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Just another day at the Cornice.
23 June 2010, 8:56 am

Today. Saturday. It was just another day at the Cornice. Ive been walking in and out of Chee Dale from Worm Hill for 25 years . Familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt but a warm home-from-home feeling. It was an early start by Peak st...

Source: The Shark

[comPiler]

Over the Wall
24 June 2010, 8:59 am

I have a dog. A border collie called Pip. She's 12 now. I don't know how old that is in dog years, but its getting on a bit. I grew up with working border collies on a remote farm in East Devon and wouldnt consider any other breed. They ...

Source: The Shark

[chris_j_s]

   Poor Pip.

I remember hearing that she fell off the Catwalk a few months back, but its pretty amazing that she went away unscathed if she's as old as 12!

Re the point of your post I wish I'd discovered climbing younger when my body would have kept up a little easier! However, regarding Stevie its undoubtedly a major factor that he climbed to a high standard in his younger years. Starting from scratch at nearly 30 I'm nowhere near over the hill of course, but I'm not even sure whether it will be physically possible for me to reach, say, 8c-9a standard now. I can't think of any examples of anyone having done it but they would be few and far between I would have thought.

[shark]

Hi Chris.

Yes the dogslip incident was worrier.

There are some late starters who achieved like Livesey. Most of us wont bag 8c-9a however hard we try or however early we start. The point I think is to be the best you can be within the life you chose to lead making the most of what you've got. Who has achieved most - a natural climber who climbs 8a without effort or someone whose applied themselves and worked really hard to do 7c. In absolute terms the former but in relative terms the latter. You play the cards you are dealt with.

[comPiler]

The best climber is the one having the most fun
25 June 2010, 8:44 am

My last blogpost elicited a response from my business partner Toby that my opinions were worryingly close to the oft quoted 'the best climber is the one having the most fun'. I like this quote not only because it winds up the literally-m...

Source: The Shark

[Paul B]

I've noticed 27 crags does the above (cut-short blogs) on here and google reader / Feedly. A bit of a pain.

[slackline]

I've noticed 27 crags does the above (cut-short blogs) on here and google reader / Feedly. A bit of a pain.

No doubt so that you have to go to their site to read the full thing, increasing traffic throughput and potential for revenue through click-throughs.

[shark]

I emailed Markus at 27Crags and he is adding a second feed (whatever that means) so the next 10 blogs will include all the text. Not sure what happens after that.

[Paul B]

That dog story (that will no doubt appear here later) is genius.

[comPiler]

Another dog story
27 June 2010, 8:24 pm

Saturday. To the Cornice again with Seb Grieve this time. Seb is always good for a laugh and a fun day out is virtually guaranteed.   In addition to Pip the only others climbers’ dog at the crag that day belonged to Mark Westerman. I don...

Source: The Shark

[Paul B]

I emailed Markus at 27Crags and he is adding a second feed (whatever that means) so the next 10 blogs will include all the text. Not sure what happens after that.

Maybe you need to add the second feed to your 'compiler' as it still requires click through (which is shit).

[comPiler]

K2.95
25 July 2010, 8:59 pm

In the early 90’s when I was busy building my career I was always a bit envious of my longstanding pal Seb Grieve being a full-time climber and the achievements he was clocking up at the time. Not the grit routes for which he is now famous, but the ace limestone routes he was ticking like Predator, the Oak and his own route K3 at the Cornice.

Seb’s long term effort on what was to become K3 became a bit of a standing joke. In the guide the line was written up as “Seb’s Project. Due for completion sometime in the 1990’s”. The joke wasn’t lost on him. He had a school pencil case which had drill bits in and other climbing stuff which he used to leave on a low ledge below K3. It had a clear plastic sleeve for schoolboys to insert their name and address. Seb’s read: “Seb Grieve, The Cornice, Chee Dale, Peak District, Derbyshire”. There is a picture of him on it here (image 15):   http://www.keithsharplesphotography.co.uk/galleries/Gal_SportsClimbing2.htm  He was ripped then. Now the tables have turned – but only a bit. We are both older, probably no wiser. He is a hard working sales professional and put on a few pounds whilst I'm self-employed with greater freedom over my time to climb and train.

Naturally K3 has always been a route I’ve been drawn to. Notwithstanding the history K3 is a superb burly route worthy of anyone’s time. I put a lot of days into it 5 or 6 years ago but in reality was a long way off ticking it then. Subsequently I don’t think it has been dry or clean. I re-opened this old account this year – on the 22nd May to be precise. Although not my first 8a+ it is harder than the other two I have redpointed. Fortunately  I still had a word document with the beta to refer back to which proved handy.  Since then I have had 14 sessions on it. I had to check my diary as I had no idea. Like Nic Sellars is reported to have said – if it takes longer than 5 days then stop counting.  All bar one of the sessions has been enjoyable. I love summoning up every bit effort to make progress. However, on one of the sessions the frustrations of long term redpointing  got on top of me. I’ve got over that now especially as of yesterday when I got close to reaching the end of the crux section. In fact the position I fell off is the exact same position where Seb is in the photograph . From there you can get an unlikely kneebar rest in the feature of undercut rock dubbed ‘the pancake’. It smells good.

