Wednesday night is the new thursday if you are me. The reason for this is that the Honey monster has nothing at the gym on thursday, so basically, if I go out then theres nothing for her to do. Also, the reason most climbers climb on thursday is that they do both days at the weekend and then climb tuesday and thursday in the week. I only get to climb on Saturday which means I climb again on MOnday then do consecutive days on wednesday and thursday. I care more about acheiving outside than I do in, and acheiving is more likely to happen when you are rested, hence Wednesday is now the best night to get things done in the week.
This afternoon (thursday) I am going to the Lakes. As I will be leaving straight after work so I probably wont see her. We agreed to cut short our normal wednesday exercise to spend some time together. I left work in leeds at 1500 and was heading to the board. As I thought about it on the way home I could be at the tor for 1630 which would give me 2 hrs. Thought about it more and more and have no clear goal at the board at the moment (need to set one but thats for another time) and am really concerned that the lime will start seeping thanks to the rain we have had for days. So, figured that a shorter session of real climbing would make me happier than a longer one of training, and headed to the tor intent on climbing Staminaband.
Arrived and there was noone there - hardly suprising, the weather was foul. Raining constantly all the way there. Warmed up and got straight on the powerband. Did the last move - feet low. No problems. Climbed into the last move from a few back - no problems. Happy with that. Richie Patter, Basher and some other dude turn up and get on Sardine. Good to see Richie, he looks brown. Not really climbing, just going on about surfing! Scouse D turns up. Have a good try at Power band from the start. Dropping it at the last move. Have 5 and do exactly the same again. Clean Stamina band and get involved. Hash the foot traverse in the undercuts on my first go and have another rest. Next go sees me into the pocket on pb but I fall off getting established. Rest again. Now I know what to do, I have a seqence and I know where to stand. Clean the handholds and blob a bit of chalk on the foot holds, making sure to be using the best bit. The stopwatch beeps and I'm off again, quickly making it to the undercuts, somehow the load on my fingers and arms doesnt seem that heavy and I set my feet, taking a bit more time to get everything right seems to make the difference and I am in the powerband start pocket in control. Roll over into the good pockets at the start of PB and attempt to get a rest. Shaking seems to help but these pockets drag your skin and it hurts so you dont want to stay for too long. Press on into the power band and it feels loads harder when you've climbed into it! Left hand reaches down to the locky undercutty pocket thing and my right comes over to the cross over edge, I feel pumped out of my mind! try to get right to the pinch but its not to be and I am off. Dead pleased with progress, but need to get a lot fitter if this is to happen. After the pinch theres a hard step down where a bit of respite is to be had before the final furlong. Gonna be very hard to do the whole thing.
ANyway, have another three goes to the same point and feel completely destroyed. Psyched to get back to it but away for the weekend now. It will have to be Wednesday.
Thursday, 17 May 2007
Monday, 14 May 2007
Actione Ecole!
Tonight's post bears witness to the creation of a community action group! a group with morals of steel and loin of cloth! This group shall fight the effort to undermine the School and persuade that most feared of adversaries - Sheffield City council, to relent its campaign to sell the School building from under its loyal tenants. Emotive rhetoric aside, will it work? Dunno, but its worth a try.
What am I rambling on about? well. The council have given notice to the tenants of the Heeley community centre building which is home to the School board. Originally we understood that we would be evicted by May 08, but we've all had letters to tell us to be out by the end of November. The building is home to a number of artists, 30 odd climbers and a number of community groups who use the downstairs bit. These include scout groups, sugar artists, womens writing groups, lesbians, martial arts clubs and a mystical group called the herbalists. They (the council) claim to loose £36000 a year on the building, and to be fair we don't pay much rent. There's something about a change in the management of the councils asset portfolio moving the management over to a group who have basically been tasked with cashing in some of these assets. So, this is how we get to the present. The building has been nominated as one of those that will be sold, and letters of intent issued. Thus far, there has been no formulated response as it wasnt known whether people wanted to fight for the building, but as of this evening, it seems people do.
