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Hello World!
9 January 2012, 1:19 am

Welcome to my tiny corner on the web…

Source: Shauna Coxsey

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Hueco Tanks
10 February 2012, 8:48 pm

So… This is my first blog, I have been quite nervous about writing a blog for a while now but here we go. I am currently in the USA half way through my trip so I thought this might be a good time to start.

Myself, James Garden, Alex Puccio and Chris Webb Parsons left London for Dallas on January 19th. After a few days at Alex’s family home we traveled a long 12 hours across Texas State to Hueco Tanks National Park. Alexs’s Uncle kindly lent us his 30ft camping trailer which was amazing! No coming back to a cold dark tent after climbing for us.

I think that, without conscious thought, I came to Hueco with high expectations. I wanted to climb hard and push myself. Day one started well as I climbed ‘Free Willy’ V10 second try, however, my psyche was rapidly decreased when I repeatedly failed on the first move of a V9 which was the stand start to a V12 I had hoped to try. Throughout my time in Hueco I came to realise that I have very little experience on rock and that I haven’t got much at all to justify any expectations. I accepted failing on problems and made the decision not to try anything too hard. Being surrounded buy so many boulders it seemed insane to spend days working one boulder problem anyway. 

The climbing in Hueco Tanks I found to be surprisingly diverse and the scenery simply beautiful. There are boulders that require you to throw yourself between big holds in a horizontal roof and boulders that require you to move delicately between the sharpest of crimps, although I think there is a higher percentage of steeper climbing for sure. Grades are questionable here and I do not feel  that I have the experience to grade a problem myself, so I have gone with the general feel from friends and those who have climbed the problem previously. So on this trip I climbed two V11s and six V10s  with Full Service (V10) being the most enjoyable and satisfying by far! This problem required a combination of power and technique and took me analysing multiple moves to be able to get it. I was convinced that I could not do one of the moves but Alex somehow got me psyched to get back on, try hard and get it done.

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Trying hard, going big and putting in all of my effort are things that I find difficult to do outside of competitions. This trip to Hueco where I was surrounded by people who have such a passion for the sport and such a drive to push themselves has inspired me to try harder, push harder and go bigger both on rock and when training. 

In two weeks time I will be competing in The American National Bouldering Championships so in a few days Alex and I head to Boulder, Colorado to train in the world class Bouldering Centres it has to offer. Hopefully I have enough time to get used to the crazy steep walls, big holds and scary heights of American bouldering.

Ciao xx

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Source: Shauna Coxsey

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An Epic into a success!
26 February 2012, 9:48 pm

James and Chris headed home to England and it was then time to head to Boulder, Colorado, 12 hours drive away. We packed the car excited and ready to blast down the highways and across the passes. However, 2 miles down the road I learnt that if you drive a mini cooper into a large American curb it causes some damage. So the trip was delayed. Up early and ready to leave the next day (in Alex’s mums car) we were delayed till late afternoon but by 4pm we are on the road making it steadily to our half way stop Amarillo, where we spent the night in rather nice hotel. 

Next day at 10am we were off, Alex making a steady pace though snow and mist. Until… 100 miles later that lovely little red oil light made an appearance on the dash… soon accompanied by unpleasant knocking sound coming from the engine. Our journey was  yet again delayed. Whilst waiting for the tow truck (back to the town where we slept) we waited in cafe in an Amish Mennonites town. It was fascinating to see their unique and interesting way of life. 

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So 2 cars down and in the middle of nowhere it was time to decided to continue on or return to Dallas. Our determination and persistence was not to be denied, we made the decision to take a Grey Hound. If you have never heard of a Grey Hound then you are lucky! After 9 hours sat on a coach thorough the night we finally arrived in Boulder, sore tired and ready to climb of course. We had 3 days of climbing here experiencing the powerful steep American style in full climbing with Daniel and Courtney Woods who kindly let us stay at their place. 

The ABS Nationals began on Friday morning and I was up second. It felt like so long since I had been in any kind of big comp and this made me excited, psyched and of course a little nervous, but it was a good nervous (excited not terrified little butterflies in the tummy)!  Climbing early is something that a lot of people dread and others wish for. I don’t really mind at all, climbing early means the holds are cleaner and I don’t have to be thinking about how everyone else has done, basically I don’t think it mentally affects me. Everyone has to climb, when I climb I try hard and aim to get to the top which I will always do weather I am climbing first or last. 

Qualifiers went well… I made it through to semi-finals. I arrived at the isolation zone with less than 20 minutes to warm up, but considering the amount of time I have to say I was reasonably pleased with my level of warmth. However the ever dreaded flash pump burn in the forearms was looking inevitable. What did I expect to fin in my first ever American comp… pinches, big moves, steep walls. All of which were present and all of which contributed to that flash pump that lead to me dropping one move of the five boulder problems putting me in joint 5th place going into semi-finals the next day.

An unusually late start to the day for semi-finals not having to be in isolation until 1.30 allowed us to feel well rested and ready for action and also gave me the time to have a decent warm up! I sat in the chair awaiting my turn, looking out at the crowd wondering what exciting crazy boulders were waiting behind me. On day one I climbed second this allows you to get on the wall with no consideration of what other before you have achieved, however in semis I climbed 17th and I could here the cheers and the see the faces of the crowd giving hints on how the others were doing. I think some people feed off this or try to figure out what they are required to achieve to make it to the final round. Thats too much effort for me, recently I have discovered that trying hard like really really hard will get you even higher up the wall and therefore higher up the rankings and that requires all my effort. It seemed to work as I found myself heading into finals in second place to Alex Puccio after topping 3 boulders and touching the last hold on the other.

After a quick break back to the hotel to chill out and chat to family on skype we were on our way back to isolation. Warming up didn’t seem appealing anymore as most of my body was sore and climbing for any length of time was definitely going to take some of my limited energy that I was sure to need in the finals. A quick mess around on some jugs was sufficient. The format in finals works differently, the finalist sit next to each other facing the crowd, backs to the wall and each have our turn at trying to complete the boulder problem only moving on to the next boulder  problem when each person has completed their attempt. This is so nerve racking! Its hard to block anything out but I am not sure if I would want to. When a competitor has their time on the boulder if they return very quickly with the crowd going wild its obvious that they got to the top first try, the crowd give away a lot but the results board in plain view clarified any suspicions!

The problems in the finals required a combination of technique, balance, power, endurance, determination, everything any boulder problem could ask for and everything my body did not want to give but I kept up the whole trying really really hard theme and I sat in first place with one boulder left to go. We had all seen the boulders and knew what the last boulder had in store for us… I knew that no one had got to the top but my levels of psyched were not as high as I would have liked them to be due to my aching body but I was ready to give it everything I had left as it was the last climb. A double handed dyno for the first move and then it was into a series of pinches (definitely my least favourite type of hold) in a steep roof and then to a crimp (definitely a hold type I prefer) but only to lead to a big sloper which was the point were I was defeated, the typical burly American style landed me laying on my back 2 holds from the top looking up at the boulder and wanting nothing more than to roll over and go to sleep. I tried agin but my arms were not happy about it and trying hard was not going to get me there, I had nothing left. Alex had told me earlier that when she hear’s no one has topped a boulder it gets her more psyched, she topped the last boulder first try in an impressive style but she was extremely deserving of yet another first place.

I have been asked a few times about the scoring system which is different to the World Cup format which places you but the number of tops you get in the number of attempts you have. The American system works on number of tops and then points per hold which placed me in 3rd behind Angie Payne by one hold! Her arms must have had more left than mine!

This competition was the hardest, most exciting and intense competition I have ever entered. It required so much from me and I have never ached this much or had so many grazes! The field of women was so impressively strong. It is amazing to be around so many women who love the sport and who are psyched for competitions.



  I left the American National Bouldering Championships truly inspired by both the men and the women competitors and the loud, enthusiastic crowd that kept us going though finals. I hope we put on a good show! I have made so many new friends and I hope to return to America to explore the endless rock it has to offer and maybe (if my body can handle it) attempt some more of their truly unique competitions.

Videos from the comp will be available soon so keep checking I will post them on here! 

