[nik at work]

Climbing
Just start getting out climbing again on a fairly regular basis. Would be nice to tick some 7’s Boulder and sport, and bumble up some low to mid E trad.

Running
Turns out I actually like fell/trail running. Complete shock to me. Would be nice to keep it up, improve a bit (total noob right now) without pulling my usual trick of going to hard and snapping myself...

Riding
Also really enjoying the bike, MTB and road. Would be nice to get my MTB skill level a bit closer to my “willing to try it” level, the current disparity could see me getting into trouble... Road bike, do more, get fitter, get faster, go longer, see more places.

Swimming
I don’t really like swimming, but I’d like to get to the point where I can happily bosh out a mile or two at a semi reasonable pace for a chump. As a dedicated breast stroker, a transition to crawl would be a massive tick.

Which leads me to..,
The Hellvelyn triathlon that I’m signed up for later in the year. This is probably my main “sport” goal/target for the year. Doing it with a group of (way more experienced) friends. Would like to get round without feeling like I’m about to die, and be able to have some nice food and a pint after rather than needing to crumble into bed a broken man.... obviously a semi respectable time/position would be nice, but have no idea what would constitute this.

Life
Continue to build new business, see more of my kids, stay happy.

[Yossarian]

Have been looking forward to healthy reboot, as have been eating / drinking too much over the past few weeks. Luckily I have quite good form at NY abstinence / radical weight loss and have been banking on this setting me up nicely for the year.

Climbing
Climb lots of 7s at Ansteys, Dorset Cheddar, SE Wales, inc Road Rage / Avenging the Halsewell / Empire Direct / Seven Months Later, etc
Climb at least 1 8a (Cider Soak / LWM / Thormen’s Moth / various others in mind)
Make quick work of all the low 7 boulders that I struggled on this year
7B / 7B+ (Rubis / All along the Watchtower / King of the Swingers / Force Majeure
If I get on well with the above then some trad later in the season. An E5 would be nice.
Font with the kids - maybe a fortnight in which we rapidly knock off all the spankings from 2020
Climb with more UKB people, carried over
Raise our game re in-a-day bouldering trip tactics - remember the long brush, buy a ladder, download / watch all videos in advance, trawl for beta, etc.
Unleash my new knee pad

Training
1 arm lock-off
1 arm pull-up
1/2 crimp BM 2000 slot hang - did 92.5kg in the autumn so theoretically this is just a question of weight loss
147
Address various inflexibility issues (shoulders mainly)

Other
Run 2-4 times a week and not get injured
Go swimming in the sea once a week
Do slightly more of the South Downs Way in a day

Life
Sort out work, sell house, move on in a manner that doesn’t disrupt the kids too much
Acquire a van
Bootstrap London Climber to a position of international renown - the Vice of adventure sports, launch a branded skincare collection, hire Dave Graham as a guest editor, release first feature-length film.

[reeve]

I always enjoy reading other people's goals but have consistently shied away from publically stating my own. I doubt that writing them here will make them more likely but I hope that the end of year dissection will be more entertaining than just whinging to myself about how few I've done!

Climbing
Fix golfer’s elbow (going well) and wrist (recent injury) – obviously most of the following goals are dependent on how well these go
Trad – done almost nothing of note in the last 5 years, so let’s go big and try for 50 E4-E5s and 12 E6s
Sport – done almost nothing of note in the last 4 years, so let’s assume that I’ll buck that trend and go for 5 8a’s and 3 8a+’s
Visit 12 new-to-me crags (including at least one new area)
Go DWS
Enact fierce retribution unto at least one route on the grudge-match list (i.e. past failures)

Life
Buy a house
Continue with good habits established in recent years (diet, ethical sourcing of food, giving blood, focussing on what’s good as well as what I would like to change)
Treat Marie more often
Continue enjoying work, get paid more &/or drop a day each week, help shape the whole team to work more effectively, get lots out of training course I’m on

[seankenny]

Basically, what reeve said above is my intro too!

Clear up the mess left by 2020
I'm at a fairly low ebb so these things are the priorities:
- Finish fixing dodgy elbow, knee, shoulder.
- Finish masters, get a job.
- Do some kind of base training block to get myself back in some sort of basic climbing shape.
- Get some counselling to help me deal with the grief of losing my father-in-law.

Climbing
- 7b/7b+, probably Portland, Cheddar, Brean, but not fussed. Get a bit more stuck into redpointing.
- Get on one or more E3s/E4s. Doesn't matter if I don't finish them, or dog them, the point is to try, as I'm quite good at sabotaging myself by not being "ready".
 - Climb in North Wales, Pembroke, Cornwall, etc at least once. Ideally several times.
- Would like to climb abroad if possible, despite continuing covid disruption and finances.
- A bit more bouldering would be nice, but it's the least important on here.


