Back on full psyche (well almost)!

Monday 10/11/2014:

I headed to the Mile End Wall with my mind almost in the right mind frame and feeling happy and cheerful even though my heart was elsewhere to climb hard but I did not know what to concentrate on. Do I focus on technique? Do I try to get to the top of problems? Where do I start? My first port of call after stretching and traversing was the slab in the main area to attempt technical problems but the slab was busy with people trying to do the hardest circuit problem there (V6-V8+) so I decided to watch the climbers and ask them for tips once they had finished. After the other climbers finished from the problem I had a few goes myself but even though I knew how to do the move after the footswap I did not have the leg flexibility to get the foot to the other long narrow and flat foot hold close to a edge of the slab – the moves after this looked tricky but do-able. After this problem I saw one of the other climbers climb a V3-V5 circuit problem to the left of the hardest problem so I attempted it myself but after holding on to the big flake side pull and getting my foot on to the small flat circular hold I could not do stand up on that foot to help me get to the big volume hold just after the slabby part of the problem finishes – standing up on that high-ish foothold was what the other climber told me to do – I did not give up as I tried hopping with the other leg and going for a super long reach but nothing worked. I then spotted a V4-V6 overhanging problem that I knew I could do the move that starts by matching hands on a large weird hold (weird pinch? weird bar hold?) the reaching out to medium size crimp on a volume on the wall whilst having one foot on a small hold and flagging with the other. I knew the crimp was there as I had read the sequence but as the move is sidewards one you can not see the hold – such moves are called ‘blind moves’. After the main section I headed to the secret garden to try some of the new problems on the slab there. What I spotted as soon I entered The Secret Garden was a new climbing area which I later was called The Competition Wall, so instead of trying the problems on the slab I found a problem that I liked which had huge holds – slopey but grippy side pulls for holds to start of with and long wide footholds. I tried to problem without reading the sequence and it got me doing a wide bridge but because of the angles of the part of the wall where the problem was it put me off balance. I then read the sequence but decided not to try the problem again. The thing about The Competition Wall is that the problems are ungraded and in terms of difficulty might much the same colored problems in other parts of the centre for example a blue problem there might not be V3-V5 which is the grade of the other problems in that circuit. Strangely enough, I read on a notice on The Competition Wall, that the problems are off-piste which actually is a skiing term. Off-piste skiing is skiing outside the patrolled and marked  areas of the resort. I then went to slab area in The Secret garden and attempted a very crimpy V4-V6 circuit problem that involved me pushing on a volume with one hand and with the other hand on a small crimpy sidepull reaching for a small crimp – I got stuck here at every attempt because I forgot to read the sequence. After that problem I gave my fingers a rest and to compare moves I found a VB-V0 minus circuit problem which was very juggy in nature. I found the climbing on this problem very easy and climbed it up to wear I wanted to climb it smoothly and with a good flow. As to the moves themselves they were similar to the V4-V6 problem but easier to execute. Just to compare moves I found a problem in V0minus-V0+ circuit with holds that were not as big as the previous problem’s and gave it a few goes after reading the sequence – I found the climbing to be smooth and with a good flow. I also had a few tries on a V6-V8+ circuit problem where the only starting hand hold was is a weird crimp on a volume where you match hands. What I tried next was try to reach the volumes where two almost invisible crimps were. I tried to do it by putting my body in weird position where one leg was flagging smearing on the adjacent wall. Another climber tried to do get to the crimps by managing to get both feet on the footholds and balancing and balancing then reaching for the crimps – none of us managed to do the problem. Sorry I do not have any photographs. This is due to me not having a camera with me.

Wednesday 12/11/2014:

On Wednesday I headed to the White Spider to work on technique and maybe get some problems done. I decided after stretching and traversing to head to the downstairs slab area for slab technique and to get a slab circuit problem done. My first problem was a V1-V3 problem with large holds including slopers. After the first two moves this problem got me either smearing or flaggng to get to the next sloper but as many times I tried and whatever technique I tried I could not get to that sloper – it was just out of reach. The problem is the orange one – yes the wall is a slab but I took it at that angle to get as many holds in as possible.

