Post xmas rehab

Well, it was quite different to that in the end. The weather looked good on boxing day. As I prepared to leave the parents Matt Birch rang to ask if it was dry in the Peak. I wasn't there, so I didn't know, but between us and a few text messages to people who were it sounded like it was worth a try. Arranged to meet at the plantation. As I came off the motorway my intent flitted between going to the board and going outside, which would I get more from? I havent got much time, and there would be noone at the board, so the post turkey flab could be dispatched solo... Made the right decision (hadnt been out for ages) and met Matt in the plantation car park. Quite wet underfoot, but a healthy breeze whipping past, blocs that faced the wind were dry or getting there. The last time I was out with Matt and Tim at the plantation much piss taking took place at my incredible slab climbing skills. I have since attended a showpony masterclass and wanted to set the record straight - but delifrance was wet. Did that lovely arete to its left on both sides, then on to the green traverse. All this as warm up for him to do the ace and for me to try the joker. I would love to do that problem. Have never been out when its been in ok nic and had a good spotter. Sadly ran out of time and had to leave him to it. Presume it didn't happen as I heard nothing else (he could also be dead). He goes back to the states in mid Jan - has an amazing new (hard) project he hopes to do. Legged it home, fed the cat, and then over to Manchester for tea with the outlaws. Was very pleased to receive a belated xmas pressie from them - a powerball. I think its quite a useful warm up tool for the forearm muscles, and as a toy its great, but as a strength training mechanism I'm not convinced. I remember Dave Parry saying that this 30 second stamina thing you can do with them is good for a work out (and Stu Little mentions this on 28th also). Anyway, have nice meal - get drunk. Her mum always has the heating on. Its too hot and I don't sleep good.

Drive home through a soaked peak district on the 27th. Drop off the pressies and head up to the board. Definately no way I could be outside today! Vicky fringe is trying Helen Kean problems. They look fun. I have no will power and find myself having a go. Actually don't feel too shabby - lack a bit of pzzazz on the 50, but thats always the first thing to go when you put on weight or have some time off. Fingers feel ok though and I climb well on the 30 and the moon board. Hopefully the next session will improve again. More beer is consumed this evening - although in smaller measure.

Friday the 28th looks a lovely morning! send out an exploratory text message and snag cheekbones mason. Meet at Burbage west where he wants to try westworld. I think I tried this once about 5 years ago, and I thought I was going to have a hernia. I haven't been back on it. Repeated my Nose experience - for those who have not had the pleasure, this means trying it a really stupid way - fail, watch someone else and then do it really easily. Sigh loudly and exclaim that I am a punter. Remember how lovely climbing on the gritstone is. The moves and the holds are a joy to do/use. Head on round to WSS - say hello to Boggo, Simon Holmes and Sarah. Cannot do WSS at all. Cannot hardly pull on. Phone Adam (laid up on sofa with bad back after an onsight attempt on Parthian Shot). Sequence improves markedly and I finish the day repeatedly getting into the top hand holds, but failing to rearrange the feet to make the last move. Stu Little turns up. Dave and Ben (not me clearly) go to look at Famous Grouse. I tell Stu about Adam's bad back and we coerce to spread rumour that he has been attempting to onsight parthian. Its all lies. I explain the nose experience and Stu allows me the benefit of his insight and points out that I am not a rubbish technical climber, but I am a sequence idiot. I agree.

Am starting to get all excited about Swizzy. There are a lot of things I want to do at Chironico. Theres something called Schule des Lebens that has another 8a to the left of it that sounds up my street, and talking to James Foley I hear that Liam Desroy has done Great Shark hunt and has claimed it at 8a+. OOOOOOh! I am going to keep a training diary this year. I have said it before, but I am and Its gonna be great!

xmas time, dampness not fine

Wow. Christmas again. I seem to go in cycles of being really psyched and really ambivalent about xmas. Last year, I went to town, bought great presents and was dead dead excited, this year it seems to have crept up on me and I haven't really gotten into the spirit of things. In part I am sure that's because the last few days leading up to christmas I felt like I have been fighting a cold off. Its never fully materialised, save for crushing lethargy (exaggeration) but its taken the wind out of my sails a bit. Now I'm here, its xmas day and I feel a bit regretful that I haven't been more exciteable. I probably sound ungrateful and I'm not, I have had great presents and a nice day, but feel I arrived here unexpectedly or something. Never mind - stop moaning!

Pre Xmas, tried to go out on er, Sunday, and I lined up stanage's chief beta monkey to facilitate pre Xmas gritstone glory, but on heading out of ringinglow I could see a bank of fog at the top of the hill which looked ominous. Burbage was shrouded in fog, the high bit between bbg and stanage was just about poking out, but still very hazy, and down to stanage was like descending into a dickensian pea souper, quite atmospheric but not great for climbing. Parked up at the plantation car park planning to walk up anyway as there might be something dry. Pure people walking back down to the car park with pads. They reckoned it was wet. Called adam - planning to head further south. Headed to the works. Bumped into dribble. He reported Andi Turner sitting under the pebble and that it was wet. As Andi Turner is one of the staffs lads and thats were adam was on about, I felt vindicated going to a climbing wall when the sun was out in sheffield. Couldnt have gone to the board, I could feel this lurgy starting. Climbed like a sac of spuds. Felt rubbish, but still in denial.

