back there, mentally that can be seriously draining.
I'm pretty convinced that your brain tries to trick you into stopping at times during endurance events, making up pain to try and get you to stop. That's been my experience and it it really is a matter of knowing your body and taking control - at least this attempt is experience in the bank. You'll be better prepared mentally next time.

In reply to pork pie girl: AWESOME!! Fantastic work! You really, really deserve that tick - so pleased you got it! What's next?!

In reply to Ali:

Chin up Ali. Hope things calm down and the mojo returns.

In reply to porkpiegirl:

Congratulations again - a victory for ddetermination and persistence! I'm sire I'm not the only one waiting to see what takes your eye next

In reply to mattrm:


STG - Climb 6b (or v3) @ wall, 11st 7lbs
Aspirational - Climb E5/6 (London Wall), Scottish Winter V (Point 5, Zero, Minus etc), WI5, Redpoint 8a, UTMB/Lakes 100, stay injury free & maintain 11st.

Weight - 12st 3lbs (3lbs gain)

M - F - Lazy arse
S - Trad @ Symonds Yat
S - Fingerboard session

Had a massive loss of psyche for most of the week. However really enjoyed Saturdays climbing. Only did two routes, but we had to head to the shops to buy the guy I was climbing with some basic gear, as he hasn't climbed much before. Did Snoozin Suzie as a warm-up and then The Exchange (VS 4c). But we spent quite a bit of time trying to find a free route as the crag was really busy. Faffed a bit on the start of the VS. Put a bit of gear, downclimbed, put another bit in and then downclimbed. Finally got stuck into the route and while I did get a good case of disco leg on a couple of points, I did climb fairly quickly and get some decent gear in. One bit was a bit run-out and then got a poor bit of gear in, before getting to easier climbing. But if I'd fallen there, I would have gone a really long way. So while I got up it ok, could have done it better.

Fingerboarding is going well, holding on for longer now.

So feeling much keener and wanting to get back on with the training. Also I've put on a fair bit of weight, so want to get back to previous low points (and lower ideally).

Next week:

Diet properly
1 climbing session
1 run
3 core / yoga
1 fingerboard

In reply to mattrm:

Best efforts outdoors last year:
RP - 7a
HP - E5 6b
Boulder - V4
Onsigth E2/3,
Winter VI 6

Goals for this Spring:
Boulder V7 - tick
RP - 7a+ - tick
HP - E6 - not yet, may wait until the Autumn

Summer
Onsight more E3s leading to an E4 onsight - going to re evaluate this to get another E3 done

Training:

Been away for three weeks. Climbed Hogs Back at Buckbarrow in Longsleddle before going, Porth-Clais Crack, Vegetable Rights and Dreamboat Annie at Porth-Clais and Amorican and Orogeny at Craig Caerfai in Pembroke. Got my mojo back a bit once I rested up - was pleased with Orogeny which felt steady. Also did a reasonable amount of running.

Re evaluated my aim. Haven't got the trad' climbing done I'd hoped to so E4 for this point is time is too big an ask. Going to try to get some more classics done and aim for a harder head point as a bit of a change in focus.

In reply to mbh:

Good effort even starting out on a solo BGR.

In reply to pork pie girl:

Awesome.

In reply to mattrm: Yep, got something in at least!

This week's report is easy: no climbing at all because I've been on Mountain Leader Training all week. It's been really good to be up in the Ogwen Valley all week, navigating around the Glyders and Carneddau and scrambling up Little North Gulley on Tryfan. The final Expedition was an experience in whether my tent could stand up to 35mph winds (it sounded like it couldn't, but it did!).

Hopefully some climbing this week!

In reply to mattrm: Great effort PPG! Inspires the rest of us to get stuck into a proper hard project

No ticks, but pleased to have got on the sharp end on WYSIWYG, slightly worrying that I managed to un-clip the bolt at the top crux with my foot and faced a monster whipper until I got the next one in. In Toronto until Friday, but hope to get out on Sunday,jet lag willing. Probably keep trying WSYWIG as I like the climbing.

M:
T: Matrix- good session, managed quite a few 6b's
W:
T:
F: Started to lead dog WYSWIG took some practice falls first to enable me to commit to the top undercut grab. Need to figure out the 3rd and 4th clips, or man up and get stood up completely at the 3rd before clipping
S: Fly to Toronto
S: 15 mins on static bike to try to starve off jet lag

STG: More 7a's (Bleep and booster, barguest direct): One more done: this years RPS: 6c (4) 6c+ (2) 7a (3)

MTG: 7a+ Appetite/Direct Flight/Sidekick/Gilbert Cardigan

LTG: 7b WYSWIG - started working

In reply to mattrm:

Cheers Matt.

Wednesday - Kilnsey. Flashed 6c+ to start off. Clips in Ashes. Dogging go working links. One redpoint falling at boss, hit it but not right. Second redpoint fell lower. Linked to the top from the eyes so 2 overlapping halves, with the overlap being a good chunk of the crux.

Thursday - warm-up. 3 redpoints on ashes. Hit boss on first go better than on Wednesday. 2 subsequent goes less good, getting tired.

Friday - easy day. Warm-up. One trip up Ashes, hit boss a lot better this time. Warm down.

Saturday - warm up. Worked some sequences. Go big or go home day!
- Got the boss, got feet up, couldn't match
- Got the boss, matched, got the draw hooked over my shoulder, couldn't clip
- Got the boss, matched, fumbled the clip 3 times, fell off
- Got the boss, knackered, grabbed draw, barely got it clipped even hanging off it

Good week for mileage - I've done 10 redpoint trips up The Ashes and hit the boss on about 7 which is probably a 7c or thereabouts link of climbing.

Immensely frustrating blowing two solid goes with that clip on Saturday. But I managed more trips up it and my highpoint was consistently if incrementally higher through the first 3. I just need to figure out if my clipping sequence is wack or if I was just too knackered to pull it off. It's a power endurance thing so what I'm afraid of is that ill only find out on redpoint!

Did a 6a+ today but even that was too active and not enough rest so that was all I did.

In reply to mattrm: Cheers Matt

Another great week. Got back from Llanberis late on Sunday night, and spent the week getting increasingly excited about my first trip to Gogarth. Consequently sometimes quite hard to concentrate at work...

M: cycle 10mi, gym (squats and benchpress)
Tu: cycle 10mi, lead/top roping at the Castle. Forgot my shoes so had to hire some, only pair that came close to fitting had huge holes in them. Put me off my leading a bit but toproping was surprisingly fine.
W: rest day - physio appointment about new pains in my elbow. Decided to get it seen to right away, instead of waiting my customary months/years.
Th: cycle 10mi, bouldering, gym (deadlifts and benchpress)
F: rest day
Sa: Climbing at Gogarth! 4xVS, including covering my knees in bruises doing a ridiculous chimney.
Su: 2xHVS. My first HVS leads actually. Not sure if the first one counts as I got the easy pitch, but the second was Dream of White Horses, which I reckon does count. Both were brilliant. I think Gogarth might be my new favourite place.

This week:
Didn't get round to going for a run at all last week, so need to do that. Plus lots of climbing as no trad next weekend.