As you can see my photographs are not top quality – I am no David Simmonite or Alex Ekins – but you can see the holds and try to imagine the moves. I am not sue if the last photo is for the mentioned problem or the next one. The next problem I liked the look of was a V4-V6 problem on the same slab – the black ones in the photograph above – that had interesting holds. The first hand hold that you start on with matched hands is a weird large crimp with a side pull attached to it. The first foot hold is a small triangular crimp you pivot on – I am not sue if you can see it on this photo in this size – it lies to the of the big green foot hold. What I did next was transfer the right hand to the side pull and with the left reach for the rough-ish positive sloper and hold it like – not to sound perverted and groper-like – like a woman’s breast in an open-hand form. Then here it gets confusing – do I get my other foot on the very small foot hold then reach for the crimpy jug with the right hand or the other way round i.e. right hand to crimp then left left foot to foot hold? I did it the second way as I found it easier but I kept getting stuck as I kept loosing balance. What needs to be done but can’t anymore – as my good friend Rich ‘Tricky’ Hudson has reset that climbing area – is to flag with the other foot or possibly remove the hand from the sloper and use the arete of the wall to maintain balance. The problem is the black one.

The other problems on this wall that looked interesting were the V5-V8 white circuit problem and the light blue circuit ones ( I cannot remember the grade). I did not want to attempt these because they looked if they involved some kind of pushing movement which I am not yet conditioned for.

Friday 14/11/2014:

On a diversion from my usual Friday climbing venue of The Castle I went to The Westways to see if it was quiet and less busy on a Friday afternoons than Wednesday ones – and it was. After stretches and traversing I went to the V3-V5 circuit problem that involved foot and hand matching and pushing down. I tried it several times and each time I tried to lean in the opposite direction of the hold I wanted to get my foot on but every time I could not get it high enough – I think the huge sloper hold would not allow me to lean to the left. The problem is the yellow one – you can see the massive sloper hold very well on this photo. The left foot was standing on a very small hold – but you can’t see it on any of my photos. The other big problem that I found was that pushing down on the juggy sloper – the hold where I needed to get my foot on – hurt my hand as you can see most of it from the first photo has got a sharp-ish bit to it, so imagine pushing down on that hold.

The next problem I tried was a pink circuit problem  – I do not remember the grade band for this circuit – in the same slab area as the V3-V5 problem, you can see some of the holds in the above photograph. The first hand holds were and first foot hold were very tiny crimps and the as you can see from the above photo I had to a big reach to the strange sloper crimp on the blue volume and I managed to it but I could not hold onto the hold due to a lack of grip strength and/or balance – what I think I needed to do and will do next time is flag with the other leg. The last problem I had a few goes on was a black V4-V6 circuit problem, I managed to hold the hand holds correctly and stand on the first foot hold correctly but I I found it hard to get my other foot on the second foot hold and out of all the tries on this problem I only managed to get the foot on once.

  Note: Some photos may look the same but they are displaying different problems

Bouldering/training with confidence but my mind on other matters.

Monday 03/11/14:

