In reply to Dandan:
I'll get this out while it's still fresh, we definitely slowed down a little in the second week of the holiday, partially due to the abrupt change in weather meaning most days became a sun-dodging exercise more than ticking every route in sight, and partially for me because my elbows were starting to show the strain.
M: We got hold of some scooters to range a little further afield, we didn't have to go far before finding Arhi, a beautifully situated crag just around the headland from Massouri, nestled in the side of an inlet that ended in a beach and the small town of Arginonta, really picturesque stuff.
I wanted to give my elbows a bit of downtime so I only climbed one 6b and spent a lot of time encouraging my wife on some really nice mid-6's. The reason I was there was to eye up
Angelika (8a) 8a, which really didn't disappoint.
T: Back to Arhi with fresh elbows, warmed up on some fab long 6a/b's, then went straight for the big guns, time to have a go at Angelica.
I'd watched a super lean guy wobble up the start and work the moves bolt to bolt through the lower section the day before, I was worried as he looked strong but made it look pretty hard and there is a lot more route before the chains (It's short for Kaly at 22m but does overhang 20-30 degrees the whole way)
As soon as I pulled on the route I was surprised and very pleased to find the holds much nicer than they looked from the floor! Goes to show you can sandbag yourself when watching others!
The first open, sloping ledge had a really positive edge to it, the thin looking slotted rail was a pair of finger jugs, the rubber-coated footholds were better than expected, it went on like that.
I did every move on the route on that first go, and not in isolation either, every move was done with at least one move preceding and following it. The crux for me was a set of thin crimps near the top, it's a throw out right to a decent crimp but with a terrible intermediate and bad feet, but I still got through it. All that follows is a distinctly drop-able set of moves up a small tufa to the chains.
Had a rest, had a second go and got over halfway up the route clean! Worked the rest but the wall had come into the sun and everything at the top felt nails. Elbows were starting to make themselves heard by the end.
W: Actual rest day, beach and everything.
T: Up to Odyssey and our first experience of Kalymnian polish! It really is a popular sector and some of the warm up climbs are horrendous. I wanted to go steady as I was savng myself for another visit to Arhi the next day but I was talked into going up
Dionysos (7a) 7a to retrieve the draws that my wife couldn't strip after seconding. I flashed it comfortably (being able to comfortably get up 7a/+ with regularity is still a great feeling) but my elbows weren't entirely happy about it.
F: Back to Arhi, some warm up climbs, elbows not entirely happy but being ignored with a healthy dose of Ibuprofen. Back on Angelica and it just felt hard. Every hold felt worse than it had before, every move felt longer and stronger, it was really tough going. Left elbow screaming by the end. I did refine a bit of beta so it wasn't entirely wasted, but no 8a tick for me this holiday
I've noted down my sequence so when I return next year I can get back on it and not spend too much time re-learning the route.
S: Home time, my left elbow actually kept me awake that night, it was throbbing really badly. All the work I have put into injury management has definitely worked, but still not as well as I had hoped. More research required, I might get to my GP and try to get a scan on the elbow, see if I can uncover any more useful info.
S: Mow the meadow that has appeared in the back garden, shop for next week and prepare for a return to boring old work.
So no 8a, but lots of really good ticks and an overall fantastic holiday. I'm going to look into buying a property over there, both as an investment and of course for my own personal use...
I think I have the fitness and strength for the 8a tick, I just need to find a route I can put a little time into and get it done. Looks like a few visits to the Cuttings over the next couple of months to get
Fighting Torque (8a) sorted once and for all, or perhaps try to stretch to Cheddar and put
Right-Hand Man (8a) to bed as I have some history on that one.
I will chill out this week and think about some goals for the future, one of which will be a quick dispatch of angelica next year and the strength to get some 8a+/b ticks while i'm out there.
Holiday stats:
Routes climbed: 60
5's : 4
6's : 42
7a: 5 (all onsight/flash)
7a+: 1 (onsight)
7b: 2 (both onsight!)
7b+: 1 (flash)
7c: 2 (1 flash, one dnf)
7c+: 0
8a: 3 attempts, no ticks