Aims for 2020

UKBouldering.com

Help Support UKBouldering.com:

All the very best for your recovery Murph, looks like Gollum has provided the blueprint!
 
I’d forgotten quite how carried away I’d got with this bout of verbal diarrhoea...

The past few months have been pretty stressful, with my wife and I deciding to separate. A decision which I spent a lengthy period trying to persuade her out of. Anyway, having gone through a kaleidoscope of emotions, the prevailing one is now slightly nervous optimism, and my aim is to deal with it all in an as amicable, dignified and gentlemanly fashion as possible.

For a variety of COVID-related reasons we have been living together all year and have only hand a handful of arguments so this is a definite success. The kids are happy and doing well which is the most important thing. Realistically we’re only going to get round to selling the house once we’re both properly working again - at this rate I can’t see this happening until spring / early summer.

I’ve spent the past few years somewhat recklessly trying to pursue writing and drawing pictures without a proper plan. Kids books are too unpredictable / financially speculative in terms of effort before idea of reward. I ought to be doing more commercial illustration, but there are various barriers to entry which have proved tricky to surmount. Coupled with this work stuff, I’ve neglected our work-in-progress house which now feels like a disaster zone.

Fingers crossed I finally have a commercial illustration agency who are taking me on for ad hoc projects so, whilst not full-on representation is a massive step in the right direction. I’m obviously now daydreaming about a New Yorker or an Economist cover. Total success considering the general state of affairs this year - getting a literary agent is a piece of piss in comparison.

I was convinced I was fairly unemployable thanks to my deeply unconventional CV. However, I recently managed to start a freelance contract (with the possibility of going full-time) at a London-based design agency. It’s a pretty decent place, apart from the fact that it’s populated by millennials who don’t seem to ever go home. If I’m going to get anything done midweek (training / writing and drawing stuff) then I need to get away at 6pm or earlier. I need to decide fairly quickly whether it’s the is the right plan and / or find some alternatives. Ideal scenario would be to find somewhere I can work from home a couple of days a week. The major issue is that I have a contract for a non-kids book which involves 40k+ words and a few hundred illustrations, which is going to have to get done at weekends and evenings. And potentially a couple of more lucrative kids books too. Fitting that in is going to require quite a lot of organisation.

This was very rewarding and I led a couple of projects that are going to get a lot of public attention, including literally millions of people using my new pictograms for N Rail. However, the commute (effectively 5hrs daily from door to door) killed off all midweek climbing and the result was I pretty much lost interest all together. Coupled with bad diet / train beers / lack of sleep I quite quickly got quite rundown and very fat. This was followed by a couple of months working from home, which was far better in so many ways. That studio had to slim down a bit, so I finished in May. Would quite like to do that sort of thing again, but preferably on 3 month max freelance contracts and mostly remote.

Obviously sorting all of that stuff out is the priority, but I refuse to let it mess up climbing too much, especially as I’m actually getting somewhere again, so...

Seeing as I’m going to have kids in tow for much of this year, I think I’ll probably aim for a 60:40 bouldering:routes split. This would mean they actually have fun, rather than getting dragged along to watch me climb sport routes with random strangers. Hopefully this will mean I get stronger, tick some harder things, and translate to progress towards Project 8a when I do get the rope out.

20 7SOMETHING boulders, including a 7B.
None. Came close on lots of 7As, but was far too fat this year.

Deal with unfinished business on the grit and in Font.
Ditto

Multiple trips to the Tor and Peak limestone, and do everything possible to get daughter some decent ticks (for an 8-year-old)
None - just one trip to Anston a few days ago. She’s syked for next year so fingers crossed.

More SW bouldering, plus Churnet / North Wales / Yorkshire /Dinas rock, etc
Churnet x2, Harrisons in the blazing summer sun, nothing else

Organise / book 3x bouldering trips for me and the kids. Font at Easter. Swiss / transEurope tour summer / autumn TBC.
Brilliant Font trip in August - just me and the 9 and 5 year old. Everyone had an amazing time and came back syked for more.

Plan sport / trad strategically with the aim of best routes / least dicking around / avoiding head-in-hands days. Do more at Anstey’s - The Lynch / Empire Direct / Avenged / Just Revenge / LWM. Plus Brean / Cheddar / Torbryan / Swanage sport. Also aiming for Peak and Yorkshire lime - something at the Tor, Comedy at Kilnsey?