On Monday I headed to the Mile End Wall to train for routes and to work on my weaknesses. After warming up with stretches I decided to do a bit of traversing on the traverse wall in the reception/cafe area. Instead of doing graded traverses I did my own. What I did was use as many hand holds as possible and concentrate on footwork – I tried to stick to crimps and other not very positive hand holds so I get to use to holding them. What I gained from a short session on the traverse wall was a a very large increase in finger strength. I then headed to the main room to work on the problems on the arete – by the way I got the grade of one the problems wrong, it was V2-V4 and not V1-V2 – because I was not in the right mind frame for climbing and my mind was concerned with an other matter I could not do the committing moves on the problems from last week. My next stop was the slab in the main area which had been reset. There were a lot of interesting problems on that slab including a very crimpy V4-V6 circuit problem with a crimp on a volume and one inside the volume box that I was eager to have a go on – I gave a few goes on this problem as it appealed to me and t reminded me of Johnny Dawes but I could not get passed to crimp in the volume box. The hardest problem on that slab was a V6-V8+ circuit problem that involved me matching feet on a circular hold while holding with matched hands a weird slopery crimp. I was not sure what to do next as I did not read the sequence but I think it involved smearing of some sort.  I found a problem in the same circuit that was on a vertical wall and involved me doing a delicate foot swap on flat foot hold whilst palming on to the adjacent wall – I could not do this – what I need to do next was match both hands on a bar hold and then do nothing smearing footswaps till one foot was on a circular foot hold on a volume. On the same wall I spotted a V4-V6 circuit problem that involved me doing a balancey reach on small foot holdswhilst having one hand on an a sloper located on a volume. After trying problems I decided to practice rockovers on the slab – specially no hands high foot rockovers – that are involved in a Johnny Dawes grit route called The Angel’s Share (E8 7a) in Black Rocks, Derbyshire and Gerty Berwick (E9 7a) located at Ilkley, West Yorksire. At the end of my day I bumped into the guy who I usually talk to at The Mile End Wall and I asked how he wanted me to climb this routes on Tremadog, he told me ‘on-sight’ and on-sight is always best.

Friday 07/11/14:

Friday I headed to the Castle Climbing Centre where after stretching the first thing I did was traversing using poor hand holds like crimps and slopers and footholds – I like using very small footholds – just like at The Mile End Wall I did not do a graded traverse and I was not in the right frame of mind to climb well. I could feel my fingers becoming stronger and stronger. After the traversing I headed to The Slabs are called The Quarry to try the V4-V6 circuit problem from last Friday’s Castkle trip, but as Monday I I was not in the right mind set for climbing so I did not do well. I then headed to the Mez and a couple of V0-V1 circuit problems that involved a roof. The first one had a tricky move that I could do if the latter hand hold was not on an arete on the lip of the roof and if I had read the sequence right. The other one was easier and started with both hand on small crimps and crimpy monopockets then as far as I can remember moving smearing with one foot then reaching for an undercut underneath the roof then  with the other hand going for big jug on the lower part of the roof, after this comes an arete with big jugs and a huge sloper for holds – I did not get as far as the arete itself. Then I remembered what the great Johnny Dawes told me: ‘climb on this kind of holds’ referring to crimps and slopers and ‘push down on holds to get your feet higher’, so I found a circuit problem on the same roof with crimpy holds graded V4-V6 and gave it ago. Thanks to pushing down on a small hold I managed to get the tip of big toe on a miniscule foothold and I think I need to do next was to go for a largish hold on the roof. After I finished climbing and during  after-climbing stretches I talked my friend Rich ‘Tricky’ Husdon who was traversing. We chatted about the Parthion Shot which I mentioned in a previous thread, Mecca on Raven Tor and the Tremadog routes I talked about with the guy at The Mile End Wall. When I mentioned about pushing down on holds he told me ‘it is about the deadlifts’ because we both deadlift at the gym but I knew it is all about conditioning the shoulders.

Aretes, Corners – my own problems – and Little Bit of Coaching

On Monday I headed to the Mile End Climbing Wall, as I always do, to practice climbing aretes and to tweak my corner techniques. I started of in the playground where there was plenty of aretes and corners to climb. I started on the overhanging one and only using small crimps for hand holds and foot holds and did not do too well so I changed from small hand holds to ones that were a bit bigger and managed to get up to just above half way.

Whilst I was in the playground I started to talk to fellow climber about climbing and climbing destinations. I decided to take a break from climbing and help the fellow climber out with her climbing instead. She was having a bit of difficulty with problems in the V0-V1 circuit. I began by telling her to read a few moves at a time before doing them and to look for foot holds as I was told to myself by Neil Gresham at a 1:1 coaching session. I then was telling her where the next holds are and what she could technique wise to get to them. We worked together for around an hour and with my help and encouragement she got to the top of four problems in that circuit. I asked her if she was happy with my coaching and what her thoughts on it were – she told me she was happy with it and her achievements of the day. When I came home I told my good friend Johnny Dawes about my coaching and he was happy that I did it and that the lady was happy.

