[tomtom]

2013 totals:
Outdoor: 45   
Indoor: 3 
Training: 6

Weather, Work, a Cold and developing Hayfever have contributed to an uneventful week - with a good Saturday...

Tuesday and Thursday - lunchtime sessions at Logport wall. Good sessions actually and only my 2nd and 3rd wall visits of the year so far.. Its near, its convenient and the weather was crap - and spurred on by the 'training for the cave' thread I spent most of these sessions working the 45 deg wall and doing my best to dynamically snatch between holds. I surprised myself by actually quite enjoying it - and I maybe shouldnt turn my nose up at walls so much... Interspered with this was a head cold and the annual dull head and slight stonedness i get each year when I start up the hayfever medicine properly... In a few weeks I'll be OK, but on thursday even 3 expresso's didnt give my any mental lift....

So Saturday. What a lovely day - the weather was good - and I had a lose plan to head up to Farleton Knott with Andy Popp. Neither of us had ever been there before - and its the  lump of limestone that rears up on the east of the M6 around the Kendal turnoff. I've seen it before - in fact its one of my mental milestones on the way up the M6 but I have never been there to neither potter around or boulder.

Had a great day - Stubbs came over to meet up with us. I failed on everything really - Stubbs and Andy got The Rose (classic 7B) and I just couldnt get my body position right on the starting footholds - until I could - and then I had no beans. We then moved down to the area around The Coil (7A+) and this defeated us all - Andy and especially Stubbs nearly got it, but just kept pinging off... A really good day - great rock, great spot. Nice, subtly featured compact vertical limestone in a great location (that stays in the shade until 2 ish).. I'll be back for sure. Though I felt pretty frustrated at my own performance - I rushed at everything instead of thinking. A bit of a bull in a china shop, kid in a sweet shop yada yada yada.. maybe I need to go on my own and just have to figure stuff out by looking at it... Anyway, I was trashed at the end of the day - and still am the day after - so a session well spent!

[tommytwotone]

STG: Yorkshire Grit "Dirty Dozen" up to and including the E1s
LTG: Font 7b

Much the same as tomtom - cold, hay fever, shit weather prevented doing much

M: Nowt, getting over cold than wouldn't shift.
T: Nowt, felt a bit better but didn't want to chance knackering myself out again.
W: Nowt.
T: Out with work for someone's leaving do.
F: Feeling crap during the day, then went to Sheffield for Daniel Kitson show, very good.
S: Brimham offwidth day. Went to Crimpy Roof area and soloed Inside Out to get started, then attempted lead of Bog Crack but couldn't work out how to get into the top crack. Mate then lead it with a slightly different technique on the crux and I got up it clean on second...dammit. Moved on to Dogleg Crack, where the top pitch was even more brutal. Did a couple of other routes and then soloed Crackeroo on the way back to the car. Great fun day, but haven't felt so tired after a day's climbing in a while...also backs of triceps, elbows, insides of knees and ankles pretty red raw.
S: Could barely move in the morning, then went to Depot for a couple of hours of pottering.

Feeling a lot more fit now after over a week of cold / hay fever. Loving the offwidthing even if I'm struggling somewhat with it...being (well) out of the comfort zone and learning is definitely a good cure for the normal "too warm for grit bouldering" slump I experience this time of year.

So STG progress  - 2/10 soloed and 2/10 seconded but will be able to lead them now I know what to do. Looked at a few of the rest on Saturday, safe to say they look grim!

[andy popp]

- We then moved down to the area around The Coil (7A+) and this defeated us all - Andy and especially Stubbs nearly got it, but just kept pinging off

Ahem, Stubbs did do it! And of course, I was only defeated by the ludicrous chalk bag chord snagging incident 

[kelvin]

Same as above - hayfever drugs always way lay me the first week I take them. Worked late three nights, still got a really sore hip but I'm thinking that's gonna take a while so I can't use that as an excuse.

