UKBouldering.com
the shizzle => shootin' the shit => Topic started by: Bradders on January 01, 2021, 12:53:15 pm
-
I know it's not exactly easy to set goals at the moment, with everything still so uncertain. BUT....there is light at the end of the tunnel! So, time to get thinking.
Previous years for reference:
Aims for 2008 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,8416)
Aims for 2009 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,10711)
Aims for 2010 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,13192)
Aims for 2011 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,16685)
Aims for 2012 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,19228)
Aims for 2013 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,21363.0.html)
Aims for 2014 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,23430.0.html)
Aims for 2015 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,25121.0.html)
Aims for 2016 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,26617.0.html)
Aims for 2017 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,27706.0.html)
Aims for 2018 (https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,28583.0.html)
Aims for 2019 (https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,29777.msg575948.html#msg575948)
Aims for 2020 (https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,30389.0.html)
-
Given my targets for last year were low and achievable I'm going the same this year. Ambitious and unachievable is so 2010's.
Bouldering: 7A
Sport: 7b+
At least I'll have to try at these grades.
-
Kind of hard to make aims due to injury, the fact that my UK goals are all on the wettest bit of the relevant crags, and Brexit/COVID uncertainty around ability to travel, but here goes, in chronological order:
1) All I want for ChristmasQ1 2021 and early Q2 2021 is to fix my god damn PIP joint. Or at least to improve it. With this in mind, the whole of Jan will be spent only fingerboarding to coax it back to tolerating higher loads. No endurance work either, since it doesn't like volume. Obviously the rest of the year is somewhat dependent on achieving this. Hopefully can be back climbing more by March/April - making progress with this thing is like turning a supertanker around.
2) Be sensible enough to abandon all goals apart from Kilnsey proj 1 (which is finger friendly) in favour of rest/rehab any time this rears its ugly head again.
3) Spring/Summer: do some fun, preferably hard, preferably new, UK sport routes
- Kilnsey proj 1 (working title "Preposterous Tales")
- Kilnsey proj 2 (I really hope this climbs how I think it might)
- Cornice proj (not bolted)
- Something at Malham (Something for nothing, Sabotage, Fixation)
4) Do fun foreign climbing in autumn. Some hard onsights would be nice.
-
I am going ambitious but achievable this time.
Bouldering:
1) Another 8th grader would be nice.
2) 10 boulders of 7C and up.
3) One of: the Lotus, Barrel Trav, Clarity at Goitre Coed, the Joker
4) Identify an 8B that I can obsessively train for, and that is feasible for me in the next few years.
5) Explore what south wales bouldering has to offer.
Training:
6) Now that for the first time in my life I can train on a steep board, do it more (once I am recovered).
7) Improve at body strength oriented climbing (squeezing through my lower body etc), rather than relying on finger strength and just pulling on things.
8 ) Consistent 5s on the Hinkley edge.
9) Recover, come back stronger, and do not get injured...
Other:
10) lose 3kg.
11) Rather uncomfortable one this, but limit drinking to weekends. I suspect this will resolve number 10 too. Even writing this makes my skin crawl a little bit, but I want to be reminded of it at the end of the year so...
12) Take a holiday, 5 years is probably too long a gap between them.
13) See friends more. This has been a tough year for that, and it has made me reflect on how much I appreciate them.
Anyway, enough of that rubbish. I would be happy with a handful of those!
If anyone can suggest some nice boulders/areas in the South Wales area, I would be very appreciative!
-
1. Not "Stay At Home".
-
I mainly want to enjoy myself being myself out in the Welsh wilds this year. However, I'd be keen to break the habit of being out on my lonesome. I love lone exploring, but it can restrict you too, and I could certainly do with some social grounding.
That's all a bit airy fairy, there are some concrete goals too.
1. Climb the Tosheroon project. Going to get scientific and take a stepladder. Ideally I need a spotter for this one, so need a fellow covid free enthusiast. One for the warmer months anyway.
2. Tick the major jamming boulders of North Wales. 4 mountain and 3 coastal to go.
3. Climb the project I bust my ankle on. Need many pads and spotters this time. Another requirement for covid to sort it's act out.
4. Develop a new area I've found with company. A theme is growing here.
5. Climb 10 three star boulders I haven't climbed before (that one's for Panton) just to see what the fuss is about.
-
Climb & skate with daughter;
Don't let work add to stress;
Jason's roof at crookrise;
Kilter board 7C at shallow, medium and steep angles;
Get side splits;
Flip the step up at revolution bike park;
Freestanding handstand press up;
-
Climbing:
6 x 7B, 4 x 7B+ and 2 x 7C.
Climb 8a+ (any from the list: K3, GBH, Chimes, Nemesis, Agent Provateur, Pat Pence)
Get on something Fairly Long, Moderately Hard and Mostly Free.
Go climbing with Dan.
Training:
7 seconds 20mm @ 36kg
1-arm 20mm @ -5kg
Campus 1-4-7
Other:
Organise an after school club when such things are allowed, Rugby or photography.
Get everything ready for a big project.
Save up for an electric car.
-
1) An LPT 8a - maybe Statement but we'll see what catches my eye.
2) A Malham/Kilnsey 8a - recommendations welcome.
3) First 7C - essentially, finish off Rock Atrocity which I got to the last move of just before the most recent Welsh lockdown.
4) Climb in Europe - if I don't achieve this, something has gone horribly wrong with 2021.
-
Climbing:
Get back to around previous best (before very long finger injury): 7C / 8a.
Do some good harder multipitch routes.
Develop some decent crags.
Work on guidebook idea.
Don't get badly injured.
Sucessfully organise climbing meet.
Go deep water soloing.
Other:
Move to the countryside.
Decide whether I really want a career in science/academia. If not, quit job and find something different.
-
Bouldering
- Soft on the G - Gardoms
- Bottom half of Project
- 1x 7a at the School
- 3x 6c/6c+ at the School/Moonboard
- 1x 7a on the Moonboard
Campus board
- 1-4-6 (L&R) (23mm rung)
- 5 reps of 2on:3off Feet on Campusing
Climbing
- Onsight 6c
- 2x 7a in a day
5x Redpoints 6c to 7a+
- Coot Reboot 6c Rubicon
- Superleggers 6c Hidden Quarry
- A Little Bit Extra 7a+ Raven Tor
- ?
- ?
Finger Strength
- 20kg 20mm edge 7secs.
I only managed 26 days outside in 2020 so hopefully I get more this year.
-
1) All I want for ChristmasQ1 2021 and early Q2 2021 is to fix my god damn PIP joint. Or at least to improve it. With this in mind, the whole of Jan will be spent only fingerboarding to coax it back to tolerating higher loads. No endurance work either, since it doesn't like volume. Obviously the rest of the year is somewhat dependent on achieving this. Hopefully can be back climbing more by March/April - making progress with this thing is like turning a supertanker around.
Hey Barros, I'm sure you will have considered/tried this but I felt that shockwave gave me pretty quick improvements when I had a DIP ulnar collateral ligament avulsion. Might be worth a try.
-
I've got the bug again and I intend to get back to previous strength and hopefully surpass it. It's been a good few months since the finger surgery and my hand feels good to start trying hard.
Grit goals
Reclimb:
Brad pit, Mossatrocity, Terrace.
Find a 7C+ project.
Try it a lot.
Climb 7C on something other than grit, including boards.
I'd like to hit +50kg on fingerboard
I'd like to be able to do a one arm pull up.
I'd like to do 7B in the moonboard please.
On top of that I'd like to get out climbing more than the 3 times I managed last year.
At a massive stretch I'd really like to be less anti social and get a climbing partner for some sport climbing.
That's all.
-
At a massive stretch I'd really like to be less anti social and get a climbing partner for some sport climbing.
That's all.
I’m in Sheffield, have the same social goals, if you’re interested, get in touch.
-
Perfect! Thanks for reaching out.
PM me.
-
No doubt Covid and weather will make a fool of me, but for what it's worth:
Routes
(1) Actually get back into routes (this will require a diminution in Covid for me to feel happy hooking-up with randoms from the Yorkshire Lime facebook page).
(2) Finish off Main Overhang (Malham) and if it goes, find another Malham project.
(3) Identify and work a Kilnsey project (i.e. a >=8a+ that I haven't already done).
(4) Visit non-Kilnsey / Malham crags more - Yew Cogur, Giggleswick, Gordale, Victoria's Cave, anything in the Peak.
Bouldering
(1) Chance trips outdoors more - resist the easy option of another Depot session when the forecast is dubious, and go to more non-roadside crags.
(2) Try harder, and manage at leat one perennial on my wishlist i.e. do at least one quality 7b+/7c.
(3) Covid allowing, spend a week in the Lakes visiting crags that are out of day-trip range (Coniston, Sampsom Stones etc), or have a week in North Wales.
Training
(1) Keep up current regimen of doing something four out of five weekdays (currently I'm selecting from a menu of weighted pull-ups, TRX, ab-roller, fingerboarding, woodie).
Life
(1) Drink less (as always... ).
(2) Keep cooking and making an effort to try new recipes.
(3) Visit / phone my parents more (Covid has made me realise how much I've taken them for granted).
-
Didn’t tick any goals last year so I’ve plenty to roll forward... not setting any specific enough to involve travel.
Two training ones, straight rollovers:
Fingerboarding consistently Going to define this this time- twice a week Jan/Feb/Nov/Dec & once a week for the rest of the year.
Equal or better all my pre-injury strength PBs I’ll be disappointed if I don’t tick this given how much I closed in on it already.
For the climbing goals I’ve used a two-part format to balance the ideal with the pragmatic:
At least 10, ideally 20 routes off my *** Sub-extreme Peak Trad list
At least 1, ideally 5, E1s
Try (as in try ground-up- I’ve no plans to start headpointing) some E2s or even E3s
No sport in there as I have no psyche for it currently. We’ll see whether I can relate to that in a years time.
Good luck everyone and best wishes for a good year! :2thumbsup:
-
Climbing:
Go climbing with Dan.
I'm touched mate!
I'd like to tickle the dizzy heights of Font 7a again, even if it's only once, and be steady away on the trad again. Being able to travel and go to Font again will be out of my control but hopefully possible this year. Got a few long routes in Scotland I'd like to do.
-
Posting on two channels means twice as much peer pressure to hold me to account, right?
2020 was always going to have been a bit difficult to prioritise climbing in - my second child was born at the end of 2019 - but having trained moderately rigourously over lockdown I had a decent second half of the year bouldering that I want to continue into 2021, and having not really focused on harder sport for a few years (2020 as above, and in 2019 my main focus was trad so when I sport climbed it was onsights at 7a-b rather than redpointing anything) I'd like to push back to the upper end of the 7s again. Lockdown #3 obviously complicates things but you gotta dream, right?
Arbitrary training goals:
- 1.5-x-5 solidly on the campus board, then 1-x-5
- L sit to Tuck Planche on the paralettes as a marker point for having worked on a weakness
- pull-ups 5x5 @95kg, and actually do some stuff on offsets
- some progress on a front lever
Climbing goals:
- make use of continued working from home and hopefully greater tolerance of more remote working in future to do some longer hybrid climb/work trips (not ridiculously long, but extending beyond the usual 2 week mark)
- make the June-June 12 months my best period of bouldering yet
- climb route 7c/+ again
- work on my “why haven’t I already” and “harder local things to try” ticklists
- nail at least one of my Portland dws projects, try mark of the beast, and do some more stuff at Swanage and in south Devon.
-
Goals 2021
How do you plan in such an unpredictable world, but here goes, although broadly speaking the goals are similar to last year’s.
I’m carrying over the goal of climbing 7C again over from last year as by the end of the year I was at least heading in the right direction.
Still aim to get a bit leaner and around 65k still seems about what I should aim for.
Aiming to get outside for at least 50 days next year of good quality pulling.
Train fingers at least twice a week and be diligent about it, even if I’m on a trip of any sort, where portable boards will get used.
Continue with both the abs training and the yoga.
When we are locked down, keep bloody training and don’t wallow.
Stay dry for January.
Aim to get solid at 1-4-7 on both arms again.
At least two trips abroad, if travel is ever allowed again, Scotland and Wales could count if restrictions remain but slacken a bit.
Try to get injured less.
Again the most important goal is to enjoy life, spend plenty of time with Mrs B and keep the demons at bay.
-
National acrobat at ramshaw
Ray's roof - newstones
Also plenty of days out climbing the classics
Get to some new venues
Would like to get overseas for a climb
-
Didn't have any goals for 2020 for some reason, psyche must have been low this time last year.
Main goal is to climb 3 routes or boulders from my lifetime list.
Would be great to do any of the below, I expect which of them will be very Covid dependent.
- Have a good go at onsighting Paradise Lost in one big pitch, anyone keen?
- Flash Empire of the Sun at Anstey's
- Do Jerry's Roof and Paul o Grady SDS, perhaps have a recce on Will on the Mallory Boulder.
- RP Illusions
- RP New Dawn or Dominatrix, haven't climbed at Malham or Kilnsey since 2012.
Number chasing
- 7c sport in a session
- 7B boulder in a session
- 7C boulder
Training
- Get my groin 40cm off the floor in box splits, currently 60cm
- 5 seconds 1 arm hang half crimped @ 75kg, currently ~71kg for 5 seconds
General
- Climb at 5 new crags
- Climb outside with >= 2 new people
-
I've never really managed to stay focussed on any goals I've set in the past. I think the few that I was focussed on I ended up with unrelated injuries which prevented success. Anyway. Having moved up to Edinburgh, and now likely to be in Scotland until at least Sept 2022 I should be thinking about adventures up here, which is great as I've hardly scratched the surface.
Climb some winter classics.
I'm not that bothered by the grades, I'd just like to have some great days in the mountains. Doing something on Creag Meaghaidh, Lochnagar or Etchachan would be amazing. It might be touch and go this winter depending on restrictions.
Mountain Rock
So many big routes to do up here. Having been to Lewis this year I'd like to return because we never did the Prozac Link - it was too wet for the mountains on our trip, but adding that to The Big Lick and Stone would be an awesome trip and I have a partner who would be keen and is moving north in a couple of months.
I'd like to get some routes in on the Ben and Shelterstone too.
Other Trad
Chemin de Fer at Dumbarton is a must I think. I'd also like to have a look at Wild Country and Dalriada on the Cobbler as well as some fo the trad at Dunkeld.
Sport
Marlene at Dunkeld. Had a look this autumn, did the moves but I had no fitness, a good spring goal I think. It would be great to do a few of the routes on this face, it's a lovely bit of rock.
Other outdoor
We'd love to do another sea kayak trip, probably around Skye this time. I'd also like to take SO for a few overnight walks in the hills.
Life
I've got really lazy this autumn. I've lost a lot of motivation for exercise and have drunk too much (more like too regularly) for most of the year. I'd like to get back into good habits with this, running and fingerboarding regularly as well as doing some more yoga - I had a new user deal at a place last year and after a month I was getting the hang of it and seeing some gains. Sharkathon is my starting point.
Get my book to the point where I can pitch it to agents with some hope of success.
Get funding for an overly ambitious new climbing podcast/book project I've been working on.
-
Decided to finally stop lurking and put some goals up. Mostly just rehashes of last year's goals as trad and sport didn't really happen.
Boulder pyramid
10x 7B; 5x 7B+; 2x 7C
Plus attempt something harder. Just a continuation from last year, hopefully I make it to the top of the pyramid this year!
Climb some >= 7B boulders that aren't on grit.
Limestone or whatever! Basically stop only climbing on grit.
Actually do some sport climbing and try and figure out my level on Peak lime.
Try for something around F7b+/c? Anything is fine as long as it takes several sessions. Need to find a partner!
Attempt every problem set at the Works.
Have a good few goes and not just ignore something because it's steep and might be too hard.
Try hard on some harder trad
Get on some E4s/E5s that are reasonably safe. And try some lime trad too!
Make more of an effort to climb with new people.
Past year hasn't been great for meeting new people and still know far too few people in Sheffield. Make more of an effort. If anyone here is looking for a partner for anything get in touch!
-
Finally feel like I'm rounding a corner of back-to-back injuries and (relatively) good news from the knee surgeon so optimistic for 2021!
