Power Club 780 18-24 Nov 2024

[Duma]

M - Siurana, Ca l'Olla. Creaky fingers from yesterday so took it very easy. Que Pagui Pujol 5, then the severely undergraded Rostoll d'Aixella 6b (more like 6c). Redeemed with the lovely Fisura del Silvio 6b+, then a bit of sunbathing followed by Fanatik Family 6b.
T - rest
W - Siurana, Siuranella. Super windy but our target routes were pretty sheltered. Warmed up on the big crack of Tikis Mikis 7a, as brilliant as it looked, then dogged up Estratoférica 7c (would be reasonable flash target but didn't want to risk the finger). Moves all ok, fairly confident. Remus finished off Memorias..., then I had a decent 1st RP, through the lower wall ok, but struggling to recover up the decent pockets of the middle section and off only inches from the jug in the giant glory pocket. Felt okay next go, better through the lower wall and fresher through the pockets. Great route, best so far on this visit to Siurana, good to get the team send with Remus too.
T - Siurana, Grau dels Masets Esquerra. Lovely gentle crag, generally pretty slabby. Dropped the OS of Sugopy 7a warming up - flash pumped and off slapping to nothing near the end of the crux. Fine next go and decent route, shame to blacken my otherwise spotless 7a flash/OS report card for this trip though. Got back on the righteous path with a flash and an OS respectively of the (both excellent) Es Algol 7a and Súper Final 7a.
F - rest.
S - Siurana, Grau dels Masets Camí and Baix. Last day here, booo! I fucking love Siurana. El Trinxant 5 to get moving, then fairly comfortable flash of the striking arete of Filomátic 7a. Then scraped up the hardest moves I did in siurana this year to get the OS of Petitet 7a. Pleased not to fall but a ratty boulder at ankle breaking height followed by a trivial romp does not a classic make. Then down to Baix, wasn't sure what I was going to try here but as soon as we came round the corner and I saw La Muerte del Sponsor was free I knew I had to have a go. I've been avoiding hard (for me) OSing this trip as it feels like the most likely route to exacerbating my dodgy finger, but this felt worth the risk. Went pretty much perfectly, reckon it's the best I've climbed on an onsight. Obviously the chalk helps, but it's pretty slabby so the sequences still need a bit of thought/feel. One off the life list for sure. Remus flashed casually afterwards, and I carried the psyche through to OS the typical siurana crimping of Pitoig Valent 7b, then another nasty low boulder to start Sonar '05 7a, thankfully this one, unlike Petitet, has a brilliant 25m of crimping afterwards to make up for it. Finished off back at Camí on the way out on Els Hi Agrada? 7a, very close to binning it but gritted teeth got me through. 7 routes, 6 7's, a mega classic, no falls. Amazing day.
S - rest, drive back to Albarracín. Picked up the pads from Sofa Boulder (tip, get the mushroom ones, the organics get hammered as everyone wants something they're familiar with, but the mushrooms are brilliant and generally in much better nick). Such a beautiful afternoon, couldn't resist nipping out for the last half hour of light. Cabrerizo for minimal drive and walk. 5 lovely slabs to get moving (and in their own right): Salsa Rosa 5+, The Way 5+, Primavera 6A, Nubes Negras 6B+, and Slabababa 6A+. All quality. Round the corner I managed Burundanga 7A+ in a few goes, thankfully as the LH crimp was eating my index finger. Típicamente 6C, lovely flexy step onto a slab before dark stopped play. 3 more days of playing before real life intrudes again.

? kg.

 

[duncan]

Duma, thank you. Sounds amazing, really glad it worked out.

If you're not in Catalunya, well done if you managed to get out.

M - Hip flexibility: sumo squats, prone frog stretches, high steps.

T - Down to Weston for parental care.

W - 5C and a bracing northerly can only mean Brean Down. Purple Sue was game, conditions were great behind the 300’ wind-break, and we had the place to ourselves. Warmed up on Don’t Harsh My Mellow (6a) twice, then the short but fun Cock-Up (6b/+) which went smoothly. Looked for holds on the one move direct start Total Cock-Up (7a) but couldn’t find any. Got on Space Oddity (6c+ in the book, many think 7a), tried hard but fell off the crux. Didn't grab a draw or otherwise give up so that was good. Worked it on the rope but couldn’t find a sequence that resembled the grade and the elbow and shoulder were starting to hurt so I bagged it. The crucial hold felt less positive than I remember from March; not sure if this is consolidation of some crumbly rock, being weaker, fatter, or a combination of all three.

T - Plumbing emergency at home, the lad was a star and succeeded in isolating the burst pipe. Drove back to London to damp floorboards and a dripping ceiling. Replaced pipe. Elbow and shoulder rehab. exercises.