In the two months I have been on K3 a succession of strong climbers have passed through. They typically tick it in 1,2 or 3 sessions. That seems to be more the way of things these days. You could argue it either way – they should be putting the days in on 8c’s or I should be doing quick redpoints of 7c’s. It comes down to a matter of personal taste and perhaps fashion too. Despite the length of time I have, for the most part, thoroughly enjoyed the process - but will enjoy closure more. K2.95 is just not good enough.

Source: The Shark

[comPiler]

Yesterday’s news
7 August 2010, 7:11 pm

It was only 10 days ago that I redpointed K3, but it feels like months ago.  On the drive out I was thinking that a hectic day being serially let down (by so-called professionals who should behave a lot better) was hardly good preparation for a lifetime hardest redpoint. We had gone out two evenings before and a mist had hung over the river. I’d felt strong but the humidity made it too hard. However, on the Thursday evening there was a small breeze blowing through the dale creating mint conditions. With not many teams out, it was quiet too.

After a couple of warm-ups and putting the clips in, it went first redpoint. I didn’t quite get the big undercut properly at the end of the crux but still managed to pull through to the kneebar rest for the first time. I shook out three times on each arm in readiness for the hard move above. Although lots of people fall off this move or above it I was pretty confident that I wouldn’t. So it proved to be. Even so I was in a bit of a daze at the belay – had I really, really done it?

I’m still chuffed but the elation has subsided. Yesterday’s news. The past week I have kicked back a bit - drinking and eating whatever I fancied. So, what next? I have a wistful goal to do 10,000 8a nu points. With K3 in the bag it has become a possibility. Doing a bit of number-crunching I have just worked out if I close out a few existing projects including the Oak before November I can do it...but only just. This is a big ask and will make it far and away my best year of sport climbing. I’d better pull my finger out.

Source: The Shark

[comPiler]

Toys out of the Pram
11 August 2010, 2:08 pm

*RANT ALERT* Last night I went down to Nettle Buttress in Chee Dale with Rob and Nic. It was the third evening visit for me and Rob. Nic tagged along this time. We had been trying a route called 'Toys for the Boys', a bewilderingly technical wall climb up a gently overhanging wall of fused limestone. It has a reputation for being impossible at first acquaintance then comes together quickly. Sounds good.

I had got through the crux twice on the second evening but then fallen off at an upside down pocket which I get with my right thumb (and then clip!) and then turn it into a 2 finger undercut. Turning it into an undercut requires pinching a polished crimp with the other hand. I can't hold the crimp long enough to smoothly take the thumb out and reinsert two fingers. Rob can. He demonstrated by doing just that..and blowing. Thanks Robin, nice touch. For me repeated attempts were 50% successful on the dog but cut my ring finger.

Anyway conditions were better last night and the cut had partially healed. I was hopeful. Screw that. I was having it - I would own the route and bag those extra 8a nu points, then discard the route like a used prophylactic. Except I didn't.

First go putting the clips I re-opened the gash on my finger on the undercut pocket despite taping up. First redpoint I made a foot fault so fell off. I then had a go at  reworking the finger swap using the front two fingers instead to save the cut ring finger. It placed a huge strain on the tendon undercutting up but was worth the risk. Rob then redpoints the route. My turn again.  Light starting to fail. Moves went well. Got to the pocket. Clipped the bolt. Deep breath 1,2,3 and..fail on the swap yet again. Swear LOUDLY. Its not as if its even a climbing move FFS. All the anger and frustration with the route and other frustrations of the week came out with me screaming C U N T S..on the end of a rope..in a leafy Derbyshire Dale ...with a river bubbling past ...and an undercut pocket of limestone that didnt give a shit.

It was also a scream against tensions that had been building during the week - a protest against car repair bills, workload, our innocent guinea pigs slaughtered by next door neighbours cat, a plumbers  shoddy work, a flooring guy not turning up. In short I lost my rag, lost control and you know what? that makes me annoyed too. Arrrrgggghhh.

Source: The Shark

[Johnny Brown]

On the plus side, I think that's your best blog post to date. 

[shark]

On the plus side, I think that's your best blog post to date. 

Ta Adam. Y'know I hesitated before I posted that as I thought it was self-indulgent i.e cathartic for me and and a whinging rant of no interest to anyone else. Just goes to show. Actually I don't what it goes show  ... never second-guess your audience? publish and be damned maybe? Wash your dirty linen in public? 