Byee x

 



Source: Shauna Coxsey

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CWIF
12 March 2012, 9:22 pm

The Climbing Works International Festival, CWIF has a big reputation for a UK competition, world class route setters at one of the biggest bouldering walls in the UK attracts strong climbers from all over. On day one 330 competitors fought it out on the 30 qualifier boulder problems, problems that make you pull, push and fight hard. Only 20 women and 20 men were lucky enough to make it through to day 2 where the real fun began! Last year after the qualifiers I spent the evening icing my back so I guess this year went a little better as I didn’t feel like someone had beat me up! And I qualified in second place to Melanie Sandoz.





After seeing the comp wall all covered up in qualifiers knowing that the semi final problems were set and ready makes it quite exciting, leaving you going home wondering what  crazy, technical, powerful and insane problems have they set this year.

In semi finals you don’t have chance to view the problems before you climb you just get 5 minutes per boulder problem to figure out what you are going to do and get to the top. There were four boulders and I managed to flash 2 and I did the other 2 just in time. One of which was far from my style, a big move off a big slopey hold. I tried and tried and tried this one move getting totally shut down. I then decided to try REALLY hard, to go fast, jump and hold on really tight. With less than a minute left I pulled on and was surprised to stick the move I’d thought impossible for me. I could not fall off now, only one move left and no time to try again. I went big and was delighted to find the last hold to be big and friendly! The other problem was a Climbing Works special… requiring the perfect combination of balance, technique and poise to manoeuvre around the irritatingly placed holds and volumes. A problem that you hate with a passion until you do it and then its the best problem ever! I was the only competitor to complete all four of the semi final problems which meant that I was heading into the finals in first place.



I always aim to maintain or improve my qualification position, however this does not usually come with so much pressure. I was competing against members of the British Team, American Team and French Team and all of the finalist were amazing climbers.

In the finals you get to view the problems as a group before climbing, the four boulders looked like they included every move type possible and they were definitely going to require everything and anything we had left! The first boulder was a slab, qualifying in first meant I was last to climb. This means I know how everyone else has done, the crowd give a lot away as does the commentator so when it was my turn to climb I knew that only Leah had topped the first climb and I knew she got it on her first attempt.  I stood looking at the boulder wondering how on earth she got up there, I couldn’t figure it out so I jumped on too see what would happen. First go I found myself leaning a little bit too far back and stood looking at the slab confused once again. My second attempt was amusing, I got myself all tangled up but somehow managed to fight my way to the last move where I paused for a while before going all out and jumping for the last hold. I usually get a little scared on slabs maybe this is why there was no way I was falling off that last move of this one.

Alex was the only person to top the second one and this made me wonder if I had read the problem right, had Alex figured something out that no one else had? I pulled on and found the moves to flow really nicely until I had my heel near my head and one big move to a volume to go. I would have found myself heading quickly towards the ground had the volume not have been so sticky. I love textured paint! The third problem I got second try, I made a silly mistake on first attempt but I got back on knowing what not to do, I caught the awkward dyno and moved past the slippery volume to the last hold.

 Video of Alex and I on problem 2 : 

It was time for us all to try our final boulder problem of the competition, at this point I knew if I could get to the bonus on my first attempt I had won, the format in the finals makes it impossible not to get nervous especially when you are last to climb! I sat as every finalist had their attempt and the crowd, the score board and the commentator all made it clear that no one had topped the final boulder. I turned to the wall looking forward to giving the boulder everything I had left. Everything seemed to fall into place and I felt in control all the way up until I was holding the last hold and looking at the crowd. Did that really just happen?



I could only reflect on my performance in this competition last year, I realised how much I have learnt about competition climbing, how to cope under pressure and deal with the nerves but mostly how to try really hard and give everything you have got! This did not get me on the top of the podium but sat me on the biggest space hopper. Dave Barrans was the male CWIF 2012 Champion, it sounded like the mens finals was intense and it all came down to the last boulder! Unfortunately I didn’t get to see any of it, hopefully there will be videos.

 

I am looking forward to spending some time training but not until after the Tierra Boulder Battlein Sweden on March 24. I’ll let you know how it goes…

Climbing Works Official Report: Here!

 UKC Article about CWIF: Here!

Oh I also had an interview with Hazel Findley for The BMC check it out here!

Credits to Alex Messenger, Mark Stringfellow and Jen Randall  for the images and UKC for the video

 

 

 

 

Source: Shauna Coxsey

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Swedish Cup Cakes :)
26 March 2012, 7:32 pm

After CWIF my body hurt for days, my hips, elbows and entire back were in pain! It took three whole days of rest for the aches to subside and I then had two days of route setting at Reading Climbing Centre and team training the day after. My body was back to its feeble state once again. 

I managed to fit in a few sessions back at my local wall, The Climbing Hangar, I was happy to find that I was feeling quite strong and ready for my next adventure. UNTIL… I got a slight pain in my shoulder, not from training though, from holding a thera band, I thought those things were supposed to help you repair injuries and get you stronger? I had no idea what I had done or how long might take to heel but I only had a day of rest to give before it was off to Stockholm, Sweden, on a 5 day trip to compete in the Tierra Boulder Battle. The format of this competition is very different to anything I have ever done before. Firstly there are only 5 girls and 5 boys and it is an invitation only event. Then theres the part where each climber sets a boulder problem, we each had 5 hours to set one boulder problem and then we were then given 2 hours to try out all of the problems. Crazy, considering most competitions are onsite or flash style, meaning you never get to try or sometimes even see the problem before you compete on it. This format meant the boulders had to be hard, really hard. Just what my shoulder needed!

So setting day had arrived the selection of holds I was given were yellow, a happy colour, they were also CORE holds and we use these a lot at my local climbing wall so I am familiar with most of them. My selection of holds was quite limited though mostly slopers and the wall was steep. I was asked a lot about my ideas for the boulder, what my plan was and what moves I wanted to set but I decided to just go with it and see what happened. After five hours it was complete, consisting of a bunched tension required start into a big flick and then some burly moves at the top…easy eh? We were given two hours to try each others problems and make any adjustments the group felt necessary. After this period of time only two boulders were left untouched and all of the boulders incredibly hard in totally different ways. The guys problems were a whole new level of insane with a futuristic dyno, the smallest crimps and biggest pinches found indoors and a horrendous press.

 

At the end of day one I was so tired and my shoulder was not so happy at all. I definitely got lucky as the commentator Steve and his girlfriend Ida kindly let me crash at their place and Ida is a Physio! Ida informed me that my shoulder pain is due to a muscle strain and gave me a good massage the night before setting. This meant my shoulder felt really tired for testing but the pain had reduced massively. Thank you Ida! We had a full rest day on Friday so we go to explore the beautiful city of Stockholm and also check out the shopping of course. The competition did not start until 8pm on Saturday  so to make the most of the day I met up with Matilda, Sasha and Daniela to have an epic girly day, shopping was done the day before so it was time to make the pinkest cupcakes, watch a movie and paint our nails.

 



The competition was so surreal. No isolation, no wondering what the problems would be like, no wondering how other people do on the problems….  no nerves? Unfortunately there were definitely nerves, knowing I had only done one of the boulders from start to finish after two hours of attempting them was kinda worrying. The boulder problems were so much harder that you would ever normally get in any competition and this showed as some boulders were left unclimbed. 

 The first boulder went well I flashed this one and it was my boulder next. I had not yet completed my boulder from start to finish but I had done all of the moves. I was fourth to climb and no one had managed to get past the first few hard start moves. On my third attempt I managed to stick the big flick crux move and not let go of any of the other holds! I was psyched to be the only person to top my boulder but Sasha’s crimpy, painful, technical boulder problem was next to come. Due to my shoulder injury I could not do some of the moves as Sasha had intended them but I had figured out my own way though the technical gymnastic climbing at the start. I felt good on the problem until I totally missed a hold, for some unknown reason I hit the wall just to the right instead. My shoulder felt tried and weak after this and my further attempts were not so successful.  Melanie’s boulder was next, this is the one I had been dreading, a run and jump then a double dyno and a huge move with really low feet to finish. Firstly my should would not do what i wanted it to on the run and jump, it wouldn’t engage, but I kept trying, consciously thinking about lifting my arm until it worked. When I did I stuck the dyno, but the last moved looked and felt impossible for me.





