[Duma]

I twinged my knee on CS too, was it in the heel/toe for the final moves?

Yup, apparently its pretty common for people to tweak there!

[nik at work]

Time for a review I guess..

Given the clusterfuck that was 2019 it might be worth getting a few aims down here...

Climbing
Start actually climbing again, as opposed to a handful of half-hearted sessions a year of the last couple of years...
Nope

Get bouldering back up to reasonable- ish standard... something 7C or above would be amazing.
Nope

A sport 8 would also be brilliant but I’d more than happily settle for 7c.
Nope

Do some trad, some steady miles on mid grade (E3/4?) territory would be grand. Taking in some new rock types and venues ideally, but even just reacquainting myself with the grit.
Nope

Life
Get a job or some sort of gainful employment that interests and inspires me, and gives me the flexibility to see my kids frequently (complication being they live on the Isle of Man and I don’t...). Huge salary would be nice....

Covid restrictions means seeing kids has been a huge and depressing nope this year, absolutely the worst aspect of the last 12 months by a huge margin
but work is starting to come good, doing creative stuff that I enjoy and there are a few potentially lucrative irons in fires...

Work out a balance that allows me to still be a dad whilst also carving out a new life.
I’m giving this a partial tick, everything is in place and looking good. Just Covid restrictions stopping the free


Do more MTB.
Yes

Do more art/creative stuff.
Yes

Try some new things.
Yes, started road biking and fell running. Two things I always said I’d hate. And I’m loving both 😁 Strava is my new god 😂😂

Stay happy.
Yes

Despite total climbing failure I feel like I won at 2020, which probably puts me in a pretty small group.

[Footwork]

Doubt I'll climb anything else this year so here's mine.

Five 7C+ or harder - Keeping this one from last year

Somehow pulled the best year of bouldering on paper out the bag. Training involved Almscliff evening session instead of the depot and a small single wooden rung. Thanks 36C, I owe you some beer.

I'm counting all the ones I did on paper (with some personal grades for Will):

Mein Vein, Caseg - 7C (I know the book gives it a slash grade anyway). Proper good and a little slice of font. Just before lockdown and a harrowing trip back to Leeds
Bruno's Roof, Almscliff - 7C/ 7C+ No way 8A but I've done DWR left hand once or twice...
Underhand Super Extension - 7C+ much harder than the middle exit plus I'm unfit. This was my sport training
The Only Way is A6, Lees Bottom - 7C (soft) piss with a fan
A6 Girls, Lees Bottom - 7C (soft)  see above
Under The Greenwood Tree, Lees Bottom 7C - (hard) brilliant problem
Ribtickler, Goyden - 7c+ a previous top spanking. Still felt very on off at the top
Ben's Roof, Raven Tor - 7C (hard) used the one knee. Saw a video of Shark getting a second knee in the pod. Tried it and almost eviscerated myself twisting out of it. Shark should really be called Snake
Frank, Ilkley - 7C/7C+ obviously 7C for lankers
The Fonze, Brimham - 8A the mans way
Ben's Groove Sit, Caley - 7C++ by myself in the dark with a bike light and not enough pads. Quite possibly the last problem of 2020 for me and what an absolute problem to finish on. The one that didn't get away 

Three routes off the sport list - Looking at Spidermonkey to force me

- Illywacker
- Kleptomania
- Sunset Boulevard
- Subculture

Working from home a lot during summer meant I could be in the car at 4:45 headed to the lime. Just took the work phone in case someone needed me. Really enjoyed the scenes with Sam, Dave and (sometimes) Will. Didn't climb with Spidermonkey once (because he kept asking when it was bouldering weather). One session at Malham and lost the psyche.

Climb E6 or harder - If Sam Marks can then I can

Nope. But then never really tried one.

Some proper sessions on something hard - It feels like a long time since I've put serious effort in to push my limits

6 session on Militia and didn't do it. Seepage an issue on the side pulls and got serious red point nerves towards the end. It's excellent climbing all the way and a pleasure to work it with a psyched mate. Just felt like I should have done it and although it would have been a new grade it didn't feel like I was pushing my limits. 

Physio/ stretch or yoga once a week - No excuses why I can't find 20 mins a week for this

This went to total shit

[Wood FT]

Sport:
GBH Started well and felt much better on it but didn't match last year's highpoint in the end. Stopped trying before it became a chore.

