UKC

Recently I’ve been working on some V6 and one V7 problem.  By working I mean not quite sending, but a few of my current projects are very close to getting the tick. 

Headed out today to work on one, weather ensured that wasn’t happening so headed on a whim to another local crag. Started climbing on a few V3’s, got shut down, ran out of tape and left,  both pissed off and a little disheartened. 

Am I alone in this or does anybody else have days like this? 😕😫

That's climbing.

That's bouldering, at least. Sounds like I boulder at a similar grade to you, but I'm not surprised when I don't manage a V3. A whole day of failure is annoying, though 

You get used to it....

Indeed. Good conditions come again, and you do something that is too hard for you by fluke. Then all is right with the world.

Yup. Yesterday I on-sighted a 6c and then got completely shut down on a 6b.

The only grades that have meaning are the ones you surprised yourself by climbing,  all the other ones are horrible sandbags. Think like this and you will almost always be happy with your climbing performance

It starts to grind a little when it's every day. 

And every aspect of your life. 

Sounds like:

- conditions were poor

- skin was sore/wrecked

- you were giving yourself a hard time.

So, is it any wonder you didn't climb your best?

All the time.

I’m convinced grades that grades are all over the place but more commonly some boulders suit me and some just don’t, regardless of the grade (to an extent).  Some will suit you more than others too.  And we all have good and bad days.

Yeap that's climbing. Couldn't get anywhere on a 5c that I was doing as a warm up...

So walked up the 6a next to it to retrieve my gear..

Yup, that’s climbing. I have days like that all the time.
We all have strengths and weaknesses, conditions come into play (rock and skin), and also sometimes we might be under fuelled, dehydrated, or low energy due to a cold or something without realising. 
I’ve bouldered a few 7B+, quite a lot of 7B, and loads of 7A. Sometimes I can climb 7A first go, sometimes it takes a few sessions, depending on all the above. And most relevant to your point in your OP, there are 6Bs that I’m three sessions into  and still not getting anywhere on….. It’s a beautiful thing, this game of climbing. It’s nice to be humbled and reminded of one’s own terminal punterdom. For me at least, the beauty is in the struggle, not the success. 

It is weird as people have said. There's few things to think about. 

Pre-kids I used to sort climb a fair amount and I remember when I was climbing 7b-ish I still struggled on 6cs. When I was climbing 7c-ish I still struggled on 7as. I always thought it was psychological; something to do with thinking I ought to be able to get up something but struggling.

I've never had this with bouldering. My wife and I pretty much just boulder now. We have two kids so time is short and I can't imagine routing with two little ones running riot at the crag.

Anyway, bouldering-wise, I project around 7C to 8A. Below this I am usually pretty confident I can send something in a session. At project level I never assume I will be able to send things easily; I have climbed 8A in a session, I can (and I am currently continuing to) spend several seasons on the same project. Likewise, this summer I went to a new area and took two sessions to end a short powerful 7B.

I never assume I can do something, always approach things with an open mind and above all I attempt to flash every problem I try regardless. Sometimes you get lucky. Mostly you don't. Yesterday I almost flashed a 7B then took seven or eight more attempts to send it. I really enjoyed the process and learned a lot on it. 

For me as a climber I don't feel that I have a right to expect or that it is healthy to think that way either. I do have a self-imposed obligation to try and see what happens.

If I spend all day chipping away at a problem that I've placed value in, just doing one more move means a successful day.

As Dave Mac says, if you get up it too quickly, it's either warm-up or not worth your time.

Also as afx22 says, are you equally as good in all styles? If not then I wouldn't expect to climb all styles at one particular grade. I know guys who have done Rainbow Rocket, f8a in Bleau but suffer on a f6a slab! They still claim they are f8a climbers :0))))

I evaluate myself by my weakest style not the strongest and that removes expectation and allows, for me at least, a more open mind.

Go figure!

Time to dig up the old favourite:

https://despair.com/products/losing

I'm not a great boulderer but there are myriad 5+'s in Yorkshire that not only can I not get off the ground on, I literally can't envisage how they're climbable. I just don't see any holds.

Watching the Mellow guys crushing v16 is all well and good, but I what I want to see footage of is people climbing these "easy" problems and making them look as easy as the grade suggests. 

Such as?

Cracked Wall and Tarn Wall at Guisecliff. Although I could get off the ground on Cracked Wall I couldn't do it but it's only a 4+. Tarn Wall is given 5+ in the guide if I remember correctly. I can get off the ground but there are absolutely no holds after that.

Softly at Crow Crag has no holds, though admittedly that is a 6A+.

WB problem 5 at Lower Huller Stones. I also fell off something that was given a font grade of 1 there. I think the description was "easy". I did slip off but I was expecting it to be a walk with jugs.