[shark]

11.3-6   

M. Depot Evening. Had several goes at the purple 7b circuit but kept pumping out. Dont think I'm in shape for AeroPower protocols yet

T.  Depot. Got further through the hardest bits but pumped maybe 75% way round. Admonished by some random for doing a circuit whilst someone else was on it - the guy wasn't even doing circuits so don't know why he felt compelled to stick his oar in.Probably right but I really hate that aspect of indoor climbing ie prescribed H&S stuff not to mention being told off.  Ian P turned up later and said that the purple 7b was really hard for the grade so a bit more encouraged by that. Did 10x4 on the minute good form pullups and a couple of front levers. to finish.

W.

T. AM. Raven Tor met Conners there. Noticed DOMS in my abs driving out. Blue skies. Tor pretty seepy and cold with no sun. Tried feebly to persuade Conners we should elsewhere but he wasnt biting. Pulled on start of Tin Of 7b+ and realised I had quite painful DOMS in my lats too and forearms a bit tight too. Dogged to top. Next on TR did it in 3 sections. Sun hit crag. After that did it three times clean which was a confidence boost. 

F. PM Rivelin. Met Dolly there. Showed him my beta on Purple Haze 7A+and he made pretty short work of it. I had a few more goes tickling the crimp on the slab. Went over to an unclimbed arete Id found on a previous visit. Found we could do it at Font 5 so limited the holds which Dolly then did at about 6C which I struggled on. Dolly worked on a stricter version and eventually I did the 6C way. Unexpectedly I then managed to do it the strict way and Dolly didn't, and couldn't even when I lent him my Whites. First time I'd out-bouldered him in 33 years. Didn't seem right.     Put in one last effort on Purple Haze but didn't get it. Thin tips by the end.

S.

S. AM Rivelin with Ben. Pretty warm and got warmer. Had an intial warm up on Purple Haze but to warm and skin too thin. Ben clocked an unclimbed buttress Id noticed before. We did it a 6B way then I linked it from a lower start at 6C+ which Ben didn't quite get. Then cleaned and climbed a new 5 and 6B+. 

Good week. First of three harder weeks. Sounds like Malham not dry enough for me. Big team going up tomorrow but declined to join.

[Muenchener]

Thanks Shark.

STG: Left leg pistol squat; "benchmark" moonboard 6B+
MTG (Spring 2017): Redpoint 7b
LTG (<= 5 years): Redpoint 8a before I hit 60.

M: Half an hour stretching before bed
T:   Normally my Boulderwelt evening with M jnr, but had a cold so did max hangs at home instead. Shoulder presses etc. & pistol squat progressions between hangs.
W: Moonboard. Probably not the best idea long term to do max strength and max power sessions on consecutive days, but I seem to have got away with it this time. Had the board to myself - surprising on a busy weekday evening at Boulderwelt - and summited for the second time, this time on Static Vacation Warm Up 2. Steadily working my way through a hitlist of (relatively) easy looking 6B+'s.
Biked to & from Boulderwelt, getting a proper BMC hillwalker/traddie style soaking on the way home.
T:
F: Moonboard. Feels like this is starting to come together. Ticked a 6B+ (my third) second go & flashed another. I have become pretty good at spotting the easy 6B+'s in the database, but I also have the impression moonboard "6B+", rather like HVS, is several grades wide and it could take me a while to work my way through it/them. Haven't felt this enthused about a climbing wall since I first met the MacDougall Centre in Manchester in '83. Yay.
S: Family spring bike outing 2½ hrs
S: Moonboard. Trying some rather harder looking benchmark 6B+'s such as Ben's Wuthering Heights. Which is indeed far harder than the obvious soft touches I've been doing so far.

[nai]

Mon - nowt

Tue -
Foundry lunch - AeroPow boulder. Best session ever on this - 15 x L2s, 1 x L3, 2 x Moonboard 6B+ and the 2 hardest L1s ever all in 25 minutes. Twice. 

Home Yoga Eve

Wed - nowt

Th - Bois de l'Est for the traverse. Couldn't find my beta sheet so had to work it all out again. Then found my beta sheet.  Last move such a heartbreaker, find it hard enough in isolation, really not sure I'll ever do it from the start.