Climbing
- Heal current injuries and remain uninjured for the year
- 5 V9s
- V10
- Boulder in at least three new areas in the US
- Crush with the lads in RMNP
Training
- Get down to 10% BW assistance hangs on one-arm BM2k slot
- Be able to consistently do one-armers again
- Front lever
- Reach novice lifting benchmarks (1.5 BW Squat, 2 BW Deadlift - already have bench)
- Get weight down below 82kg and keep it there, 80 would be even better
- Start campusing again (so therefore back to 1-4-7 solid)
Life
- Get married (requires inter-continental travel to be back on the table)
-
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.
-
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.
-
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! :lol:
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
-
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.
-
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!
-
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.
-
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!
-
Perfect! Thanks for reaching out.
PM me.
I have sent a PM. Has it gone through?
-
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.
-
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.
-
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!!
-
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!
-
8A
-
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?
-
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.
:spank:
-
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 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.
-
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.
-
Have PM’d you for advice about dogs Paul to avoid cluttering the thread!
-
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).
-
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.
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Yep, 16 week training block, just finished week 7 and it's going reasonably well. I'm aiming for 2:55, but I'd be happy to get under 3 - I'm not really a road runner, it's just an itch I feel like I should scratch.
-
I'm just going with my usual format
5 off the never ending “why have you not done these yet?” list
5 sessions trying 8B/s
5 new UK crags
5 days roped climbing
5 eights
5 climbing trips (who knows how this will pan out)
5 FA’s
5 training room PB’s
Allez
-
But you’ve 7 aims? 😁
-
But you’ve 7 aims? 😁
variety is the spice of life
-
I'm just going with my usual format
5 off the never ending “why have you not done these yet?” list
5 sessions trying 8B/s
5 new UK crags
5 days roped climbing
5 eights
5 climbing trips (who knows how this will pan out)
5 FA’s
5 training room PB’s
Allez
well tomtom you got me thinking :)
5 highballs
5 board projects
-
Make it a dirty dozen 😁
-
Try harder. Just shy of 500 problems last tear with a solitary 7A at the top.
I think that’s sufficient base building.
Balance climbing and running.
Swim again, lost interest when my local lake was closed to the bloody otters. I love otters.
Be less grumpy.
Explore.
-
1) Annual E5 or greater
1.5) Another E5 or greater
2) Explore 'new' local crags
3) 7C
4) Sport 7a
5) More off 3* yorkshire gritlist
6) 1 arm hang bm low rung
7) Get outside as much as possible.
8) Get some FAs
-
Make it a dirty dozen 😁
and
5 of the Brimham Dirty Dozen :smartass:
-
Climbing
3 climbing trips - don't need to be abroad but staying away from home
52 days with climbing outside
Get on some harder trad - find some safe routes E2-3 and go at them (recommendations welcome, I live in Yorkshire)
Climb Jim Grin and something at Malham and Kilnsey
Climb Red Baron
Life
Shift weight and keep it shifted - Get sub 80kg and stay there. When I used to race bikes I was 67kg, that was only 4 years ago.
Stop moping - be proactive about staying undepressed. Stay off social media later on, exercise more regularly, stop eating rubbish.
Keep progressing with house renovation - big job but breaking it down room by room should make this more manageable
Challenge myself more at work or move on
-
1. Do the steep project at potato head, and the big link from the trench
2. Christine
3. A hard boulder problem. Devon sent would be the dream. Or something else 7C upwards.
4. Onsight e6 for first time in years.
5. If abroad trips happen, then 7c+ onsight somewhere warm and tufa ridden.
-
1. Do the steep project at potato head, and the big link from the trench
2. Christine
3. A hard boulder problem. Devon sent would be the dream. Or something else 7C upwards.
4. Onsight e6 for first time in years.
5. If abroad trips happen, then 7c+ onsight somewhere warm and tufa ridden.
heh Ged :wave: I'm afraid I have to be the barer of bad news. At some point over the summer (August ish) someone broke the nipple/nubbin off Devon Sent. I think it is crucial to most people"s beta. We don't know who so there can be no lynching or repair jobs.
-
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.
How confident are you that things will happen? I've signed up for my third crack at an ultra in April, first one I was ill, second one cancelled due to Covid. Not sure i coul bring myself to go through all that training for a third time or an even that doesn't happen. Whipper like you should do 3 hours if a duffer like me can do 4 on marginal training.
-
Boulder 8A
25 7Cs and above
No sure if this will be unrealistic or not. But hopefully I can make it happen.
-
All dependent on how much I can get outside this year. Moved from Lancashire with easy access to lots of climbing and friends to the flattest part of the NE and no one I know. So assuming I can get on some rock this year:
Boulder 8A (I left at least two half done before I moved away from Lancashire)
Find an 8A+/B to consider as a long term goal.
Lead Militia at Giggleswick (Done in two overlapping parts but had no power endurance to finish it all off)
And in real world goals:
Publish my MSc thesis
-
Not done these for a while but might as well chuck my hat/stake/tuppence/chalk bag/arm ring etc. in...
1. Not get injured
2. F7c again
3. More than one good trad day (i.e. good/classic routes E1 - E4)
4. Make it to Kalymnos in October again
4a. Get on Ageallis or another awesome looking F7c
5. F7a+/7b onsight again
6. 7A bloc if I can ever be arsed to go bouldering again
7. Eatswood Traverse (wildcard!)
8. Find and get on F8a project for 2022
Pretty achievable goals as long as I stick to #1... If that one goes awry then I know a few of them will fall by the wayside so I'm going to be pretty dilligent with that one... #7 is a wildcard as I've not been on it for a number of years (when I fell off the rail at the end!) and it's F7c+/7B+ (isn't it still??? - unless you start at the far right then F8a???) but I'll go open the account ASAP and see what gives :whistle:... #6 all depends on the psyche, only had a couple of proper days out bouldering last year and could still flash 6C so a good 7A if psyched should be doable... Train, Train, Train!
And it was written.....
-
Make it a dirty dozen 😁
and
5 of the Brimham Dirty Dozen :smartass:
If you're keen I've done (I think) the first 5 or 6...always keen to get back on some of the nasty ones.
-
What are the Brimham dirty dozen?
-
What are the Brimham dirty dozen?
a list of offwidths in YMC vol. 1. Think it's page 205 or something.
If you're keen I've done (I think) the first 5 or 6...always keen to get back on some of the nasty ones.
Sounds like a plan. I'll even be happy to let you go first if you like :)
-
Hidden amongst all the YouTube friendly bs on the wide boys channel is this nice vid
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B2xNopOB8Dc
-
:agree: Made me want to try these routes this year when they’re not grim and damp.
This video (and even more so another on the channel where Pete W tries a wild roof on the Range) really suffer from having a constant loop of very quiet library music in the background like it’s a generic YouTube cooking video or something though- kills any kind of tension or drama there might be in the climbing footage.
-
1. Avoid climbing any off widths (but it is a lovely video)
2. Sort out iffy shoulder. This is key to everything else really and I probably need to see someone.
3. Lots of boulder projects. Another 7C would be lovely.
4. Lots of trad goals to go at, loooong list of E1-4s I'd like to do. Maybe the slightly longer days I can justify now will make it more feasible.
5. Would like to go sport climbing again but not arsed about scrapping around Peak choss, so that's kinda tricky. There's a few Peak things I'd like to tidy up but mostly would like to climb something worthwhile at Malham and Kilnsey.
Something like New Dawn and The Ashes. Dount i'll get there much, if at all, this year and fully expect this to remain red.
-
Climbing
Climb Mercy Street (8c) at Schleierwasserfall.
Climb another 8b+/c that gets less seepage than Mercy Street if it is a wet spring/autumn.
Do a good alpine route.
Try a route on the trad route bucket list.
Climb somewhere sunny on big holds or tufas if/when we can travel again.
Running/biking
Finish the Eiger Ultra and try and finish around the 18 hour mark.
Bob Graham Round.
Another big run/bike - something like Stubai 7 summits in one push, one of the Hoehenwegs or a big bike ride (maybe through the Dolomites and Slovenia and then back up into Carinthia.
Misc/Life
Get my residency permit sorted for Austria so that I don't get "Brexited". I mean, I like fish and sovereignty and all but I am not ready to come back to the UK just yet.
Improve my German. Maybe some French as well so there are less awkward silences when I get left alone in a room with the girlfriend's dad.
Read more - 3 books would be an improvement!
Get more clients for my Austrian company.
Try and save some money so I can retire before 80.
Go fishing more and try and catch a big pike (or any pike) and a fish from the species bucket list (wild brown trout, Barbel, Grayling...).
Booze less that 2020.
-
Climbing
Climb Attention on vous regard in Rod d'Anglars. I kind-of linked the boulder crux on this Didier-Raboutou route from the 80s during autumn. It was also the first 8b+ for everyone except the patriarch in the Raboutou-Erbesfield household so it must be soft. Failing that, Bad Attitude maybe. If I can convince people to go to Supermanjoc. Another one I have done the moves on.
Climb one of the new ED+/ABO- multipitch routes in Sinsat.
Hang board
Hang one-armed with 0.5 kg assist (left) and 2 kg assist (right) on my benchmark edge.
Life
Visit my parents and my siblings. Driving all the way up if necessary.
-
Get my residency permit sorted for Austria so that I don't get "Brexited". I mean, I like fish and sovereignty and all but I am not ready to come back to the UK just yet.
How DARE you demean our glorious patriotic venture! Can't I tempt you back with the promise of BLUE PASSPORTS!!!!!!
No? Well fuck you. Don't come crying back to me if you want some delicious chlorinated chicken and GM corn.
-
1. Do the steep project at potato head, and the big link from the trench
2. Christine
3. A hard boulder problem. Devon sent would be the dream. Or something else 7C upwards.
4. Onsight e6 for first time in years.
5. If abroad trips happen, then 7c+ onsight somewhere warm and tufa ridden.
heh Ged :wave: I'm afraid I have to be the barer of bad news. At some point over the summer (August ish) someone broke the nipple/nubbin off Devon Sent. I think it is crucial to most people"s beta. We don't know who so there can be no lynching or repair jobs.
Hi grant! I went for a look the other day and think it's still possible. I think it's possible to use the higher gaston instead, and you can still rock onto the broken one to get the top. Or I might be kidding myself!
-
1. Do the steep project at potato head, and the big link from the trench
2. Christine
3. A hard boulder problem. Devon sent would be the dream. Or something else 7C upwards.
4. Onsight e6 for first time in years.
5. If abroad trips happen, then 7c+ onsight somewhere warm and tufa ridden.
Where would the big link from the trench go? Up Maris and into.....?
-
1. Do the steep project at potato head, and the big link from the trench
2. Christine
3. A hard boulder problem. Devon sent would be the dream. Or something else 7C upwards.
4. Onsight e6 for first time in years.
5. If abroad trips happen, then 7c+ onsight somewhere warm and tufa ridden.
heh Ged :wave: I'm afraid I have to be the barer of bad news. At some point over the summer (August ish) someone broke the nipple/nubbin off Devon Sent. I think it is crucial to most people"s beta. We don't know who so there can be no lynching or repair jobs.
Hi grant! I went for a look the other day and think it's still possible. I think it's possible to use the higher gaston instead, and you can still rock onto the broken one to get the top. Or I might be kidding myself!
. Geddon Ged! Could be 8a now!
-
1. Do the steep project at potato head, and the big link from the trench
2. Christine
3. A hard boulder problem. Devon sent would be the dream. Or something else 7C upwards.
4. Onsight e6 for first time in years.
5. If abroad trips happen, then 7c+ onsight somewhere warm and tufa ridden.
Where would the big link from the trench go? Up Maris and into.....?
Into the blight, then right again to finish up Tom's new one.
-
1. Do the steep project at potato head, and the big link from the trench
2. Christine
3. A hard boulder problem. Devon sent would be the dream. Or something else 7C upwards.
4. Onsight e6 for first time in years.
5. If abroad trips happen, then 7c+ onsight somewhere warm and tufa ridden.
heh Ged :wave: I'm afraid I have to be the barer of bad news. At some point over the summer (August ish) someone broke the nipple/nubbin off Devon Sent. I think it is crucial to most people"s beta. We don't know who so there can be no lynching or repair jobs.
Hi grant! I went for a look the other day and think it's still possible. I think it's possible to use the higher gaston instead, and you can still rock onto the broken one to get the top. Or I might be kidding myself!
. Geddon Ged! Could be 8a now!
Who knows. It might be pretty similar. Its still OK as a foothold, and I don't know how much I would've used it anyway. But it's a couple of years since my only other go on it, so memory is hazy. It's so good isn't it! Did you do it pre break?
-
Not done this before but they say if it's not written down it isn't real! Might be unrealistic for an old (57) busy NHS physio but who knows might surprise myself!
Bouldering;
Got a few ideas/projects
1. The Pinch at sheep pen. Tried this a few times over the summer could get the pinch fairly easily but the throw to the lip very much my anti style
2. Clever Beaver - again tried this a few years ago and got fairly close - well could get the crimp on the lip
3. What would Jerry Do? - tried once over the summer got most of the moves
4. And consistent 6C on the Moonboard
Routes
Something in the 7b range
Get on Axle Attack
Do some trad - Be good to get back to E4 but that would be a big ask
10% body weigh off one arm hang for 7s on the middle slot BM2. Consistent at -10kg left and 12.5kg right at around 77kg.
Build a board in the garage - ordered the wood and fixings today so a start! Have plenty of holds so not that expensive. Just need to clear the garage for years of crap! Should be able to get a 40 degree board about 11 foot in height.
Life;
Support my daughter through her last year in university and her hopes of post grad MPhil at Oxford. I don't think I'll ever be able to retire
Stay fit and healthy - stay injury free (just back from a nasty deep gluteal syndrome 14 months from injury to being back running)
Sort the house out - major project
Re-establish and grow my physio clinic at The Boardroom climbing centre once Covid is under control (not holding breath).
-
Good set of goals Nick. Hopefully catch you at BR after all this (although preferably, for me at least, not on the physio table!).
-
Didn't have any goals for 2020 for some reason, psyche must have been low this time last year.
Main goal is to climb 3 routes or boulders from my lifetime list.
Would be great to do any of the below, I expect which of them will be very Covid dependent.
- Have a good go at onsighting Paradise Lost in one big pitch, anyone keen?
- Flash Empire of the Sun at Anstey's
- Do Jerry's Roof and Paul o Grady SDS, perhaps have a recce on Will on the Mallory Boulder.
- RP Illusions
- RP New Dawn or Dominatrix, haven't climbed at Malham or Kilnsey since 2012.
Number chasing
- 7c sport in a session
- 7B boulder in a session
- 7C boulder
Training
- Get my groin 40cm off the floor in box splits, currently 60cm
- 5 seconds 1 arm hang half crimped on 20mm edge @ 75kg, currently ~71kg for 5 seconds
General
- Climb at 5 new crags
- Climb outside with >= 2 new people
Previous PB was from October and have been training consistently since then, so this was a little conservative. Just did 5 seconds @ 77.3kg after a max hangs session, so probably need to up this a bit. Will aim for 5 seconds @ 80kg
-
Strong csl, just tried and couldnt hang for a second!
-
Strong csl, just tried and couldnt hang for a second!
Hanging that edge with my puny bodyweight is my aim for the year! 77kg is great numbers.
-
Didn't have any goals for 2020 for some reason, psyche must have been low this time last year.
Main goal is to climb 3 routes or boulders from my lifetime list.
Would be great to do any of the below, I expect which of them will be very Covid dependent.
- Have a good go at onsighting Paradise Lost in one big pitch, anyone keen?
- Flash Empire of the Sun at Anstey's
- Do Jerry's Roof and Paul o Grady SDS, perhaps have a recce on Will on the Mallory Boulder.
- RP Illusions
- RP New Dawn or Dominatrix, haven't climbed at Malham or Kilnsey since 2012.
Number chasing
- 7c sport in a session
- 7B boulder in a session
- 7C boulder
Training
- Get my groin 40cm off the floor in box splits, currently 60cm
- 5 seconds 1 arm hang half crimped on 20mm edge @ 75kg, currently ~71kg for 5 seconds
General
- Climb at 5 new crags
- Climb outside with >= 2 new people
Previous PB was from October and have been training consistently since then, so this was a little conservative. Just did 5 seconds @ 77.3kg after a max hangs session, so probably need to up this a bit. Will aim for 5 seconds @ 80kg
Hang on, you can half crimp one arm hang a 20mm edge with nearly 80kg load (weight added?), and you haven't done a 7C boulder yet?