Confused of Sheffield   

[chris_j_s]

The question here is surely WWDD? ( ) ... fortuitously He addresses this in His latest blog. Note point 5.

  I thought that too but doesn't mean Dave sticks to it.

Come to think of it I reckon all top climbers probably do this so you're in good company Simon...

Witness Dave in E11, Ondra in numerous videos and best of all Jordan's comedy gold 'owwww' after kicking Widdop Wall in frustration on Grit Flick!

[shark]

The question here is surely WWDD?  ... fortuitously He addresses this in His latest blog. Note point 5.

Yeah but more importantly WWJD ?    moan, bitch and curse, of course.

[Jaspersharpe]

...and an undercut pocket of limestone that didnt give a shit.

Quite brilliant. 

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Tenacity
26 August 2010, 11:31 am

This seems to be the word of the moment. Dan Varian has written a good article on the subject in the latest edition of Climb magazine and it seems to come up increasingly in climbing conversation.

'Team Tenacity' is a phrase that has been mentioned a few times on UKB in the past and I recently learnt that it was invented by Dobbin. I had assumed that the members of the Team were Paul Reeve and Keith Sharples (and possibly Simon Reed) and I was pleasantly surprised to also learn recently I was on Team Tenacity too – though undoubtedly the weakest member of the team.

We are all united by being old skool long term siegers of sport routes. Also (if it existed) it is a team in the loosest possible sense - you would be hard pressed to find a group of more self-centred 'unteamy' obsessives. Admittedly we are friends who have been known to socialise and go on climbing trips abroad together. But when it comes down it is the mutual interest of happening to want to go to the same crag (usually Tor, Malham or Kilnsey) on the same day that binds us. Paul must be the team captain with levels of drive, energy and selfishness that are both admirable and appalling at the same time. He also scored a crucial TT goal by redpointing Unjustified this year.

Back to tenacity. I think there is a big difference between long term strategic tenacity which is the ability to come back year after year to a project without getting psychologically broken and the on-the-route tenacity that means that you throw everything at your attempt on a route - Jerrylike. Anyway Dobbin (if indeed you are to blame) strictly speaking it should have been 'Team Persistence' rather than 'Team Tenacity'.

Source: The Shark

[comPiler]

You fat bastard
10 December 2010, 5:05 pm

I'm 46 now and wear the same size jeans I had when I was 18, maybe smaller. In the normal world this would rate as some sort of minor miracle but through the looking glass of aspirational sport climbing it is nothing to write home about.

I weigh myself most mornings - before breakfast and stark bollock naked of course. Over the last 2 years my weight has fluctuated up to a Christmas max weight of 11.9 down to a minimum summer redpoint weight of 11.1 (sorry for being Imperial but that's how I still think).

Earlier this year inspired by Dave Macs thoughts on weight in 9 out of 10 Climbers I took advantage of a contact I had at the University sports science department (cheers Rob) and popped in to have my body fat properly measured. This included impedence testing and caliper measurements and putting the results through a few alternative fat distribution formulas. At a weight of 73.1kg I was carrying 11.7kg of fat according to the calipers and 11.1kg according to the impedence- so between 15-16% body fat. Taking the lower impedence figure my lean body weight was 62kg so if I lost just fat I could hit Dave's target recommended weight of 10% body fat by weighing 68.2kg i.e. below 10st 12lbs.

I did go on to lose up to 3kgs after the test a few times but even at my lowest I was still carrying 3lbs more than I need to. Even at that weight there is the opportunity to tactically knock of say another 3lbs pounds for a big redpoint.

Trouble is, and always has been, that I love to guzzle food, beer and wine. Just thinking about dieting makes me feel hungry. This time of year is especially difficult sailing into a bow wave of festive treats, parties and boozing. Also route climbing weather seems so very far away.

Cutting out chocolates and other treats got me down to 11.1-3 but a change in habits and attitude is going to be required to get into the sub 11 scrawny zone and stay there. Averaging a pound a week seems sensible. That should have me below 11stone by March. How hard can that be? Very, I think. Not hard in the sense of a big effort for a route but hard in the sense of the day-to-day drudgery of regular small denials of gratification.

The performance rewards are potentially big. If I can hit this target weight and gain the endurance I expect to from periodised training the combined effect should knock things up to another level. I feel a bit silly putting this out on a blog but by doing so it feels like I'm making more of a commitment to what in reality is just a contract with myself to actually achieve the target weight loss.

Source: The Shark

[Paul B]

Cheat meals can help a lot.

[shark]

As in meals with no calories or skipping them altogether ?

Another tip I am going to follow is to spoil my appetite by having a snack 20 mins before a main meal.

[Drewski Rootbitch]

Its called a starter, you greedy bastard 

(good luck with the above)

Stallion (on the downlow)

[shark]

Its called a starter, you greedy bastard 

Ah - I realise why that tip appealed to me so much now. Must try harder.