King of the fig

It felt every bit of the reported -4 as I shoved my bag down inside my pad. There was plenty of freezing fog about, but I had a good feeling about Saturday, although my worn tips didnt look like I would get too many chances. It was early - about 945 and there were no other teams out climbing, and no cars in the car park. I set off, marvelling at impressive haw frost on the boulders :

Thankfully the holds on the fig were unaffected and although difficult to warm up I managed it eventually. The amazing heat watch reported -2 and 70% humidity, which would explain it feeling pretty good, but not incredible. Dylan arrived, I set about the Fig. The first time I put my left hand on the sloper I can feel a crystal push through the dreadfully thin pad on my index, the shock of which refocusses my mind on whether what I thought would be a dead cert will be at all.

Dan turns up. He and Dylan start working out Submergence. I have always fancied a do on this, and they get pretty close to doing the crux move. I want to get involved, but maintain my single minded dedication to the fig. On several goes I get out to the lip but am sliding around on the holds and drop off. Theres at least a couple where I get there and am eyeballing the crimps but dont do the move. Then Ed and Pip turn up. We have a chat and I step up. The showing off effect is enough and I know pulling on I'm going to do it. I take the sloper perfectly, my right matches on and I have all the subtleties down, I rock over and have the time to settle my left on the pinch and move my feet, which happens without incident, again, my hand movements are unusually precise, I'm locked on and know its going down! I match the lip and have a bit of a moment getting my right foot on, but bam! I'm there! the move to the crimp is complete and I'm rocking over to glory. YYFY!

Dan video'd a previous go where I get to the lip and fall matching, and when I'd finished I filmed Dylan do the top. I'd have done it again for the camera but had a big hole in my left index so didnt. Here is the vid :

Blind Fig from dobbin on Vimeo.

I thought it would be funny to stick it together badly so that the climber changes half way through.

Ed and Pip walk on taking pics, some southerners turn up and Dan, Dylan and I set off somewhere else. Dan and I want to go and do the Sphinx. We bump into JLS and Vic and they reckon it will be covered in ice at the top, and I cant feel my right foot, so we decide to go down to Grindleford to have a look at Mossatrocity. JLS and Vic are terrace bound. Its much warmer down there and totally ice free. Mossatrocity looks amazing. I get out to the lip on the flash and totally wilt. Everything everyone has told me about it is true - you want to do this quickly! its a complete body mangler, and I think I have mild bicep strain as a result.

Dancing... with figs in my eyes...

I could have chanced my arm at lunchtime, but no I thought - be professional (!) I thought. It's sunny, it will be impossible. Wait until 1500 and crush it then. With concerns about it being too warm, or in the direct sun light I headed out at a professional sort of time. On arrival at Remergence lots of holds were wet, but the ones I wanted to use looked ok. Sort of.

Bimbled about a bit remembering I'd also thought to warm up at home first (like Keith) but hadn't actually done anything. Managed to find some other dry holds to take the edge off, and then it was time to set about the Fig. Some ranging goes were required to remember how to use the sloper, then I moved my attention to the top bit (from sloper on) only the lip holds must have been a bit damp because I was slithering about where on Saturday I was glued in place. Anyway, made it to the two lip holds and slapped poorly back to the good holds. Didnt do it, but wasnt worried because this bit is ok and if I got there psyche would carry me through.

It didnt. I got from the start to the two lip pinches and fell off there. This led to another 10 goes with diminishing returns from each. Sigh. I should also like to mention that when I arrived it was 43% humidity, but there was a big bank of fog over Higgar. When that reached us at Bbg north temperature did drop, but humidity went up - 80% it said at 1630 when i finally admitted defeat. I think I can take 8b for getting to the lip in adverse conditions.

We all like Figgy pudding

Popped out to crush the fig this lunchtime (as it is overcast), but it is wet. There's plenty snow in Burbage :

and the pinch and holds above the lip on the Fig are soaked (click to make bigger) :

Trying to be a wise man and not a fool, I didnt put my boots on - save my skin for another day when it could be climbed. I have nothing to gain working the moves - as I have done them all.

0.5 degrees above freezing and 70% humidity!

Pessimistic realism

Another good post from Keith on his blog this morning. He talks about optimism, pessimism and realism, claiming he is a realist yet stating "the glass only contains half it’s total volume" which I think makes him a pessimistic realist! ;-) Anyway, I am being pedantic, the meaning I am taking from another well considered and written post from the shirehorse, is that even for the most focussed amongst us failure on reference problems is hard to swallow and can lead to what I shall describe as Foleyitis.