-
Didn't have any goals for 2020 for some reason, psyche must have been low this time last year.
Main goal is to climb 3 routes or boulders from my lifetime list.
Would be great to do any of the below, I expect which of them will be very Covid dependent.
- Have a good go at onsighting Paradise Lost in one big pitch, anyone keen?
- Flash Empire of the Sun at Anstey's
- Do Jerry's Roof and Paul o Grady SDS, perhaps have a recce on Will on the Mallory Boulder.
- RP Illusions
- RP New Dawn or Dominatrix, haven't climbed at Malham or Kilnsey since 2012.
Number chasing
- 7c sport in a session
- 7B boulder in a session
- 7C boulder
Training
- Get my groin 40cm off the floor in box splits, currently 60cm
- 5 seconds 1 arm hang half crimped on 20mm edge @ 75kg, currently ~71kg for 5 seconds
General
- Climb at 5 new crags
- Climb outside with >= 2 new people
Previous PB was from October and have been training consistently since then, so this was a little conservative. Just did 5 seconds @ 77.3kg after a max hangs session, so probably need to up this a bit. Will aim for 5 seconds @ 80kg
Hang on, you can half crimp one arm hang a 20mm edge with nearly 80kg load (weight added?), and you haven't done a 7C boulder yet?
He would have if he lived anywhere near rock and spent more than 20 minutes trying one.
-
Yep, though I only had my first session on a 7C last year. I've not really got into the whole projecting thing with boulder problems tbh.
-
Should be flashing them with that level of strength!
-
Should be flashing them with that level of strength!
Not when combined with my level of technique, sadly.
-
Ha well maybe. I suppose my point is that if there's one thing you definitely don't need to work on, that's it.
-
Don't worry, I totally agree with you. Going rock climbing is what I need to do more of, but that's a little tricky at the moment.
-
The pursuit of finger strength is a noble one on its own.
-
The pursuit of finger strength is a noble one on its own.
I find it quite a zen experience, I usually pick whichever meeting I think will be the most boring and do a session while someone drones on in the background. Just need to hope that no-one asks me a question while I'm mid hang
-
Adding mine from 2020 into here (because I did one!)….
Some hopefully achievable ones for me, mainly good climbs at reasonable grades to try and make me get to some of the crags I wish I went to more.
Tremolo 7c @ Malham. Hopefully in 2-3 sessions.
Onsight Yosemite Wall 7a+ @ Malham. I’ve been saving that for too long - time to give it a go.
Night Glue 7a+ @ LPT. A good reason to go there - preferably onsight.
Grand Canyon 7b+ @ Devil’s Gorge. Been wanting to give it a go for ages
Electric Warrior or Wargames or Super DuPont @ Chapel Head Scar. One of these ticked off would be great and get me back to the crag.
Smooth Torquer 7a+ @ Kilnsey. An old nemesis...
Powerband 7C @ the tor. The least likely one to go…
Try to stay injury free.
-
Adding mine from 2020 into here (because I did one!)….
Some hopefully achievable ones for me, mainly good climbs at reasonable grades to try and make me get to some of the crags I wish I went to more.
Tremolo 7c @ Malham. Hopefully in 2-3 sessions.
Onsight Yosemite Wall 7a+ @ Malham. I’ve been saving that for too long - time to give it a go.
Night Glue 7a+ @ LPT. A good reason to go there - preferably onsight.
Grand Canyon 7b+ @ Devil’s Gorge. Been wanting to give it a go for ages
Electric Warrior or Wargames or Super DuPont @ Chapel Head Scar. One of these ticked off would be great and get me back to the crag.
Smooth Torquer 7a+ @ Kilnsey. An old nemesis...
Powerband 7C @ the tor. The least likely one to go…
Try to stay injury free.
Going to add Mandala Training Traverse 7C @ Kilnsey too after a play on it yesterday. Only 20 mins from home so no excuses not to put some effort in!
-
I have not yet achieved any of the goals of 2021, but today I achieved one of the goals of 2020! Always something, eh?
2b. A basic 3-4-5-...-15 ladder up the thinnest rungs on the campusboard at the gym.
-
I have not yet achieved any of the goals of 2021, but today I achieved one of the goals of 2020! Always something, eh?
I’m routinely at least a year behind in my goals. :lol:
-
Include 1) not having to worry about producing a list next year as I already have 1.
-
My aim for 2021 was to do a 7A, and I've done a couple, so that's cool. I'd like to do another 7A on lime, that's the next project.
I'd like to start doing some roped stuff outdoors. Indoor roped stuff doesn't appeal at all but a bit of trad and sport. That's basically just a case of actually getting on and doing it.
I'd also like to get closer to my 100kgs bench. I'm currently at 85kgs so not that far and maybe doable in 2021!
-
Just realised we're effectively half way through
I'm just going with my usual format
5 off the never ending “why have you not done these yet?” list [Fluid dynamics stand, Like a hurricane]
5 sessions trying 8B/s [tick: pretty sure I've played around on High Fiddy on five occasions, spending lockdown on the chevin it was bound to happen, no RPs yet mind]
5 new UK crags [Giggleswick North]
5 days roped climbing [tick! Did my first sport route in 5 years and have spent the past 2 months tied in, 10+ sessions]
5 eights [nope, not sure I've tried any apart from HF]
5 climbing trips (who knows how this will pan out) [nothing yet]
5 FA’s [two, details to follow eventually]
5 training room PB’s [not sure I even have any benchmarks to go off anymore... But I have finally bought an olympic barbell, and I'm on the lookout for a squat rack, so these all might end up being powerlifting/olympic weightlifting goals, of which I have many. RIP climbing goals]
5 highballs [Andy's Route, Ron's Reach(?), hopefully replace these with meatier ones later]
5 board projects [nope, don't even have any]
5 of the Brimham Dirty Dozen [maybe when it cools a little, will drop you a message TTT :)]
Allez
-
Halfway! What a weird six months. Getting my excuses in...my wife is now six months pregnant, and it's not been an easy pregnancy, as she was practically bed-bound for a long period in February, and then only gradually improving from there (although much better now). Combined with lockdown, and my still working from home full time, it's been pretty tough.
Training
- Stick to my training plan; really keen to stick to the plan, address my weaknesses and keep making gains. - yep tick, lockdown helped, felt strong on the boulders and more resilient to injury (touch wood). Also helped keep me sane during some dark winter months.
- Stretch / yoga every day - hmm, a couple of months ago this would be green, but I've been slack lately
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. - filmed lots on the boulders through to April. Just on my phone, but good to do.
- 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! - nope
- 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. - Sunk pretty much my entire grit/bouldering season into one project, Ben's Groove Sit at Caley, so yeah at least I can tick this goal! Have also done a couple of others that took more than a session.
- 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. - Nearly there! 25 done so far, from 6b to 7c, mostly in the 7s and including my first two 7cs, over about 18 sessions. Mostly at Kilnsey. Longest I've spent on anything is 3 sessions, and tbh I'm finding myself having to actively resist trying something harder!
- Go to Switzerland; hopefully will help with at least one of the above. - nope, won't happen this year
- 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. - went sport climbing instead. Every time I go to Kilnsey I think I should pay a visit to Rylstone at some point but it hasn't happened yet.
Grade chasing
- At least one 8A; done at least one the last four years in a row. Would be good to make it five. - not yet. Staying optimistic. Have a couple of local ones lined up which I'm hopeful of doing, including Ben's... ;)
- 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. - did one in three very short sessions, unfortunately lockdown prevented travel to most of the problems I wanted to do / had lined up, then looking after Emma similarly prevented any travel, Ben's took up all my time when I could get out, and I didn't quite get it over the line, and I've then gone sport climbing. There's still time but it's not looking good.
Life
- Get married; rollover from last year, because Covid. - great day
- 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. - yep, big improvement on last year
Going to add:
- Sport 7c+; backup goal in case the below doesn't happen...
- Sport 8a; just because I'm enjoying the sport so much atm and this is surely plausible at least. Fitness is definitely improving.
-
Ha ha - just realised I never contributed to the original thread.
Mine's the same as last year - a new (to me) 7a, outdoors somewhere.
Mid-year update is that I've done a couple of "V6" problems, but sadly indoors, and probably slightly holiday grade-y.
Did what I think / guess / assume might be 6c (Leaper Traverse Low at Shipley), but the approved beta is far from clear.
Otherwise fitness, diet, weight and booze consumption are all terrible. As an office-based IT worker my life is even more sedentary now than it was pre-COVID and it's my 43rd birthday in a couple of weeks.
Can't think why I haven't ticked that Font 7a.
Still keen for those Brimham offwidths though Nate...at least with the extra timber I won't fall out of the cracks!
-
Hidden amongst all the YouTube friendly bs on the wide boys channel is this nice vid
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B2xNopOB8Dc
Jamming Gloves?!
Back around....
-
Not as red as I thought it might be when I first set the aims!
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. Unsurprisingly the race didn't happen and I couldn't face a marathon time trial, but I did enjoy the process of having a plan and was probably as running fit as I've ever been (for the roads at least).
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. Ran a 27:39 5 mile as part of a virtual relay event, which was a massive PB. Also had a 17:03 5k split as part of the same race, so in no doubt that I could have gone sub-17 for 5k and sub-35 for 10k if that's what I'd been racing on the day.
iii) Get back to local fell races over the summer - a few V40 prizes would be nice. First race for 15ish months was last week - 10th and 2nd V40. Another one this weekend and then having a break for some training and to support a BG.
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. This happened over April/May due to an ankle niggle, but I've ended up increasing again since to try and get back the lost fitness from 2 months of next to nothing.
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/+. Couple of days trad and couple of days sport, so better than nowt but a long way from target grades. 3 years of next to no roped climbing has taken its toll on my confidence!
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. Not yet.
iii) Tick a few things off the boulder problem project list. Ideally get back to being reasonably consistent at 7B. Done reasonably well at this, managed more stuff at 7B and above than in the last few years. Flashing Zippy's was pleasing along with a great day up at Back/Howshaw Tor.
iv) Continue exploring some of the more esoteric venues and tucked away gems around the Peak. Only new venues I can think of were Back/Howshaw Tors and Cucklett Delf. Not exactly esoterica!
-
Halfway! What a weird six months. Getting my excuses in...my wife is now six months pregnant, and it's not been an easy pregnancy, as she was practically bed-bound for a long period in February, and then only gradually improving from there (although much better now). Combined with lockdown, and my still working from home full time, it's been pretty tough.
Training
- Stick to my training plan; really keen to stick to the plan, address my weaknesses and keep making gains. - yep tick, lockdown helped, felt strong on the boulders and more resilient to injury (touch wood). Also helped keep me sane during some dark winter months.
- Stretch / yoga every day - hmm, a couple of months ago this would be green, but I've been slack lately
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. - filmed lots on the boulders through to April. Just on my phone, but good to do.
- 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! - nope
- 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. - Sunk pretty much my entire grit/bouldering season into one project, Ben's Groove Sit at Caley, so yeah at least I can tick this goal! Have also done a couple of others that took more than a session.
- 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. - Nearly there! 25 done so far, from 6b to 7c, mostly in the 7s and including my first two 7cs, over about 18 sessions. Mostly at Kilnsey. Longest I've spent on anything is 3 sessions, and tbh I'm finding myself having to actively resist trying something harder!
- Go to Switzerland; hopefully will help with at least one of the above. - nope, won't happen this year
- 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. - went sport climbing instead. Every time I go to Kilnsey I think I should pay a visit to Rylstone at some point but it hasn't happened yet.
Grade chasing
- At least one 8A; done at least one the last four years in a row. Would be good to make it five. - not yet. Staying optimistic. Have a couple of local ones lined up which I'm hopeful of doing, including Ben's... ;)
- 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. - did one in three very short sessions, unfortunately lockdown prevented travel to most of the problems I wanted to do / had lined up, then looking after Emma similarly prevented any travel, Ben's took up all my time when I could get out, and I didn't quite get it over the line, and I've then gone sport climbing. There's still time but it's not looking good.
Life
- Get married; rollover from last year, because Covid. - great day
- 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. - yep, big improvement on last year
Going to add:
- Sport 7c+; backup goal in case the below doesn't happen...
- Sport 8a; just because I'm enjoying the sport so much atm and this is surely plausible at least. Fitness is definitely improving.
It's not been long since I was asking for lime recommendations myself, but I can think of a few low in the grade 7C+'s now that would help get that number up prior to grit season:
Hard call at earth quarry - logical eliminate (missing the back arete) of midnight caller, which would be a nice consolation prize.
Ribtickler at Goyden - had a session on this yesterday and the moves are ok it will just take a fresher day to link from the sit.
Massive roof at secret location near Worksop
I've not finished any of these yet but have only had 1 session on each.
On grit, I feel like I can eventually trick my way up something i'm not strong enough for over many sessions of refinement. On lime, it seems to me like all the refinement is done after a couple of sessions and then it's a case of being strong enough or not. May be different for others, but I'm quite enjoying this about lime, it makes it easier to move on and cut my losses!
-
It's not been long since I was asking for lime recommendations myself, but I can think of a few low in the grade 7C+'s now that would help get that number up prior to grit season:
Hard call at earth quarry - logical eliminate (missing the back arete) of midnight caller, which would be a nice consolation prize.
Ribtickler at Goyden - had a session on this yesterday and the moves are ok it will just take a fresher day to link from the sit.
Massive roof at secret location near Worksop
Thanks for the thought. I actually had 6 sessions on Ribtickler in June 2018 and didn't do it. Been back once or twice since with no joy. Find it really hard and certainly not low in the grade! Also, I've done it from a stand two moves in at 7C, so kind of hard to be arsed with going back for two extra moves and a +!!
Is the massive roof Source of Secrets? Very keen for it if so, not checked it out yet. Would have to drag myself away from the ropes first though.
-
It's not been long since I was asking for lime recommendations myself, but I can think of a few low in the grade 7C+'s now that would help get that number up prior to grit season:
Hard call at earth quarry - logical eliminate (missing the back arete) of midnight caller, which would be a nice consolation prize.
Ribtickler at Goyden - had a session on this yesterday and the moves are ok it will just take a fresher day to link from the sit.
Massive roof at secret location near Worksop
Thanks for the thought. I actually had 6 sessions on Ribtickler in June 2018 and didn't do it. Been back once or twice since with no joy. Find it really hard and certainly not low in the grade! Also, I've done it from a stand two moves in at 7C, so kind of hard to be arsed with going back for two extra moves and a +!!
Is the massive roof Source of Secrets? Very keen for it if so, not checked it out yet. Would have to drag myself away from the ropes first though.
Perhaps I shouldn't get too ahead of myself on ribtickler then if it's hard to put together! I did find a sneaky toe hook though which I prefer to the heel.
Correct on the roof.
There's another couple of 7c+ roof problems which look good at lound hill but I've not been yet.
-
Maybe you're just stronger/better than me!
The toe hook works well for taller people, very stretched out for me, whilst the heel hook is too bunched! Nightmare.
Yeah I like the look of the Lound Hill stuff too but again never been.
-
I didn't publish an Aims for 2021 as I had Covid at the time and didn't have much idea what my longer term outlook was. The sketch version went:
1. Move out of London
2. Decide on what to do in my Otium. Which might well be mostly climbing.
3. Make a proper effort sport climbing (put time into a good 7b+)
4. Try a classic E5.
5. Climb at five places new to me.
6. Climb on Cloggy, Gogarth, and a Scottish Island.
7. Do a UK version of something fairly long, somewhat hard, and mostly free.
8. Enjoy life
So far, crushed number 5 and making a good go of 8. Shibboleth is a decent candidate for 7. Making progress on 1, 2, and 3. Numbers 4. and 6. seem likely to be the hardest.
-
I would suggest combining 2, 5, 6 7 and 8 by going to Pabbay and doing Prophesy of Drowning. Shibboleth is a nice way to break the journey.
-
Posting on two channels means twice as much peer pressure to hold me to account, right?