In reply to annak: Nice work at Gogarth Anna! Looka a solid couple of days does that. Wen slab is great eh?

In reply to mattrm:

m: 17.25 mile road run at 6:55 pace.
t: 11.8 miles with 7 miles at 6:30 pace.
w: 12.5 mile road run at 6:20 pace.. felt tired
t: 5.8 mile road run steady
f: pm: 9.5 mile mountain run Zinal. 1100m ascent. pm: 3 mile steady trail run
s: 15.5 mile mountain run reverse of sierre zinal then down after 20k.. 1300m ascent, 1500m descent
s: sierre zinal race. 79th 3:19. 19.4 miles 2050m ascent. pm: 2 mile slow recovery.

Not happy with the race, should have been closer to 3 if not below but did run way too much last week and legs were dead from the off.. so nothing majorly wrong.

In reply to pork pie girl:

Top effort! Well deserved!

In reply to mattrm:
Cheers Matt. Still struggling with it despite giving the house a thorough clean this week, going to wait until I'm back from Italy then back to the docs if it's no better. The itchy eyes and sneezing I can just about cope with, it's the wheezing every time I do exercise or lie down that's getting me...

A half reasonable week, got back on the core/fingerboard stuff at last. Just need to keep it up now! Also now have a bit more of an idea about future plans/where I'll possibly be in a year or two, which is both inspiring and scary.

M: Bike commute. Depot in evening. Hot and feeling weak, didn't get too much done.
T: Bike commute one way only. Lunchtime run, 6 km, 34mins (slow).
W: Short lunchtime run (4km). Earl Crag in evening. Led Earl Crack (VS 4c) - I'd just received my very shiny new BD cams including a 5 & 6 and thoroughly enjoyed placing every single one of them. Also led a severe after bailing off the overhanging jamming horror-show next to it - also a no 5 & 6 swallowing offwidth - I really am way too excited by an oversized cam!
T: Bike commute. Evening ride - 1hr 30 at a bimble pace.
Core session - first time I've done this without the video and actually pushed myself harder than usual, and got to ignore the couple of exercises that I don't find effective.
Fingerboard - did some pull-ups and deadhangs, quick and simple.
F: Bike commute
S: Millstone. Slow start due to mtn rescue being in full swing rescuing someone from the Embankment area. A bit off putting and also trying to keep well out of their way so started on Gimcrack (VS 4c). Horrifically sandy, didn't enjoy it! Seconded The Mall (VS 4c) then led Bond Street (HVS 5a) - brilliant!! Also experimented with tape gloves (need some refinement still!) and got inspired watching guy on White Wall.
S: Mainly taken up with baking/cooking/dehydrating yummy delights for Italy and family stuff, did do a quick fingerboard sesh though. 3 pull-ups in a row, a first for me!! (yes, I'm really weak). And a parent-paced wander around Kettlewell scarecrow festival...

This week is very busy but aiming for 3 runs, 2 core, 2 fb in amongst some climbing. It's now looking very unlikely that I'll get the E2 before Italy unfortunately.

In reply to mrchewy:

It's fabulous! I really wanted to do Britomartis too but we ran out of time. I'm still grinning about the whole weekend.

How's the finger? Dislocations are annoying to recover from...

In reply to annak: Both of those HVS's are very definitely on my to-do list... recommended for a Gogarth virgin??!

In reply to mattrm:

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - Back at Dinbren on the F7b+ proj, after the beta tweaks last week I was really confident I'd be very close or get it very soon. Sure enough I found myself falling off the very last hard move at the top of the crag on all 3 redpoints this eve.

Wednesday - Rest

Thursday - Rest

Friday - Dinbren - Had that feeling where I knew I'd do the route... Cool temps, quiet evening at the crag, psyched belayer & nervous but positive energy. First redpoint of the eve I fell at the same high point as Tuesday but something felt different, it felt like I was still warming up.

Second redpoint, smashed it! Felt great to have the route so wired. My first F7b+ and my goal for this year achieved!

The route is "I Punched Judy First" and here's a video of me on it:

vimeo.com/72119456

What's next? F7c!

Saturday - Rest

Sunday - Deadhangs - up to 15kg on the 3 finger open handed, 9secs. Also on 5kg added for the Middle 2 on 25mm edge for 7secs. Good progress!

In reply to mbh:

Well done for having a go.
Good write up on the running forum, I enjoyed reading it.
It is a big undertaking isn't it!
Sounds like a good adventure and a great way to spend 2/3 days.

In reply to mattrm:

Thanks mattrm.

Great holiday thanks.

Forced myself to start gently again on Monday even though the ankle wasn't right, because Ben Nevis race is so soon. Ankle was very bad again by Wednesday.
I'll stop posting now until I am going properly again.


M: - 4.04m trail run, 582ft.
T: - 4.02m trail run, 583ft.
W: - Stanage Popular routes.
T/F/S/S: – nothing / rest ankle.

In reply to maria85:

Well I was, I and loved them! So yes, highly recommended

In reply to mattrm: Yep, Cave = Parisella's

Congrats to PPG and Luke Owens - some big projects gone down this week.

VLTG (Sept 2014?) - complete 3 peaks Cyclo-cross race

LTG (End 2013) - Unjustified at Malham & new routes on the Diamond

MTG (By end Sept 2013)

Diamond projects:
#1 >8a+ Direct start to NGOOTB
#2 >8a+ Link-up
#3 >8b+ Uber route

Non-tidal wish-list for weeks when Diamond is a non-starter:

Mandela, Kilnsey (wet at the moment)
Supercool, Gordale
K3, Cornice (will it dry out again this year?)
Trad project in Clwyd

Get super fit for trip to the Red.

STG:
- Insomnia, Dinbren
- Finger re-hab again. D'oh!
- Shoulders - reverse flys and seated rows to address gaston & undercut weaknesses
- An-cap - once a week to maintain
- Aero-power; continue to get pumped 2-3 times a week - 1 session to be foot-on campusing to ensure high intensity
- Core & flexibility work - back felt weak and unstable trying LF - must try harder to fit in these extra sessions
- Lose some weight; new aim <73kg - 75.1kg and 6.6% BF

The week just gone:

M - Rest - failed attempt to get to yoga session

T - Dinbren. Std warm-ups. Aim for session was to link upper crux section in a oner. Did this, then tried a RP and took a winger. Tried again and same fall but nastier swing in and bruised my heel. Skipping clips isn't a good idea on this one!

W - Hobbling. Evening session - warmed up on racecourse wall and then did 5x 2min30s foot-on campus session. Gave me a blood blister on my pinky

T - Kilnsey after work. Stuck in traffic so late start. Mandela wet in places so no RP attempts, but did work out some new beta for the lip section making it much more solid.

F - Rest

S - Back to Dinbren, Insomnia.
Dogging go - worked new sequence to incorporate top clip.
RP#1 Not the smoothest, but hung in there and got to 3rd to last move
RP#2 Really quick sprint and really felt good. 2nd to last move to pinged off with damp tip. Ring finger starting to feel slightly sore.
RP#3 Similar slower style to RP#1, but fought hard and came off going to final jug. Buggerations.

7a+ flash as warm down and then got spanked by another supposed 7a+ (7b+?)