Only sport climbed once, at Cheddar in October, and had such a crap time / meltdown I went through the whole eBay all my gear charade as soon as I got home.

Possible micro trip to Siurana / Margalef

Yeah right

7b+ in a day / 7c / make progress on an 8a

Ditto

Some fun grit E2-3 and maybe an E4. Have another go at Perfect Day and Goosey Goosey Gander. Do something good by the sea, maybe Cornwall or Pembroke, if there’s time.

Ditto

Climb with more UKBers, including Fiend and Shark.

Messaged Shark en route to Anston and then had no phone reception, but then bumped into Adam L so not entirely unsuccessful.

147 / 1 arm pull-up / decent progress on fingerboard / lots of yoga and stretching

The best part of this climbing year was getting some help with planning training. Fingers felt weapons-grade after the autumn lockdown, and generally feel like a very strong 80kg climber wearing a 25kg fatsuit. Very syked for NY abstemiousness and spring crushing.

Figure out longer term plan for FLMHMF / alpine / American rock in a year or two.

Have various longer term plans but need to sort out house / family issues before I move on with any future planning.
 
Well done to everyone who achieved anything this year, and hope those who did have the best year see some improvement next year!

I didn’t write any goals here, but I did write some down on paper. They mostly changed with covid but I did manage to tick of one of my nemesis boulder problems that has been bothering me for a few years. I also started doing a weekly habit tracker that worked pretty well when I kept it going. As per usual, had a diet break over Christmas which I’ll need to sort out a bit!

I’ll aim to set some achievable goals for this year!
 
OK. I am not climbing or training tomorrow, so the climbing year 2020 is over. Time to evaluate.

1. Climb three 8bs or harder.
one and a half? about? One 8a+/b and one 8a+/b that has not been climbed since it lost a hold, creating a new redpoint crux and on which I also pulled of another jug and made the edge of a crimp on the boulder crux crumble (I am counting this as 8b for sure). Oh well. I spent the two best months of the year in lock down, during which I had to operations on my back and was not allowed to do overhead work.

2. Try to do a somewhat challenging multipitch route in good style. Routes and styles that would count would be things like RACS in Ordessa (o/s), Ayahuesca in Verdon (a few hangs), Troutherpie in Aiglun (RP after work).
.
I fell on lead on the last hard move of pitch 3 (7c) but returned to the belay and did it first go after a few minutes of rest. Followed pitch 6 (7b/c) free but was pretty destroyed after that. Kept climbing without falls but also on second on pitch 7 (7b). On pitch 8 (7b+???) I couldn't even do the crux move after resting on the rope. Happy to have done pitch 1-7 clean and mostly onsight. I give myself a green light on this.

This will be achieved by

1. Improving pull strength. I've had an injured shoulder for the last year and a half that stopped me from doing basic strength work. It seems fine now. Let's say 25 pullups, full ROM, no kicking, but at any cadence I like. Did 20 on a trapeze. That should translate to close to 25 on a fixed bar.

2. Improving finger strength, i.e. improving 2kg on both hands on my benchmark edge in the half crimp. (This seems extraordinarily difficult for me, so this is likely a weight loss goal). Being serious about variation of load.
1.5kg improvement on both hands. Very unimpressive considering the amount of fingerboard that was done during the confinement.

2b. A basic 3-4-5-...-15 ladder up the thinnest rungs on the campusboard at the gym.. 4-5-13-14 at best.
2c. At least 8 weeks of systematic training of the two finger and one-finger pairs in the gym before going to Margalef in the spring. 2 weeks of not climbing due to operation, then 8 weeks lockdown directly after instead.

3. Improving flexibility. At least 30 min of stretching a week, at least two sessions.
I did this during the confinement. After that, nothing.
4. Practice what I preach. At least one block of high volume/low intensity work. Probably in the summer. Ugh.
Due to lockdown I lost all interest in spending time training in the summer. Wanted to make up for lost time instead.
 
What might have been if not for Covid? Probably little different really - most of the failures were ones repeated from plague-free years past (my being fundamentally a bit crap and weak is not a viral condition!).

