[Fiend]

Thanks guys 

Chris it is a good 3 hours away from you and at a fairly fickle crag! But thanks anyway.

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Challenge #6 - Purrblind Doomster.
11 September 2013, 4:13 pm



It's been a wee while, but I've finally got on something challenging, something intense, something that got my heart racing, my hands sweating, got me committed and sketching...

And that was just the warm-up, sandbagged in the sun thanks to Geek "well if I'd told you it used to get a grade harder and is quite sketchy, you might not have got syked for it". Fair enough, it got me fighting a bit! And then it was retreating into the shade for the main event. The Purr-Blind Doomster had gone from "looks cool but well beyond me" in the previous Lowland  Outcrops photo, to "maybe I can aspire to that" after doing Chisel and Big  Country Dreams in 2009, to "I need to do this" this year. Old  inspirations....

So, as well as being a fairly hard climb for me, it was also a Fairly Big Deal, the biggest this year at least. Which explains why I'd gone up to place the early gear and re-warm up, downclimbed, and was now standing on the ground, intensely analysing the chalk crystals I was crushing, and trying to stop shaking inside. "It's alright to be nervous, but not anxious" Jerry said, and I was definitely fluctuating around that border. The butterflies in my stomach were of primordial proportions to match the jungle atmosphere, I tried to sooth them by drip-feeding them little nuggets of truth: "Get stood on the finger jug, place gear", "Layback over to the big sloper, place gear", "Fingerlock with the right, left heel-hook, over into the pod, place gear", "Stretch over to the arete, shake out". That was where my plans stopped and the blind committment started, curiously that was where I started to relax, after hyper-ventilating through the sloper and crack pod. The solution to being so nervous about doing the climb....do the climb. Still, stepping off the ground was the fairly biggest deal. Doing it was a big deal in a different way, it was all about the combination of challenge with pure quality, and after all THAT is why I stepped off the ground....because it's bloody great...









Source:  fiendblog

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Positive / Negative
12 September 2013, 12:58 pm



Recently I have been involved in a colossal UKC debate on retro-bolting established trad routes in Ratho Quarry, without any warning, consultation nor attempt to make them more climbable as trad routes:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=554996&v=1

I have generally avoided arguments, discussions, bitching and trolling on UKC for a long time now, so stepping back into the pit has been a bit of a shock.

I'm not sure how much detail I need to go into here as the principles of UK climbing heritage and a trad / sport climbing balance are as blindingly obvious as the pro-uncontested-retro-bolting arguments are fallacious. Normally the whole "try to convince people on a forum the sky is blue and water is wet" interaction is something I'd get bored with a lot quicker, but in this case there is something personal at stake:

See the crosses next to the routes? 1 cross is "quite like to climb it" 2 crosses is "definitely want to climb it"

Having climbed Wally 3 a couple of years ago, I looked a few metres to the right, saw Wally 2, got inspired and fully intended to lead it at some point. Of course I kinda got a bit distracted with going to Skye and Glen Nevis and Creag Dubh and Dunkeld and the Aberdeen coast and Caithness and Gairloch and Reiff and Ardmair and Sheigra and Orkney and somehow didn't retain such a devoted focus on Central Belt quarries, preferring to leave them for a shorter day at some unspecified time in the future (having no idea there was a retro-bolting threat).

Then it's retro-bolted, then my inspiration is denied, then I look closer at the issues at stake and responses presented, and start to take the issue a lot more seriously - because it's not just about my personal inspirations, it's about the whole issue of retro-bolting and sport impinging on trad - and get involved in the "discussion". I'd never been convinced by the "thin end of the wedge" argument, but here it was, actually occurring, getting incrementally thicker as the bolts spread from new sport routes to "dirty" trad routes to "bold" trad routes, to things I wanted to fucking CLIMB.

And therein lies what I am posting about, the dichotomy. Climbing, the activity and the community, the purity of the rock and the incomprehensibility of some of the people.

Being involved in this furore has been often a fairly NEGATIVE experience. I have been arguing vigorously, partly because I strongly believe in the principles I am standing up for, and partly because, of course, SOMEONE IS WRONG ON THE INTERNET. Quite a lot of people are wrong actually, but the negativity doesn't come from that alone - because some of the "other side" are engaging in intelligent and balanced debate - but from related nonsense, such as:

• Blind acceptance of retro-bolting without any engaging in the issues at stake.
• Persistent ignoring of arguments and blatant twisting of people's posts.
• Obvious pointless trolling with later pretences at being seriously involved.
• Lies about what climbing people claim to do and other people's motivations.
• Persistent personal insults and snide jibes instead of proper discussion.

All of this of course only serves to weaken the pro-retro-bolting case, and make me more determined to persist against it, and more hostile to some of the people involved. Having one's determination strengthened is good, but not when it's catalysed by negativity - I feel like Ken bloody Wilson, but not even I am quite *that* belligerent. Then again, there is progress, with one route repaired and two to go.

A positive result after some negative interactions

At the same time I have been fortunate enough to get out a fair bit to a variety of crags and had POSITIVE experiences of hanging out with some cool people (a mix of relaxed climbers and hardcore veterans, all of whom - PJ, GR, NM, TF, RD, IS, AM - acknowledge the pressures of sport climbing popularity whilst rejecting uncontested retro-bolting) and simply climbing at:

• Little O Wall - very cool new trad crag at Aberdeen. Could have been bolted but it's obviously trad suitable so it wasn't and has been a hotbed of mid-grade trad activity.
• Brin Rock - having done the good trad and excellent bouldering here, I had an exciting day pushing myself on the sport.
• The Mound - nice little sport-climbing stop off en-route to Thurso, in an area of cool conglomerate crags.
• Yesnaby -great Reiff-esque sea-cliff trad, amenable but intense.
• Old Man Of Hoy - proper rambly rubbly adventure with more fixed gear and most sport crags.
• Moy Rock - an even better sport climbing stop off en-route back. What a great mid-grade crag this is, just feels so nice pottering and pebble-pulling there.
• Ratho Quarry - got straight on one of the old but now-cleaned trad routes as soon as it was rightly debolted. Really enjoyable climbing the whole way.
• Cambusbarron - got on some harder challenges at another Central Belt dolerite quarry. No threat of retro-bolts here yet, just ace trad.

A purely positive experience of a cool trad route

And that is something that gets lost in this. We're all climbers, doing something we love - well, I bloody well hope so, *I* certainly am. I don't want to argue, I don't want to see routes trashed, I don't want any of the hostile bullshit. I just want to keep enjoying climbing....but then again that is why I'm arguing, I'm arguing for that positive experience of climbing as it now stands in Scotland and the UK, without it getting spoilt by changing unduly without balance and perspective.

