The ugliest car ever made

With the possible exception of the Fiat Multipla, I saw the first and only one of these I have ever seen today, behold - the Renault VelSatis :



Man. That is one hideous automobile.

Something even more worthwhile!

Wow, so today was a big day! I headed out to Rubicon at about 0830 this morning, for me thats a bit of a lie in. Anyway, turned up and got started - felt quite sparky. Moved the stuff to the kudos wall and did the Press. Ok. Had five minutes then did it from kneeling - whoa! feels smegtastic - shit, am I gonna be able to do this after all? shit! Have a rest. Try the low left start, sloper feels rubbish, I fluff my feet and am back on the pad pretty sharpish. Declare an exclusion zone around the sloper, it doesnt work and I feel rubbish. The stress is setting in. I actively opt out of the banter and sit quietly brooding on the moves and whats going wrong. Change my boots and have a much better go. The key to the low left start (if you are climbing it the way it was originally done) is to make no mistakes with your feet. Be precise and be definate. The V10s are great and I did low right in them but they feel a bit dulled whilst the dragons feel dead sharp. Anyway, I set the countdown timer for 8 minutes and sit quietly with a coffee. The youthful exuberance of the other two is apparent. Noone touches my hold! Pull on, walk feet through to the spike on the right, match the sloper, arrange my fingers so that my thumb can bite and drop right hand down to the good edge, adjust the feet and left to the pocket, sort the right good edge and take a couple of gasped breaths. Left hand to the gaston, its not quite right but I can weedle it in, change the feet and roll the gaston into my shoulder, right moves up to the press crimp and I paste my left back on, the right hand is so not in the right place, but I dont think I can move it, just go! you cant drop it here, but you have done before - dont think about that! go! jump! arrrrrghhh! and I've made contact! feet swing off but I am settled on the jug of justice and its over! Yeeeeaaaaaahhh! I've done it! Give the lads a hug and regain my own youthful exuberance. Fully bouncing around like a giddy kipper - fucking awesome! I am delighted.

I get home, send out some texts to my friends and message the mighty Keithinator on Gtalk. He is congratulatory but says 'You know its going to be downgraded?' and I'm like what? and he points out that its had a disproportionately high number of ascents for an 8a+ - its not representative of others in the peak. And he does have a point, it has had a higher number of ascents than others in the Peak, but I think thats less to do with it not being 8a+ than it is to do with where it is and that its basic. Of other problems of a similar grade the difficulty is in learning a trick move, or in getting the right conditions - the press low left is basic - if you are strong enough you will be able to do it. Plus, consider that its at rubicon, its mega accessible and therefore more people go and try it more regularly, ergo it will get more ascents. If the Press is 7b+ (I think its stiff for 7b+) then kneeling is easy 2 grades harder, and although low right is an easy few moves it certainly warrants a grade (maybe its low in the grade), but low left is a totally different proposition altogether. Its much harder, so yes, I think it IS 8a+. Also, I have had the good fortune to train and climb with Tim Clifford over the last couple of years. Clearly no stranger to hard moves and (more importantly) from Yorkshire and famously tight with his grades he says its 8a+.

So wheres the video? well, I was making such a meal of it at first that the lads put their cameras away. After I did it I tried to get a repeat for the cameras, but I was lacking that bite needed to succeed. SO thats it - done and dusted. We will see if the grade stands. I am very happy. Its certainly the hardest piece of climbing I have done!

Actually done something worthwhile!

Morning! Saturday mornings session was one of the most fulfilling and anti climatic sessions of my life!

For the first time I managed to climb an 8a boulder problem. I have been focussed on this as a goal for some time and it feels like a milestone - its the obvious milestone, because its the change in number from 7 to 8, also its taken some effort. Should be able to do 7b+ in a session, 7c depends - if they are basic should be ok. 7c+ feels hard and takes some work, but 8a seems like real brick hard. So, I'm pleased, pleased but as I found when I first did an 8a route, I just want + now!

Arranged to be out early on Saturday, so was good on Friday night. 9am loaded the car and collected Ned. Blazed a trail to rubicon - noone there - lovely. Warmed up, pretty achey from Thursdays body anhilation on kudos wall still, but movement eased the aches. Did the press. Did the press with rh on hold in the rail. Did the kneeling press - 5 mins off. Cleaned all the holds, pulled on and nailed it! There's a 'go/no-go' point when you nail the gaston with your left, shoulder it and lock through to the press edge - you could drop it here too - paste left foot and flick to the jug - hurrah! its done! continue on to the top for posterity. Here is the vid :

Relief! well, not that much - after Thursday nights session I knew I could do the low right start, and I hoped that it would go pretty quickly. Just prayed it would be all right, and thankfully it was. You put so much effort in, and care so much about doing something that inspires you, its a weight off to get it done.

I felt a bit of an anti climax when I dropped off the top holds. There was no massive swell of excitement, or at least not then. I did spend the rest of the weekend in a good mood! Honestly, there was a lot of me that wanted to do the problem becuase it was 8a, and some of my friends have been saying - about time, but I dont think it was - now was the time, I havent been ready until now and thats why I hadnt done one yet. I hope that by removing the stigma around the grade I can avoid psyching myself out in the future. Certainly the difference from 8a to 8a+ feels less about the numbers and more about the physical - can I do it? I hope so!

On thursday nights session I had worked the low left start and had been confidently getting into the position where you go up into the gaston from low right, so the obvious thought process was - given that I am doing low left in two sections and its a grade harder, then thats what I should be aiming for - Tsunami can wait!

Cleaned the holds again and had a couple of ranging goes - trouble making the foot stick, but made some good progress. Pulled on from the sloper and did it to the top, and had three or four really good attempts where I fell with my right on the press crimp - one of them slapping the jug! Awesome - its on again - for the next level!

So, with that as my goal and motivation I am going to head out this week in the hope of doing it! am dead excited! its great to actually get up something for once! Hope it doesnt massively rain! !!!

Kudos love

Had a great night at Rubicon last night. Repeated the kneeling press which I havent done for years, also got to the top of Tsunami and remembered how to do the top moves, feel really close to it! Then had a go on low right press and only had to stop because skin so sore. Going back Saturday am to finish them.

Man of the match to ginger minger Ned who climbed low right press AND le Tsunami ;-P

School to close early

Just had a mail from Nic :

Hello Nic, They sprung on us tonight that they now intend to sell the building privately and therefore want every one out by the end of Nov 06!
We decided to put a note of the mtg round everyone and are calling a mtg at Heeley mon. 14th May @ 7pm for all the buildings users - climbers, artists and community groups.
Basicaly we will be asking everyone -are campaigning for a future for the bldg? If so are they willling to work for it?
We don't think it's a foregone conclusion but it would be an uphill struggle - but I guess climbers are good at that!
We need as many climbers to show up that night as poss. Keep in touch. Best. Keith

Assuming Keith means Nov 07. I need to decide on a project.

Campus glory still in the distance

Didnt succeed. However, did analyse technique and decided that I was trying to dyno from 1-4 to 7 (and getting to 6.9). Adjusted this so that get 1-4, then fully push up to 4 before moving, top distance now reduced to 6.2 but feel that this is better technique. Went back to nailing 2-5-7.6 and then took a leaf from Simpsonian and did 1-3-5-7-8.5-7-5-3-1-3-5-7-8.5 - home. Am quite psyched for campus glory.

At the weekend I....

Didn't go climbing. Went to Wilmslow on Saturday and met the outlaws, worked for 9.5hrs on Sunday.

Today I am going to realise my campus goals and nail 1-4-7.