Chimes of Freedom Had a go with the lamps a few weeks back. Still desperate but can see myself having a chance now

K3 Much better progress once I started using the normal sequence and the left kneebar. A route that I find hard to love but in a location that I very much do. I would do well to just get stronger for Nemesis...

Look into Austrian Oak or Predator to find whichever suits me best and feels good. No, but successfully belayed Shark a few times

7c onsight and 8a RP abroad. Climb on the Diamond and that big Scottish Rainbow Cliff. One trip and it was to the Frankenjura - no chance

Boulder:
7B+ & 7C on lime. nope, tried a few 7B+, fleetingly.
West Side Story. nope

DWS: Mark of the sodding Beast! Stick the first dyno on Adrenachrome. Didn't go

Multipitch:
Süpervitamin on the North Face of Titlis. Some friends confirmed quality and wild climbing. Also suggested it as a step towards a proper Deep Blue Sea effort in the future, the latter being much more run-out. Or, Murciana ‘78 on the Naranjo (again; didn’t go this year) nope

Life:
Secure 2021 work and decorate house Yes, looks lovely now.
Keep laughing and develop confidence. manic laughing
Talk less and plan more. I do talk less at the crag and work but my planning skills are still in development...

Wow, that's a lot of red up there. Quite the crap year for achieving stated aims (a crap year in general!) but in reality my best year of sport climbing, I look forward to the 'best of 2020' thread...

[Andy F]

I set rather low targets this year so I could actually surpass them. And finally, I have. Winner!
Sport 7a
Did Ring of Fire 7c+, after a bit of a fight. It felt good to properly try hard on the sharp end
Bouldering 6b
Zaff Skoczylas sitter 7b+. Hardest Grit boulder (thanks Davo for the suggestion). A late season bonus. Fabulous moves, great line. Mega.

[Andy F]

I set rather low targets this year so I could actually surpass them. And finally, I have. Winner!
Sport 7a
Did Ring of Fire 7c+, after a bit of a fight. It felt good to properly try hard on the sharp end
Bouldering 6b
Zaff Skoczylas sitter 7b+. Hardest Grit boulder (thanks Davo for the suggestion). A late season bonus. Fabulous moves, great line. Mega.

[Davo]

Given how strong and good you are Andy those should be barely considered targets for you!!

Maybe more ambitious targets next year??

[Andy F]

Thanks Davo, but setting low targets and surpassing them is the way forward. So 7a+ and 6B+ for next year 

[tc]

Best career advice I ever received was "Aim low to avoid disappointment". Dole office in Birkenhead, 1970s.
😊

[tomtom]

Best career advice I ever received was "Aim low to avoid disappointment". Dole office in Birkenhead, 1970s.
😊

Cracking line for a best mans speech right there 😁🤦‍♂️

[36chambers]

Somehow pulled the best year of bouldering on paper out the bag. Training involved Almscliff evening session instead of the depot and a small single wooden rung. Thanks 36C, I owe you some beer.

I'll take a Kwak please and thank you.

[Sasquatch]

Local Sport Projects
#1 Spotted Dick project - Brilliant vertical/technical climbing on glacially polished rock at Byron Glacier capped with a dyno.  This was bolted in 1992, and supposedly climbed back then at 12b, but the guidebook author got it wrong and mixed up two different project routes.

#2 Party Wall Project - Local easily accessible project 15min Drive from the house.  Not the highest quality, but hard and clean.  I bolted this with a friend in 1998.  Tried it for a couple of years and gave up.

#3 Gargoyle Project - I bolted this in 2018.  It's amazing climbing in a spectacular location.

Other stuff
Keep up with the work load and bring on 1-2 new employees.

Post more regularly on UKB

#1 - After about 10 days of work this year, along with many from previous years, I was able to climb this one.  While getting out there, we were also able to finish bolting and climb another route that had long been abandoned. 

#2 - Never got on it this year.  In Feb and March I tweaked two pulleys, so this was not on the cards until later, but by then I was sucked into #1. 

#3 - Never got on it this year.  By the time #1 was done, it was September, and I didn't have the energy to go after this one.