Off to Ratho wall soon, to go training...



Source:  fiendblog

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Challenge #7 - Lady Charlotte.
19 September 2013, 9:23 pm



Well I seem to have managed another route that is A Fairly Big Deal for me. Not quite sure how that happened but it might be something to do with a bit of training, a lot of syke, and a fair amount of good conditions. I'd been on Lady Charlotte before, climbed up a few moves in too hot weather, looked around and thought "fuck me I can't find any gear here, how on earth can I continue up steep sweaty terrain with god knows if there's any protection coming up" and downclimbed hastily.

This time I climbed up a few moves in much fresher weather, looked around and thought "wow I've found a great tricam slot and an okay RP slot and the holds are good enough to move up a bit and fiddle some more in". So I did. And to be honest, I did a lot of dicking around to get the route done. Up and down 4 times - once ropeless to check out the gear, once to get the tricam in and move up further to a wire and tiny cam, once more to get to the jugs at the top of the groove and a good cam and peenut (oh and stop reading if you don't want gear beta), once more to get stood on the so-called ledge (it isn't) on top of those jugs and a crucial cam and realise the wall to the break is quite sketchy and blind and come down once more and give Adam a break from belaying as he goes for a burn on Silk Purse and does it with two falls including onsighting the top groove. I can only dream of such stamina so I need all this dicking around on LC to get warmed up, pumped up, fiddle in all the "it only appears when it's by your face" gear and only then do I realise I have to fucking go for it.

So I do.

And after all the rather dissatisfying up-and-downing, it is great. Great wall climbing, committing moves, pumpy, enough decent gear, cool features to go for. I get to the top rest ledge - effectively the end of LC itself - and try to balance my wariness of the "E3 5c" top crack with my impatient desire to keep fucking going for it. Somehow I get a burst of confidence and blast into the crack, the crack that isn't a crack with gear that isn't gear. I get into the final micro-niche with one tiny cam 2m below my feet and in a blaze of pumped summit fever top out directly over the crag top.....except it's a rounded boulder covered in pine needles and fading into sloping heather. Fuck FUCK FUCK. Fiddle in a cam cross-handed and it falls out as I clip it. If I fell now I'd blow the tiny cam but hopefully not the ledge-height wires and still end up below the half-height break. Somehow I squirm back into the niche, squeak and squeal a cam into a loose vibrating plate, and look 1m left to the real topout, maybe a 4b move on good rock but it feels like the living end.

My lungs were still aching on the drive home.

Abseiling down this "classic wall climb", it overhangs by at least 3m in 30m.

Hmmmm.









Source:  fiendblog

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Cleaning / Climbing / Calm / Cold / Condensation / Cocaine
24 September 2013, 9:40 am



Cleaning.

I went back to Cambusbarron briefly the other week with both relaxation and inspiration in mind. After Purrblind Doomster there were other challenges, but less pressure. Much less pressure with the time scale too, so I arrived early and did a bit of cleaning. Nothing too exciting but in light of recent talk about looking after Central Belt crags a bit better to avoid accusations of neglect and temptations of retrobolting, I felt like putting a bit of effort in. Litter picking, branch sawing, fern removing and boulder brushing.

Climbing.

I didn't do anything to the routes as most of the good hard ones are in decent nick, or maybe that's just because they're steep enough to stay perma-chalked?? There was one 2 starred route, Economy Drive that I wanted to try and needed a clean, but Geek was happy to scrub that one off for me as I'd rather be climbing it - that's part of the reason I don't get round to cleaning routes I'm still genuinely interested in climbing, because I'm genuinely interested in the onsight journey.

Calm.

The journey on this particular route turned out to be a fairly interesting one. Freshly cleaned, it looked "reasonable", Geek said it should be "reasonable" (yeah, I should know by now!!), so I treated it as reasonable....initially. Hard moves off the deck leading into more hard moves above those leading into a rest ledge and adequate gear before more hard moves to a pod. So far so good. Then I got to the hard bit.... Standing in the pod and progressing upwards was looking considerably less likely than getting shut down by a total sandbag. Feeling around on slippery sidepulls and fiddly footholds, I looked failure in the face and, unusually, calmly accepted it - I wasn't going to get up this route, so with fine protection, I might as well fail going upwards rather than downwards. Each move I planned to fall off, and when I somehow didn't, I applied the same resignation to the following move, until, bizarrely, I was near the top. The final moves had been heavily cleaned and I was warned "just take care with the rock, but you'll be fine, it's about Hard Severe here". One more final powerful crux had me lunging for blocks and hauling myself into surprised success. After that I couldn't face any more dolerite sidepulls so left any other routes for another time and had a blast repeating Spanking The Monkey with much slithering and laughing all round.

Cold.

Throughout the recent weeks, I've been aided and abetted by good conditions (as well as syked trad partners). The weather has cooled down nicely and although I'm still busting out the gut, it's less essential and more about stacking every odd in my favour. But of course it's going to get cooler....and colder. With many inspirations still to go and the season ticking away, I am a bit concerned how to deal with the cold, not whilst climbing but just at the crag. I'm usually reasonably prepared but I think I need to optimise things better....maybe more fleecey layers....over-trousers....hip-flask?? I certainly needed something at the weekend. Down with PJ at Scimitar Ridge, doing a pair of funky bold slabs that took a lot of time and a lot of fiddling in RPs and C3s. It was still and muggy on the walk-in and I thought down at the crag, a windsmock, beanie and snood would be enough. It wasn't. 4 hours later in a hot shower I defrosted. Brrrr. Two nice routes though.

Condensation.

Despite a cold, grey, gloomy day, with intermittent spots of rain and the ubiqituous sea-spray, conditions at Scimitar Ridge were surprisingly good, once past a slightly greasy start the smooth granite was in fine nick. So obviously the next day at Rosehearty, with clear skies, dry warm air, glorious sunshine and a brisk westerly raking on the crag, it was going to be mint conditions all day, right?? WRONG. Once again the North East coast is as contrary and fickle as it can be, and a quick recce of the sea walls saw them dripping in condensation. How. Why. WTF. I had a mini-sulk solely because I could see the Rosey season coming to an imminent end as the sun-drying hours were rapidly diminishing. But as a Rosey virgin, Brad was still optimistic and also had the stylish slabs to try, so we got on those at least, and he ninjaed his way up a couple of fine routes. Lo and behold, back on the sea walls with a few hours left, the sun was working it's magic, transforming dark grey rock into silver, damp smudges into enticing chalk....

Cocaine.

