[tomtom]

W: Cliff
F: Cliff
Su: Helsby

A busy week work wise - but on the climbing front my head has been in full on project mode. The weather gods gave me a window of opportunity on wednesday, so I slunk off to the cliff. 2 degrees where the car was parked and a stiff northerly wind was giving a hefty wind chill. I warmed up (sic) around Demon wall roof area, traverses, usual suspects - and it felt great. Grippy, cold, not too windy (there..) and I eyed up Stu's LH, but decided to go downstairs to the Keel... Windy and bloody cold.. I set up camp around the corner in the gulley that is Sloper Patrol and stationed a couple of mats under the Keel.. I spent the next 40 min diving around to the Keel, cleaning boots, getting on, falling off then dashing back to the shelter of the gulley. Climbings equivalent of trench warfare... I gave up when my toes went all waxy and I couldn't feel them any more. 1/2 hour with the car heater at full directed down to them and they came back to life. Oh, the problem and progress? None. Two steps backwards after the weekend.. I just couldnt hold the transfer move - core failure every time... so I tried and tried - and spent the rest of my energy working the last lunge for the pocket - which I got a handful of times. So project miles in the tank ~ but..

Friday, work meeting finished at 11:30... at the Cliff at 1
What a day, perfect gritstone conditions.. weak sunshine, 2 degrees, no wind. Just enough sun to warm you up a little, but not enough to warm up the rock.. wonderful. Warmed up around Morells/three swings for a change and headed straight into the Keel... Just like wednesday, I couldnt do the move underneath transferring both hands out to the lip. Time after time my foot (that once stuck perfectly) just popped off... Why? WHY!?!?

Not wanting to blow the great conditions and go, I reverted to the old RF toe jam method ~ and it worked. It worked again, and again, and again. But now by using the toe jam my body was an inch or two more stretched out - and thus further away from the pocket... Trying the lunge to the pocket move alone with my foot in the jam I got closer, and closer until it locked in the pocket. Perfect... A big rest - a shoes on rest, walk around, shake out the hands and time for a go... marginal toe jam, but it held, transfer to lip, RH udge over, pull, twist, lunge and I caught the edge of the pocket ~ but with only a few mm of my fingertips and I scraped down the face Closer - and closer.. I tried again, but miles away from the lunge.. Innis turned up - and we had a good chat about the Keel ~ One thing that makes it very unusual is that I have no memory of what I was doing differently... on some problems you know you've placed your hand slightly differently or used a different smear etc.. with this problem I seem to do things identically - yet sometimes it works and sometimes its miles away. I think its this that fascinates my about it, the problem will not let me work out how to do it! I tried the pocket lunge alone a few more times, and nailed it twice in a row - almost effortlessly - seeming to refine the move to a drop of the right knee inside and a twist of the body. But could not repeat from the bottom! Some other lads came along - one came so so so close on his first go - I tried again, and again but the core and shoulder battery was close to empty... I hope they got it - or Innis ~ he was looking strong on it.

Surely only a matter of time.. but I want to get this done before Christmas, as eating and drinking always take their toll on my weight, psyche and ability.. Its all progress, and managing moves in slightly different - but not necessarily easier - ways is all good, it gives me the confidence that I can adjust mid problem and change plan...

Sunday - today I got out to Helsby for a (planned) gentle session on the upper tier.. It was cold, but sheltered and climbing temps were fine. The rock was surprisingly scrittly, and a little green. Theres a great arete problem with an overhanging first move that took probably 10 tries to dispatch (despite doing it rapidly last time..) and I surprised a dog walker topping out  right next to where she was standing.. Worked the other problems on the face and found a nicer sequence to the (very tough) V2 to the right of the arete.. worked the hanging traverse into the Arete but had run out of beans by then. I was only there 80-90 min, but realised I'd not taken a break apart from moving mats between problems. I ache as I type, so a worthwhile outing... the lower in the woods section was gopping ~ dont bother going there for a few days if anyone was thinking of it...