Tuesday - Legged up a 4 twice, a 6a+ (? new route) and a quick go at 6b+. PE fingers 5 sets of 12 x 7/3 with foot on and minute rests.

Friday - Stag night
Saturday - Wedding
Sunday - Was still drinking, so a wasted day.

Crap week BUT really showed a big improvement over just a few weeks ago. I'm holding smaller holds during repeaters, need to try a steeper sloper tho. The 6b+ was right on the edge for me just six weeks back and fell off at 2/3rds every time but I cruised to the same place on Tues, then spent a while just hanging on whilst looking for the next foot moves. Keen to get back on it now.
Alex was route setting, so had a quick chat about how I was going with the training and I felt like I can now hold on long enough to realise that it's my footwork that's the issue. Interestingly, he felt my footwork is fine but my flexibility is poor. Something else to work on then.

Psyched for this week - climbing wall the first three evenings and then on Thursday eve, it's a drive up to the Lakes, get on a multipitch climb and then carry on to Glencoe. Aenoch Eagach one day over the weekend and a scramble somewhere the other day. Some friends have just 9 munros left and aren't the best scramblers, so I said I'd potter along the ridge with them. Fingers crossed on the weather.

Hope everyone has had a better week than me!

Oh yeh - any recommendations for a multipitch climb in the Lakes. Something HS 4b? Magda has only just started leading again and I don't want anything too stressy before Scotland. I was thinking Revelation...

[tomtom]

- We then moved down to the area around The Coil (7A+) and this defeated us all - Andy and especially Stubbs nearly got it, but just kept pinging off

Ahem, Stubbs did do it! And of course, I was only defeated by the ludicrous chalk bag chord snagging incident 

Oops. Forgot - sorry. Yes the chalk bag cord snagging excuse... Novel

[Ti_pin_man]

M - drunk and full of food
T - took climbing bro mountain biking 3 hours in rain and mud, broke him, makes a change as he usually breaks me climbing.
W - nowt
T - first pull up session, chair assisted, short run and plank / dishes and dead hangs.
F - climbed 1.5 hours indoor wall.  Fun.
S - hard 3 hours climbing, still sticking on black project no. 8 as are buddies. 
S - 1.5 hours, warmed up and flashed black project no. 8 - 6b+ Lesson learned do hard stuff when über fresh! 

Having had a indulgent bank holiday weekend this was a good weekend.  Should get back into climb routine next week. 

[fried]

This is going to be a really boring 2 week check-in!

Mon- Indoor, some new slab problems with no hands allowed and an O.K session.
Tues-Wed - Nothing
Thursday - Back to blighty
Friday - Down to Dorset
Saturday - Can't remember, but I had high hopes of doing some stuff this week, oh yeah, buckets and spades and looking for crabs.
Sunday - Convince the family to visit Portland but there is dissention in the ranks and we quickly end up on a rocky beach hunting for crabs.

Monday - Thursday - Hunt for crabs, dig holes in the sand, walk a bit, drink a few pints in the Square and compass, did I mention crabs?
Friday - Ill, bloody kids and there bloody germs.
Saturday - Ill, Back to Paris
Sunday - Plan to go to forest early, the weather is beautiful but I feel like shit.Mah.

Weight - um, I don't know how you cope I reckon I put on nearly 2 kilos in the U.K. Fried brekkie every day, too much beer and fudge, batter sausages to get us from lunch to an early tea.

Moral - Don't mix climbing and family holidays.

[cheque]

Did Monday as part of last week.
T- Rest.
W- Levers and repeaters.
T- Repeater, levers, then attempted Eddies' strength session from the other week. It nearly killed me- managed only two sets and used "only" 10kg for the bicep curls!
F- Rest. DOMS in many places.
S- Stanage Popular/ Burbage North- arrived at Stanage at 9:30AM, left Burbage at 9:30PM. Did loads of soloing and a fair few VSs/ HVSs. Attempted two E1s I'd been saving 'til I could do them well- didn't manage either. Flashed Banana Finger right at the end of the day, almost fell in Bubage brook walking out, nearly fell asleep driving home, did fall asleep on phone to girlfriend at 11PM.
S- Sore. Rest.

