[tomtom]

Hola!

A quiet week on the climbing front. That saw me break my record for consecutive buffet lunches....

M: Travel to Durham for conference/workshop/meeting. Buffet lunch - conference dinner.

Tu: More confershizzle. Buffet lunch. Met up with Andy E at Climb Durham for a good couple of hour session in the evening. Cheers for meeting up Andy - left about 20 min after Andy departed as it suddenly seemed to get rather crowded and full of blokes in vests showing off to ladies on the V3's...

We: Durham to meeting in Hull. Arrived just in time for the Buffet Lunch. Monkfish in the evening - conference meal etc... Very nice.

Th: More Hull meeting stuff.. buffet lunch - Monkfish again in the evening (different place - for comparison purposes etc..)

Fri: Some big strategy meeting or other in Beverley. Buffet lunch (nothing in it was green... no green anywhere..). Back home at last in the afternoon. Takeaway curry

Sa: Woodwell. Great session - tagged along/climbed with a group down from NW lakes working Not bad Dave and Kiss of the Dragon. Did neither, but neither felt impossible and made a lot of progress working moves/beta etc...

Su: Rest (ached) now at Manchester airport off to NL for another meeting...

Managed to keep weight down to 11st 1lb (just) so not all bad....

Edit - seem to have had a low level cold/snuffly nose for the last two weeks anyone else got this - seem to hear a lot of coughing around at the moment...

[fried]

STG - Get a bit more organised with my indoor sessions now it's cooler. And 74.5kg.

M- Felt fine, saw a client, felt under the weather, climbed indoors anyway. In bed early with some low-level cold that everyone seems to have picked-up now the weather's changed, as usual I don't remember much about the session.

T-W-Th - Sick, work, eat, sleep.

Fr - Did a short BM session, would've been longer but the missus finished earlier than expected. Feeeling better.

Sa - Nothing

Su - Rocher Fin. Got psyched up all week watching vids and planned to pick off some reds, have a go at at a couple of off-circuit problems and then do the end of the blue circuit (where noone goes). As usual a bit ambitious. The reds are really polished in places, but did the nice arete of Dinomania http://bleau.info/fin/6482.html, but left the problems to the right as it was a bit hot in the sun. Spent a fair while on another couple of problems getting close but not topping. Had a quick look at Sur le fil http://bleau.info/fin/17020.html, but a bit tired by now. Did a load of yellows/ oranges/ blues to get a bit of volume in. Then went to look at my nemesis; Cristalline http://bleau.info/fin/6403.html. Ridiculously graded slab. I've been trying this for about as long as I've been climbing in the forest, probably once a year or so. It took about 30 mins, but I finally managed to get my foot up high enough and rocked out to victory. Hopefully a good omen for long-term, old-age sieges.

Weighed in at 74.2kg before my post-climb shower, but I'm planning on eating a very large plate of curry.

[Fiend]

Was it monkfish curry, though, TT?

[Muenchener]

STG: cross something, anything, off my large and growing collection of redpoint projects
MTG (2015): redpoint two more 7a’s and a 7a+
LTG (2016/2017): Redpoint 7b's with dance-themed names (Sautanz, Brachiation)

Edit - seem to have had a low level cold/snuffly nose for the last two weeks anyone else got this - seem to hear a lot of coughing around at the moment...

Yep. Continual slight headache & sore throat that keeps not amounting to much but precludes any heavy exercise. Also first week of Bavarian school term so lots of family commitments. So all in all a quiet week training wise.

M:
T: Beastmaker max hangs: Steve Maisch's protocol as described on his training beta podcast
W: Found of those hand dynamometer things going relatively cheap on amazon (on amazon uk too ) so thought I would have a play / scientifically verify my if finger strength training is working. Baseline values: 46.5 right 43.6 left. Towards the upper end of "normal" for my age group according to the booklet yyfy. MTG: get to "good"
T:   Beastmaker: Shark Protocol max hangs & ironing intervals, 'cos it seems to have worked for him. Nearly. Wasn't fully recovered from Tuesday: did the same hang times & weights, but some longer rests and one set less.
F:
S: High ropes course with M jnr
S: Wall, Thalkirchen. Mostly teaching M jnr to belay with a grigri - investment in the future - with a spot of light bouldering afterwards