Good news in the week - looks like I'm off with work to Boulder for a few days at the end of March.. which I'm really looking forward to..

Its bizarre reflecting on 3 weeks of updates that my climbing has been incredibly myopic but remarkably rewarding. Maybe I enjoy the process of failure more

[i_a_coops]

Have you tried taking your right shoe off and taping up your big toe? It worked for me, and it might give you an extra few millimetres...

[tomtom]

Have you tried taking your right shoe off and taping up your big toe? It worked for me, and it might give you an extra few millimetres...

Yes. Briefly. Pain and a little blood. Never again

I think I just need to get a bit better! Which is happening.... Much hilarity will greet the next move - I'm too tall (yes hobbity folks thats possible..) to easily get a foot up onto the nose (even palming down) so I end up with two hands in the pocket and shag my way up the nose, au cheval, with knees

[shark]

Thanks tomtom

11.7-9

Mon. Lunch shed. Systems moves and good weighted deadhangsEve. Foundry eve. Campussing with ChrisT. Nearly did 3 consecutive offset double dynos.   
Tues. 8 hours of driving and 4 hours of interviewing.
Weds.Lunch shed. Weighted deadhangs PB
Thurs. Eve. Foundry. Campussing. Felt jaded
Fri.
Sat. eatswood traverse with DuncanDisorderly. Sore shoulder. Managed to link all the way to the last few moves. Moves felt significantly easier.
Sun.

Going to give campussing a rest for a week or until my right shoulder recovers. Lost a couple of lbs.

 

[csl]

Been gone for a while, no climbing for nearly a month i think!

One goal now - Build my board - should be able to do this next weekend and then some climbing can resume!

Tue - running club, 600's fast, 200 jog recover x 8.
Thur - small cycle - felt good once warmed up.
Sunday - Biscuit Factory - did the majority of the red and green circuits, v3-5 mostly onsight. Really good to go climbing again! Girlfriend has just moved near here so may become semi regular.

[duncan]

STG: Improve finger strength. Biscuit V3-V5 circuit. Stay uninjured.
MTG: 7b by end year.
LTG: E5, Ambitious LH+F objectives in Switzerland, Dolomites and USA.

M - The Biscuit: bouldering, work on new red circuit (V3-V5).  Managed about 5-6.
T - Tweaky
W - 
T - The Biscuit: 30 mins working reds.
F - The Biscuit: 6x4 (2.5 mins on / 2.5 mins off) Anaerobic capacity
S - Family
S - Family

Have not done this much climbing on plastic for some time.  Elbow and shoulder feeling a bit sore so eased off this week.  Sport climbing trip in 2 weeks so plan is: stay uninjured, get on real rock, falls practice, more anaerobic stuff in that order.

[iain]

Enjoying your updates tomtom

STG: Volume until new year, start sorting shoulder and elbows
MTG: 3 7c+/8a by March
LTG: Infinite Gravity next Sept

M: Rest
T: Optimistic day at Swanage. The Promenade was gushing water in places so wound up at Winspit and found a few no star things to play on, felt tired at the end of the day but wasn't very productive.
W: Rest
T: Routes at Calshot for the first time in over a year, good mileage session with 8 routes. A major positive was that some route setters have changed and things are no longer as stretchy or cruxy as they used to be. Will head back.
F: Rest
S: A short day at Blacknor South. Enough sun to make things pleasant although lots of seepage meant more no star routes which turned out to be much better than expected. Concentrated on movement and route reading, climbed in balance all day and everything felt almost easy. It was great.
S: Support crew for better half on the Grim, an 8 miler with mud and icy wades. I had a nice day standing chatting in the sun. FB session in the evening, 8x6 pull-ups.

Not as much volume as I wanted but onsighting route fitness and movement was good. More of the same this week.

