[Muenchener]

STG: Anything from this list of Frankenjura classics
MTG (2013): Frankenjura VII onsight; Alpine multipitch VI; Welsh trad E2
   Redpoint UIAA VIII-, then 7a, then 5.12a. This should allow for a satisfying amount of Big Grade progression in a relatively short period of time
LTG (<= 5 years): Big alpine rock routes: Totenkirchl west face (Dülfer), Marmolada south face (Vinatzer-Messner)

M:
T:
W: Wall, Thalkirchen. Didn't have time for my usual Weds evening routes session due to an MRI appointment. Did a short, sharp bouldering session afterwards to take my mind off depressing pictures of the crumbling ruin that is my left knee.
T:
F:
S: Frankenjura with PeteD. A few pleasant afternoon routes at Haselstauden.
S: Frankenjura with PeteD. Raining. Looked at Grüne Hölle and Klagemauer: both steep enough to be mostly dry, but thoroughly cold & miserable. Sacked it. Ate rhubarb cake at Oma's, drove home. Hope Pete's luck with the weather improves.
Wall, Thalkirchen. Consolation evening bouldering session. Made some progress on my project then did half an hour of 2-finger pocket ladders on the system board. So pretty much what I would have been doing anyway 

[Luke Owens]

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - Dinbren - Did my F7b project!"Walking With Barrance". Crushed it, felt awesome and went pretty easily in the end. Took 3 evening sessions. moving onto the F7b+ "I Punched Judy First" next, psyched!

Here's a video of me on the route:


Also did some core:

30 Crunches with legs up
15 Side rises each side
20 Aqua Man's
Front Plank with alternate leg raises for 1 minute
Star Side Plank both sides for 1 minute each
30 Glute Bridges
--Rest--
30 Aqua Man's
30 Glute Bridges
Dish for 1 minute
30 Aqua Man's
30 Glute Bridges
Dish for 1 minute
50 Body Weight Squats

Hip Flexor Stretching

Wednesday - Rest

Thursday - Went up to Pinfold (Half an hour walk in) after work as my mate has a project he wants to do. Go to the crag. Heavens opened with hail stone... Bailed to Ty Newedd a sheltered steep limestone crag near the A55. Didn't start climbing until 7pm.

Retro-flashed a F6b+ "Chill Out" to warm up then on-sighted a really long steep F6c "Chilly Tea". Tried to flash a F7a and fell. Got straight back on and climbed to the chain...!? Lowered and didn't rest and went for it again fell again to tired. Had limited time so had to leave one to come back for.

Friday - Deadhangs:
35's and 20's alternate hands - 5 secs x 3
Open hand 3 finger 30mm pockets - 5 secs x 3
Middle 2 - 5 secs x 3
Half crimp 20mm edge - 5 secs x 3

Feet-On Fingerboarding:
3 x (1:30 minute on 2 mins rest x 3 - Rest 5 minutes)

Core:
30 Crunches with legs up
15 Side rises each side
20 Aqua Man's
Front Plank with alternate leg raises for 1 minute
Star Side Plank both sides for 1 minute each
30 Glute Bridges
--Rest--
30 Aqua Man's
30 Glute Bridges
Dish for 1 minute
30 Aqua Man's
30 Glute Bridges
Dish for 1 minute
50 Body Weight Squats

Saturday - Did loads of hanging leg raises and stretching

Sunday - Craig Arthur - Massive 30 meter limestone crag in the Eglwyseg. Always deserted, never a soul at the crag...

Went for the on-sight on a 30 meter steep F6c+ "Delta Force". Fell between the last clip and the chains!! Very hard to read at the top sequence. It gets steep and fingery at the end so no way to reverse the moves.

Got it easily on redpoint great route!

Got on the classic 3 star F7a+ "These Foolish Things" it's been a year since I was on it and I'd completely forgot the sequence. Still felt hard, took ages on it figuring it out on the lead on the way up (Slack redpoint tactics) The moves are not to bad but the final 2 meters is steep and damn hard. Without this section it would probably only be F6b+ for the first 28 meters!