2020 was always going to have been a bit difficult to prioritise climbing in - my second child was born at the end of 2019 - but having trained moderately rigourously over lockdown I had a decent second half of the year bouldering that I want to continue into 2021, and having not really focused on harder sport for a few years (2020 as above, and in 2019 my main focus was trad so when I sport climbed it was onsights at 7a-b rather than redpointing anything) I'd like to push back to the upper end of the 7s again. Lockdown #3 obviously complicates things but you gotta dream, right?
Arbitrary training goals:
- 1.5-x-5 solidly on the campus board, then 1-x-5
During the winter training block I was doing pretty well here, 1.5-3-5 and 1.5-4-5 going ok and hit 1-4-5 a couple of times too
- L sit to Tuck Planche on the paralettes as a marker point for having worked on a weakness
I think this one got there, although possibly the slightly scrappy end. Need to video it again some point
- pull-ups 5x5 @95kg, and actually do some stuff on offsets
92kg I think
- some progress on a front lever
Didn’t really try
Climbing goals:
- make use of continued working from home and hopefully greater tolerance of more remote working in future to do some longer hybrid climb/work trips (not ridiculously long, but extending beyond the usual 2 week mark)
When I wrote this I had in mind a month or so in June, maybe Frankenjura - instead 3 weeks in the dales/Lakes which was still pretty good
- make the June-June 12 months my best period of bouldering yet
Lockdown running all the way to end March threw roadblocks in the way of this. In terms of 8a.nu points (I know, I know - but I find they correlate reasonably well to good/bad years) I nearly got there, and possibly still could by late summer (before last year’s big September trip starts to fall away).
By another metric, it’s actually been pretty solid already, in that I’ve done 3 7A+s in different areas, two of which are fairly well established and not esoteric (Picnic Sarcastic, Monty Pythons Direct sitter, Drifter sitter), come fairly close on another (Hyperspace at Virtual Crag) and had solid goes on a 7B (Picnic Sarcastic sitter). Also had a few promising sessions on some other local ones.
- climb route 7c/+ again
With the demise of the hypothetical routes trip in June, this one is looking in trouble. No real plans on the horizon to make this happen as yet
- work on my “why haven’t I already” and “harder local things to try” tick lists
Nice non specific goal, so an easy one.
0%-10% on Why and 13%-17% on Harder
- nail at least one of my Portland dws projects, try mark of the beast, and do some more stuff at Swanage and in south Devon.
Seasons only just kicked off, too soon to say.
-
Done ok in 2021 so far, Built my home wall and sent a 7yr long project.
A few things to tick off the year...
1. Finish of the Boulder guide for Strathnairn{Inverness}
2. F.As of the Gruffulo and The man who would be King up in Rooftown
3. Find cure for baldness and being a C**t
4. F.A of Tacht Troosers {my last line in Barry Valley and another long term project}
5. Get strong/good enough to eventually send Susurrus at Brin.
6. Try Not to add to my ever increasing list of injuries and deal with chronic ailments better.
7. Schedule Teams meeting with God re decision making process for growing old and dying{ANY NEED? :furious:}
8. Persuade UKB folks that "Bring out your dabs" is a little bit judgey..... :worms:.Is it though?....But is it?....No seriously, Is it?
-
Boulder 8A
25 7Cs and above
No sure if this will be unrealistic or not. But hopefully I can make it happen.
Managed 29 7Cs so far, been working towards 50 for some time now though... Form has really slowed down recently as I struggle with the summer conditions (boohoo) but hoping to keep stumbling through them.
Managed 1 8A which is an eliminate version of a 7C+ I'd previously done, been close on 2 other 8As but then summer struck, if I can regain form will try them again after the summer.
-
I would suggest combining 2, 5, 6 7 and 8 by going to Pabbay and doing Prophesy of Drowning. Shibboleth is a nice way to break the journey.
Tell me about it!
Unfortunately, swanning off for a week to somewhere with no phone reception whilst trying to complete a house sale, find somewhere else to live, and a school for the lad means it's an option this summer unless something happens remarkably quickly.
If things settle down I'd like to get to an island accessible by timetabled ferry and with phone signal in September.
Did Shibboleth with Will in May. It certainly felt long and hard and was a great experience.
-
Pabbay has perfectly good phone signal, just not everywhere - from the summit you can see the antennas above Castlebay. I quite like it, you can put aside a half hour at lunch to do your business, update the forecast then turn your phone off for 23 hrs. Coverage is at least as good and probably better than (at least from the crag) on islands like Arran, Harris or Lewis.
-
Pabbay has perfectly good phone signal, just not everywhere - from the summit you can see the antennas above Castlebay. I quite like it, you can put aside a half hour at lunch to do your business, update the forecast then turn your phone off for 23 hrs. Coverage is at least as good and probably better than (at least from the crag) on islands like Arran, Harris or Lewis.
I was only able to get phone reception 1 day out of 6 from the summit. I think it depends in the atmospheric conditions at the time. If I were in the midst of a house purchase I certainly wouldn't be heading there!
-
Pabbay has perfectly good phone signal, just not everywhere - from the summit you can see the antennas above Castlebay. I quite like it, you can put aside a half hour at lunch to do your business, update the forecast then turn your phone off for 23 hrs. Coverage is at least as good and probably better than (at least from the crag) on islands like Arran, Harris or Lewis.
I was only able to get phone reception 1 day out of 6 from the summit. I think it depends in the atmospheric conditions at the time. If I were in the midst of a house purchase I certainly wouldn't be heading there!
Pabbay can wait this year (though I've said that for too many years... :(). I take your point about phone coverage also being patchy on Lewis and Harris but I'd have thought it would be possible to move to find a signal if something critical was happening. I've only visited Lewis once, aged 16 and not climbing, but the place made quite an impact and I'd love to go back. This discussion has encouraged planning so I might finally get there again this September.
-
Climb some winter classics.
I'm not that bothered by the grades, I'd just like to have some great days in the mountains. Doing something on Creag Meaghaidh, Lochnagar or Etchachan would be amazing. It might be touch and go this winter depending on restrictions.
Not a chance on this. I bought new axes and crampons in anticipation, then restrictions meant I had to stay in Edinburgh until April.
Mountain Rock
So many big routes to do up here. Having been to Lewis this year I'd like to return because we never did the Prozac Link - it was too wet for the mountains on our trip, but adding that to The Big Lick and Stone would be an awesome trip and I have a partner who would be keen and is moving north in a couple of months.
I'd like to get some routes in on the Ben and Shelterstone too.
Shibboleth done, a few other things in the planning.
Other Trad
Chemin de Fer at Dumbarton is a must I think. I'd also like to have a look at Wild Country and Dalriada on the Cobbler as well as some fo the trad at Dunkeld.
Not had a chance to visit yet
Sport
Marlene at Dunkeld. Had a look this autumn, did the moves but I had no fitness, a good spring goal I think. It would be great to do a few of the routes on this face, it's a lovely bit of rock.
Had a visit and a play on Marlene (or Marlina?) again. Have got a bit more mileage since and ticked some 7bs so feeling fit for this if I can get midweek partners up there.
Other outdoor
We'd love to do another sea kayak trip, probably around Skye this time. I'd also like to take SO for a few overnight walks in the hills.
Great trip to Skye with 4 days of paddling around the coast, including a memorable day paddling from Elgol to Loch Coruisk then portaging the boats into the loch and paddling the length of it under the Dubh Ridge. Also grabbed a day at Montrose and have a trip around Knoydart booked in for end of September.
Life
I've got really lazy this autumn. I've lost a lot of motivation for exercise and have drunk too much (more like too regularly) for most of the year. I'd like to get back into good habits with this, running and fingerboarding regularly as well as doing some more yoga - I had a new user deal at a place last year and after a month I was getting the hang of it and seeing some gains. Sharkathon is my starting point.
Get my book to the point where I can pitch it to agents with some hope of success.
Get funding for an overly ambitious new climbing podcast/book project I've been working on.
Exercise habits are a lot better, drinking ones improved. I haven't done any more yoga but have kept very active in the last few months and cycled a lot. Book progress is slow and funding for the new project is proving hard, unfortunately.
-
I'm not that bothered by the grades, I'd just like to have some great days in the mountains. Doing something on Creag Meaghaidh, Lochnagar or Etchachan would be amazing. It might be touch and go this winter depending on restrictions.
I've done Talisman, Dagger and Scabbard, but still not done Djabangi, so shout if you need a partner, love to get up there again. Likewise Dubh Loch.
-
6 month update!
Climbing
Climb Mercy Street (8c) at Schleierwasserfall.
Didn't really try in the end. Put my clips up early in the year but never went back.
Climb another 8b+/c that gets less seepage than Mercy Street if it is a wet spring/autumn.
Got close to another 8c (Schwarzer Schwann) but then temps and humidity got high. Battle will recommence in the Autumn.
Do a good alpine route.
Not yet.
Try a route on the trad route bucket list.
I tried If 6 was 9 on top rope briefly as nearly all Birkett's routes are trad list bucket list routes to me. However, I wouldn't class it as a serious attempt with a view to leading it any time soon!
Climb somewhere sunny on big holds or tufas if/when we can travel again.
No yet.
Running/biking
Finish the Eiger Ultra and try and finish around the 18 hour mark.
Eiger was cancelled again. However, I am now registered for the Engadin Ultra. My goal time remains the same although I am not as prepared for it as I would like to be.
Bob Graham Round.
I set off on possibly the worst night in a week of very stable weather and had to quit.
Another big run/bike - something like Stubai 7 summits in one push, one of the Hoehenwegs or a big bike ride (maybe through the Dolomites and Slovenia and then back up into Carinthia.
Not yet but hopefully in August or September if I get time.
Misc/Life
Get my residency permit sorted for Austria so that I don't get "Brexited". I mean, I like fish and sovereignty and all but I am not ready to come back to the UK just yet.
All sorted!
Improve my German. Maybe some French as well so there are less awkward silences when I get left alone in a room with the girlfriend's dad.
Meh! Some organic improvement I guess but no structured learning.
Read more - 3 books would be an improvement!
Not so far.
Get more clients for my Austrian company.
This is going really well. Almost too well in the respect that my free time is now squeezed.
Try and save some money so I can retire before 80.
Yep if highly volatile and speculative investments count as saving. So far so good but that could change!
Go fishing more and try and catch a big pike (or any pike) and a fish from the species bucket list (wild brown trout, Barbel, Grayling...).
Done a bit more fishing. Caught an unexpected pike whilst fly fishing but tried for Barbel on the Ribble a couple of times but had no joy.
Booze less that 2020.
Yes but that wasn't hard. Had the best part of 3 months off booze in spring but it has crept back into my life!
-
I could have written this up a long time ago.
Climbing:
6 x 7B, 4 x 7B+ and 2 x 7C.
Going off the logbooks I did 6 x 7B, 2 x 7B+ and 0 x 7C. Loads of soft/not-the-grade in there but a good bouldering year for me on the crimps. Mainly Mag Lime.
Climb 8a+ (any from the list: K3, GBH, Chimes, Nemesis, Agent Provateur, Pat Pence)
Fell off the flake again on GBH but then work became challenging and I imploded. I don't think I'll go back in anger. Didn't go on any of the others except for AP, which I struggled on the start with and K3, which gave me new beta but a stiff kick up the arse.
Get on something Fairly Long, Moderately Hard and Mostly Free.
No.
Go climbing with Dan.
No Dans were climbed with. But I did get up at 5am to watch the Middleton Dan DJ. So that's something.
Training:
7 seconds 20mm @ 36kg
7 seconds 20mm @ 35kg
1-arm 20mm @ -5kg
Stopped doing these for some reason. I think my home set-up was too noisy for the newslug.
Campus 1-4-7
1-4-5 and 1-4-6 on one side but 1-4-7 feels like a pipe-dream. Lots of fun so look forward to getting stuck in again.
Other:
Organise an after school club when such things are allowed, Rugby or photography.
Covid fail. for 2022 Rugby won't happen as they already have Soccer Eds but photography/bird-watching might be feasible in a small lunch group. If I can tie it in with my CPD targets, great.
Get everything ready for a big project.
Biggest tick of my life. A baby. Were we ready? Of course not!
Save up for an electric car.
Got a new-ish 1.0ltr Fabia Estate, obviously not as good as electric but feels economical. Is it?
-
1. Not "Stay At Home".
Guess that mostly worked, apart from recently injuries effectively confining me to home.
-
2021 over for me so here's the review:
Climbing
- Heal current injuries and remain uninjured for the year
Full pulley rupture end of Jan looked to scupper this then had longest non-injury run for several years (10 months) before the latest hand/wrist injury :(
- 5 V9s
Due to the rupture, this wasn't going to happen. Close on one in a session before the latest injury came.
- V10
See above
- Boulder in at least three new areas in the US
Managed one (Rock Shop, Wyoming) which was mint
- Crush with the lads in RMNP
Didn't have a bad Alpine season, managed to put down a fair bit including some 8s
Training
- Get down to 10% BW assistance hangs on one-arm BM2k slot
- Be able to consistently do one-armers again
- Front lever
- Reach novice lifting benchmarks (1.5 BW Squat, 2 BW Deadlift - already have bench)
- Get weight down below 82kg and keep it there, 80 would be even better
- Start campusing again (so therefore back to 1-4-7 solid)
Negative to all this except for the campusing. As part of the training plan I did in the Autumn, I did 1-4-7 a lot :)
Life
- Get married (requires inter-continental travel to be back on the table)
I'll take this. Even though our full celebrations have been pushed back to 2022, we eloped to Telluride and had an amazing ceremony / day + mini-moon in SW Colorado
-
Given my targets for last year were low and achievable I'm going the same this year. Ambitious and unachievable is so 2010's.
Bouldering: 7A
Managed a few things on the scrittle early season
Sport: 7b+
Got a few done, including some that had escaped me previously (Bandits at Dinbren, which was touch and go. Possibly soft 7c, Garderobe at Moat, fabulous route)
At least I'll have to try at these grades.
I did. It was nice to pull a bit, for a change. Note to self, do it more often
-
Adding mine from 2020 into here (because I did one!)….
Some hopefully achievable ones for me, mainly good climbs at reasonable grades to try and make me get to some of the crags I wish I went to more.
Tremolo 7c @ Malham. Hopefully in 2-3 sessions. Nope, but got my first 7c at Yew Cogar instead. Haven’t been to Malham at all
Onsight Yosemite Wall 7a+ @ Malham. I’ve been saving that for too long - time to give it a go. didn’t make it to malham - booo
Night Glue 7a+ @ LPT. A good reason to go there - preferably onsight. didn’t make it to LPT either. The two trips I had to wales had shit tides unfortunately
Grand Canyon 7b+ @ Devil’s Gorge. Been wanting to give it a go for ages horribly condensed the time I intended to go over.
Electric Warrior or Wargames or Super DuPont @ Chapel Head Scar. One of these ticked off would be great and get me back to the crag.
managed electric warrior second go - really cool route and felt pretty easy. Had a good flash go too, think I’d have done it if I put my foot in the right place. Also my first U.K. 7a onsight the same day
Smooth Torquer 7a+ @ Kilnsey. An old nemesis...
Powerband 7C @ the tor. The least likely one to go… no bouldering in the peak at all this year
Mandala traverse 7C @ Kinsey the main aim of this was a 7C close to home. Ended up focusing on Launch Control instead and managed that, so I’ll take this one.
Try to stay injury free. A2 pulley - FFS
It was a good year for me, before injury struck a few months ago.
Had a great time at Kilnsey/Yew Cogar, getting out lots after work. Injury came after a spell of harder bouldering on what I said was going to be my last after work session. So timing wasn’t that bad really.
A lot of my aims were based around going to new places, and getting some within reach ticks (grade wise). Managed to get to some awesome new places anyway and had my best year ever anyway. First 7C Boulder, first 7c route, basically a 7b+ flash (I’d done the last few moved on another route), fast 7b routes and some onsights too.
Felt like I had a real good flow going before I got injured.
Just bought a van though ready for a 9 month trip from April, so some rehab over winter before then is in need. Will be interesting to think about for aims next year!
-
Here's what I wrote at the beginning of the year...
I mainly want to enjoy myself being myself out in the Welsh wilds this year. However, I'd be keen to break the habit of being out on my lonesome. I love lone exploring, but it can restrict you too, and I could certainly do with some social grounding.