On the last boulder we climbed in reverse order of our currently position. I climbed second to last, no one had managed to top the boulder when my turn came around. This climb was steep, the holds were good and the moves were big, this is possibly my favourite style of climbing!  I was psyched to have the finishing jug was in my hand on my first try. With no one else completing this boulder it meant that I had placed first. It was a really tough fight and I don’t think it was my best performance but it was a really interesting and fun experience! 

It’s only three weeks until the first world bouldering cup that I will be doing in Slovenia and the next one the following weekend in Austria. Unfortunately I have been ordered to rest for 5 days by Physio Ida so the training that I am psyched out of my mind for will have to wait yet again. 

Stay tuned people there will be a video of the competition up soon and you definitely want to watch to see the insanely impressive performances the guys gave! 

UKC Report of the comp here! 

 

 

 

Source: Shauna Coxsey

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China it is!
8 April 2012, 11:01 am

The past two weeks have been full of decisions and tomorrow I will be heading to China for the first round of the World Bouldering Cup series! Since Sweden I have been working with Sports Therapist Marcus Croman who has sorted out my shoulder injury and begun to work on realigning my spine and fixing the long list of muscular issues he has made aware of. So now I feel ready to fight through another competition knowing I have Marcus to see to my broken body when I return! If you live in the North West I would definitely recommend seeing this guy for any injuries.

This year I am really looking forward to seeing how I do in the World Cups. The possibility of completing a full series is looking very promising and I am extremely excited about this! Although I do not feel fully prepared for this season (due to injuries and lack of training) I am happy with where my climbing is at currently and I am really excited to have the opportunity to gain the competition experience.  

I will let you know how they go! Wish me luck!

Another bit of exciting news is that we have started the planning for the 2012 Womens Climbing Symposium! We have the date… Saturday 13th October! If your female and you climb and your going to be in the UK on this date make sure you have this day free!

I have also had a short interview on 8a.nu check it out!

 

Source: Shauna Coxsey

[fatneck]

Good stuff!

Apparently qualifying is available to watch via this link but I'm having no luck with a crappy work wifi connection...

[r-man]

Watched a bit of that. Shauna topped 5/5, qualified in 5th. Mina 3/5, she'll probably get through (20 of 21 people will go through).

Semis and finals on the weekend. Commentator doesn't seem to know anything about climbing - his commentating is limited to "Oh, she's near the top... And she's made it. The crowd appreciated that. Good turn out here..." - but the frequent interviews with climbers were a nice touch.

Stay tuned people there will be a video of the [Swedish] competition up soon and you definitely want to watch to see the insanely impressive performances the guys gave!

Would like to see that. Sounds like an interesting format, climbers setting their own problems to play to their strengths.

[erm, sam]

Finals are on now via the link above.. Go Shauna!

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Chinese Delights and Delays!
16 April 2012, 9:27 pm

I had never realised how big China is and I still can not comprehend the amount of people there are in China. In Chongqing the number to blocks of flats is overwhelming! Their lifestyle, culture and language is almost alien, it was amazing to see and experience their way of life. 

The night before I left for China a nasty horrible mean cold hit me. It was not nice at all and it only got worse. 19 and a half hours of travelling to get Chongqing when I wanted nothing more than to be tucked up with bed with a box of tissues and a lemsip. I took 3 flights in a total daze not really knowing what was going on, it was lucky that I made it to the right places at the right times. Arriving in the hotel was bliss, just knowing the traveling was done for a while and that I would be in bed soon. If I had stayed in this state I would not have been competing, it was a struggle to leave my bed let alone the hotel. With some help I managed to get hold of some Chinese medicine which totally sorted me out, within two days I no longer felt that I could barely breathe, my head didn’t hurt to move and my nose no longer felt like it might explode. 



I had a few days in Chongqing before the competition, one was spent in bed and on the other a small group of us adventured into Chongqing in the rain and smog,  all we found amongst the endless blocks of flats was an underground market which was interesting but very dirty and smelly (luckily I still could breathe through my nose:).  



I was quite anxious about the competition, what would the walls be like, would my cold affect me much, how hard will the boulder be? Questioning many things but mostly I questioned my expectations, how was I going to do?  I had looked at the start list, it was an impressively strong list of women, and decided to aim for top 10.

We had to get up an go to the opening ceremony nice and early even though we didn’t compete until afternoon but it allowed us to check out the wall whilst the male qualification took place which made me feel more comfortable and ready. The opening ceremony was actually quite entertaining as there were fireworks and loads of dancers. Alex, Mina and I went back to the hotel for a few hours to chill out and relax before qualifiers. I climbed 12th, I felt ready and psyched to start the 2012 world bouldering cup series. The qualification problems were quite an unusual style with a few awkward moves, lots of slopers and some big lock off. I flashed 3 of the boulders but I made silly mistakes on the others, on problem 3 where I faffed with my feet too much and on problem 4 I jumped instead of getting my foot up, luckily I learnt my lessons quick and got both of the boulders second attempts. I was annoyed at myself as I knew I had the ability to flash the boulders but I was one of only 5 to top all of the boulders however, I was the only person not to flash them all so I placed 5th. 



I had not expected to place 5th at all so this I was very pleased with, if I could stay in 5th I would be in finals which was exciting but also made me more nervous for semi finals. The semi final boulder problems were really really hard. I flashed one and got 3 bonuses. When I fall off in a comp I  always try to quickly evaluate why I came off and what I can do to make sure it doesn’t happen next time. On the boulder problems in semi finals I had no clue what I could do differently, I had a slight idea of how they could be done but they were out of my league. I was not happy at all with my performance, they felt so hard. It turned out that they were hard, really really hard as my 1 flash and 3 bonuses placed me in 3rd.



I could almost not believe it, I was in finals and no matter what I had placed 6th now and I would be happy with that. When finals came around I was so tired that I could barely warm up. My back was already aching from the previous rounds but I was looking forward getting stuck in to the 4 final boulders. The first had a big shoulder move on a tiny little crimp near to the top, I knew when I got to this point I did not have the ability to do this move but I was happy to get up to there. The second boulder was amusing, I got it on my 5th attempt. There was some really cool beta with a high left foot and a high right toe hook, it took me a while but I figured it out. The third boulder was impossible and stumped us all at the same place, which I always find quite annoying as it is then like we are then only competing on 3 boulders. The final boulder was similar. Most of us got to round about the same place and I am not sure the end was possible well not in 4 minutes anyway. In the end I placed 4th, Jain Kim came third as she took fewer attempts to get problem 2. Anna Stohr 2nd and Akio 1st both completing two boulders. It is such an amazing feeling to be competing with such strong and inspirational athletes. I am really looking forward to the next comp.



One last breakfast of rice and vegetables and an afternoon left to explore China. Myself, Vera and Walter (two of the dutch competitors) went to an unusual place full of little stalls and shops where we met Mina and Alex. There were 10 floors and each floor had a theme, there was even a floor of international restaurants which kinda took the the Chinesey feel away. However, the Traditional Chinese Crafts floor definitely entertained us and we bartered to get some fans and jewellery for souvenirs.







At the airport I sat reading waiting to check in looking forward to getting the journey home over and done with totally oblivious to the nightmare that awaited me. My first flight was delayed by 3 hours but luckily there was an earlier plane with a few spaces left , this had also ben delayed for hours but it mean I left only an hour later than I was supposed to still leaving me more than enough time to catch my next flight. I arrived in Beijing ready for the big one knowing I would be home in the morning. There was a large crowd around the international flight tickets for my airline and when I got to the check in desk the woman said nothing and just pointed to the nice long line of people waiting to get new tickets. My flight had been cancelled!  I spent the next two hours going from queue to queue first to rearrange my flights, then another to get my tickets and finally to ask about the hotel. I was told at least 5 times that there would be a bus in 20 minutes for the hotel and to just wait, I waited and waited and waited. I arrived in Beijing at 11pm hoping to leave at 1.30am I left the airport to go to the hotel just after 3am. And I arrived back in the airport at 7am. And left for good at 9.30am! I arrived in Frankfurt airport 10 and a half hours later psyched to be in europe where the are actual toilets and I could eat something other than rice. To top the journey off I had one flight left back to Manchester after waiting two hours I wondered over to the check in desk to find the flight was delayed for an unknown amount of time. Thankfully it was only an hour this time! 