I found this week that I've made substantial gains on the fingerboard.  I seem to have got a new knack for front levers too. New short-term target: get strong enough to do Eddies' strength session without nearly passing out.

[Duma]

S/MTG - keep niggles in check, run regularly, get out more. If I do any hard stuff that'll be nice too.
LTG - 8A, 68kg

think I missed a week? Only involved a couple of wall visits and a lot of drinking at the weekend...

M - hungover, work in eve
T - TCA hour before work working last few blues.
W - TCA afternoon after morning shift, no progress on blue I was targeting, but unexpectedly got a great sloper problem on the mothership.
T - Had planned a Huntshams hit in the afternoon, but with the downpour the previous day, and showers forecast for today, we sacked it. Would have been well pissed off, but an unexpected change of shift meant I could get out Friday... Went for a run between showers - 6miles 50min - pretty pleased as have done fuck all running this year, and this was in my "barefoot" shoes, which generally slow me down and work me harder...
F - Aforementioned shift change freed me to meet with Cha1n of this parish for an excellent afternoon/eve at Huntshams, which I'd criminally neglected to visit since moving to Bristol, apart from an uninspiring look around on a wet rest day years ago. Great fun, managed flashes of Golden Bicep and Alex's Roof, a pleasingly quick ascent of Ames Low, got the moves sorted on b3n99's new thing Between The Lines, and finally, in gorgeous evening light, got up what may be a new line about 50yds right of Alex's Roof, a quality hanging arete at 7A+ ish. Lovely. Calves hurt from "barefoot" running yesterday.
S - 12 hour shift
S - 12 hour shift

70kg.

Great week, esp. given I was working every day. Vid of b3n99 on the FA of Between The Lines:

[Muenchener]

Oh yeh - any recommendations for a multipitch climb in the Lakes. Something HS 4b?

It's a long time ago, but I remember Tophet Wall being really good. Goes up a very improbable-looking bit of rock for the grade, as witness the fact that there's an E10 just next to it.

[Muenchener]

STG: Anything from this list of Frankenjura classics
MTG (2013): Frankenjura VII onsight; Alpine multipitch VI; Welsh trad E2
   Redpoint UIAA VIII-, then 7a, then 5.12a. This should allow for a satisfying amount of Big Grade progression in a relatively short period of time
LTG (<= 5 years): Big alpine rock routes: Totenkirchl west face (Dülfer), Marmolada south face (Vinatzer-Messner)

The second wettest month ever recorded in Bavaria crawls to a dismal close, dragging with it any hopes I may have had of a halfway decent start to the climbing season. Planned a four day trip to Frankenjura, curtailed to one day due to biblical deluge. Looking on the bright side, at least I have nothing to contribute to the hayfever Theme Of The Week.

M:
T:
W:
T: Frankenjura. Morning bouldering at Grüne Hölle on Talkshow, 7A traverse. Sobering to learn how far I am from even doing the moves on a 7A, let alone linking. Afternoon arranged to meet Pete D & friends at Gotthardskirche.
Wandered around the forest for an hour without finding the crag then went bouldering at Weissenstein instead. Saw an old guy with an artificial leg stroll up Saftpresse, 7a, so no excuses from now on
F: Heinous weather hill walking. Wanted to have a look at the Plankenstein - local multipitch mountain crag with a big approach - but bailed when the snow proved too much for my chosen footwear combo of Inov-8s and oops-forgot-the-poles.
S: AM: wall, Thalkirchen, bouldering. Linked the start of my project more smoothly than before, but there's still a move on it that completely shuts me down. Pocket ladders on system board: one day it will stop pissing down in the Frankenjura.
   PM: Heinous Weather Hill Walking Day Two. Bodenschneid. Got soaked; fun in a perverse sort of way and scenery very beautiful.
S: Considered going to do routes at the wall but the thought of climbing on plastic turned my stomach. So if I can't climb at least I can get fit ...
   Heinous Weather Hill Walking Day Three, Brecherspitze. Was lucky to get home: half the roads in southeastern Bavaria are closed due to flooding, including the Munich-Salzburg autobahn.