[shark]

Thanks tomtom

10.11-12

M. Malham with Nick C . Coolish but still and blighted with midges all afternoon Cons x 3. Go 1 on Oak start felt easier than ever but random foot slip when went to match for horn Go2 Up to top traverse and got to hold sidepull with right amd get left foot back on smear - new highpoint. Went for walk round cove Go 3 Got to top traverse Go 4 Busted but touched horn. Nick got New Dawn - his first proper 7c
T.
W.
T. Malham with Ste Mac. Delayed leaving Sheffield till lunchtime to avoid midday sun (forecast had changed) Cooler tnan Monday with an occasional wind - still a few midges.Temp temporarily dropped further early evenng but warmed up again after which seems a recurring theme. Cons x 3. Go 1 on Oak Waltzed thru start to horn then fluffed move out right to sidepull Go 2 Temp drop Felt good all the way till got the high white sidepull poorly quickly decided to try and hold it rather than adjust but then popped off when I got my right up. New highpoint and only one move off easier ground Went for a head-clearing walk around the top of the Cove Go 3 Temp had warmed back up. Tired from the off but got to top traverse but busted Go 4 Fumbled the horn. Linked to top in two further links. Eve Got home late and had something to eat then at 1am had a late deadlifting session. Managed 135kg and almost got 140kg. Surprised given my PB is 142.5kg.
F. Lunch. Foundry. Campusing - mainly laddering. Eve Late, quick at Burbage South Boulders hit with Ben, Tom and two of Ben's friends. Did Pock sit 6C with Tom and The Sheep 6C by torchlight
S. Meant to do a fingerboard session but left too late. Drove to Devon for brothers 50th. Eve 
S. Drove back from Devon. May do a fingerboard session later 

Momentous week. So close. Got a carfull for tuesday and intending to go back Friday. Wind will still be off the crag but general air temp is OK. Lots of client meetings this week and some potentially exciting assignments to deal with so work likely to be a complicating factor in the weeks ahead.

Thanks everybody for the encouragement, advice and support.  I'll do my best to get to the chains.

[tomtom]

Was it monkfish curry, though, TT?

Well one was monkfish served with Bombay potatoes and the other with a smear of Dahl.

[andy popp]

It took about 30 mins, but I finally managed to get my foot up high enough and rocked out to victory. Hopefully a good omen for long-term, old-age sieges.

Nice!

[andy popp]

The new role at work is going to make it much harder to be flexible and get out mid-week. Ah well, going to have to make the best of it.

M - work
T - work. Out in the evening wining and dining guest speaker - who also happens to be an old friend. Good times, ending in the pub, of course.
W - managed deadhanging session in the evening and added a couple more sets than the last session. Feeling a little stronger.
T - short board session when I get home in the evening; warm up and then 3x3 on easy problems
F - running a conference all day and then out very late with delegates. Much fun.
S - tired. Go to social afternoon at colleagues house out in the suburbs
S - very early session at Harmers on the project. A little cooler at last. Get impossibly close to getting through the start - though no doubt when I do I'll just fall off the next move. Feel energised though. In a fit of determination do a session on the fingerboard in the afternoon, matching the session on Wed.

A bit like Shark, starting to feel the project might go. Might even emulate the dieting this week. Roll on next Sunday, and praying for dry weather.

[shark]

Get impossibly close to getting through the start - though no doubt when I do I'll just fall off the next move. Feel energised though. In a fit of determination do a session on the fingerboard in the afternoon, matching the session on Wed.

Psyche!

[shark]

Then went to look at my nemesis; Cristalline http://bleau.info/fin/6403.html. Ridiculously graded slab. I've been trying this for about as long as I've been climbing in the forest, probably once a year or so. It took about 30 mins, but I finally managed to get my foot up high enough and rocked out to victory. Hopefully a good omen for long-term, old-age sieges.