Other stuff - Had out biggest year ever, despite a stop work of two months in April/May due to initial covid actions.  Managed to keep up with the work, but did not bring on employees until this past month.  Given the year that just passed, I'd call this a win. 

[Aussiegav]

Been a relatively good year climbing wise. Came into the year Onsighted a few 6a routes and bouldering V2.


Adjusted Post COVID lockdown goals 2020
OUTDOOR GOALS
2x 7a
- Slapdasher, Rubicon 7/11/20
Didn’t manage to get a decent session on a 2nd 7a.


6x 6b/6b+ Onsight
- 6b More Chattery Teeth, Smalldale
- 6b+ Mr Love Pants, Smalldale
- 6b Spirit of Ecstasy, Hidden Quarry
- 6b Psyched for the Stoke, Hidden Quarry
- 6b+ Stand Out Arête, Sit Down Buttress
- 6b, Sit Up & Beg, Sit Down Buttress


Schoolroom goals
5x V3 (6a+)
- Easy COD Activation (6a+)
- Good Vibrations (6a+)
- Stay Open (6a+)
- Kenneth’s Prob (6a+) 40 Moonboard
- Jug Rash (6a+) 40 Moonboard

3x V4 (6b/6b+)
- Easy Banisters (6b)
- Blob Variation (6b)
- Yeh (6b) 25 Moonboard


Unlikely to get these next goals done in the next few days.

2x V5 (6c/6c+)
- ?
- ?


1x V6 (7a)

Outdoor bouldering goals

5x V4 (6b/6b+)
- Miller’s Tale sit start (6b+) Rubicon 3 sessions. 27/6/20
- A Bigger Prize (6b+) Rubicon 1 session 14/6/20
- Gaza (6b) Wyming Brook 20/3/20
- Bear Hug (6b) Wyming Brook 20/3/20
- Speckled Egg (6b+/6c) Crag X 1/7/20 1 session
- Slot to Slot (6b) Crag X 4/7/20 1 session

4x V5 (6c/6c+)
- Too Hard For Mark Leach - Raven Tor (4goes). 11/10/20
-
2x V6 (7a)

[AMorris]

Thanks so much for dragging me back to this thread to see how poorly I have done this year! I managed to fail all but two of my goals, and they were only training related. Well here goes, if anyone is even vaguely interested.

1) 15s half crimp straight arm deadhang BM2 low rung @ BW. (current: 10s locked, 7s straight arm)
Actually smashed this one and got an 18s PB during the lockdown training surge.

2) 7s half crimp straight arm deadhang BM2 small edges. (current: 2-3s locked right hand, 1-2s spent slowly falling off on the left)
Chalking this up as a fail because it is a weird one for me. I haven't tried it much at all because on my BM it feels nigh on impossible to stay on (despite being far far stronger deadhanging than I was last year) but on other peoples it feels fine. We all know only home turf counts though...

3) Try and get back to strength on one armers without exacerbating the elbows. 3 on each arm would be plenty if I can do it safely.
Actually smashed this one too, 4 on the right and 3 on the left. A bit elbow tweaky but good results. Can't do it now though, but we will get to that.

4) Wedgie wall, this is unlikely but I feel like it was made for me in terms of style. If I was every going to get up anything unexpectedly hard it would be this.
  I did say it was unlikely... Had one more session on it in good conditions at the start of 2020 (pre lockdown training fest), but it destroyed my skin and ruined a whole weekends climbing really. I was just not strong enough. I actually feel like I might have been during the summer after all the training, but it was summer so even if I was able to get out the hold would be unusable. I wont be trying it properly for some time I don't think.

5) An 8B. This is also unlikely, as there aren't exactly any jumping out at me at the moment. 8B's are fairly hard to come by in the hills and I never go to that grimestone cave. I guess something like Ropes of Maui might be worth a look, but it doesn't fill me with enthusiasm.
Don't think I even tried one. Hard to find them really, let alone in a style which I am good at.

6) New Noise, Lotus, Barrel Trav, full roadside (don't ask)
NN: didn't get up to. Lotus: after I bailed off WW, split on 2 fingers, knuckles bloodied, and weak, I had a pop. Actually felt fine and I should have done it but lacked the 1% extra gurn I needed for the crux move into the piano hold. Barrel Trav: nemesis antistyle, found a sequence that works for me but too shit to link. Full roadside: never tried the link but found a sequence through the blank section into the edges.