Got a new improved sequence for the crux so should go next time. Both my mate and I took an hour and half on it so had no time to rest and redpoint.

Had a quick final burn trying to retro-flash a F6c+ fell at the crux then climbed to the top. Felt hard in the heat.

Did some more stretching.

-------------------------

I'm coming to the end of a 2 month endurance focused cycle and looking to do a strength cycle for maybe a month. Does anyone have any advice/experience with maintaining my route fitness/endurance while focusing more on strength? Would hate to lose the gains I've got over the last 2 months.

[Wood FT]

well done on your route, well deserved

[kelvin]

W: Wall, Thalkirchen. Didn't have time for my usual Weds evening routes session due to an MRI appointment. Did a short, sharp bouldering session afterwards to take my mind off depressing pictures of the crumbling ruin that is my left knee.

Don't let it get to you. I was shown pictures of grade 3/4 medial compartment damage a couple of years back and have still managed to run a 70 mile ultra in a day last year. Keep the muscles around the knee strong, it won't stop arthritis or rotting cartilage from getting worse but will help instability hugely. I get lazy with the one legged squats from time to time and really notice the difference.

[kelvin]

Nice work Luke, you must be well chuffed.

Mon - Still bloody sore from that wave wipeout but messed around in the boulder room on hanging stuff at around V2-4 but Carol, my physio, was heard to say "you'll be giving me more money soon if you carry on".
Tue - Sore.
Wed - Boulder room. Try two V3s all night, one move on each specifically. Got whupped to be honest but doing what Alex Fry told me to do. Fingers. 4 sets of 12 x 7/3 with one minute rests and one foot on. Used middle campus rail for start and end sets, slopers for others.
Thu - Nailed both the moves on the V3s. Happy days. Repeated them loads. Pretty sore, so headed home after.
Fri - Travel to the Peak
Sat - Led three S 4a routes, belayed a hell of a lot and seconded Steamin' E1 5b but the very top move was just too reachy for me. Started off up a couple of VS routes but just not used to grit, so sidled sideways on one. The other I wasn't roped up and climbed back down as I wasn't too sure if I was allowed to use the arete.
Sun - Started the day with a rant about the pointlessness of climbing on grit.    Seconded a HS to remove stuck gear that I should have led. Then tried two crack routes, a VS and a HS but came to realise that jamming is really not an option with my limited wrist movement. Helped the newbies with their first leads and setting up belays. Oh, and soloed a Diff, whoopee.

Grit - I'm not going to bother climbing on it again. Totally unpsyched by the lines and the height is just demoralising. Next time, I'll take my boulder mats and just boulder. Less faff and I think I'd enjoy grit then but having to gear up for a few metres seems utterly pointless. An hour's drive and I can be in North Wales and for me, that's a much better option. Did enjoy the slabs at Stanage End. The weekend was really about taking some indoor climbers outside and they all loved it, so it was pretty successful with regards to that.

Failure - keep backing off the VS things I get on, that's four in a row now. Not willing at all to take a fall it would seem, which was excusable on two of them but it is an issue in my head. I don't like failure much and I'm starting to realise that climbing is failure, with little ten second highs before you have to start failing again.

Hope everyone enjoyed their bank hols.

 

[Muenchener]

Keep the muscles around the knee strong, it won't stop arthritis or rotting cartilage from getting worse but will help instability hugely. I get lazy with the one legged squats from time to time and really notice the difference.

That's reassuring, thanks.

By "one-legged squats" do you mean full-on pistols? I can't reliably do these on the left due to instability. Or some kind of toned-down version? Going to the physio tomorrow morning, hopefully he'll show me.

[kelvin]

That's reassuring, thanks.