F - Shoulder and elbow rehab./conditioning. Fingerboard lifts. Walked for 10km. More plumbing.

S - Hip flexibility. Shoulder and elbow rehab./conditioning.

S - Hip flexibility. Shoulder and elbow rehab./conditioning.

Good to get out on the sunny day, happy to have tried hard-ish. A bit fed-up with the aches and pains. Onwards!

 

[Duma]

If you're not in Catalunya, well done if you managed to get out.

?

In Albarracín now, no issues travelling around, not sure what you are referring to?

Glad you got out, Brean in winter sun is always a tonic

 

[Fiend]

Next week STG: Keep up with general conditioning - pretty good, although a bit imbalanced. Keep up with steady elbow usage - mostly. Take care with cold weather - almost entirely yes.
The usual STG: Stay focused and don't make silly mistakes - nope. Do something challenging and inspiring on a rope (fuck above a pad) - nopey mcnopeface. Keep in regular contact with suitable friends and partners - like last week, didn't put enough effort in but had some social contact anyway. Falling practise if I do routes indoors or out - yes but small and not sure why. Look after injuries - mostly in terms of elbow, brachialis a bit sore and close to the edge with shoulders on Wed, (gym x 1) - x2, elbow rehab x 2 - x2, shoulder rehab x 2 - x 1.5, stretching x 3 - x 2.5.


M - Indoor bouldering @ Blochaus. 6 x V2, 7 x V3, 6 x V4 (5 flash, 1 x 2nd go), 2 x V6 (1 flash, 1 x 2nd go - rat crimps and slopey slab, very nice) . Attempted 2 x V6 (one silly hands free slab I might have got next go or might have got next decade, 1 decent powerful wall I ran out of time on) and 3 x V5 (all bloody desperate V6-7). Gash selection with only about 50% of normal problems due to comp stuff and resetting, but the quality of what was there was fine. Had considered going for quality over quantity training-wise, but wasn't viable. Did try to work harder things but ran out of time. Elbow a bit sore.
Gym. Misc conditioning and a few WeakWeights(tm). The weakest EVER on bench which is saying something, but assuming this is shoulder fatigue from Blochaus having too much squirmy / pressy stuff. Brachialis a bit sore. Elbow rehab. Sauna. Tiny bit of stretching - not enough to count.

T - Nothing. Should have done shoulder rehab, shoulder mobility, or a short run, and stretching, but too lazy.

W - Indoor routes @ Summit Up. F6b, F6b+, F6c, F6c, F6c+, F7a. Small practise falls on each. Tired already so mostly stuck to gentle routes, but had to pull it out of the bag on the F7a. Arms totally knackered so stopped early but stayed at wall for a stretching session. Shoulders very tired. GE a bit sore but okay.
1.5 hours excavating / trundling in a frozen quarry beforehand. Suboptimal warm-up TBH. Also fell down a hole and was only caught by my rucsac.

T - Rest. 5 mins entry / 1 min full immersion cold water torture. Should have done shoulder rehab, shoulder mobility and stretching, but too lazy. Shoulders tired in morning but much better by evening.

F - Gym. Misc WeakWeights(tm) and conditioning. Elbow rehab. Shoulder rehab. In a surprise plot twist, after my shoulders feeling the weakest this year on Monday, and the most fatigued this year on Wednesday, I had the best weights session for months - up to 5 then 3 x 18kg/arm OH press (felt comfy and could have probably gone to 20), and 3 then 2 x 70kg bench (maybe could have 1RMed at 75). Just felt like my muscles switched on and could actually push again a bit?? Slow single arm pull-downs back to a comfy 2 x 5 x 40kg/arm, rows comfy at 10 x 30kg/arm. DL still low at 130kg, did try 140kg and probably could have done it but wary of straining back/glutes. No bicep curls due to brachialis. Shoulders achey with vague nerve pains in morning and much better after gym - body generally felt good apart from a slight niggle in upper back / neck whilst doing face pulls. Full stretching session.

S - Indoor bouldering @ RockOver Bolton. 4 x V1-3, 8 x V2-4, 8 x V3-5 (flash), 8 x V4-6 (4 flash, 2 x 2nd go (silly mistakes), 2 x 3rd go, + attempted 2 more), 4 x "V5-7" (3 flash, 1 x 2nd go, + attempted 1 more). I think they've softened the grades again, especially on the V5-7s, but still an enjoyable session. My body felt fine after the gym and I was curious as to how it would feel climbing - also fine. GE a bit sore on a couple of things but coping with slightly increased intensity. Many cuddles with Betsy the little rug, and fleeting hello to Nova the zooming spaniel lunatic. Shoulder mobility before wall - about fucking time.
Evening: Leg day, 3.5 hours raving at Masters Of Hardcore to Mad Dog, a bit of Angerfist, a bit of Scott Brown, Dolphin b2b Scorpio, and finally Smurf b2b Loftgroover at mostly 250bpm. Great fun, just like being back in 1996.