[kelvin]

It's a long time ago, but I remember Tophet Wall being really good. Goes up a very improbable-looking bit of rock for the grade, as witness the fact that there's an E10 just next to it.

Just had a nose at some photos - that may be a goer, it's on the to do list one for sure.

[Eddies]

Monday: Rubicon / Crag-X Bouldering – Working The Pinch, humid.
Tuesday: REST – TWEAKED FINGER!!! (1-week off fingers required)
Wednesday: Room Routine (3 sets of: 30x pushups, 10x pullups, 10x18kg bicep curls on each arm. 3min rests between sets)
Thursday: REST
Friday: Room Routine (3 sets of: 30x pushups, 10x pullups, 10x18kg bicep curls on each arm. 3min rests between sets)
Saturday: Gradbach Grit Pottering
Sunday: REST

Disaster 

[nai]

M - 7.5km run
T 3x10 mins on 10 off on garage board, about 50:50 between 42 and 15.
w
T - kids insisted in going to mini works and then couldn't drag them away, spent almost 3 hours there did 40-50 mostly easy problems (greens, pinks & blues)

F - Off to the Pass for the weekend, got away at 2pm and drove through blazing sunshine trying to decide between slate and the Grochan until the moment I turned off the A55 and it started raining. Salvaged a Cromlech boulders session as did a few arriving parties and a good time was had.

S - Went to the Cromlech and was fine on actual routes but got a bit totally scared about being around big drops above and below the crag, had a lot of moments thinking about my kids and double checking, backing up, worrying.  We did a couple of three star classics and I may have no soul but didn't enjoy them as much as I feel I ought to, sure there was the weight of history, exposure and steep ground for the grades but aside from the odd nice move the actual climbing wasn't that great, jug pulling, slightly awkward in places, up defined cracklines.
With a lot of routes damp and queues for everything else we headed down with the Grochan in mind but with seemingly little dry in the Pass the queues were too long to bother with there too and we carried on to Australia where we did a great couple of routes involving some unusual slate wierdness.  Really enjoyable which pretty much confirms I have no soul.

S - Knowing days like this are all too rare I was a tiny bit saddened when the party decided to leave a sunny Pass to head to Pen Trwyn but was also a little bit relieved that I'd be able to spend a relaxed day and enjoy climbing without all the worry and faff.  And once down the grassy slope of death and on the beach it was just that; sunny and peaceful, busy but relaxed with a dozen parties spread out along the crag. Got on Night Glue and did better than expected given my relative lack of fitness, came within two moves of a RP but had made the amateur mistake of missing out a move when working it.  Was done-in quite quickly, had a rest, eyed up a few trad things upstairs but decided against it, tried to boulder briefly but it was futile and I was away by 4pm wishing I had the beans to keep going and enjoy the beautiful evening.  Aching this morning.

Decent week and great weekend, elbow still tweaking now and then but generally going the right way I think.  Hoping Saturday's unease was just a one-off due to being injured, unfit and a lack of recent climbing (and only twice on a rope in six months).  Hoping to get back to Wales in August for a crack at Resurrection so need to make doing lots of trad and some sport on-sighting for fitness a STG.

[Duncan Disorderly]

First post lay off post - Goals: Sort elbow out, climb summat ace!

