Flexed yesterday afternoon off so as to go to Kilnsey with Paul B. Got to the crag at 1400 and found Ed Brown and Eric on Frankie goes to Kilnsey - so much for mountain trad! let the dark side into your life ed! admit it, you love the bolt! I felt a bit scared this time round. Last time I was psyched and fearless, this time I felt a bit jittery setting off, but perhaps I got a bit spooked by leading the diretissima - a first for me, I've always done it on a topper previously. Its fine really, the climbing is easy, but its pretty polished and the first bolt is well high - admittedly, at the top of some very easy climbing. But perhaps that set me off or something. Anyway, lowered down Face Value and Paul romped up - finding the top ledge covered in bird shit. I nip back up Face Value too - Paul led this years ago - I cant think how he had the balls to do so as there's nay gear (its a trad e5) amazing.
Move across to Pantomime and climb into the first hard section but decide am going to be a wet lettuce and flump back onto the rope rather than going for it. Have a moment and push on to the top. It feels much easier than last time, I should be able to do it pretty comfortably I think to myself. Paul waltzes up looking very casual. I have another go, crush the hard section and get right to the top, but the pull on to the face at the top involves a hidden crimp and high step which I get to but fail to rock over onto and feel like am going to lob. I reverse back to the last jug and shake out, trying my damndest to get enough back to finish the route, I wait, and wait and shake and then decide its do or die, I push on but again I'm unstable, I havent worked out where it is I should go to and after attempting to crimp a non hold I take the ride. Its fine, absolutely fine - and I dont know what it was/is I was bimbling about. I jug back up and do the top bit. Its pretty easy when you know where you are going and not pumped. Lower off and go and watch Ed on the Soft Option for bit before getting back on. The problem I have with Kilnsey is that although the holds are bigger, the angle is steeper and the routes longer - in other words I get pumped, but unfortunately, when I get pumped, I also seem to stay pumped - which is frustrating. So, feeling pretty boxed still, I set off and think I have a better sequence or something, as I sprint to the jugs before the final face section and have a bit of a shake. I dont know whether there is some trick I have yet to learn or something, but there seems to be a point at which resting starts to tire you out instead of helping, perhaps its that I still had too much weight on my arms or something, but I shook out changing hands at the top of that route for ages, and whilst am sure I got something back, I certainly couldnt have carried on much further. I dont think I am cut out for euro greatness. God forbid I should ever go to Ceuse! Anyway, I pull through onto the headwall and imeadiately am in balance and teetering towards the belay - rubbish! why didnt I do this straight away? nerves I reckon. Rubbish.
Strip the pitch and move over to a little route on the far right called smooth torquer, its a 7a+ that was bolted by Steve Dunning years ago. Paul crushes it and then I get involved and inspite of the never subsiding lactic acid I manage to flash it. Pack the stuff up and go and chat to Ed, Eric, James Ibbotson and Neil Dickson before blazing a trail back to sheffield. A good afternoon out - three new routes bagged.
I am out again this afternoon/evening. Jon boy will be out but probably hunting esoterica and already has a team assembled, Dylan was non commital about pretty much anywhere, Ed Robinson is keen for the blocs, Ned has an exam, Dave Mason was out last night and I guess James Foley must be working, and I thought that Paul and I had a pretty good time, so I suggested Cheedale - he is keen, so I might get on entree... anyway, 1530 departing sheffield.
5 comments:
“I don’t know whether there is some trick I have yet to learn or something, but there seems to be a point at which resting starts to tire you out instead of helping, perhaps its that I still had too much weight on my arms or something, but I shook out changing hands at the top of that route for ages, and whilst am sure I got something back, I certainly couldn’t have carried on much further. I don’t think I am cut out for euro greatness.”
I feel like I’m stating the blindingly obvious here, so forgive me if I’m giving a serious reply to an ironic remark.
There is no trick! Why on earth do you think you might have recovery if you haven’t trained it at all? Of course you won’t recover, even on a big hold. Getting strong does not get you fit! If you took a 8b+ euro stamina purist to the tor and got them to try PUTP, they’d get shut down. Where you have an advantage over him is that basic recovery it very easy/quick to pick up, basic power takes a lot more effort. It’s far easier to get a power climber up to his max grade on a stamina route than to get a stamina climber up to his max grade on power. You could take the easy option of shaking your head, saying you’re not cut out for euro greatness. Or you could take the only marginally more difficult option of putting a tiny bit of time and effort into getting recovery. Believe me, if you spent one/two sessions a week training recovery your stamina would massively rocket within a month. Like any other area, the initial gains are the biggest and fastest to pick up and this would have a huge effect on your ability to get up routes, even on shorter ones. It’s a basic fact of route climbing that loads of people (boulderers) fail to grasp. How else do you think I can only boulder for six months of the year and then spend a summer mostly routing, ending up doing my max grade on stam routes by late season? If you can force yourself to do it you will see the benefits. Granted you may find the initial two sessions frustrating, maybe even boring, but just think how good it would feel to be to spend a summer crush classic 8s! The potential is there…
PS I take it if you were at Kilnsey yesterday you won’t be routing tonight??
I want to know! what should I do to train recovery? it all sounds so easy, i want it i want it!
Am routing tonight beast - where are you headed?
Nothing exciting, just go on things where you will get pumped and hang around a lot shaking out. At first the shaking out will seem not very effective, but very rapidly you'll start to build recover levels.
Am heading to the Tor with Variable at 5. Maestro Harris is coming out too. Bring a harness
PS. didn't see bit on your post about Cheedale. Have a good one. Entree is good and tres bouldery.
jeez dob, change that nickname.
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