[jfw]

Having started asking in February - I have managed to persuade my boss to let me have the 4 days off after Easter weekend - giving a total holiday in France of 9 /10days - awriiight.

Not knowing if I could go anywhere up ti lnow means I have had no objectives for training.

anyway looks like i  will be going to font for the social jolly that is easter wk end - and then heading down for some sport climbing for the remaining week.

collective brain mass of ukb - i have been doing fuck all training, and no routes - what would be my best use of the 10 days left before i go?

i figure volume/easyish stuff at works to get movement or sumat, and a few forays doing routes - expectations are not too high - but has anyone got any miraculous training tips.

i was going to follow houdinis amazing skipping plan - but my legs ache from dancing on saturday.

ta!

[jfw]

ps has anyone been to chateau vert (chateauvert?)?

is it nice?

[Jim]

You've left it a bit late for any training really. I would say just do some pull ups. in 3 days I have gone from barely able to do 5 to doing sets of 10 quiet easily and feel 10x stronger for it.
See you in font

[jfw]

hey jim! pull ups it is!

will you still be there easter (thought you were heading out early??) - cool if you are - don't forget your car washing sponge!!

x

[Jim]

sponge is packed.
Yeah I'm there at easter with the manchester crew. Unfortunately its when my week off fell. Bloody easter holidays.
never mind, see you and (I presume gib is going) there

[Somebody's Fool]

What about your cellar Jo?  Ten sessions down there and you'll end up burning Gib off on those sport routes.  Admittedly not as hard a feat as it used to be, but pleasing none the less.

[jfw]

mate i still haven't done blue tags down there - despite last year training at kilnsey to do blue tags...grrrr ....anyway i fear it may be a tad specific for 25 move routes with bizarre roofs....and gib continues to climb annoyingly well despite never training ( are you coming to font??)

jim- yep we are going in the gib van (if they let us back on the campsite after the sordid party scene - hmm) - you camping or gite-ing?

[Somebody's Fool]

No I'm not coming this year.  Might be going to Cornwall instead.

I can't believe you just asked Jim if he was camping.

[Jim]

Genius.
Was hopefully trying to gite it but looks like we might be F1ing it.

[grimer]

I went to Chateau Vert years ago, thought it was great. Lots of very steep, roofy stuff. It seemed like a very dry area, as we fled the rains at Buoux.

[jfw]

cool it looks nice - and its not-too-far from loads of other climbing areas

not that roofs are my strongpoint - but at least they're less scary to fall off than polished death slabs

[SA Chris]

I went to Chateau Vert years ago, thought it was great. Lots of very steep, roofy stuff. It seemed like a very dry area, as we fled the rains at Buoux.

I thought it was top too. Bloody hot in midsummer mind, but would be good at easter i reckon. Jfw, it's a long way south though, about an hour from the med. Loads of boltclipping to go at further north than that; Ardeche, Ceuse, Orpierre. What numbers you looking at?

[jfw]

What numbers you looking at?

ooh pitifully small for me  (5+ to 6b, or 6c/7a project)  but need something harder to keep the chap amused too so a broad range

we'd quite like to do some easy multi -pitch 6a-6c (but not mandatory)

i'd like the bolts not to be miles apart (although i didn't mind ceuse too much - and they could be a bit spaced on easier sections)

somewhere where it's easy and nice  to mooch around in a van or where there's nice cheap camping

good pastry

good wine

that's all really

recommennd away!!

[Jim]

seriously tho, pull ups are the way forward. I can't believe how much difference they have made in only 3 days.
I just absolutely pissed up the bachar ladder... easily
Also managed to climb at one grade below my limit yesterday after working the night shift

[Stubbs]

...pull ups ... bachar ladder...

I think I'm starting to see where the hams came from 

I'd go for the long mileage sessions on easy problems to get some technique going, along with a few shorter intensive sessions to get you pulling a bit.

[Paul B]

i'd like the bolts not to be miles apart (although i didn't mind ceuse too much - and they could be a bit spaced on easier sections)

Someone told me this before I first went - to be honest I think its a bit of a myth that the bolts are spaced, maybe they were previously but even on the 'Grande Face' they seemed comfortably close.

[jfw]

i thought ceuse was ace - but i know it took me a good 2 weeks last time to start to get fit enough to really climb owt. (would it be chilly at easter?)

i know this is true of lots of other sports crags - but at least if i haven't been before i can delude myself - also be good to have the option of a few easier routes as well (to get going on)

[north_country_boy]

I was under the impression Ceuse, in the main, was exponentially bolted?

[jfw]

NCBoy - at ceuse (operating at the heady 6a-6c level) it seemed the bolts were close enough together on the harder bits - then when the route went a bit less steep (or even slabby) the bolts might go a bit run out.

at the other end ot the spectrum (7c-8s) there was some quite sporting bolting - especially where the belays had been moved up from the ends of existing routes (with no additional bolts in between and no cjhange to the grade).

gib took some massive lobs off femme blanche (8a+ i think) - the bolt spacing making it impossible to work in the normal manner of a sports route.

sorry this is turning more into a destinations style thread -

on the training front - i went to yoga on monday, then the works last night - where i did some bouldering and had an entirely demoralising time on the pink/black/swirls traverse - getting pumped and failing on the end moves

[north_country_boy]

yeah thats the same as I have been told before.....sounds exciting 

[Serpico]

Now then Jo.... If I was you I'd concentrate on the boudering, 2wks isn't enough time to make much difference, but if you focus on just one thing you can get a small peak . Focus on dynamic moves and technique as these are the things that mostly involve neural/skill changes, which are quicker to acquire.

And don't forget the Satanic renunciation...
A.

[jfw]

ooh

cheers arran!

was thinking of doing routes thursday - nowt hard - more psychological training -  get used to leading, clipping and falling off (which is good for my confidence in a weird sport climbing way).

but yes i will probably focus on the bouldering...

you got any trips/projects on the go?

x

ps (saw jenny for a boogy saturday night - don't think she's renounced satan at all)

[Serpico]

Yeah, got back on Magnetic at Malham on Saturday, that was a major shock to the system! Off to Albarracin for 10 days on the 5th April, it's just a warm up for the Lime season though.

[jfw]

is magentic near energy vampire??

is albarracin bouldering? i can't wait to go on holiday!

my project is rose coronary- go me!

[Serpico]

is magentic near energy vampire??

Yeah. it's 2 routes left.

is albarracin bouldering?

It is. It looks awesome, and you can't be too strong at the start of the year.

my project is rose coronary- go me!

I think that's actually quite tough if you're any shorter than me (5'7" and-a-bit). You go girl!

[a dense loner]

jim has gone from 5 pull ups to sets of 10 in 3 days. priceless