[Falling Down]

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.

I’ve just seen this post Andy. Two winters in a row is worth a YYFY and a big yes to swimming in nature. 

[sherlock]

In mid March a routine visit to my GP quickly led to a diagnosis of prostate cancer. Various MRIs and a bone scan later I'm told that the cancer cells they tested are grade 1. Low volume and slow moving. Not quite out of the woods yet but the news couldn't be much better.
I was envisaging years of my skeletal self haunting hospital corridors attended by a drip ....that won't be happening just yet... Summer trips to see favourite bands in Liverpool & Edinburgh still on and more importantly Tunnel booked for autumn trip to Czech Republic and German sandstone!
As a bonus the scans revealed that my MS has stalled and no further degeneration in brain.

Truly, life couldn't be much sweeter right now.

[shark]

Wow. What a relief

[SA Chris]

Great news!

[Falling Down]

Great news Sherlock.

[shark]

Still buzzing from putting a superb new trad route at High Tor yesterday: Daydream E6 6a

I’ve had a long relationship with High Tor and put up my first new route in 1985. Never would have dreamt then that I’d still be putting up routes there when I was 60. I’ve added a dozen since and was the main writer of the High Tor section of the BMC guide.

High Tor is fairly complicated crag and it takes a bit obsessive imagination to pick out new lines. The concept for this one only came to me for the very first time whilst I was daydreaming in my tent in the rain on Berneray. Of course it’s only when you start swinging around on a rope that you actually find out whether the line makes any kind of logical sense so it was great to find out that did.

I used to have a pretty good head for trad routes for about the first dozen years but subsequently it’s been a struggle to get something close to a trad head in my sporadic attempts to get back into it.

This route was a fight physically and mentally and so I was well out of my comfort zone. On the previous Saturday I was so gripped I only managed first couple of moves before bailing. On Thursday I pushed the boat out and got through the hardest ad scariest section but was too boxed to recover and finish the job. Yesterday was in doubt. The forecast was sketchy, I still felt tired despite three days rest, the holds felt a bit greasy. Everything was uncertain on the route until the belay.

The route is probably low in the grade and I’ll accept a downgrade from anyone (except Tom Briggs of course).

Lovely evening driving back across the Peak and then a nice meal out with Sonia and the boys.

Gear beta

NSFW  :

I used a downward placed black alien in the highest of two finger rails on Reproduction and an offset rock 3 which can be wiggled in deep in the right hand side of the same hold. Pic available. All other gear is obvious

[Wellsy]

Nice one Shark always good to hear about a proj going down

[kc]

Nice one Simon. Doing new routes is the best feeling I agree.
I too was sceptical about the weather yesterday but was rewarded with my first 8a since turning 50.
Not such a big deal of course but climbing moderately hard these days requires a bit more discipline. I find it very hard to get motivated when redpointing existing routes but last week I cut alcohol down to 4 nights and managed an hour of training in preparation. A slight exaggeration but I do tend to go off the rails without a first ascent project on the go.

[shark]

Nice one Kristian and happy birthday for whenever it was. You don’t look it if that’s any consolation.

Yes projects and particularly new route projects are the best motivators for me too.

[Hoseyb]

Nerdy one this.
My fingers are 30% stronger than the start of the year.
I've been trying to be more consistent with my training, mainly for injury prevention as I age.
It appears to be working

[shark]

Nice but as it’s a nerdy one I feel we need to know how you trained and measured that. Spare no detail..

[Hoseyb]

In January; single finger half crimp beast maker 20mm edge standing on scales measuring each finger max hang ( via weight removed) little finger in drag
Yesterday, set up was a tindeq and 20mm edge with a foot plate, so max force generated.

Each finger can do at least 3kg more, which works out as about 30% improvement.
Highlights being:
Pinkie left hand 8kg to 13kg
Middle right hand is now up to 20kg

[Tom de Gay]

Take care with the pinkie pulls. Easy to overdo it and tear a lumbrical.

[Hoseyb]

Training:
5:10s
5s hang 10s rest 5rep 2set with 2m recovery
Done as either 4 finger drag on the diddy BM edge ( once comfortable this was part of my warm up) hc on 20mm or slopers on the top.
Flexbar
Wrist strengthening with the blue
5s effort 2s rest 10reps 3 sets 2m recovery.
Done in each plane of wrist rotation, both directions.

I'm part of the setting team at the Beacon, so I would feel my way through the week, and balance the setting with an extra boulder session and maybe a more thorough day of the above exercises.

Monitoring my fatigue and having adequate rest was key.

[Hoseyb]

Take care with the pinkie pulls. Easy to overdo it and tear a lumbrical.

I was only pulling for the testing. I have historically strong pinkies as I suffered a run of ring finger pulley issues and the pinkies compensated. It also helps there's only 2cm difference between my pinky and middle finger.

I have more issues with the lumbricals on my index as they are genetically a bit curved inward