Worrying?

Today is Wednesday, the last time I climbed was Monday 6th June, 9 days ago. Absolutely shocking!
My psyche has been unbelievably low since returning from Switzerland.

The last time I was at the cave was the 27th April, I cant even tell you how long ago that was. Too long?

I blame girls and having to sort my life out.

Anyway, Saturday 11 June I did the Rocfest comp at the Rockover in Manchester. Before the comp I had 2 sessions within the space of 2 weeks so was fighting fit and feeling really strong, not.

However, I was psyched which was quite surprising. 30 qualifying problems then the final, shouldnt be too much of a problem I thought. I went off ticking off all the easy/medium problems apart from one which I dropped like a punter but ah well. After trying not to overheat in the 45 degree greenhouse conditions of the Rockover I moved onto some of the harder problems. Even managing to flash one which Nige Callander didnt, must of been reachy ;) On the whole the day went well, I scored 251 points out of a possible 300 with 287 being the highest score, courtesy of Dan Varian. I placed 11th beating people I didnt ever expect to beat, one of which is on the British Bouldering Team. Good day on the whole!

No more comps for a while and no plans, hopefully gunna spend an hour or two at the wall tonight before going on a 2 day RAF training camp tomorrow.

Peace out y`all

ASBO!

Friday was the day of the ASBO 2011 at Climb Newcastle.

I was psyched out of my tiny little mind and headed up there in White Beauty of course with Mr Hession, Ged and co in the Renault. We were all raring to go.

Team Hangar turned up with 3 hours of qualification left, 35 problems in 3 hours. Pretty simple eh? I warmed up flashing about 15 problems then slowed down so I wouldnt make too many mistakes. 20 problems left, I usually always climb alone in comps due to the fact that I can stay psyched and not get distracted by anybody else. A tricky mantle was the first problem to spit me off, I had one more go and still had not managed two hands on the finishing jug. I walked away, did 3 problems then returned and just about got to the top earning myself a respectful 4 points which gave me a position in the final. The only problem I didnt manage was in the Pool Area, a few slopers and a poor crimp were not to my liking. I think the problem had only seen 2 or 3 ascents in the whole day so i werent too fussed.

Qualification over, 334 points out of a possible 350. Not too bad, joint 5th position with Groundskeeper Ged for the final.

9pm, the finals were here. Ged was out first and I have to admit I werent feeling too psyched. 4 mins on 3 problems with a decent chunk of rest. Surely it couldnt be that bad?

Ged came back looking a bit surprised and I werent expecting to do well on Problem 1 as it was a mantle and well, yeah Ged can mantle so I had no chance. My 4 minutes were up in no time as i failed to catch the two green volumes after the first tricky section. Oh well, bring on Problem 2.

Problem 2 involved the most delightful drop down campus move to a huge sloper I have ever encountered in climbing. It was brilliant, get your foot on the screw-on and lock the left arm down to a small right hand crimp, which was also the bonus hold. Fail! I couldnt manage to hold the bonus hold which was unfortunate but I got pretty close which was a fairly good effort for me after all the climbing i had done by now.

Now then, problem 3. What could it be? A dyno of course, and what a dyno it was. Dyno out of the groove onto a sloper above the roof and catch a toe hook under the roof. A few warm up goes and I had done the dyno, psyched! Now a crimpy/slopey lip traverse with a huge foothold which moves about. Sounds easy enough, this go I managed to get the bonus hold as my right hand ripped off the crimp due to the humidity of a greenhouse in the wall. Time to nail it, through to the bonus hold for me again. I got to the surprisingly good holds above the bonus. One more blind slap to a screw on attached to the volume and I should be matching the finishing jug, right? Wrong, I missed the screw on first time around then managed to not catch it properly the second time I threw up for it. I hit the mats to find out I had 2 seconds left on the clock, Ah well! What a great problem that was!

I ended up finishing in 5th place just in front of Ged. Not too bad for my first bouldering comp in a while. Bring on the Beastmaker!

http://events.climbnewcastle.com/asbo.html

Well well well!