After I coached her I had a small break and chatted about climbing to one of the people in the cafe/reception there. We decided to talk about John Dunne – one of the Britain’s if not the world’s – best climbers who at a young age and at 14 stones climbed E8, E9 and French 8b. We talked about his routes on Gritstone including the very scary yet awesome arete called The New Stateman (E8 7a) in Ilkley, West Yorkshire and the ethics of using bouldering mats – also called crash pads – on bold grit routes such the above mentioned and other aretes. We also talked about other routes such as Gerty Berwick (E9 7a) – also in Ilkley, this route may have a scary grade but according to the UK Climbing description, the actual climbing sounds very easy – just a lot if rockovers and reaches. I think it is very bold/run out.

After my break and with the confidence gained from helping the fellow climber I headed to the main room for the rest of the afternoon to practice climbing aretes. I found an arete with some decent holds and created my own problem. I used a variety of foot holds and hand holds along with some smearing and heel hooking. Every time I tried to climb the arete my confidence grew and I managed to pull of some tricky committing moves. With that confidence and the one gained from helping the fellow climber I decided to try some of the problems that had part of the arete as a start including a V1-V3 circuit problem and a V1-V2 circuit problem – both of these problems involved moving around both sides of the arete and crimpy holds.

Wednesday afternoon I headed to The Westways – which as usual, on a Wednesday afternoon, was very packed – to continue my training on aretes and corners but since it was packed and I could not find any space to create my own problems I decided to do attempt problems there. I found that being flexible and problem reading helped with hard problems including a V3-V5 circuit problem which involved matching foot and hand whilst pressing down on two very large sloper jugs whilst the other foot was standing on a very small flat crimp. I could not match the foot to the hand as I was not flexible enough. After the matching next moves were very balancy but you the most tricky one you could use very large volumes to help you. What I also do at this wall and at a few other walls is try and do the first few moves of routes. I tried the first few moves of an F6b and the first move of an two F7c/+ and a F7b and on one of the F7c I hurt my head on a big hold from another route and called it a day. Also gave some advice about route reading to fellow climbers at The Westways.

Friday it was The Castle’s turn to host me. Before I started to climb I went to the shop there to look through guide books on grit area, here I talked to the shop assistant about a route called Mecca on Raven Tor that Jim Pope had done recently and who he and Johnny Dawes encouraged me to have a go on. The route is graded at F8b+ but according to UK Climbing it is graded now at A1. Many great climbers have done this route – Jim Pope, Neil Gresham, Steve McClure, Shauna Coxsey and Mina Lesley-Wujastyk.

My first stop was the Mez to practice the techniques of bridging, smearing and palming for corner climbing and give a good few goes on the problems I had my eyes on from last Friday. I found another V6 problem that involved a narrow corner and smearing but I found it hard to keep the smear whilst getting the other foot up so I moved onto the V1-V3 problem that also involved that narrow corner but I think I am a bit too wide or too fat for that corner. So I went to the V1-V3 problem that I saw last Friday – when I saw attempted the lower section last Friday I read the problem that section wrong and used foot holds from another problem – this time I just read the grey holds of the problem and not the light green holds of the other problem. What I like about this problem is that it involves wide bridging on foot holds that are not that positive and a small a volume on a roof. After reaching a small crimp on the roof  triangular volume I had to bridge again the do a brave twisting reach on to a large sloper but I was too scared of that move and could not commit to it. Ibstead of attempted the V6 problem from last Friday I went to try a V4-V6 bridging, smearing and palming problem in The Quarry thaat involved a very large sloper and a large volume. The start of the problem involves some smearing onto the slabby part of a corner whilst pushing down on the very large sloper then using the arete or the large volume on the slab to get the other foot up – here I fail. After a few attempts on this technical problem I headed back to The Mez and attempted the V6 problem from last Friday – I got stuck on the same place – going for a very long reach from a big pinch. After that I called a day and headed home.