[cheque]

STG- 7A and E2 on grit this season
MTG- hard (for me) redpoints on pennine lime

M- Rest.
T- Last of four-day break for my birthday- it pissed it down every day.  Foundry routes- feeling weak, tired and unpsyched, largely due to still-tweaked finger so just did some easy mileage. Taped finger and didn't crimp anything and it felt better after session rather than worse.
W- Rest. Knackered!
T- Decided against Depot sesh as still tired and worried about finger. Bit of old-school core/ antagonists work at home.
F- Rest. Finger not feeling or loking too bad.
S- Secret Garden PM. Feeling good, tried Beach Ball- making progress on every go, pretty sure I was going to do it at one stage but quit while I was ahead as soon as progress stopped. Finished off on some easy problems in the fading light.
S- Burbage South leading 6 bouldering virgins around the easiest parts of the circuit. Did 23 problems (but the sheep ain't one) up to 6B, largely repeats.

Psyched and climbing well on rock for the first time since the US this weekend. I've decided not to bother with any trad until it's warmer, so E2 won't be happening this year but really enjoying grit bouldering and encouraged by Saturday's performance on Beach Ball. A weekend of slopers has helped my finger no end too. 

[andy_e]

Keep at it TomTom, one day you'll hit the pocket from the bottom and it'll be the best pint you've ever had in the Hunters afterwards.

STG: Grow some skin back, perform well in next comp round
MTG: 7C again, 1-4-7
LTG: 7C+

M: Nothing
T: ClimbNE league problems, didn't do any new ones. Arse.
W: ClimbNE league problems, did one new one.
T: ClimbNE league problems, very tired so didn't manage any new ones. Total 194/275, could have done much better but a lot of the problems had scary last moves which I couldn't commit to or big perma-condensed slopers. Frustrating having to battle with conditions indoors.
F: Nothing
S: Slipstones. Wasted another fucking session on Shitty Little Wanks when I should have been trying Lay-By. Tore my skin to shreds from torsion on the arete holds on Sulky. Made quick progress in fading light on Lay-By. It feels much more likely that I'll do this before Sulky even though I've slapped the pocket on Sulky 7,000 times.
S: Brimham. Warmed up at Red Tape area and did the nice 7A+ arete problem. Should have probably done it quicker. After a quick stop-off to watch andyd smoothly dispatch Longbow inna flash stylee and a long stop-off to queue to get some drink at the snack-bar, moved on to Pounce which felt hard and scrittly. Moved on again to Mike's Problem which felt like it would be doable if my knackered ankle wasn't psyching me out on the first move!

A lot of climbing done this week so a few rest days to recoup and recover before trying the next league round problems. I really should get 200+ this round, but they're on the shit frictionless "limestone" holds which I have constant fear of greasing off so probably won't do so well...

[Stubbs]

Sounds like you need to MTFU Emery!

[andy_e]

For sure!

[i_a_coops]

Haven't posted for a while as it'd all be a bit dull. I've mainly been freezing my nuts off busking on Millenium Bridge and applying for PhDs. I've also finally been putting into practice the training philosophy of 'do as much as possible all of the time' and I have to say it seems to be working. It does mean I've been feeling permanently beaten up for the last month though!

Anyway, for the Power Club record, I've been prioritising strength, power and ancap as a base for a January Font trip. After that, if I've managed to remain uninjured, I'll change focus to aerocap and try and peak for some French sport climbing in March. If I have enough money.... 

[Duncan Disorderly]

Goals: F8a, eatswood Traverse.. That is all 

M: Walk in rain with me dad.
T: Walk in rain with me dad + Bouldering @ The Works - Got on pink 8a did half a move more (basically held crux flick but slipped off before moving off) Progress(ish).
W: Walk in't Peak with me dad.
T: Bouldering @ The Works - Got new Beta from Joe and managed crux flick and next 2 moves on pink  Had a pint. Did hear that they might be resetting circuit board
F: Bouldering @ Higgar Tor - Tried Piss, it's not shit but it is nails - No cigar.
S: eatswood Traverse with Simon - Shit the bed! How have I been climbing this long and not been on this? Brilliant! Did all the moves and a few short links. Considering it was day 3 on I'm pretty chuffed... Psyched out of my tiny mind to get back on this. Watched the only other party at the crag rinse it after about 4 goes, god I'm weak!
S: Well earned rest.