Of the people at the meeting, Keith Hayman did a good job of chairing the meeting but the most useful input was from a dude from Heeley community trust called Andy. He had fought and lost a battle to keep St Annes grove (similar building, different area). His steer was that although St Annes had been fought and lost, there were less groups and users of the building in that case, and it was wilfully mismanaged into ruin. There was much more procrastination but ultimately Seb, Nic and Roy are our elected nominaries and we should feed our inputs to them for submission to the group. I plan to write a paragraph about what the school is, where it comes from and what it means. This is intended for inclusion any media coverage of whats going on. There was some discussion of involving a reporter from the star who is a climber apparently.
But will it do any good? well, I feel quite encouraged! I entered the meeting feeling rather that it was a done deal and that there would be no way we could change the councils mind. I still dont think we have a great case and that there is much chance to save the building, and to be honest, I have pretty much no spare time now, so worry about what I can contribute. But I do think there is a good chance we can at least extend the time before it comes to an end. I just don't think we will find anywhere else.
Anyway, climbing - was rubbish tonight. Felt good warming up but then tired fast when I started campussing. You need to be so on it to get anything out of Campussing. Nige looked amazing on the campus board, and Keith (arms like Legs) was doing one armers on the campus board! hellfire! got to get stronger! I want to be able to do one armers on the campus board rungs too! Think I need to take some weight off and train specifically for it! but then that makes me think - why do I want to do that? cos its cool! yes, but it doesnt translate into hard redpoints outside does it? or does it???? Anyway, got dead psyched for power endurance campus work and now think thats the way forward. Target is to get up 1-3-5-7-9 back down 9-7-5-3-1 then up and down again. Waddage!
Nothing really to report from the weekend except the excitement of finding a new finish to Ben's roof! dead exciting! after the hard cross to the good hueco, still move the left to the edge of the roof, only now bring right hand into undercut above the head, tension tension tension! and work those feet up before left go and go again to the penultimate hold, then finish with the right hand. Apparently this is how Ben Moon first did the problem. Ed 'I'm shit and weak' Robinson blazed through it nonchalantly. Rupert was on Evolution, Rich heap was filming, STONE IS ON MECCA!!! loads of people out. Not sure I like this populist revival of limestone. It was better when I had the crags to myself ;-)
What am I rambling on about? well. The council have given notice to the tenants of the Heeley community centre building which is home to the School board. Originally we understood that we would be evicted by May 08, but we've all had letters to tell us to be out by the end of November. The building is home to a number of artists, 30 odd climbers and a number of community groups who use the downstairs bit. These include scout groups, sugar artists, womens writing groups, lesbians, martial arts clubs and a mystical group called the herbalists. They (the council) claim to loose £36000 a year on the building, and to be fair we don't pay much rent. There's something about a change in the management of the councils asset portfolio moving the management over to a group who have basically been tasked with cashing in some of these assets. So, this is how we get to the present. The building has been nominated as one of those that will be sold, and letters of intent issued. Thus far, there has been no formulated response as it wasnt known whether people wanted to fight for the building, but as of this evening, it seems people do.
Of the people at the meeting, Keith Hayman did a good job of chairing the meeting but the most useful input was from a dude from Heeley community trust called Andy. He had fought and lost a battle to keep St Annes grove (similar building, different area). His steer was that although St Annes had been fought and lost, there were less groups and users of the building in that case, and it was wilfully mismanaged into ruin. There was much more procrastination but ultimately Seb, Nic and Roy are our elected nominaries and we should feed our inputs to them for submission to the group. I plan to write a paragraph about what the school is, where it comes from and what it means. This is intended for inclusion any media coverage of whats going on. There was some discussion of involving a reporter from the star who is a climber apparently.
But will it do any good? well, I feel quite encouraged! I entered the meeting feeling rather that it was a done deal and that there would be no way we could change the councils mind. I still dont think we have a great case and that there is much chance to save the building, and to be honest, I have pretty much no spare time now, so worry about what I can contribute. But I do think there is a good chance we can at least extend the time before it comes to an end. I just don't think we will find anywhere else.