Climbing

Keep bouldering outside through the winter.
Partial hit - although complete success was limited by rain and a disinclination to drive 60 miles to/from Tier 3 areas.

- Hit Malham with fierce joy in Spring; get on Main Overhang, hopefully do it and move onto another project.
Complete fail - didn't do any sport climbing - no projects appealed enough to overcome my disinclination to arrange to hook up with randoms in the middle of a pandemic.

- Identify a suitable Summer project at Kilnsey (or Gordale) and give it a good go and / or finish off Mandela Training Traverse.
A pass as I "RPd" the Mandela Training Traverse to whip myself back into shape after the Spring lockdown (a target chosen for the entirely shallow and purile reason of maintaining a streak of at least one 8a climb a year for 9 or 10 years).

- Climb at non-Yorkshire-Big-3 crags.
As the aim was intended for sport crags this was a complete fail - but I'll retain it and hope for a less plaguey 2021.

- Keep TRXing and fingerboarding.
Win: for 9 weeks in Spring, TRX and fingerboarding was all I did, other than walking! I'm still fingerboarding but have lately replaced the TRX with weighted pull-ups and ab-wheel rollouts.

- Get back on the woodie - hopefully the new Beastmaker crimps my brother got me for Christmas and winter bouldering will inspire new board problems.
Partial success - for reasons I won't go into, I couldn't use the woodie when I needed it most in Spring, but WFH allowed me to have a fair few sessions once lockdown eased. It felt really good to use it again - a 40degree board covered in crimps and pinches is my platonic ideal of climbing - shame I am so bad at it.

Life

- Drink less
Ha! I really made no effort at all on this one (a miserable pandemic really didn't help mitigate my weakness for a G&T or three).

- Work / life balance, not that I have much control over the matter. .
Sort of complied with this - through no efforts of my own but because there was a pandemic related lessening of my workload.

- Eat better, try more new recipes.
Definite pass - WFH meant I could cook / prep meals during breaks from work - so I got to add lots of nice dishes to my repertoire (and given the number that were chickpea, bean, or lentil based, it's probably just as well I live and work alone!).

- Read more, less aimless browsing on the internet.
Nope... the US election and Covid meant I spent an awful lot of time "doom-scrolling", and then even more time browsing articles on sport in a desperate attempt to seek solace in triviality.

- Have more non-climbing days out .
I'll take a win for this, although, it was very much achieved under duress. With climbing embargoed, I spent Spring weekends walking and exploring my local area - although, frankly with my remedial map and compass skills, wandering alone in featureless moorland was probably far risky than any climbing I would have done!
 
How’s the ab wheel moose? Wondered about this but been warned off by bad form scare stories.
 
Seems okay - I bought it years ago but used it once, got back-ache, and gave up. This time - lessons learned from my dalliances with TRX - I watched a lot of Youtube videos on form / mistakes to avoid and no problems so far (I'm a weak-cored beginner, so using it on my knees).

As for whether or not it's effective - too early to tell really. I've lately started going to the Depot again and certainly seem better at getting my feet back on after cutting loose on steep problems. But that might be a legacy of the TRX, or the added strength from weighted pull-ups giving me more time to replace my feet. Still, it's not a massive investment of time - I aim for at least two sessions a week, lasting 30-45 minutes - sets of 10-20 rollouts until I get bored - usually after a total of 100-150.
 
I’d love to get fit enough and find sufficient trad mojo in 2020 to try any of the big E5s locally that I always put off. Any out of Oceans (Maer Cliff), The Devonian (Sharpnose), Saviourblade (Carn Gowla) or Il Duce (Tintagel) would be amazing, but not sure how likely it is that I’ll get into good enough shape to try them.

Managed Oceans plus another couple of great E5s (see the Best of 2020 thread), so gonna give myself this one. The others on the above list get rolled-over to 2021 targets.

Other than that I don’t have many goals this year. There are a couple of new routes (trad and DWS) that I would like to get done, or at least try and live to tell the tale.

Didn't manage either of the new routes that I had wanted to do. They're still there for the taking, but will need fitness, courage, conditions and partners to all align.