Better. Certainly climbed with quite a few people
That's all a bit airy fairy, there are some concrete goals too.
1. Climb the Tosheroon project. Going to get scientific and take a stepladder. Ideally I need a spotter for this one, so need a fellow covid free enthusiast. One for the warmer months anyway.
yep! This took some effort, mainly in asking for help and support Mark Reeves, Rafe and Fiend were key for this one
2. Tick the major jamming boulders of North Wales. 4 mountain and 3 coastal to go.still haven't done American Monster Crack, Dangleberries or Jellybowl crack. But certainly had fun on this challenge. Need some connies to finish it off
3. Climb the project I bust my ankle on. Need many pads and spotters this time. Another requirement for covid to sort it's act out.
Yep! Again made possible by the support of Mark Reeves and Dave Fiddler who slogged into Cwmfynnon with me.
4. Develop a new area I've found with company. A theme is growing here.
No new areas this year. Been too busy.
5. Climb 10 three star boulders I haven't climbed before (that one's for Panton) just to see what the fuss is about.
Bit cheeky marking this orange really, but climbed George's Crack so that's one. In my world Maneater at Talfarach and Black Country Crack in Parc Dudley are also 3* experiences
-
I started 2021 with a max grade of 6B+ outdoors, but with a real sense that I could do more at the time and develop in the year. I set myself the challenge of doing several 6Cs and 6C+s and also breaking into the realm of 7A.
Since then I've done about ten 6Cs, a couple of 6C+s, four 7As and three 7A+s, with a decent split of limestone in Summer and grit in autumn/winter (except for the 7A+s, all on lime). So I met my goal and then exceeded it quite happily.
I also has a vague goal of doing 100kgs on the bench. I've done 85kgs for a 1 RM (pretty good with a BW of 75kgs) and since slacked it off as not hugely useful, but I will be back
Next year I'd like to do 7B on grit and 7B+ on lime. I'd also like to expand and consolidate my 6C to 7A+ range and double the amount of problems done in those grades to round out the pyramid.
In terms of fitness, one armed hanging on a BM 25mm or 20mm edge, and continue progression towards a front lever, ring muscle up and one armer. The ring muscle up could happen the other two are quite a way away probably!
Anyway good first year climbing outdoors and feeling quite positive about year two :)
-
A weird mix of a year, from being pretty damn gloomy about everything early in the year, to wondering whether to bin climbing, to doing my Kilnsey proj, taking 6 weeks off, failing to fix my finger, accepting that it won't fix, realising I still bloody love rock climbing even when my finger is perma-injured, having a block of awesome time away, coming back and barely climbing outdoors for 2 months due to family stress, weather and covid...
By far the best thing of the year has been realising that even if my finger is likely to never really fix and will limit route choices and how I can climb/train, I still love climbing and am still psyched off my tits for it. Much more important than clipping any chains. God, I sound like a hippy.
Kind of hard to make aims due to injury, the fact that my UK goals are all on the wettest bit of the relevant crags, and Brexit/COVID uncertainty around ability to travel, but here goes, in chronological order:
1) All I want for ChristmasQ1 2021 and early Q2 2021 is to fix my god damn PIP joint. Or at least to improve it. With this in mind, the whole of Jan will be spent only fingerboarding to coax it back to tolerating higher loads. No endurance work either, since it doesn't like volume. Obviously the rest of the year is somewhat dependent on achieving this. Hopefully can be back climbing more by March/April - making progress with this thing is like turning a supertanker around.
Hahahaha. Flare up of unexplained swelling in the adjacent finger meant it stayed messed up early in the year. Poured a bunch of cash into physios, hand consultants, an MRI, a rheumatologist. Took 6 weeks off to try a "factory reset"... no real joy. But, while it's not got better - and I can't see a route to it getting better - I've finally largely accepted that it is what it is. There's lots I can still do, even if there's lots I can't. It likes onsight/flash (which is fortunately my favourite too), like steepness on big holds (also my favourite) and when I gave up on trying to fix it I left behind a lot of the stress about how it's doing. Swollen and sore? Ok, who cares, it's only a setback if you're trying to get it back to being not swollen. So while it's frustrating, I'm in a WAY better place with it than a year ago mentally.
2) Be sensible enough to abandon all goals apart from Kilnsey proj 1 (which is finger friendly) in favour of rest/rehab any time this rears its ugly head again.
See above
3) Spring/Summer: do some fun, preferably hard, preferably new, UK sport routes
- Kilnsey proj 1 (working title "Preposterous Tales") Fuck yeah. So much fun.
- Kilnsey proj 2 (I really hope this climbs how I think it might) Only tried for 30 min then took 6 weeks off. Very hard, not sure it will climb how I hoped. Font 8 in the roof for sure. Did start cleaning proj 3 which is climbable but also v hard and needs more choss removal
- Cornice proj (not bolted) Didn't bolt
- Something at Malham (Something for nothing, Sabotage, Fixation) I will probably never climb a hard route at Malham again. Too fingery.
4) Do fun foreign climbing in autumn. Some hard onsights would be nice.
Very much so! FJ was fun (and v nice for the ego to flash 8b there); France was awesome and did lots of onsights and flashes and getting close to onsights/flashes. God I love being away climbing in Europe; God I love steep pumpy routes.
-
What i wrote earlier in the year
Done ok in 2021 so far, Built my home wall and sent a 7yr long project.
A few things to tick off the year...
1. Finish of the Boulder guide for Strathnairn{Inverness}
Done all the master text, taking/collecting pics for the final edit.
2. F.As of the Gruffulo and The man who would be King up in Rooftown
Worked both of these, need to get better/stronger.
3. Find cure for baldness and being a C**t
Nope and No chance.
4. F.A of Tacht Troosers {my last line in Barry Valley and another long term project}
Might save this as my Last ever hard project.
5. Get strong/good enough to eventually send Susurrus at Brin.
Ha
6. Try Not to add to my ever increasing list of injuries and deal with chronic ailments better.
Back is still an issue but at least i have been careful and Not added to the list.
8. Persuade UKB folks that "Bring out your dabs" is a little bit judgey..... :worms:.Is it though?....But is it?....No seriously, Is it?
I suspect you guys like it Just the way it is
-
Boulder 8A
25 7Cs and above
No sure if this will be unrealistic or not. But hopefully I can make it happen.
Managed 29 7Cs so far, been working towards 50 for some time now though... Form has really slowed down recently as I struggle with the summer conditions (boohoo) but hoping to keep stumbling through them.
Managed 1 8A which is an eliminate version of a 7C+ I'd previously done, been close on 2 other 8As but then summer struck, if I can regain form will try them again after the summer.
Managed 43 7Cs in the end (though did hit 50 in a 12 month period at one point) this year. Think I had a few for 8as I had lined up when I was climbing well again, and I think I worked out I had another 25ish 7Cs which I did all the moves on but never went back to, should be happy with the year but a bit disappointed that I didn't manage to hit 50 within a calendar year.
The continuous bad cons in mid Oct-mid Nov just killed off my form/psych entirely and then I got psyched on training and projecting at the end of the year before my PIP joint swelling up again.
Last few weeks I've not done much as moving house has got in the way but pscyhed to setup a new training area
-
A weird mix of a year, from being pretty damn gloomy about everything early in the year, to wondering whether to bin climbing, to doing my Kilnsey proj, taking 6 weeks off, failing to fix my finger, accepting that it won't fix, realising I still bloody love rock climbing even when my finger is perma-injured, having a block of awesome time away, coming back and barely climbing outdoors for 2 months due to family stress, weather and covid...
By far the best thing of the year has been realising that even if my finger is likely to never really fix and will limit route choices and how I can climb/train, I still love climbing and am still psyched off my tits for it. Much more important than clipping any chains. God, I sound like a hippy.
Kind of hard to make aims due to injury, the fact that my UK goals are all on the wettest bit of the relevant crags, and Brexit/COVID uncertainty around ability to travel, but here goes, in chronological order:
1) All I want for ChristmasQ1 2021 and early Q2 2021 is to fix my god damn PIP joint. Or at least to improve it. With this in mind, the whole of Jan will be spent only fingerboarding to coax it back to tolerating higher loads. No endurance work either, since it doesn't like volume. Obviously the rest of the year is somewhat dependent on achieving this. Hopefully can be back climbing more by March/April - making progress with this thing is like turning a supertanker around.
Hahahaha. Flare up of unexplained swelling in the adjacent finger meant it stayed messed up early in the year. Poured a bunch of cash into physios, hand consultants, an MRI, a rheumatologist. Took 6 weeks off to try a "factory reset"... no real joy. But, while it's not got better - and I can't see a route to it getting better - I've finally largely accepted that it is what it is. There's lots I can still do, even if there's lots I can't. It likes onsight/flash (which is fortunately my favourite too), like steepness on big holds (also my favourite) and when I gave up on trying to fix it I left behind a lot of the stress about how it's doing. Swollen and sore? Ok, who cares, it's only a setback if you're trying to get it back to being not swollen. So while it's frustrating, I'm in a WAY better place with it than a year ago mentally.
2) Be sensible enough to abandon all goals apart from Kilnsey proj 1 (which is finger friendly) in favour of rest/rehab any time this rears its ugly head again.
See above
3) Spring/Summer: do some fun, preferably hard, preferably new, UK sport routes
- Kilnsey proj 1 (working title "Preposterous Tales") Fuck yeah. So much fun.
- Kilnsey proj 2 (I really hope this climbs how I think it might) Only tried for 30 min then took 6 weeks off. Very hard, not sure it will climb how I hoped. Font 8 in the roof for sure. Did start cleaning proj 3 which is climbable but also v hard and needs more choss removal
- Cornice proj (not bolted) Didn't bolt
- Something at Malham (Something for nothing, Sabotage, Fixation) I will probably never climb a hard route at Malham again. Too fingery.
4) Do fun foreign climbing in autumn. Some hard onsights would be nice.
Very much so! FJ was fun (and v nice for the ego to flash 8b there); France was awesome and did lots of onsights and flashes and getting close to onsights/flashes. God I love being away climbing in Europe; God I love steep pumpy routes.
You been tripping Barrows?? :P
-
Next year
Save that for the Aims for 2022 thread (when it arrives)!
-
You been tripping Barrows?? :P
I don't understand..? You mean how did I become such a zen Sharma-esque hippy? (this is very much how I view myself obviously) Or that I spend too much time going on/talking about trips (of the climbing variety)? Or neither?
-
Managed 43 7Cs
Fuck me Dan, good effort. You must have put some miles on your van this year looking at your logbook!
-
Not much advance on the first half of the year, particularly on the climbing front.
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. Unsurprisingly the race didn't happen and I couldn't face a marathon time trial, but I did enjoy the process of having a plan and was probably as running fit as I've ever been (for the roads at least).
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. Ran a 27:39 5 mile as part of a virtual relay event, which was a massive PB. Also had a 17:03 5k split as part of the same race, so in no doubt that I could have gone sub-17 for 5k and sub-35 for 10k if that's what I'd been racing on the day. Finished the year with a 36:20 10k which, although disappointing vs. my targets, shows I've got some decent fitness to build on next year.
iii) Get back to local fell races over the summer - a few V40 prizes would be nice. Had a decent summer in the local races - a good run of top 10 placings overall, 1st V40 at Crowden Horseshoe and 2nd V40 at a few others. Won the Sheffield Way Relay for the 3rd year running as well.
iv) Top-5 V40 team at the British Fell Relays in October - 7th in 2019 and 2 mins off top-5, so definitely achievable. Didn't manage to get a V40 team together, but ran in the Open team and finished about 30th overall.
v) Reduce the miles over the summer so I've got more energy for climbing. This happened over April/May due to an ankle niggle, but ended up increasing mileage over the summer as my motivation for climbing disappeared in the heat.
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/+. Couple of days trad and couple of days sport, so better than nowt but a long way from target grades. 3 years of next to no roped climbing has taken its toll on my confidence!
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. Couldn't find the time.
iii) Tick a few things off the boulder problem project list. Ideally get back to being reasonably consistent at 7B. Done reasonably well at this, managed more stuff at 7B and above than in the last few years. Flashing Zippy's was pleasing along with a great day up at Back/Howshaw Tor.
iv) Continue exploring some of the more esoteric venues and tucked away gems around the Peak. Only new venues I can think of were Back/Howshaw Tors and Cucklett Delf. Not exactly esoterica!
-
You been tripping Barrows?? :P
I don't understand..? You mean how did I become such a zen Sharma-esque hippy? (this is very much how I view myself obviously) Or that I spend too much time going on/talking about trips (of the climbing variety)? Or neither?
Yes how did you become such a zen Sharma-esque hippy. If you gotta explain it, it ain't funny. Glad you got zen though
-
1. Do the steep project at potato head, and the big link from the trench
Big steep proj done, thrilled with it. Best new route I've done, a real peach I think. Big link didn't try, but managed another new route on the seaward end.
2. Christine
No cigar. Didn't do any dws, climbing fell by the wayside from June to November due to family stuff.
3. A hard boulder problem. Devon sent would be the dream. Or something else 7C upwards.
Put some proper time and effort into Devon sent during the Jan lock down but no cigar. Happy enough with the effort I put in really. It's definitely possible for me, just need slightly steelier fingers and a longer period of good cons.
4. Onsight e6 for first time in years.
No chance
5. If abroad trips happen, then 7c+ onsight somewhere warm and tufa ridden.
No chance
-
Had a horrible year regarding my stated climbing goals, even though it might have been my best year ever on paper.
Climbing
Climb Attention on vous regard in Roc d'Anglars. Nope. Tried this fairly extensively since J projected a route at the crag and this is basically what I have left to do. No chance though. Managed to link the first boulder problem which is probably the hardest boulder I have ever climbed (I have a hard time getting my sausage fingers to grab on to the sika-on stone on the crux). I never managed to link the entire power-endurance section on top after the rest. The route is quite popular among the small folks, but it felt better when a local 9a+ climber my size told me that he found it hard and it took him ten years of intermittent tries to do it.
Failing that, Bad Attitude maybe. Nope. Had some progress on this before the crag got soaked. Can cruise the first pitch (8a+) climbing it without getting much pump, but the pump hits immediately as soon as I start the boulder problem above the first set of chains.
Climb one of the new ED+/ABO- multipitch routes in Sinsat.
Did not try. Also, my prospective climbing partner for this goal crushed his foot bouldering in Annot.
Hang board
Hang one-armed with 0.5 kg assist (left) and 2 kg assist (right) on my benchmark edge.
WTF, I must have been drunk. This is a serious weight-loss goal. Maybe possible if I took up smoking again. Failure, of course.
I did not do a lot of finger boarding this year. Did some campusing that worked quite well to get my fingers strong enough to do a specific move on Bad Attitude (see above) that I could not do last year.
Life
Visit my parents and my siblings. Driving all the way up if necessary.
We managed to get vaccinated in time so J could get a pass, and book a flight with a airline that didn't cancel on us. Three weeks with my family.
-
I've never really managed to stay focussed on any goals I've set in the past. I think the few that I was focussed on I ended up with unrelated injuries which prevented success. Anyway. Having moved up to Edinburgh, and now likely to be in Scotland until at least Sept 2022 I should be thinking about adventures up here, which is great as I've hardly scratched the surface.
Other half's job is now permanent, so we're staying in Scotland and hoping to buy a place in the central belt next year :)
Climb some winter classics.
I'm not that bothered by the grades, I'd just like to have some great days in the mountains. Doing something on Creag Meaghaidh, Lochnagar or Etchachan would be amazing. It might be touch and go this winter depending on restrictions.
I've only had 1 winter day out, but it was a great day and I'm hopeful for this winter to be a good one.
Mountain Rock
So many big routes to do up here. Having been to Lewis this year I'd like to return because we never did the Prozac Link - it was too wet for the mountains on our trip, but adding that to The Big Lick and Stone would be an awesome trip and I have a partner who would be keen and is moving north in a couple of months.
I'd like to get some routes in on the Ben and Shelterstone too.
Not as much as I'd like, but had a great few days on Beinn Eighe and ticked Shibboleth with Duncan, which scratched an itch.
Other Trad
Chemin de Fer at Dumbarton is a must I think. I'd also like to have a look at Wild Country and Dalriada on the Cobbler as well as some of the trad at Dunkeld.