Anyway, climbing - was rubbish tonight. Felt good warming up but then tired fast when I started campussing. You need to be so on it to get anything out of Campussing. Nige looked amazing on the campus board, and Keith (arms like Legs) was doing one armers on the campus board! hellfire! got to get stronger! I want to be able to do one armers on the campus board rungs too! Think I need to take some weight off and train specifically for it! but then that makes me think - why do I want to do that? cos its cool! yes, but it doesnt translate into hard redpoints outside does it? or does it???? Anyway, got dead psyched for power endurance campus work and now think thats the way forward. Target is to get up 1-3-5-7-9 back down 9-7-5-3-1 then up and down again. Waddage!
Nothing really to report from the weekend except the excitement of finding a new finish to Ben's roof! dead exciting! after the hard cross to the good hueco, still move the left to the edge of the roof, only now bring right hand into undercut above the head, tension tension tension! and work those feet up before left go and go again to the penultimate hold, then finish with the right hand. Apparently this is how Ben Moon first did the problem. Ed 'I'm shit and weak' Robinson blazed through it nonchalantly. Rupert was on Evolution, Rich heap was filming, STONE IS ON MECCA!!! loads of people out. Not sure I like this populist revival of limestone. It was better when I had the crags to myself ;-)
Thursday, 10 May 2007
Tortuga del Aqua
I'm psyched again! Went to the tor in torrential rain and feeling pretty tired, but it was really good conditions - much cooler than it has been and I felt ok! At the end of my last visit I struggled alone weedkiller in the full sun and found it really hard, last night it was on the end of the warm up circuit and felt steady - have a new easier sequence that takes less out of you - this will become useful for weedkiller chimes. Did Ben's roof first go at the end of the warm up too. Coached Ned through it for him to fall off the top on his first go but get it on subsequent try. Pretty pleased, felt like I was climbing well. Headed on down to the powerband and continued my tempestuous relationship with it, climbing from the start to the end 6 or 7 times but never doing the drop down on the link! Did the drop move a few times on its own but find it so hard at the end - just cant decide what to do with my feet. When I did it the other week I stayed low, but that feels way hard, and the egyptian way is definately easier, but you cant get your right foot out very easily, which ends attempts with me stabbing my foot into the ground. Need to work the move.
Had a couple of goes on the Staminaband start and reaquainted myself with the moves. Need to sort a sequence for the undercuts to pocket bit. Basically, I can pretty much always get here but struggle with the transition to the powerband. Meanwhile self confessed scaredy cat Ned started trying PUTP as a bloc. Having had a few spectacular dismounts on a rope I cant get psyched for this above pads to be honest, but that didnt stop Ned (who had held all my facing the wrong way falls) and after a few hilarious going for the wrong bit goes he nailed the nobble but fell going for the bity crimp.
So that was it. Ned climbed Ben's roof, Rae nearly did the power band, Tom put in some good links on Staminaband, and I puntered around. A good evening. Returned to sheffield full of beans and happy.
Had a couple of goes on the Staminaband start and reaquainted myself with the moves. Need to sort a sequence for the undercuts to pocket bit. Basically, I can pretty much always get here but struggle with the transition to the powerband. Meanwhile self confessed scaredy cat Ned started trying PUTP as a bloc. Having had a few spectacular dismounts on a rope I cant get psyched for this above pads to be honest, but that didnt stop Ned (who had held all my facing the wrong way falls) and after a few hilarious going for the wrong bit goes he nailed the nobble but fell going for the bity crimp.
So that was it. Ned climbed Ben's roof, Rae nearly did the power band, Tom put in some good links on Staminaband, and I puntered around. A good evening. Returned to sheffield full of beans and happy.
Tuesday, 8 May 2007
Weekend briefs
Not much to report in climbing terms from the weekend past. Saturday went to Rubicon and That-place-of-which-we-must-not-speak and didn't climb well. Just didn't feel very on it - wonder if this is because of having completed all the summers goals already!?! not sure this is the case as I still have Tsunami, the Hulk, Zeke and The free monster to do. Certainly feels like I have been really pushing for the last two weeks or so, and almost think I perhaps feel a bit deflated in their wake.