Evening BBQ/dinner party. Ate massive amount and woke up in night feeling grotty.

S - Hilly 20miler on road bike in morning, then out to Devil's Gorge on belay duties. Lee & Owen both came close to their respective projects. 7a/+ beta and 2 goes up a 7c for me. Sketched in evening.

Feel wrecked this morning, knuckles swollen and ring finger sore (flexor unit strain again I think) but have also found several new projects to keep me psyched. One looks like an excellent 7c+ stamina fest that should be great training for the Red in October.

In reply to AJM: Just a thought - could you gaffer tape that massive extended draw next to the boss so it doesn't flap in the wind/go over your shoulder?

In reply to C Chestwig; Treacherous climber:

Cheers Ally. Good effort on Saturday! Sounds like Insomina will be going down this week! Keen for the Bren tomorrow?

What's "Fat Boy's" like? Worth getting on?

Is the 7c+ stamina fest in the Gorge? New line?

In reply to mattrm:

Cheers Matt. It was a good run, made all the better by not getting lost! Good effort with your BG attempt. May sounds like a good time to try again and it gives you a bit more time to work on whatever it is you think you'll need to get it done. Hill miles? Time on feet?

PPG: already said it but awesome effort, dead chuffed for you!

STG: 7b at Kilnsey, more E1s and E2s.
MTG: quick 7b or 7a in Spain/Kalymnos
LTG: E3?

Mon: 4.3 mile flat trail run
Tues: Ingleton circuits, good session.
Weds: Whittle Pike fell race, 5.2 miles and 430m ascent.
Thurs: Kilnsey, worked first few moves on Ground Effect.
Fri: 4.3 mile flat trail run
Sat: Kilnsey, top roped Ground Effect
Sunday: 10.5 mile trail run to Harrison Stickle and Bowfell from ODG, 1,050m ascent.

I need to start leading Ground Effect so I'm going to try to force myself on to the sharp end this week.

In reply to C Chestwig; Treacherous climber:

Possibly. Gonna rework that section before further redpoints.

Having walked under the cornice yesterday, I think the answer to your question about K3 is "quite likely not"...

In reply to Luke Owens:

Nice one!

In reply to mbh: Bad one...

Well done for having ago.

Support is a huge bonus, just to provide encouragement.. bounce doubts off etc.. it gets underestimated.

Never regret a DNF, you make that call at the time, of course later you'll doubt it but forget it and plan again for next time.

In reply to mattrm:

Thanks Matt! Didn't get out as much as I would have liked this week due to work getting in the way.....

M: Fingerboard - max hangs and core.
T: Hoped to get out to Huntsham but finished work too late so headed to TCA instead. Lots of PE circuit board stuff. Felt pretty wasted in the end.
W: Rest
T: Tried to get out to Bourton Coombe, but denied again. Went to UCR. Started off OK but felt strangely tired about half way through so ditched the routes and did some circuits. Managed the 7a in the cave 5 times and came close to the 7b.
F: Rest
S: Went to Portland, Battleship back area. For some reason, I never seem to get that inspired by the lines at Portland and today was no different really. Warmed up by flashing a 7a (Jurassic Shift) which I thought was a 6b+ (the routes all look the same). So then flashed the 6b+ (Bouys will be Bouys). Went for the flash on the 7a+ to the left (Pump Hitler) but fell off about 5 moves from the end when I went for the wrong hold. Got it next go. Then tried to flash "fun factory" (7b) but came to a blank section half-way up and fell off. Dogged up it, but wasn't inspired to try it again. Had this strange tired feeling again so decided to call it a day.
S: Tried to do a fingerboard session, but feeling lethargic, so stopped.

I now have this strange dull pain in the top of my arm so I think it's time for a rest week. Definitely not operating on all cylinders at the moment which could be due to over training and not enough rest. Over the past few weeks, for some reason my sleep pattern has been a bit erratic which may also be a reason. I also realised that I haven't had more than a days rest from training for some time. So, with this in mind, this week i'm hoping to get a little cardio done, some stretching and no climbing!! Hopefully by the weekend I'll be feeling a little fresher as I hope to get back to Torbryan and finally get Threadbare done!!

In reply to mattrm:

Cheers Matt.

Big congrats to PPG and Luke.

3 sessions getting spanked at Kilnsey this week. Faffed about trying to decide if i was going to do Sticky Wicket or Ground Effect and have finally decided on Ground Effect. 2nd day i didn't get on SW or GE as i was aching from the day before so had an easyish day. Going back tomorrow to hopefully finish it off with some new beta.

Turns out i am not as weak as i thought as i can do the start of GE fairly easily but i am very poor at putting intense sequences together so i am struggling to do the rest of GE. All good training though.

Left elbow is very sore not sure how i did it but i am looking at a couple of weeks with no climbing so i am going to ignore it tomorrow and then hope it'll heal while i have the enforced layoff.

In reply to annak: The finger's not too bad actually - irritating some days but I think that's work as much as climbing. Certainly couldn't crimp hard with it yet but it should be fine for Spain in five weeks.

South Stack is worth a look at at, plenty of VS routes, Atlantis is a decent HVS corner and North West Passage at E1 is amazing! I love Gogarth, it's the commitment, the waves...

In reply to mattrm: Thanks for doing this again, bit of a slow week this week marred by man flu caught at work but getting back into training

STG (next 4 weeks): get back into regular training, get over recent confidence issues, have a healthy month, mileage
MTG (before winter): 6a bouldering regularly, keep leading trad (been over a month now so back to VDiff's) get on some sport and train hard when indoors, get in shape for font!
LTG (over next 6/9 months): get to know my technique and style, push through to HS trad, try and boulder 6b get on some sport

M: Band
T: house work and cake making, low energy
W: indoor session, had a go at new comp round, 6 flashes and a few projects with many routes not attempted yet, trained harder this week than last =)
T: woke up feeling terrible, complained a lot
F: still not 100%
S: standege morning session, topped out a few problems and feeling a bit more like myself on rock again, then went to the food festival and ate way way way too much
S: all day gigging in stoke

So all in all, not an overly good week in terms of excercise done, but, am starting to slowly overcome whatever happened to me last month on rock and getting used to being indoors again. Need to keep pushing and stop using being tired as an excuse not to do some core at home or something!

In reply to mattrm:

Cheers for doing the thread Matt.
PPG - brilliant! That's so deserved and really inspiring.
Congratulations to Luke Owens also

Mon - Rest.
Tues - Castle. Tired and unmotivated but forced myself to boulder and do some foot on campus.
Wedns - Castle. Totally wiped out, mostly chatted.
Thurs - Castle. Slightly better boulder. Foot on campus.
Fri - Rest.
Sat - Wallsend. Working Halfway to Heaven (7b). Struggling with the hideous, reachy crux. Luckily it's at the first bolt so falling off repeatedly is not too big a big waste of energy!
Sun - Wallsend. Working Realm of Chaos (7b+) on a toprope (coward). Such a monster route Starting to get some good links but it's a long way off still.

In reply to Luke Owens:

Well done Luke. Nice account too. Gets the tension across well.