S - Active rest. 30 mins gentle stroll. 30 mins gentle sapling clearance. A bit achey overall after Saturday.


Interesting week. Doing double sessions was a bit fatiguing, and lack of supportive stuff on rest days (pure laziness) doesn't help, but the recent increase in volume and mixing in gym sessions left my body feeling the most functional it has for a while on Fri and Sat. The sensation of my muscles vaguely listening to instructions was a novel one to feel again. I would like to capitalise on that, but need to do so without pushing too far.


Next week STG: Keep up with general conditioning. Don't go too far if fatigued.
The usual STG: Stay focused and don't make silly mistakes. Do something challenging and inspiring on a rope (fuck above a pad). Keep in regular contact with suitable friends and partners. Falling practise if I do routes indoors or out. Look after injuries, (gym x 1), elbow rehab x 2, shoulder rehab x 2, stretching x 3.

 

[teestub]

DL still low at 130kg, did try 140kg and probably could have done it but wary of straining back/glutes.

Great that the gym is starting to feel good again.
I know you receive a lot of unasked for feedback on here, but I gotta say with all the injury stuff you’ve had/have going on I don’t think you should be going anywhere near trying to find your 1RM on the deads at the mo?

 

[Fiend]

Cheers teestub. Injury stuff is chronic GE, a bit of a brachialis tweak, and stiff / immobile / impinged shoulders. I don't find DLs affect any of those although they can cause a bit of tiredness in the upper back / neck (regardless of weight). I've only ever had two minor tweaks from DLing, one those was recent hence when I was cautious and backed off the 140.

 

[nik at work]

M - nothing
T - The Works, warm up the circuit board then some yellows.
W - nothing
T - The Works. Really cold, didn’t really get warm at any point. Circuit board, then the new Irn-brus. Then Sam created some hideous Crimpy board problems and I got disheartened… so ambled over to the beastmakers and surprises myself by doing a “count to ten” one handed hang on the centre slot with the left, and the same with the right but with +4kg.
F - nothing
S - Woke up to rain/sleet and wind so went to Rubicon in the morning, weirdly not busy… managed to just about dry a couple of holes on Sam’s current project. He got very close to doing the first move and did the second move for the first time (has done all the other moves previously, and they were all soaked anyway). Given the conditions I call it pretty decent progress so we’ll worth the effort of going. I was just there as spotter/photographer, but even failed at that as I didn’t put the memory card in the camera so only got crappy old knackered iPhone photos… then went to Foundry for first time for about 20 years in the afternoon, I just belayed though, no climbing. And to complete my day of muppetry I left the car lights on so came out to a flat battery, arse!
S - nothing

Duma sounds like you’re having an ace trip :2thumbsup: :2thumbsup:

 

[spidermonkey09]

If you're not in Catalunya, well done if you managed to get out.

?

In Albarracín now, no issues travelling around, not sure what you are referring to?

Glad you got out, Brean in winter sun is always a tonic

I think he's referring to everyone else on PC not living it up in Spain :lol: it's been gale force winds, rain and snow for the entire weekend.

 

[duncan]

I think he's referring to everyone else on PC not living it up in Spain :lol: it's been gale force winds, rain and snow for the entire weekend.

Yes! And also a nod to shark (Power Club absentee) who has been slumming it in Margalef. A bit in-joke but this is ukb, right?

 

[Nibile]

Mon - AM as usual; PM boxe.
Tue - weights, bar work.
Wed - AM as usual; PM nice little board session.
Thu - AM as usual; PM DL as usual.
Fri - got home late and spent. Boxe.
Sat - board climbing, quite satisfied. Set and climbed two new problems (Dolly you hearing me?).
Sun - tired. Farmer's, felt heavy. Weights.

 

[Dolly]

I'm hearing you beast Thats the way to do it


M Beastmaker
T
W Froggatt Todys wall with Lagers. What a lovely day. Snow all around but sheltered and dry apart from the top outs which were covered in snow. Did the only problem I hadn't done on that block as well.
T
F Just about made it to Burbage, tried to go up the hill to Stanage/Higgar but car couldnt make it up the snow and ice so just managed to reverse and slide back. Ended up with a good 90 minutes at Mother Cap before getting snowed off
S Beastmaker again but more working on locking off stuff
S

 

[SA Chris]

Guess I better get back on the wagon.