Writing the above I dont think thats the case - its not like I've climbed 9a or something! I was focussed on the goals I had set and now I have acheived them. I just need to get psyched for something else - thats all. Think that thing could be the Hulk, but I kinda feel like I should be shifting my focus to routes now.
Sometimes, in a session if you have a shit go on something you can mentally write off the rest of the session, thinking yourself to be shit and that you aren't pulling on that day, when that may not be the case. The air temps at Rubicon were warm so the moves on the low left start were hard and I made a meal of it, leading me to thinking I must be having a bad day and not to bother. Additionally, you cant always be at your best, but its hard not to compare with previous performances. I think that comes from the school mentality - you do the same problems as a warm up on each visit and those problems gauge how well you are climbing on that day.
Anyway, went to Leeds on the Saturday night to see my sister and Fiance, back home via harrogate on Sunday and then bimbled around the house until Monday evening when I went to the Works for a bit of volume.
Writing the above I dont think thats the case - its not like I've climbed 9a or something! I was focussed on the goals I had set and now I have acheived them. I just need to get psyched for something else - thats all. Think that thing could be the Hulk, but I kinda feel like I should be shifting my focus to routes now.
Sometimes, in a session if you have a shit go on something you can mentally write off the rest of the session, thinking yourself to be shit and that you aren't pulling on that day, when that may not be the case. The air temps at Rubicon were warm so the moves on the low left start were hard and I made a meal of it, leading me to thinking I must be having a bad day and not to bother. Additionally, you cant always be at your best, but its hard not to compare with previous performances. I think that comes from the school mentality - you do the same problems as a warm up on each visit and those problems gauge how well you are climbing on that day.
Anyway, went to Leeds on the Saturday night to see my sister and Fiance, back home via harrogate on Sunday and then bimbled around the house until Monday evening when I went to the Works for a bit of volume.
Friday, 4 May 2007
It apparently took Paul Reeve 7 years to climb Mecca (the mid life crisis). Mecca is 8b+ and no matter how long it took him to do it, he did it and its a great effort. When I was 15 (or 16) I first visited Raven Tor and the climbing scene was very centered around sport climbing. It was massively in vogue to go bolt clipping and pulling on small holds and Raven tor was the place to be, although perhaps not as an incompetent (but keen 15 year old) whose ticklist thus far was well, er nothing. Anyway, in my logic as Pump up the power was short it would be allright. Obviously, the reason you fall off routes is because you are pumped - that I might not be able to do the moves didnt even enter into it. Anyway, I couldnt do any of the moves (as far as I remember) but the seed was sewn and I was keen. A couple of years later at 18 I was back at the Tor with Ian Fitzpatrick once more trying and failing to do any of the route. Ian did do it that time and I was hugely impressed. More years passed but I now had a grasp on reality and didnt really try it again, not until last November at least. Then I worked a sequence and thought it could go but the rain started and once more, that was that...
Pump up is a very short, sharp route climbed first by Ben Moon in the 80's. Starting in a massive slot thats also on the powerband you make a lurching move to another big slot - these are both massive, but theres something unpleasant about your body position through this move that makes it sort of wierd - not hard really, just wierd. Having gained this second bomber slot you stick your foot on the corner of the first one and roll round to a left hand sidepull 'ear'. Smear the left foot under the roof and right hand bumps to an intemediate then again a pinchy hold - pause here, then look past your hand to the infamous nobble hold (kind of a splayed finger hold where the thumb comes up between the fingers), set your gaze on where you must deadpoint and quickly make the move! its all either on or off at this point - you cant effectively adjust and really if its not right you should save yourself the effort of trying to pull it out if you havent held the nobble right. Adjust the feet, match, another foot move and the left hand moves to a rubbish sharp tiny, slight adjustment of body position before making the crux move to a right hand gaston. Assuming you've held this right - and I did fall with my hand on here a few times, a not too bad move to a good edge brings the hard climbing to an end - phew! Yesterday when I reached this point I knew I was in and that I had done it and that I wouldnt fall from there, so I clipped off this edge thing - theres a jug off left! why I didnt move I dont know, just wanted to get it done I suppose. Anyway, having gained the good rail you rumble off to the top and thats it - 8a+ archetypal power climbing ticked!