M: Nowt - In Ireland
T: Nowt - In Ireland
W: Glendalough - Amazing! Elbow was fine while climbing, didn't have a guide but did a shedload of stuff around the mid 6's - elbow hurt afterwards but guiness seemed to sort that!
T: Travel back to blighty
F: 7 mile fell run - tired but pushed on
S: Nowt
S: Buckstone - did the things up to 6c and tried spring voyage a bit.. Nice. Elbow was fine!

Gotta get back on the horse now - elbow's on the mend, gonna drop a few kgs and attain some fitness now!

:D

[Muenchener]

we carried on to Australia where we did a great couple of routes involving some unusual slate wierdness.  Really enjoyable which pretty much confirms I have no soul.

Me neither then apparently. Am trying not to reveal to the other participants in the Muenchen DAV North Wales Expedition that I'm looking forward to bizarre quarries just as much as I am to The Pass, Gogarth, Cloggy etc.

(Afaik none of them read this, otherwise I'm busted)

[tomtom]

Sounds like a great weekend Nai. My best trad day ever was in Vivian and in particular on the Conscience slab..

[kelvin]

I love the slate quarries, just get so motivated by the surroundings. Not been in them yet this year, that needs sorting.

[krymson]

Monday: Rubicon / Crag-X Bouldering – Working The Pinch, humid.
Tuesday: REST – TWEAKED FINGER!!! (1-week off fingers required)

If it isn't too painful to answer...  how did it happen?

[webbo]

Mon. Board 8 problems and each ones twin twice. Turbo 5mins on 1 min off x 5
Tue. Funeral in morning, followed in the evening by daughters and son in law return from Germany plus 3 dogs.
Wed. Shit nights sleep due to yapping dogs. Board repeated a few things but failed on several projects.
Thu. Bike 20 secs on 40 secs off x 5 3 sets.
Fri. I was planning to go out tomorrow, however I now find have help move daughter in to new house. So board, same session as monday but with a couple of harder problems.
Sat. Drive to Rutland, spend day moving boxes and cutting grass. Drive home.
Sun. Board power/endurance session. Up a problem down jugs then up its mirror image x 5 varied rests. Bike 61.39 miles 3hrs 22 mins.

[krymson]

Monday -  "Onsight" exercise at the local very steep lead wall, try to onsight two routes, 5.11ab or so.   

1st route fell 80% up at the 2nd crux - tried a heel hook, which wasn't the right beta, but even though i had a backup plan, i was stuck in the heel huck and couldnt down climb. Lesson: When onsighting, try not to get into moves you cant get out of.

2nd route - was much easier to read and i onsighted easily. this indicates my physical onsight ability on this wall should be higher 11's.

Tuesday - Indoor bouldering. "Link" training from previous week seemed to pay off - was able to link sustained problems much better and also seemed stronger on individual moves. Worked on the mental aspect of pushing on instead of letting go when the going gets hard - a bad habit from working moves too much instead of doing links.

Wednesday -  Indoor, mostly vertical route climbing - work on route reading, on the fly decision making, resting, pacing, precise feet, balancy moves.

Thursday - Rest
Friday - Bit of indoor bouldering. Fingers strong, other aspects need to catch up.

Saturday - Scouting out an outdoor bouldering spot. Andesite, mostly vertical stuff with tiny but usable feet, crimps, small edges and micro crimps - super finger intensive and holds quite slippy in the heat(32C)

Sunday - is the day of rest.

[kelvin]

Worked on the mental aspect of pushing on instead of letting go when the going gets hard - a bad habit from working moves too much instead of doing links.

Nice busy week there Krymson.

Think I'm having the same issue at the moment. Been working moves (and repeaters lately) rather than problems and it's definitely affected my 'move, just keep moving' ethic. Need to follow your example I reckon...

[Ti_pin_man]

M - drunk and full of food
T - took climbing bro mountain biking 3 hours in rain and mud, broke him, makes a change as he usually breaks me climbing.
W - nowt
T - first pull up session, chair assisted, short run and plank / dishes and dead hangs.
F - climbed 1.5 hours indoor wall.  Fun.
S - hard 3 hours climbing, still sticking on black project no. 8 as are buddies. 
S - 1.5 hours, warmed up and flashed black project no. 8 - 6b+ Lesson learned do hard stuff when über fresh! 