Its been a while!

Well, since arriving back from Switzerland climbing properly has been put off a little due to working quite alot, setting at the wall for the big comp etc. My psyche is slowly returning and i am quite keen to get training and on some new hard problems.

I have been to the infamous cave twice recently, trying The Wire 8A+ which links Lou Ferrino into Broken Heart. Having climbed both these problems before I thought it would be a good problem to try as most of the other link ups are either too hard or I have already spent alot of time on them and dont have much psyche to get involved. The two sessions I have had have went particularly well considering the grade of the problem, I have relearnt Broken Heart and done all the moves which connect the two problems together. Psyched to nail this one, first 8A+ maybe?

This Friday is also the ASBO 2011 competition at Climb Newcastle. Heading to this with a team of weak scousers and Ged to see how we get on! Looking forward to this as I have not been on the comp scene for a while and am interested in how i get on.

Will post back with some results, take it easy y`all!

Day 13: Easy day.

If you hadnt already guessed due to me not posting about the final day not much happened.

Did some easy climbs, upto 7A at Chironico due to still not feeling 100%. At this point I was psyched to get home and make a recovery. Which I have done now thankfully.

Switzerland opened my eyes and made me realise I am not as strong as I would like to be and that I am slightly underachieving so its time to start training for me whilst all this bad, hot weather is here sweating up the crags.

Day 11 and 12: Failure!

Im blogging these days as the same because I have achieved absolutely nothing. Its pathetic.

The sun stroke I thought I had has still not left my weak, destroyed body leading me to believe that it may not be sun stroke. Tomorrow is the last day we have here, it is forecast rain and I still dont feel 100 percent and havent achieved my goal. Who knows what will happen.

Im in a dark place at the moment but on the up side, cookies and ice cream for dessert. Nice!

Day 10: 3 days left!

Today was another rest day, well needed by everyone after destroying ourselves on many boulders!

3 days more climbing on the trip, I guess its time to go all out and try to get something ticked before we leave. The temps have dropped quite alot today, also had some rain which is good! Chironico is the plan for tomorrow, hopefully gunna have a go at Arete with a Pocket 7C+. Possibly a few other 7C/C+`s.

The goal for the trip was 3-5 7C/C+`s. So far ive managed one 7C and one 7C+ so one more and I would be more than happy.

Lets see how it goes! Later beasts!

Day 9: Finally!

Well well well!

Monday came and I was feeling rather rough after the previous 2 days on at Magic Wood! I had planned to rest and wasted no time having a sleep on my pad at Schattental whilst everyone else warmed up and got psyched.

Rich had been here a few days before and recommended the problem Powerstrips 7C which he managed to flash. I dug deep, put my shoes on and got involved after a 5+ slab warm up. I was feeling motivated, the problem looked brilliant, the holds were positive and conditions were fairly good. I pulled on, slapped the jug, wrapped my left toe on and got through the crux quite steadily. A tricky top out to finish and I had flashed it too. My second 7C flash, quite psyched for that. Maybe it was soft, who knows?

Day 8: Destruction!

What a day! Magic wood again, failure again, weakness yet again.

A quick nap next to the river for an hour and a rest day previously, I thought I would have a fairly strong day. This werent the case, a quick warm up was done then I jumped on Man Of Cow 7C again. I pulled on and got into the crux nice and steadily, dug my left foot in and went for the cross over. I fired off and had a hole in my fingertip, operation tape up begun and I pulled back on. Feeling good and confident again I pulled on and managed to fall off the same move 6 times. I was agonisingly close but gave up due to my left bicep feeling like it was gunna explode off the bone.

I put the bicep injury down to an insufficient warm up which is something I dont usually do! Its feeling pretty tender and really painful at the moment but hopefully it will sort itself out and I can attempt to climb either tomorrow or the next day.

5 days left, hopefully its time to achieve!

Day 7: Rest Day!