M - 6km run, Stonehaven, biting cold, first sub zero run of the winter. Luckily pavements dry. Stretches, rehab on back
T - Lunchtime walk in snow at work. Stretches, rehab on back
W - as above.
T - Lunchtime walk in snow at home. Decided not to run in evening, treacherous as. Walked to Dunnottar Castle to take photos with snow and stars, biting cold wind, also first hotaches of winter. Stretches, rehab on back
F - not a load. Some overhead kettlebell work on shoulders and curls.
S - wall session. Son walked into wall, declared it too cold for routes, so went to cinema, so I had a decent bouldering session. 30 board had a reset, flashed all except 1 prob, which I got in about 4 goes (V5, not). Then did most of the other probs I did last week. Good session, holds felt cool and grippy for a change. Muscle just below shoulder blade felt a bit sore after though, prodded it with back hook.
S - woke with worse pain, ran 5.5 km with son before dark at 4. Attacked back with zen viber and foam rollerand did more stretches.

Annoying to pick up another pain / injury, hopefully just a tweak.

 

[Duma]

I think he's referring to everyone else on PC not living it up in Spain :lol: it's been gale force winds, rain and snow for the entire weekend.

Yes! And also a nod to shark (Power Club absentee) who has been slumming it in Margalef. A bit in-joke but this is ukb, right?

Doh! Obvious now it's pointed out. Sorry for rubbing everyone's noses in it!

 

[Fultonius]

I've also been "working around injuries in Spain", but on more limited time, with too much socialising (aka too many late nights) and picking up a cold meant it was sub par for actual clean ascents, but we had fun nonetheless.

Monday: pottered around in the morning, quick hike in the Sierra tajeda (7km ish), dropped mates off at the airport and grabbed a few hours at Villanueva del Cauch. Just testing the wrist, 6a to 6b+. Felt it a bit but nothing too bad.
Tuesday: Loja. Such a shame the lower crag was debolted, but the upper still worth a day. Did a few 6s, wrist mainly feeling it on awkward moves, but plain pulling seemed OK. Got on a fun looking tufa 7a+ but was tentative and didn't get it clean, but the wrist felt good.
Weds: Was forecast to be sunny so went to Desplomilandia. No worst issues, in fact, it seemed to be getting better each day.
Warmed up on some 6s, did a fun 6c Espurga Perros, twice, as B wanted a go but could get past the long reach at the last bolt.
Feeling good I decided I liked the look of Sandokan, a an imposing 7c round the corner. Plan was to throw everything at the onsight, and then probably figure out the crux if the inevitable happened. Started well (it's about 6b...) and then got established on the first tricky climbing with long pulls between good....... but wet..... pockets.... Nearly slipped out the first one, but when I hit the second pocket it was goopy game over. Took a massive ride and pulled B up about 6m! Just decided to sack it off and retrieved the clips.
After a rest went over to a cruxy 7b which appears to be named "mid height hole". Didn't make the crux 1st go (it's hard!) but decided to not be too down on myslef and climbed the top half very well. Didn't bother with a red point as I wasn't that psyched by the cruxiness of it. Did a 6c over on next level.
Thur:last day, bit tired, skin getting thin but pleased the wrist was still improving. Hard climbing seemed to be the cure....


Back to Desplo as B liked it. Bit cold, cloudy and windy.

Similar start with doing a few warm ups, then a nice 6c which again didn't really give quite enough pump (I. E. None) for a proper warm up for harder stuff. Jumped on Oleanna, which in retrospect was silly. Monos, bad feet, razors, poor skin, 80kg is not a recipe for enjoyment. After committing to the crux I nearly got it, but just came up a few cm short. After that it was PURE PURGATORY and torturous masochism. It's a shame as the movement and features are very cool, but the holds are just so sharp you'd need some really tough, thick, calloused bricklayer's hands to enjoy that....

Not really sure what else to try, decided to go back to the cruxy 7b to at least get one moderately hard route ticked. Got through the crux (just) and then underestimated the top as it had gone so well last tien, but didn't rest long enough, caught a sharp, awkward hold a bit off and could readjust and get the next hold.... So after a we rest, had another go, nearly fluffed the low crux when my foot only made it to the lower of two holds, but with a power grunt managed to reposition, nearly dropped the hand swap (again - every time!). This time got a better rest and the top half was pretty mellow.

All in it was a fun trip, just a bit of a shame my form from 3 weeks back got tanked by wrist issues, being a bit ill and not being able to hold the nice summer weight of 77.5kg...

One year it'll all come together....

 

[SA Chris]

Next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.

 

[mr chaz]

Power Club.

Missed a couple of weeks in which I've managed:

- Half a day bouldering at Higgar Tor, lots of easy ground and slabs and then about 30 mins trying Witness the Gritness, failed at the last move 3 times but looks like I was going with the wrong hand.
- Couple of hours at Awesome Walls Stoke, great session with my brother, the most volume I've done in yonks.
- About 3 sessions in the shed limit bouldering.
- One session of max hangs in shed.
- Short indoor bouldering session at Shreswbury Climbing Hut.

78.1 kg.