Missed out on the weighted deadhang shizz this week (after a stern  rebuke from Messr Lee ). Did lots tho, made progress and got a new project that isn't indoors...

This week: Pink, Traverse, Deadhangs... Mincepies!

:D

[Nibile]

Good week.
Mon - weights. Snatch, deadlift (1x6x122 kg), press. Heavy.
Tue - rest, work all day.
Wed - board. Long links and PB on project. Done one in two overlapping halves. Good. Vol 4. Int 7+.
Thu - board. PB on other project, then done in two overlapping halves. Vol 1/2. Int 8.
Fri - rest, drove to Swizzy.
Sat - strong day, lots of climbing. Vol 9. Int 9.
Sun - strong day, climbed Komilator and had good goes on Souvenir.

[fried]

Dabbled with the idea of doing a blog stylee entry but it wasn't happening.

Monday - Tuesday  - Work
Wednesday - indoor, usual mix of climbing/ shoulder stuff/ back stuff/ repeaters.
Thursday - work
Friday - indoors as above, but another heavy lunch leaves me dopey and unmotivated.

Saturday - Leave Paris as the sun breaks through the mist, looking good. Round the peripherique and all is dry, I can feel it's going to be a perfect day. Unfortunately by the time I pass Ikea the fog has descended. Stop off at Gorge aux chats but one look at the ground tell me to forget it. Go to Sabots to kill some time and some stuff is O.K. Warm up, but everything feels wrong, all the holds are greasy and/or my skin is too dry I'm climbing like a bar of soap. My feet are numb, my shoulders ache and I have a slight hangover. Go to Rocher du Potala which in retrospect was a bad choice...fail to climb anything much and go home.

Too much climbing in too shorter time, bad conditions, alcohol problem. I should be enjoying my days out, not swearing as I slide off a polished hold. I should just stop moaning. I'm going to turn into a wool-bread climber.

Weight 74.7kg

[Duma]

STG - Go climbing outside this week think of new STG
MTG - multiple 7C's this winter, 7C+
LTG - 8A, 68kg

M - feel coldy, put off booking ferry despite good weather.
T - feel slightly better so book shuttle in am, then pack van , then drive. parked up before midnight french time
W - JA Martin - little damp to begin with, but dried up nicely. Coup de Cymbale in a few goes after warming up. then managed L'Etrave in about an hour or so - really pleased with this, didn't feel limit, and was thinking of giving up to save skin when it went. Then wandered over to Vandale bloc - couldn't do first move, and wrist prevented much of an attempt at last moves - bit annoyed that wrist was limiting factor here. Wandered back over to main area and did Outil de Coupe in a couple of goes to finish off - felt easy, never 7A shirley? Good first day.
T - Rocher Saint-Germain - terrible day, overreaching really I suppose. spent first couple of hours falling off Megalithe getting gradually closer but still several inches short. Then brief failure to leave the ground on Rencontre du Troisième Type before a little rain wetted everything facing that way. Thought I'd try Jump as it was dry - silly plan really, given it's obviously morpho nature. after flailing here for a bit, I belatedly realised I needed to lower my sights, but ran out of light and energy on Éjection Précoce. Lovely conditions (despite the shower), one of my favourite areas of the forest, stupid overambitious planning ruined day. got to the top of zero boulders.
F - Cuvier Rempart - much better day, amazing conditions, and more realistic aims. Petit Joueur (spicy top when you're on your own!), Laser - very satisfying to someone who's a bit crap at slabs, and easy on the tips too. Quick (unsuccessful) play on Noir Desir, then managed to wobble up Où Are You? with some beta and spotting from a local wad who was working the 7C+ next door. Quick chat with CWP and the Alex Pucchio whilst he was working Sideways Daze on the way out for a wad tick too.
S - Petit Bois - not very optimistic given the fog in the morning (see frieds post), but conditions actually turned out ok for me - managed La Baleine in a couple of goes after warming up, then L'Oeuf pretty quick too. Was surprised this got 7B, but looking on bleau.info it appears the obviously chipped first foothold is actually pretty recent which probably a more realistic explanation than me suddenly becoming a wad. Still good problem though. Decided that when on ones own, discretion is the better part of valour on Big Jim and Passage a l'Acte... Wandered round Rocher Greau before dark - how have I not heard of Énergie Renouvelable before? What a line! Need to go back for this.
S - Cuvier - brief session in morning before driving home. Most stuff a bit damp on top from overnight shower - sadly meant the slopers on Fluide Magnetique weren't usable, but found a dry problem in Image In - nice to get a last problem in before home time.