In reply to Nick Russell:

If it's any help sometimes when I reach a climbing goal, particularly if it's been hard won or taken a while, I find my climbing goes a bit to pot afterwards. I just go out and get some classic stuff done and give myself some time to get back into it.

In reply to mattrm: thanks everyone. sarah and i both chuffed and relieved. it's really got .my chin up and is helping me deal with other things .

thought i'd want a few days off climbing but have been out a couple of times over the weekend . . looking forward to starting an 8a project but my time scales are next year. if i can find a route that inspires me and have play on it over the rest of summer and autumn. as well as some easier routes as different crags.

sarah's si far got a bike computer, two meals out and a take away.. oh and plenty of alcohol!

started weights again after cardio today. . pull ups haven,t suffered. .so at least i haven't sacrificed those!

In reply to Luke Owens: absolutely awesome. .make sure you celebrate properly

In reply to Luke Owens:

Great effort Luke, look smooth on the film.

In reply to Exile:

Yeah, it could be something like that. I'm not really that down about anything, just whinging really... Looking back at my diary, the main thing affecting my climbing at the moment is just an absence of rest. Something like 3 days in the last 4 weeks. When I get round to taking it easy for a few consecutive days I'm hoping to see some gains again!

In reply to maria85:

re the allergies here's some stuff that's worked for me:

Get a really good hoover - my current one is a miele. Cost £150, but it picks up everything.

De-humidifiers are well worth a shot, especially if you get lots of mold in the house.

Carpets are a no-no. We have wooden / tiled floor through the whole house. If it's rented, then the carpets are probably manky as hell, so you're probably stuffed till you move out.

I've never tried an air purifier, but I know they work for some folk. There's some good advice here as well:

http://matt.might.net/articles/how-to-fix-allergy-mold-pet-hair-problems-wi...

Hope it gets better. As a life long asthmatic, I've got a lot of sympathy, it's horrible when you're just lying down and wheezing. You aren't doing anything, but the lungs are struggling. It's horrible.

I guess you're also asthmatic?

In reply to mattrm:

Cheers matt hope so


STG (End of 2013):
Regularly try and lead cracks and committing laybacks
Lead E2 try onsight
Top out the chief
Boulder 6C/V5 UK and try get one in Squamish.
Climb Grand wall at squamish
MTG (April 2014):
Winter Grit - 7A boulder
Winter Grit - snowballing
Winter Grit - Big air
Font - Climb a load of 6's and try get a 7.
Font alternate plan - eat a load of pastries from different pattisserie's
plan a trip to kalymnos for first week in april
Kalymnos - 4x7's in a week.
kalymnos - at least two ticks a day
LTG (July 2014):
Plan two week UK/irish tour visiting - Pembroke, North wales, Ireland, fairhead and isle of man

Goals for this week:
something on a rope - fail took rack out but mate did not bring his harness

M: Rest
T: Rest
W: Rest
T: rest
F: rest
S: Almscliff - Warmed up soloing and doing a couple of problems around low man.
Fell off the top out of flying arete three and battered my self doing it.
played on DBS, Crucifix low, crucifix arete (knee does not like this). Also tried a couple of jamming cracks.
S: Housemate was being crap and cooking not climbing so watched cricket all day.

Next week's goals:
Climb a lot

What a shit week.
A short session at holmfirth last night was better than that full week. Also reevaulated my goals

In reply to mrchewy:

I will check them out when I get there next. Hopefully not too long!

In reply to grubes: Stick with it fella - it always takes a while to start putting trust in your knee again. I've only just, after 6 months, started doing drop knees and not giving the torn medial a thought.

In reply to grubes:
Wouldnt worry about the occasional non-week grubes, everyone gets demotivated sometimes, just try to use last week as amotivation to get back on it this week - especially with all those trips coming up - sounds awesome!

Are those your old or new goals? Personally id be wary about settings goals like snowballing or big air, the chances are they wont come into condition and then youll feel like youve failed, through no fault of your own. Ive made this mistake before by being too specific about things that I then never got the opportunity on. Might be better just to have things on your wishliat and see it as a bonus if they become available? Oh and you should have archangel on there too

Si

In reply to Si dH:
Ps. Big congrats to ppg and luke this week. I just cant comprehend 30 days or whatever it was on a single route - mega perseerance.

In reply to mattrm:

Awesome Luke and PPG. So much psyche flying around.

Fat Boys is decent. Why don't you get yourself on The Bandits?

I can barely type after spending six days on climbing in Wales. Good job I came home last night as today would have been a write off.

In reply to Si dH:
new goals.

I have faith in shit british weather!
If worse comes to worse I can fit 7 bouldering pads in my car to that should just about make big air safe ... maybe

And archangle I think would be an ethical tick when I do it.

In reply to Luke Owens:
well done mate. Time for release the hounds?

In reply to grubes:

Cheers! Hounds isn't local enough for a hard project. Will get on it once I know it'll go in a session or two for sure!

Also, chin up on the bad week. Coming back off an injury is never fun but persevere and you'll be crushing!

In reply to JimmyKay:

Cheers! As much as I want to do The Bandits, I need a 7c in my life! never been on one and really intrigued, i'm going to get on the 7c "When Saturday Comes" at Dinbren this eve! Psyched!

Looking forward to reading about your trip!

In reply to grubes:

7 pads should do it. I went out a few years ago with the intention of snowballing it, but there wasn't enough snow to fill in the gap well enough. However, there were so many people with the same idea that we could do a good job of filling up the chasm with pads.

Couple of tips - have a spotter down in the hole to keep you on the stacked pads, and keep one pad for the launch area so you can jump back if you get psyched out by the top out after latching the pocket.

In reply to mattrm:
Cheers. I can't believe how bad I've been recently. I've always had hayfever, but just the usual bad sneezing/itchy eyes/runny nose, not affecting my breathing. Weirdly, it didn't affect me when I lived in NZ/Canada, only here. I've never been asthmatic but it seems that this has brought it on which I am very less-than-happy about. It's really affecting running and biking, and I've been sleeping terribly for the last few months

The house is rented and has plenty of carpet (and fully furnished so sofas etc too...) It was horrendous when we moved in last Oct, but settled down with a lot of vacuuming. I'm pretty certain it's the dust getting me now though, not hayfever this late in the year.

Thanks for the link, looks useful. We're just using the crap vacuum that came with the house so it looks like I'm going to have to invest... I have a friend who works for Dyson so going to talk to him! How do you balance wheezing away and still getting through runs etc? How much wheezing is too much before it gets dangerous?

In reply to Luke Owens:

Playing to your strengths ain't a bad idea to step up into the next grade, just be aware how sequency "When Saturday Comes" is and be more prepared than youy most recent siege to change your sequence rather than getting stuck in a rut.

Also, IMHO opinion, Dyperspace is easier. Could always try a few 7c's and find one that suits you before going head-long into a single project?

In reply to maria85:

I've had a strange one with hayfever this year. I suffered heavily around late May, then it died off. However, completely out of the blue i had utchy eyes and runny nose after biking on Sunday - I don't think nature is quite done with the pollen this year!

In reply to C Chestwig; Treacherous climber:

Think I deserve to treat myself to something that (possibly) plays to my strengths haha.

I'm definitely prepared for changing sequences more so than ever after you helped me out on IPJF, the progress was unreal with just a few subtle changes!