7) 7C flash
Straight up fail. Closest I got was falling off tickling the lip of Animal Magnetism (7B+, maybe hard) on the flash. 3rd go in the end. Happy either way.

Don't get injured
Was going so well until Sept, when I was matching the top hold of a slab and ruptured the A2 and tore the A1 in my middle left. Idiot. Still very much taking it easy and all the progress from lockdown training has gone out the window.

9) Stop being a grumpy bastard
See above.

10) Take a holiday
 

All in all a disappointing year, but largely for the injury really. Climbing wise I set the bar very high knowing I was unlikely to obtain most, but I had hoped for a little better  . Though there are some positives, having to look for climbing closer to home I developed an area around Aber and threw together a little guide. Some nice evenings spent there and I am strangely proud of the problems, as esoteric and chossy as they are.

Anyway, recovery recovery recovery.

[AMorris]

I set rather low targets this year so I could actually surpass them. And finally, I have. Winner!
Sport 7a
Did Ring of Fire 7c+, after a bit of a fight. It felt good to properly try hard on the sharp end
Bouldering 6b
Zaff Skoczylas sitter 7b+. Hardest Grit boulder (thanks Davo for the suggestion). A late season bonus. Fabulous moves, great line. Mega.

Wow, superb stuff!

[cheque]

I was matching the top hold of a slab and ruptured the A2 and tore the A1 in my middle left.

  How do you do something like that on a slab?!

[AMorris]

I was matching the top hold of a slab and ruptured the A2 and tore the A1 in my middle left.

  How do you do something like that on a slab?!

Good question, and one that still goes through my mind. It was already a little bit tweaked, which is why I was sticking to slabs. The one in question had a very awkward match on a minging small incut edge to finish, I was full crimping it quite aggressively and it felt fine, but as I released my other hand to match it I felt (and heard) 2 loud pops followed by my hand going numb. Knew exactly what it was. Was so loud my mate thought I kicked the wall.

Was going quite well at the time, bit of a moron really. Still, I live in Cardiff and have spent a decent amount of time since then in lockdown. Rather it happen now than at the start of 3 months of mint conditions.

[Andy F]

I set rather low targets this year so I could actually surpass them. And finally, I have. Winner!
Sport 7a
Did Ring of Fire 7c+, after a bit of a fight. It felt good to properly try hard on the sharp end
Bouldering 6b
Zaff Skoczylas sitter 7b+. Hardest Grit boulder (thanks Davo for the suggestion). A late season bonus. Fabulous moves, great line. Mega.

Wow, superb stuff!

Not really. As Davo said above, they (F7c+, FB7B+) should be minimum targets. But years of missing targets made me set lowly ones I'd easily attain.

[Coops_13]

Four months into an injury which has stopped climbing makes it difficult to make aims...

Injuries

Fix current wrist injury and remain uninjured for the rest of 2020

Fixed wrist injury-ish (minimal flare-ups since) but:
- Gained new finger injury May 2020
 - Gained new L hand / wrist injury Oct 2020
 - Knee flared up to a state where I may need surgery

Climbing

5 7C / V9s

Due to all the above, I managed 1

Training

Do some sort of training / exercise at least four times per week (starting now)

At least two phases of max hangs

General failure going in and out of injury (and motivation). Managed one max hangs phase during April lockdown

Trips

Two week-long trips, most likely to US destinations

At least four weekend trips to venues such as Roy, Joe's, Moe's, Wyoming...

No week-long trips due to Covid But I did get to Joe's which was amazing, before I injured myself again...

[lagerstarfish]

7C

resist urge to abandon family and go snowboarding forever

50% success rate

I did get 7 (consecutive) days snowboarding though. God it was good.

[Bradders]

This has been such a terrible year generally and personally, that most of these have paled into insignificance. Rather glad to put it all behind me really.