More psyche

[nai]

Psyche!

not burn

[shark]

Psyche!

not burn

Ouch

[nik at work]

STG trad projects
MTG 8c in Margalef
LTG 9a
BHAG bruderliebe

M BM session +20kg. Decent session but right forearm still strained.
T BM session +20kg. Decent session but right forearm still strained.
W BM session unweighted, a bit half arsed truth be told.
T great day, I didn't climb anything but had a great meeting with a client where I had prepared a load of "why we should do my idea not your idea" type arguments unnescessarily as the client was totally sold on my concept, yay! Then eldest son led his first trad route in the evening, double yay!
F nothing
S nothing but saw the red pandas close up at the wildlife park for the first time, cute little fuckers.
S outside for an hour or so, had a blast on Dougs project on top rope, it's hard. Then worked the extended and increased difficulty variation on the traverse wall. Got it in three overlapping sections, I think i'll get it down to two sections pretty quickly but doing it in one will probably take a while.

Pretty good week really in all aspects of life, forearm is still strained and I've had a low low level cold/snuffles all week (currently manifesting as a very annoying cough) but otherwise not to shabby.
Go on Shark, and Andy Popp, and Fried!! Positive power club vibe, sweet.

[nai]

STG - Oh I don't know, struggling to get out and the clock is tick tick ticking
MTG - bit of bouldering and start to develop killer endurance over winter
LTG Put killer endurance to good use next Spring

M - short hard boulder then max hangs, new PB of 91kg

T - 4x4, failed penultimate move final set but had been using big footholds since end of 3rd set.

w rest

Th - Max hangs, hung PB weight for longer.

F - Blackwell Dale. Short Problem, quickest lime 7A I've ever done, or not.  Team on routes using Man of Steel so left to try Jerry's Traverse.  Got to the end moves a dozen times but kept running out of umph, was using a far from ideal sequence at this point but still disappointing to fade after just eight moves.
S - rest
S - Knew I shouldn't but tried a max hangs sesh, felt a struggle although hung 92kg for 5s so a second away from a new PB (only hangs of 6-10s count under my rules). Now I'm hanging 30kg+ off my harness the pull-on seems really critical, if the weight starts swinging it's game over straight away.

[nai]

Psyche!

not burn

Ouch

Sorry, that was supposed to be a pun on the Tremadoc route. Properly rooting for you to get it done and totally believe that you will (still see you using imperial though, time to step up).

[Muenchener]

Psychologically I have shifted into winter-training mode already, though in recent years October has been pretty good here.

I need a good autumn in order to have anything at all to show for the climbing year. Last year south facing crags were good here until the end of November, but that's unusual.

[rodma]

Mon: nuthin
Tue: short dynamic campus session. Feel strongish but I have had 4 days "rest"
Wed: nothing
Thurs: sort wall session. Still feel Strongish.
Fri: rest
Sat: has to bowden to try working class with my current beta. Get the heel on well once, but it is really greasy. Have a throw using the old beta once my attempts get worse and can easily tag the finish hold, so am not (significantly) weaker than in 2012.
Sun: lazy day, much needed.

Good post holiday transition week. Going to try and get back into it properly this week. Am definitely a little heavy post holiday.

[JackAus]

STG: More V8s. Consistent sub 75kg.
MTG: V9.
LTG: V11. Fear Factory List. 6/10 done. <- Out of season now. Maybe next winter. It was really a goal while my housemate worked on his long term project there but he ticked it a month back.

M: Sick. Getting slightly better.
T: Sick-ish. First proper meal since Thursday last week. Night work.
W: Recover from night.
T: Drive to North Black/Canberra. Big granite area about 4hrs South, used to go there quite often when I lived in Nowra. First time back here this year. Just stayed at the camp ground sectors this arvo. Ticked off a few things V6 I'd tried a bunch, went 2nd go. An old V9 (that people still take...) in a handful of attempts, now V7. Fun prob, I found it pretty easy though. Had my first attempts on the 5 star classic Zac's Arete V8. 3 holds, 5m boulder, seems simple, isn't. Very weird mix of balance and power that I just can't do yet. One day.
F: North Black. Head up the top for a classic before cleaning new stuff. Single Female Lawyer V6, nice compression up an arete. Tried to pull on once a year ago but fucked finger meant I never put my climbing shoes on... So today I flashed it. First flash of the grade. Felt pretty easy, very fun problem but over too quickly. Had a play on the sit start which gets V8, wasn't far off it but really not fussed on the problem. Finished cleaning an old project from 2 years ago, that I did. Only V3 but fun, mantle up into scoop/slab then dyno to the hidden crimp on top.
S: North Black. Rest day and rain. Crowds arrived tonight.....
S: North Black. Warmed up doing my yearly retro flash of a classic V5. Tried one of my housemates' "V6"s.... So hard, so crimpy, couldn't do the first move. Got onto Sly Dog V7, technical balancey, slopey little thing. Have only tried it in summer without getting close at all. Cool-ish today so got pretty close. Had right hand on top on one attempts and my left blew off sloper... Skin basically ruined after too many attempts.
Trekked around another sector finding new lines, some absolute classics to be done. Drove back to Sydney