I really want to do WSC more so to do with how the line looks than anything else. The double wave of limestone just looks awesome, then through that top roof! Some people have said it's the best 7c up there?

I think i'll use this eve to check out a couple of 7c's though!

In reply to maria85:

Due to the cold start to the year, plants are pretty out of whack, so it might well still be hayfever. However it it sounds like it's probably the dust in the carpets. In my experience of houses (even very clean ones) if there's lots of carpets, it's very hard to clean the dust out of the carpets to a level where it won't affect you. If I go to a house with lots of carpets, even if it's very clean, I can still get badly affected. Because it's so hard to fully clean the dust out of the carpets.

Personally, I'd move house. I have done that when renting. Our first house had manky carpets and we only stayed there 6 months. It's one of the pros of renting. You can move house pretty much whenever. I'll admit it's kinda extreme, but now you know it's a problem, you can pick a house with wooden floors.

We have one of these:

http://www.johnlewis.com/miele-s8310-power-plus-cylinder-vacuum-cleaner-obs...

On full tilt it's incredibly powerful. It get better ratings in Which than the Dysons. But I don't think a Dyson would be a bad idea, maybe worth getting the pet one, if you think there were pets in the house previously.

For me, I've basically 'cured' or at least significantly reduced my asthma due to exercise and living in a house with no carpets (just a few rugs), hoovering a lot and running a dehumidifier. However I still get a bit of hayfever, runny nose etc. I guess if I really hammered it on a run, I'd probably get wheezy. But I reckon my CV system is probably better than most folks, due to the climbing/walking/running etc. Wheeziness (is that a word?) tends to go away when running pretty quickly once I've stopped. So if you're wheezing like a trooper, just slow down to a point where it's stopped. Oh and carry your inhaler all the time. If you do have a full on attack, just hammer the inhaler in, you can have them every 5 - 10 minutes with out any major ill-effect. And try not to panic, it makes it worse. Which is definitely in the 'easier said than done' side of things.

In reply to mattrm:

I've been taking it easy since destroying my piriformis heel-hooking on an RP attempt at Roof Warrior 4 weeks ago. I've also had the stress of moving house, so I've not been getting up to too much. Crazy how the summer had started to pan out after all I had planned for it.

Decided to drop everything and check out the Gower last week. Which was a bit shit. Drove all the way back to B'ham and then went all the way down to Pembroke (only an hour further - should have gone there for the whole time!).

S- Went indoor bouldering. First time in a while. Felt quite good. Had a good time.
M- House moving
T- House moving and then drove to Gower in the evening.
W- Fox Hole. The best crag in the Gower (which isn't saying much). Warmed up. O/S a 7a+ and then blew flash on a 7b. Got on it second go and it felt super easy. This was probably the best 7b I've done in the UK - reminiscent of Spain. Finished off by doing another 7a which was a bit damp.
T- Checked out Shipwreck Cove which was sopping wet. Headed to Ram's Tor which was crap. Did a 6c+ and sacked it off. Ended up at Oxwich QUARRY. Which says it all really. O/Sed a 6c and a 7a+/b. Was quite happy with that.
F- Checked out Pwlldu Bay (Rockfax describes as one of the best crags in the Gower). It is in fact a quarry. Which was shit. My partner bailed on a 6c+ because it had a 1inch layer of sand on it and I managed a '3' bolt 7b+ 1st RP. We quickly packed our stuff away and drove home.

Morale of the story. If you like awesome beaches, surfing and ice-cream the Gower is for you. It is very touristy though and as a result quite pricey.

If you like climbing however, then you should drive an hour further to Pembroke. Which is exactly what I did.... Well kind of - Drove 3:30 back to Brum on Friday and 5hours down Pembroke on SAturday morning.

S- Arrived in Pembroke at 14:00. It starts to rain. Heavily. Great. Retreated from Govan's car park and went to the supermarket. Stocked the fridge and then tried again 15:30. This time it was blue skies. Headed straight to the leap, obviously. I got on Bloody Sunday. This has been on my tick-list ever since I first opened a Pembroke guidebook. Absolutely amazing. One of the best routes in Britain. My first E4 on a rope. After that we headed over to St.Govan's and climbed Space Cadet (second) and Test Case (lead). Which were both great. Oh, how the climbing differed from the Gower. Utterly brilliant.
S- I really wanted to go to Trevellan (mainly for Fascist and Me - which we never got on!!) Warmed up on The Hole (Second). I then had a bit of a mare on Sunlover (Lead) dropping most of my wires and then making a 6b direct move to the top out ledge...? Still, bagged the O/S which is all that matters! Then we wandered round to Trevellan Pillar. Partner found the 6a crux a bit hard so I lead the whole route. Which was cracking. And one of my favourites. Already a good day we headed for a cup of tea at Ma Weston's. I started to psyche myself out about all the hard routes. Getting scared I headed back over to Huntsmen's and abbed in. I got on Just Another Day/Scorch the Earth which was my first E5 on a rope. Possibly the best route of the trip. Absolutely amazing jug pulling at the top. Brilliant end to the day.
S- Feeling pretty tired we headed over to Mewsford to warm up on the classic Surprise Attack (second). I psyched myself up enough to go back to the leap and get on the Minotaur. I got epic flash pump around the half-way point and managed to hold it together to the thread/rest below the crux. Up and down 3 times before committing and smashing the crux move. Sat on the saddle for about 5 minutes looking down into the leap and thinking about how good Pembroke was. Topped out into the overgrown ferns of death and tied my ropes off. What a great route. Went for a cup of tea at Ma Weston's. It was getting pretty late (16:30ish) but I reckoned we could squeeze in another climb. Abbed in to Trevellan. Did the start of Barbarella, but my skin was sore and sweaty and I was knackered. Sacked it off and wandered around to St.Govans. Finished the trip struggling up the jugs on Army Dreamers. Knackered!

What a great week. Although Gower climbing wasn't as good as I was expecting, it was good to get down there. Pembroke did it's up most to remind me how good climbing in the UK can actually be. Psyched!

2 weeks in Croatia (no climbing) on Saturday. Which is good I think, because I want my leg to start to mend. And then on to training when I get back for the winter. Although I was hoping on fitting in a quick trip to the Cromlech to send Left and Right Wall at the start of September.

In reply to C Chestwig; Treacherous climber:
thanks for the info.
I almost smashed my neck falling back off the 'jug' when trying to snow ball it last year

I am hoping to get to the diamond this sunday so give me a shout if you are heading there

In reply to JimmyKay: Nice work on the E4 and 5! Pembroke is breathtaking, not for the view but the sheer volume of climbing concentrated in an area. I need to get back there when I'm a bit stronger, as I had my arse whupped a bit at St Govans on the starts - fine once established but getting off the ground was tough.

Enjoy Croatia fella.

In reply to mattrm:

Cheers buddy.