Rest,rest,rest! Its all I ever seem to need on this trip, quite unusual as i regularly climb for upto 7 days at a time before resting!

Were staying just outside of Bellinzona and its 30 degrees in the shade, probably 35 in the direct sun! Far too hot to climb, hopefully it will cool down so we dont have to drive to Magic Wood each day and can sample some of the climbing closer to home!

If its still really hot tomorrow i guess we will go to Magic, if not i would love to check out Brione but who knows yet!

Take it easy geezers!

Day 6: More Magic Wood!

Team McShane heard about conditions and temps at Magic Wood and were totally psyched. Day 2 at Magic Wood it was!

We got up there, i was feeling tired and not too psyched! I dug deep and found the will to put on my shoes and get warmed up. Some nice easy problems next to the river were exactly what i needed. I then tried 2 7A dynos and got totally shut down, I just cant jump outdoors anymore which is a shame. Probably a good thing, dont wanna break an ankle on a trip!

I walked upto Octopussy 8A, Rich persuaded me to have a go which was a bad idea. I got shut down and lost alot of psyche! Man Of Cow 7C, came back into my mind so i thought id go give that one more go and hopefully get it done. The crux felt alot better and i was getting more purchase off the gaston into the sidepull but i couldnt quite manage it so yet again moved on.

A flash of Schrotti 7B, lifted my spirits then i did another 7B second go, Hageltrauma. I should of flashed this one but i had a foot pop after getting through the crux. Oh well!

I was done climbing for the day at this point as I felt destroyed and needed a rest day.

Day 5: Magic Wood!

How perfect! We headed out of Ticino in 28 degree heat to Magic Wood where the lakes were still frozen and there was snow under some of the problems. The rock was cool, the air was cool and conditions were perfect compared to Cresciano and Chironico.

We warmed up on some nice arete and crimpy wall climb then I flashed Scrubs 7A. Further up the hill we ventured to try Man Of Cow 7C. Rich had tried it before so gave me all the beta, pulled on and managed to fall off the crux crossing over off a bit of a poor gaston. I fell off this move 5 times then decided to give up and come back for it.

10 more minutes of walking uphill and we came across Fiegen Erlaubt 7B. Apparently it was basic, powerful moves on big holds with a spicy green topout. Sounded fun! I managed to flash this one and even campus one of the moves. Definitely no extra style points for wasting energy there!

It was getting on a bit now and our arms were becoming weaker and weaker, apart from Rich`s as he had been saving himself for Cote du Seshuan 7C+ on the Bruno boulder down by the river. This was the best looking boulder i had ever seen, totally world class with 6 or 7 amazing looking lines ranging from 7B+ to 8B+. Richie managed to climb the 7C+ in about 20 minutes after working out all the moves then he suggested i tried The Never Ending Story 8A. I would absolutely love to climb this and wasted no time in getting stuck in. The first move is probably the hardest, a huge throw off a juggy pinch on a weird angle to a 1 pad crimp. After this is another really hard move, i didnt actually manage this move at the time but was either really close to all the others or did the move so alot more work is needed to be able to get this problem. For me 8A is really hard at the moment, especially on a trip where conditions may not be perfect, skin isnt the best and you have had a few days on at other venues. Ive also not climbed a proper bloc 8A, only long link ups in the cave. So if i was to climb it i could probably say it was my first proper 8A. Unfortunately i dont think ill climb it on this trip but definitely psyched to get stronger, come back at some point and see how i get on.

Day 4: Rest Day

After three days on a rest day was well and truly deserved so i had a lie in and did nothing whatsoever!

Tomorrow we are gunna head to Magic Wood as its a lot more shaded and far too hot in Ticino at the moment! So psyched, gunna pull my finger out and try to climb something!

Day 3: More punting

Yesterday we headed upto Chironico as we had not been before and it was meant to be alot cooler due to it being higher up in the valley.