Monday I felt worse, Tuesday I have felt better, but feel over worst of it. Planning to pop to the board for an hour on way to monsters on boxing day. Wonder if rubicon is dry. Suspect I will be heavy and weak. At least the chances of anyone being there are slim.

wastage

It's been a slow week in the land of the blog of dob. That's because the blog of dob is about climbing, and I've just been drunk. I did climb on Wednesday at Leeds wall. Turns out Ben Meeks is going to be in Cresciano at the same time we are - the more the merrier from my point of view. Lee texted, annoyed that he hadn't been pestered to come - I didn't even think he was interested. Wednesday night was a work night out. Went to Tam Po Po in Leeds - lovely. Rich Heap had been on in the day to ask me to the pub to celebrate the launch of HXS, but as per the previous, I couldn't make it. Sent him a message on the way home, but glad I didn't meet them, as I was already drunk and more wouldn't have been wise - I am a drinking lightweight.

Felt rubbish all day on thursday, ate at Catch in the evening with the monster - only a glass of wine that night, so relatively tame. Friday - last day of work, didn't have to go in to office, just a morning at home. Guests arrived in the afternoon, all out in the Ball in evening, but, already buoyed by mulled wine I was soon drunk and ready to go home (it was closing time too), got bought another drink, and should have left it, but didn't. That was the straw that broke the camels back. Woke up today feeling like death. Felt like death until managing to eat at 1130. Went for a walk in the icy rain with the monster. Was quite invigorating. Now watching rubbish christmas telly and eating.

Bleugh. Back on it tomorrow (I hope).

Nibile's guru

Took Dylan and Garry to the board again last night. The few extra degrees of warmth made all the difference. It seems to be colder inside the school than it is outside. If the temperature in the car registers <2.5degrees, and there will be less than 4 people actually climbing - don't go. Nothing hard was climbed, but I ticked my standard problems and felt worthy of trying Amoeba Assasin again (haven't bothered since the lurgy, as haven't been up to it, and I find it very hard). As I drove home I pondered why I had felt so close to doing it before. Didn't reach an answer, but perhaps I was a bit lighter or something. There's a very hard (well, I think so) release which I only just did (with difficulty) last night, and I was doing more comfortably pre lurgy. I also considered that on a monday its just been the weekend, and I am likely a bit heavier (booze, bigger meals etc).

 

Ages ago Nibs sent me a message in which he offered to introduce me to his training guru. Coming up to christmas I would hope to be winding down at work, but its been mental, so instead of replying I haven't gotten round to it. There's also an issue here. I have (recurring theme alert) very limited time available for climbing - in quite specific slots, so I felt I should do justice to my schedule in any reply I made, and that required consideration which I hadn't got the time to give. But, thinking about this last night, I have loads of ideas and thoughts on training which could do with some structure, add to that the various wisdom from Dylan, Ned, Variable and others and you have a heady brew of torture schemes on rotation in my head. Basically, I could do with some order, and perhaps if I can articulate the restrictions on my time, perhaps the guru could help!

 

Zippy once said to me "how strict are you with your training?" to which I replied that I 'trained' at the board and climbed and stuff, and he told me that wasn't training. He meant campussing, hanging, weights etc. And I dont do any of that. Climbing is just too much fun! I have absolutely no will power either. If there is someone trying something and I either think it looks good, or that I could do it and showboat, then I am there. Its like quick wins of being able to show off over long term gains of becoming an uber wad and crushing 8b. Or is it? which is better?

 

Should have gone out...

I'm psyched for christmas. I love it. (talking of which, I wonder what the film Psyche was like last night...)

 

Ed did Zoo York! amazing! I felt a mild sense of 'why haven't I done Tsunami' when I got the news, but that lasted for all of about 10 seconds and left in its path a burning desire to go to Caley. This is a dream that might get realised on Wednesday - actually, I don't know what the weather is doing this week, so it may yet be a moot point. I have a works do in Leeds on weds night, which means I shall go straight there from work, so I will be in work later than normal, and can thus afford a longer lunch break.