Didn't do a lot of trad, got a few things done at Dunkeld, but wasn't really fit enough for anything I was really keen for. I was working a lot of weekends and struggled for midweek partners this year.
Sport
Marlene at Dunkeld. Had a look this autumn, did the moves but I had no fitness, a good spring goal I think. It would be great to do a few of the routes on this face, it's a lovely bit of rock.
Didn't do enough climbing to be fit enough for Marlene, but got some good sport routes done at Chapel Head, Malham, Weem and Dunkeld all the same. Hopefully the wall will remain open this winter so I can be match fit when the weather warms up.
Other outdoor
We'd love to do another sea kayak trip, probably around Skye this time. I'd also like to take SO for a few overnight walks in the hills.
3 great trips this year. Terrible weather in Knoydart but a good adventure and feel I'm building a good base of skills. Long term prospects look good for continuing this in Scotland. OH now has some winter boots too so we can do some Munros in the colder months.
Life
I've got really lazy this autumn. I've lost a lot of motivation for exercise and have drunk too much (more like too regularly) for most of the year. I'd like to get back into good habits with this, running and fingerboarding regularly as well as doing some more yoga - I had a new user deal at a place last year and after a month I was getting the hang of it and seeing some gains. Sharkathon is my starting point.
Get my book to the point where I can pitch it to agents with some hope of success.
Get funding for an overly ambitious new climbing podcast/book project I've been working on.
It took me a while, but drinking habits headed in the right direction and motivation for exercise was recovered, I'm finishing the year as fit as I've been in a long while despite a few injuries in the autumn.
Book progress has been very slow due to working too many hours and not having a great time with mental health this year, which hasn't left me a lot in reserve for potential knockbacks. I'm hoping that if I can continue on a good trend with other life things this winter I'll be in a better place to make the final push I need.
-
I'm cheating here having not previously stated any aims, and cheating further by going back to the start of lockdown rather than the calendar year, but as reading others' has made me reflect...it's been a strange period for me in climbing.
On paper it looks great:
First 7C boulders
First 8a sport
First E7 headpunts
FAs of trad routes up to and including a bunch of E5s, sport 7b/+, about 50 new boulder problems up to 7A+
And yet, for spells of the past year my motivation for climbing has been low. I've probably done less in total than any year since I started. I've struggled with periods of fatigue, low energy and low mood, as well as a finger injury. I certainly haven't got any stronger or fitter.
In a way the successes seem like a consequence of caring less, or having come to terms with some limiting self-narratives. Also probably focusing energy by not just going climbing at every opportunity.
-
It appears 2021 was aimless for me. That said I managed to match my previous best sport onsight (7b) in Spain (Gelida) in November despite being on the recovery from a mild dose of covid, and very narrowly missing a second. Relatively injury free, and realised that I wasn't properly fuelling my efforts/recovery so all in pretty satisfied with my aimless year. Oh, did my second E6 too, after some working sessions and a couple of quality mountain E4s I'd been eyeing up for a while (Freebird on Beinn Bhuird, Steeple on the Shelterstone).
Mainly just nice being a bit less depressed and getting on with life a bit better...
-
1. Finish of the Boulder guide for Strathnairn{Inverness}
Done all the master text, taking/collecting pics for the final edit.
What areas do you still need to do? Might have some extra free time next year to trip about and do some obscure bouldering, take photos etc. Might teach myslef how to do some self timer type shots with a good camera on a tripod... Let me google to see if I can with my Oly E5iii
-
What with Covid, a long hard pregnancy for my wife and the birth of our daughter, not to mention all the usual stuff with work and family, the amount of green and amber below feels pretty good! You'll notice a theme though, as the year was dominated by one boulder problem really.
Training
- Stick to my training plan; really keen to stick to the plan, address my weaknesses and keep making gains. - have barely missed a session all year, even in the week after my daughter was born still managed to do 30 mins on the fingerboard a couple of times! In fact perhaps one of the biggest successes I've had with parenthood so far has been feeling like I'm managing to fit everything in.
- Stretch / yoga every day - got a bit lazy with this over summer but back on it now.
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. - yep all on my phone but it's something
- 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! - nope, Covid, pregnancy, baby, etc.
- 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. - uuuurrrgggghhhh, I'll save the Ben's Groove Sit write up for the "Best of 2021" thread, but all I can bring myself to say here is at least I can tick this goal!
- 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. - 35 done in the end, across the grades but mostly in the 7s. Loved it. Already psyched for next season.
- Go to Switzerland; hopefully will help with at least one of the above. - nope, Covid, pregnancy, baby, etc.
- 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. - went sport climbing instead. Every time I go to Kilnsey I think I should pay a visit to Rylstone at some point but it hasn't happened yet. Closest I came was a visit to Howshaw Tor on a warm day in April; had an okay day but the fact I just sport climbed for 3 months thereafter perhaps says it all!
Grade chasing
- At least one 8A; done at least one the last four years in a row. Would be good to make it five. - unbelievably close; got to the end of Matador Low at Attermire and just needed to match, but slipped off. So taking half a tick.
- 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. - did 3 in pretty short order, so given I spent less time bouldering this year than any other before (much of which was spent on Ben's) that's not too bad, especially as with the pregnancy I couldn't justify travelling to the stuff in the Lakes etc. that I was most keen for. Just not actually all that psyched for grit either unfortunately. Next year need to make better use of the Eastern lime I think. I did also do Ben's from 3 moves in, which I reckon easily counts as 7C+ in itself, 9 or 10 times ::)
- Sport 7c+; backup goal in case the below doesn't happen... - did This is the Sea at Chee Dale Cornice 3rd go. It's a boulder problem on a rope but taking it
- Sport 8a; just because I'm enjoying the sport so much atm and this is surely plausible at least. Fitness is definitely improving. - did Subculture at Kilnsey. This was the only thing I projected (8 sessions) other than Ben's so it was great to get it done. Loved the Kilnsey scene over summer too.
Life
- Get married; rollover from last year, because Covid. - great day, despite the restrictions. Even then managed to get in a reception a few months later.
- 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. - yep, big improvement on last year
Something else I didn't write down but always have in the back of my mind is trying to get >100 sessions on rock each calendar year. I'm on 94 as of today. Hopefully get one or two more in but even if not that feels like a good win all things considered. Sank 20 of those into Ben's though..was it worth it? Ummm....
-
1. Finish of the Boulder guide for Strathnairn{Inverness}
Done all the master text, taking/collecting pics for the final edit.
What areas do you still need to do? Might have some extra free time next year to trip about and do some obscure bouldering, take photos etc. Might teach myslef how to do some self timer type shots with a good camera on a tripod... Let me google to see if I can with my Oly E5iii
It's actually less about the areas and more that i am trying to get pics from first ascensionists, either from back in the day or getting the Auld Guard out and on their own problems for better quality pics today.
As you can imagine this is not at all straightforward.
Do you or have you climbed a lot in Strathnairn?
-
Do you or have you climbed a lot in Strathnairn?
Not a great lot, and certainly no FAs. Glasgow based but planning on getting out in the spring to find/work some projects in the 7B-7C range.
-
End of year sort out feeling profoundly unfit and weak!
Sport Climbing
1) Climb an 8b+. Probably The Great Escape at Malham. Pleased to do this in the autumn.
2) A couple of 8bs. Perhaps the Oak and something at Kilnsey (Stolen?). Perhaps Full Tilt if I get psyched on that style. Did the Oak but that was the only 8b. Full Tilt would have been a decent contender but I wasn;t very inspred by it.
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. Did Urgent so this is a tick. Took a bit of graft but got there in the end.
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). The almost immediate end to the season stopped his really getting going, but my motivation for projecting was gone by then anyway. Had a quick session on Bats and Dogs but the top of CF never dried.
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. No, but I did manage my first 7C in a few years (limestone) and a few grit 7B+s. Felt like more from lack of trying than lack of ability.
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.
been to the Lakes bouldering a few times after buying the guide and have enjoyed it. Keen for more.
Trad
1) Do some. Did more trad this year than probably the last 5. Loved it.
2) Climb a long pumpy E5. I fell off Right Wall years ago so the time may be right for the rematch.
Did quite a few E5s including Right Wall which I was pleased with.
Training
1) Bodyweight hang on both arms on bottom middle edge. Nope. Fingerboarding wasn't as consistent this year, distracted by moving house and a decent summer.
2) +40kg 20mm two arm hang. Pretty sure I managed this for about 5 seconds, but not the full 7 seconds. I don't do two arm sessions very often as I can't be bothered moving the weights around!
3) don't neglect antagonist work, stretching and general conditioning. Been pretty consistent on this all year bar a few months in the summer. Slight shoulder injury has been rehabbed fairly well, need to fix slight knee injury in the new year.
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! Back in the north. Its good to be back.
2) connected to above; buy house. The plus side of the pandemic has been living with girlfriend and not killing each other (so far). Moved in a month ago. Feel like the process took years off my life but really like the house.
3) Depending on status of 2, get dog. Well keen for a rescue so recommendations welcomed! Rollover to next year!
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. Binned job off and got a funded PhD which is the plan for the next 3 years.
A good amount of green on there which I'm pleased with. Hoping to be a bit more structured with training next year so looking forward to the 2022 thread!
-
I didn’t post aims as I had Covid at the start of the year and for the first couple of months was unsure about what kind of recovery I was going to make. Here is the draft, a mixed bag.
1. Make a proper effort sport climbing (a classic 7b+)
Became a semi-regular at the Cheedale Cornice! (A new crag, see 3.). Didn’t climb any 7b+s.
2. Get on a classic seacliff E5.
Shockingly tried nothing harder than E2. Didn’t make many opportunities and had dire conditions and the wrong partner on the couple of days I might have been fit enough for my annual E4.
3. Climb at five places new to me.
16 new crags! From Sally-in-the-Woods to Raven Tor via the Nudey Cliff, Craig Ddu, Wilton One, Llanymynech Quarry, and Culver Cove. Highlight of the year doing this and, by extension, climbing with some new people too.
4. Climb on Cloggy, Gogarth, and a Scottish Island.
Scafell Crag and Buachaille Etive Mor (both also new to me, see 3.) made more than good substitutes.
5. Do something fairly long, somewhat hard, and mostly free (tbc) which will probably be in on one of the above rather than in Switzerland alas.
Shibboleth with Wil was close.
6. Move out of London
House sale fell through about 10 days before we were due to complete. Rest of the family now less keen and the lad is very settled in a new school so this is looking unlikely in the medium term.
7. Decide on what to do in my otium (which might well be climbing).
Zero chance of full-time work. Have done some volunteer work. Aiming to do fewer but longer trips. Good acceptance from all the relevant parties.
8. Enjoy life
Like most people I’ve had a number of health and life challenges this year but have rolled with the punches most of the time. Stopping work has been a big help, and I’ve mostly avoided the risk of transferring too much of my identity on to being a climber. I’ve appreciated the times when I have managed to get out all the more. The post-Covid fatigue resolved but my lungs are not 100%. Best year in decades for not being injured. Overall, a big improvement on 2019 and 2020.
-
1) An LPT 8a - maybe Statement but we'll see what catches my eye.
Would be green if effort counted. Gave Mussel Beach a really good go and got close (fell off the headwall three times in one session) but my climbing never really clicked this year.
2) A Malham/Kilnsey 8a - recommendations welcome.
Barely climbed in Yorkshire. Did do a (soft) 8a at Devil's Gorge though.
3) First 7C - essentially, finish off Rock Atrocity which I got to the last move of just before the most recent Welsh lockdown.
In a rare run of form earlier in the season I got RA done and two other 7Cs too.
4) Climb in Europe - if I don't achieve this, something has gone horribly wrong with 2021.
Great Leonidio trio in November.
Not the best year ever, but not dreadful either. Hoping for more in 2022 though.
-
Aims for 2021...
I was in a really dark place at the beginning of last year and so couldn’t really fathom what my aims really were, beyond hoping that I wouldn’t still feel how I did back then.
The main ways I kept focussing on the future were attending counselling and eventually medication. These helped me to begin to accept myself the good bits, the bad bits (often those are the same bits) in doing so I was able to see what made me happy. Often times it was best to subdue my obsessive ambitious side and go with the flow with what my friends were keen for. But in accepting that I am obsessive and ambitious, sometimes when there was something significant I wanted to do I would allow myself to go off any put time into those things. The key change being I also accepted my decision to do so regardless of outcome. Being highly motivated for and enjoying these things made it easier to distance myself from the outcome.
I also started to delve deeper into training. I love being physically active and tired. But I tried to keep it effective and efficient. I have found training to be helpful for me as it can be quite quick. And whereas in previous times I would try and get to a crag for a quick session then have a poor session, leave later than I should of to then arrive late for whatever thing I had on which would make me feel shit about myself. I often just do a quick bit of training.
I was training with thoughts of trying to get supercool done which I did so a tick there[/
My 2020 climbing aims also included getting back on some E6s... and I managed to insight two and flash another which I am very happy about.
The final way I kept focusing on the future was getting everything in order to buy a house. Which I managed, first one I looked at at the end of March. Then fortunately it took 6 months to go through giving me a free summer to climb. Have been grafting hard on it around working and it is coming along nicely. Going to be ace once it’s done. I find this stuff so satisfying.
all in all I feel much better than I did at the beginning of the year and have even managed to tick quite a few goals. My own personal stuff is still a work in progress but I definitely feel on the right track. Wishing everyone a happy 2022 :)
-
Nice one Duncan, good to read.
-
If I could show you from our walk a year ago you’d be very proud of the progress you’ve made. The climbing aims seem small in comparison but I’m inspired by your Supercool ascent, a life goal of mine.
-
Nice post Duncan, hope 2022 is good :)
-
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.
Body in mostly decent working order tendon-wise. Got a distinction in my masters which I was really pleased with, didn't quite get a distinction in the dissertation but considering the state of my life when I was doing it, I'm fine with the result. Have taught myself basic R in the meantime and replicated a classic economics paper so carrying on learning independently which I'm pleased with. Did do a decent bit of training earlier in the year.
Despite a pretty solid masters, gainful employment has been difficult to find but I've done some freelancing in my old work and had a couple of interviews. Not done any counselling but really should.
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.
[/quote]
Climbed in N Wales, also bouldering down on Dartmoor and Bodmin. Both were great!
But... just plugged along really in climbing this year. By the end of the summer I was getting up to speed and hoping for a good autumn when I got sick with viral illnesses (at least one wasn't covid but the other might have been), since then I have had virtually no energy. I felt a bit better and went to the wall, promptly got sick again for several days, same again when I tried to go for a walk of more than half-an-hour. Very distressing! The doctor has tentatively suggested Long Covid which is bloody frightening, but later on also diagnosed low vitamin D so I'm taking massive doses of that and it seems to be improving.
Training
- Get back to being able to train on a board.
- More fingerboarding.
- A proper block of aerocap and then short power-endurance training.
[/quote]
A decent amount of fingerboarding has occured, and I can cope with a bit even though I'm ill.
The other stuff has not really happened.
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.
[/quote]A few months ago my partner said she thought we had probably achieved parity on household tasks, next thing has been emotional labour but I managed to do all my own Xmas cards very early and do plenty of caring for my unwell and elderly mum, so I'm going in the right direction! Have learned more Sinhala vocab, grammar is still pretty shocking but overall I feel my Sinhala is much better.
-
If I could show you from our walk a year ago you’d be very proud of the progress you’ve made. The climbing aims seem small in comparison but I’m inspired by your Supercool ascent, a life goal of mine.
Yeah life seemed very bleak back then.
Thanks for all your support :)
Thanks for the nice messages too everybody - wasn’t sure whether to post or not but maybe it might help someone else. If so we’ll worth it
-
Always good to read through the annual Aims threads.
Good work everyone who has come through the dark days and managed to keep the wheels on the bus.
I started the year at a really low point after having my bowel removed and a bag put on it. Didn't write an aim but if I had it would have been to climb again and maybe get up a 6A. Realistically, at the start of the year that was the limit of my ambition - I couldn't sit up in bed without a bit of help.
Anyway, not to fear, turns out having a stoma hasn't been that big of a deal and I'm back on the (low) 7s again more or less. Nothing like my previous peak of form, but I've not been training much yet have still repeated a few of the old ones and even done some new ones.