Home yoga Eve

Fr - AnCap - made the circuit harder, intesnity about right but have increased the difficulty again for next time
Weights
Yoga Eve

Sat - bit of AeroCap

Sun nowt

[nik at work]

STG: stop the rot and don't get humiliated in Font
MTG: something that satisfies the criteria as specified in the longish hardish and free thread...
LTG: something that genuinely is longish harderish and free

M: Nothing
T: Was going to go to the wall but sickly wife meant the parasites needed someone to look after them.
W: Spent and hour in the gym while the big parasite was at cubs. Moved some heavy (for me) things short distances a small number of times. Made two discoveries:
The nice one: I can do a yoga peacock pose
The nasty one: I can no longer do a (very poor form) one-armer
T: Was going to go to the wall but see Tuesday...
F: Nothing
S: Endless parasite ferrying, then an evening out.
S: The crap morning weather cleared at lunchtime so I planned an afternoon out climbing. Then the big parasite decided he wanted to come along. So no climbing for me then... He did however manage to make some short links of the 7b traverse and led a route. So went out for a ride on the (motor)bike and then had a BM session in the evening, I was unimpressive which is hardly surprising.

Didn't get much done this week, but it's a start. Got a few weeks to get back up to speed before Font...

[lagerstarfish]

managed to do it the strict way and Dolly didn't, and couldn't even when I lent him my Whites. First time I'd out-bouldered him in 33 years.

I'm up for a coordinated effort to out-boulder Dolly. He doesn't seem to fall for my sandbagging or moderate hustling anymore. It's almost as if he can tell genuine beta from bullshit just by looking at the rock. Somebody needs to do something about this outrage.

[moose]

I'm not a "Powerclubber" but figure this is the best place to posit a worry / vent. 

Got a board.  Climbing hard, much more often: for the last month, I've gone from "weekend warrior" only (wall over winter, Malham / Kilnsey when I can) to 4-5 nights a week of pulling hard until my core collapses and my fingers ache .  This renewed psyche for striving should be heartening, but I am getting worried by I much I am gettting addicted to the comforts of my self-contained of  world of wood. 

I went to Almscliff today, a place I've likely had more happy days than anywhere else.  I convinced myself that the mud and crowds were justification for bailing out relatively early..... and having a "top up"on the board whilst listening to the football.  I was far happier about managing a woodie problem that I'd been trying for ~6 sessions, than I was about climbing  outside for the first time in a month....... An attittude that effectively makes Almscliff a warm-up for climbing in my spare room! 

What. Have. I Become?! 

Honestly getting a bit worried about my ability to cope with the realities of the coming lime season: the contant battles with unsuitable conditions, the crowds, just getting the car bloody parked...... I feel that there is proper danger that I might might just become a recluse and Lord of my own board.  Anyone else suffer similar.  The cure has become a disease (are woodies methadone?)

[TobyD]

  Last move such a heartbreaker, find it hard enough in isolation, really not sure I'll ever do it from the start.

PMA! Give me a few months and I'll show you now its done...

. Pulled on start of Tin Of 7b+

I thought Grimer was the person the BMC employed to randomly upgrade things?

I will actually post a bit later and stop making sarcy comments...

[lagerstarfish]

Moose: you are just woodstruck - it happens; sometimes for years. Go with what you feel

[36chambers]

M:
T: Cliff. Ripped off and lost half my knuckles and a chunk from a finger nail. That was me done for the day.
W:
T: Indoors. Stayed off the boards. Easy session.
F:
S: Brimham. Humid. Brief session on the Fonz. Damp start holds made attempts from the start futile. Should definitely go with good connies. Trying to preserve skin for Font. 
S: Road cycling and quick hit at cliff to heckle people.

This time next week I'll be eating French pastries, sipping Belgium beer and nursing a bruised ego and battered elbows

[moose]

Moose: you are just woodstruck - it happens; sometimes for years. Go with what you feel

"woodstruck"... lovely turn of phrase..  Aye, hopefully, it's just new love .  But, I am genuinely a bit worried that I am losing my ability to cope with compromise.  I  suspect most of my successful seiges have been built on a willingness to get out and get "money on the bank" on even the crappest of days.  I can see myself becoming someone who just "trains" when it's sub-optimal, and never ticks anything due to always waiting for the perfect day that never comes (and when it dioes come, feeling so much presure, that  I fail through stress).