69kg - prob a temporary loss from being away, but we'll see.

[nai]

m - 5.5km run, first for ages, very slow and very painful for the next few days
t - 6x4 repeaters
w - rest
T - the plan was a day of highballing, bouldering and routing at Curbar although unfortunately there's only so much skin, so much daylight and so little time between school runs so there was really no chance of fitting it all in.  With the sky blue, frost lying everywhere and the car thermometer reading two degrees excitement was high and that" The Day We've Waited For" song from the Olympics was playing through my head as I drove out but it soon became apparent that it wasn't quite, in the sun the rock was fine but otherwise it was somewhere between hmmm, not quite and like-ice.

I arrived first and headed in to have a look at Canoe, unfortunately it was a sheet of ice (proper water-ice not just crap friction) so after warming up I met up with my team and we head for the brilliant Rise of The Robots and Unreachable Star then around to the Moon area where between goes on various problems and highballs I eye up Moon Walk.  Eventually deciding to go for it, I quickly make it through the start to place the cams and start looking at the crux.  Standing above the gear I'm baffled and soon pumping out.  Unable to advance, rest or recover I decide to retreat and begin downclimbing but magically fall into a rest just below from where I can both shake-out and see a sequence. A few minutes composing and I start the crux but, balls, the pocket hasn't had enough sun and falls somewhere in the middle of the day's slickiness scale.  Not much choice now though, I place my right foot on a big slopey hold, one of those you wouldn't think twice about at ground level.  My immediate thought is that it doesn't feel quite right but reasoning that it's a big hold I tell myself it will be ok, I start to stand up but almost in balance the foot slips and I'm off stopping only when I bash my shin on the second handhold.  Quite a flight, my first grit lead fall in ages and a completely different (i.e. scary) experience to all those falls into space on sport routes.  Obviously disappointed to have blown it when a bit more care, a slight adjustment, may have made the difference but equally the fall itself is a Peak rite-of-passage so hey ho, a great experience in retrospect and I live to fight another day.
Friday I was tied up with work until just after midday so with the school run looming it had to be a quick hit but I did the usual umming and arring for too long deciding where to go before heading to Burbage West.  Again in the sun it felt good but the shady parts weren't quite so. Unlike yesterday when I clicked straight into gear today it took a bit of time to get going. The Low Traverse was supposed to be part of a warm up, having worked it on a freakily cold day in August I fully expected it to go really quickly but alas the sequence is full of little subtleties that make a world of difference and it's a complex one to remember and to actually stick to and execute on redpoint.  So two hours later having gone through warmup, peak, decline, rest, mini repeak and massive decline all on the same few holds, I eventually had to concede defeat despite every go now coming to within a move of success.  Difficult one this now, plenty of better problems to go at so it's not a priority but it should go quickly next time if I get back while I can remember those little things that make such a big difference.
s - rest
S  - max hangs

[iain]

Good trip Duma, I think you've just made up my mind for my next climbing holiday.