I did however do one other really good new route at Logan Rock, which I called Big Boys Don't Cry (E4, 5c) - details here: https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/logan_rock-9873/big_boys_dont_cry-597083. Named after the lack of fuss made by my friend after he took a ground-fall attempting the line earlier in the year - photo here: https://www.ukclimbing.com/photos/dbpage.php?id=346429

I’d also like to tick off some more of the local E4s, and it would be good to get at least one weekend away somewhere - maybe Pembroke or Gogarth.

Managed a few other good routes locally, but didn't make it outside of Devon & Cornwall all year.

Not sure yet whether I’ll try to get 8a ticked as an after work goal over the summer. I’d like to, but I live more than an hour’s drive from work, with the nearest 8a an hour in the opposite direction. It would probably require me dossing at the crag then going straight into work the next day, which never seems very appealing.

Working from home has been great, but meant I didn't travel to any of the sports crags which are nearer to my office, so didn't try any hard sports routes at all.

Anyway, if I can manage at least some of that while still maintaining a semblance of happy family life I’ll be doing well.

Well the wife's not divorced me yet and the kids seem to be doing OK, plus we managed to move and renovate a new (to us, 200 year old) house despite lockdown.
 
I'm actually going to take part this year after skipping the last 2 years due to having multiple (4) injured fingers and my only goal was basically don't fuck up my fingers anymore and have a good time climbing. Finger integrity at 99% now. Keeping goals strictly climbing based, however the reality of successful goals is making sure my life outside of climbing is stable and successful too.

1. Climb 8B again

Sort of, does repeating keen roof count? its a repeat + probably only 8A+

2. Climb 8c+ again

Pedigree Chum, 9 session in total!

3. Sort out my on going groin strain which has plagued me for over 2 years now. this really impinges my climbing, it makes heel hooks, rock overs, drop kneeing and wide bridging all harder and sometimes impossible when its bad.

Definitely didn't succeed in this one, if anything its worse and also blew my knee out in a heel toe cam in the lake district.

4. Work on pure finger strength in a variety of grip positions, previously I used to be able to full crimp my BW on a lattice rung but would need 12KG assistance in any other grip. Basically If I can get up to BW in chisel, half crimp and full crimp I'll be happy.

Haven't done any benchmarking but if I did I'm pretty sure I would have improved my chisel and half crimp. might get a few finger board sessions in this winter and test myself to see how I compared to pre injury 3 years ago.

5. 8b+ in a session

Helivita - Shipwreck cove.

6. 8A+ in a session
I'll award myself this one. Managed 2 in Albarracin, though 1 was probably 8A and the other I had 1 very quick fondle of the holds at the end of a day and came back the next day and did it very quickly. Bindu - Techos

Looks like a set myself some good targets with all the green, I'd actually forgotten that I'd wrote this post and was pleasantly surprised when I saw it.

wish I could make my knees and hips better, I really feel its the limiting factor now for me on improving as a climber.
 
Goals 2020

Another year and time to decide what I want to do.

Last year I set the unrealistic target of 8A, so this year I think I’d be better setting the still hard but slightly more realistic target of 7C.

No chance, although am probably edging towards 7B, so 7C target will reappear next year

I definitely climb inside far too much so I think an outside target is a good plan. I will aim for 100 days outside this year, which hopefully is achievable despite plenty of trips planned that most definitely wont be climbing.

I did get out on 100 days, but some were less than ideal and some involved traversing on the four dry feet of rock in Yorkshire, so hardly quality days out. A lower number next year but aiming for more quality days.

Based on the above, have something to write in the Best of 2020 thread when it appears.

I thgink I have and will be using the following categories;

- Problems I've never done before
- Problems I've not done for fifteen years but repeated this year
- Spankings
- Crags I've never been to before this year


Train fingers at least twice a week and be diligent about it, unless I am on a trip of any sort.

No, although once I got my groove on and started getting a bit more focused I did manage to keep to this

Train abs at least four times a week.

Same as above

Aim to get solid at 1-4-7 on both arms.

Nope

At least two days each for Wales, the Lakes and the Peak, plus at least three weeks bouldering out of the country.

A miserable failure, only climbed in Yorkshire apart from a trip rot Hobson Moor, Stoney and Shaftoer, must trey harder.......restrictions permitting

Make good use of the camper van.