(aka Challenge #8) Even dry, the sea walls are steep, as steep as the slabs are slabby, as steep as a really fucking steep thing. I was prepared for that and battled through a fair good warm-up. Brad almost battled through his route but some sustained slab numbers had taken their toll and he wanted to show me how a proper sulk was done. Once the dust had settled, I had enough time to try a bit of Cocaine, the closest I'll come to any drug but who needs it when you have climbing this good...! Thankfully as the warm sun was getting lower, I had managed to hit a sweet spot with the rock fully dry but the late afternoon cooling down, and did the route with reasonable confidence and little drama. In fact it would have been pretty boring to watch me squatted on the overhung rest ledge for ages, but hell it worked and it's nice to feel "okay" on such terrain. Hopefully I'll have another few weeks to put that into action...



Source:  fiendblog

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Challenge #9 & #10 - Neart Nan Gaidheal & Wall Of Flame.
29 September 2013, 3:03 pm



God I fucking love the North West. Doing cool and fascinating challenges around the rest of Scotland is all very well and rewarding, but doing them in such a special place has a whole different vibe. For a start it's a bit harder to get focused when you're gazing over Ardmair or Diabeg bays in a mellow autumn sunshine....but then the rock and climbing are so good you just have to...

Out of the many stunning areas along the coastline, the bay around Ardmair may or may not be the most delightful. The austere pebble beach arcs elegantly around from the fun bouldering area, leading the eye past the glittering sea and islands to the soaring ridge of Ben Mor Coigach, forming a mesmerising frame for the coastal beauty. But enough of that hippy bollox, Ardmair would be a brilliant crag in an urban quarry, let alone the serene valley hanging above the bay. It's gritstone with jugs, jams, usually great gear, and a seemingly limitless supply of fine climbing. This time I eschewed the previous mileage and focused on one stunning route - Neart Nan Gaidheal.

I'd got familiar with and inspired by the Beast Buttress back in 2010 - On The Western Skyline and Unleash The Beast both being great routes and amenable enough to want to up the ante a grade with NNG....once I was fit, confident, and determined enough. Actually, it's upping the ante a grade and a bit more - NNG is supposed to be low in the grade (which it may be, if one cares), but nowhere near as much as OTWS which is generally relaxing throughout, nor especially UTB which whilst adequately brutal is tamed by easy, perfect protection and useful jams. So NNG feels pretty proper compared to those - whilst it's not technically hard, it's sheer, continuous, and gives plenty of escalating pump through reasonable sidepulls with unhelpful footholds, especially while placing the somewhat sketchy gear in the upper half. I had warmed up, chilled out, recovered from a long drive from Glasgow and an early coffee, waited until it was in the perfect evening shade, and had enough....something to move up when pumped rather than down or off.

Out of the many stunning areas along the coastline, the bay around Diabeg may or may not be the most delightful. Blah blah peninsula blah quaint harbour ruined boat blah stunning outlook to Skye and even the Uists. Suffice to say Diabeg is almost as good as Ardmair and has the added bonus of SLABS. After last weekend's mixing and matching of Scimitar and Rosey slabs with the opposing Rosey steepness, I had got plenty of syke for Wall Of Flame, just about enough to compensate for the sunny, still, but ultimately tolerable weather. There was one slight issue, my partner Steve (from the mighty Far North metropolis of Bettyhill) had a good time at Ardmair but not got on with seconding an E2 5c warm-up. Of course I'm very happy to abseil to strip gear and outwit all of that "Uh I don't know if we should climb together cos I don't climb as hard as you" bollox, but Wall Of Flame has two pitches, and although the last one is only a minor variant on Northumberland Wall, it's still part of the experience. So....give up and abandon it? Force Steve to haul his way up? Bollox to that. A cunning plan is needed.

Firstly we went to Aztec Tower for him to do a couple of leads on this pleasant crag with funky rock. This left us unavoidably close to Gairloch where the recently refurbished harbour cafe needed to be tested to confirm the coffee is indeed very good these days. Then cruise to Diabeg: I lead P1 of WOF, pull the ropes and chuck them down and Steve seconds P1 of The Black Streak with his rack. I lead P2 of WOF and abseil straight back down to the belay. Steve then leads P2 of TBS and does the same because I'm too chilled and my feet are too sore to follow (despite even more cunning putting voltarol on my toes in advance!), and is mightly chuffed with a fine pitch at his level (and effectively ticking TBS), I abseil down WOF P1 to get out all sketchy micro-gear, he follows down as the midges come out, we congratulate ourselves on a slick operation, I'm back in Glasgow by 11 and he's back in a pub in Bettyhill at 9:30. Ta da! And of course, Wall Of Flame is bloody brilliant, I feel well warmed up after the previous weekend's slabs, but it is still intricate and intense with a greatly committing crux, all on perfect crisp rock.



 



Source:  fiendblog

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DENIED.
3 October 2013, 9:48 pm



8:30am, Erskine Bridge roadworks traffic jam, en-route to Glen Nevis and super-syked for Triode or On Some Beach. Except the sun is out, it's already 15'C, and the forecast is for more sunshine and only a light Easterly breeze at Fort William, that will leave the relevant buttresses sheltered and baking. Balls. Wish I'd suggested Creag Dubh or somewhere else instead. Ah well...

4:30pm, Nameless Buttress in Glen Nevis, and super-syked for Triode. Except any trace of warmth is disappearing behind the clouds, the "light Easterly breeze" is a gale howling down the valley and right onto the buttress. I nearly got blown off the top of my warm-up Cathode Smiles (a fine route and a total sandbag with sustained 5b/c a long way above the gear to finish). I take off my belay garb of t-shirt, hoodie, downie, snood, gloves and two beanies, keep the obligatory vest and windproof, and step on the rock. Partway up the lower wall, I pause for a very long time - I am so inspired, I so desire to commit to the next moves and engage with this route. The rock feels great under my fingers, but the tsunami of wind is too much. Balls. I reverse down and we retreat down the horrendously steep walk-in to lower buttresses. Ah well...

I walk away with empty hands and a head full of excitement. I've been to Glen Nevis many times and still not quite done the most inspiring lines I want to. Hell, I've walked away from Wave Buttress 3 times - twice too hot, once wrong shoes. I don't want to walk away too many more times....so the Glen will be perhaps my main focus for Autumn. All I'm after are a few routes on a few buttresses. Mostly sunny, quick drying, various orientations to catch the breeze and sun at different times. Easily combined with other buttresses so whichever partners I'm with can be well sated. Doable in a day trip from Glasgow, or easy hostels for overnight. What could possibly go wrong??

Oh yeah, it's the wettest place on Earth. I'm sure there are locations under the ocean that have more dry days than Fort William. Pffffffffft.



