[SA Chris]

First evening surf in ages. Clean waves, good rides, mellow vibes. Got out the water a bit before 10 as arms were in tatters, but others said they got out just before 11 as it was getting a bit too dark.

[seankenny]

Despite being sick with long covid I have as of today stretched 500 days in a row. Quite a few of those days I was too unwell to leave the house but I still got some form of stretching done. My sessions aren’t exactly long (I can’t manage much) but even so I am considerably more flexible than when I started. Consistency pays, who knew?!

[mrjonathanr]

That’s impressive Sean 

Hope your recovery progresses well from here.

[slab_happy]

Actually got out and did some trad!

Owing to spending much of this year quite ill (in a surprise twist, it was my physical health that turned out to be a worse trashfire than my mental health), I haven't done any since last year.

But today I finally got out, bumbled up some VDiffs and established that I can still tie a figure-of eight and vaguely remember what the bits of metal hanging off my harness are for.

[mrjonathanr]

It’s the way forward 

[sherlock]

Actually got out and did some trad!

Owing to spending much of this year quite ill (in a surprise twist, it was my physical health that turned out to be a worse trashfire than my mental health), I haven't done any since last year.

But today I finally got out, bumbled up some VDiffs and established that I can still tie a figure-of eight and vaguely remember what the bits of metal hanging off my harness are for.

[Fiend]

Trad_happy 

[remus]

I managed to do Adrenochrome at Lulworth on Wednesday. I’ve dabbled on it for years but never made much of an impression, and whenever I’ve seen people on it before I’ve always thought of it as something that’s out of my league, or at least something that’d require a lot of work. To stand on top after a few days going ground up this year (plus the 8 sessions over the last 8 years) felt like a highlight of my climbing life.

The first hard move is a dyno which is not something I’m very good at, but a friend showed me some amazing toe-hook-catch beta which seems to work really well for my height. Still, it adds a bit of jeopardy to every attempt before you’ve even gotten into the hard stuff.

My high point from previous years was the next crux which is a long move to some good jugs. Usually you’d go left hand but I’ve never managed to get this to work for me. I rolled the dice a bit and used a very wobbly left hand undercut (you’re not too high at this point), opening up the opportunity to try the sustained upper section.

The top half is incredible. Big moves on some slopers, pockets and edges, all the while the ever increasing height tickling at the back of your mind as the pump builds. Then before you know it you’re at the lip! And you’re pumped! Fuck! I’ve seen people bin it here. Please don’t bin it here. But you’re on slopers, the clock isn’t ticking, it’s about to crash down to zero. But what’s that…a jug to the right…GO! A momentary reprieve, breath. One more move, please god give me one more move to get over the lip.

Usually I’m pretty quiet when topping out. Not this time.

[mrjonathanr]

That’s a nice tick!   

[Will Hunt]

Brilliant!

How does ground up projecting work on DWS? Do you need a million pairs of shoes or are you climbing in wet ones? Do you have a dryable chalk bag? How many goes a day? Is it noticeably harder to get psyched when you're climbing in redpointing temperatures?

[Fiend]

Nice one Remus that sounds like quite a journey!

[remus]

Brilliant!

How does ground up projecting work on DWS? Do you need a million pairs of shoes or are you climbing in wet ones? Do you have a dryable chalk bag? How many goes a day? Is it noticeably harder to get psyched when you're climbing in redpointing temperatures?

It's quite route and location dependent but basically you need a lot of shoes. I think I had about 10 or 12 pairs with me for the week? Probably only used 5 or 6 pairs in the end but good to have some spares as it's nice to go for a proper burn in a totally dry pair. If it's warm they can dry out pretty quick but mine were taking a couple of days. You can climb in wet shoes but it's a bit of a gamble as you can make the holds wet.

Chalk bag tech is usually the same, but last year a friend of mine started making these dws chalk bags that dry super quickly https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw2BtYUNT6c/ Now I just take one of these. A quick towel off after you've gone in and it's good to go in 15 mins.

Goes per day just depends on the route really. Adrenochrome is pretty pumpy, think I managed 3 goes the day before I did it? Same as sport redpointing really.

With the temps, DWS is definitely a warm weather sport in the UK. Probably a combo of the routes generally being steep on relatively good holds (so you don't need crisp conditions), trying stuff ground up means that realistically you're climbing below your limit and as soon as you go in the sea warming up quickly feels like a bigger priority.

[abarro81]

Nice one Remus!

[Paul B]

Nice one Remus! 

It's always impressive seeing people really going for it when DWS rather than climbing like a pencil.

At Diablo (probably >10yrs ago now) I was using Decathlon swim caps taped around a section of a plastic bottle as a quick drying chalk bag.

[SA Chris]

Excellent Remus, always looked like amazing climbing.

I use a standard plastic milk bottle with the top and side cut off, and a bit of string threaded through the handle. Works pretty well.

[Will Hunt]

I got to have one of those rare moments yesterday where you try something and you only just manage it by the skin of your teeth, everything left on the rock. Master Spy Direct. I hadn't quite expected to be under the kosh from so early on, but as soon as you arrive at the pegs you're in the ring. Had to hang around a bit in the first section fidgeting in some gear that wouldn't block the holds then ploughed up through slippy fingerlocks, always seeming to get the next one just as the last was letting go, then falling off just as I laid on for a flatty and caught it. Some more gear then I just about cranked through to the junction with Master Spy feeling dead in the water.
Thank God for the good hold and the jam here and thank God for sport climbing so I could actually get something back! Sure, they're decent holds, but it's still steep! After a couple of false starts at the blind section above my dry mouth desperately rasped down to Josh, "what did you do here?" At this point I'd given up hope of actually finishing the route but was determined to fight the good fight.
With the crucial beta in hand I gurned through the moves, again only just making it to the next hold as the trailing arm was about to give up. Thank God the top out is more positive than Wipe Out!

I lay on the heathery bank at the top wheezing to nobody in particular "I'm pumped. I'm pumped". And I remained pumped for hours after. Beautiful.

[Wellsy]

This year after losing psyche and gaining it and losing it and gaining it and losing it etc, I found myself neglecting climbing a lot. Especially anything techy that challenged my comfort zone. I basically stopped climbing on circuits and doing anything other than board sessions due to being able to lie to myself and say this is proper training, while really I've just got worse at movement and wondered why I'm struggling on anything but basic crimp pulling.

Well this week I had three indoor sessions where I did challenge myself. Slabs, vert, open handed stuff, insecure climbing. They weren't my best sessions in terms of ability, but they were hugely fun. I felt so excited for the next one each time. I did a huge amount and challenged myself. I felt properly secure in my knee for the first time in ages. And I'm just so psyched again to do this thing that I love. I feel more excited than I have in years to just... climb shit.

[mrjonathanr]

Nice one, Wellsy #keepthefaith 

[andy popp]

A niche one, I know, but I also know there are a couple of other people here who like a dip. I've swum in Øresund (strait between Denmark and Sweden) on a regular basis through a second winter. The YYFY isn't really for the getting through the winter but just for finding a physical, outdoors activity I love, that puts me in nature, and that I get a huge amount back from - it's become an important part of daily life. I'm not a swimmer (I'm a rubbish swimmer in fact), I just go swimming. Mostly with a bunch of other ageing Danes.

[Fiend]

  

[steveri]

Excellent, I like a swim but can’t cope with it too cold, so impressive going through winter. I’ve watched enough Wallander/Borgen to feel some sort of connection with that water.

The first couple of times of the year I seem to go back to beginner, with an odd feeling of ‘there’s nothing underneath me’!