We spent as many nights as we could in the van due to living in Kirklees which has had restrictions pretty much throughout the year. Got rid of one of the cars and use it as everyday vehicle, so getting money's worth out of the van bit

I have a solo 24 hour ultra event planned for July and I’d like to do more than 80 miles in the time, well I’d actually like to do 100 miles but just not sure whether that’s a realistic goal or not.

Cancelled and have gone off running g for the time being.

A sub 4 hours at Barcelona marathon would be good, but I better get my finger out soon if I have any hope of achieving that.

As above

Probably key to many of the above is get my weight down a bit to maybe 65k from my current 70 or so.

Managed to go up to 78k at one stage which helped my powerlifting bio end, but was disastrous for climbing. Managed to drag it back to 70k again and things are looking much better. Weight was indeed key but not in the way I had wanted. Happy to be back where I started after the year that we've all had, the beer that I have drunk and the injuries that I've inflicted on myself

Again the most important goal is to enjoy what I am doing and not give a monkeys. Definite tick
 
Well obviously Climb the Devil's Tower didn't happen.

I started the year with the same resolute weekly rehab/ training program of weights & punishing cardio :sick: at the gym/ auto belay at the wall/ hiking carrying stuff/ Fingerboarding consistently that I'd ended 2019 with and high hopes for the year's climbing. However the first lockdown fucked us all and my way of dealing with it was to forget climbing even existed so the Beastmaker went out of the window (figuratively speaking) and I haven't been back to the gym or a climbing wall since. However, my other half and I turned our living room into a kind of training complex and stayed sane with co-ordinated exercise bike and weight training throughout the year which has seen me get, while not quite into green, a long way into orange status with Equal or better all my pre-injury strength PBs :dance1: This autumn/ winter I've been back on the fingerboard twice a week religiously 8) too. It's funny how much all this stuff interlocks and plays off each other- the secret to regaining leg strength was weighted squats but I couldn't do them to any kind of depth before this summer as my ROM was so poor. But the squats themselves seem to help the flexibility now I can do them all the way... similar with dead hangs- they were so hard early in the year and I made such slow progress. getting stronger shoulders etc. has meant that I see improvements every time I do them this winter.

Emerging blinking from lockdown in May I decided that I was more than happy to just spend a year climbing locally so Central Buttress (The Scafell one) & Climb in Scotland didn't happen either but it did set me up to have a decent crack at the *** Sub-extreme Peak trad list that I was psyched for a year ago. It was 46 routes, mostly HVS (a grade I'd only climbed two of before June and didn't do first go 'til July) so was too much to ask really. I also didn't have the appetite for getting partners to go to specific crags and obsessing over specific routes so I just tried to do 20 HVSs. I just about did that (some real softies in there!) but most importantly I was climbing them confidently and fairly quickly by the end of the season, with very few of the confidence crises and meltdowns that were still part of my climbing in 2019. I didn't Get on The Rasp though- that one was a bit too ambitious. :lol:

So no green, but I do feel like I've had a successful year, just not in the ways I planned to!
 
yetix said:
-get a lot better
-get a little stronger
-7C+
-get out on a rope more than 2019 (2 sessions)

1. Managed to send harder stuff much quicker than previous years (19 7Cs and above vs 6 the previous year). Feel like I'm moving much better, tactically better and just better at learning moves quickly than previous years.
2. Managed to increase my 18mm hangs from 30kg to 40kg for 5s and 37.5kg for 10s so in that sense I did well here. However power I've relied on majorly for years and this I have felt I've been lacking for much of this year (having not trained it)
3. Managed to send 4 (probabaly soft) ones
4. Only managed 1 session on a rope for about 30 minutes on chimes at the tor. Maybe another year...
 