Climbing

-15 new problems 7C+ and up (can include link ups) - nope. Did 5 pre-lockdown so it was going really well and I was feeling great, and a sixth not long after it ended. Then everything went a bit to shit, I had a massive crisis of confidence, and I think I've only had 5 sessions on anything at this level or higher in the last 6 months.
- go to Switzerland - nope
- as ever, it'd be nice to do more from This is Yorkshire...still have some relatively low hanging fruit to enjoy - did the easiest one in the whole list; Karjala. At least I flashed it. Sporadic sessions on a few others but nothing sustained enough to get any over the line. I've gone backwards on Zoo York since last year, I couldn't bring myself to go try Ben's, I had one session on Sole but the logistics are all a bit too much, and I find Pixie Tits really flipping hard for 7B+!
- do a high quality 7C in both Scotland and Wales - one session on Rockatrocity and got very close, but no cigar. Didn't get to try any others.

Training

- 7C on the Depot board - not even close
- stretching >3 times per week - definite tick, almost every day for the last 6 months

Life

- get married -  should have been 25th April...now on our 4th booking in February having had to keep moving it due to rule changes and the second lockdown.
- move house to somewhere I can build a board - hell yeah, moved to a great house and now have a shed with a 45 and 25 in.
- build board - have actually had two this year now, one at old house during lockdown and now the above at the new house

Also going to bring in the lockdown training goals, as happily there's a bit more green there:

Number one goal for me is to keep eating healthily and avoid a descent into video games, pizza and beer.


- 20s +25kg half crimp hang on the small edges (+16kg feels fairly maximal atm, never done any more than 10s hangs before)
- 10s +40kg hang on a 19mm edge (just the larger slot with a peg stuffed in the back) - done on a Lattice edge so having it, previous PB was 35kg
- 10s +25kg middle finger mono pick up (+15kg feels okay atm, easing into it slowly)
- 10s one arm hang the big middle slot (my arms are piss weak)
- 10s one arm lock off on the pull up bar (see above)

[cheque]

-15 new problems 7C+ and up (can include link ups) - nope. Did 5 pre-lockdown so it was going really well and I was feeling great, and a sixth not long after it ended.

6/15 =orange in my book.

I’ve got big respect for anyone with green ticks this year. Haven’t dared check yet but I don’t think I’m going to have any. 

[Hoseyb]

Not totally sure what I want to do this coming year. However, I've had 2 to 3 projects dogging me for a few years so, maybe this year I'll..

Do the 40ft offwidth sea cave; Tosheroon.
not even visited this year, been mainly local
Climb some of the sits on the Marchlyn boulder.
got a couple done and developed the boulder next door
Make significant progress on my pipedream project ; Old Man Logan. Which means bumping my pb 5 grades.
err.. Caff did it and called it the shield...
I'm 45 so I'd better get my finger out

Generally been a good year apart from pranging my ankle. Finished off a load of frankly, forgotten, projects. Also some of my stuff is getting repeated and even enjoyed.

Biggest breakthrough has been accepting that I'll always prefer a daft adventure than a hard project.

[AMorris]

I set rather low targets this year so I could actually surpass them. And finally, I have. Winner!
Sport 7a
Did Ring of Fire 7c+, after a bit of a fight. It felt good to properly try hard on the sharp end
Bouldering 6b
Zaff Skoczylas sitter 7b+. Hardest Grit boulder (thanks Davo for the suggestion). A late season bonus. Fabulous moves, great line. Mega.

Wow, superb stuff!

Not really. As Davo said above, they (F7c+, FB7B+) should be minimum targets. But years of missing targets made me set lowly ones I'd easily attain.

Oh, well... errr back around then?

Still, better than doing what I did in setting them too high and just embarrassing myself!

[Murph]

Good to see that so many folk had good 2020s all things considered. I think I lived in something of a parallel universe.

Aims:
1. Get fit again and lose those 7 non-climbing kilos.
2. Repeat some 7Bs before...
3. going to Font at Easter.
4. Ticking a new 7C by the end of the year.
5. Keep the wheels on the bus. 

Things had been going well and I got back up to 7B standard before lockdown. Found my mojo and everything.

But by May/June my health really started to tank. I dropped off limbing, training and the forum.

Wasn't sure if this is oversharing or whether to keep it private but things actually got quite serious and a couple of weeks ago I had my colon removed.

When I've recovered I think I should still be able to climb again tho not expecting to get close to pre-surgery max standard. But isnt that the great thing about climbing - all goals are relative and the experience is personal. You aren't coming last in a race you are finally crushing that 6A project and enjoying the experience.

I am also heartened by the idea expressed in this thread that its ok to set achievable goals and not just super stretching ones - roll on 2021!