 

I have been thinking about some sort of karma voting applet for this blog, based on Adam's comment yesterday - which I have to say, I think is deserved. I don't know why I thought it would be better to go to the school. Actually, I do - the whole point of going there was that I had limited time and wanted to make the best use of it. I should have gone to the plantation and done the storm. Spent all of the rest of the weekend slightly kicking myself that I had misused my ticket. I do definately have/struggle with this mentality that training is of more value than climbing when I have limited time. I think my success criteria for a climbing session is that I should be physically tired, and driving and walking in for 45 minutes with an hour and a half of climbing does not match 2hrs training on the board. In fact, this is something I struggle with a lot throughout the winter grit season. I love the climbing on gritstone - find it really enjoyable, but in my minds eye I think of pleasing climbing as being a steep face with small holds. Which is probably why I so love switzerland - Granite lends itself to my style of climbing. As I get older and slightly less obsessive (!) I think I am starting to see the value in going out enjoying myself even if this reduces how much time I get to actually climb. The point is that the satisfaction from climbing a problem outside is greater than success on something inside. I propose a 2 grade satisfaction offset between inside and outside. I.e. climbing a 7a outside is the same as climbing a 7b inside. Actually, it might be more like three grades. Actually, thats bollocks - it depends on how nice the climbing is. But I still think I would rather do a rubbish 7a outside than a 7b inside. So clearly, its all personal and you should discount the grading satisfaction offset above.

 

The car conditions indicator (patent pending) suggests conditions at the school may well be better than on Saturday (its 2.5 degrees). Plus, it will be later in the day and therefore likely warmer. I hope.

 

Last week at the board cheekbones mason warned me off buying a Pod pad based on an assumption that production has been shifted to china (since pod sold co.) and that quality has gone down. I went to Outside and they still had stock of the old made in Sheffield ones, so thats what I have bought - plus - it goes in the car perfectly! Ok, I have to go for now as I need a poo and its breakfast time.

 

One man struggles, whilst another relaxes

Its bitterly bitterly cold in Sheffield at the moment. All week it's been super cold, but there's this freezing fog hanging around, and things aren't as mint as you would hope for 'not raining and cold'. The roads are all wet and v.slippery from the frost melt. I actually think it might be too cold for the school at the moment! honestly, that building - too hot, too cold! there's a very small window of optimum condition - and its warmer than it is now...

So, last night I hear from Foley that Ned has done full power! fantastic effort. This guy is going so well and has a very positive energy. I fully expect him to go on to greater things. He is super keen, 15 years old, strong as an ox, but sadly a ginger. I wonder if there is an offset grading scale for giners?

As if that wasn't enough, I missed a call this afternoon from Dr Pinch himself. A very breathless but excited Ed Robinson babbled that he has finally closed his Zoo York account! superb effort from another underachieving super power. In many ways I think it means more to have put in a lot of time and effort when you do something, as all that investment has paid out - and its a great feeling. I would love to be in his shoes tonight!

On the other end of the scale, one cripple and one punter went to the board today. The cripple attempted to see how much weight the ricketty weights bench could support in his campaign to bench a mini metro, and the punter failed on everything, gave up climbing (couldn't feel my feet) and did some hanging, using the new greatest contraption ever - the gymboss. Waddage to Dylan for this hot tip, its a split interval timer which allows you to set a work and rest period. For example, if you wanted to do 10 second hangs with a 30 second rest, it beeps when you should change state - and, increments a rep counter, so you always know where you are. Awesome knowledge - get them off ebay. Mine was £17.99 inc postage.

Anyway, well done to those who did, and must try harder to those who didn't.
Back to the fingerboard for me!

Secret Thursdays

I took Thursday off work. Had holiday that had to be used up by the end of the year, so figured I would put it to good use and go to Rubicon. You'll probably think me insane for trying, but I had to go and look. However, its rained a lot recently and the crag was completely flooded. Dammit.

There's something red (burnt orange) leeching into the water from somewhere. You cant really see it on that picture, but anyway, back to the car and off to Cratcliffe.
Very cold. Try to warm up, but there's verglass on all the tops so no actual topping out. Pretty much sack warming up, figuring that T Crack isnt that physical - I'll go and get stuck in. Fall off slapping for top pocket. Go and look at where it actually is rather than where it looks to be and hold it, it feels scrittly - like the grit has been wet. Risk life and limb teetering round the top to give it a brush. Next couple of goes I am there but am a bit scared. Back off. Decide to stop fannying around and suprisingly its execution is pleasantly easy. I dont know why I have had such a whitey on it. I think i have been physically capable for some time, but just havent done it. Ah well. Its done. The moves are entertaining, and it climbs well, but I dont think it will become a new favorite or anything.

Go and have a flail on Jerry's, but get a cold numb pump. Drive off to Calver crossroads for egg and chips and then finish the day up at Curbar.
Early in the day I was thinking about going to look at brutal arete at Stanton moor, but I had heard it was high and then I remembered walk on by at Curbar, which is a problem I would super like to do. However, I left it too late in the day and just did strawberries and trackside, then gorilla warfare and early doors. Had a lovely day out. Bit frustrated at Tsunami, but I think the water level might recede and it might not be over yet... Am even considering investing in wellies and a tarp, and doing it with some kind of floating start...