[lagerstarfish]

Moose: you are just woodstruck - it happens; sometimes for years. Go with what you feel

"woodstruck"... lovely turn of phrase..  Aye, hopefully, it's just new love .  But, I am genuinely a bit worried that I am losing my ability to cope with compromise.  I  suspect most of my successful seiges have been built on a willingness to get out and get "money on the bank" on even the crappest of days.  I can see myself becoming someone who just "trains" when it's sub-optimal, and never ticks anything due to always waiting for the perfect day that never comes (and when it dioes come, feeling so much presure, that  I fail through stress).

you know it's bollocks - enjoy falling into the fuzzy pulling sensation that leads to European sport climbing - save the petrol money wasted on frozen fingers at Kilnsey and put it towards cruxless, non-tweeky, latin clip joy. in the meantime enjoy the comfort of wood

(I wood (yes) do the same, but I have children to look after)

[Nibile]

I feel that there is proper danger that I might might just become a recluse and Lord of my own board.  Anyone else suffer similar.

[nai]

  Last move such a heartbreaker, find it hard enough in isolation, really not sure I'll ever do it from the start.

PMA! Give me a few months and I'll show you now its done...

Gis a clue, hoping to pop back this week.

. Pulled on start of Tin Of 7b+

I thought Grimer was the person the BMC employed to randomly upgrade things?

He did, Simon's just such a company man and toeing the party line.

[TobyD]

Mon Yoga and core before work, run 30 minutes Yoga and core after.
Tue Turbo session before work, Foundry autobelays, 20 routes 5-6c+
Wed Turbo session before work, Foundry autobelays: 20 routes 5x double laps on 6c+, on final set did 6c+ x2, 6b+. Circa 5 minutes between sets.
Thu   Turbo session; Foundry, autobelays: 20 different routes up to 7a, failed before top several 7as.
Fri 20 minute Turbo session before work; 30 minute run in the evening. 10-15 minutes weights and core afterwards
Sat turbo session morning Foundry routes: felt very fatigued and struggled not to be pumped on everything. Just about got the session done.
Sun Turbo session morning; Foundry- warm up, 5x(6c+x2), extra 6b+ on final set. 22 routes total.

May replan, and do something outside before operation now, as they're dragging their heels on a date; it's getting warmer out, and I have a week off soon.

Ian: i found ET very hard the one occasion i tried it; pretty sure i did the last move but found links >3 moves really difficult! If anyone can help it'll be sharky. He gave me all the beta anyway.

[nai]

Ah, I was hoping you had a magical shorter persons way of doing the match.  In isolation I can just about get my left foot on the obvious big hold by bumping my right hand off the comfy sloper onto a crimp next to it then get into a fairly solid horizontal Egyptian.  But I don't think that'd work on a link, I'm reduced to trying to snatch the rail as I fall past it which is fairly low percentage.

[Nibile]

Power Club

Mon - dumbbell complex; overhead walk 1'/1' x 5, 36 kg; farmer's walk 1'/1' x 3 68 kg; trap bar shrugs; boxing bag. Brilliant.
Tue - rest.
Wed - hill sprints x 6; boxing bag.
Fri - trap bar deadlifts 7 x 4 108 kg; farmer's walk 1' x 4 108 kg. Brilliant. Lock offs. Straps are the game changer.
Sat - rest. Doms.
Sun - BM one arm hangs, felt strong. Dumbbell complex x 1. Boxing bag. Mega.


This week was meant to be dedicated to give my right elbow some rest. I didn't want to do anything except sprints and boxing bag. As it shows, easier said than done. It's been good though, glad about the BM session.
Must get back on the board.

[tomtom]

I once met Edwina Currie underneath a viaduct.

M: Rockcity Hull. My love hate relationship with this festering plywood creation continued. Stupidly graded problems (one 6B is a path - the next 6B is impossible) sandtext coated walls to give you road rash if you do something wrong - and this week a stupid fucking nubbin on the pointy fucking tip of a wanky fucking volume let to my foot pinging off and being lanced by the tip just below the knee. Fuck that. Fucking plastic and plywood... why did I bother putting my foot there - I could see the numbers - see what would happen.



This is how it looks today - a week later...

Tu: Work, driving, too knackered when I got home to do anything..

We: Drove to Buckstones (nont Sarah's) to have my first go on rock in probably three weeks. It had rained, but was windy - so figured it would dry fast. Was pretty psyched to get back on Pig in a Pokey, and the two soft looking 7A's o-ert road. Windy. Too Windy. Couldnt stand up with a pad windy. And PIAP was seeping at the breaks - so best left alone.. retreated to AWESOME walls in Puerto de la Stock - where I had a decent session - on (listen up Rockcity people...) WELL SET PLASTIC PROBLEMS without SHITTY FUCKING SANDTEX COATED WALLS.

Th: Yoga at home. Aaaaaah...

Fri: Yoga at home. Aaaaaah...