By "one-legged squats" do you mean full-on pistols? I can't reliably do these on the left due to instability. Or some kind of toned-down version? Going to the physio tomorrow morning, hopefully he'll show me.

I do a toned down version, in a narrow hallway where I could just put my hands out if need be. Tried full on pistols in January, strangely suffered another tear in my left medial not a week later. Didn't dare try with the wrecked right knee. For stability when walking down mountains, I do them with my heel raised (on an angled block of wood) and that seems to focus the right parts of the knee. I don't suffer with sore knees after descents too much these days.
All only anecdotal advice obviously but my legs have been hammered over the years, including driven over, and they rarely stop me doing anything.

[webbo]

Mon. Bike 1 hour 20 secs on 40 secs off x 5 3 sets.
Tue. Board. Did mirror image of last weeks new problem but failed to repeat last weeks. Worked and did another new thing but couldn't do its mirror image.
Wed. Nothing.
Thu. Rockcity struggling a bit, did a problem i failed on last time. 30+ problems.
Fri. Turbo 1 min on 1 min off x 10.
Sat. Bike 77 miles 3 hrs 29 mins. Stuffed.
Sun. Bradley edge. Warmed up doing the moves on Andys traverse, linked it first go. Did Morris dancing 4 attempt.
Went to Turning Stone, did Overton arete s/s 4th or 5th attempt. Ran out of juice.

Achilles seems to be improving a bit, I've been able to wear climbing shoes that I haven't had cut the heel rand.
   

[krymson]

All only anecdotal advice obviously but my legs have been hammered over the years, including driven over, and they rarely stop me doing anything.

whoa. Story time?(if you're comfortable with it)

Seriously impressed that you are able to climb as hard as you do if that's the case.

[kelvin]

whoa. Story time?(if you're comfortable with it)

Seriously impressed that you are able to climb as hard as you do if that's the case.

Everyone has injuries that hold them back I guess, some way worse than mine, so I've no excuse for not climbing harder. I'm just learning that there are some moves I actually can't do and that finding a way to work round them takes a bit of thought and time.

 

I was minding my own business on a motorbike when a large van (3.5t) decided to basically hit me head on - him texting. Into the windscreen, knocked me back onto the floor and he then drove up my right leg, onto my chest (thought I might die at this point as the bumper was snapping my head backwards). He then got out (still parked on my chest), uttered "I didn't see him" to a passerby (obviously you twat, you were texting) and proceeded to reverse back over me.
Heard the paramedics tell the Police I'd die (cheers for that) and off to Salisbury Hospital. After one op on the arm, they decided to knock me out and amputate the right arm (26 breaks) but no one had been to get me to sign the release form. Off home to Northampton, more ops, and I have a right arm that works okay-ish. Couldn't walk properly for well over a year but nagged the surgeon to take the metal out of the arm and sort the thumb tendon about two years back, so it's as good as it gets now. Interestingly, the surgeon had said the metal would have to stay in period but I said I climbed (badly) a little, was back decorating and he checked the arm out and said he was willing to operate again. I think the fact I didn't sit on my arse but went and started climbing clinched the op for me.

Non of this makes me any sort of hero - a real hero would have popped a wheelie, rode up the front of the van, fancy stunted it through the air and landed nicely on the back wheel. I, like a prat, basically punched his engine block. DOH!

[krymson]

you've been through a lot.  Glad to hear you got to keep the right arm!

I used to ride a honda in the US, a 250cc cruiser that went highway speeds, loads of fun. I honed my technique and drove safe, but even still, recognized the risk, accepted it and tried to be prepared for it, at least mentally.

for me, stories like yours are as motivating as those from the uberwads

[tomtom]

Good stuff Luke

2013 totals:
Outdoor: 44   
Indoor:1 
Training 6

Superglue and Cheese
Only managed to get out twice this week - mainly due to work and weekend social commitments (dam it - why do people have to go and get married on days when the weather is fantastic and you could be climbing!). I was hoping to get out on tuesday night - but had some visitors from the BGS who where over having a look at Spurn point and the disappearing East Yorkshire coastline. So we went out for dinner at a new Russian Mexican restraunt in Hull. By that I mean it seems to be owned and run by Russians - but is definately a tex-mex place! ANyway - it was pretty good - though I seemed to have some sort of cheese overdose and felt like I'd eaten a bowling ball for the next 36 hours until it was finally purged from my system!