Happy Birthday Cheque 

[nai]

W: Cliff
F: Cliff
Su: Helsby
Its bizarre reflecting on 3 weeks of updates that my climbing has been incredibly myopic but remarkably rewarding. Maybe I enjoy the process of failure more

That's the way you're going to do it though.  Are you doing any supplementary core work? That appears to be where you report failure every session, maybe a few planks, dishes, leg raises, etc (no doubt someone's going to mention deadlifting...)?  It'll only mean 20 minutes a day, easy to fit it in around cooking, working, life etc

[nai]

Missed out on the weighted deadhang shizz this week (after a stern  rebuke from Messr Lee )

Why the rebuke? Surely it's the time for maximising finger strength

[Duncan Disorderly]

Missed out on the weighted deadhang shizz this week (after a stern  rebuke from Messr Lee )

Why the rebuke? Surely it's the time for maximising finger strength

Indeed it is but I was planning on doing it on Sunday which would be day 4 on. This is outside the approved sequence for weighted deadhangs which requires 48hrs between sessions, I thought this meant weighted deadhang sessions not just bouldering so the rebuke was probably deserved

:D

[shark]

Missed out on the weighted deadhang shizz this week (after a stern  rebuke from Messr Lee )

Why the rebuke? Surely it's the time for maximising finger strength

Indeed it is but I was planning on doing it on Sunday which would be day 4 on. This is outside the approved sequence for weighted deadhangs which requires 48hrs between sessions, I thought this meant weighted deadhang sessions not just bouldering so the rebuke was probably deserved

:D

Eva say that for optimal gains sessions should be preceded by a day of rest so that you can get the required intensity and hopefully response with 48-72hrs before the next deadhang session. These recommendations might not be relevant to Elite climbers.

I'm doing day-on then day-off with a weighted deadhang session at lunchtime then climbing or campusing in the evening and a bouldering session at the weekend. Means I'm generally training or climbing 4 days one week then 3 days the next.

[tomtom]

W: Cliff
F: Cliff
Su: Helsby
Its bizarre reflecting on 3 weeks of updates that my climbing has been incredibly myopic but remarkably rewarding. Maybe I enjoy the process of failure more

That's the way you're going to do it though.  Are you doing any supplementary core work? That appears to be where you report failure every session, maybe a few planks, dishes, leg raises, etc (no doubt someone's going to mention deadlifting...)?  It'll only mean 20 minutes a day, easy to fit it in around cooking, working, life etc

Yeah - thought about it. Though I'm making progress on nearly every visit (in one part of the project or other) so I've not felt the need yet. I think if I stonewall I might do that, but at the moment its moving on right.. Anyway, the longer I leave it, the more I can put off having to clamber up to the poo smelling cave that is Jess' roof   (great problem though)

[Duncan Disorderly]

Missed out on the weighted deadhang shizz this week (after a stern  rebuke from Messr Lee )

Why the rebuke? Surely it's the time for maximising finger strength

Indeed it is but I was planning on doing it on Sunday which would be day 4 on. This is outside the approved sequence for weighted deadhangs which requires 48hrs between sessions, I thought this meant weighted deadhang sessions not just bouldering so the rebuke was probably deserved

:D

These recommendations might not still be relevant to Elite shit climbers.

Corrected........

[abarro81]

Eva say that for optimal gains sessions should be preceded by a day of rest so that you can get the required intensity and hopefully response with 48-72hrs before the next deadhang session. These recommendations might not be relevant to Elite climbers.

Eva might say that, but how sure is/are she/you that it's actually right? I'd agree that the optimal gains from strength will be when you're fresh, but e.g. is it better to get optimal gains from 3.5 sessions a week or slightly depressed gains from 5 sessions a week? (I don't know the answer to that, but it doesn't leave much time to fit everything else in - bouldering, an cap etc)