Training
- Get back to being able to train on a board.
- More fingerboarding.
- A proper block of aerocap and then short power-endurance training.


Life
- Support my better half as well as I can.
- Improve my Sinhala with some proper attempts at learning grammar and vocab rather than just doing it by ear.

[monkoffunk]

These posts are all super motivational!

I did this last year on paper but not here. I’ll try both this year!

Last year I started writing a weekly habit tracker/bullet journal type thing on Sunday nights, takes about 2 mins and then just a case of ticking things off as I do them. It’s incredibly effective when I do it. Stopped me from finding a list of aims that I hadn’t looked at it 12 months, even if I didn’t really manage to convert it into any decent climbing. So first goal is to just to keep that going every week!

This year I have some exams that I am hugely underprepared for but it would make my life a whole lot easier if I passed. Also have a 10 week old baby, so the combination of those will put climbing rock on the back burner for a bit.

So here goes!

1. Pass exams in March and June. (Really a big ask). (6 month stock check after this.)
2. Be strong enough in March to not totally suck when I’m back on rock
3. To that end use habit tracker for consistency with:
    1. Restarting finger boarding again after neck/back injury break
    2. Strength conditioning stuff 2-3 times a week (because my shoulders aren’t as young as they once were)
    3. Running 1-2 times a week - would like to run 5k sub 22 mins this year
    4. Yoga 5-6 times a week ~10 mins
    5. Core 4 times a week ~ 6 mins
    6. Climb indoors if we are ever out of tier 4, but don’t rely on this!

When I can climb again

1. Anything 7A+ or higher.
2. Anything 7b+ or higher, hopefully one of Zinc, Road Rage, Tennessee. But anything.
3. Boulder at Portland Bill at least once
4. Do any DWS, Lulworth or Portland.
5. Hopefully reschedule cancelled 2020 Font trip around autumn and get on Splatch.


Other life goals

1. Spend as much free time with baby.
2. Cut screen time, start with turning off phone notifications!
3. Build a woodie. Exams will probably stop this being first half of year, but would love to do this this year.
4. Read more. Bad at making time, so counting podcasts/audiobooks in car etc.
5. Meditate 5 mins more days than not (max time I think I could commit to and achieve right now)
6. Few mins of French on Babel more days than not.


Climbing at all  will be hardest, just don’t get that many days free right now. Ideally will team up with some other new parents to get stuff done sharing child care; there are a few climbers with babies on the way around here!

[AJM]

Ideally will team up with some other new parents to get stuff done sharing child care; there are a few climbers with babies on the way around here!

Not on the way - I've got quite enough children already! - but give me a shout if you want to team up.

[kingholmesy]

Climbing

In order of priority:

1. Climb three more E5s from the Devon & Cornwall lifetime list.

2. Climb somewhere outside of Devon & Cornwall at least once. Swanage &/or Gogarth ideally, although any of Pembroke, the Peak, the Lyn or Nesscliffe would also be good.

3. At least try one or two 8a’s to see if they feel feasible and decide whether I want to invest time into them.  This will only happen if I return to working in the office more regularly (cos home is so far from any sports climbing).

Life

1. Maintain happy family life.

2. Decide whether to build an annex on our house to launch an air b&b business.

3. Decide whether to buy a dog, and if so what breed.  At present I want a whippet, the wife wants a vizsla.  Anyone with advice on this please feel free let me know your thoughts!

[Aussiegav]

Perfect! Thanks for reaching out.

PM me.

I have sent a PM. Has it gone through?

[Paul B]

3. Decide whether to buy a dog, and if so what breed.  At present I want a whippet, the wife wants a vizsla.  Anyone with advice on this please feel free let me know your thoughts!

Please consider a rescue, there are so bloody many. Sighthounds are lovely things, gentle as you like.

[Wood FT]

Climbing
3. At least try one or two 8a’s to see if they feel feasible and decide whether I want to invest time into them.  This will only happen if I return to working in the office more regularly (cos home is so far from any sports climbing).

I suggest Leather Whip Mick, it might be a link-up but it links up the best climbing on Empire Wall and is low in the grade. Good fitness for/from trad too.

[monkoffunk]

Ideally will team up with some other new parents to get stuff done sharing child care; there are a few climbers with babies on the way around here!

Not on the way - I've got quite enough children already! - but give me a shout if you want to team up.

Ah yeah definitely!!

[spidermonkey09]

Despite the pandemic last year went OK in the sense that I consolidated nicely and enjoyed not having a big project. This year I would like to step it up a bit and challenge myself. I am really psyched for the spring season already.

