Become a solid 7A/B climber (method: Try harder in the gym , stop being a puss) Climbed outside too much, became weak!Become a solid 7a/b climber (method: mileage -- get better at arranging belays and trips)Success on all but one count. Got fairly solid on 7as and 7a+s , currently knocking them down in 2 to 4 attempts. However have yet to tick a 7b. One arm pullup nope. but it seems irrelevant for route climbing at the 7th grade.Two chicks at the same time might have to start looking into lucid dreaming
Climb outside more than once a month.Tick, went positively mad in September...Climb an established boulder that's harder than 7A.Nope. got sucked into the new again, no repeating this year..Climb an established sport route that's harder than 7a.Nope. 3 sport routes done this year, 2 6a and one multi pitch 6cClimb more Trad routes than sportTick. climbed at least 10Climb someone else's adventure route, preferably George Smith's.Nope. All adventure routes were new ones..Resist the lure of trying new routes.Nope. Once an addict....Reduce feeding the rat to a few new boulders, but climb more established ones than new.Nope. I refer to the previous statmentMaybe allow the odd newbie highball....http://hoseyb.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/giveaway-project-of-month-july.htmlNot Really. All attempts are currently works in progressHave Fun!
Climb 8A+ Not this year, but also didn't have as much opportunity as I'd hoped, done some hard feeling stuff indoors though and think I could have been capable of itconsolidate 8A. Only 2 from Rocklands but both under an hour and not feeling near max power, plus with some more indoors at the grade I'm pretty happy with thisvaliantly attempt an 8B Tried The Vice a bit, did the moves on the first day although after an hour and a bit of falling off armed response, went back a second time and didn't do as well and ultimately left it for another year. Felt good to try hard though and the only time on the trip I think I really didfinish of some nemeses (i.e. don't fall off the top of berezina again) not a good year for this one, pretty sure the only place I went I'd been to before was stanage and only did new stuff there. Still, no font, no MW, just means more for next yearMake it to Magic Wood. Nope, other trips used all the money, 4 weeks next summer though is the plan Go somewhere new. Rocklands and Kalymnos, pleased with those 2, wonderful placesone armer on little crimp on beastmaker Aww yeah, tried for a laugh after a comp and a surprise board 8a and found it reasonably easy. cool to see progresson get flexibility back! meh...hard to tell progress, slightly better but still not what I want, lost some stretching discipline mid-year so will try harder next yearat least a reasonable 2.1 for the year. Happy with that one
Short termGet the super secret project done - Really happy to get this done. No idea how hard it is/was but the longest and most fulfilling project I've ever completed.Maintain current level while moving to new house and starting new job - Think I just about scraped this one. Good spring, lost a fair bit of form over summer due to lack of real aims but picked it up again towards end of autumn.Go to font over EasterMedium termOS 20 E5s over the summer season - Couple of exceptions (Head Hunter, few things at avon) but basically didn't try anywhere near enough E5sHP/ground up some E6s: A38, Bold as Love, Crimson Dynamo, A magenta Smudge - Did some E6's, mainly in the 'easy but scary category'. Questionable flash of Midnight Express at Avon was a particular highlight.Consolidate at 7c+/8a: stuff at Brean, Academic, stuff at cheddar, Smashing of Amps - Added a few 7c+ to the ticklist but basically didn't try enough.Climb at Avon Gorge and Trym Valley - Had a good spell of headpointing at avon and a couple of sessions at Trym. Still plenty left to do.Long termRepeat local hard boulder problems: stuff at Ladye bay, Tombstone, Gollum's cave (if i can stomach it!), stuff at Huntsham - Just didn't get round to trying anything. Too much to do, not enough time.HP some E7s - To be or Not to Bolt at avon, probably more E6Repeat some of the harder sport routes: Brean Topping, Shadow Walker, The Milky Bar Kid - Haven't tried anything very hard.Tick all of the routes at Brean logged on UKC WIP
Trad: Onsight E4 consistently and get up a few major E5s onsight (Positron, Right Wall, Supersonic). Get back to Pembroke for a long weekend (only did 4 routes there this year). Headpoint a grit E6 (candidates, Wall of Sound, Salmon Left Hand, Slackers). Resurrection, Bloody Sunday, Minotaur, Trouble in Toytown flashed or onsighted. Have done quite a few E5s this year one way or another. Pembroke for only 2 days, but a great trip. Sunlover and Darkness at Noon ticked. Also headpointed Yukan II, a route I'd had in the back of my mind for ages, surprised myself with it falling into place quite easily. Did Salmon Left Hand the other week.Sport: Flash 7b, redpoint 8a before I'm 30 (18 months). Think I'm good for both of these, just need to get the mileage and train carefully, specifically power and finger strength for 8a. Flashed 7b in Chorro (prob a soft one) but got up quite a few 7a+ routes onsight. Ticked more than average 7b+/7c routes this year and some of them much quicker than expected.Make a training log to aid progress on this. Have training plan and sticking to it within reason at the moment.Life: Finish PGCE successfully. Decide where I want to live! Still in Sheffield, got job.