After some time for pondering and checking of possibilities, aims this year:

1. Climb some desert towers (6 shooter, ancient art, owl) On hold.
2. Tick off more of the *** way to yorkshire grit heaven ukc 2, Both seconded! Rolling gate buttress was lovely on a baking summers day with the Mrs, desperation crack with Will in the hail was a giggle. More next year please.
3. Climb lots of US easy classics (Wyoming? Yosemite? Red rocks? Bishop? Recomendations welcome for 5.9 or easier!) On hold.
4. Do some dirty headpoints of local stuff Did a quick hp of daytona wall direct at cowsmouth and Desperate dan at ilkley. Got my annual E5 (maybe E6 for daytona direct?) so chuffed anyway!
5. Boulder some 7B (just try hard!) 7 7Bs across grit/lime/granite and a 7B+ (demon wall ear variation!). Some of them going in a session.
6. Some sport 7s (take some falls!) No sport this year, covid/crowds etc.
7. Get out after work with lamps etc.. Couple of sessions early in the year, and then loads at the end. I find this much easier now my work hours are more set, and I have hooked up with some local lampy keen beans. Spent 101 days this year climbing/biking and or surfing, good considering 2 months of not leaving the house.


7. Finish Phd Psyched off my face .
8. Get gainful employment New job, got my first pay slip just before xmas, nice people, interesting work.

Climbing goals got a bit covid-ed, but given I didnt leave my house at all for two months and haven't been to wall since January, bouldering seems to have gone well. I didn't always try as hard as I could do, but bouldering wise I feel like I am close to previous best form, which is nice!
 
As last year didn’t quite go to plan many of my aims have been carried over. Last year presented me with a few challenges, but I think this year should negate one or two of them and I hopefully have a bit of a better understanding of how to deal with others.

Sport

Hopefully back out to Spain for a second go at last year’s trip. made it back out to Spain, had 4 weeks of climbing before van got crashed into, got it fixed, then had to drive home just as my now ex arrived.

So again keen to consolidate at 8a which probably equals doing one in a session. But doing a load more would also equal this. didnt manage one in a session though did do one in Spain in 4 tie ins but it was spread between 2 days as the sun came round. Did consolidate at 8a though with 3 solid peak lime 8as ticked. Unleashing, crucifixion, and ouijaboard. Adding in my Spanish 8a I more than doubled my tally of 8as.

Onsight 7c - was close last time which was 3 years ago now. Be ace to try and flash 7c+ too if I’m feeling good did one ground up (you can take the trad climber out of a trad crag...) tried one or two more but didn’t really get my teeth into onsighting as I was planning on doing more towards the end of the trip

Be good to get my teeth into something fairly tricky. Mon Dieu at oliana seems like it might fit the bill and it seems like a lot of my mates are keen to go there. had a few sesssions on it but they were sporadic and around sorting my van which I found stressful. Would like to go back for it as I think it would come together quite quickly

U.K. sport-wise I would really like to do Supercool. Had a bolt to bolt up it after work last year and couldn’t do the crux but would be keen to invest some time in it. Also tick some more off the list. had a couple of sessions on it, but will need a fair few more! Did do cross’n’angry at raven tor which although not as good or very hard for 8a+ was fun

Trad

Onsight/g-up E6 again, both at a more solid for the grade level and more often. Remember that the prize is going for it on the onsight not the end product of the onsight itself. didnt try any. Had one day in Pembroke where I was up for one but ex wasn’t keen, fair enough. Barely did any trad so not surprised I didn’t climb E6

Get to the lakes more and tick off more from the lists went to the lakes once

Maybe look into a headpoint project. Would likely be in the more spicy sport area than really necky short route. This is an area I have never really given much thought but I can imagine it can be really fun if the right level found. Plus a good way to further improve trad skills did barely any trad so any time spent tradding was spent onsighting

Bouldering
Consolidate at 7B do more 7B+ and if I find one that suits 7C not really done much should of done more in summer with ex. One in a long list of regrets

Keep up a bit of power through summer did actually manage this with board and fingerboarding

Misc/life

Do some more big multi pitch things - Verdon/dolomites/general euro.

Make sure I spend enough time with GF but also make time for going out and doing the things I really want to do - a tricky one this. Don’t let uncertain work contracts stop is from going away on a decent holiday/trip fucked it in so many ways. Don’t think I got the balance right here. And my attitude/mental health at times made my choices even worse

Figure out work direction - do I stay with current company or go more freelance? Build more experience for when I upgrade to L3 in some ways yes. Switched firms. Went in opposite direction and got a full time contract. Mostly for below aim. Not sure if I enjoy the work as much at new firm, but right decision short term

Begin gearing up to buy house guess after working loads last year this year will be more fun oriented but towards the end of the year will have to start thinking about buying a house. van getting stolen in lockdown and due to some bad luck not getting any further money from write off was a set back. But Covid seemed like the perfect opportunity to get my head down and begin getting sorted. Plus it’s currently fine to have a full time contract as I may as well be working. Hoping to buy sometime in 2021

Read more. Stop mindlessly scrolling!! was a bit better but still need to be even better

Keep up with general training over summer. Did keep up fingerboarding

Hope this is a good start to the decade for everyone!