Goals:

Get weight back down to around 142 lbs: Currently 145 ish

STG:
The Undercut (Churnet, 6C+/7A)
Old Sloper Problem (Churnet, 7A)
Alternative 3 SS (Churnet, pretty high roof finish, 6C)

MTG (by spring 2014):
10 x 7A

This Week:

M: Work + Work
T: Pushups, situps, pullups // Work + more work
W: Work + Work
T: 1hr bouldering session at Ousel Dale, Churnet
F: Work
S: Day off doing nothing (tired from work)
S: Work

A bit of a crappy week due to work commitments but I did manage to get in a strength session and one good bouldering session. Hoping next week will be an improvement upon this.

In reply to JimmyKay: Good going on the trad! Sounds like you packed enough into that weekend in Pembroke to be worth an entire week...

In reply to JimmyKay:

Effort on the E4 & E5 buddy!

In reply to grubes:
also anyone got some hartley hare beta?
for the crux I am hand heal matching in the jug then rh to the a flatede but I lose tension when I release the heal to swap to a smear.

In reply to mattrm: baboo baboo. .easy 8a. . looks fantastic. .supposed to be cruxy .

any top tips greatly appreciated. . feel mega excited about another project . . whatever it ends up being

In reply to annak:


Blimey! What an awesome second HVS. This has been on my dream list for a while now and a friend of mine lead it the other week. Based on his description...


...definitely.

Congrats!

In reply to mattrm:

I'm so impressed with the psyche in this thread, week by week, it's huge! So many people are smashing their goals in great style.

I'm working too much at the moment, I know it's a problem, and it's hindering both my climbing and happiness. I have a full time job plus extra freelance work which is taking over my life. I feel like I have to make some changes here so that I can get back to enjoying my free time again.

Anyway I just wanted to say massive congrats to everyone on here working towards your goals, it's great to see and I can feel the excitement and buzz when one gets ticked! It's inspiring.

So here's to getting back to it and knowing that although bills have to be paid, there is more to life than work.

In reply to JimmyKay:

Glad to hear you like my local climbing area so much. I think the trad is a lot better, but if you're travelling from outside Wales to the Gower for trad, then you're much better off going another hour on to Pembroke. So unless you've totally climbed Pembroke out, the Gower isn't amazing. I've seen several keen locals saying how wonderful the Gower is for climbing and I have to say, I've always been a bit sceptical about that.

I would agree with you, the only people it's good for are locals and folks on holiday with their family who want a bit of easy trad or some bouldering on the beach. The trad is probably a lot better than the sport, as all the nice cliffs are good for trad and have been done in that style. Most of the sport is either crap trad cliffs that have been retrobolted or quarries. Or sea level cliffs which don't have top outs, so can't really be trad climbed. I've not actually bothered with Gower sport tho, if I'm going to the Gower, I'd rather do trad.

I'm very glad that it's only an hour away from me tho, it's a lovely area. And I do like the area, it is good, just not as amazing as Pembroke is.

PPG - I'm sure the 8a will go quicker this time round. Are you going to consolidate on some 7cs now?

In reply to pork pie girl:

Yes - very cruxy. Font 7A? section through the overlap? Then a droppable move on the headwall.

Some have questioned it being 8a, but I'm more than happy to take the tick. I remember a chat with Stu Littlefair; we both agreed that Baboo had the hardest moves out of it, Zoolook and GBH. Make of that what you will...

Baboo shares the start with New Dawn. So why not get that ticked (you know how to climb the bulge in common with Mescalito) and see if you want to persevere with Baboo?

In reply to mattrm: not sure what i'll di for sure yet..it'll have to be something thst keeps me motivated. don't expect the next grade to come quickly unfortunately..will try diffrent routes for a bit until i find something i really like

In reply to C Chestwig; Treacherous climber: reckon i'll find it very very difficult. . but i'll see if it's something that i enjoy. . bouldery cruxes kick my backside!

In reply to mattrm:

Any of you gals'n'guys got any recommendations for a first HVS at Pembroke? Currently looking at Frontline at St Govans or Bludgeon at Stennis Head.

In reply to mattrm: Not done Frontline but had a nose at it before doing Bomb Bay as my first VS just round the corner. I seem to remember the start looking a bit strong, like most of St Govans to be fair! After that it looks steady bridging. Go for it!

In reply to stevemarkperry: I know your pain with work - mine can be all consuming and then quiet for a while but when it's busy, like now, it really puts my climbing etc on the back foot. Just keep thinking, when the work/life situation gets it's balance, all the times you've put in effort now will pay you back threefold.

Setting goals to aim for for keeps me ticking along...

In reply to mattrm:
STG: Get outside.
MTG: 6 e-points in August.
LTG(2013): 7a+*1, 7a*4. 34e points(29 to date).
VLTG(2015?): Classic e5 (Positron?, Right Wall?)

Falls: 0(1)
Focus: Lost
Key weaknesses: Spotting sequences. FoF. Committing to blind moves.

Mon: Nothing.
Tue: Nothing.
Wed: Nothing.
Thu: Arc. 4x4. Repeaters.
Fri: Nothing.
Sat: Nothing.
Sun: Nothing.

Thursday was a shock. For the last 3 or 4 weeks I've noticed I can tick over without losing much fitness. But Thursday showed me I've lost a lot & this week has confirmed this (what used to be easy is now desperate). I've got a lot of excuses in the bag....but the upshot is I'll probably remain lazy for at least another two weeks. Hopefully by then I'll find well protected diffs give me an exciting challenge & just getting up to switch the TV off should give me enough of a fitness boost to progress me to the next level. I'm almost too lazy to post at the moment!

In reply to mattrm:

Thankyou mattrm,


Missed last week as it got round to this time of the week and by then I was already on the road trip.

A bit of self gratification this post really, last week was a poor post any way as I was work heavy and climbing light. Still haven't used the new beast maker, and wont this week either. Still work heavy.
For those with similar troubles re training, I don't seem to have lost too much from a lack of it. Then again, what gains would I have made if I had been hitting it hard? Train to climb, not climb to train....

A potted version for those without the will to read my essay:
Old man of hoy, old man of Stoer, equal best sport OS, raised trad grade for first time in 15 years. Oh, and had an excellent time.

Anyway, the road trip - scotland. dear diary I fear. Weather did us proud.

Left weds afternoon (london), 3pm thurs afternoon we (3) were stood at the bottom of the old man of hoy, finally. I led most of the pitches (Original route). For the record it is an adventure, complete with "gull oil", sandy rock, and wooden chocks, old tat etc route. But still a superb adventure with quite a lot of character. Climbed, abseiled, descent path ascended (no where near as dangerous as some say) and packed up by 9.30pm. TICK! been an ambition goal for a couple of years.

Time in hand - bonus! and during the days rest Fri, we went to Stoer, which on Saturday we did 2 routes on. The VS and the E1 (Diamond face) after a swim and set up the Tyrolean. The climbing itself is superior on Stoer to the old man due to the better quality rock. The E1 can be done in one pitch with 60's.
TICK! TICK! a bit more of a subsidiary goal, but very enjoyable. I'd recommend this as a day out.
Then traveled south

Sunday we went sport climbing at Camel crag (conglomerate)near inverness. Which was 3* excellent pebble, rock, stone, potato pulling. Onsight 7a+. Which equals my best OS grade. I think that's 4 or 5 at that grade now OS. Maybe need to tie into more 7b's..... Then drove to the Peak.