Sa: Yoga at home. Aaaaaah... Work. Back late.

Su: Felt awful - another bad hangover type feeling when I have drunk nothing. Need to see the doctor about this again. Dropped MrsTT and TTjnr with relatives in Hayfield and sneaked off to New Mill Tors for a couple of hours. Firstly, why is it a Tor? Its not a tor, its a gorge - a bedrock gorge where the Goyt cuts down through the grit. A tor is moortop outcrop - often granite... WRONG ROCK. WRONG LOCATION. Anyway, theres probably a good reason - but fucked if I know. Last time I went to NMT was with Falling Down - probably about 5 years ago - and we were chasing dry rock on a dank weekend day. Whilst pootling about there Edwina Currie (yes the former minister who probably did many important political things, but is really famous for banging John Major) wandered by and came over and (quite politely) asked "what are you doing" which then followed with the usual explanation of the largely pointless exercise of bouldering, what mats are etc... On sunday it was busy - goldfish bowl of walkers, but rather disappointingly no other former tory ministers walking along. I would have quite liked if IDS or William Hague had come along - I could have then asked them if they had ever given John Major a blow job... or stink palmed them or something.. Anyway, I set about my business - Nice fun on somethingdead/gravedigger traverse or something... then a couple of chuffers turned up - and it seems there a load of bolted lines on the viaduct... I blame Shark - and the BMC. In no particular order. Anyway, my faith in climbing humanity was restored when three lads turned up, replete in Decathlons cheapest rock shoes - and a bouldering pad that had less padding than an empty crisp packet. The sparked up a pleasant smelling bifta and then just pissed about on the rock. No idea what problems were what - just making it up as they went. Excellent.

I was shit. I yawned alot, ate my lunch and pissed off home. Felt ill, slept most of the afternoon.

[T_B]

M - Lunch: Autobelays. Warm ups, then 5 x black 6b+ slowly, 5 x Yellow 6c, 3 x 7b+ with short rests (fell on top of final rep). Middle finger defo not happy!
T -
W - Max hangs. 2 x 25Kg, 3 x 27Kg, 9 secs on 30Kg half crimp. 5 x 10Kg middle two. All felt pretty steady.
T - Lunch run. P.M. 1st session on Backstreet Mime Artist - loved the weirdness of it, despite the dabby nature. A few comedy calf cramps (note to self, don't run before trying a problem that relies completely on hanging off your heels).
F - Right middle finger really sore from half crimped draggin.
S - Chose the wrong day! Drove to Works with Mrs T_B via Rubicon and Backstreet. Good Motherboard sess in the end. R finger OK crimped and half-crimped, which is odd/nice. Close to Mrs T_Bs replica of Tsunami.
S - A.M. Run

Great to get outside and am psyched for BSMA.
Left ankle/foot is definitely not right. Felt kinda OK on Thurs, not so good on Sunday.
Finger seems fine doing max hangs and steep board bouldering, so can't complain.
Hope to get out again this week and maybe do routes next w/e rather than tooling myself in a fell race.

[cheque]

...sneaked off to New Mill Tors for a couple of hours. Firstly, why is it a Tor? Its not a tor, its a gorge - a bedrock gorge where the Goyt cuts down through the grit. A tor is moortop outcrop - often granite... WRONG ROCK. WRONG LOCATION.

Torrs isn't it? No idea what difference the plural and extra r makes though.

[Luke Owens]

Struggling with motivation a bit after yesterday. I don't seem to have as much time to climb outside as I did at the moment, plenty of time to train but nothing to train for as I don't know when and where I'll be able to climb next.

Feeling stronger indoors and PBing on hangs but it would be nice to feel some improvement outside. Should maybe switch up some late night wall sessions for lamp sessions at the Cave or the Gorge to keep motivated and measure any gains on the rock. Maybe I need to pick a project, I seem to only boulder on things I think/hope I can do in a session. 

M: Lunch -
2 x 10 - Press-ups
2 x 10 - Scapula pull-ups
2 x 5 - IYT's
2 x 10 - Tricep curls (6kg)
3 x 20s - Tuck lever

Eve: Boardroom - Took mate who's not long started climbing. Helped him out on loads of stuff and he managed a V3, he's only been climbing about a month - awesome.

Did about 30+ problems up to 6C. Not a structured session but a good amount of volume.