Well, this is supposed to be about climbing - so Thursday - back over in Manchester, and by afternoon the mornings showers seemed to have gone so I headed up to Helsby - with the intention of getting warmed up then heading back to Harmers to have ANOTHER go at BabyBloc sans vital hold.. Helsby was good - and bumped into a chap called Nick who I'd met before at Harmers (Hello!).. Anyway - usual problems there - warm up - blah blah.. over to Harmers. Several hard attempts at BabyBloc - trying/working new holds methods... Came very close (again) two or three times - but just ended up putting through my left index finger tip in exactly the same place as before (which wasn't really too much of a surprise as its on the same problem!) and this stopped play. Met up with a couple of Sheffsiders there who were on the way back from working in Liverpool so hello!

Saturday - and I was due to head off to London later on that day for a wedding on Sunday afternoon in Epping Forest. Andy Popp texted me early on saying he was at Harmers and all was in good condition so I grabbed some breakfast and headed down there. En route I stopped off at the car parts shop in Helsby to get some superglue. The split in my left tip was about the size of a match head - quite shallow and not completely torn, but down to the last think weeping bit of skin - so I thought Id see if I could re-enforce things with a dab of superglue. I've never used it before (for such purpose!) and wasnt too sure how it would hold up...

In the end, it gave me 6 or 7 proper full on attempts at the problem - it nearly went twice - then Andy found a new sequence for him and he nearly sent it... maybe due to a little friendly competition I managed to get it next go.. the sequence is different from the original babybloc - crimping a slopey hold above the broken crimp, then using intermediates to shuffle your feet up to the best holds. The send went in appalling style - with my RF missing an important hold and instead of faffing about I just (for want of a better expression) just laid a big one on for the top which is not the way Cheshire slabs are usually negotiated... Still it went and a scrabble to the top followed. Andy got it at the next attempt and its written up here: http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,22345.0.html

Andy had to head back home, and my tip went (superglue failed!) on the final sucessful attempt - so I decided to head to Helsby to do some overhanging things and work my arms and shoulders. The glue did the trick - gave me enough to push through a session and two days later its not looking too bad..

[tomtom]

whoa. Story time?(if you're comfortable with it)

Seriously impressed that you are able to climb as hard as you do if that's the case.

Everyone has injuries that hold them back I guess, some way worse than mine, so I've no excuse for not climbing harder. I'm just learning that there are some moves I actually can't do and that finding a way to work round them takes a bit of thought and time.

 

I was minding my own business on a motorbike when a large van (3.5t) decided to basically hit me head on - him texting. Into the windscreen, knocked me back onto the floor and he then drove up my right leg, onto my chest (thought I might die at this point as the bumper was snapping my head backwards). He then got out (still parked on my chest), uttered "I didn't see him" to a passerby (obviously you twat, you were texting) and proceeded to reverse back over me.
Heard the paramedics tell the Police I'd die (cheers for that) and off to Salisbury Hospital. After one op on the arm, they decided to knock me out and amputate the right arm (26 breaks) but no one had been to get me to sign the release form. Off home to Northampton, more ops, and I have a right arm that works okay-ish. Couldn't walk properly for well over a year but nagged the surgeon to take the metal out of the arm and sort the thumb tendon about two years back, so it's as good as it gets now. Interestingly, the surgeon had said the metal would have to stay in period but I said I climbed (badly) a little, was back decorating and he checked the arm out and said he was willing to operate again. I think the fact I didn't sit on my arse but went and started climbing clinched the op for me.