Monday - Stoney middleton. First time ever. What a great crag! polish, really?! Not that much I thought, then I do like sport lime & only did 3 routes... Anyway, the 3 of us spent all afternoon on 8 meters of rock taking on lead falls at our trad head limits. For those at the same level in trad - I see above that Kaiser/Kangaroo wall has been mentioned, Si, AJM, Ali?!, etc. Go and do Bitterfingers. This was my first proper english trad E4 clean lead (and first I have seriously tied in to). TICK! TICK! TICK! Should have OS but a foot popped and I barn doored off. Without spoiling I hope: It is safe, has good gear as and when needed and felt about sport 6b+/very soft 6c.
I also did dead banana crack - well something with a like name - tough little E1, excellent climb though. Not a recommended first E1, but for those consolidating, it is loads of fun, and safe as long as you're careful to place good gear at the start.
Froth was great too, I felt it took you places that some VS's come short on. I think it'd be worth the trip to Stoney to lead this if you're VS/HVS climber.

Anyway, enough blithering on from me!

Rough goals:
STG: Use new BM & climb indoors a once a week.
MTG/STG: Continue with trad, Lundy in early Sept. get on some sport.
LTG Pull finger out and get 7c done, move onto 8a. Trad - more E4, build on E2/3 so E2 becomes normal. I'm using E1 on longer routes/lime as a warm up grade now, its just adjusting the heads expectations and getting the meters in.

Thanks,

Kev.

In reply to Kevster:

Not a bad week i guess.......

You certainly need to get on more than 7b if you're onsighting 7a+ and wanting to get 8a.

Great week and a good read.

In reply to Kevster:

What a good account of your Old Man of Hoy adventure!

In reply to biscuit:
Yeah, i know Andy. Getting on it is the issue. i think I am infecting minds around me for winter sport.

mbh, thanks. Hoy and Scotland was inspiring. more routes and venues. Getting swamped by hope and ambition. Would love to go west coast & to pabbay/Mingulay, but then I think it'll be Cornwall next year.

Anyone been to Sicily?

In reply to mattrm:
did not get on it my self but got told army dreamers was straight forward and good
http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=24756

sunset boulevard http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=24630 is also meant to be okay and if your not feeling it you can escape onto the HS up the arete http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=24629 (bold)

In reply to mrchewy:

Very true, one day hopefully I'll have more free time with less restrictions! I'm managing to make the most of this quiet week after completing a project a little earlier than planned.

In reply to grubes:

Not a big fan of slabs, so probably give Sunset Boulevard a miss. Had looked at Army Dreamers, but I'd probably rather stick with something I can bridge up. Hence Front Line. I'll have a good look at Army Dreamers tho.

Kevster - sounds excellent!

Oh and well done to AJM for tickage (it's been posted on last week's thread for some reason).

In reply to mattrm:

It was an amazing example of grinding a route down through sheer determination - and a hell of a lot of effort and skill of course.

I think it ended up there as Shark was replying to a specific comment that was on last week's thread.

In reply to biscuit:

Ahhh ok. 12 sessions isn't stupidly long is it? That 8a'll come down soon enough I reckon.

In reply to biscuit:

This made me so confused until I went back and opened the previous weeks thread!

Cheers guys - shark too since I know he's lurking...

12 redpoints over 7 sessions, although the time actually on route varied considerably from session to session. Probably longest spent on a route to date, although I think very similar to both my remaining projects, Ames Low and Right Hand Man, which i think are both on about 6-7 sessions and counting. Very pleased to have consolidated (in as far as a second route at the grade can be called consolidation, but I'm sure you all know what I mean!) my top redpoint grade on a route well off home turf in a completely different style. More detail next week...

In reply to grubes:

Just a quick buymp incase I end up here this weekend

In reply to AJM:
well done mate

In reply to mattrm:
sorry i don't understand this phrase

In reply to grubes:
Hi Grubes, I cant remmber too.much about hartley hare but I do distinctly remember, somewhere around the two small crimps you have to match, getting a right foot drop-knee in the side of the small tufa. See if this helps.
Si

In reply to grubes: I'm glad someone picked Matt up on that! He'll be saying he doesn't like big runouts next.

In reply to grubes:

Cheers!

Afraid that whilst I did HH years ago I can't remember any of my beta for what I did do, although since I know I didn't hand-heel match on it at any point it probably wouldn't have been much use to you anyway. Best of luck though!

In reply to mrchewy:

Errrr, well I don't! Bit of gear at my feet and a bit of gear above my head and I'm a happy chappy. I did quite like slabs when I started climbing, then I started to do harder ones and they all just felt really insecure so I've rather gone off them. I tend to like feature climbs the best, eg climbing an arete or a chimney or a nice corner. Not a massive fan of out and out face/wall routes either.

I'm not saying I won't do that route (just to get used to them and be well rounded) but certainly not as a first HVS.

Was reading the guidebook last night and I'm increasingly drawn to Stennis Head. I'm also liking the comments about Bludgeon:

"Easy HVS but great position and nice moves." and "Excellent route on good holds with good gear."

Yeah, it takes the adventure away somewhat, but at the mo, it's all about keeping the confidence high.

In reply to AJM:

IMHO doing "The Ashes" is a much bigger deal than Right-hand Man. Talk to anyone who knows British sport climbing and they'll recognise it as a classic route and as a stand-out achievement.

For what it's worth, I don't think there's an awful lot between the two routes grade-wise; I'm sure Right-hand Man tick won't be long in coming.

In reply to mattrm: It does seem to be going away fairly quickly (especially with the inhaler) once I stop. Slowing down doesn't seem to make much difference though Had to cut a run short the other day cos I was struggling..... right pain in the arse! Going to invest in a decent vacuum and wait until after Italy when pollen should definitely have gone, then go see the doc again if I'm still bad.

Unfortunately moving house isn't really an option, it is rented so we could be out of there next month, but we managed to find a fully furnished place for a sensible price which probably wouldn't happen again. My boyfriend's visa is up next June so realistically we're only going to be around for another 9 months; furnishing a house from scratch (we literally own a bookcase and a rug!) for this time period just doesn't seem feasible.

Thanks for all the tips

In reply to mattrm: FWIW, I have no idea about Pembroke but would NOT recommend Isis at the Gower as a first HVS... it was mine (AFTER climbing E1) and I found it brutal despite being described as low in the grade......

In reply to maria85:

You might have to slow down to a very slow walk. Should have made that clearer.

I don't know if they've given you steriod inhalers, but they are really very good in my experience. I'm just to lazy/stupid to take them properly.

If you are prone to it, then the vacuum (and maybe dehumidifier and air purifiers) are good investments. If you're moving in 9 months, then when you do find a new place, you'll know to look for non-furnished and wooden / tiled / lino floors. I guess it depends how much money you have and how much you want to fix the issue.

Isis? I've actually seconded that. Personally found it quite reasonable. But I've climbed at that crag a lot, so I'm used to the style there I guess. It was on my list as a first HVS, but now that I'm going to Pembroke at the weekend, it won't be. I will be trying to get on it soon tho. What did you find hard about it? IIRC, there was a small flake at the start as a layback, then a nice corner which you can bridge up. Then the traverse and the overhang. And the overhang is much nicer than the Osiris overhang as I remember. Big holds, just a bit more strenuous.