Single Female Lawyer

[fatneck]

Nice one peeps!! Psyche is high!! Not too much to report but wnat to get back in to the habit, so...

Mon - Brief Pilates session on me jack
Tue - nowt
Wed - nowt
Thurs - nowt
Fri - nowt
Sat - Went up to Teesdale with the wife on a last minute jaunt. Met Andy E at Crag Hill. Quality crag! Mainly wanted to Roadside Arete but got distracted and didn't get on it till late on and properly thought I wasn't going to do it. Had lots of goes in bad connies then had an idea about heel placement put shoes back on and dispatched! 6a+ my arse, done easier 6cs...
Sun - Nice walk to Cauldron Snout (good shout Andy) then went fishing at Bessy Beck on the way home. 5 nice trout on the dry fly. Quality weekend...

Back was a bit sore after bailing off problems, something I haven't done since it was bad but nothing too bad and feels much better now... Going to try and climb indoors more than once this week and hopefully will be able to return to regular Pilates sessions now my new job induction is done!

Keep up the good work guys!! 

[T_B]

84.1Kg

M -
T -
W - School lunch. Lightish session, warmed up on 30 and 50deg, did a 19-move link on the pink, failed to do the purple circuit due to getting pumped! Last did 31 July, amazing what you lose in 6-wks of no PE training.
T - P.M. Burbage South. Did Pebble Mill Traverse and Violence, both of which have eluded me in the past. Tried Zorev (got onto arete twice) but losing skin on fingers. And Rollerwall (clearly v doable for 6 footers, but need team and pads). Coolish, but no wind.
F - School lunch. Warmed up then had 3 goes at Purple circuit. Managed first 30 moves i.e. failing on 1st redpoint crux. Getting pumped.
S -
S - A.m. Snuck in 45-minute fingerboard sess whilst kids occupied with Playdo. First FB session in ages, just managed 2 x 6 x 7 front 3, failed on 4 on back 3. Half-crimped dreadful. P.M. Had checked out Stoney Roadside Cave in the morning to see whether it was dry, it was. Later on though it was soaked, so went to Curbar. Cloudy and nice breeze. Did the 7A on Bad Landing boulder then got stuck into Huffy's Roof 7C+. Got the lip about 25 times but couldn't do the dive for the jug. Refined sequence using pinchy hold for left around the lip but losing skin, core and patience. Stuck with it and pulled it out of the bag in the end. Finished on a little 6C up a wall behind Gorrila Warfare, then did that and Early Doors.

Back on the grit! Huffy's is basically designed for me. Quite keen to try the low start if I can fathom what the definitive starting position is (can't work it out from previous threads and shamefully, no videos online)?

[duncan]

STG: Don’t get injured. Strength work, fingerboard or bouldering, twice a week.
MTG: E5 OS and 7b RP by end of year.
LTG: Long hard (for me) rock routes in the Alps, Dolomites, Picos and Scotland. 7b+ RP.

M - Fingerboard (warm-up + short, easy session: big and medium slots, 300 seconds total hang time). Shoulder stability stuff 5 days this week.
T -
W - Fingerboard (warm-up + very short, easy session)
T -
F -
S - Drove to Pembroke. Warm, sunny, humid, many things a bit damp. Rusty Walls: Solidarity and Good Luck Mr Gronski. The Leap: Beast from the Undergrowth. All felt pretty straightforward and I should have tried something a bit harder but feeling low on energy and by 4pm I just wanted to sleep. Undertone, to the left of Solidarity, looked great. Anyone done this?
S - Grey, cold and windy. Stennis Head to ‘warm up’, but never made it beyond here. Hercules, WW3 Blues and Dire Straits (E3 in the proper guide, probably just worth it, certainly compared to the two E2s we did on Saturday). 6 hour drive home: Welsh rugby fans all seem to live in Swindon or London.