Here is a picture of Zippy on it from The power of climbing :
Pump up is a very short, sharp route climbed first by Ben Moon in the 80's. Starting in a massive slot thats also on the powerband you make a lurching move to another big slot - these are both massive, but theres something unpleasant about your body position through this move that makes it sort of wierd - not hard really, just wierd. Having gained this second bomber slot you stick your foot on the corner of the first one and roll round to a left hand sidepull 'ear'. Smear the left foot under the roof and right hand bumps to an intemediate then again a pinchy hold - pause here, then look past your hand to the infamous nobble hold (kind of a splayed finger hold where the thumb comes up between the fingers), set your gaze on where you must deadpoint and quickly make the move! its all either on or off at this point - you cant effectively adjust and really if its not right you should save yourself the effort of trying to pull it out if you havent held the nobble right. Adjust the feet, match, another foot move and the left hand moves to a rubbish sharp tiny, slight adjustment of body position before making the crux move to a right hand gaston. Assuming you've held this right - and I did fall with my hand on here a few times, a not too bad move to a good edge brings the hard climbing to an end - phew! Yesterday when I reached this point I knew I was in and that I had done it and that I wouldnt fall from there, so I clipped off this edge thing - theres a jug off left! why I didnt move I dont know, just wanted to get it done I suppose. Anyway, having gained the good rail you rumble off to the top and thats it - 8a+ archetypal power climbing ticked!
Here is a picture of Zippy on it from The power of climbing :
Technically thats taken 15 years to do! Quite pleased but not as ecstatic as when I did low left press. Anyway, I was going to wax on about the time to do it and the levels then and now and so on, but theres a really good thread on UKB that says it all.
Thursday, 3 May 2007
First Falling
Went to the tor last night. Its so hot at the moment that when the crag is in the sun its almost unclimbable! bit worried as its only May and I cant remember the last time it rained. Hopefully it wont get to being a water shortage and stand pipes and all that. Better wash the car!
Anyway, PUTP was fully in the sun but I clipped it up and had a go anyway. Amazed myself by falling of the last hard move. A big change from 15 years ago when I came and sat on a bolt being massively outclassed by it all. Back then I knew that it was a Ben Moon route and he was my hero and I wanted to do it. To cap all that, it was in the power of climbing. Anyway, I was hopeless and didnt do any of it. Then last november I had a go, sorted a sequence and it looked like it was on, but then the rain started. This year I have had two sessions trying, the first one saw a couple of attempts (more by the skin of my teeth than by skill and strength) get to the top, and yesterdays saw one in the full sun falling off with hand on the jug, and another two where slight adjustments seemed to mean it was on, but it wasnt on enough and I didnt get it finished.
Heading out this afternoon pretty psyched to wrap it up. Also going to have a look at Seans roof, and get NedVegas to flash Beginners wall. Kinda keen to get to two tier but might not have time.
Anyway, PUTP was fully in the sun but I clipped it up and had a go anyway. Amazed myself by falling of the last hard move. A big change from 15 years ago when I came and sat on a bolt being massively outclassed by it all. Back then I knew that it was a Ben Moon route and he was my hero and I wanted to do it. To cap all that, it was in the power of climbing. Anyway, I was hopeless and didnt do any of it. Then last november I had a go, sorted a sequence and it looked like it was on, but then the rain started. This year I have had two sessions trying, the first one saw a couple of attempts (more by the skin of my teeth than by skill and strength) get to the top, and yesterdays saw one in the full sun falling off with hand on the jug, and another two where slight adjustments seemed to mean it was on, but it wasnt on enough and I didnt get it finished.
Heading out this afternoon pretty psyched to wrap it up. Also going to have a look at Seans roof, and get NedVegas to flash Beginners wall. Kinda keen to get to two tier but might not have time.
Tuesday, 1 May 2007
1-4-7 Rings glory
Monday night is a night for training (because I dont climb both weekend days). Ned, Follicle and I met at the board for a ring training session. I was an hour earlier than them so I did some campussing, and I am pleased to say - finally managed 1-4-7. Although, this was only leading with my right, I havent done left arm leading yet. Feel worked from the rings this morning.
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