T: Rest

W: Lunch - 50 Crunches (+7.5kg)
20s Side planks (+6kg)
5 x 5sec L-hangs
3 x 10 Dorsal raises (7.5kg)
5 IYT's
5 x 5sec L-hangs
5 IYT's
30 Crunches (+7.5kg)
20s Side planks (+6kg)

T: Lunch - Ran 2.80 miles in about 30mins, haven't ran outside in a long long time, felt a nice change especially in the sun.

Eve - Plas Power - 2 x 8min on 2min off LI-Aerocap

Max hangs - 20mm edge - Open crimp
R1: 10s (+2.5kg), R2: 10s (+5kg), R3: 10s (+7.5kg)
R4: 10s (+12.5kg) R5: 8s (+14kg) R6: 5s (+15kg)

(Previous PB was 10kg at 10s, happy with this improvement)

40' board - 40mins trying various problems, came up with some cool new ones. Felt like body tension was good and contact strength felt better than ever.

8 x 1min on 1min off HI-AeroCap on the 20' board

F: Rest

S: Rest

S: Finally managed to find some time to get out, got up early, drove an hour to the Orme, walked 20 minutes down to the West Shore boulders, dried off some holds on Lusitania for 15 minutes then it threw it down. Sat under the boulder, it got worse, top out was like a waterfall, went around to try and dry "Into the Sun" had a couple of goes but it was just too wet, ironic given the name.

Took ages to navigate back through the  boulder field at high tide. and then a big walk out up hill, soaked. So, 5 hours had passed and I'd achieved nothing... Almost threw my boots in the sea and quit climbing...

Should of picked an easier access more reliable venue and could of got a good session in...

Had 20 minutes spare on the way home to have a really quick climb at Tremeirchion, had 5 goes on Lone Wolf, managed some of the moves.

[shark]

. Pulled on start of Tin Of 7b+

I thought Grimer was the person the BMC employed to randomly upgrade things?

He did, Simon's just such a company man and toeing the party line.

Tin Of grade remainism and denial is rife amongst metro-liberal, middle class hand-wringing types

It is in the definitive guide and the people have spoken. Get over yourselves.

[webbo]

Moose: you are just woodstruck - it happens; sometimes for years. Go with what you feel

"woodstruck"... lovely turn of phrase..  Aye, hopefully, it's just new love .  But, I am genuinely a bit worried that I am losing my ability to cope with compromise.  I  suspect most of my successful seiges have been built on a willingness to get out and get "money on the bank" on even the crappest of days.  I can see myself becoming someone who just "trains" when it's sub-optimal, and never ticks anything due to always waiting for the perfect day that never comes (and when it dioes come, feeling so much presure, that  I fail through stress).

You are describing my current climbing although I do have the excuse that it's an hours drive to the nearest rock. I also only work 2 days a week and I find I use the dry days for going out on my bike.
Does it worry mean not really as I really get something out of being able to climb on something steep. Which given my age and lifestyle might not be possible for much longer.

[nai]

It is in the definitive guide and the people have spoken. Get over yourselves.

cough

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=11497

[Palomides]

Quiet week - backed off training a bit due to back-to-work fatigue. Finished well though and up for more next week.

M - nowt
T - Physio. He left me unattended on the legpress machine so I went up to 90kg just to see what the knee felt like. Felt good.
W - nothing
T - nada
F - Final prep for kids climbing contest. Up till 0100, no real training apart from guiltily pulling on and a couple of footless pulls.
S - rien de tout. Annual kids contest. Full day of entering scores into a spreadsheet for the 132 yelling participants. Ace.
S - Helping out with open event for mentally handicapped adults (we reuse the comp routes from the day before!) spent sometime re-adding holds to the bouldering wall ready for normal use to start again. Pulled on a few times. Evening BM routine. Still haiving problems doing half-crimp propoerly, but completed 5B routine easily, including doing offset hangs on 45/30 slopers instead of just using the 45. Seem to have become accustomed to hanging so now I plan to start moving up through the BM app routines a bit more ambitiously.

Also met some of the team that are building a new bouldering wall in Montpellier - first dedicated modern bouldering wall and it not only looks fantastic, but will have a dedicated training space, a coach (strong franck) and a Campus board... incredibly the first that'll be available in the whole departement. Fully over-excited about this. Roll on July https://www.facebook.com/BOMontpel

[Catcheemonkey]

Rockcity Hull. My love hate relationship with this festering plywood creation continued. Stupidly graded problems (one 6B is a path - the next 6B is impossible) sandtext coated walls to give you road rash if you do something wrong

I think Steve McClure does a lot of the setting there. You can often spot his problems, as many are NAILS for the grade.