This year totally kicked my ass. My van being crashed into, written off and then stolen, plus my Spain trip being cut short and then Covid really made my mental health spiral downwards. Some unfortunate work projects and some underlying mental issues/attitudes further exacerbated all this.

Regrettably this caused a breakdown in my relationship which ended in September, though I am still dealing with it. This caused me to really look at myself and decide I had some stuff I need to sort out. Which I have been and am committed to continuing.

A lot of red but I think my aims for 2021 will be a bit different and hopefully lead to a better more content life. With or without climbing achievements
 
A rough year but you will come out of it for the better. Amazing sport year, very inspired by you on the Tor long routes.
 
5 off the “why have you not done these yet?” list [Syrett's Saunter, Chicken, Ben's Groove Sitter, Zoo York, Underhand Super Extension, Pistol Whip, Neat Wall Arete Eliminate (finally!) and several more. Reasonably easy when you have 100s of local problems pending...]
5 sessions trying 8B/s- [2: smeggy half hour on High Fiddy, got to undercut. End of session punt on Voyager, did first two moves...]
5 new UK crags [Eastby, Eskdale Fisherground, Higgar Tor, Smeaton, Lees Bottom, and several more]
5 second one arm BM 10’s [don't have any to check, haven't been indoors since February!]
5 off the board list [see above...]
5 days sport climbing [ended up getting a dog]
5 eights [1: ZY. Was fully expecting to polish off 4 at Griffs and the Bowderstone alone, but the former was wet both times I went and I never made it to the latter. Probably tried about 3 this year and only one for more than a session. More to go at next year I suppose :smartass:]
5 climbing trips (weekends/holidays) [4: two pre-lockdown weekend trips. Overseas cancelled, but very grateful to make it to Northumberland and Torridon instead]
5 FA’s (including shitty link ups and shitty sitters) [2: Gardener's Delight, Off The Block, a few more pending]
5 training room PB’s [see above]

and
50+ fingerboard sessions [somewhere around 40-45]
50+ stretching/mobility sessions [~30]
50+ conditioning sessions [~30]

Not a mega climbing year on paper, but I don't mind as I've just really appreciated being able to get out and particularly with good company. More of this please.
 
12 month review.

Climbing

Climb at least French 8b bolt clipping again. I managed to do a route that gets 8b+ in the guidebook but it is probably only hard 8b. At least I know it is definitely 8b!

Do a challenging alpine route at either Rote Wand, Wilder Kaiser or the Dolomites. Finding a psyched partner will probably be the initial crux on this one. Got a potentially psyched partner but was hoping to do something around this time but the weather has been gash recently and very unstable. Still plenty of time so hopefully soon.

There were some weather windows in the end but I never got psyched enough to organise a partner and a potential route.

If I go to Australia next autumn I would like to do some classics in the Blue Mountains and in the Gramps such as Serpentine. This was all cancelled for obvious reasons.

I won't bother with any specific bouldering goals as my outdoor sessions are rare and sporadic, but it would be nice to climb a classic 7C outdoors if I get into one. Did a little bit of bouldering in Maltatal when I was there. Looked at a 7c briefly which felt doable, but it was much too warm/humid that day. Keen to get out bouldering soon to Silvretta.

Nope. I had a brief period of motivation for bouldering in October but it was a very damp month. I was determined to do a hard "block" style problem (say 4 moves or less) but at the same time I lose motivation fast. Had 3 sessions on a 7C+/8A and made progress but then conditions were terrible and I would drive all the way there and wouldn't be able to hang the holds. Back splatted on my last session and never went back.