 I have to say I am sooo happy to be home, no more rice for breakfast or people being fascinated with my blonde hair and my Englishness! I have learnt not to fly with Air China and that China is an interesting experience but not my favourite country. I have a few days at home now and then its off to Sloveina and Austria for the next two World Bouldering Cups. I will let you know how they go…

Photo Credits : Heiko Wilhelm

Full Results List: Here!

 

 

Source: Shauna Coxsey

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A big week…
23 April 2012, 10:24 pm

Competing in world cups circuit isn’t easy. You get physically tired, mentally tired and you really need to ask a lot from the people around you. Sometimes that isn’t fair and relationships take two and I guess I didn’t have enough to give. I find it hard to know when to let my emotions affect my climbing sometimes I climb better, I push harder and pull stronger when I feel I need to get something out but then I also have my girly side when I want to eat ice cream, watch a cheesy movie and feel sorry for myself and that is definitely not the attitude you need when going into a World Cup.

Lets just say the week before Slovenia was not the best week of my life and I went to this competition not knowing what to expect. Climbing is such a unique sport in the sense that you never know what you will get, every problem in every round of every competition is different. In most sports there are always aspects that never change but with climbing you never really know what to expect. Sometimes the boulders might suit your style and sometimes you can pull through them even if they aren’t but there is always the possibility that you might just not be able to do it. This has happened to everyone at some point, but the most irritating thing is when this happens and its only your head stopping you, its the mental game comes with every sport. Every competitor has a personal life and we all go though bad times.

I was psyched but very nervous when warming up and my head was in a bit of a mush. Then when it came to the 5 qualifying boulder problems everything seemed to make sense. I felt so in control and relaxed when climbing and I guess this showed in my results as I managed to flash all of the boulders. The qualifiers were split into two groups at this competition which I find really annoying as when you are compared against everyone you know where you stand and can compose yourself for the next round with a good knowledge of your efforts against all the others but going into semis this time I only knew how well I had done in comparison to half of the semi finalists. However,  the fact that two qualifying groups are required is definitely a sign that the sport is growing which is amazing!



Flashing all 5 boulders is the best I could possibly have done in qualifiers but I knew how many incredibly strong women there were and that pretty much anyone could make it to finals. Usually the nerves go away when I am waiting to go out to climb but this time they were still there when I got on the wall but I also felt really focused and clear when climbing. I could really think about what to do and what would work. The first boulder in semis was not my preferred style of climbing but I managed to figure it out on the way up.  The second boulder was extremely crimpy and I tried really really really hard, there was one move that I did not enjoy and made me really want to just drop off. I just about managed to fight my way through it. The third was stupid! A downwards sideways dyno into a wall. My first attempt was actually decent and I got kinda close but then my body totally rejected the move and my instincts forced my leg to kick me away form the wall before I got the chance to try and grab the hold. I flashed the fourth boulder but I strain my shoulder again on the last move. 



A huge thank you to Stewart Watson and the Austrian Team Physio Klaus for taking a look at my shoulder! After a bit of manipulation and some taping I was ready for finals. I qualified in second place to Anna Stöhr. I was so excited to make finals again and I couldn’t wait to see what they had waiting for us this time. I had no expectations and felt few nerves and little pressure I was just really psyched to climb.



Everything fell into place on the first boulder and I climbed it as I had planned. The second problem was amusing, I caught the awkward dyno to begin and then found myself stood puzzled with a very blank wall around me. I tried to get my foot up, that didn’t work, I thought about matching but quickly realised that wouldn’t work. Then I let my instinct take over and with little thinking I crossed over, got a sneaky toe hook to keep me in balance for a few moves but then my mind was back. I had to do a big move off a very bad hand hold and a very very bad bad foot hold. After faffing for a while I just went for it and somehow everything stayed on the wall.



The final two boulders did not go to plan. I wrestled with the volumes on problem three only to find myself stood on the mat wondering why I wasn’t still on the wall and why my arms had even more grazes. Problem four was really cool and I just wish I had had the umph left to do it. I was soo tired! I am really looking forward to watching the finals back to see Mina Markovic (SLO) crush every single one of the final boulder problems! Such an amazing effort from her, the crowd were unreal and they had every reason to be! I am so happy to have stood on the podium in second place to her. 



I think I learnt a lot from the mistakes I made in China and I am so happy with how I climbed in this competition. I don’t think that it’s all quite sunk in yet. I can’t wait to compete in Vienna in a few days time but I am already so nervous, my recent results have put the pressure on now…

It was really nice to have a big GB Team competing in Slovenia, well done to everyone one who came. Check out the full results list here!

Source: Shauna Coxsey

[fatneck]

Extra kudos for dealing with personal stress in between comps. Inspirational stuff!

[csurfleet]

 

[Jaspersharpe]

 

[Nibile]

Fantastic!!! Really well done!!! First place next time!!!

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Vienna
30 April 2012, 8:46 pm

Another comp over and a little break in the comp circuit has finally arrived! 

 After competing in Slovenia I headed straight to Vienna for yet another World Bouldering Cup (thank you to Alex and Chris for the lift). After such an epic few weeks this competition didn’t really seem like such a big deal. I usually get excited about the whole experience, travelling, hotels, catching up with friends, climbing… I had been to China, spent a few nights at home, left for Slovenia then travelled to Vienna. I have never really been a h1ome sick kind of person but by the time the comp came round I was very tired and ready to go home to see my family, chill out and sleep in my own bed! I had not really prepared myself for this, its exciting and an amazing experience but sometimes you just need those home comforts! I was still ready to give everything I had and try hard tough.



When warming up for qualifiers I felt quite tired and I couldn’t get my muscles firing. Qualifiers didn’t start until 7.15pm and it had been a long hot day. I went out with quite a relaxed attitude not majorly psyched but feeling ready. The climbing went okay, I didn’t feel good but I managed to get up 4 out of 5 of the boulders in 7 attempts and the put me in second place in my group. I didn’t really like the boulders, one was totally impossible and no one topped it, the first and last boulders were okay steady climbing with nothing too spicy. The second boulder I got really annoyed at myself, I was way to casual on a double handed jump and found it hard to generate psyche. The fourth boulder was crimpy with lots of poor holds and I managed to figure out the right beta on my second try. With qualifiers finishing so late it was straight to bed, up for breakfast and back to isolation.

 

Semis is definitely the stage where I get most nervous. I had made finals in the first two comps of the year and I was currently in the top six. But there were 20 strong girls psyched and ready to fight for their place in finals on the four semi final blocs. 

I had a really good warm up and felt quite excited about trying the boulders. A big thank you to Klaus for taping my shoulder before I went out to climb! The first two blocs in semis went really well, I flashed both of them. The first had a lovely big round volume that I managed to manoeuvre around quite quickly to get to a move that was to put a lot of stress on my shoulder injury. I knew that trying this repeatedly was going to do some damage, I stayed calm and figured my way around it with out causing any pain. The second boulder was a really nice steep powerful bloc that I really enjoyed climbing. The third boulder was impossible for all the girls and on the fourth I got to the last move but the heat got the better of me and I slid off every time. 

After semis it was straight to see physio Stewart Watson (GB team member). He had checked out my shoulder the night before and found that there was much more going on than we had realised, the pain went up to the top of my neck and the bottom of my back… brilliant! Stew managed to ease some knots and get my shoulder clicking a little less with some light manipulation and lots of back cracking! 

I spent the day avoiding the sun, eating and sleeping before going back to isolation for finals. Then we had presentation where we were all asked awkward questions, I am not the biggest fan of talking in front of a crowd or doing interviews! We then got to see our boulders and the sun was beaming onto the wall making the holds hot sweaty and much harder to hold. The boulders looked really fun and exciting! The first boulder was flashed by 5 of the competitors but unfortunately Olga Shalagina damaged her knee coming off and had to pull out of the finals, I really hope it’s not too bad and that she recovers quickly! The next shut me down right at the top, I was way too tired. The third was a battle and I fought so so so hard to get up there! I was really psyched to complete it.