Source:  fiendblog

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Challenge #11 & #12: Colder Than A Hooker's Heart and The Final Solution
7 October 2013, 1:46 pm



That was something I put on to clear my mind in the car, and so my soundtrack to the day, until I started climbing that is... God knows I needed my mind clearing as I'd been thinking too much about these two routes on and off for two days. Mileage previously, Ratho training especially on crimps, rest days and gentle runs...trying to stack all the odds and attain some calmness through that.

 Out of all the routes on my ticklist, these two had kept swirling around my mind because, unlike any others, they are actually dangerous in places, albeit easy places, but I didn't know that until I actually did them! I first went to Creag Dubh in 2010, did Over The Hill and The Fuhrer amongst others, really enjoyed the steady, positive, distinctly bold style of climbing, and lusted after slightly harder routes on the crag. But with those harder routes there's more chance of not walking away....so I spent several trips this year walking away. Last time I started up the first easy bit of Hooker's but having to chalk on every move, I knew I couldn't risk continuing.

This time the weather had cooler down a lot - it was still strangely warm, but also dry and fresh. I climbed up exactly the same start as before and got a few holds into the tricky bit before realising it....and knew I was going to continue. I reversed down after this warm-up, let my skin cool down, watched as more thoughts started to creep into my mind, and stepped back onto the rock before they could. Climbed the route, abseiled down and did the same with TFS. As simple as that, no fuss, no drama - I think I'd used it all up in previous imaginings. It was a great pleasure not just to be climbing intimidating routes, but to be climbing them calmly enough to genuinely enjoy them almost all the way. There was one short section getting into the niche on TFS where I was a bit sloppy with my feet....2m of dissatisfaction in 90m total of good climbing, I'll take that!

I walked away from the crag elated but also a little sad that I don't have much more I want to do at this brilliant wall climbing venue....but then I was drinking my coffee this morning and pondering....Harder Than Your Husband starts up TFS and I know that and apparently there is a bit of gear on it and if I don't like it I can just do TFS again and....oh....maybe I will be back ;)



Source:  fiendblog

[Fiend]

Blog compiler doesn't seem to get Youtube videos, so this is the soundtrack referred to at the start:

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Coffee on the go.
9 October 2013, 10:36 am



Petrol station / take out coffee review:

Starbucks: Arsebucks. Weak, bland rubbish that somehow perfectly captures the authentic taste of instant coffee made with brine. A horrible, embarassing fate for a coffee bean.

Verdict: A disgrace to coffee.

McDonalds: Coffee quality that truly matches the McBarrista quality. The quintessential "hot milkshake with a coffee bean at the bottom" that ensures a better coffee experience would be had licking the inside of Costa's bins.

Verdict: Avoid like the plague it is.

Wild Bean: Wild as in "Stig of the DUMP" not wild like a lion running across the Kenyan savannah. Harsh, ugly pointless coffee from beans that are burnt to a cinder for that essential bitterness.

Verdict: Drink out of the toilet instead.

Coffee For Life: Coffee for giving up on life. The empty hollow taste of cheap milk powder and boiling water is entirely unspoilt by the lone coffee bean or two, and only enhanced by woody notes as the cardboard cup leaks in.

Verdict: Unspeakably vile.

Costa: Choose a regular cappucino. Place the cup under for all the coffee shot, then move to get only half the milk (or less). Reload for extra shots if needed. Hey presto, actual good coffee from a machine - tried and tested several times

Verdict: Proper coffee with a proper taste, just keep the milk halved.



Source:  fiendblog

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C#-13-14-15: On The Beach, Triode, Risque Grapefruit.
15 October 2013, 10:29 am



Finally it happened - sooner than expected this autumn, but a long time after the first inspiration back in early 2010 and trying to get everything right ever since. The mythical weekend in Glen Nevis when I'm climbing well, know what I want to do, am well prepared, and the weather....well the weather started off at 0'c and a thick frost in the morning, to 12'c t-shirt sunshine, with a cool north easterly casually licking around the crags. Slightly warm, but 90% perfect will do. And so I got to do yet more big, brilliant inspirations, climbs of desire that went a bit like this:

On The Beach: Maybe the biggest one in classic status? 4th time lucky going up to Wave Buttress to do it. Despite the challenge I felt fairly comfortable about the style of the route - off vertical, reasonably protected crack in the lower half, big runouts above some protection in the upper half. Well that confidence came back to bite me on the arse: The runout was as big as anticipated....but the holds weren't! Fantasies of a positive crimpy slab were washed away in a runnel full of rounded side-pulls and bridging smeary knobbles - all above 2 RPs, of course. It wasn't desperate but after several metres of continuously precarious climbing I was shuddering with relief by the time I got to easy ground. The obligatory whisky later on was less to celebrate and more to calm my nerves!

Triode: Only 3rd time lucky for this one. Well the first visit I really wasn't going to get on it, but I got syked enough just doing Diode next to it. Similarly to OTB, this involves thin slab moves with a large runout from the gear. The crucial difference being that both the gear and holds are more obvious - and the latter are clearcut and positive. Which meant that instead of gibbering my way up, I managed to relax, work out the technicality of the crux, and genuinely enjoy some great slab moves. Less fear and more FUN.

Risque Grapefruit: Almost an afterthought and potentially an epitaph. Surprisingly enough this was by far the most serious route of the lot, with a 6m groundfall potential off the first crux and a 16m groundfall potential off the second. The former I got involved with almost too quickly to realise it and I sketched around the corner to the lone gear slot that pointlessly protects a load of easy moves in the middle. The latter I had plenty of time to contemplate and ask myself "how much do I want this?" Enough to pull on some small crimps, smear on some knobbles and lurch over into a blind mossy scoop - but I'm not sure if that was the right answer?? I could do it, I did it, I liked the route overall, but maybe a little bit too much genuine risk.

A weekend of fear, fascination, and fun then...



Source:  fiendblog

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Grades grades grades.
17 October 2013, 11:48 am

"In reply to Fiend:

Have you noticed that a  lot of people don't agree with your totally objective and correct views on  grades? What do you make of that?"

What do I make of that?? They are fucking imbeciles a bit mistaken of course (barring the few occasions where I am either trolling or speculating - and if you don't have the brains to work those out you don't have the brains to be discussing grades. Nor reading this blog, actually.).

Funny how some people can get so wound up about grades. Even leaving aside the desperate scrabbling of the ego and it's hollow numerical attainments (which, for this issue alone, is fair enough to leave aside as people's wrongness does go both ways, either side of a route's grade), people seem so perculiarly attached to a number. I suspect this is where the antagonism comes from, having to give up pre-conceptions and entrenched viewpoints, the painful wrenching into reality as the objective truth of a grade is revealed and reiterated.