In reply to mattrm: At Pemroke, there's that HVS I got wiped out by a wave on - Sunny Corner. It's got a damp crack chimney start, then an amazing traverse (choice of using undercuts for hands or slopers higher and finishes up some real easy ground. It really is a cracking route but I guess a lot would depend on how you feel about genuinely exposed traverses. I really enjoy them, it's the chimneys I feel 'fragile' in but if you like them then you'd be feeling good on the hardest bit.
Top route though. I think it's at Bosherton Head.

Here's a pic from after the traverse but I'm not belaying where you're supposed to. That was meant to be down at the bottom of the crack/chimney but the waves wiped me out three times. It all went a bit wrong long before that to be honest but it's a mint climb.

In reply to mattrm: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152810928110581&l=f1c0764ce8

In reply to mattrm: The only inhaler I have is the blue ventolin one. Are the steroid ones the brown ones? Will definitely be taking house choices more seriously in the future... seeing as I'll probably be moving continents again within the next 18 months though I'm really keen to not accumulate a house full of furniture at the moment and financially it would be hard to.

Isis - it was years ago (2008 I think) but I remember the corner being really strenuous and difficult to get gear in. I seconded the traverse pitch and remember finding that tricky also. I was climbing on trad limestone a lot at the time though so probably was a little freaked out by the length and strenuousness of it.

In reply to maria85: I should say, climbing a lot on 6m high Yorkshire limestone...

In reply to mattrm:

Hey Matt,

You're spoiled for choice when it comes to HVS in Pembroke - Well pretty much any grade. Climbs that I've done and I know are good are:

Army Dreamers - Absolutely amazing jug pulling fun. Great big holds and bomber protection. Polished like glass in places but you've got to expect it on such a classic in such a venue.
Riders on the Storm - Again brilliant climbing fun. More big holds and bomber gear. Easy to screw up the ropes and get yourself into a mess. Possible to do in two pitches if you seriously balls it up though. Super classic.
The Hole - After the the first move it's great. Just the one hard move and then it's all good holds and bomber gear (two huuuge natural threads ) Proper HVS style climbing.
Frontline - Very good. Think we also did the E1 variant which was much harder. Good moves and good gear but not as good as the other 3 I've already mentioned.
The Great Valerio - Don't do it. You might kill your second.

Friend did Sunny Corner on a recent trip. Sounded like pure HVS fun. The abseil in took them an hour... But it is what Pembroke is about after all. Sea cliff adventures. He said it was great fun and varied from top to bottom but was safe all the way. Make sure your second is OK with not being able to hear you when you are sat belaying at the top though!


So my 2pence - Get on Sunny Corner or Riders on the Storm for your proper Pembroke HVS experience. Think of the booming sea crashing below your feet, gripping onto your cams as you try and place them hoping not to accidentally drop one into the abyss. The Govans climbs are good but they're not epic!

In reply to mattrm:

Nice work Andy!! How long have you got until the birthday deadline?

In reply to AJM:

Top effort pal!

In reply to Luke Owens:

What a great week for FC eh?!

Dan Heath is out in Europe no doubt crushing everything he touches.

In reply to JimmyKay:

While we're on a Pembroke theme, anoyone have good suggestions at E1 or E2?

In reply to Nomics4sale:

I've done and enjoyed a bunch of the obvious classics, rock idol obviously and arrow and stuff, but wishful thinking at the castle is one of the perhaps less frequented ones I really enjoyed, awesome positions and good climbing.

In reply to mattrm:

If bludgeon is the one up the groove a bit left of manzoku I remember a few awkward moves but don't remember much else. Or is it the one round the other side, in which case I have no idea!

In reply to the chestwig:

Ally it's very poor form to try and downgrade RHM before I've even done it :p

Very chuffed with ashes though and I do know what you mean - national classic versus local testpiece.

In reply to others:

Cheers guys!

In reply to JimmyKay:

About 6 months, just over - start of March.

In reply to Nomics4sale:

Beta Alert


Clean Hand Blues Band - Great for photo's. A bit polished but loads of good gear. Hard E1/Easy E2.
Ricochet - Disjointed. The lower half is really easy. There is one crux move at the top which is a bit hard. I know a few strong climbers who fell off it.
Surprise Attack - Really really good. One hard move off the second belay ledge but jugs a plenty after that.
Manzoku/Cool for Cats - Finger jugs all the way up with bomber gear. Apparently there is an awkward move lower down to get established but I thought they were both straight forward without any defining crux moves.
Depraved - Very hard start up the crack. Bomber gear but I thought the moves were hard for E2. Decent climbing after that. Not as good as Deranged which is easier.
War Games - Pleasant climbing up good holds with good gear. Less awkward to place gear than the Arrow.
The Arrow - Obvious classic. Great holds and good gear. You just need to mind the barn door action when placing it. Mind the polish!!
Shape-up - Easiest climb out of the leap. Doesn't matter if the climbing is average - you get to climb out of the leap!


Beyond the Azimuth - Really good line with great protected climbing.
Sinecure - Soft touch E1 with very good gear. Moves are straight forward enough.
Straight Gate - Harder than Rock Idol. Just as well protected. Don't get pumped placing it.
Rock Idol - Doesn't need an introduction. Don't hang around!

In reply to JimmyKay and AJM:

That's just brilliant, thank you! Not going for couple of weeks but good to have that already.

Well done you two (and everyone else, Luke, Kevster etc) on your recent routes, awesome and inspring. Luke, you're going through the grades really quickly, 7c won't take long.

In reply to AJM:

A whole 6 months?!? Maybe you should make 8b your target!

In reply to Nomics4sale:

Cheers! Everything feels like a bonus this year after setting myself the 2013 goal of 7b...

I'll have a 7c in the bag before the end of the year!

In reply to Luke Owens:


Up the 'bren this evening if you're free?

In reply to AJM: f*cking excellent!

In reply to Nomics4sale:

If you're going well then my only E3 to date in Pembroke was Mysteries which is a great line in a cool position; the crux is the bottom section and you can up and down a bit to place gear higher and higher up the groove until you're ready to go to the niche, at which point apart from about 2-3 moves on the second pitch its basically HVS. Disjointed, for sure, but as a line and a position I thought it was worth overlooking that fact, and its always been considered low in the grade.

In reply to JimmyKay:

Might need to up my boulder strength a bit first, especially for uk ones

Saw someone on Statement today which is on that "one day" list, looks cool.

For my remaining time in the uk before the roadtrip starts I'm going to be tilting for
- Right Hand Man
- Doing some bouldering to try and go out to Europe as strong as possible.
- If time permits I'd also like to consolidate some more long Ashes-esque 7c/+ sort of things (some of the sunset/spacehunter stuff at Cheddar say, maybe something on the Diamond, something longish at wallsend perhaps) because I think working that long beefy climbing style will again reap benefits
- Work on the longer boulder link at Huntsham once Ames Low goes down (7B+ apparently but given it'll be 25 moves or so in reality some sort of French grade most appropriate)

Andy

In reply to AJM:

Oh, and some trad too, although I felt a little out of practice on Wednesday.