Non of this makes me any sort of hero - a real hero would have popped a wheelie, rode up the front of the van, fancy stunted it through the air and landed nicely on the back wheel. I, like a prat, basically punched his engine block. DOH!

Christ - thats quite a tale - fantastic you can climb - and bloody good fortune no-one made you sign that release form!

[kelvin]

This is where my climbing's going wrong - surgeons using titanium plates and pins, when all I needed was a tube of Superglue!

 

[tomtom]

This is where my climbing's going wrong - surgeons using titanium plates and pins, when all I needed was a tube of Superglue!

 

:D

I feel about this big now for blathering on about ickle holes in my skin!

Failure - keep backing off the VS things I get on, that's four in a row now. Not willing at all to take a fall it would seem, which was excusable on two of them but it is an issue in my head. I don't like failure much and I'm starting to realise that climbing is failure, with little ten second highs before you have to start failing again.

I think I've stopped doing any trad nowadays because (1) I'm lazy and it needs climbing partners/organisation etc.. and (2) I'm just not into the head game any more.. I used to be, and it can be good to overcome that fear and push on through etc.. but it doesnt do it for me like it did when I was younger...

[shark]

11.7-8

M.
T. Eve Three finger weighted deadhangs. Pinch training. Excellent gains.
W.
T. AM. Raven Tor. Very changeable weather mainly rainy. Some seepage. 3 goes on AM Reworked first windmill move on wet footholds. Felt easier than last year. Did a good linlk from end of that move to last move. On last go seepage reached a key foothold
F. 
S.  AM Raven Tor. Nice weather but wet streaks on AM still. Decided to boulder. Had go at R&H start. Got on to both crimps and snatching for next hold a few times. Had a play on Obscene Toilet
S. 

Now strong enough to work the easier problems at the right side of the tor which is progress - though a bit pathetic at the same time

[Eddies]

Monday: HOLIDAY
Tuesday: CWP hangboard session – max hangs without assistance!
Wednesday: Room Routine (3 sets of: 30x pushups, 10x pullups, 10x18kg bicep curls on each arm. 3min rests between sets)
Thursday: Rubicon / Crag-X Bouldering – Working The Pinch, humid.
Friday: REST
Saturday: Churnet circuit
Sunday: REST

[SA Chris]

(26 breaks)

Lucky your surgeon liked jigsaws?

Breaking a phalange into 5 pieces seems like a walk in the park.

[cheque]

M- Rest.
T- Horseshoe Quarry. Raining on arrival, it stopped almost immediately but it was still pretty damp- the fact we were the only group there probably says it all! After climbing some very easy things with less experienced mates I got a top-rope on Private Prosecution, a 6c I'd failed to onsight last summer. Still feels hard (although this may have been the dampness and lack of suitable warmup) and I'm going to make it a weekday evening project.
W- Rest.
T- Nothing.
F- Nothing.
S-  Walked up and down Snowdon from the Pass. Excellent day with girlfriend, checking out many crags I hadn't visited before.
S- Complete tour of the Dinorwic quarries. Description as previous day.
M- First visit to Parisella's Cave. The climbing is right up my street but my tactics were terrible- tried to do Cave Righthand quickly despite it having wet holds and rain falling on my mat, used loads of energy trying something I thought was Beaver Righthand but was in fact much harder  then was shut down by a crimp (story of my life...) when I worked out where it did actually go. Only an hour on the rock but a good workout- I can see how you'd get strong really quickly if you lived close enough to climb there regularly!

Three days of nothing in a row this week-  Psyched to go back to Wales on a proper climbing trip after the weekend!