And thus people shoot the messenger. I, like others, don't have any special views or opinions on grades. I don't create them or set them in stone. I merely recognise their objective truth and the reasoning behind them, and pass that on to others where needed (or where I really want to stick my fucking oar in and see what happens).

For therein lies the hardest truth about trad grades:

Grades are not a matter of subjective opinion, they are a matter of objective fact.

If people accepted that it would make their lives a little bit easier. And mine too. This is for trad grades of course, technical/sport/bouldering grades are based less on the unchangeable rock and are more influenced by morphological factors, thus necessarily a bit vaguer. Of course like the factual nature of grades themselves, the factual nature of grading is more acceptable if it is backed up with reasoning. Thus:

1.  

The adjectival trad grade is made up of various factors:

• Protection - quality, spacing, existence thereof
• Sustainedness - existence or otherwise of rests
• Continuity - of difficulty regardless of physical sustainedness
• Rock quality - solidity or otherwise
• Exposure - and general atmosphere
• Obviousness - or blindness of climbing, line, protection etc
• Landing - if appropriate
• Technical difficulty - obviously
• (there may be others)

These are a matter of FACT. A piece of protection will either exist or it won't - and thus contribute to the grade. The rock will either be solid or it won't - and thus contribute to the grade. The line will either be simple and obvious or will be obscure and devious - and thus contribute to the grade.

No amount of bleating, whining and handbag twirling will change whether a route is consistently overhanging by a certain degree or has a red camalot at the crux or has a resting jam to fend off the pump or whatever. The rock isn't going to change to reflect what grade people might want to apply to it, so the grade has to reflect the rock and the route. Although grades are a human construct and thus might seem to be prey to human fallibility, they are a piece of information that describes the rock, summarises what actually exists on it, and that is a truth as hard as the rock itself (does that mean grades at Gogarth/Lleyn/North Devon should be squishier to match the rock there?? Food for thought.)

2.

The adjectival trad grade of any given route fits in to an overall system and progression of grades.

E - M - D - VD - HVD - MS - S - HS - MVS - VS - HVS - E0(MES) - E1 - E2 - E3 - E4 - E5 - E6 - E7 - E8 - E9 - E10 - Ewe'llrepeattheseandmakelotsofsubtlecommentsabouthowtheyareeasierthanotherroutesbutbesopoliticallycorrectwe'llrefusetoactuallycorrectthegrades

Unsurprisingly whether it is a purely linear system with equal spacings or not (more equal with E0 of course), it is a system of progression. Governed by the factual factors above, a harder route will be given a higher grade, an easier route will be given an easier grade within the system and in comparison to other routes in the system. Obviously the system has somewhat bastardised origins, obviously it is an aesthetic mish-mash (which is entirely irrelevant, you could replace the alphanumerical grades with straight numbers or roman numerals or increasingly sized fruit for all it matters), obviously there is a certain vagueness due to comparing apples and oranges, but the system is established and it works.

Thus, routes have their place in the grading system, and if you try to fuck with the truth of their grades then either the result will be clearly farcical OR you'll have to regrade so many accepted routes and completely break the system. If route X and route Y have a similar angle and technicality of climbing, but route X is shorter, has obvious and perfect protection, and resting jams, compared to route Y which is longer, has fiddly gear, and no rests, then route Y is simply higher up the grade system. Try to change the grade of either and you'll not only have to change the grade of the other, but all the nearby routes that surround it in the grading system. If route A has one technical move, good rests, and a bit of steepness next to easy gear and route B has two harder moves in much steeper terrain, with no rests and slightly spaced gear, route B is simply higher up the grade system and again trying to interfere with that direct comparison will change everything around it.

Reject the correctness of some grades and you reject the entire comparative and progressive grading system and you might as well not bother trying to convey and information with grades at all. Of course people could come out with spurious waffle such as "but it's just a matter of opinion the grades of route X and route B (maybe seasoned with macho posturing for extra self-sabotage), but then they can get swiftly referred back to point 1. - the system is built on facts.

Accept those facts and you will have more accurate grades, and will be a happier and more peaceful climber - fact*

(*N.B. this fact alone might be complete bollox)



Source:  fiendblog

[comPiler]

Scottish Bouldering Favourites.
19 October 2013, 9:06 pm



Phil Jack asked me to list them so here they are. This is a list of personal favourites at a grade range I tend to enjoy most,  although there might be a high correlation with "personal favourite" and "pure fantastic". They are all pretty well acknowledged as great problems, and I've highlighted my most favourite with a star, some of these are properly fucking amazing although I did struggle to draw the line so have been quite strict.

The list varies a lot from single mega-problems with little else in the area, to a cluster of gems close together, to areas where I really liked one or two problems but there's a fine circuit to go at. A few of them are my own problems because they are good, any complaints about that BITE ME. Some of these are off the beaten track and off the guidebook radar and it's up to the reader to find them, although I have included a couple of nice problems at Portlethen and a few from Dumby even though most boulderers visit those areas 90% of the time (the other 10% of the time spent trying Malc's Arete @ Torridon).

I've included any video clips I've taken to show the aesthetics of the line, fat weak midget beta, and occasionally some other problems in the area. Obviously there's loads of classics I haven't done and lots of areas  I've been to that are good but didn't stand out in particular. The main advice is go EXPLORE. And take wellies.

North West:

V6 * (Reiff) - techy wall - superbly tentative.

V5 (Reiff) - techy arete - fine climbing.

V5 * (RITW) - techy wall - subtle and delightful.

Watch Your Back V4 (Ardmair) - roof - cool tricky roof fun.

V4 (Torridon) - techy wall - precarious and balancy.

V5 (Torridon) - steep prow - proud line with butch climbing.

V5 * (Inchbae) - steep slab - brilliantly thin and balancy.

V3 (Inchbae) - arete - classic pure arete climbing.

V4 (Kishorn) - techy wall - good fun on good features

North East / North Central:

Slap And Tickle V5 (Porty) - steep arete - sharp but a good line.

The Prow V4 (Porty) - steep arete - the other good line at Porty.

V4 (Clash) - groove/bulge -  varied and exciting.

V7 * (Clash) - crimpy arete - fierce and subtle at the same time.

V4 (Ruthven) - overhanging wall - burly fun.

V6 * (Ruthven) - techy arete - excellent and elegant.

V6 (Ruthven) - overhanging wall - more burly fun.

V5 (Ruthven) - bulge - disarming friction climbing.

V5 * (Brin) - roof - high, wild and utterly inspiring.

V6 (Farr) - slopey arete - frictional and tenacious.

V4 (Farr) - arete - lovely steady slopey climbing.