Boulder - 7B+ Nope, added a few to the 7A+ tallySport - 7c Yes. 1 in Cheedale, 1 in CeuseTrad - try some E5s ground up Dream on! Haven't done any trad all yearSome specific climbs - West Side Story, T crack, Suavito, Nosferatu, Strapadictomy, Jerrys roof, Ressurection Whilst I had a few decent sessions on the boulder problems none were slayed, and trad just didn't happenTrips - Bouldering in Fontainebleau and Torridon, sport climbing in Turkey Fontainebleau Yes, Torridon No, Turkey sport became Ceuse sport.and look after my tendons Success
move to a big house in S11 - kerchinglose a couple of stone - half a stone is better than none stop whining about testicle, ankle, finger, back, toe or knee pain - mostly stopped whining, still grumble a bit do something climbing related every week even if it means going indoors - not even closego bouldering with others - enjoyed this7C - ha hah ha ha ha haaah
Routes:Indian Summer (Kilnsey) - I have had 2 seasons on this and came close in 2012 but didn't get back on it last year due to injury. If I can maintain my current training, stay injury free and get some sessions on it in the spring I am confident it will go! - Nope, was injured for most of the Spring onwards so didn't really try it.Work an 8c with the long term aim of completing this climbing ambition - I have tried Bat Route at Malham which was coming together but there was still a move on the headwall that felt almost impossible for me. May have another look this year. I will have a two short trips to try Fish Eye at Oliana in the next couple of months with a longer trip to try and get it done at Easter. I have been on this before and did all the moves quickly, it is just a case of having the fitness to recover in between the hard sections. - Didn't get back on Bat Route but had quite a few sessions on Fish Eye and made good progress. Was ultimately thwarted by hot conditions and lack of time. Maybe next year.Flash/Onsight 8a - I came very close to flashing an 8a in Red River Gorge in October and flashed a 7c+/8a in Chulilla the other day. I am not too far off but just need to keep trying. - Only red pointed on my trips this year and was unlikely to do it in Britain.Headpoint a good mountain trad route such as a Birkett route in the Lakes - I did Dawes Rides a Shovelhead a few years back which was amazing and would like to do something similar. I have tried If Six Was Nine briefly and would be keen to get back on that partners/weather permitting. - Didn't really try one. Living in London I rarely get access to the mountain routes and even when I do I find it hard to get a keen partner. Went to look at Nowt But a Flee'in Thing this year which would have been good to try but is a long walk in to convince a potential partner!I would like to climb another big wall next year (Kyrgystan) so I would also like to do some bigger routes (Dolomites, Swiss Granite) in preparation if I can find the time! - Didn't do a multipitch/big wall trip in the end.Bouldering:No specific bouldering aims. I need to get my bouldering grade up to fulfill my route ambitions and maybe finish off some problems I have tried such as 36 Chambers at Tremeirchion. - Had a couple of sessions on 36 Chambers ss and made good progress (maybe finish it over Xmas) and did a few classics up to V9 in Wales I hadn't done. Did a V10 link in the cave as well so all in all not too bad.
2014 will be a bit different, as I'm leaving the UK in August for a 10 month 'round the world' trip with my girlfriend (YYFY). So I'm only setting goals up to August, beyond then will be a mix of climbing / travelling (and almost certainly no training). I'd like to be in the best possible shape by then to make the most of it.- Get back to max sport fitness. Aim to start this immediately- Be more structured / disciplined with training, use time at the wall more efficiently- Stretch more- Tick off some local projects - academic, high 7's at ban-y-gor, high 7's at witches point, some more 7's from my cheddar wishlist and a local 8a.- A bit ambitious perhaps, but would love to redpoint an 8b and onsight a 7c- Get consistent at 7b onsight- Get to some of the local-ish crags that I've been meaning to visit for ages - ansteys, dinas rock, torbyran- Stay uninjured
Sport Ten 7th grade routesThree days sport climbing total, all in one trip to Portland in May when I was still suffering with my fingers. Did two 6bs, one onsight.Bouldering Ten 7th grade problemsOnly started bouldering again in August and even then very gingerly. Post physio I got going again properly but didn't tick a 7. Highest tick all year was a 6C.Trad Twenty E-points Despite climbing trad all year I only managed 11- can't blame injury for that. Did my first E2 though.
Stop getting so damn injured Have been carrying a collateral ligament injury for the whole year, still not totally fixed though it's almost there.Redpoint 9a FAIL. 9a is quite hard. Rematch coming up in the Spring...Onsight/flash 8b Wahoo! Had an aweseme onsight/quick tick trip in the Spring.ProgressBat RouteHajj No UK sport climbing due to finger.Burn Will off on the wave Don't think I climbed with Will on the wave, bet I would have done though Burn Stu off on the wave Don't think so. He didn't burn me off as badly as he could have done at the school though.Find a new way to piss off large sections of the climbing community Need to work harder on this one
1. Get my swollen knee/leg fixed as it is currently like the limb of an elephant.2. Get Louis Armstrong done.
1. The project2. Light Weight3. Gaskins Pill Box problem from standup (note this will roll over to every subsequent year of my life though could walk feet flush to kicker in position for a long time. Next step the pullon).A year of solid focus.