Busy at work and at home this week. Still very run-down from the cold I picked up in Switzerland and didn’t feel up to a proper session at the wall. Easing into fingerboarding nicely, no significant aches or pains. Wasn’t sure if a trip away was a good idea with how I was feeling but seemed less demanding than coping with a flat full of visitors for the weekend. Slightly disappointed I didn’t try anything harder since trad. climbing weekends are such rare events but everything on my Leap hit-list was wet. Sometimes the stars just don’t align. Pembroke is always good and I’d have definitely taken a clutch of E2s at the start of the week. 

Plan: get over the cold, keep going with the fingerboarding, and get on something harder next weekend.

Good luck to everyone with their projects.

[SA Chris]

Goals - usual

M - lunch time yoga. Not been for ages, found it hard going. Some weights in evening
T - nothing. Youngest was ill, so had to work from home and entertain her, then catch up in evening.
W - wall session. Missed last week so lots of new stuff to go at. Had an OK session, there foe about 2.5 hours
T - worked in evening
F - nothing
S - swimming  with youngest in morning, then went to a kids birthday party at five a side pitch. I think my son has decided football is not for him, he got bored after half an hour and was more interested in climbing the grass banks.
S - big day out. Parked at Lin of Dee at about just before 10, after being decimated by midges got on bikes and made long approach to Creag a choire Etchacan. Got most of the way to crag before path got too rocky and walked the rest. Got on Dagger http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=2960 , I did P1, Dave did crux P2 - great piece of climbing, using just about all the trad skills I've ever developed. I did heathery P3 to the terrace. Back to van just after 5. Broken today.

[ashtond6]

working away week this time - makes it very hard to train midweek & very easy to eat

M ate
T ate
W ate
T ate
F 8 routes at Cambusbarron, some brilliant E1s & 3s OS
S 5 hours travelling wore me out, 6 routes at stanage, only HVS
S got stupidly close to Incapacity Benefit, could do all the moves easily with rests, powered out on RP, maybe because of 3 days in a row

Very happy though as 18 months of injuries seem to be nearly gone  now can begin to focus on a proper training plan, rather than a 'I just want to climb'!

ps. if I can do a route with one (very short) sit, what do I need to work on? power endurance? or just endurance?
also, does anyone climb Peak sport in the winter months?

big negative point - weighed in at 87kg, my heaviest ever... I work away 1 week in 3... but packing this job in so hopefully bringing that nearer 80kg will get me a grade too (aim 82KG as I am quite heavy naturally)

too much info?

[shark]

ps. if I can do a route with one (very short) sit, what do I need to work on? power endurance? or just endurance?

There is more than one way to crush a route and what works for someone else may not work as well for you. It maybe that if you work on getting stronger the other moves will feel easier or it may be that power endurance or endurance is the way.   

also, does anyone climb Peak sport in the winter months?

Kristian and Zippy mainly

big negative point - weighed in at 87kg, my heaviest ever... I work away 1 week in 3... but packing this job in so hopefully bringing that nearer 80kg will get me a grade too (aim 82KG as I am quite heavy naturally)

too much info?

Not not enough. But assuming you are not 7 foot then 87kg does sound heavy. Do you have access to a decent body fat scales? If you are above 10% then aim for that. If you are naturally heavy/stocky then probably some muscle loss as well as fat loss would be in order.

[ashtond6]

Not not enough. But assuming you are not 7 foot then 87kg does sound heavy. Do you have access to a decent body fat scales? If you are above 10% then aim for that. If you are naturally heavy/stocky then probably some muscle loss as well as fat loss would be in order.

Thanks for all the info Shark
It may just be finger strength, I reckon I had to squeeze the pre crux hold a lot harder to stay on, which drained me for the move. It was just really frustrating as the move felt so straight forward after a short rest

I am 6ft 1/2" (187cm?) After big trips when I lose lots of weight I still only around 82kg. Normally around 84kg and my current scales are harsh
No body fat scales at the moment - but I am prepared to invest in some. Do you have any recommendations?