V4 (Farr) - steep slab - thin and delicate on ace rock.

Central West:

V7 * (Laggan)  - arete - the best line and problem in Scotland? World class.

V6 * (Glen Nevis) - bulge/mantle - sculptural and brutal. Skin graft needed.

V4 (Glen Nevis) - wall - delicate pull-over on nice rock

V3 (Glen Nevis) - wall/groove - cool fun on nice features.

The Wall V5 (Glen Nevis) - techy wall - excellent committing climbing.

V5 * (Skye) - roof crack - the other best line and problem in Scotland? Best handjamming ever.

V5 (Glen Coe) - steep wall - cool wall cranking.

V4 (Glen Coe) - steep wall -  cool wall cranking.

Various problems at Loch Buie (Mull) - lovely spot, cool bouldering, just go.

Central:

V6 * (Glen Clova) - roof - awesome and improbable roof climbing.

V4 (Glen Clova) - groove - bizarre technical and precarious.

V4 (Glen Clova) - wall - cool crimpy cranky wall.

(Loch Katrine)  - steep slab - pure and delicate.

V4 (Loch Katrine) - steep arete -  good cranky arete.

V4 (Loch Katrine) - prow - nice steep climbing.

V6 (Loch Sloy) - bulging arete - technical and tensiony.

V5 (Loch Sloy) - steep wall - good committing cranking.

V4 (Glen Croe) - steep arete - burly but aesthetic.

V4 (Glen Croe) - overhang - good fun jug yarding.

V3 (Glen Croe) - wall - excellent delicate crimping.

V4 (Glen Croe) - roof arete -  thoughtful burly climbing in a fine situation.

V6 * (Achray) - steep prow - brilliantly sustained and powerful climbing.

V5 * (Glen Ogle) - roof lip - irresistable and great fun problem, hernia-inducing.

V6 (St Brides) - steep wall - sharp but excellent and powerful cranking.

Lowland:

V8 (Camby) - pure steep arete - amazingly pure line with very hard holdless climbing.

V6 * (Camby) - pure slab arete -  highly aesthetic and hilarious sketching up a slab.

V3 (Camby) - pure slab arete - the easier version but still great fun.

V6 (Rankin Boulder) - bulging arete - powerful and diverse prow.

V6 (Garheugh) - slab/wall - thin and technical.

V6 (Garheugh) - bulging prow - excellent fun on cool features.

V5 (Garheugh) - bulging prow - burly and bonkers.

Blue Meanie, Mestizo, Gorilla, , (Dumby) - all good.



Source:  fiendblog

[comPiler]

Learning.
22 October 2013, 10:27 am



Life is a learning process, a wise woman once said. Except maybe that woman hadn't learned from her mistakes, because a few years later she birthed my younger brother too ;). Still she is ace and wise enough and the principle of learning still stands. This year I have climbed the best I ever have, have climbed amazing and inspiring routes, and got into a state of confidence and happiness with my climbing that I always aspire to be in but that is often difficult to reach. I don't expect this state to last but want to be able to regain it, so I want to know:

"What can I learn from this?? How have I got into this state?? How could I replicate it in future??"

Pondering on this further I have come up with a neat 10 11 12 factors. I've tried to make these as clear as I can (for my own benefit!) but have found them a bit tricky to write about. Hopefully it makes sense...

[Edit: I have gone through my logbook for this year and tried to work  out how each day fitted in with these factors or any others, and on  reflection it's probably 90% due to Falling Practice......]

Falling practice:

By far the most important factor - in fact more important than ALL the other factors put together, so at least 50% of what helped me. Although I had done it sporadically during many previous wall sessions, this year was the first time that I have done it every time. Every wall session without exception I have done between 3 and 12 practise falls, some small, some larger, some very hard to do, some feeling very natural. Sometimes during the summer I was feeling in good climbing fitness but still wanted to visit the wall just to practise falls. Simply put, this worked. Slapping for a hold with a bolt below my feet on The One And Only at Brin Rock, looking at a cluster of okay gear on Neart Nan Gaidheal at Ardmair and knowing I'd be okay if I fell so climbing through the pump instead of backing off it.

In the future, keep doing falling practice ALL the time, building up if necessary.

Climbing quickly:

This pretty much derives  from the confidence gained from falling practise. With the confidence to  press on and risk falling off, I've started to climb quickly through  difficult sections, through the pump, through poor holds and positions  to gain respite. This has compensated for my natural stamina and lack of  faffing and has been a positive approach that has almost invariably  worked - often by ensuring I get committed which is something I can be  inhibited about but once committed I can usually cope with the actual  climbing.

In the future, try to keep aware how well this can work, although falling practice is a pre-requisite.

Uncluttered focus:

I.e. If I'm intending to do specific challenges, focusing on those challenges during a day or trip, and not getting distracted with mileage or other routes or anything other than the minimum necessary warming up. This differentiates between exploratory or mileage trips where I want to do plenty of routes, and challenge trips where I might only do one or two routes in a day. Narrowing my focus enabled me to have a clearer and more relaxed mind with more time to deal with the challenges presented.

In the future, be clear if I want mileage/exploration days or challenge days, and have a clear focus to avoid one impinging on the other.

Good conditions:

I climbed well at Easter and early spring when it was fresh but not too cold. I climbed rubbish in summer when it was either too hot, too humid, or sometimes too windy. I climbed well again in autumn when it had cooled down and was still dry. One day backing off Colder Than A Hooker's Heart at Creag Dubh because I was having to chalk on every hold, and another day where I almost committed without even downclimbing to warm up because the conditions felt so much better highlights the difference so well. It's not just about cold crisp grit conditions, it's about making sure for any route that the conditions are in my favour.

In the future, keep aware of conditions, use them if they are good and adapt to them if they are bad.

Regular climbing training:

You never fail on a route from being too strong nor too fit. A lot of the harder routes I've been doing are steep and strenuous or sustained, this is partly a Scottish speciality but probably more common to routes in the UK that I've previously anticipated. Feeling physically confident has made me more mentally confident, and it is something I can keep training.

In the future, keep training. I enjoy it anyway so it should be easy to stick to!

Well-established routes:

I.e. Sticking to boring old polished chalky Rockfax-picked trade routes. The advantage being that there is a chance of them being polished and chalky and having a clear line to follow and clean rock and accurate grades and descriptions, none of which are essential and I can have plenty of fun exploring the wilds of Scotland without those factors BUT when it's something at my limit it has been very beneficial to climb something logistically reliable.

In the future, be aware of how much difference route-reliability can be, and adapt my inspirations as appropriate.