Sport Climbing
1) Climb an 8b+. Probably The Great Escape at Malham.
2) A couple of 8bs. Perhaps the Oak and something at Kilnsey (Stolen?). Perhaps Full Tilt if I get psyched on that style.
3) At least one of the remaining two left in the Yorkshire Triple Crown. When Urgent dries out, actually get on it instead of watching everyone else do it.
4) Depending how the above goes, get stuck into an 8c in the autumn. Maybe Bat's and Dogs, which I am very psyched for, but also keen for Cry Freedom (concerned by lanky top move) and Something for Nothing (looks nails).

Bouldering

1) Grit 7C/7C+. I haven't climbed one for nearly two years now but have had sessions recently on Flatworld Sit and Walk on By. Either of these would be great.
2) do more bouldering not on grit, ie Lakes or Wales. I always love it when I go. Hopefully living a bit closer will help with this.

Trad

1) Do some.
2) Climb a long pumpy E5. I fell off Right Wall years ago so the time may be right for the rematch.

Training

1) Bodyweight hang on both arms on bottom middle edge.
2) +40kg 20mm two arm hang.
3) don't neglect antagonist work, stretching and general conditioning.

Life
1) Move back up north. Partially out of my hands due to girlfriends job but will have a plan in April. Never intended to live in Leicester the whole year but pandemic intervened!
2) connected to above; buy house. The plus side of the pandemic has been living with girlfriend and not killing each other (so far).
3) Depending on status of 2, get dog. Well keen for a rescue so recommendations welcomed!
4) consider career change. At the moment I don't want to do my current job forever (although it is perfectly serviceable) but don't know what else to do either. Haven't had the brainspace to think it through this year but once moved and a bit more stable I would like to think this over.

Keep them coming everyone!

[tomtom]

8A

[kingholmesy]

Please consider a rescue, there are so bloody many. Sighthounds are lovely things, gentle as you like.

Thanks. Their gentle nature is definitely one of the things that I like about whippets. My wife’s main reservation is recall. We have three kids (aged 4, 6 & 7) and want to go out with a dog off the lead without it buggering off.

We have loads of big beaches nearby which I think would be fine, but there are also lots of woods near our house and I wonder if a whippet could be trusted to explore off lead and come back?

[kingholmesy]

I suggest Leather Whip Mick, it might be a link-up but it links up the best climbing on Empire Wall and is low in the grade. Good fitness for/from trad too.

Thanks. The thing that puts me off LWM is I think you have to traverse that big polished break don’t you? I tried this in the opposite direction on a (poor) attempt at Hellium and found it hard and pretty un-enjoyable.

I thought other options might be Triple Crown, or the Bob start into Threadbare finish link at Torbryan.  The latter would have the advantage that I have done Threadbare before so know the finish, and Torbryan is at least 20 mins closer than Ansteys for after work sessions.

Thoughts anyone?

P.s. Sorry for dog and route recommendations multi-hyjack.

[Paul B]

We have loads of big beaches nearby which I think would be fine, but there are also lots of woods near our house and I wonder if a whippet could be trusted to explore off lead and come back?

I won't post anymore after this one as to not derail the thread but plenty of climbers have whippets. A few climbers have had lurchers from Lurcher Link and Kaye is very good at matching people to a dog that fits (Mark Katz had woodie, 'the General' and he was an ace dog that was why we looked at sighthounds in the first instance). We've got a greyhound and you can be 99% certain on recall (that she'll ignore you and do what the hell she likes). We'd both agree that getting her as a rescue has been the best thing we've done.

[Wood FT]

I suggest Leather Whip Mick, it might be a link-up but it links up the best climbing on Empire Wall and is low in the grade. Good fitness for/from trad too.

Thanks. The thing that puts me off LWM is I think you have to traverse that big polished break don’t you? I tried this in the opposite direction on a (poor) attempt at Hellium and found it hard and pretty un-enjoyable.

I thought other options might be Triple Crown, or the Bob start into Threadbare finish link at Torbryan.  The latter would have the advantage that I have done Threadbare before so know the finish, and Torbryan is at least 20 mins closer than Antaeus for after work sessions.

You start half way across on the direct start to Empire so you’re over and into Avenged quickly.

I tried Bob into Threadbare but was uninspired by the down climbing. I’ll definitely get on it when I move back down however as Threadbare is just so good.

[kingholmesy]

Thanks Wood FT.

I found the direct start to Empire ok, but struggled on Just Revenge when I tried it a few years ago.

Maybe I’ll try LWM, Triple Crown and the Torbryan link and see what feels most likely.  I suspect the less steep Torbryan wall might suit me better.

[kingholmesy]

Have PM’d you for advice about dogs Paul to avoid cluttering the thread!

[moose]

We have loads of big beaches nearby which I think would be fine, but there are also lots of woods near our house and I wonder if a whippet could be trusted to explore off lead and come back?