 

This is a common condition where failure to do a move or problem you think you should be able to do leads to diminishing rest time and worsening further attempts. This debilitating mental sickness was first observed in Britain's best bum doctor up at that palace of power that was the School. James would fail on something he had previously done and rather than rest up properly and try again, he would exclaim and immeadiately try the stopper move. Of course, he hadn't rested enough, didnt do it, and his frustration was deepened.

 

To overcome the disease one must achieve enlightenment. Allow your ego to die and chalk your failure to experience. Go back a stage, get some mileage in - the session could still recover, certainly don't push on a level until you have worked through it.

 

Talking to Dan Walker last night, I am massively psyched to go up to Low Rider. My focus is on the fig at the moment, but I think that could be the next one....

Normal service resumed

Back to work and normal blogging duties along with the rest of the nation today. The unbroken weather ended with the holidays this morning although the forecast for the rest of the week looks good. Dylan and I arranged to go out on Saturday and whilst nothing went down, it was good nic and I made progress on things. Loads of people out, started the day at remergence with (amongst others) Robin Barker, Simon Reed, Ryan, Char, Worm and team Glossop. Got shown the way on the fig and now have a sequence. It felt like it was doable on a next go, but the next go never came. I learnt its not worth trying when its anything other than overcast.

 

I wanted to go and do the Sphinx. Its on Roy's list from last year (of grit things I have to do), and its a scene of previous failure. It didnt look as high as I remembered, and we had loads of pads, so I felt brave. Never did a couple of moves when I tried it before, falling because I couldnt do it rather than anything else. This time made it out onto the jugs at the end a couple of times, but kept getting sequences wrong/cold pumped.

 

Ran round to meet the rest of the team at Western eyes. Previously dismissed this as looking good but being scary. So many pads reduced the scare factor and I was treated to a couple of show pony laps to appreciate the sequence. Although, having to decipher an 'in step cam' mid flail incremented the unsuccessful attempt counter. Sacked it home tired and relaxed through rest of weekend.

 

Tonight its back to the Foundry to get back on it. Wednesday night climbing, Thursday short day session - perhaps the fig at lunchtime... 

Happy new year

Haven't posted in ages because I've been on hols and out of my normal routine. Anyway, happy xmas and new year reader. Hope yours has been happy and you are fulfilled. I write this from a bed just south of cockermouth in the lakes. We're here with a group of 30 for a big party to celebrate the new year.

From me I've climbed nothing amazing, in these two weeks of pretty consistently good conditions but I did get out a few times. Once to realise its only worth trying blind fig when its overcast, once to succeed on zaff SCwochlass (sorry Dave, I know that's wrong!) and once with the Foley to go and do flatworld.

I got a little point and shoot digital camera for xmas. It films hd. I can't actually edit it though - lack of processing hardware. Until I sort this out I'll fail back to vga, besides, its only for the web anyway, so it doesn't matter. I filmed both problems using said camera and will upload the clips when back home. They're not very exciting and I have much to learn from the likes of Keith. On the subject of which, he is on it at the moment. He crushed an 8b called amber in Swiss, then did gecko in font just after xmas. Waddage!

Chris Doyle has done alphane moon at chironico (don't know where this is actually, have guide, will look.) just before xmas, which all these heroes who presumably know a thing or two about good problems say is brilliant. The pictures look ok, but you can't tell properly from them so I shall have to seek it out, but that's not going to be until 2010 I think. I suppose its possible after the wedding...

Climbed with nEd and Dave just before xmas which was nice, especially as I was both having a good session and on home turf at the foundry. Which leads me on to variable. The sorcerer of sending has added little women to his ticklist which is 8b I think. What's more waddage is that he did zerberus in the Jura and didn't tell anyone. Gold plated waddage. Which reminds me - Dave mason did something called river dance or play or something which he speaks very highly of. I can say no more.

There will be no beastmakers for now as the machine is broken again apparently, although there is something on their Blog from after I heard that which suggests that production may restart soon.

Well done all you beasts. I'm inspired.

T-t-t-t-tiger stripes

Last night at the Foundry I had the eye of the tiger. There's nothing more cheering than climbing well when there's others there to see it. Dylan, Ned, Dave Mason, JonBoy, Ed Rob, Busby, Dan Walker and Rob Napier all tearing it up on the wave. Noone even ventured to the board.

 

The Beastmaker distribution centre is poised ready to swing into action, and there is still some chance of a pre xmas shipment.

 

I break up today for two lovely weeks off, and I cannot wait!