Accepting the chance of failure:

This season I managed to accept failure, both as an overall possibility in trying harder routes, but also on certain routes themselves - a few of the best experiences I had were tackling routes I assumed would be too hard and I was sure I'd not get up, but I gave them a go anyway just to see what happened, and got up them move by move, section by section. As much as I hate failure it's been important to recognise it as a risk I take trying harder routes. Incidentally the end result has been failing on very few routes indeed...

In the future, remember that failure could definitely happen while trying harder routes and acknowledge it as a natural consequence.

 

Weathering out low periods:

To reiterate, I climbed well, I climbed rubbish, I climbed well again. The low period of climbing rubbish was nowhere near the worst I've climbed, but coming so abruptly after a period where I was climbing the best I've climbed, it was certainly one of the biggest drops in standard and confidence. Accepting this was hard and reverting to the then-undesired mileage climbing was also hard, but it gradually worked and enabled me to keep climbing enough to keep my hand in, to get necessary mileage, to slowly work my confidence back, and to even enjoy puntering along. Being patient with, and dealing with this period felt essential to coming out of it.

In the future, remember that I can come out of low periods and persit through them as best I can, using the mileage-focus that generally works.

General fitness and rest:

Good levels of general action and activity and whatever fitness training I can force my legs to do, along with sensible periods of rest before climbing days, and trying to get plenty of good sleep. Although singular challenging climbs tend to be relatively short periods of activity, background fitness training and good rest helped me feel more ready for them and more alert on the day.

In the future, keep active and keep well rested, try to keep doing this with the inspiration that it will benefit my climbing eventually.

Getting used to terrain:

Not so much the general trad climbing terrain, nor specific rock types - both aspects I've got enough experience to be ready for, but more particular types of climbing and types of angle. Both Scotland's typically merciless steepness and occasional and recent slabbiness, I have felt the benefit of either warming up to those sorts of angles, or even over-training the steep angles - i.e. getting very familiar with 20° overhanging training so 10° overhanging trad doesn't feel quite so shocking. The same could apply to hold size too.

In the future, recognise that some terrains can be specifically challenging and prepare appropriately.

Warming up steadily and/or on start of routes:

Two ways have worked for me. Either getting a long steady warm-up on a variety of routes (most suitable when there is plenty of time and plenty of logistically easy routes), and/or warming up and down on challenging routes themselves (most suitable with less time or less suitable warm-up choice) . The latter is a double edged sword: On the plus side it has made many routes more approachable due to getting used to the route, getting pumped, and placing some gear, and having a clearer focus. On the down side it doesn't feel as elegant and somewhat tarnishes the exploratory onsight journey. But it's sometimes appropriate, especially if the route starts with relatively easy ground to a rest.

In the future, remember the importance of warming up and choose the right approach (lots of easy routes vs. starts to harder routes) according to situation.

Pacing, resting, placing gear or pressing on.

Part of a natural process of stacking the odds in my favour and doing the best I can on routes, but it has been often proven to be very beneficial when climbing close to or at my limit. Getting carried away means I can forget this and bull-in-a-china-shop my way up some routes but I need to keep paying attention to what I'm doing and make the most of my tactics.

In the future, stay smart and keep using the tactics I know that work well.

Hopefully that should be useful for future reference....



Source:  fiendblog

[comPiler]

Older and colder.
6 November 2013, 10:42 am



Anyone got any Ibuprofen?? Not just for the tender fingers, sore skin, tweaky elbows and aching shoulders - but also for the strained neck from the whiplash of deceleration as the temperature, dryness, and climbing opportunity hurtle to an abrupt stop. From the most beautiful of autumn sunshine in the West one weekend, to the most foul of sodden storms the next weekend, to the most bitter bone-cracking breezes the next.

Emergency stop on weather and climbing, I wasn't wearing my belt and got caught out with a full repetoire of aches and pains. With the shitty weather of course I wanted to train, but then it's even getting out of Ratho season so being indoors is a laborious process. From feeling I can jump on anything a month ago, it now takes longer to warm-up than it does to climb. Even doing so, I'm feeling quite an old man as the niggles are niggling away - generally achey fingers, stiffening shoulders, and a worrying flare up of my 2008 LH golfer's elbow (the 2012 RH golfer's elbow being okay so far). Carefree climbing is having to be replaced by methodical maintenance.

During all of this, I'm not really sure what I'm training for. The last proper time out climbing was brilliant and of course all I wanted was to keep going with that, but now I can't and I'm using the full force of my mental inflexibility and stubborness to resist it being bouldering season - particularly as I got so much done last winter season and can't think of much left for this season. Suntrap trad, where art thou?? I keep hoping and checking the weather and drawing up a list of venues but it's all very limited up here. To give myself the slightest fighting chance I do need to keep fit for that. Otherwise it's scrabbling around for climbing trips abroad - I'm feeling pretty relaxed after some good trips this year and am quite happy to go along with other people's plans....well that would be nice in theory....climbers who actually go away climbing and would invite me along, where art thou??

I do have one kind offer over the Christmas period so maybe that can give my something to focus on. In the meantime, I guess I need to get genuinely inspired for training in it's own sake, and learning to cope with all the tedium and faff of lengthy warming up, warming down, stretching, active rest, blah blah can't I just pull hard on small holds?? Well.....no. Guess I better go back to TCA soon...



Source:  fiendblog

[comPiler]

Narrowing the focus.
10 November 2013, 9:41 pm



Went to see Gravity the other day, in full Imax 3D. Really good film, tense and thrilling in many parts, beautiful and serene in others, (and obviously a smidgen implausible in a few, but so what), with very palatable and tastefully done 3D. Definitely recommended, the atmosphere stayed with me for a few days after. One strong feature is how tight the focus is on a couple of people and their immediate environment, amongst the grand and expansive scale of space....it works well...

On the subject of narrow focuses, that something I need to do now - hone the focus of my roped climbing down from the vast and varied expanse of Scottish (and Northern English) cragging to what is actually feasible at this time of year. Quick-drying suntraps, preferably with a bit of shelter and technical wee routes rather than arm-busting hand-freezing staminathons. Oh and some routes to inspire me :).

Current list looks a bit like:

Auchinstarry

Ratho

Limekilns

Dunira

Weem (if not seeping)

Rob's Reed

Arbroath (on the sunny bits)

Back Bowden

Bowden

Kyloe Out

Callerhues

Aberdeen suntraps

Gairloch area (only if glorious)

All sensible stuff I hope. Obviously to be mixed in with bouldering, trips further south, training, gym-work etc etc as appropriate.