The final boulder was one of the most devastating experiences for me, I battled my way to the last move to find my arm wouldn’t hold on, the whole right side of my body had shut down. I touched the last hold and had nothing left, I psychically could not get back up there. 



In all I am happy with my result and I guess pleased performance. My body hurts and I am more than excited about sleeping in my own bed! My sister asked me “if I told you that you would come 4th, 2nd and 4th in the first 3 world cups would you have believed me?” … no way! I am surprised every time I make semis, every time I make finals and every time I look at the results from the past comps. I did not expect any of this and I can’t wait to see how far I can push myself. Maybe not right now though as my body is extremely tired and sore! 

On Wednesday morning I will be heading to Melloblocco, Italy with team Alpkit which I am really looking forward too. Although I will have to spend the first few days resting but it will nice to be in the sun eating pizza and ice cream!

Check out Klaus’s website HERE!

 

 

Source: Shauna Coxsey

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Melloblocco, Italy
10 May 2012, 6:11 pm

I got back from Austria and had less than 48hours to fit in lots of catching up with family, two physio sessions and a little rest. The pain in my shoulder healed pretty quickly but I had overcompensated massively and this had resulted in my right bicep and forearm being the problem now  This meant I wasn’t going to be able to push it in Melloblocco which was annoying but I was definitely ready for a week of rest, sunshine, ice cream and pizza! Val di Mello is beautiful, the valley is surrounded by immense mountains and everywhere you look the landscape is full of rock and dense green wilderness. When we arrived we put up our tents and admired our surroundings in peace knowing that within the next two days there would be 3000 psyched climbers around. After a few days of sunbathing and chilling out it was time to get our boots on and try and fight our way to the competition boulders dotted around the area. I didn’t really have any idea how the whole thing worked I just knew that there were 9 boulders for guys and 9 for girls and lots of very psyched people ready to try them. It was a very surreal experience being in such a natural beautiful environment with thousands of climbers running around. People travel from across the globe to attend this event and it was amazing to be surrounded by people who share the passion, people of all ages and abilities together celebrating the sport! This was my first time climbing on rock in Italy and my first time on granite. I managed to get round five of the boulders flashing two and completing the others on my second attempts. Annoyingly it was the hardest two boulders that I managed to get first try and I made some silly mistakes on the others. I had definitely forgotten how amazing it is to climb on rock! This was a new experience for me though as usually when you go outside you don’t have to worry about pressure or crowds just having fun and enjoying it. In Melloblocco there were sometimes hundreds of people swarmed around a boulder. My experience on rock is not so vast but climbing in front of a crowd is something I had to get used to for comps. We were supposed to have 3 days to climb the 9 competition boulders but unfortunately on the evening of day one the rain came and it did not stop. I was the only female to complete 5 of the boulders so that meant I placed first.



Despite the rain the trip was really good fun, I got to catch up with lots of friends and my body got a very good necessary rest. I have to say a big thank you to Alpkit for the opportunity! I didn’t get the week of sunshine many of us had been hoping for and I there wasn’t much ice cream but at least I ate lots of pizza! I now have almost a week at home to fill with training, family, friends and physio before heading off to Innsbruck, Austria for the next World Bouldering Cup round.

UKC Report Here!

Checkout out the official Melloblocco website for more information and results from the event HERE!

Source: Shauna Coxsey

[Nibile]

Purple patch!!!

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The Best World Cup Yet!
21 May 2012, 1:29 pm

Innsbruck was amazing. The competition was held in the market square in the beautiful city full of fascinating buildings and cute little houses surrounded by snow topped mountains. I already can not wait to return some day. 



In every comp of the World Cup circuit this year I have been totally surprised with my results and this comp was no different.  In qualifiers I flashed 3 of the boulders, got one second try and the other was not completed at all it was an awkward jump to bad holds and wasn’t possible with only 5 minutes of effort. The other boulders were really good fun – a slab to start and then some nice steep powerful funky boulders. At the end of qualifiers I was sat in 4th place and heading into semi finals with Ned and Stew. 

 

I was really quite nervous for semi finals. I don’t think I put that much expectation on myself and I knew how strong the field was and that it was going to be a very hard semi final but I really really wanted to be in that top 6 who make it to finals. I went out to climb, ready to hold on tight and try hard again. The first two boulders went really well I managed to flash them both. I don’t think I did the right beta on the first boulder but I managed to flash it, the second was a powerful compression moves up a prow on bad holds, so much fun! The third boulder was so cool! It was a big cross over dyno on pretty poor holds, I just about held that but only to be totally shut down on the ridiculously hard top moves. The last boulder problem in semi finals was a press that required a lot of effort from the right arm. My shoulder is not too sore any more but it is just not as strong as it used to be and this means I have to consciously think about the position of my hand when doing certain moves so that I can use different muscles and not put as much stress on the shoulder. Thinking about this is definitely not easy and cost me the flash on two boulders, luckily I was able to figure out the right position and get the boulders second try. 

 

After finishing the last boulder I looked around to find the eyes of a familiar face to see if I would get a nod meaning I was in or a shake meaning out. I hadn’t received a shake yet this year which made this moment in time all the more intense. I found a face and got the nod. 4th again

Finals… So this year I hadn’t expected to make any finals and I have been unbelievably excited to do so in every round. I have gone into the finals knowing that the worst possible position I could place is 6th. In finals we get to view the boulders as a group before climbing. I get really excited about this as the boulder problems in finals are always so much fun and its really nice to read them with the other competitors.  



Usually by the time finals comes around I’m unbelievably tired but I think I am finally starting to build up some endurance as this time I felt good and ready to go climb again. Our first boulder was a slab with a balancey start with and then a sideways jump. It all fell into place when I got on the wall, I caught the jump and topped the boulder first try. The second boulder was really hard! I’m still not so sure how I managed to get it, I did the wrong beta first try but next time I fought my way through the burly match and made it to the top. I topped the next boulder also on my second attempt it was a really cool problem on pinches up a steep wall. 

 



I knew what the last boulder had in store and I also knew that flashing this boulder could have meant that I would win. I stood under the boulder and had no idea how to deal with my emotions my head was all over the place. I knew I could do the boulder but the pressure of flashing it was way to much for me to handle. I totally missed a hold on the side of a volume, a hold that I had seen when viewing the problem. I fell off the boulder first try and could do nothing but smile. I hadn’t even dreamt of making a podium this year and being so close to winning was so so exciting but also way to hard to handle. I guess going into finals with such a relaxed attitude and no expectation went from having a positive effect on my climbing and results to the complete opposite. I sat and watched Anna flawlessly climb the final boulder, even with all the pressure she came out and climbed perfectly. I was totally inspired by this and in every competition I am learning so much. 

 



This was definitely the best competition I have ever done! The location was beautiful, the boulders were amazing and the crowd was unreal! Plus I got to spray champagne everywhere! I am now back home and finally recovered from the after party. The next World Cup is in Vail, USA in two weeks time but before leaving I will be competing in Rock Over Climbing’s ROCFest this Saturday.



A huge congratulations to Ned and Stew for making the mens finals in such an insanely strong field! Ned placed 5th and Stew 6th. Also in the European Youth Lead Competition that took place this past weekend we had 6 finalist! Amazing efforts from Luke, Jonny, Charlotte, Tara, Molly and William.

For more results check out the IFSC website HERE!

Picutre Credits to Udo Neumann and Heiko Wilhelm

Source: Shauna Coxsey

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Another World Cup Over And Now Its Time For Rock!!
5 June 2012, 11:57 pm

After Innsbruck I was home for one whole week! I spent a lot of time laying in the glorious sunshine, eating BBQ and I managed to fit in a local comp too. I competed in the ROCFest at Rock Over Climbing Centre which was a really fun comp but it was insanely hot! Almost too hot to climb but I managed to drag myself up the really cool boulders.