Can't complain. Onwards and upwards.
-
I had very high hopes, overly high, but I’m prone to over positivity and setting unrealistic goals.
But getting COVID in the end July & being unwell all of August had a impact.
So here is the outcome of the year;
Bouldering
- Soft on the G - Gardoms
- Bottom half of Project Never managed to get on them
- 1x 7a at the School over optimistic
- 3x 6c/6c+ at the School/Moonboard came close on 2,
- 1x 7a on the Moonboard I had no idea how undergraded these are
Campus board
- 1-4-6 (L&R) (23mm rung)
- 5 reps of 2on:3off Feet on Campusing ✅
Climbing
- Onsight 6c❌
- 2x 7a in a day❌❌
5x Redpoints 6c to 7a+
- managed four 6c’s. each done in a session
Finger Strength
- 20kg 20mm edge 7secs. ✅
I only managed 26 days outside in 2020❌
This year I managed just 23 days. Most of these were only half day sessions.
Been to a few new crags which was a bonus.
Despite not achieving most of the goals, life has been good this year. Maintaining a really positive outlook has been instrumental to this.
I’ve realised I need more variety and volume in my climbing which I’ve addressed for next year’s goals.
-
Big ups to everyone who has made the best of this year, it’s been a tough one!
-
Effort Murph, I've got dodgy guts, so good to know bouldering can continue if I end up with bag one day. Cheers for sharing.
-
Effort Murph, I've got dodgy guts, so good to know bouldering can continue if I end up with bag one day. Cheers for sharing.
Thanks dunnyg I admit that was my motivation for sharing. I didnt have much idea how much it would hold me back and folk who have one of these are understandably not obvious about it. Wearing a harness isn't much of an issue either - indoors at least, not worn a full rack for a while.
-
That's great news, suppose a gogarth/yosemite rack might be a different ballgame. Hope the new year brings more gainz!
-
1) Annual E5 or greater Top was E3 (or highball 6C) FA, other than that I repeated an E1.
1.5) Another E5 or greater
2) Explore 'new' local crags Had a great run of new Ilkley Moor crags, not all amazing, but new to me and some FAs thrown in for good measure. Also explored minor crags of upper wharfedale/nidderdale with more (easy) FAs.
3) 7C Didn't really try any in earnest (other than perhaps some stuff on front of the calf?), but did loads of really good 7Bs, so not a bad year for me bouldering, considering I have had a finger injury for most of the year, and a few other ailements. 2022 is the year!
4) Sport 7a Only tied in for "hard" sport once this year. Failed to dog up barguest direct. Didn't really enjoy the experience due to being scared. Did the calf traverse, but the challenge for me in sport is definitely mental at the moment, and no bolts means no tick.
5) More off 3* yorkshire gritlist Wailing wall (headpoint!) and cassius crawl at hetchell. Enjoyable despite the company, get on them!
6) 1 arm hang bm low rung 10 second hang one arm the big BM2k slot on both arms. Regular fingerboarding to warm up for the board means this may become more realistic in the future.
7) Get outside as much as possible. Started well, then injury and shit guts have made it difficult. C'est la vie.
8 ) Get some FAs Developed a mostly new crag at Thrope Moor end, including "Sonic, 6C/E3" which is the best line of the lot, new easy boulders at Knipe scar (topo in progress ish), junction crag and crag top quarry on Ilkley Moor, and finally some stuff at St Ives (I think!). I've also scoped out a few crags for the future and visited many other crappy lumps of rock. Being unable to climb as much at times has had it's benefits!
:2thumbsup: Bonus achievements: :2thumbsup:
Got a board and enjoyed using it.
Stayed sane despite various challenges.
Still alive!
Alezzzz 2022
-
Climb & skate with daughter; Yep. Well she got bored of skating but she can now get to the top of my board!
Don't let work add to stress; Good balance at the moment
Jason's roof at crookrise; Didn't even get up there to try
Kilter board 7C at shallow, medium and steep angles; I'm not sure i've climbed on a Kilter board this year but some of the stuff i've done on my board is definitely >7C and i've done lots of outdoor 7C's in various styles.
Get side splits; Not for lack of trying. Every time I push this one I seem to get injured. Still pleased that i've kept up stretching almost daily all year. One to carry over
Flip the step up at revolution bike park; Have enjoyed motorbikes more than mountain bikes this year.
Freestanding handstand press up; Shoulder gains have been good
I need more climbing goals for 2022!
-
Good psyche posts on here from everyone . Is there a new one already started for 2022? I’ve not done it before.
-
Always good to read through the annual Aims threads.
Good work everyone who has come through the dark days and managed to keep the wheels on the bus.
I started the year at a really low point after having my bowel removed and a bag put on it. Didn't write an aim but if I had it would have been to climb again and maybe get up a 6A. Realistically, at the start of the year that was the limit of my ambition - I couldn't sit up in bed without a bit of help.
Anyway, not to fear, turns out having a stoma hasn't been that big of a deal and I'm back on the (low) 7s again more or less. Nothing like my previous peak of form, but I've not been training much yet have still repeated a few of the old ones and even done some new ones.
Can't complain. Onwards and upwards.
That's the most inspiring post I've read in a while. Man has bowel removed, and just cracks on with it. Pretty impressive getting back to near your best after any kind of surgical meddling involving your abdomen, but especially that...
-
Good psyche posts on here from everyone . Is there a new one already started for 2022? I’ve not done it before.
Just started it up for you boss :thumbsup:
-
Good effort Duncan Campbell :ninja: (depression hiding behind the usual giddy psyche posts) and Murph :shit: especially.
Also.....
1. Finish of the Boulder guide for Strathnairn{Inverness}
Done all the master text, taking/collecting pics for the final edit.
That's good progress though...
3. Find cure for baldness and being a C**t
Nope and No chance.
Surely not something anyone needs to change.
8. Persuade UKB folks that "Bring out your dabs" is a little bit judgey..... :worms:.Is it though?....But is it?....No seriously, Is it?
I suspect you guys like it Just the way it is
LOL, it's one of the highlights of the forum IMO! Any targets have actively chosen to show their failed ascents on the internet, often with bragging about success and grades.
-
Climbing
In order of priority:
1. Climb three more E5s from the Devon & Cornwall lifetime list.
No E5s, but managed three mega XSs, a handful of E4s onsight, and a couple of E6s (one head pointed, the other above a stack of mats) - so pretty happy with that.
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.
Nope. It’s hard to justify leaving the wife with our three kids for a full weekend - plus there’s still so much to do near home.
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).
Working from home most of the summer, 2 hours drive from any suitable projects, meant this was never going to happen.
Life
1. Maintain happy family life.
You’ll have to ask the Mrs, but I think this should go in green.
2. Decide whether to build an annex on our house to launch an air b&b business.
Still deciding what to do. Now looking more likely that we will use the space to build a double garage, which would have the advantage of allowing me to build a home board.
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!
Bought a whippet! He’s complete pain in the arse, but we all love him.
-
Need proof of the last one....
-
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.
Well, that didn't really happen very successfully, though that was the least of my problems in 2021.
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
Almost universally crap year for climbing. Had fun with CSL at the Churnet in March (but I didn't actually get to the top of anything), two trips to north Wales with daughter in the summer (really good fun, but I didn't get to the top of anything of note) and nothing else. Going to give up these sorts of wannabe ticklists until my life is organised enough to actually get out regularly.
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)
Fingers continue to feel amazing, but unfortunately they're attached to the rest of me. Managed to hold the BM slot for about a second a few times on one glorious afternoon, but it wasn't long enough to feel it really counts.
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
Did some regular running at various points through the year, although swapped to lunchtime walks in the late autumn when I realised I could come up with good story ideas and write them into my phone (rather than trying to remember it all on a run and write it all up when I stopped / got home) which has been really helpful and good for my head.
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.
Absolute rollercoaster that was leaning towards ending in totally shiftiness until about half an hour ago (which sums up the year entirely). Work situation utter shit until September, which caused all sorts of issues including mortgage company trying quite hard to repossessing house (was nearing the second repossession hearing before I managed to get some family help). Living in the same house with my now ex wife was not very good for the first half of the year, but we now finally have a plan to sort what needs doing (mainly me chucking / clearing the vast amount of stuff I've accumulated and doing various tarting up before selling it in the spring). Lots of arguments, mainly caused by my inability to get my head around moving on.
After a slightly bizarre set of circumstances I got diagnosed with ADHD in September. An amazing revelation, and (apart from being a bit pissed off at various things like how things might've turned out if I'd known this when I was 8-10 years old and got some help then) a pretty positive experience. This explains a host of behaviour over the past 30 years which includes turning our house into a total disaster area of unfinished works in progress inside and out, chronic financial fuckups, launching multiple businesses which all fell apart thanks to ignoring anything unexciting (like paying HMRC, doing what my accountant told me, etc), making endless climbing ticklists but generally being too disorganised to ever actually go anywhere, etc, etc. Started medication which was a total revelation, but by December it wasn't having quite the same effect - coupled with divorce being finalised I then sunk into a pretty black mood, started drinking too much, etc.
Finally got new job in mid September, albeit an initial 3 month contract. Coupled with the ADHD diagnosis I got very excited and optimistic, started managing to get my own projects into an organised order (rather than trying to do 5-10 side projects at the same time). Book I was working on has been delayed a year because of various issues at the publisher, so started work on a kids novel (just over 10,000 words so far - quite a large chunk written into my phone on midday walks) and after the first chunk has been redrafted a couple of times I'll give it to my agent - hopefully in Jan / Feb. Also finally found a solution for my put on hold poster project, which means I can relaunch it with international print to order / dropshipping and not having to worry about rolling up piles of posters ever again. Started thinking about how brilliant things are going to be in 2022.
Then around 2 weeks after divorce notification and can I feel any more depressed, I lost job in the most shitty circumstances - i.e. being suddenly disconnected from ex boss's electronic workplace twattery last Monday - Slack / ClickUp / Missive, etc without even an email to explain why. Spent a few days trying to persuade myself that I could suddenly turn things around with some very quick clever ideas, before realising that its was going to be quite hard to find something decent quickly to get back on track and be in a position to move house in a few months time. All hopes and dreams above came crashing down.
Then about half an hour ago I got offered a new job based on a few interviews I did back at the start of the month, vastly more exciting and innovative company, better deal and perks, paid trips to Switzerland every few months, totally saved my bacon.
So rather than ending the year thinking everything was back to being a multi-year continuous disaster, it's actually turned out quite well...
-
Weird year - started off by training hard and getting stronger than ever, then some shit news and the associated stress of dealing with that for 6 months meant I didn’t actually do very much.
Main goal is to climb 3 routes or boulders from my lifetime list.
Managed 1/3 - didn’t really give myself the opportunity to try many of them, or take those few opportunities that i got. I did have some great days out, including climbing at Kilnsey for the first time in nearly 10 years.
Number chasing
7c in a session - not done, did a 7b+ second try tho.
7B - done x2
7C - didn’t try anything hard this year.
Training
40cm side split - got to 50cm at one point.
Hanging off fingerboard @ 75kg done
Climb at 5 new crags - done. Gordale, Sron na ciche, Bovey woods, churnet, tremerchion, coire Nan Arr, Carrock fell.
Climb with 2 new people - done, nice day out with Yoss in spring, reversed into someone’s car at Kilnsey then ended up climbing with them in the summer.
-
Need proof of the last one....
Not sure if this is gonna work cos I’ve not tried embedding a photo before, but your wish is my command Fiend …
https://flickr.com/photos/194715711@N06/51783311430/in/dateposted-public/
-
Noble!
-
I’m not sure what the correct response to all that up and downery Yoss, but on balance I’m going to go with an old skool
Nice one
For the last gasp minute ending, hoping 2022 looks after you 😁
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.
Nope, barely climbed. Did some very easy trad with various children and have ventured to the wall a few times. Only event of note was the somewhat inevitable moment when my eldest burnt me off on a move. Although given it was a Euro-pop comp style blob dyno rather than “proper climbing” and he didn’t actually complete the rest of the problem I’m still officially the better climber (even if it is just on a technicality…). Simultaneously depressed and proud.
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...
Have managed ok with this, seem to suffer with niggling calf injuries (currently nursing a frustrating minor left calf tweak). Still enjoying it, night runs are a particular joy. Never in a million years thought I’d get into running.
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.
MTB has been very intermittent but has a great day at Stiniog with my eldest in the summer and a few entertaining local rides with mates. As for the road bike I’ve just not managed to put in the miles to see significant improvement this year… next year hopefully manage to get out a bit more.
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.
Possibly the big win of the year, discovered I actually do like swimming. But open water rather than pool. Also I can now do crawl without drowning… actual massive news!
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.
Did this, was ace, will hopefully do it again in’22
Life
Continue to build new business, see more of my kids, stay happy.
Business is growing, but has also become a side hustle as I am also now in full time employment. Which is nice from a financial security POV, but a bit rubbish from a “managing to have more free time to do all the things I’ve mentioned above in 2022” perspective. Ho-hum…
See more of the kids has continued to be majorly impacted by Covid, but now this seems to be a much lesser issue so hopefully more time with them next year. I guess the main thing is they both seem to have coped with Covid and associated fallout alongside parents separation and divorce with style. They’re far cooler than me…
Stay happy, tick 😁
-
No doubt Covid and weather will make a fool of me, but for what it's worth:
Routes
(1) Actually get back into routes (this will require a diminution in Covid for me to feel happy hooking-up with randoms from the Yorkshire Lime facebook page).
(2) Finish off Main Overhang (Malham) and if it goes, find another Malham project.
(3) Identify and work a Kilnsey project (i.e. a >=8a+ that I haven't already done).
(4) Visit non-Kilnsey / Malham crags more - Yew Cogur, Giggleswick, Gordale, Victoria's Cave, anything in the Peak.
Complete failure in all respects. I just never felt any mojo for routes all year (despite the puerile ticking prize of extending my run of at least one f8 every year to 10 years!). I might be tempted to get back on Main Overhang next year though. All users of the Malham / Kilnsey Facebook page: beware!
Bouldering
(1) Chance trips outdoors more - resist the easy option of another Depot session when the forecast is dubious, and go to more non-roadside crags.
I certainly did more bouldering but never showed any more gumption than previous. I'm still very much a fair weather boulderer.
(2) Try harder, and manage at leat one perennial on my wishlist i.e. do at least one quality 7b+/7c.
Success (at last). I did loads of problems that had thwarted me when I was younger and stronger - Flakes at Earl; Ju Ju Club; Frodo and Freemason at Anston; Butternut Squash, Deal in Pain, Crushinator Low, and Blood Sex Sugar Magik at Woodwell; Starship and Nemesis at the Wiltons etc.
(3) Covid allowing, spend a week in the Lakes visiting crags that are out of day-trip range (Coniston, Sampsom Stones etc), or have a week in North Wales.
I made the effort but I might have been best off not bothering! I had a nice 3-day holiday in the Lakes... then on the first day of the follow-up visit, I broke my wrist and was out of action for July and August!
Training
(1) Keep up current regimen of doing something four out of five weekdays (currently I'm selecting from a menu of weighted pull-ups, TRX, ab-roller, fingerboarding, woodie).
I'll give myself a win. Work has made it tough but I usually manage a couple of fingerboard and pull up sessions a week.
Life
(1) Drink less (as always... ).
Ha!!! (hollow laugh, deranged glare).
(2) Keep cooking and making an effort to try new recipes.
Pretty decent, and now I'm back to WFH, it should continue.
(3) Visit / phone my parents more (Covid has made me realise how much I've taken them for granted).
I telephoned / messaged them more, but didn't visit with any great regularity.
-
Absolute rollercoaster
No shit. :lol: :popcorn: Glad to hear things are looking up. If you could go on that big wall trip with your son in 2022 and liveblog it via Instagram that would be great. ;)
-
Absolute rollercoaster
No shit. :lol: :popcorn: Glad to hear things are looking up. If you could go on that big wall trip with your son in 2022 and liveblog it via Instagram that would be great. ;)
We have agreed to try Freerider for his 21st (with his sister, who'll be 25), but that's not until 2035 so you'll have to be patient...