Running

Finish both of the 100 km+ races I have entered into (Innsbruck Trail Festival and Eiger Ultra) and do the Bob Graham round in June if there is a good weather window. All my races were cancelled. I ran the Innsbruck route anyway but gave up before the last 8km as it was getting dark and I ran out of motivation. I am still happy I ran over 100km though. This has been rescheduled for September so maybe I will get a chance to complete it then. I would still love to have a crack at the Bob Graham round but who knows when I am going to make it back to the UK again. I don't think I will get a chance before the second wave arrives after they open everything up again. My partner for the Bob Graham also had to undergo a major unplanned surgery this year so maybe it will be best to wait until he recovers for next year if he still has the motivation.

I never attempted the BGR and haven't been back to the UK since last March. Hopefully this year. I took part in the Innsbruck K110 Ultra in September and finished in 30th place in 15 hours 23 mins, well within my target time of 16 hours so I was pretty pleased with that.

Misc/life

Get less anxious about work related stuff. It has not been too bad this year. Usually I get stressed about managing everything and keeping everything under control but strangely during the lockdown I felt completely calm about that side of things as I felt it was all out of my hands anyway and there was nothing I could do about it! I feel a bit anxious now as all the work seems to have dried up but similarly I have no control over the global economy so there is only so much I can do about it. Luckily I am personally ok at the moment but I will need to work again at some point! Worryingly one of my larger UK clients are asking me if I have work for them!

I have continued to be generally pretty chilled about work. After having no work all summer it picked up again in September and has been ticking along since. I could do with this year being more lucrative though.

Read more for pleasure + as others have said - less mindless internet scrolling. I bought a Kindle to address this and read one short novel called Train Dreams that I enjoyed. However, it is now covered in dust! I am reading a Norwegian (translated) crime thriller at the moment which I am enjoying and have a few other books lined up so hopefully this will improve. I still do way too much mindless scrolling!

Hmm not really. I gave-up on the Norwegian crime thriller and have read half a book since. I just don't make time for reading.

Improve my conversational German. My vocab improved a lot during 2019 but I still actively avoid conversing in German! This has got a lot better although I wouldn't say I actively seek to converse with people in German. I speak with a tutor in Vienna on Skype every week and go running with a French guy who has lived in Austria for 20 years. He doesn't speak English so our common language is German so that is good for practice.

My German got better in theory and I watched a lot more German TV series but didn't really converse with anyone!

Improve my living situation and get a quieter, more spacious flat with a home office space. I moved in with my girlfriend which was decided and executed within one afternoon/evening the day the lockdown was announced. Much nicer and quieter here and I have a good working space. I still need to do some stuff to make it official but that should be finished within a month or two.

After cancelling out any benefit of giving up booze last November by drinking like a fish throughout December, I will now attempt to give up alcohol until I climb 8b, Preston North End get promoted or I finish the Eiger Ultra. Whichever happens first! I already cracked before the end of January when visiting friends in Switzerland and deciding having a fondue with water was just not going to happen. I did have a few weeks off booze though but I didn't climb 8b until May, the wheels have fallen off at Preston and my Eiger Ultra race was cancelled! Still probably boozing on average a bit too much.

This didn't change and probably got worse!

Written after 6 months...

So far so good this year, all things considered. Lockdown was actually good for me mentally as it allowed me to slow down and not have such a frantic hyper-anxious mindset that I had to be working on stuff all the time! It was also beneficial physically as I did a lot of basic strength training that I would normally avoid, particularly in the spring when I would just be climbing outdoors. The cruxes on routes felt a lot easier afterwards and I have maintained the training to a certain degree. I will keep the aims the same for the rest of the year with the focus on trying not to worry about work too much but also trying to generate some income after the summer. I will add a goal of completing my first bike packing tour as I am about to receive delivery of nice XC MTB bike that I ordered with this in mind.

After 12 month...

Not much changed after 6 months. I did the additional goal of a bike packing tour (the Zugspitze tour which was awesome!). I have to admit I didn't really find 2020 tough with all the stuff going on. With the exception of 3 weeks I could still do all the sport I like to do and did more overall than any other year in my life (Strava says I did 3073km 148,693m height gain of which 2400km was running), I still went on holiday to Carinthia, Italy and France and I had enough work to get by so I feel very lucky compared to how the pandemic has affected some people.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top