Before I knew it I was sat in Manchester airport yet again totally shocked at how fast the last few months have passed and how much has happened. At the beginning of the year I had planned on doing two of the world cup competitions and here I was starting my journey to my 5th comp of the season.

I have got a month in the states and I was really excited about having some time after Vail to chill out, go climbing and have fun! This totally distracted me from the fact that there was another world cup to focus. I almost felt too casual about it. I was excited but not as much as I felt like I should have been.  

After a few nights having fun in Boulder with Angela Payne it was time to head over to the beautiful Town of Vail for the World Cup that was taking place at the Teva Games. Annoyingly I still didn’t seem to feel that psyched. Qualifiers was a really unusual experience for me a few things were different from the previous comps. To start with women climbed in the morning and usually we get the morning to chill out watch the guys, see the wall and generally prepare for climbing later that day. But here women climbed first and I had only seen a small picture of the wall. Then my warm up didn’t go very well and my general routine was totally disturbed when I realised that I had cleverly left my Ipod on in my bag which therefore meant it had no charge. Lets just say my head wasn’t really in it which may have been the result of me getting totally confused with the running order and not realising it was my turn to climb until less than one minute to go. 

Despite all of this along with an unusual lack of psyche I managed to flash 3 of the five boulders the other 2 did not go very well at all but my inner determination and stubbornness got me to the top of both after multiple attempts with less than 10 seconds to go. The boulders were really fun, the three I flashed I felt good on but I almost felt too relaxed like it was just a normal climbing session. There was a really good mix of style throughout the boulders from balancy and technical to jumpy and powerful. 

The photo above is Mina setting up for the crazy dyno on boulder 3 in qualifiers, she flashed this and qualified for semi finals in 16th! I was happy with my result as I sat in 6th place going into semi finals but I was really annoyed at myself for repeatedly falling off boulders that I totally knew I could do. Thats not my normal attitude! Thats not a good attitude! Usually when I fall off I analyse and know what to do. That did not happen in qualifiers for me. I got really annoyed at myself for not caring and spent a lot of time throughout the day thinking a lot about why my head wasn’t in it. I could only be thankful that my performance was not affected too much by this. 

Semi finals is always the hardest round both physically and mentally. Knowing that only 6 climbers form the top 20 get to compete in the next round definitely puts the pressure on! The semi final boulder problems are always the most difficult but this time they were really good for me. I have decided to put in quite a few pictures this time as writing about boulder problems gets a bit boring…

I was really happy with my result and my performance in semi finals and was so psyched to be heading into finals in second place! I have never really had a problem with getting psyched before but pressure has started getting to me a bit morerecently, the mind game is hard work but getting psyched and ready is never usually an issue for me. In qualifiers I didn’t feel like myself at all so to over come this for semis was amazing.

Finals were delayed due to bad weather and I was starting to get really tired but observation upped my psyche levels once again. The boulders looked really fun! The first was a no hands jump with a hard top section. Everyone before me had completed this boulder which definitely ups the nerves and the pressure. When my turn came around I wobbled off first try as I stupidly leant too far back when trying to look at my feet but I stuck the crazy jump second try and completed the problem. The next boulder went well for me but the third I had a bit of an epic on. The third boulder was really really cool! A huge sideways dyno to a big horn, I got to the jump and realised how far it was, I didn’t really think I could do it but I went big, really big, closed my eyes and didn’t hit the mat. The last move took me quite a while to get and I got insanely pumped and have no idea how I managed to get it, I tried really really hard and flashed the boulder but had very little left for the last one.

The last boulder was steep with big moves on poor hold and there were a lot of holds and I didn’t really know what sequence to use. I fought my way to a really big move in the middle that I almost held and figured out the right beta as I was heading very very quickly face first into the mat, best fall of the year so far! I knew what I had to do but my arms had very little left and getting to the top of this boulder was totally impossible for me at this moment in time. I got further on the boulder but just did not have enough left! Another inspiring performance from Anna, she was the only one to top every boulder in the finals. 

Another comp over and another second place. I am so so psyched with my result and I really enjoyed the comp but… I now have three weeks in Boulder to go check out some rock! I am so excited to have a break in the season to do some actual rock climbing! We have had one day out so far at Lincoln which was really good fun and such a beautiful place. I managed to get up a 7c+/8a called Phobos but that was my limit for the day with the combination of still being sore and tired from the comp and also the insane altitude! I am definitely going to be fit after a few weeks here!!

We had a rest day today and I had to have some work done on my shoulder as I messed it up a little on the last move of the third boulder in finals. Check out what I looked like after some grastom…

Source: Shauna Coxsey

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3 weeks of climbing outside!
24 June 2012, 7:25 pm

After the first half of this year being full of competitions and climbing indoors I have finally managed to spend some time away from plastic and done nothing but climb outside! My knowledge of the bouldering in Colorado was pretty minimal and before I knew it I was learning that the hikes were long and hard and the altitude was intense. Our first adventure took us to Lincoln lake, Mt Evens. You park at 13000ft and walk down to 12000ft the walk down is steep and the air feels so thin. Climbing down here was hard work and I got very short of breath but I was so psyched to be out on rock. The hike out was HARD but extremely satisfying. Despite the hard walk out we returned to Lincoln a couple more times and I got a few boulders done here I think the most enjoyable and pleasing was a V9 called Rebellion.This boulder was so much fun to climb and there was a big move that I couldn’t make in the middle, this meant I had to jump to a small crimp instead of a big just… check out the video here.

After a week of the alpine bouldering experience I was so so tired and ready spend a week in bed. Not only had we been climbing almost every day Mina and I were psyched on training too so lots of pull ups are press ups were happening before breakfast! I had done some amazing climbing in the first week of my trip and seen some beautiful sites. Being in Boulder, getting out climbing and spending time with like minded, psyched people has been amazing and ever more enhanced my passion and love for the sport. 

I talk a lot about trying hard and putting every thing you can into a boulder which is something that has totally transformed my climbing this year and has definitely made me much stronger mentally and physically both in training and in competition. However, this is not something that I had ever tried to translate onto rock. I guess mainly because I rarely get outdoors. On this trip I have got onto boulders ready to try hard and get to the top. I have felt holds on a climb and thought ‘as if I can hold that’ and gone on to complete the boulder in a few tries and I have held on so tight that I cut the side of my finger. I climbed an amazing V11 called Whispers of Wisdom, a magical line of good spaced out holds up a steep wall with a 20m slab to finish. I don’t think I have ever tried so hard on anything. After working the moves and trying to find some girly beta I was exhausted (not forgetting the 40minute hike at elevation). I had one go and got pretty far but felt absolutely wasted! I knew I could do the moves so I knew I could do the boulder, so despite my tiredness I pulled on once more after a good rest and decided to give everything I had left and it was all required. I fought my way up, got insanely pumped and unbelievably terrified but I made it. 

Most of my time in Colorado was full of trying hard, getting very hot and having BBQ’s. Conditions were far from perfect which made climbing hard extremely difficult. I managed to get in some good boulders including a V12 called Mind Matters (possibly V11).  On the same day I did this I also managed to flash Dark Horse V10. Dark horse is a very impressive line with the crux right at the top. By the time we got round to trying it it was pitch black! I can be quite a wuss at times, I get scared doing big moves high up even indoors. I was so psyched to flash this boulder because the crux is a huge move to an edge right at the top. Unfortunately I didn’t get any footage of Dark Horse but check out the video of Mind Matters below.

 

 



I also managed to complete another V12 called Riddles in the Park. This boulder was an amazing power endurance line through a steep roof, so much fun! This boulder is at Upper Chaos and the hike up there is so hard! I tired the moves and made a few links but I was too tired to complete it on day one but we headed back up there the very next day. I took the walk slowly attempting to conserve some energy and it must have worked. I got the boulder second try, totally unexpected and I was so excited!

 

 



I had not known what to expect coming out here. My trip was booked very last minute and I had kinda expected to have 3 weeks of chilling out and doing bits of climbing here and there. A day out alpine bouldering makes for a very full day, the hike always ensures you feel like you have done more than enough even before any climbing. Although the walk ins are hard the sites are beautiful and the climbing has been fun. Climbing out  in the mounains is such an amazing experience you can get so far away from everything and just be. 