-
Enough green, and the right kind of orange, to make it feel like a reasonable year. Pleased with the bouldering, a little frustrated I didn’t manage to line things up better for DWS, and a bit of a disappointment not to get a bit more route climbing done.
Arbitrary training goals:
- 1.5-x-5 solidly on the campus board, then 1-x-5
During the winter training block I was doing pretty well here, 1.5-3-5 and 1.5-4-5 going ok and hit 1-4-5 a couple of times too. Haven’t done it for a while though so probably need a bit of work to get back there
- L sit to Tuck Planche on the paralettes as a marker point for having worked on a weakness
I think this one got there, although possibly the slightly scrappy end. Need to video it again some point. Again, lack of practice over the summer means I’m probably a way back from that now, so points dedicated for lack of consistency
- pull-ups 5x5 @95kg, and actually do some stuff on offsets
92kg I think
- some progress on a front lever
Didn’t really try
Climbing goals:
- make use of continued working from home and hopefully greater tolerance of more remote working in future to do some longer hybrid climb/work trips (not ridiculously long, but extending beyond the usual 2 week mark)
When I wrote this I had in mind a month or so in June, maybe Frankenjura - instead 3 weeks in the dales/Lakes which was still pretty good
- make the June-June 12 months my best period of bouldering yet
Lockdown running all the way to end March threw roadblocks in the way of this. In terms of 8a.nu points (I know, I know - but I find they correlate reasonably well to good/bad years) I nearly got there. I think I equalled, perhaps, but then as I spent much of the summer chasing difficulty rather than volume I didn’t replace last years ticks as they fell away.
By another metric, it’s actually been pretty solid, in that since the end of the first lockdown I’ve done 4 7A+s in different areas (more than doubling the lifetime total), three of which are fairly well established and not esoteric (Picnic Sarcastic, Monty Pythons Direct sitter, Drifter sitter, Liquid Sun), come fairly close on another (Hyperspace at Virtual Crag) and had solid goes on a 7B (Picnic Sarcastic sitter). Also had a few promising sessions on another local 7B, and doing Liquid Sun opens the door to working the extension, adding in a sitter I’ve already done, to get a looong 7B+ tick.
- climb route 7c/+ again
With the demise of the hypothetical routes trip in June, this one just never happened
- work on my “why haven’t I already” and “harder local things to try” tick lists
Nice non specific goal, so an easy one.
0%-10%-13% on Why and 13%-17%-20% on Harder
- nail at least one of my Portland dws projects, try mark of the beast, and do some more stuff at Swanage and in south Devon.
Meh. Didn’t do anything in Swanage or south Devon, didn’t tick any of the Portland projects, although I did infill a few missing cv gaps, and my try at MotB was pretty token and a bit disappointing.
-
...
5 off the never ending “why have you not done these yet?” list [3: Fluid dynamics stand, Like a hurricane, Jerry's Roof, poor effort for finishing off stuff this year]
5 sessions trying 8B/s [tick: pretty sure I've played around on High Fiddy on five occasions, spending lockdown on the chevin it was bound to happen, no RPs yet mind. nothing to add since Q1]
5 new UK crags [4: Giggleswick North, Trow Gill, Pacman Boulders, Gallt yr Ogof Boulder, poor effort for getting to new places]
5 days roped climbing [20+ Did my first sport route in 5 years and I think I spent an unprecedented solid 4 months tied in]
5 eights [3.5: Dead Baron, Fluid Dynamics (7C+/...), Subculture, Raindogs (desperate times including sport routes) ]
5 climbing trips (who knows how this will pan out) [3: 5 days in Wales, 1 iffy week in Font, 1 wet trip to the Roaches]
5 FA’s [4: Proud Mary, Flake Arete, A Fistful of Heather, and The Eggman, details to follow eventually]
5 training room PB’s [never got round to establishing any benchmarks to compare to]
5 highballs [3 probably not highballs but whatever: Andy's Route, Ron's Reach, Gypus, been too wet recently to get on the ones I'm keen for]
5 board projects [2: I've done 45 of the 50 recorded problems, but only two took me more than a few sessions, poor effort again.]
5 of the Brimham Dirty Dozen [Had a brilliant day out with Triple T to the Tone. Did 6.]
I blame sport climbing for the lack of green. But a good year regardless.
-
Well done to those who have plenty of green in their lists; for those with more amber and red... I'm afraid I might be about to join the club! Particularly well done to those of you who've faced big life changes, irrespective of the colour of your goals.
Climbing
Fix golfer’s elbow (going well) and wrist (recent injury) – obviously most of the following goals are dependent on how well these go
Yes to both (phew!)
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
Ha! This was overly ambitious. Having looked back through the old logbook, this would have meant my best year of trad ever, on the back of 5 years of very little trad... Pretty pleased with doing 20 E4-5s (and a questionable one E6) and feel like I have achieved my member status of the ledge shuffling club
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
Ha! Again, overly ambitious, given I last climbed a grade 8 in 2018... what was I thinking when I wrote these goals? I did do a solitary 8a though so for the puerile ticker (which I am) that was quite a relief
Visit 12 new-to-me crags (including at least one new area)
Smashed it... and one of the best characteristics of this year, for me, was going to loads of new places. I lost count but probably about 20 new-to-me crags
Go DWS
I'm generously counting the Doncaster Crackhouse canal as a token effort for this. I did fall in and get wet.
Enact fierce retribution unto at least one route on the grudge-match list (i.e. past failures)
Only one that I can think of (Snug as a Thug on a Jug at Stanage), but one's enough
Life
Buy a house
Yep - and we really like it (except for the amount of noise which comes from our neighbours - see DIY goals for 2022)
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)
Going to give myself another green here - although I do need to remember to book another blood appointment...
Treat Marie more often
Fortunately Marie is upstairs right now so I can't ask her, so I'll unilaterally give myself an amber - her opinion might differ :lol:
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
Did well here, with going up a band at work and dropping down to four days a week! Well chuffed with this although it could have happened before the middle of August. The PGDip course I'm on is great but keeps being extended and is far more onerous than it was sold to be (we were told it would be 3 assignments, we've done 12 so far with another four to go!)
More green than I expected there to be fair... and goals aside it's been a great year for both climbing and life.
-
My main aim for this year was passing exams, which was really a prerequisite for most of the other aims. Took two shots to get through the first bit which shunted everything back. Whole focus switched to getting through this and that meant several months of pretty much non stop either work, revision or childcare. Was always going to happen at some point…
1. Pass exams in March and June. (Really a big ask). (6 month stock check after this.)
I failed the one in March and repeated in September. That meant the June one pushed back to December. Overall it’s fantastic to be done, my last set of exams ever. It did mean months of work and very few days off.
2. Be strong enough in March to not totally suck when I’m back on rock
Same couldn’t be said for now, but initially I managed to maintain a reasonable level. I got out in June and climbed a 7A that had totally shut me down a year previously. More likely a beta adjustment, but still required some level of strength.
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!
I used the habit tracker consistently to kick the year off but stopped when I was working too much and put extra stuff on hold. To be honest this was a mistake in retrospect as I think I could have been more efficient with my time, and probably been happier for it. I kept the running going consistently which was mostly to maintain sanity. I didn’t manage sub 22 5k but got one at 22 min 27 sec, and also started longer runs which I hadn’t planned. Ran a half marathon in October in just over 2 hours so I feel like I have a bit of unfinished business there!
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.
This was just not to be this year. I only got on rock once for half a day which was my one 7A for the year. Goes without saying, pretty much the worst year for climbing in a long time, essentially gave it up. But I do intend to return!
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.
While revision cut into family time much more this year than I liked, it should never be so bad again. The woodie project is on hold until next year as expected after the first exam failure. Am really enjoying audio books on the work commute, getting through some really interesting stuff I’d never find time to read. Meditation was good first half of year, bad recently. French I binned until some point when it might be more useful…
Ultimately I’m pretty happy with how the year turned out, some big life hurdles done with, and quite optimistic for things to come! Won’t be hard to do better climbing either!
-
Good effort everyone with even the tiniest bit of green. Good effort everyone in fact. I often feel like the skill of ending this thread with ticked goals is as much to do with being able to predict the future as it is trying hard!
Fingerboarding consistently Going to define this this time- twice a week Jan/Feb/Nov/Dec & once a week for the rest of the year.
Smashed the first one- continued it into October and March. :2thumbsup:
Realistically I wasn’t going to tick the second part as these days my years are divided into four dark months of training hard without any rock climbing at all, 5-6 light months of going out climbing as much as humanly possible and only a couple of inbetween months where I mix the two.
I did 51 fingerboard sessions in 2021 which is more than every previous year put together :lol: and unsurprisingly my fingers have got much stronger as a result- not just much stronger than they were at the start of the year (when I still couldn’t hang more than a few holds on my BM1000 without assistance) nor just much stronger than before my forearms atrophied following my accident but also much stronger than the halcyon days before my December 2013 PIP joint injury. Two days ago I made an absolute mockery of my previous best ever max hangs session. FUCKING COME ON :punk:
Equal or better all my pre-injury strength PBs
Pretty close to this- the only ones I didn’t tick were running (it’s simply too high impact for me), 1-4-7 on the big campus rungs (haven’t climbed indoors since before the pandemic so haven’t been near a campus board) and weighted pull-ups (apparently I could do one with 30kg added in 2013 :blink: - I only got up to 15kg this year which was a lot of work in itself).
There were about 20 other PBs I ticked though (keeping a training diary is very useful!), mostly in the lockdown- I was on an absolute mission, worked very hard and transformed what my body can do.
The problem with this approach however was that I’d never quantified my flexibility and, like most climbers, had never felt the need to train my legs so without data to aim for these important areas got neglected until the autumn-winter following a bit of a frustrating spring & summer climbing performance-wise.
Not disappointed though- when you have to come back from the trauma I survived it’s a multi-multi-year project and you can only make so much progress in a given period of time. 97 days of training in 2021, many of which were double sessions. :strongbench:
At least 10, ideally 20 routes off my *** Sub-extreme Peak Trad list
At least 1, ideally 5, E1s
Try (as in try ground-up- I’ve no plans to start headpointing) some E2s or even E3s
I spent 81 days rock climbing, 79 of which were trad, which, as a perusal of the second halves of previous editions of this thread will show, is the hardest discipline to actually go out and do. ;)
It’s a bit of an eye-opener looking at this though as it essentially paints me as the sort of climber I like to think I’m the opposite of- someone whose investment in training translates only to embarrassingly low-graded performances on rock. The facts don’t lie I suppose… :look:
I led the same number of HVSs as I did in 2020 but every single one of them was tougher than the soft touches I was seeking out then so there was definitive improvement. I also climbed most of them with less fuss :) , significant as of the many and varied excuses I have for being shit, my lower body strength and flexibility is definitely up there (stay tuned for Top Spankings) but really PTSD is what held me back the most. :(
I tried some E1s unsuccessfully, seconded routes much harder than I led and had some great carefree days where it all felt smooth and easy but that didn’t happen much unfortunately and while I’m more in love with going out climbing than ever, in 2021 it was because I chose stress-free pleasure rather than comfort-zone-vacating achievement more often than not.
Food for thought.
-
6 month update!
Climbing
Climb Mercy Street (8c) at Schleierwasserfall.
Didn't really try in the end. Put my clips up early in the year but never went back.
Climb another 8b+/c that gets less seepage than Mercy Street if it is a wet spring/autumn.
Got close to another 8c (Schwarzer Schwann) but then temps and humidity got high. Battle will recommence in the Autumn.[/color]
Do a good alpine route.
Not yet.
Try a route on the trad route bucket list.
I tried If 6 was 9 on top rope briefly as nearly all Birkett's routes are trad list bucket list routes to me. However, I wouldn't class it as a serious attempt with a view to leading it any time soon!
Climb somewhere sunny on big holds or tufas if/when we can travel again.
No yet.
Running/biking
Finish the Eiger Ultra and try and finish around the 18 hour mark.
Eiger was cancelled again. However, I am now registered for the Engadin Ultra. My goal time remains the same although I am not as prepared for it as I would like to be.
Bob Graham Round.
I set off on possibly the worst night in a week of very stable weather and had to quit.
Another big run/bike - something like Stubai 7 summits in one push, one of the Hoehenwegs or a big bike ride (maybe through the Dolomites and Slovenia and then back up into Carinthia.
Not yet but hopefully in August or September if I get time.
Misc/Life
Get my residency permit sorted for Austria so that I don't get "Brexited". I mean, I like fish and sovereignty and all but I am not ready to come back to the UK just yet.
All sorted!
Improve my German. Maybe some French as well so there are less awkward silences when I get left alone in a room with the girlfriend's dad.
Meh! Some organic improvement I guess but no structured learning.
Read more - 3 books would be an improvement!
Not so far.
Get more clients for my Austrian company.
This is going really well. Almost too well in the respect that my free time is now squeezed.
Try and save some money so I can retire before 80.
Yep if highly volatile and speculative investments count as saving. So far so good but that could change!
Go fishing more and try and catch a big pike (or any pike) and a fish from the species bucket list (wild brown trout, Barbel, Grayling...).
Done a bit more fishing. Caught an unexpected pike whilst fly fishing but tried for Barbel on the Ribble a couple of times but had no joy.
Booze less that 2020.
Yes but that wasn't hard. Had the best part of 3 months off booze in spring but it has crept back into my life!
Climbing
Climb Mercy Street (8c) at Schleierwasserfall.
Went back to get my clips out. The route was already dirty and wet again and I had a torrid time. Amazing route but I would need to be much stronger than the route to get it done.
Climb another 8b+/c that gets less seepage than Mercy Street if it is a wet spring/autumn.
Got close to another 8c (Schwarzer Schwann) but then temps and humidity got high. Battle will recommence in the Autumn - Never went back in Autumn. I was either away or the weather was crap.
Do a good alpine route.
Still no - my excuse is that I don't have a partner. All my current partners have no interest in alpine routes after horror shows in the past. However, if I really wanted to do something I would make more effort to find someone else keen I guess. Maybe the motivation isn't really there.
Try a route on the trad route bucket list.
I tried If 6 was 9 on top rope briefly as nearly all Birkett's routes are trad list bucket list routes to me. However, I wouldn't class it as a serious attempt with a view to leading it any time soon!
Climb somewhere sunny on big holds or tufas if/when we can travel again.
Yes. I had a trip to Kalymnos in October. It reminded how much fun this style of climbing is but I didn't have the fitness to take full advantage.
Running/biking
Finish the Eiger Ultra and try and finish around the 18 hour mark.
I did the Engadin Ultra (105km 5700m) instead as the Eiger was cancelled again.
Bob Graham Round.
I set off on possibly the worst night in a week of very stable weather and had to quit.
Another big run/bike - something like Stubai 7 summits in one push, one of the Hoehenwegs or a big bike ride (maybe through the Dolomites and Slovenia and then back up into Carinthia.
Didn't get time in the end.
Misc/Life
Get my residency permit sorted for Austria so that I don't get "Brexited". I mean, I like fish and sovereignty and all but I am not ready to come back to the UK just yet.
All sorted!
Improve my German. Maybe some French as well so there are less awkward silences when I get left alone in a room with the girlfriend's dad.
Meh! Some organic improvement I guess but no structured learning.
Read more - 3 books would be an improvement!
Nope
Get more clients for my Austrian company.
This is going really well. Almost too well in the respect that my free time is now squeezed.
Try and save some money so I can retire before 80.
Did ok
Go fishing more and try and catch a big pike (or any pike) and a fish from the species bucket list (wild brown trout, Barbel, Grayling...).
Did a lot more fishing this year which I really enjoy as a contrast to climbing and running etc. Caught a pretty decent pike in Windermere over Xmas and a specimen Ferox trout which are relatively rare and hard to catch.
Booze less that 2020.
Bit of a fail tbh. Had a few months off in Spring but by Autumn I was having a least one wine or beer nearly every night. Still remains a go to option to unwind after work for me after sport.
-
…the only ones I didn’t tick were running (it’s simply too high impact for me), 1-4-7 on the big campus rungs (haven’t climbed indoors since before the pandemic so haven’t been near a campus board) and weighted pull-ups
Correction to this having looked at my diaries again today- it’s 1-3-5 I used to be able to do on the campus board, not 1-4-7. :lol: