fat barrister(d)

I thought it was cold yesterday, but when I stepped out of the house it was far from it. My jumper and down jacket and aspirations of log rider suddenly seemed daft. I went to the Tor.

Had the crag to myself for half an hour or so. Did a few laps on Hubble and then a circuit starting up Boot Boys and back down the houligan. Needless to say, I was pretty warmed up after that little lot. So I did Mutation as a rest problem before reclining on my pad in the sun. Brian and Andy Reeve turn up. We discuss the future, more specifically whether I will want to keep going once the tide has turned, once the infinitesimal improvements I still think I feel have become getting worse rather than getting better. Clifford always said big things started for him when he got to 34. So I have until next August to climb 8b!

The thing I have realised is that Climbing is a personal journey, as long as you are getting something from it then its worth doing. And as long as you keep your aspirations within reach, there's still goals to acheive. Realistic goal setting. I know I will never be world class, but I don't care - its not about me relative to you, its about me! I hope to still be going out with a team when I am 40. Everyone jockeying for position to be next, fighting for the chance to get it first. I love that.

I still can't do undercuts to crimp or edge. Go and try the powerband. Get to the end and fall off. Edlog turns up looking very smart. We chat, he goes to Rubicon. I have another two laps, each time failing at the end, then I head round to Rubbercon to meet him and survey the reported foothold damage.

Yes my friends, sad news indeed, the foothold I use on Tsunami and Low Left has gone. Its the foothold I stand on with my right foot at the end of the walk through - the one I am on when I match the sloper. Here is a pic :

However. Theres a wee spike left behind and I manage (even with current bulk and skin poorness) to climb through it and do all the moves I used to have to do with the remains. I dont think its any harder. Ed and I bimble around and whilst some individual moves get done, nothing notable - unless it happened after I left ed?

Rupert turns up. Whomever told me he was now fat was wrong. As he has just repeated the harris horror show (Barracuda), I think this is the sort of fat I need. He was on Zeke, as was Simon (dark hair, nice chap, climbs a lot) didnt see how either were getting on. Crag is drier than I have seen in years. DT turns up in running shorts (living in the 80's) and asserts the traverse is harder than zeke because of having to deal with the monotony. Well, either dont bother with it then, or tape a picture of something you do like inside your glasses to make it more interesting. Folog once told me that he had a conversation with DT where he was told that climbing was in fact a call to impress our mothers. Amazing.