 



Climbing into the night hours away from the car can be a little scary especially after we saw a bear, but it is a peaceful and eerie experience totally worth it for better conditions. 



I have had almost 3 weeks here in the warm temperatures and I am so happy with how much I have managed to get done! There are boulder problems here that I would really like to come back and try in cooler temperatures. I spent no more than 2 days on a boulder problem here and this excites me for what I could try on longer trips in better conditions. 

I managed to fit in some chill out time too, shopping, going to the water park, floating down a very shallow rocky river on a tube and even a cake competition. Mina and I won with our amazing hand shapped split tipped lemon cake. David Mason has possibly the worst skin ever! So to celebrate his birthday we made this…





 

I would like to say a big thank you to Jackie and Chris for letting me stay at their place! It has been amazing to be surrounded by psyched climbers. Also David Mason and Mina Leslie-Wujastyk you are both amazing thanks for letting me come out climbing with you! All image and video credits go to Mr Mason!

I now get to spend a couple of weeks in the UK. I will compete in the British Bouldering Championships before heading to Magic Woods for some more hot temperatures, bad conditions, chilled out relaxed climbing…?

Source: Shauna Coxsey

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A wet weekend competing!
9 July 2012, 11:22 am

So I returned home from the insanely hot temperatures in Boulder to rain. It was bliss for about an hour or so but after a week of pretty much none stop rain I was ready to leave the country again. Before rushing off I had a few important things to do.

The British championships was one of these important things which was supposed to take place at an event called Cliffhanger. Cliffhanger is usually an awesome event full of different things to do and see but this year the true harsh wet British weather lead to the event being cancelled. We had a months worth of rain in 24 hours, it was BAD even for England.

Despite all this the British Bouldering Championships were to go on! Arriving in the damp, misty, cold, muddy field early Saturday morning it was safe to say psyche levels were not so high. The qualifiers were actually quite good fun. The qualifying format is different to most competitions with 10 boulders that all the competitors get 2 hours to try. It is a very strange format requiring you to be confident but also clever. Timing is key, making sure you get enough rest but not getting cold or running out of time. It is also hard to know what boulder to try first as the grades range from around V3 to V8, its almost impossible to know what to try and when. The boulders went well for me, I made a few silly mistakes, I forgot to tap my foot on a start hold and got called off on one and I messed up the first move on another boulder. I managed to get both climbs second try and qualified for finals in first place.

The Finals were back to World Cup format, the boulders looked really good fun and I couldn’t wait to get on them. I climbed last and my first attempt on the first boulder didn’t go as well as I had hoped. There was a very shouldery press for the last move and I managed to tweak my shoulder again. I got back on cautiously and managed to do the move quickly but very controlled putting as little strain on my shoulder as possible.





 Getting a boulder second try when you know you could have and should have flashed it is annoying and it is very easy to let this get to you and effect your performance. It’s hard to carrying on climbing smooth, precise and trying hard! One attempt can make all the difference… I flashed the second boulder, it was a really fun sideways jump followed by awkward moves on oddly textured volumes. The next boulder was insane, I knew it had been done but when I was climbing it I had no idea others had done the moves or how I could do the moves. My first attempt was pretty useless as I was let down by the other should. I had to figure out another way. After throwing some crazy shapes at the start and jumping to the bonus I found myself sat in the splits wondering how I could get over to the last hold. After a painful while sat there I pressed out and just reached the very bad edge of the final hold, crimping as hard as I could I managed to whack my foot up high once more and get a very very satisfying match!



Here’s a short Video of boulder 3 I found on Youtube, not very clear but you can get the idea…

Relieved and sore I sat wondering how the final boulder would go. Alex was in the lead by one attempt and we had a steep boulder remaining. I totally thought I had lost it. When it came to my turn only Mina had topped the final climb. I knew at this point I had to top this boulder to win. I have messed up under this kind of pressure before and come so close but not quite managed to get the final boulder, this time I didn’t mess up. I somehow composed myself and flashed the final steep crimpy boulder. This time I had enough left, I can only hope this is the case in the next big comp… 



I maintained my British Senior Bouldering Champion Title. The boulders were amazing and so much fun to climb on, painful though.

I have also had a  meeting with Craggy Island, who I am happy to announce as a new sponsor of mine. I will be working with them to promote the sport in a positive way. 







The last few things before leaving for Magic Woods include a bit of filming in North Wales and I will also be running a coaching weekend for the Royal Air Force climbing team with Dave Barrans who was a very happy winner of the Male British Bouldering Championships.

Congratulations to Molly Thompson-Smith and Dominic Burns who became the new Junior British Bouldering Champions, really impressive strong performances from both climbers

Full results HERE!

Source: Shauna Coxsey

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THE CAVE
13 July 2012, 4:44 pm

Any of you who have ever been to Parisella’s Cave will be totally aware of the lack of beauty, the insanely polished rock, the lovely stench of  goat poop and the hard crazy moves it has to offer. The cave is definitely not for every one but it stays dry and that is definitely a plus since it very rarely stops raining at the moment. And at least its outside, although the climbing style can feel very much like indoors, definitely good training though.

Anyway, since returning home from the majestic sites of Colorado I have been to the cave twice and had two decent sessions. On the first session I managed to get two V11’s. Half Way House which is a powerful climb with a really big cross over move to a shot hole crimp. Deadpointing the shot hole is really awkward and its quite high too so it ‘s a bit of a heart breaker move but very satisfying when you stick it. The other was Pit Of Hell a low start to a very classic boulder problem in the cave Rock Atrocity. I also worked the moves on the lower start to Pit of Hell, In Hell but I was tired and they felt so hard. Next session however I got it second try. It was warm and sweaty but I tried really hard and fought my way up the burly V12. 

The cave is local to me and it’s such a good work out but as much as I love it I can not wait to leave for Magic Woods now!

If you read my last blog about the British Championships you will have read about my epic on boulder 3 in finals. Another video has been put up of this boudler and shows my epic struggle up it…



For more entertainment check out Outcrop Productions Climbing Works International Festival Video. It seems like so long ago since this took place but it was an amazing competition and the video is worth checking out…

 

In this months Climb Magazine I also have a five page interview!

Source: Shauna Coxsey

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Broken Heart, BROKEN LEG!
25 July 2012, 10:49 pm

Have you ever experienced that moment just after you hurt yourself when you stop, hold your breath, scrunch up your face and hold on to the area of pain, waiting to see if it goes away, hoping that it was just a shock and that you are actually okay. I lay on the bouldering mat curled up in a ball but the pain wasn’t going away. All I could think of was the noise I heard when I hit the mat. A few deep breaths helped me to compose myself. A short while passed and I decided to try stand on my leg, I really wanted it to be okay, I wanted to carry on climbing, finish off the boulder and walk out. As I tried to put weight on my right leg the pain brought a sickly feeling into my stomach… I knew then that it was bad.

Magic Wood is a beautiful place and I don’t think I have ever been so psyched to try so many problems in one place. After a few days of exploration, excitement and trying hard in the heat, I had gathered a number of projects, fallen in love with the woods and I was very ready to try hard and get up some boulders. I had heard so much about Magic Wood, everyone I knew seemed to have been and I couldn’t wait to see it for myself. Totally safe to say it did not disappoint. The idea of such a high quantity of steep boulders in a small beautiful area excited me a lot and the best thing is that nothing is ever too far away! After the hiking in Colorado, walking to the boulders in Magic was bliss.

Team Hangar out in Suiss, gutted I didn’t get to stay the whole time!  

There are so many boulders I wanted to see and try and endless problems to project, so knowing what to try is really hard. I wanted to try everything and do things quick just so that I could fit more in. Injuries however definitely hinder such desires and motivation. After the first two days I had at least two boulders that I wanted to get back on and do. At the beginning of my trip I had a little shoulder issue and had to spend some time resting. The rest worked well and I managed to get Jacks Broken Heart V12 done. I had tried the moves for about an hour previously but my shoulder prevented me from making that much progress. However, it went down first try on my next session! I then went on the try Foxy Lady V11, I wasn’t too keen in this as the holds were tiny and hurt my skin a little but the efforts my friends were putting in were inspiring so I decided that I should join in and have a good go.