After last night, next weeks Monday will say - pants, too tired to do anyBLOODYthing, lay on crash mats and watched :D
Having had a indulgent bank holiday weekend this was a good weekend.  Should get back into climb routine next week.

[Luke Owens]

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - Shocking weather... Ended up in the cave about 7pm freezing and windy trying Parisella's Original and The Pillar Start. Fell of the last couple of moves on Pillar Start again.

Wednesday - Deadhangs

30mm Edge - Open Hand
Front 3 (3 x 5-8 secs)
25 and 30 degree slopers alternate hands (3 x 5-8 secs)
Back 3 (3 x 5-8 secs)
Middle 2 (3 x 5-8 secs

20mm Edge - Half Crimp
4 Finger (3 x 8 secs)

Did some gnarly exercise - Holding a static position on a 20mm edge with feet on a chair as far as possible behind the fingerboard - Had to fight the urge to sag, felt like an extreme plank!

Also did, holding one arm lock offs with feet on a chair stretched out behind the board.

Pull Ups
Wide Grip (3 x 8 reps)
Close Grip (3 x 8 reps)

Did the close grip pull up's with legs raised in a "L" hang (Killer on the lower back)

Thursday - Dodgey weather again didn't know where would be dry so went to Ruthin Escarpment - Did a cool F6b+ which is easy up until the final steep section which is a gnarly dyno off a small crimp to a guppy jug thing...Nice!

Tried a short F7a which is just one boulder problem through a bulge. tried redpointing with rubbish beta. Figured out a better way and it was too late to give it a proper go.

Friday - Rest/Holiday

Saturday - Rest/Holiday

Sunday - Gwynant Road Block - Newly developed block next to the road.
Did a highball V4/6B+ called Roadkill with one bad and no spotter. Took a few goes to commit to the final throw for the top of the boulder, awesome problem!

Flashed Roadbloc - V5/6C - Well psyched! Have only flashed this grade once before but I'm not sure if that one was 6C. This one felt harder, happy! Great problem with small crimps and a highball finish up a slab!

[duncan]

Last month was a catalogue of how not to look after an old injury. I’ll spare the details.

STG: see end
MTG: In theory I’m going to Italy in 2 months, so something long in Dolomites/Mello/Piz Badile.

Week 171
M - Finger rolls / Biceps curls
T - Finger rolls / Biceps curls. Went to see with one of the first women in the UK to redpoint 8a. Great concert, venue and company.
W -
T -
F - A 3 pitch VDiff in Gower.
S - Woke with very sore shoulder. Doom and gloom. Easy stuff with beginners-to-trad. at Saddle Head. Bumped into numerous old friends in the St Govan's Inn.
S - Shoulder feels OK. All is not lost! Slightly harder stuff at The Castle. One of my proteges lead an HVS which was satisfying. The other had a wobbler on a Severe (wires into the sea, no gear for the last 30'...) which was less good. Teacher, beware confident young men!

Week 172
M - More puntery at Wynd cliffe. Shoulder stability stuff
T - Finger rolls / Biceps curls /Shoulder stability stuff
W - 30 mins very, very easy bouldering at The Biscuit
T - 45 mins very, very easy bouldering at The Biscuit; Finger rolls / Shoulder stability work etc.
F - Long slow run
S - 45 mins very, very easy bouldering at The Biscuit
S - Picked up son, pain and scrunching sound from L. wrist. Fuckity fuck fuck fuck!

Two months to get to leading 7a again and long-route fit. Currently melting ice like global warming is in the arctic. This is hopefully a sprain, in which case a little rest, a lot of strapping and a certain amount of MTFU should work. If it's flexor unit I'm stuffed.