I won't post anymore after this one as to not derail the thread but plenty of climbers have whippets. A few climbers have had lurchers from Lurcher Link and Kaye is very good at matching people to a dog that fits (Mark Katz had woodie, 'the General' and he was an ace dog that was why we looked at sighthounds in the first instance). We've got a greyhound and you can be 99% certain on recall (that she'll ignore you and do what the hell she likes). We'd both agree that getting her as a rescue has been the best thing we've done.

I'm generally not fond of dogs but Paul's greyhound is a totally non-objectionable canine. It has the activity level and attitude of an opium addicted C18th poet; carried between routes, sprawled out and langouress. Reminds me of my late Grandad's dog, a whippet / Beddlington terrier cross, that would refuse to go for walks for weeks at a time when it was cold out (she had a fantastic ability to constipate herself).

[Bradders]

Training
- Stick to my training plan; really keen to stick to the plan, address my weaknesses and keep making gains.
- Stretch / yoga every day

Climbing
- Film things more; used to he dead keen on filming things, but for some reason have lost the love in the last couple of years. Would be good to start up again.
- Do a car camping mini-trip; I'm a bit of a home bird, I like my creature comforts, but I have a car which would be fine to sleep in and doing so would both help me get away more easily and take me out of my comfort zone. Been meaning to do this for years, just need to do it!
- Do a little more projecting; since June I haven't finished a single boulder problem that has taken more than a session. Had a handful of sessions on things that will take longer but really without much conviction or consistency. Just haven't been in the mood, but would like to get going again.
- 30 sport routes, any grade; did my first routes this year, and then only a handful. Keen to just build volume and experience this year, don't fancy sinking lots of time into something hard; something to do over Summer when it's too hot for bouldering.
- Go to Switzerland; hopefully will help with at least one of the above.
- Spend a bit more time on the moors; loads of Yorkshire moorland crags I've not even been to, including Rylstone, Hellifield, Rolling Gate, Roova, etc. Knocking a couple of those off the list would be good.

Grade chasing
- At least one 8A; done at least one the last four years in a row. Would be good to make it five.
- 10 or more 7C+ and up; current PB for a year is 9. Was hoping for 15 last year. Hopefully this is achievable. Most of the ones I want to do aren't local, which will mean I need to be more efficient/do them quicker.


Life
- Get married; rollover from last year, because Covid.
- Get out of my own head; really need to turn negative self-talk into positive, as the former has definitely held me back recently, and on occasions stops me even leaving the house.

[Coops_13]

In response to the above dog questions, definitely look into getting a rescue. There are always so many out there who need a loving home and are honestly the best dogs. We have a rescue (US) who has the best temperament. No barking or whining, loves everything and everyone. Complete mutt (7 different breeds in DNA test) but all the rescues we meet are very sweet. I feel like with a pure bred, you get very specific personality traits that come through (good or bad) whereas mixes generally mellow out

[JackAus]

Haven't done this for a while. Maybe having it in writing will help me focus on it.

1. Megladon. No more falls.
2. Bespin. Hold the swing.
3. Put up 50 new problems.
4. Don't be a fat cunt.
5. Rocket Man. Actually try it this year. Probably after being less of a fat cunt.
6. Finish off all the DWS at Fishermans Bay. 3 routes left.

[Stabbsy]

Been a bit of lean few years as I've struggled to find a good balance between climbing and running, so ended up doing neither especially well. Hoping this might help me focus a bit, one way or another.

Running :-
i) Sub 3-hour marathon - got a race lined up in March with a "Covid-safe plan", although whether it happens is anyone's guess. If it doesn't happen, enjoy the process of following a structured plan and getting some quality training in.
ii) Build on the aerobic base from (i) and try for a PB at one of the shorter distances - sub-17 for 5k, sub 35:30 for 10k.
iii) Get back to local fell races over the summer - a few V40 prizes would be nice.
iv) Top-5 V40 team at the British Fell Relays in October - 7th in 2019 and 2 mins off top-5, so definitely achievable.
v) Reduce the miles over the summer so I've got more energy for climbing.

Climbing :-
i) Tie on to a rope more - I've got out of the habit of doing routes over the last 4 or 5 years, so don't mind if it's sport or trad but need to reverse that trend. Ideally get back to being reasonably consistent at E4/5 or F7c/+.
ii) Get involved with a project or two - doesn't need to be long term, I've rarely spent longer than 3 sessions on anything, but having to try hard on stuff really helps my climbing.
iii) Tick a few things off the boulder problem project list. Ideally get back to being reasonably consistent at 7B.
iv) Continue exploring some of the more esoteric venues and tucked away gems around the Peak.

[T_B]

Surely you should be looking at 2:50 for the mara Neil? Are you doing a 16 wk training block? I guess you could do a TT if the event doesn’t go ahead.

Definitely peaking for March in running is a good idea if you want to climb at a decent level in the summer.