Here is a short video I was sent, a random guy filmed my ascent of Jack’s but he missed the first move, we have more footage coming soon but for now you can check this out… I was happy with my climbing but already thinking about what to try next. The heat of the next day lead to a late start and I was tempted by the thought of a rest day until I saw a really cool v10 called  Rythmo that my friends were keen to try. I had to join in, the steep arête was far too inviting. It took a while to figure out the short beta which unfortunately required the use of a very wide a greasy pinch and on two attempts on the problem I was fully shut down and rapidly fired into the ground back first. It finally went and we move on to the next problem Piranja which was also a V10. I was really excited about trying this, a friend had got it a few days before and I really like the sound of it… good holds, big moves. On my flash attempt I came up just short on the huge move to the smallest hold. I had felt the edge of the hold and was quite annoyed that I didn’t go far enough. I got straight back on to that move and did it no problem. This is when I jumped off, I didn’t fall I turned around and jumped off onto the mats I had placed myself. I have taken so many awkward falls and landed on some sketchy mats. This time the mats were fine, my landing didn’t seem to funny, my ankle didn’t twist but I heard a little snapping sound and my leg was really painful…

 So after coming to the realisation that my leg was definitely messed up and that I couldn’t actually walk it was time to commence the epic piggy back ride out! Ged Mac is a legend he carried me all the way to the campsite and although the walk ins in Magic are not too long they are not so smooth and require quite a bit of tree dodging, boulder hopping and you are constantly going up and down. Within an hour of jumping off the boulder I had my leg in the ice cold river water troff whilst the guys sorted everything out for our journey to the hospital. 

The journey to the hospital felt so long, since the pain began I had thought of little else and now my head was full of emotions and the pain didn’t seem so important any more. Without knowing what was actually wrong or how long I would be out for it was hard to know what to feel. Positivity and negativity were fighting in my mind but even in the best scenario my climbing in the woods was highly unlikely to continue and that thought added to the pain was enough to keep the tears falling.

I found a very short video accidently taken whilst we were in the hospital… it has made me smile every time I have watched it, Ged Mac getting into his Fatherly role   

The hospital staff were really helpful and I spent less than 2 hours there. The doctor poked and prodded me for a while and eventually told me that he thought it was broken, shortly after the X-Ray confirmed this. A very happy chap who told me ‘oh it’s okay, it’s only a little break, nothing much to worry about’ as nice as the man seemed I really wanted to hit him!

I know that it could have been much worse and it could have happened at a worse time but I didn’t care my leg was broken, I couldn’t climb.

I have to have daily injections too, I think Ged was far to interested in this..  I spoke to my sister that evening and informed her that my BeastMaker Finger Board was going up. Right now I am not too sure how long I will be out for but Adidas ROCKSTARS and Munich World Cup are definitely not going to be possible for me. This year has gone so quick, I have done so much and so much has changed in my life. But now that I have some time to really stop and reflect I can truly appreciate how lucky I have been. My summer was totally packed full of climbing trips, comps and family events and now the family will only have to be fit in around one thing… TRAINING!

I have been in this situation before and I have worked through it, stayed psyched and got stronger.

 I am now back home and very happy to be here! BMC Insurance is unbelievable and I would definitely recommend it! I was put up in the guest house as camping wasn’t so ideal, they flew me home, arranged a taxi service to my front door, they even covered the petrol costs to the airport!And to think I almost didn’t take it out…

As for Magic Wood, I can’t wait to return when Piranja will be at the top of my tick list!

I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your trip…



Next week I will put up a short video of the a few boulders I managed to do in the couple of days climbing I got done… watch out for it

Source: Shauna Coxsey

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Faster, Higher, Stronger
2 August 2012, 12:37 pm

I have been at home now for almost one week, I thought it might have been quite chilled out and relaxed but I seem to be as busy as ever. I took a trip down to London to have an X-ray and speak to a specialist about my injury. Going to London was very last minute and quite surreal. London is all you here about in the UK at the moment with the Olympics going on and here I was getting in and out of the city as quickly as possible. London is very busy at the best of times but there was a new level of insanity on the tubes, it was hard work on crutches. Imagine trying to get on to an escalator on crutches… it is not easy and I would guess impossible if you didn’t have someone to help! Luckily my brother in law kindly took the day off work to drive me to Oxford and escort me to the hospital. Thank you very much Bob!

 

I was treated amazingly at The University College Hospital, the staff were fantastic and I was in and out in no time. With it being such a fresh break there was little information they could give me but I got a nice new bright pink cast and I will return next week for another X-ray which will hopefully provide us with a little more details.



So everything is all about the Olympics… If I had stayed in Switzerland I wouldn’t have watched any of it. I am not the biggest fan of watching TV, especially sports. I would much rather participate than watch others. However, sofa bound and with sisters who adore the legendary games I have now seen quite a lot. I saw the faces of pride and honour as the olympians walked out behind their flag at the unique and breathtaking opening ceremony. I have seen the faces of the athletes who have worked so hard and given their all and had huge amounts of pressure to preform, the faces of disappointment and regret, the face you have no control over that comes at the moment when you wish you could turn back time a little and go again, with no mistakes, no errors, just like you have done thousands of times in training. I have also seen the faces of disbelief, excitement and relief as athletes have won or placed higher than they could have imagined! The effort put in by some of our GB athletes has been unreal and truly inspiring! Watching the mens gymnastics got me psyched to train seeing their power and ability to hold it together and perform when it mattered most. I hope there are people throughout the UK that are inspired maybe to train harder or to begin competing or even take up a new sport and find a new passion.

Climbing is not an olympic sport currently but this games has made me start to wonder what will happen if it becomes one. Climbing being in the biggest sporting event in the world, recognised by the whole nation, our athletes getting the support and funding to take the sport to a new level. I have seen how much the sport has grown in the time I have been part of the climbing world and its crazy. Hundreds of new walls opening across the country and the number of people participating throughout all age groups rising constantly. Yet so many people are still unaware of this sport, how far could it go, how big would it become if climbing became an olympic sport and what effects would it have.

One of the things that I love most about climbing is the social aspect, I see a lot of my climbing friends like family. I first started climbing at the North West Face in Warrington, it is not a very big wall but the atmosphere was always so welcoming and everyone no matter how old or how strong would chat and climb together. I think that starting climbing in a small wall and not having very much to go at meant people pushed themselves more, tried hard things even knowing they couldn’t do them. Problems and routes naturally became projects and limits were inevitably pushed. Now that climbing walls offer such a huge amount at all levels people don’t really get forced into pushing themselves the way they once did, with competitive climbing coming more into the limelight and the potential for it to feature in such major events this could be the thing that pushes British climbing up to the next level.

 

The sports is changing, developing and progressing across all disciplines indoors and outdoors both in and out of competition. So much has changed with out me realising and I want to try to be part of ensuring the development and progression is positive. Last year I was part of the organisation for the first national Womens Climbing Symposium and it was an incredible success with over 100 female climbers from across the country coming together to celebrate and analyse their sport, discussing and learning ways to improve their participation.

Breaking my leg has changed my plans for the rest of this year, I am going to miss some of the biggest competitions and I have had to cancel a big trip to the states. But I now have time, something which has been very scarce over the past 6 months. This means I can be more involved with the 2012 Womens Climbing Symposium which I am very excited about! The event will be taking place on Saturday November 3rd. If you are female and you climb and you are going to be in the UK then you should be there! Check out the Facebook page HERE to find out more details.

I have had time to reflect on the year so far, realise how lucky I have been, appreciate the opportunities that I have been given and reflect on the success I have had. I never imagined doing so well and it’s only now I have stopped that I realise how far my climbing has come in such a short period of time.

Training has now recommenced, Bob has put my Beastmakers up and a good friend of mine Mark is going to help me fix up my shoulders and improve my upper body and finger strength. It feels so good to be doing something and getting stuck in. I am really quite excited to see how much stronger I can get.



Source: Shauna Coxsey