I tried one of those today - Back Bowden. Forecast was glorious unbroken sunshine all day. Got to Berwick, it was pissing down. Got to the parking it was dry. Got to the crag it showered on us. Uh HUH. Thankfully that blew over and the crag lived up to it's suntrap potential well, so much so that warming up bouldering wore down my my skin enough that when I got on one route my tips were sweaty and condensed on the cool rock and I had to back off as I was chalking every single bloody hold. Hardly maximising conditions eh. So basically I did fuck all except get very inspired for a couple of routes there and learnt that as well as warming up well I need to keep my skin intact whilst doing so. Lessons lessons.



Source:  fiendblog

[SA Chris]

Reiff (in wellies)

[Fiend]

Yeah I meant "Gairloch/Ullapool" area. Gonna have to be pretty reliable to risk the journey up there tho.

[SA Chris]

OK. We've found Reiff to be pretty bomb proof as a Winter option. Just don't get caught out be chippers in Ullapool closing early in winter.

[Fiend]

Wise words! I'm sure I've been foiled by that a couple of times. The chinese and indian are pretty decent tho.

I've done a lot of the suntrap stuff at Reiff (Stone Pig area, Pinnacle area, Seal Song area) so it's not so appealling to me. But then again there is Ardmair which is even better in winter. Also keen for Goat In The Woods, Mungasdale, and maybe Glutton Crag if it gets enough sun. All seems pretty distant at the moment tho!

[comPiler]

How come I can do it??
13 November 2013, 7:59 pm



Bear with me on this one. It involves both grades and comparing myself to other people - two ugly and uncouth aspects of climbing. But there is a purpose and of course it's absolutely nothing to do with ego or willy-waving - it is just trying to understand a bit more about my climbing, my strengths and weaknesses (and thus how to keep progressing and/or keep enjoying it).

So I've climbed with several good climbers through my time in Scotland (yup I eventually managed to find climbing partners, albeit away from the trad climber drought in Glasgow). Some of these people I consider my peers, some of these people I aspire to climb as well at. Almost all of these people I get on well with and have a good time climbing with, so I respect them as well. They are all experienced trad climbers who also do other disciplines and usually train and try hard. When I climb with them down the wall (where I sometimes flash 7a maximum) and outside, I've noticed a trend:

Climber 1: Can do quite a few power problems I can't do despite not focusing on bouldering. When fit climbs similar indoors but slower and smoother. Tallish, light, very hill-fit.

Comparative trad: 1-2 grades lower.

Climber 2: Warms up on 7a indoors, flashes 7b maybe harder. Tall, very mountain fit.

CT: ½ a grade harder usually but similar recently.

Climber 3: Regularly flashes 7b-7c indoors. Very light.

CT: ½ a grade harder usually.

Climber 4: Laps 7b+ upwards indoors. Flashes at least 7c+ outdoors. Very strong.

CT: 1 grade harder usually.

Climber 5: Can do quite a few fingery / cranky problems I can't do despite not focusing on bouldering.  Tallish, light, fit.

CT: 1-2 grades lower.

 

Climber 6: Warms up climbing Teddy's 7b+ clean, flashed top half of Silk Purse after two falls on lower crux i.e. very sport fit.

CT: ½ a grade harder usually, I assume, but similar recently.

So it seems that comparatively, I do better than expected in trad. Or worse than expected indoor sport and bouldering. This is a small sample but my other climbing partners do little to contradict this.

Now bear in mind that I am traditionally a weak trad climber: I'm too slow, I faff around too long, I spend ages backing up gear, I get pumped far too easily, I struggle to commit to moves, I struggle to commit into the unknown, I'm terrified of falling and even getting into a position where I might fall. I've always been better physically rather than mentally, and performed better in bouldering and sport, especially indoors where the holds are obvious so I know what I'm committing too.

So how come I can do it?? How come I can SOMETIMES climb relatively well on trad despite it being my "weaker" discipline?? Well I can think of a couple explanations:

1. Inspiration and determination - I'm so passionate about trad and so inspired by it that I keep pushing hard and keep fighting to do the challenges I enjoy, both in preparation and on the route. Obviously other climbers do....but maybe I do it a little bit more??

2. I'm actually crap indoors - I'd just got the wrong perspective about my climbing. Maybe instead of being strong indoors and scared outdoors, I'm actually kinda weak indoors and kinda skilled enough outdoors. Or maybe just well balanced (in climbing styles not in mental harmony)??

In terms of this pondering being of any use, I guess it works in the context of "play to your strengths, work your weaknesses". Keep determined and inspired, but also realise my weakness might be weakness, and keep training hard...



Source:  fiendblog

[GazM]

It's an interesting one, and I guess it comes down to the multi-disciplinary and yet specific nature of climbing.  I've long realised that doing lots of trad makes you good at doing lots of trad, and the things that make you want to do lots of trad aren't necasarily the things that make you want to do lots of sport (and hence be good at sport), if you catch my drift....

Many's the time I've heard strong climbers say that they'll need to get back on the training after a trip, despite climbing lots of hard trad routes because they're no longer 'sport' fit.

I used to be amazed how friends who generally climbed lower grades than me on rock used to climb much harder in winter, all the time, but then realised they were just way more psyched for winter than I ever was.

[SA Chris]

I think Psyche has a lot to do with it. And also the PMA to get on harder stuff and be prepared to fight the good fight and not be afraid to fail. I know I could probably climb at least 2 grades harder than what I regard as my "trad grade" but TBH I'm old and responsible and don't like getting too scared anymore.

Also what is your official "trad grade" for me it's a range from VS to E2 (and the occasional E3) depending on style of climbing and rock. I think style of climbing in trad is more varible than in sport, where the style falls within a much a narrower band.

[Fiend]

Chris, the Psyche is exactly what I mean in Point 1.

My trad grade range is often pretty narrow (i.e. one grade band, apart from warm-ups) as I'm often pushing myself pretty hard, and I try to do so on a wide variety of rock-types and styles
.

Gaz, in those terms I am pretty much an all-rounder for rock and plastic. Although I am "primarily" a trad climber, I spend all winter pushing myself bouldering, almost all trips abroad pushing myself on sport (i.e. not alpine easy routes), AND due to the joys of Scottish weather, I'm doing route/boulder training indoors regularly for at least 2/3 of the year, and I'm always pushing to the point of failure with that.

I could conversely ask "why am I so shit at indoor climbing". The answers being: Heavy, poor power-to-weight ratio, poor cv fitness, and very sweaty skin.

[SA Chris]

My trad grade range is often pretty narrow (i.e. one grade band, apart from warm-ups) as I'm often pushing myself pretty hard, and I try to do so on a wide variety of rock-types and styles

While you are, I don't necessarily think everyone is operating in a narrow grade , which is why your CTs may be hard to quantify accurately?