[Dolly]

M Shed. 10 miles on bike. Saw Steve at Hallamshire physio. Very interesting, looks like my shoulder problem might be more to do with my posture/back and sitting ata desk in the same position for years.
T The Wave
W Beastmaker and even a bit of campussing
T
F
S Tor with Shark. First time on a route that Ill need to work at for 14 years. Enjoyed it though and Ill go back for more.
S hungover after Sebs party. Then in the evening bent over to zip up the tent that the kids had been playing in and my back went and I fell to the floor. Family tried to get me up for 30 mins then we had to call an ambulance. Took an hour of gas and air then rolling me onto a sccop stretcher to stand me up before they could get me in to the ambulance and off to A and E. Didnt get out of there until 1 pumped full of drugs and in lots of pain. Stillin bed now. Dont think Ill be doing much this week 

[tommytwotone]

STG: "Dirty Dozen" in Yorkshire Grit Guide up to and inc. E1
LTG: Font 7b

M: Gym session on lunch - 10k bike, 1k row and died after 3k run
T: Rain stopped trip to Cliff after work, crap sweaty session failing at Depot instead
W:Gym session on lunch, 10k bike, 1k row and 3k pyramid of 1mins at 12, 12.5, 13, 13.5, 14 and then back down
T: Beers after work
F: Woke up thinking I was just rough from previous night, turned out to be beginnings of another rank cold
S: Nowt, sulking indoors listening to TMS
S: Felt slightly better so headed to Brimham, pottered around but nothing hard
(M): Nowt, felt crap again and then my girlfriend's broke down

[nai]

M  Saw Steve at Hallamshire physio. Very interesting, looks like my shoulder problem might be more to do with my posture/back and sitting ata desk in the same position for years.

First time I went to see him he had me sussed before I'd stood up in the waiting room.  Think I'm going to go see him for my elbow as what seemed like an open-shut case of Golfers isn't responding to the recognised treatments and I'm becoming more and more convinced it's something shoulder/neck/back related.

Horrible to hear about the back going into spasm, hope it improves fast

[webbo]

M Shed. 10 miles on bike. Saw Steve at Hallamshire physio. Very interesting, looks like my shoulder problem might be more to do with my posture/back and sitting ata desk in the same position for years.
T The Wave
W Beastmaker and even a bit of campussing
T
F
S Tor with Shark. First time on a route that Ill need to work at for 14 years. Enjoyed it though and Ill go back for more.
S hungover after Sebs party. Then in the evening bent over to zip up the tent that the kids had been playing in and my back went and I fell to the floor. Family tried to get me up for 30 mins then we had to call an ambulance. Took an hour of gas and air then rolling me onto a sccop stretcher to stand me up before they could get me in to the ambulance and off to A and E. Didnt get out of there until 1 pumped full of drugs and in lots of pain. Stillin bed now. Dont think Ill be doing much this week 

Oh to be young and in destructable again.Make the most of those drugs.

[kelvin]

S hungover after Sebs party. Then in the evening bent over to zip up the tent that the kids had been playing in and my back went and I fell to the floor. Family tried to get me up for 30 mins then we had to call an ambulance. Took an hour of gas and air then rolling me onto a sccop stretcher to stand me up before they could get me in to the ambulance and off to A and E. Didnt get out of there until 1 pumped full of drugs and in lots of pain. Stillin bed now. Dont think Ill be doing much this week 

Shit - sounds horrendous. Especially on a hangover.

[tommytwotone]

STG: "Dirty Dozen" in Yorkshire Grit Guide up to and inc. E1
LTG: Font 7b

M: Gym session on lunch - 10k bike, 1k row and died after 3k run
T: Rain stopped trip to Cliff after work, crap sweaty session failing at Depot instead
W:Gym session on lunch, 10k bike, 1k row and 3k pyramid of 1mins at 12, 12.5, 13, 13.5, 14 and then back down
T: Beers after work
F: Woke up thinking I was just rough from previous night, turned out to be beginnings of another rank cold
S: Nowt, sulking indoors listening to TMS
S: Felt slightly better so headed to Brimham, pottered around but nothing hard
(M): Nowt, felt crap again and then my girlfriend's CAR broke down

Fixed it for myself there - it was a bad day, but not that bad!