Warmed up doing some nice traverses and a few small dynos then jumped on Vitruvian Man 7C. Managed to get through all the moves until the crux which is a big slap to the lip. Quite tricky for 7C i thought, one to go back for.

My skin lasted about half an hour so i stopped climbing as it was my third day on and i didnt want to bleed, not just yet anyway.

Day 2: Punter!

An early start today, and an epic walk upto Cresciano for the second time!

Started off really cool with a 5 minute rain shower which was good for the psyche! Less heat = easier rock climbs. This was not the case unfortunately, ran about doing warm ups then got shut down on Franks Wild Years 8A+ with Rich 'Christianoff` Hession. We liked the look of XP 7C so went to try and destroy it. Yet again we failed, the desperate pull on with shit smears was not what i was expecting. I jibbed it off and Rich crushed it an hour later after looking at some other problems.

I called it a day due to Chironico being the venue for tomorrow. Not been to Chironico yet so looking forward to that. Looks like alot more do-able problems there, for me anyway! Could be a good day, hopefully the sun will hide behind the clouds and it will be nice and cool!

Its beer o clock, peace out!

Swizzy Day 1: Grotte des Soupirs!

A late entrance to the magical land after 16 hours of driving was not the best but definitely worth it for 2 weeks worth of climbing!

A lazy day in the 26 degree heat was what we needed, we then headed upto Cresciano later on when it was a bit cooler. We pottered about for half an hour then got involved crushing the amazing roof problem, Grotte des Soupirs 7C+ in about 25 minutes! Psyched for that one!

The rest of the crushers are turning up late this evening then more crushing tomorrow in the heat hopefully! Not sure of a venue yet but im sure it will be superb wherever we go!

5 days!

As it says in the title! 5 days until we set off for Switzerland, psyched!

Not been away climbing since October 2010 so looking forward to it! World class problems on incredible rock. What more could you ask for? Feeling pretty strong at the moment, having done a fair bit of training and plenty of days out on the rock.

One more day out on Tuesday with members of Team Merseyside (venue not yet confirmed) then a beastmaker/campus session on wednesday, followed by 4 days rest and crushing in the magical land hopefully on sunday.

I was also 18 today, happy birthday me! I guess its all downhill from here so im looking forward to that ;)

Ciao for now!

22nd March!

Ended up jibbing trowbarrow today and went to the cave of justice. The weather was amazing, perfect day to be stuck in the cave eh?

Met up with the geezers at the hangar, jay, dave and dazza the beast! After a quick warm-up i managed to get shutdown on pretty much everything i pulled onto which was slightly unfortunate. In the end i managed to climb Clever Cleaver from the Clever Beaver Low Start. Apparently 7C, but a soft one i guess! It definitely felt it with the awful sequence i was using!

After a couple of hours in the cave we headed to Pill Box. I was psyched once again to see the tiny edges the Gaskins destroyed on the fine afternoon in Llandudno with the Mrs back in the day! I had never climbed at Pill Box so was quite looking forward to it. With shit skin and fatigued arms I scraped my way up Pill Box Original and Last Orders. Both brilliant 7A`s. Got shutdown on two absolute sandbag 7B`s then headed back to scouseville in order to rest for a Trowbarrow/Woodwell combo tomorrow!

If anything gets climbed ill be amazed. 11 days until swizzy, psyched!

Blogtime!

Now then,

After months of heckling fellow rock scalers for using their spare time to write things on the internet about climbing i finally decided to jump on the band wagon!

This year, 2011 is the year which i have been climbing for 13 years! Seems like a lifetime, to celebrate i suppose im off to Switzerland for 2 weeks on the 2nd April. A combo of Cresciano, Chironico and maybe Brione are on the cards and i could not be more psyched! Hopefully there will be wifi somewhere close to us in Swizzy and this blog may come in handy on rest days and to report failure, possibly success but i doubt it.

Anyway, its late and im tired! Trowbarrow tuesday if its dry, undecided for wednesdays venue so far! Then party on at the weekend for my 18th Birthday. Nice!